JJ Jr Review

[MistaGuitah]

First, the JJ Jr is a badass amp overall - love it. $1499, a little overpriced in my opinion, but I also think that of the PT20 and DS mini. I was disappointed that the clean channel has much less volume than the dirty channel, and that it starts going into overdrive around 12:00 at max volume. The clean channel can't really go beyond band practice. I didn't expect a great deal of clean headroom, but the difference in volume between the clean and dirty channel reminds me of a Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18 I used to have.

It has a decent low end available for an EL84 amp, and the low end holds up extremely well, but not so much that beautiful, massive low end the JJ-100 has. It's a little saggier on pick attack than the JJ-100, and tends to feel more immediate as the gain increases, but that's a very subtle difference from the JJ-100 and not like some other amps that have chewier dynamics. The BE channel seems like it has slightly less gain than the JJ-100 BE channel, and seems to saturate a little more on the JBE channel. I think I like the JJ-100 BE channel more than the JJ Jr BE channel. Where the JJ-100 BE channel was slightly more appealing to me than the BE-100 BE channel, the JJ Jr BE channel is slightly less appealing than the PT20 in sort of an opposite respect. I'm really nitpicking here though because it's nuance.

One of the most useful things about the JJ-100 is how well the EQ works. The JJ Jr EQ works very well but maybe a little less effective than papa bear. For example, you can take the mids down to 0 on the JJ-100 without really having to adjust the presence or treble. The EQ of the JJ Jr seems to respond to changes in some of the knobs. For example, if I cut the mids (for example, not that it would be practical to have mids on zero) out on the JJ Jr, something takes away from both the bass and treble, so they both need to be turned up to compensate; and it becomes a little darker so the presence has to be nudged a little too. If you do the reverse and want to turn the mids up to 10 then it seems to need a little nudge of the treble to get the mids to stand out similar to the JJ-100. I don't know if I'm explaining that right but it seems like the treble control affects the other controls somehow.

This is not a replacement for a JJ-100 if you play live gigs that require a fair amount of cleanish headroom in my opinion. However, it makes an excellent replacement if you use it for a home studio. I have not yet tried the speaker emulation yet but the cab I'm using is a DS Mini cab which I think has the same Celestion Creamback speaker, so I can tell you it sounds beefy enough through a 1x12.

Overall, I like this amp a lot. It really needs a 4x12 with a band I think, but that kind of diminishes the usefulness of it as a portable mini head when you have to lug around a 4x12. I am pretty disappointed with the lack of volume on the clean channel. However, my needs at the present time and probably for the next year do not require that much so it's adequate. I know I've offered a little criticism of this amp, but part of that probably stems from separating from my JJ-100 which was just too much amp. Honestly, the JJ-100 is just too much and the JJ Jr. is too little. For $1500, the JJ Jr. could have been a 25w. In that regard it could leave you left wanting a little bit. Having said that, it's a very fine little amp that's packed with useful features. The tone is very good and it has that great high gain definition and openness reminiscent of the JJ-100.

 

[Stramm8]

I’ve played mine through a 1x12 and 3 different 4x12 (v30, black backs, green backs) and I like it best through the 1x12. Haven’t played it with a band yet but it should do fine.

The clean channel thing I get but I didnt get it for the clean channel. And I like that you can dime the clean and get some killer blues tones with tons of sustain at a reasonable volume...

 

[romanianreaper]

Good honest review man. Hey, that is what people want to hear is someone being honest and laying everything out.

I think there are a few things that throw it into $1500 territory versus $1000 territory. It is made in the USA and has the name "Friedman" and "Jerry Cantrell" associated with it. So a signature amp made by a guy who is a build machine right now and made in the US. I think all of those factors push it up into that range.

I might be wrong about this but I think any of us who haven't owned a Friedman BE, JJ, etc. will probably be in heaven playing thru the JJ Jr. For players who have already owned one of his other amps, I think there might be a bit of a struggle with the tone because you are getting some of those nuances, albeit small", that an EL34 tube does versus an EL84 and same with the wattage. With that said, the JJ Jr. will break up and get those tubes working earlier so that is awesome. And like you said, for bedroom playing is a great deal.

 

[LP Freak]

You’re comparing a 100w powerhouse to a 20w practice amp. To be honest, I’m impressed Dave got it as close as he did.

 

[romanianreaper]

You’re comparing a 100w powerhouse to a 20w practice amp. To be honest, I’m impressed Dave got it as close as he did.

Yeah I mean someone could have done a blindfold test and said "listen to this new Friedman 100 watt amp" and I guarantee nobody would have guessed a 20-watt with EL84 tubes.

I have said it before. Although not the same, Friedman tone captures a bit of that oversaturated growl that I heard when I played thru my friend's Cameron Aldrich years ago. I can't explain what it is, say what it is, etc. but I personally haven't heard it in many other clips. It is this combination of growl, articulation, and sustain that I hear and just reminds me of a muscle car.

 

[MistaGuitah]

Hey if you think you can write a better review that everyone on the forum is going to agree with and not criticize in any way, then go right ahead. If you don't like my review, then you don't have to take it for a grain of salt. It's that simple. I gave an honest review with a lot of detail. I think that anyone who wants to criticize my review needs to first shut the hell up, write their own - better - review, and then show us all how its done. This is precisely the reason why I don't post any audio because some people find a way to criticize any little thing, but they do it in such an unnecessarily vicious way sometimes.

I love Friedman amps. I just spent $1500 on this one so it's not like I'm badmouthing the amp or anything. There are going to be shortcomings with a little amp so there's nothing wrong with mentioning that. Dave Friedman is a guy who listens to his customers so it's good that people can offer feedback to help him continually improve his products.

Someone said they didn't buy it for the clean channel, well good for you. Many of us bought it precisely because it has a clean channel.

Someone else criticized my critique of the pricing. Well I never said they should sell for $1000, or that they aren't worth a reasonably high price tag. I just said they seem overpriced for $1500. I think $1399 is the right price. Disagree if you want but saying the PT20 or JJ Jr should sell for $1399 isn't an unreasonable expectation in a competitive market.

Someone else criticized me for comparing it with the 100w - well duh, of course I'm going to compare it with the bigger version of the exact same model! At least I can offer that comparison as an owner of both amps, and that is useful information to a lot of people.

So if you think this review sucks so bad then I'll delete it and spare you all the agony of getting your panties in a bid wad, then let you freaking experts write all the reviews on this forum.

 

[skullfxr]

Good honest review. That is what I am always looking for. I will do more research, but I think I will stick to my Splawn Supersport, as I don't find it to be lacking for my uses.

 

[155]

I liked the review, and think ill stick with my wildwood pt-20 pretty sure the JBe and the sat switch on mine do the same thing, I dont have a clean channel and dont care it cleans up enough for me , and dont need the line out. That said these amps can barely hang in loudish band setting even thru a 4x12...for home and recording they are killer...

 

[the4thlast1]

Great review man...I think a lot of people are expecting this little JJ mini amp to sound 95% like the 100w version because of all the Internet hype so far. Personally I owned the 100w version and liked it a lot. Its cool friedman did a mini version but there is no way a 20w amp is gonna have the balls of a 100w. So it's nice that you gave an honest comparison !

 

[Evil Z06]

there is no way a 20w amp is gonna have the balls of a 100w.

I have the JJ Jr. and I love it but I even know it's not gonna have the balls of the 100 watt beast....but at lower levels I am pretty sure it's almost dead on according to what I have seen.....for the record it's a healthy 20 watts

 

[ClintN667]

I for one appreciate this review. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on this just by the hype. I needed an honest review to slow my roll down sorta speak. I'm getting a second amp which will be the last major gear purchase I can do for the year so I want to make it count dollar/value wise.

 

[romanianreaper]

Someone else criticized my critique of the pricing. Well I never said they should sell for $1000, or that they aren't worth a reasonably high price tag. I just said they seem overpriced for $1500. I think $1399 is the right price. Disagree if you want but saying the PT20 or JJ Jr should sell for $1399 isn't an unreasonable expectation in a competitive market.

Someone else criticized me for comparing it with the 100w - well duh, of course I'm going to compare it with the bigger version of the exact same model! At least I can offer that comparison as an owner of both amps, and that is useful information to a lot of people.

So if you think this review sucks so bad then I'll delete it and spare you all the agony of getting your panties in a bid wad, then let you freaking experts write all the reviews on this forum.

Dude relax! LOL!

First off, things people type always get misread more than actually talking to a person. If you read what I wrote, I actually said thanks for an honest review, etc. My comment about the $1000 amp wasn't directed at you, it was directed toward the music gear business in general. Anytime something has an artist associated with it, the price will go up just based on name alone.

Nobody is criticizing anything you are saying man, just people talking. People have different backgrounds, personalities, etc. and not everyone is going to respond the same. Reviews are appreciated here on the forum, trust me. Alot of us can't get access to gear and reviews help us understand before we pull the trigger on something. Keep reviewing!

 

[PBGas]

Thx for the review! Nice to hear a bit of what you like and don’t like about it.

I’m grabbing one as well this week. I love the fact that the amp is lightweight, easy to carry around and I can take this with a 1x12 to my gigs and run to FOH without anything else. I really don’t need it for backline, only for my own monitoring of my tone. Couple that with a lot less space to take up in my cramped setup and I am good to go with this!

The main thing is that it has all of those features that I want. It’s got a bit of the BE-100 in it, the JBE mode, a decent clean and a couple of speaker outs.

 

[romanianreaper]

Thx for the review! Nice to hear a bit of what you like and don’t like about it.

I’m grabbing one as well this week. I love the fact that the amp is lightweight, easy to carry around and I can take this with a 1x12 to my gigs and run to FOH without anything else. I really don’t need it for backline, only for my own monitoring of my tone. Couple that with a lot less space to take up in my cramped setup and I am good to go with this!

The main thing is that it has all of those features that I want. It’s got a bit of the BE-100 in it, the JBE mode, a decent clean and a couple of speaker outs.

I mentioned in another post that the only tube amp I have, and just got it, is the Keeley Supro. I think I'm definitely going to have to get one of these. LOL. Just too much goodness. Great price, Friedman tone, light for my post surgery body, etc. LOL!

 

[romanianreaper]

Hey MistaGuitah I forgot to ask, I saw another review where the guy said the JJ amps have a crisp high end that is different from the BE amp, and said he actually likes it more because it stays more defined. Have you played any of the BE amps? I've played a BE 100 in a store but didn't have enough time with it to be able to compare. He definitely liked the difference and said it comes thru on the Jr. as well.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Awesome review!
Surprisingly Poor reaction to the reaction of the review

 

[MistaGuitah]

Hey MistaGuitah I forgot to ask, I saw another review where the guy said the JJ amps have a crisp high end that is different from the BE amp, and said he actually likes it more because it stays more defined. Have you played any of the BE amps? I've played a BE 100 in a store but didn't have enough time with it to be able to compare. He definitely liked the difference and said it comes thru on the Jr. as well.

Yes I had a BE-100 and JJ-100 side by side for a long time. The JJ is better defined and more open. The BE-100 to me is more compressed. The JJ has a little spike in the upper mids and a bigger low end, and the BE-100 has more prominent mids across the board. The BE-100 has more growl and the JJ is a little smoother in a way. Depending on how you generally keep the BE front panel switches set can make it rather bright or much warmer. The JJ doesn't have those options but it has a really effective EQ. All controls set 12:00, the amp is not necessarily bright or dark, rather perfect. Despite what some people say about the JJ, it's definitely not a "dark" amp. If anything, the clean channel is a little dark in the neutral setting; kind of like a Vox amp with a little top cut. The bright switch gives it more high end and chime.

It's like you just have to own both amps. I felt like I couldn't just have one or the other. The JJ is overall my favorite flavor but I like the way the BE growls and compresses. The JJ has a more vocal, cutting lead tone generally, and the saturation of the JBE channel adds something to it kind of like the way an Alnico magnet flavors a pickup or speaker.

As for the JJ Jr, yes, it's a mini JJ. It's not inherently different tonally except whatever differences bigger transformers, tubes, etc. makes. Everything you hear in the JJ comes through in the JJ Jr. With a 4x12, the JJ Jr is fuller, punchier, and more like Papa. When you crank up the JJ Jr, it's different than when you crank the JJ-100. I don't mean in terms of volume but in how it breaks up, saturates, and feels. The JJ Jr is capable of a very good low mid punch and big Papa has the punch in the low end.

 

[sixty-niner]

I appreciated the review, I had the Jj100 and BE100 and when playing the JJ jr I felt the JBE channel was dead on, it was just the lack of headroom in the clean channel. I was disappointed with that.

 

[romanianreaper]

I appreciated the review, I had the Jj100 and BE100 and when playing the JJ jr I felt the JBE channel was dead on, it was just the lack of headroom in the clean channel. I was disappointed with that.

Holy crap, that is amazing! Man, for it to be dead-on that is really a great thing for players that don't want a bigger amp or don't want to pay the the JJ100, etc. The first video I saw when Dave was showing it off an NAMM, I didn't notice a difference when he was switching between the JJ and JJ Jr.

 

[GregM]

I see quite a few people mentioning the lack of headroom on the clean channel but I'm actually in the opposite camp, I liked what I saw of the clean channel in the videos. Playing the amp in person could change that though. My 100-watter has such much headroom that I'm planning to buy another amp for semi dirty tones.