Should I get my amp re-modded?

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I bought a used Jet City 100H a while back specifically to have it modded by FJA but ended up having it done by someone else for some reason or other. The guy I sent it to has a good reputation and is pretty well known, so I don't want to drag his rep through the mud b/c I'm not happy with his mos. Everyone else seems satisfied. Anyway, He did his standard high gain mod he came up w/ for the JCA's and I also had him add depth and contour controls and change the fx loop. Over the past few months I've done everything I can think of to make it sound good, eq'd it every way possible, tried boosting, made sure it wasn't my speakers, and I am still just not happy with it.

Without a boost the lead channel on the bridge p/u sounds like the tone control is rolled halfway down. If you crank the presence and treble to try and alleviate it just gets shrill. With my main guitar (medium output) I'm boosting it with a Barber Dirty Bomb (with the gain up!) and with hotter pickups I can get by boosting it with just an MXR EQ but even then its just barely acceptable. I hate it so much I even bought a Zoom G3X to try and hold me over until I could find something better but I hate the high gain emulations more than the amp.

Anyway, I'm finally fed up and need to either get this thing fixed or replace it. Having FJA remod it was my first thought, I think it would be worth the $60 shipping just to find out what the first guy actually did, but I dont know what it will cost. Best case scenario is everything is mostly done and it will cost $160 including shipping, worst case would be like $350 which is as high as I'd be willing to go. I really hate to spend any more $$ on this thing. Wish I'd gone with FJA to begin with b/c once its said and done I'll have between $700- $800 in an amp worth maybe $300 lol. But I still think this amp has a lot of potential and I think once its modded correctly and maybe w/ different tubes it would blow away everything else remotely in the same price range.

If I do replace it I don't want to spend a bunch of money right now. In the next year or so I'm going to buy a really nice amp, either a Baron, Splawn, Atomica clone, modded Superlead, etc and just want something to hold me over until then. I would be willing to spend $600 max. I don't mind using a boost if the amp takes them well, this one doesn't. Pretty much everything I'm looking at would be used. Not interested in Peavey XXX or most 5150's. I play mostly punk with classic/hard rock and country sprinkled in. I want to be able to pull of downtuned metal riffs when I get the urge but it doesn't have to be perfect.

Amps I'm considering:
Krank Rev Jr
Krank 1980 jr
Krank Chadwick
Blackstar HT Series- I have quite a few reservations about these.
Frenzel Rocker 800 (preamp)
Peavey Butcher (2010)
Orange Tiny/Dark Terror
Peavey 6534+ - Out of my price range but not by too much
Baron Snott Watt - Out of my price range but not by too much, I was already planning on going this route but have started having 2nd thoughts.
Some kind of Laney
Bugera 1990- Probably not but maybe
Fender Supersonic/ Prosonic- It would probably end up modded
*I would put Marshall DSL/TSL on this list but I've heard too many bad things about reliability and haven't liked any of the videos on Youtube.

I'm strongly considering the Kranks and the Peavey Butcher b/c I really want a Modified Marshall sounding amp, at least I think I do, and it would give me a better idea whether I want to drop a bunch of money on one next year. However, I'm pretty sure I would be more than satisfied with just having the amp modded as long as its done right. Since the JCA would essentially be a modded Hot Rod, I think it would blow everything on this list away except for maybe the 6534.
 
I'm not sure where you are located or who did the work but I'm on the West Coast if it's more cost effective then sending it East. Hopefully you can find what you need...I'm sure Jerry will take care of you as well.

-Brian
 
The same thing happened to me. I send an amp to a modder to save time and money and I ended up losing $400 because I sold it for a lose as I couldn't stand how the amp sounded. It is so important to find a modder that mods amps to your taste. For example, I am a Friedman fanboi, I know any amp he builds or mods will sound good to me. If I sent an amp to FJA, I'd be disappointed because his mods don't sound like Friedman's, it really comes down to taste.

At this point you already lost money on the amp. If you are willing to keep it, I'd send it to FJA and you should end up happy with the amp. If you get a year or 2 out of it before you sell it then losing a few hundred is ok. :rock:

Good luck!
 
I've got an FJA modded Mesa that slays everything I've ever played, and I love it, but I don't think you could get what you want for the price you need. I could be wrong, but Jerry's on here....PM him and see. I love my amp. It's a monster.

Brian at BFG Amplification is a great choice for the JCAs as well; loved everything I've ever heard from him, and if I hadn't scored this amp, I'd have one of his...he was very helpful to me in the past, and actually talked me out of a mod that I wanted to do because he knew it wouldn't sound good...some of the best customer service I've ever had, and I'm not even a customer!

Alternatively, there's a Baron Snott Watt in the Classifieds right now for $600 shipped, with custom tolex and a loop. Good luck man....I friggin hate it when I've been stuck with an amp I couldn't work with.
 
Thanks for the replies, glad I'm not the only one. I figured I'd get a bunch of replies saying I was dumbass for getting it modded in the first place. Brian, yeah I'm on the east coast so it wouldn't be any less. I'd still like to talk to you sometime though. I've seen a few videos of your mods, they were all Marshalls, they sounded really good.

I dig Friedmans too. My absolute dream am would be a Marsha with the kitchen sink mod. I could never afford one though.

Stein, thanks for the heads up on the snott watt. I went to check it out and found my absolute dream amp listed!!! Wouldn't have seen it if it weren't for you. Its out of my price range but I'm going to try and pull some stuff together and hopefully put this on the backburner for now.
 
Brian did a soldano for me, he is great and will work with you to get what you want.
 
pkyink":qqlemld0 said:
Thanks for the replies, glad I'm not the only one. I figured I'd get a bunch of replies saying I was dumbass for getting it modded in the first place. Brian, yeah I'm on the east coast so it wouldn't be any less. I'd still like to talk to you sometime though. I've seen a few videos of your mods, they were all Marshalls, they sounded really good.

I dig Friedmans too. My absolute dream am would be a Marsha with the kitchen sink mod. I could never afford one though.

Stein, thanks for the heads up on the snott watt. I went to check it out and found my absolute dream amp listed!!! Wouldn't have seen it if it weren't for you. Its out of my price range but I'm going to try and pull some stuff together and hopefully put this on the backburner for now.
Click to expand...

Dude this forum is ALWAYS cool, but Friday nights are when some of us drink and post, and we're at our best. :lol: :LOL:

I don't wanna change your mind again or anything, and I don't even know what you're using/playing or what sound you're going for, but I feel I'd be doing Brian a disservice if I didn't at least post a vid of an amp he's done that wasn't a Marshall...the cleans are great too, but this is the heavy side of a BFG modded JCA22H:

 
If you decide to go with a different amp, I'd recommend you reconsider the Peavey Triple XXX. REALLY hard to beat for the price. I see them all the time for around $400. I've had one for many years and it has served me well!
 
pkyink":3ig1izm0 said:
Thanks for the replies, glad I'm not the only one. I figured I'd get a bunch of replies saying I was dumbass for getting it modded in the first place. Brian, yeah I'm on the east coast so it wouldn't be any less. I'd still like to talk to you sometime though. I've seen a few videos of your mods, they were all Marshalls, they sounded really good.

I dig Friedmans too. My absolute dream am would be a Marsha with the kitchen sink mod. I could never afford one though.

Stein, thanks for the heads up on the snott watt. I went to check it out and found my absolute dream amp listed!!! Wouldn't have seen it if it weren't for you. Its out of my price range but I'm going to try and pull some stuff together and hopefully put this on the backburner for now.
Click to expand...

If that's the case next time you have an amp modded ask the guy doing the job for 'jose mods', that's all Friedman does... slightly tweaked Jose mods with a fixed deph. Any tech can do some of those for you.
 
Have you tried the amp with different PUPs and speakers?

I wouldn't put any more $$$ in the amp.

I'm thinning the herd and switching emphasis to blues amps; I'd part with the following:
Rev 1 (Original)
Rev Jr Pro
Dorado
Mark III (Green Strip) No Reverb tank
3 Ch Dual Rectifier
 
Steinmetzify":2teblyq7 said:
pkyink":2teblyq7 said:
Thanks for the replies, glad I'm not the only one. I figured I'd get a bunch of replies saying I was dumbass for getting it modded in the first place. Brian, yeah I'm on the east coast so it wouldn't be any less. I'd still like to talk to you sometime though. I've seen a few videos of your mods, they were all Marshalls, they sounded really good.

I dig Friedmans too. My absolute dream am would be a Marsha with the kitchen sink mod. I could never afford one though.

Stein, thanks for the heads up on the snott watt. I went to check it out and found my absolute dream amp listed!!! Wouldn't have seen it if it weren't for you. Its out of my price range but I'm going to try and pull some stuff together and hopefully put this on the backburner for now.
Click to expand...

Dude this forum is ALWAYS cool, but Friday nights are when some of us drink and post, and we're at our best. :lol: :LOL:

I don't wanna change your mind again or anything, and I don't even know what you're using/playing or what sound you're going for, but I feel I'd be doing Brian a disservice if I didn't at least post a vid of an amp he's done that wasn't a Marshall...the cleans are great too, but this is the heavy side of a BFG modded JCA22H:

Click to expand...

That is actuly the amp I own that the clip was done with. I wouldnt trade it for the world. Brian kicks major ass.
 
pkyink":1ojsblu3 said:
Thanks for the replies, glad I'm not the only one. I figured I'd get a bunch of replies saying I was dumbass for getting it modded in the first place.
Click to expand...
If you need a reference for tone, a lot of my new speaker clips were done on a Splawn Nitro modded by FJA.
If you check out the Scumrock and Penetrator clips with speakers similar to yours you'll get an idea of that it sounds like.

http://www.scumbackspeakers.com/newclips/index.html
 
That modded 22h sounds awesome.
It doesn't look like I'll be able to scrape up the cash in time to snag the amp out of the used section. FJA Fh100 for $1250. Sucks.

As far as the Friedmans go, I've never played one, or any modded Marshall for that matter, but I thought even though they were based off of Jose Mods, he and all the well known people that offer his mods, changed values and whatnot to add his own flavor? I've heard well recorded clips of Jose amps that sounded like garbage.

I used to own a XXX and I liked it at the time, a lot actually, but it was always blowing fuses (looking back it was probably my fault) and left a bad taste in my mouth. I could buy back the whole half stack right now for $500.
 
pkyink":bd3rm7gu said:
That modded 22h sounds awesome.
It doesn't look like I'll be able to scrape up the cash in time to snag the amp out of the used section. FJA Fh100 for $1250. Sucks.

As far as the Friedmans go, I've never played one, or any modded Marshall for that matter, but I thought even though they were based off of Jose Mods, he and all the well known people that offer his mods, changed values and whatnot to add his own flavor? I've heard well recorded clips of Jose amps that sounded like garbage.

I used to own a XXX and I liked it at the time, a lot actually, but it was always blowing fuses (looking back it was probably my fault) and left a bad taste in my mouth. I could buy back the whole half stack right now for $500.
Click to expand...

Wow! I've had no trouble from my XXX, and I've had it for a long time! I've recently considered selling it, but can't bring myself to as it's been such a great amp and they don't bring much$. I do like my newly acquired Framus Dragon more, but it's good to have a decent backup.
 
I just had an amp modded by Brian at BFG and I cannot say enough about his talent, service, mods, and dedication to making sure you get exactly what you want. He'll tell you like it is so you have expectations managed accordingly. Good luck!
 
Yeah I had all kinds of problems out of my XXX but like I said it was probably all my fault. I was like 16 and didn't know what the hell I was doing. I probably should give it another shot, I never even replaced the tubes, but for some reason I really just want a single channel head even though 3 would be more versatile. Sounds dumb but it just seems cooler to me lol.
 
pkyink":ucqjg991 said:
I bought a used Jet City 100H a while back specifically to have it modded by FJA but ended up having it done by someone else for some reason or other. The guy I sent it to has a good reputation and is pretty well known, so I don't want to drag his rep through the mud b/c I'm not happy with his mos. Everyone else seems satisfied. Anyway, He did his standard high gain mod he came up w/ for the JCA's and I also had him add depth and contour controls and change the fx loop. Over the past few months I've done everything I can think of to make it sound good, eq'd it every way possible, tried boosting, made sure it wasn't my speakers, and I am still just not happy with it.

Without a boost the lead channel on the bridge p/u sounds like the tone control is rolled halfway down. If you crank the presence and treble to try and alleviate it just gets shrill. With my main guitar (medium output) I'm boosting it with a Barber Dirty Bomb (with the gain up!) and with hotter pickups I can get by boosting it with just an MXR EQ but even then its just barely acceptable. I hate it so much I even bought a Zoom G3X to try and hold me over until I could find something better but I hate the high gain emulations more than the amp.

Anyway, I'm finally fed up and need to either get this thing fixed or replace it. Having FJA remod it was my first thought, I think it would be worth the $60 shipping just to find out what the first guy actually did, but I dont know what it will cost. Best case scenario is everything is mostly done and it will cost $160 including shipping, worst case would be like $350 which is as high as I'd be willing to go. I really hate to spend any more $$ on this thing. Wish I'd gone with FJA to begin with b/c once its said and done I'll have between $700- $800 in an amp worth maybe $300 lol. But I still think this amp has a lot of potential and I think once its modded correctly and maybe w/ different tubes it would blow away everything else remotely in the same price range.

If I do replace it I don't want to spend a bunch of money right now. In the next year or so I'm going to buy a really nice amp, either a Baron, Splawn, Atomica clone, modded Superlead, etc and just want something to hold me over until then. I would be willing to spend $600 max. I don't mind using a boost if the amp takes them well, this one doesn't. Pretty much everything I'm looking at would be used. Not interested in Peavey XXX or most 5150's. I play mostly punk with classic/hard rock and country sprinkled in. I want to be able to pull of downtuned metal riffs when I get the urge but it doesn't have to be perfect.

Amps I'm considering:
Krank Rev Jr
Krank 1980 jr
Krank Chadwick
Blackstar HT Series- I have quite a few reservations about these.
Frenzel Rocker 800 (preamp)
Peavey Butcher (2010)
Orange Tiny/Dark Terror
Peavey 6534+ - Out of my price range but not by too much
Baron Snott Watt - Out of my price range but not by too much, I was already planning on going this route but have started having 2nd thoughts.
Some kind of Laney
Bugera 1990- Probably not but maybe
Fender Supersonic/ Prosonic- It would probably end up modded
*I would put Marshall DSL/TSL on this list but I've heard too many bad things about reliability and haven't liked any of the videos on Youtube.

I'm strongly considering the Kranks and the Peavey Butcher b/c I really want a Modified Marshall sounding amp, at least I think I do, and it would give me a better idea whether I want to drop a bunch of money on one next year. However, I'm pretty sure I would be more than satisfied with just having the amp modded as long as its done right. Since the JCA would essentially be a modded Hot Rod, I think it would blow everything on this list away except for maybe the 6534.
Click to expand...


One thing to consider when buying an amp, or getting an amp modded:

You can't turn water into wine with amps. You have to start with a good base. If you don't like how it sounds stock, you shouldn't try and polish a turd by getting it modded. Now having said that, in my opinion, Jet City amps are no turd. In fact, I have a 100H I've been using exclusively for almost 3 years now, and recently did the "SLO" and Depth mod on it myself. I see it like hot-rodding sports cars. You just can't expect to mod a Honda Civic and have it hang with a Dodge Viper on the 1/4 mile track, or a road course (although I've seen vids of crazy modded Civics destroying Vipers on the 1/4). Basically, just be practical with it. But there's nothing wrong with trying something out, you know?

Secondly, what are your goals for that amp? What type of music are you playing through it? What speakers do you use? I've found that V30s are likely the best speakers to use with Jet City amps. I'm also fond of Lynchbacks and Weber FC12s, but V30s sound the best to me.

BTW, Friedman did offer the Brown Eye mod to the JCA20H and it sounds KILLER ;)









Edit: I also had a XXX back when I was starting to play in bands. Took me a long time to figure it out, and in hindsight should have kept it. I never experimented with tubes, either. Really not a bad amp, and it's something you could probably roll your modded Jet City into on an even trade.
 
Those Friedman JCA's are cool. I've never seen a video of a Friedman modded 100h but he apparently does them.

I have a Avatar modern 4x12 w/ v30's. I've tried different things through it to make sure there's nothing wrong with the speakers. This is my first experience with V30's. I only bought the v30's after getting the amp back and not liking it. Before that I was using eminence tx heats.

I get what your saying about the mods. I'm not looking for anything I feel is out of reach. I would be more than happy if my amp sounded like that BFG in the video above. Some of the best distortion I've ever heard, in Youtube videos at least, was an FJA modded Peavey Windsor. I emailed Jerry before buying the JCA, b/c I originally had a Windsor, and he said that the JCA would be able to achieve the same level of gain.

I just want the clean channel to go from clean to crunch, preferably more crunch than clean and I'll just turn down my guitar, and then the lead channel to be usable distortion. I just want to be able to play 90's punk without a boost. I wish I could accurately describe what this amp sounds like now. Its like a crappy doom amp.
 
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