Peavey JSX or Triple X

Iron Dog

Member
Hey all, I'm looking at getting a new/used amp. I was looking at a Peavey JSX or Triple X after reading the Underappreciated Amp Thread :doh: Rig Talk is bad for GAS.

I found a JSX locally and was negotiating a price, when he mentioned he also has a Triple X for around the same price. Both are running 6L6's. Both are in good shape, but the Triple X is supposed to be in better shape although the JSX is not in bad shape at all.

I'm torn about which to grab. I'm a Lynch fan boy and a gain junkie so the Triple X's raw brutality appeals to me. The JSX seems to be more versatile amp, with a better clean channel, actual Presence and Resonance controls, and a more refined sound.

I'm a bedroom player and play mostly metal.

Let me know what your thoughts are.
 
I think the 2nd version of the XXX is relatively the same. U.S. made Peavey amps are built like tanks. I would ask to try them as its going to come down to personal taste imho.
 
I've had both. I kept the XXX. The JSX is usually worth more on the used market, but it lacked the mids to sit well in a band setting with another guitarist.

The XXX sits perfectly, IMO. It hangs with a 5150 all day.

If you're looking for a XXX II, that amp is just a rebadged JSX, but has had a slight tweak to the preamp to give it more mids, as the JSX not cutting was a common complaint. They're typically priced higher, though.
 
I don't think you can go wrong with either when looking for high gain and a good clean tone.

I'll give a differing opinion from above which probably won't help lol.

Having owned both I personally favored the JSX. However, 34's did not work for me in that amp. After my first gig with it and being completely lost in the mix, reloaded with 6L6's and loved it. Zero problem cutting through after that. Great effects loop which is a must for me. And overall, a great high gain bedroom amp. Overall it was just a bit more refined.

The XXX, solid amp. However the Ultra channel was almost unusable for my tastes and I like high gain. I used the clean and crunch, then a volume boost for leads at full band volume. Crunch channel is outstanding. Of course the Ultra channel on the JSX is the Crunch channel from the XXX. The Ultra channel was fun at bedroom levels. Again, great effects loop.

IMO, had Peavey not put the Trucker faceplate on the XXX and perhaps named it something else. I do beleive it would have been held in the same esteem today as the 5150/6505 series and one of the pinnacle amps of high gain. Granted it was all going to be Lynch's signature amp but when that fell through, I just think Peavey shot themselves in the foot by not re-branding that amp. Just a bad marketing decision as you essentially limited the appeal of a great amp to a much smaller audience and few established players. Some can laugh all they want but marketing is important. The Vandenburg guitar and 5150 amps (later EVH guitars) legitimized Peavey in the rock world and opened up a whole new audience. A re-branded XXX could have taken that even further.

I've owned a ton of great high gain amps through the years from Fryette/VHT, Soldano, Boogie, Engl, Egnater, Framus, Marshall etc... and I loved all my Peaveys. I always just liked their gain structure and the response of the amps. I wish I still had my 5150,'s XXX and JSX.

However as was said above, try 'em both. That's truly the only way to know.
 
I owned a XXX in the past and currently own a JSX. JSX has a wider range of tones where the Ultra / Crunch channels have different flavors. The crunch channel can actually get crunchy. On the XXX basically has a way too much gain high gain channel and a high gain channel and there really wasn't characteristically anything too different between the two modes outside of one having more gain on tap. Clean channels on both are good, especially for the price point and on a used modern high gain channel switcher, JSX cleans are better (though they could be identical and it is just tube differences). XXX I had took a walk after I did a side-by-side with a 5150. 5150 just sounded so much more clear, cut so much better.

You mention metal --- if you're playing really high gain / extreme metal probably go with the XXX. JSX can get into that same territory but the XXX just does it better.

Honestly, either of the two are good budget amps, even more so if you're just playing alone. Also another thing to take into account is if either come with a footswitch and cable. I haven't checked recently but sourcing a cable and/or footswitch a while back was a little pricey.
 
I've owned the XXX, XXX ii, 3120, 6505+, and I've played through a friends JSX. For shear resale value the JSX is the smart choice. The mudflap XXX with 6L6's is just freaking brutal though. If you like gain, that is the amp to own. If you like juicing up a tamer amp with dirt pedals, then you should pass on the XXX.

If you like ball rattling lows, it's hard to beat.
 
XXX with KT77s and lower gain tubes in V1 and V2 is your answer. Monster sound and much more useable gain.
 
Whichever you choose, put KT77's in it. You'll thank me later. I didn't care for 6L6's in either, but any EL34 variant in those amps is the way to go.

P.S. I've owned both multiple times. I've NEVER heard complaints about a JSX not cutting through. That's preposterous.
 
Thanks for all of the help guys. I just got back from the guy's place and both amps sounded great. I chose the JSX.
 
Iron Dog":3qwd1hvj said:
Thanks for all of the help guys. I just got back from the guy's place and both amps sounded great. I chose the JSX.



Thats the way to do it! Congrats on the new amp
 
I own both, first thing you need to do is set the master volume very high then adjust the channel volumes to taste.
This is how you get the most clarity, cut, volume, punch and thump out of these amps.
 
D-Rock":3ej53eln said:
I own both, first thing you need to do is set the master volume very high then adjust the channel volumes to taste.
This is how you get the most clarity, cut, volume, punch and thump out of these amps.

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep that in mind.
 
I love my JSX. I rarely use it but every time I plug it in I remember why I haven't sold it.

Saying that I will probably get a XXX down the line.

I heard a clip once of the two blended and it was flat out massive.
 
swamptrashstompboxes":1kwbscmc said:
I love my JSX. I rarely use it but every time I plug it in I remember why I haven't sold it.

Saying that I will probably get a XXX down the line.

I heard a clip once of the two blended and it was flat out massive.

Man, some of the best tones I ever recorded were with the JSX, a 5150 cab and a Genz Benz G-Flex cab. It was massive sounding. Singer hated it because he thought it was too metal lol. It was huge and that Genz Benz 2x12 was awesome sounding as well. Not sure why I ever sold that cab.
 
jabps":1d11msg0 said:
swamptrashstompboxes":1d11msg0 said:
I love my JSX. I rarely use it but every time I plug it in I remember why I haven't sold it.

Saying that I will probably get a XXX down the line.

I heard a clip once of the two blended and it was flat out massive.

Man, some of the best tones I ever recorded were with the JSX, a 5150 cab and a Genz Benz G=Flex cab. It was massive sounding. Singer hated it because he thought it was too metal lol. It was huge and that Genz Benz 2x12 was awesome sounding as well. Not sure why I ever sold that cab.
Who cares what the singer thinks?!!!! :LOL: :LOL:
 
jabps":26lar48m said:
swamptrashstompboxes":26lar48m said:
I love my JSX. I rarely use it but every time I plug it in I remember why I haven't sold it.

Saying that I will probably get a XXX down the line.

I heard a clip once of the two blended and it was flat out massive.

Man, some of the best tones I ever recorded were with the JSX, a 5150 cab and a Genz Benz G=Flex cab. It was massive sounding. Singer hated it because he thought it was too metal lol. It was huge and that Genz Benz 2x12 was awesome sounding as well. Not sure why I ever sold that cab.

I saw your comment in the Underappreciated Amp thread.

I've mated my JSX with one of my Genz Benz G-Flex 2x12 cabs. Awesome cabs.

What settings were you running on the JSX?
 
Iron Dog":2bhue38j said:
I've mated my JSX with one of my Genz Benz G-Flex 2x12 cabs. Awesome cabs.

What settings were you running on the JSX?

I used to gig with that exact setup!

I had a Triple-XXX years ago and loved that amp. To me, out of any amp I ever played, that was Dokken/Ratt in a box. I didn't know what it was in that amp that gave it that perfect 80's metal tone but it just did. It just had something that captured that.

The JSX was a great amp as well but probably not the low mids that the Triple-XXX seemed to have. I've always been a low mids guy.
 
2prog4u":307h7inc said:
XXX with KT77s and lower gain tubes in V1 and V2 is your answer. Monster sound and much more useable gain.

This times a million. I had a stock xxx back in the day, and could never get it just right. Switch to a block letter. All good. A friend got one a year or so after mine was gone. Kt77, lower gain preamp tube/tubes, bias’d correct and it was a whole different beast! Had cut and power, and much clearer. Someone did that amp right.
 
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