Rig-Talk

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 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.

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KSR Orthos mk2
Monomyth amps modded Marshall Super Lead
KSR 2x12
Ceres, HX Stomp
Solar and LTD Guitars.

Yeah, I may have to do that.

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.

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"I am glad you like to jerk yourself off. Then you won't reproduce." -Swamptrashstompboxes

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.

Thats the way to do it! Congrats on the new amp

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KSR Orthos mk2
Monomyth amps modded Marshall Super Lead
KSR 2x12
Ceres, HX Stomp
Solar and LTD Guitars.

Thanks. New rig building day tomorrow

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.

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• Marshall JVM 210H
• EVH 5150 III 50w
• Peavey JSX
• PRS MT15
• Peavey XXX
• MESA & Krank 412
• Schecter, LTD & Fender
• Celestion & WGS

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.

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Splawn: PROMOD KT88, Nitro KT88, Super Sport 6V6. Orange Rockerverb 50mki. Fryette Sig:X. Rivera K100, K-TRE. Mesa:, mkIV, Tremoverb, Nomad 100, Subway Blues, .22 cal w/GEQ Peavey JSX Musicman 100RD.Fender: 72 SF Bassman, 70 Twin Reverb, 67 SF Bandmaster. Ampeg: Lee Jackson, AX70, Crate BV120 w/CEC mods.
BUILDS: 5F1, 1978X 18 Watt.
BUILDS IN PROCESS: AA165, JTM45.
And a bunch of modded EPI VJR's.

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?!!!!

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?

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.

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"I read all this and think my water just broke." - steve_k, RT legend, R.I.P.

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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Current gear: KSR modded recto, ESP MII

great transactions w: neeklaus, type_o_neg, RockStarNick, sswanson, ///MK, DoomBuggi, Retrojet, Bwill81, AmpliFIRE, Mizati20, Bubbastain, colimofsmoke, crankyrayhanky, UberschallEL34 RKnight, the rossness, battery198 alowerdeep, Tronald Dump. SomedudeinTX.

I found a Boss GE-7 made a world of difference with the XXX. Didn't ever need one with my JSX though.

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• Marshall JVM 210H
• EVH 5150 III 50w
• Peavey JSX
• PRS MT15
• Peavey XXX
• MESA & Krank 412
• Schecter, LTD & Fender
• Celestion & WGS

I honestly cannot remember. Wish I could. More than likely I started at noon with everything and tweaked from there but really can't remember. I lived on the Ultra Channel on the JSX and my guitar volume knob. Which I always do. And of course the clean when needed. I used the Crunch some but not like guys do these days where they're taking pedals and hitting the front of end of High Gain amps. I sure now that you could do a ton with the Crunch Channel and an overdrive pedal. Just wasn't my mindset back then.

I'm older, came from that era of Marshall 2203's and 2204's where at times I was running two overdrives. My dream back then was I wanted something high gain enough to not use a pedal. And viola, we started having a crap ton of amps in the late 80's early 90's that delivered just that. To this day, I only hit the front end of my Marshall JVM with a slight boost. I get the concept of using the overdrive but I just didn't/don't want to deal with one when I can get what I need from the amp, guitar and pickups.

Oddly I just stumbled across my channel switching cable I had made for the JSX the other day, that I used with my GCX. I could probably still use it with my Boss ES-5. And yeah, those Genz Benz G-Flex's are greatly underappreciated...even with the stock speakers.

Had both. XXX kills the JSX imo.

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Good deals with-Aeroic, killertone, Vultures, Hthomas, VC4ever, Crankyrayhanky, lyres requiem,

Thanks. I've found some good settings online. I find the Crunch channel doesn't need a boost. Both the XXX and JSX sound great.

I used to have the XXX. For what they're going for used, I think it's a tough amp to beat. It's very workable. And, once you've dialed it it, it's very rewarding.

It's not without trouble, though. Both gain channels have way too much unusable gain. The Crunch channel is every bit as ultra as the Ultra channel, lol, just a little bit more Marshall-y in the mids. The clean channel is useable, but nothing to write home about.

I never thought the active EQ was too counter-intuitive, though. Just don't go overboard, and you'll be fine, but the same could be said for many amps.

Also, I thought it sounded its best with the damping set to loose. It was still pretty tight. The tight setting sounded way too weak for my taste.

I personally much preferred it with 6L6's than EL34's (only ever tried JJ E34L's which I hated). Never tried it with KT77's. That would've been cool.

I recently picked up a used mint 2 12 triple x combo .I had one years ago and forgot how great these amps sound.First thing I did though was put a 12AU7 tube in V1 this tamed the gain issue and for me this amp rocks big time. I have tried a ton of new amps Marshall,Fender,H and K, Boogie etc..but honestly the triple x sounded the best..kind of weird- ed me out ..but hey if it sounds good it is good.One thing to remember is the tone controls on the gain channels are active so - take careful use of these.
A few weeks later I got a JSX head with eL34's once again this amp sounds great.. I would use either amp in a hardbeat live. They do sound similar in some ways but definetaly have their own thing going on.Apparently the JSX crunch channel is taken from the classic series amps. Again lots of gain on tap so I have the pre gain set fairly low.
But both these heads sound great and rock. Personally I think the 90,s were peaveys glory years its too bad the company is where it is today.....

Both the JSX and Triple X are great amps. When I bought the JSX the seller demoed it and Triple X using a Carvin Legacy 2x12 combo as the speaker cabinet. He then demoed the Legacy and it was a let down compared to the Peavey's.