As guitar players, it’s drilled into us from an early age that valves = tone.
Whether it’s a spanky Fender clean, a crisp Vox jangle or the cannonball tones of a roaring Marshall stack, most of the names that are thrown around when discussing the best classic guitar amplifiers tend to be tube-driven – bar for one. The Roland Jazz Chorus range of solid-state guitar amplifiers is considered by many to be akin with the holy grail of clean tones, with its famous crystalline sound and iconic stereo chorus effect making it a go-to for guitarists of all ilk. From indie rock and new wave to neo-soul and even heavy metal, the Jazz Chorus – particularly the classic JC-120 model, which we’ll focus on during this article – can be heard on thousands of seminal recordings, and its tones have inspired thousands of musicians over the years.
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Founded during a golden era of Japanese musical production in 1972, Roland Corporation would embark on an epic run of drum machines, synthesisers and effects units, many of which would deviate the course of contemporary music later down the line. Released into the market in 1975 as the company’s first ever foray into guitar amplifiers, the solid-state JC-120 was among these iconic creations.
Roland JC-120
Packing 120 watts of power and two 12-inch speakers, the JC-120 was a mighty loud combo amp, packing tonnes of headroom into a format that was convenient for the gigging musician. It was still a heavy old beast, weighing in at no less than 60 pounds, but what amp from around this time didn’t blow your back out? Roland also produced a myriad of other models to suit the needs of all players over the years, ranging from the mighty 200 watt JC-200 all the way down the diminutive JC-20.
It’s worth noting that at this stage of the ‘70s, solid-state was still a bit of a dirty word in the guitar amp landscape: massive amp stacks were all the rage, and the hotter your tubes were, the hotter your tone obviously was. Which is exactly why the JC-120 had an instant impact: it was a totally new sound, a sparkling clean seldom heard at this volume before. And of course, there’s that luuuuuussssshhhh chorus effect.
The JC-120’s multi-dimensional analogue chorus came via an inbuilt circuit which sent a modulated signal through just one speaker, creating a wide stereo sound with an adjustable rate and depth. By making clever use of the two speakers, Roland was able to tap into a sound that had many guitarists smitten, creating an overwhelming demand for chorus that was later met with similarly great pedals like the CE-1 and CE-2.
Roland also included a stellar sounding spring reverb that paired exceptionally well with this chorus effect, whereas the inbuilt distortion received slightly less acclaim from pundits (if any at all, to be honest).
But Roland’s redundant distortion didn’t detract players from purchasing a Jazz Chorus – particularly with that holy grail clean tone so readily available.
After initially being favoured by a smattering of blues, funk and soul players, the Jazz Chorus found its true calling alongside the growing popularity of indie and new wave music. King Crimson’s Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp were both early endorsees of the JC-120, using it with their own band as well as their separate work with Talking Heads and David Bowie. Later in the 1980s, players like Andy Summers and Johnny Marr made heavy use of the JC-120 to tap into the shimmering, textural tones and took the Jazz Chorus to a whole new audience alongside other heavyweights such as The Cure and U2.
The prevalence of clean, chorus tones during this era might make more than a few hard rockers shudder in pain, but it wasn’t just alternative stylings that made use of the JC-120’s epic cleans. Metallica famously used the Roland Jazz Chorus as their secret weapon for downtempo classics like “Nothing Else Matters” and “One”, while other metal acts like Pantera, Zakk Wylde and Wes Borland have also sung praises of its clean tones.
Prince also employed it for his own brand of clinical synth funk during the ‘80s, and, given its immense clean headroom and incredible chorus and spring reverb, it wasn’t uncommon to see keyboard players plugging into a JC-120 onstage either.
Today, the Roland Jazz Chorus range continues to inspire scores of players with its sparkling tones and splendid ability to function as a pedal platform. Newer models such as the JC-22 and even Roland’s Cube range have helped bring the Jazz Chorus sound into the bedroom for many an amateur guitarist to fall in love with, with the classic amp even being released more recently in the form of a plugin for the budding producer.
Of course, for many, tube amps will still reign supreme when it comes to tone, and that’s totally okay. But with a legacy as immense as the Roland Jazz Chorus range, it’d just be wrong to write off the JC-120’s place within musical history – regardless of whatever you may think of the ‘80s.
