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RECORDING JULY 2001
available at any time. (Wah requires
the optional Johnson J8 pedalboard
or a MIDI foot controller.) The seven
effects include Chorus, Flanger,
Phaser ,Tr emolo , Rotary,Auto W ah,
and Pitch/Detune.
In addition to the most common
effect parameters,which are easily
tweaked via the front panel controls
(what Johnson calls Top Level
Editing), there is a comprehensive
assortment of detailed parameters
available via Deep Level Editing,
including 13 different Reverb types,
and frequency-selectable lowpass filtering in the Compressor sidechain.
Despite this substantial depth, every
Deep Level parameter is accessible
from the front panel…though you’ll
need to keep the manual handy to
remember what parameters #00-39
are or what their range of values represent; all communication is via a
two-digit LED display.
MIDI implementation is as exhaustive and thorough as the POD’s,
including the sending/receiving of
continuous controllers for every
parameter. A Windows-only (boo!)
editor/librarian is included for easy
access to the Deep Level Editing
parameters.
There are 30 factory preset locations in ROM,and another 30 user
memory locations (RAM).There is
no manual WYSIWYG mode; to start
with a clean slate you must first
select any preset, then zero out
every knob on the front panel controls.
The Bass, Middle, and Treble tone
controls can be pre- or post-modeling eq depending upon which amp
type is selected; for example the eq
is before the BlackFace model but
after the Rectifier model.Their wide
range allows them to be used intuitively and effectively.
The J-Station offers an impressive
array of tone shaping capabilities;
even more impressively, that array is
all within reach of a few knob twists
or button pushes.
Price: $299
More from: Johnson Amplification,
8760 S. Sandy Pkwy., Sandy, UT
84070. 801/566-8800, fax 801/5667005, www.johnson-amp.com.
Perhaps I’m being unfair to the folks
at Johnson Amplification,but if
there’s any doubt that the Line 6
POD is the standard by which other
amp modelers are judged,one need
only look at the Johnson J-Station—
its features and execution are frighteningly similar to POD.Perhaps this
is simply a case of parallel invention,
but it certainly suggests that this is
the right way to go about building a
guitar amp modeler.
Like the POD,the J-Station is a
tabletop model with an external
power supply.The J-Station features
17 different amp models (of which
three are specifically bass amps) plus
two acoustic guitar models, designed
to make your electric guitar resemble
an amplified steel string acoustic.
Again, the amps are modeled after
the usual suspects: Fender, Marshall,
Boogie,Vox, Hiwatt, and Matchless
are represented, with bass amps
from SWR,Trace-Elliot, and Ampeg.
Two of the amp models occupy slots
that will be software-updateable in
the future, allowing the J-Station to
avoid obsolescence; should classic
tube amps of the 1950s-90s ever go
out of favor, you’ll still be able to
download a model of a Fisher-Price
Speak’n’Spell or whatever guitarists
in 2010 are playing through.
12 speaker cabinet models are
available, and again the appropriate
speaker is called up when an amp
model is selected, but you can mix
and match. Besides the expected
variety of 2x12 and 4x12 guitar cabinets, the J-Station features three cabinets to complement the bass amp
models, including an SWR Goliath
4x10 with horn tweeter, an Acoustic
1x18 folded horn, and an Ampeg
Portaflex flip-top. There is nothing
stopping you from routing a Martin
D-28 steel string emulation through
an Acoustic folded horn bass cabinet…except perhaps common sense.
Seven different effects are selectable, in addition to which Delay,
Reverb,Compression,and Wah are
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