Talking About the Classic JC Standard Amp

Hey everyone! Kaoru the composer here!

Today, I would like to talk about the classic guitar amp: JAZZ CHORUS.
You’ve probably come across it before. It's a fixture in many studios and live venues, so chances are you’ve had the chance to play on one.

The JAZZ CHORUS is developed and manufactured by Roland, one of Japan’s most renowned musical instrument companies. It’s commonly referred to by its initials: JC.

It’s especially well known for its clean sound, but it’s not just for clean tones; many hard rock players also swear by it.
In fact, it’s a favorite of guitarists around the world.

One of Japan’s most iconic guitarists, Tomoyasu Hotei, is also frequently seen using the JC.

Because overdrive and distortion effects blend well with its tone, you can easily produce aggressive sounds too—making it, at its core, a truly versatile, all-around amp.

Even using just the JC itself, you can shape your sound with a variety of built-in effects such as distortion, modulation, and spatial effects. For most situations, it’s more than enough to get the job done on its own.

■ What is Roland?

Roland was founded in 1972 in Osaka by Ikutaro Kakehashi, and today it operates globally from its headquarters in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Leveraging its advanced technology, Roland offers a wide range of products for musicians, including guitar amps, effects pedals, keyboards, electronic drums, audio interfaces, and more.
Roland has had a major impact on the modern music scene and is widely regarded as one of Japan’s leading musical instrument manufacturers, and has a devoted following of countless musicians around the world.
In addition, Roland sells effects pedals and guitar amps under the BOSS brand name, and they also produce V-MODA headphones.

By the way, Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of Roland, made immense contributions to the development and spread of electronic instruments over many years. In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music by Berklee College of Music in 1991.
He also played a key role in establishing MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), a fundamental standard in electronic music and DTM (desktop music) production.
In other words, both the vibrant state of today’s music scene and the fact that DTM is such an accessible part of our lives—we have Ikutaro Kakehashi to thank for that!

■ Features of the JC Amp

The JC was first released in 1975 and over the past 45+ years, it has undergone numerous minor updates and refinements.
While maintaining its classic design, it has continued to evolve with the times, which is one of the key reasons it remains to be a long-selling, iconic amp.
There are several different JC models available today, so let’s take a look at some of them.

ROLAND / JC-120 Guitar Combo Amp

This is the most well-known and widely used model in the JC series.
It’s probably the one most commonly found as standard equipment in studios across Japan.

Its signature feature is a clear, natural, and sharply defined straight guitar tone.

It doesn’t use vacuum tubes. Instead, it’s a solid-state amp, delivering a crisp yet wide-range sound.
With an array of control knobs, it offers a high degree of flexibility in shaping your tone.

The two built-in speakers are completely independent. One outputs the direct guitar sound, while the other adds a subtle pitch variation. Together, they create a rich, three-dimensional stereo sound.
To put it simply, it provides an easy and straightforward way to achieve a “doubling effect.”

With its high output, it’s well suited for both recording and live performances. You can also connect a footswitch separately, which greatly expands your range of expression on stage.

A small but welcome feature is the inclusion of casters, making it easy to move around.

The price is around 100,000 yen, which is quite affordable for a professional-grade amp.

ROLAND / JC-40 Guitar Combo Amp

This model is essentially a more compact version of the JC-120.
It has an output of 40W (20W + 20W).
Its core features are the same as the original 120 series, but what sets it apart is the rare inclusion of stereo input/output for a guitar amp, allowing for a very spacious, expansive sound.
It also has external effects connections on the rear panel, making stereo insert setups possible.

With built-in spatial effects like reverb, vibrato, and distortion, this amp alone is capable of covering a wide range of tones—so there's no signal degradation or added noise from chaining external pedals. You get an extremely low-noise, clean sound.

The design carries on the traditional JC look, but thanks to the lower output, it’s also more compact and lightweight, making it perfect for home use or carrying around easily.

And honestly, it looks stylish enough to fit right in as part of your home interior.

The price is around 63,000 yen.

ROLAND / JC-22 Guitar Combo Amp

This model is even more compact than the previous ones.
It has an output of 30W.

With fewer control knobs, there isn’t as big of a range in terms of sound adjustment compared to the higher-end models.
However, since it's designed for use in environments where high volume isn't an option, its specifications are more than enough for home use.

The price is around 40,000 yen.

That’s all for our discussion about the classic JC guitar amp.
I believe its sound quality, design, and functionality make it an excellent amp.
I highly recommend giving it a try!

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