Lazy J J20 (Part 1) 

Or Conscientious J or Overachiever J.

😅

Which is in spite of the obvious issues, not because of them.

Friend I've got a $150. Stage right amp with its reverb tank changed to an 18-inch Fender reverb tank and a $35. tremolo pedal package that probably blows that thing away! Sorry, you wasted your money. $$$$$8,000 thousand smackaroos for that thing is bad judgement!

Well that's fantastic. I'm happy they've built at least one reliable amp. The biggest weak points in this amp are how the trem and reverb were implemented, which explains why yours is likely more reliable.

I have Amp Comment Bingo!!!

Holy shit! Thanks for sharing, mate! How these builders keep getting away with this I have no idea. More detailed analysis to come in the next episodes.

​@@BradsGuitarGaragealso check the VAC control. He doesn't regulate the screen voltage at the same time as the plate. It stays at full voltage. There is a Hammond model with 6A on the 6.3V line. It just fits.

Yeah, I corrected the scaling in the one I had so it varied the screens too. Had to move the LFO to a different node. And remove a ton of ground loops. Literal hot garbage.

This one varies the output from the rectifier, all nodes other than the trem node are derived from the VVR output. The trem node pulls via a 4.7K dropper from the rectifier. At least it looks like he resolved that. But the transformer choice is inexcusable. There must be a lot of angry people out there.

​@@BradsGuitarGarage Indeed. I was one of them. I'll never buy another of his. I should also mention the blown speaker which can't handle the output and the faulty reverb unit which had to be replaced when it started cutting out. This was after I paid £400 to get all the problems fixed. Mind you, in France somewhere, there is an indestructible Lazy J20 somewhere after I sold it.

Have you ever seen a negative review of anything on "that pedal show" or shows like it?. Didn't think so, your own ears are the best defence against listening with your eyes!. Beware of snake-oil salesmen.

I'm going to take this one back to 6V6, even with the new higher rated transformer.

I guess I should have read this before I said the same thing

@@billsutherland9193 great minds think alike? 🤔😉

Thanks for joining us, mate!

@@BradsGuitarGarage No wuckin' furries.

@hisproperty1438 Aussie confirmed!

If you know what you are doing, (most techs) jobs like this are run of the mill work. The transformer can be re-wound no probs. I'd rather work on an 8k amp than a < 1k Chinese job. :)

​@@terrydemol5354I'm most cases yes but there are exceptions. For example, I'd rather work on a JCA then a modern Mesa.

Hi Adam, yes I was off on the pricing which I clarify in later episodes. I had nothing to go off other than the 2nd hand market and your pricing on your website was last updated April 2020 and as I'm sure you're aware, the pricing on everything (especially labour, valves and valve related components) has increased dramatically since. In hindsight I should have rung you to get an accurate up to date quote. All of the technical issues still stand, however. My international network of tech friends have confirmed this. I'm just reporting what I find from a technical standpoint. Can I ask what the warranty policy is on a transformer failure in an amp built on 9/2/22 for others reading along? At any rate, thanks for reaching out and any clarification on the other technical stuff would be appreciated.

Hi Brad, the reason why the price hasn't been updated on our website since April 2020 is because it is still the same price! I think that pulling figure like $8k out of thin air is irresponsible and certainly detrimental to Jesse's brand, especially considering the negative comments it has generated (having the incorrect price in the thumbnail photo on the video doesn't help). I spoke with Jesse last night, and with regard to warranty - there is a year warranty on parts and labour. If the owner experiences any problems they simply would have to contact Lazy J directly, or even a dealer like us. We would be more than happy to resolve the problem immediately - Jesse even said 'I just want my customers to be happy' and he often has fixed issues outside of the warranty period. I must say that Jesse is a lovely guy, and it is disappointing to see such negativity about someone who cares deeply about his product, his customers and the music community. Feel free to reach out if there are any further questions. @@BradsGuitarGarage

I don't care who is a lovely person. AGAIN, I OBJECTIVELY review equipment from a technical standpoint. Why do you try to bring emotion into it to manipulate my opinion? I repeated the fact that I derived the price from the inflated used market. Here's one that would approach $8k if customs costs were included, as there were no ones for sale in Australia and at the time of publishing I was unaware that there was an official Australian dealer. ( For example: reverb.com/au/item/74225587-lazy-j-lazy-j-j20-with-reverb-vac-and-tremolo-in-lacquered-tweed?INTL-AU-Shop_unpaid& ) You seem to be ignoring the fact that the technical issues still stand. I didn't write the rules on electronics. Don't blame the messenger. A retraction regarding the pricing will be posted, however I stand by all my observations regarding the architecture and operation of the amplifier. Of course everyone defending the amp with regard only to the pricing accuracy is diverting from the real issue. It's an expensive amplifier with several serious issues. Two of which makes the power transformer fail. Which is exactly what happened here. I owe my customers and followers honesty and that's what I'll give them which is why I'll change the thumbnail and post a retraction ONLY with regard to the pricing. I really don't care at all if manufacturers or dealers still have a problem with that. 50-60% dissipation on a cathode biased amp? Really? Do you know what that means? Business cards used as insulators? Really? Crossover distortion? Noise? Hiss? Hum? Tremolo pumping? Ground loops? Are you aware of these concepts? I showed them all in these videos. Did you watch them? Did you understand them? If not, you have no right to comment on the validity of my observations. If you feel it was not a fair review or that this model was not representative of a Lazy J amplifier, send me one for review. Put your money where your mouth is, otherwise, just don't bother commenting. I objectively review equipment from a technical standpoint. That will never change.

​@@premierguitarsI think you missed the whole objective, which is regardless of Jesse's "feelings", and that is the lack of care in building an amplifier that can't pass Australia's current electrical safety standards for one. Secondly, even at $4500 AUD, this is still a very inferior built, expensive mojotone kit with a different badge on the front. Trying to muscle any kind of apology out of Brad because of the truth makes you and Jesse look even more like a fool, regardless of what the price point is. maybe focus on importing better products in the future instead of this crap!

​@@premierguitarsWhat part of the review did you find technically inaccurate? 'Negative' and 'negativity' are fairly nebulous descriptors, I could use more quantitative ones in your argument.

Literally editing it over a beer right now, mate! It's not pretty.

@@BradsGuitarGarage So waiting for it shame can't hit like more than once💯

Musicians, particularly hobbyists, don't know much about this side of things. None of amp builders offer any insight as to what goes into there amps, and until you stumble across a channel like this.... well good luck. This sort of thing is rarely talked about in forums. It's all about "tone". The local music store doesn't allow for you to bring your amp tech in for a tear down.

I'd quote $1200 for the basic 5E3 + $400 for the blue speaker. All that extra crap, maybe add another $1200-$1600 and it comes with transformers that will run 6L6s and extra 12A__7s. You are still all in for around $4000.

@@Satchmoeddie I would charge around $1800 - $2000 usd for a "Pro-Luxe" with reverb and tremolo. It's basically a black panel Princeton without the TMB tone stack and a couple different values here and there. And that's using all the "nice" parts. Jupiter caps, Mercury iron, Weber/Jupiter speaker etc.

To be honest, there's not many on the market from the big names at the moment, mate! Some Voxes are great, Suhr, Friedman, some Orange, etc. It depends on a lot of factors, like what style music, what features, power level, budget, you name it.

@@BradsGuitarGarage Well that's just sad :D I sold a Roadster I'd only had about a year because I could foresee this sort of thing down the road as it's a 90s amp. I've been looking for an amp and honestly it just makes me want to go with a modeller or something. Was considering 5150 iii, but this sort of thing is everywhere as you say and without the background you just don't know what you're getting. Love the vids by the way.

​@@BradsGuitarGarageI'll ship you one of mine, then clench my butthole for the review 😂

@@sunnibirdmy take: if you want a reliable amp with multiple channels and other bells and whistles it’s gonna cost you, simple as that. Friedman, Suhr, Diezel. The other option is to look for simple, serviceable amps and use pedals to get what you want. Fenders are also good because every tech knows them and their typical issues. You could even ask a tech to fix the usual issues before they make themselves known.

This is the real deal. Exactly the same as the one I had on my bench, exactly the same as the shots on their website.

​@@PsionicAudioyou dream killer 😂😂😂🎉😢

There is soooooo soooooo much more horror on the way in the following vids, mate. This thing is not fit for purpose in like 50 different ways.

​@@BradsGuitarGarageuseless fan, messy solderwork, what looks like a ground loop... I don't even know if I can see separated chassis ground from the video, but I wasn't trying to find it. but the 1590 enclosures for the addon circuits and not even proper faceplate when you spend so much money... that's just outright robbery

There's about 5 ground loops, mate! The biggest issue is the use of 6L6GC's, but that can be easily resolved. Once you know, anyway. See the other commenters whose J-20's have literally caught fire!

It definitely did. It says so on the tube chart stuck on the inside of the cabinet and on the website.

It's also got negative feedback, a different tone stack, different rectifier, several other differences. But I assumed even the most casual observer would understand I was talking about the feature set, mate.

That's the plan, mate!

HA! Ghost of EVH haunting the exchange rate!

I can verify this piece of shit is 100% authentic Lazy J.

If this was fake, how can the fan for the mains transformer be explained/excused? Cuz someone doing a clone wouldn’t bother adding a fan unless it was part of the original design. And if it was part of the original design, that is a bad choice to begin with, trying to compensate for a bad spec/design choice instead of fixing it. Kinda circles back.

Plus their own website has links to reviews and at least one has a gutshot which looks identical.

@@lordgraga if you're building a fake with cheapest parts, it would make more sense to have whatever transformer, and to put a fan in, not knowing that it won't solve the issue...

@@sjgreaves ok, that might be more evidence to suggest it's legit... Always important to be skeptical... Was there a serial number on this amp?

And under-rated for the amp, but okay if it doesn't get pushed, I guess.

@@BradsGuitarGarage I confess I have a Lorantz greenback clone in my homebrewed 5E3 clone. Reckon I might even have the same chassis! Looks like crap, just like this one.

Brad knows that, and that wasn’t his point.

Tweed Deluxe didnt have tremolo or reverb either!!!!!

​@PsionicAudio As he actually said "If you want all that stuff, go get a Princeton Reverb: it's essentially a Deluxe plus that shit", his point is not that obvious. "Essentially" may not be the mot juste 😅

Over $5000 right now and soon to be even with AU.

To be fair, out exchange rate is dogshit at the moment, so that's a factor in the local price anyway. But still, pretty over the top for what you get!

@@BradsGuitarGarage If I remember,when they first came out all the big guns like Jeff Beck,Pete Townsend,Clapton and Richard's had them....maybe the amps were better back then👍👍

Confirmed as genuine.