A Class A Joe Satriani combo you can carry with one hand? You better believe it.

From the Joe Satriani series, the Peavey JSX Mini Colossal Guitar Amp is a great answer to the question of how to get great tube sound out of a small combo amplifier at manageable volumes. The feature that makes it happen is Peavey's trademarked Power Sponge: a unique control that allows the user to adjust the nominal output power level of the amplifier. It can be used in conjunction with the volume control to attain infinite combinations of power amp and preamp distortion at any volume level. This control DOES NOT affect the level of the Microphone Simulated Recording output and provides an appropriate load to the amplifier at all settings.

Speaker outputs are provided as paralleled 1/4" mono tip-sleeve jacks for the connection of speaker enclosures. Minimum speaker impedance is 4 Ohms. You set the cabinet Impedance Selector switch to match the load of the speaker cabinet(s). The internal speaker is 8 Ohms.

A recording out XLR jack is used to route a Microphone Simulated signal (tapped directly from the speaker being used) from the amplifier to an external recording device or PA. It uses a 100% passive circuit to avoid clipping, noise, and other shortcomings of solid-state circuitry.

An 8" speaker is specially voiced to get the absolute best tone out of this combo, whether you're playing clean, crunchy, or full-on distortion.

Peavey hasn't forgotten good looks, either. A stylish black housing is set off by a classic jeweled power light and chrome-plated brass control knobs.

"The JSX Mini Colossal Combo is a Class A monster in a nice little box. It has a pure, wide-open sound, classic tremolo, buffered effects loop, a unique power level attenuator, and a recording output that actually sounds like the amp. Together with a specially voiced 8" speaker, the 5W Mini Colossal has a vintage tone that really rocks. It can run clean, crunchy, or, down and dirty. Its unique design makes it easy to get a good tone fast, and its size makes it very practical. Whether practicing, recording, or, even playing a small gig, this lively little amp really sounds great." Joe Satriani

Made in the USA.

Peavey JSX Mini Colossal Guitar Amp Features:

• Single Input
• 1 x 12AX7 and 1 x EL84 tube
• Pure Class A operation
• No negative power amp feedback
• Preamp Volume and Tone controls
• 5W (RMS) into 4, 8, or 16 Ohms (selectable impedance)
• Power Sponge output power level attenuator
• Buffered Effects Loop Send and Return jacks
• Classic opto-electronic Tremolo circuit
• Microphone Simulated XLR Recording Output
• XLR Ground Lift switch
• Specially voiced 8" C8R-type speaker
• Classic jeweled pilot light
• Chrome plated brass control knobs
  
  Made in the USA

Call or click today to order this mighty mini amp.

Peavey JSX Mini Colossal Guitar Amp Specifications:

• Dimensions (H x W x D): 14.38" x 13.75" x 9.38" (365mm" x 350mm" x 238mm")
• Weight: 21.5 lbs. (9.75 kg)
  
  Rated Power: 5 W (RMS @ clipping) into 4, 8, or 16 Ohms (selectable)
• NOTE: Power Sponge attenuator allows for continuous power output adjustment from 0 to 5 Watts
• Power Consumption: 30 W, 60 Hz, 120 VAC
  
  Effects Send
• Low Impedance: 22 kOhms or greater
• Nominal Output Level: 0.5V(RMS), -6.0dBV,
  
  Effects Return
• Input Impedance: 3.9M Ohms
• Nominal Input Level: 0.5V(RMS), -6.0dBV
  
  Recording Output (microphone simulated)
• Output Impedance: 600 Ohms, balanced XLR
• Nominal Output Level: 0.1V(RMS), -20.0 dBV

Peavey JSX Mini Colossal Guitar Amp

Write A Review

Average of 10 User Ratings

Overall

Quality

Features

Value

Customer Reviews

Overall

Quality

Features

Value

Awesome

Posted by Scinder from Wisconsin on Dec 24, 2008

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: Hobby Musician, 8 years

Reviewer's Play Style: Anything

Great tones from clean to classic rock. Very responsive to whatever you plug in and loves harmonics. For lead playing it can't be beaten; every note is clean, clear and focused.

It can sound decent with the stock speaker but when I run it through my Marshall 1960a it is amazing. The attenuator is a godsend.

Only complaints are there isn't any headroom for clean settings, I would've liked a reverb instead of a tremolo and the Record Out isn't very good.

The construction quality seems 100% solid. I could probably drop it from a few feet without any problems.

Overall

Quality

Features

Value

updated review

Posted by Matt from tn on Nov 5, 2008

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: working musician

Reviewer's Play Style: all

I still love the amp, and playing around with diffrent preamp tubes over the stock 12AX7/ECC83 can net you a new amp for little cost or effort. Thus far my fave is an 12AT7/ECC81, it cleans up the amp a good bit and slightly fattens up the sound, you can put the volume knob at 2.5-3 with humbuckers and still stay nice and clean. I've tried a 12AU7/ECC82 and it sound beautiful, nice fat and warm, however your total output gets dropped about 70%, I have a hybrid 12DW7/ECC832 on the way, The half that drives the power tube is a 12AX7, resulting in full output, however the input side is a 12AU7, which should give the warm fat open clean sound at high volume levels. I'm looking forward to trying it.

Overall

Quality

Features

Value

My favorite sounding amp

Posted by Mike from Canada on Oct 9, 2008

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: 25 years experience

Reviewer's Play Style: rock, jazz, blues, fusion

Yeah, this little amp rocks. I do find though that the preamp volume contol to be too coarse. For a clean setting I have the preamp at 1/2 to 3/4 of number 1. Anything greater than 1 and you get that dirty tube sound which is great but I like it clean. I do wish it had the reverb instead of the tremolo and also I wish the master volume (power attenuator) was located on the front of the amp, instead of the back. As for the 8 inch speaker I think it sounds good enough for practicing. Overall this amp sounds great.

Overall

Quality

Features

Value

lot of tone for a little box

Posted by iceman0124 from tn on Sep 30, 2008

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: working musician

Reviewer's Play Style: all

I'll go one and get the bad out of the way first, the speaker blows, I really wish this amp was offered as a head unit, because it can easily go toe to toe with the orange tiny terror (fantastic amp) Even with the puny open back speaker I was pretty impressed, loud open extremely resposive tone just flowed out of the little box, disabling the power soak gives you shimmering cleans at very respectable volume and with the soak enabled you can also go molten at reasonable volume. After an hour or so of fiddling with the amp, I disconnected the speaker and WOW!!! When run through a open back 1x12 with a celestion heritage G12, the difference was way beyond night and day, more like last night and a week later. The amp also does really well with pedals, I use a digitech RP500 in pedalboard mode and it sounds great. Now the big question, how does it compare to the royal 8 that is $300 bucks less? If tone is important to you and you can afford it, the JSX is a luxury ride with well apointted trimmings, the royal 8 is an economy car, it'll get some jobs done, but most will tire of it quickly, this amp is my fave at the moment, I've never played anything so responsive and open sounding before, you can literally go from shimmering clean to in your face drive by pick attack alone.

As stated before, this amps only flaw is the speaker, fortuanelty with the selectebale impedeance and dual speaker outs....its a problem easily fixed, I still wish they offered a lower cost head only version, the amp section itself is perfect tonal simplicity. SomethingI havent tried yet but inted to soon is trying out different preamp tubes, 12AT7's and Ay7's, quick easy changes that could dramatically change the character of the amp depending on your mood. Also as a plus it came stock with JJ's....no cheap microphonic lightbulbs.

Sure it aint cheap (though can be found pretty affordably second hand) compared to similar products in its class, but the old addage hold true here....you get what you pay for.

Overall

Quality

Features

Value

good for a small amp

Posted by carey from virginia on Sep 10, 2008

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: active musician

Reviewer's Play Style: instrumental, rock

I have been playing with this little guy for about a month now and it has some good and bad qualities. First off I think peavey should have went with a 10" speaker instead of an 8" I think the sound would be alot fuller with a bigger speaker. The preamp isn't anything to brag about too. it has a good variety of tones to dial in but is week when turned all the way up, not for you hard rockers and metal heads looking for a quiet practice amp. The tremelo should have been replace with reverb. I know many more people would have liked reverb instead of the tremelo. On the good side the power spunge works great, you can get great tone with the spunge up and really drive the tubes. The buffered effects loop is great, I use a effects processor and run it through the loop and is sounds way better than the running effects through the input. All around a good little amp for in the house.

View more product reviews »

If you would like to write a review, please see our product review guidelines.

Peavey JSX Mini Colossal Guitar Amp

Read 10 Reviews