the Wishlist

J-MOD 100 Head £6,495

John Mayer’s partnership with Paul Reed Smith has already provided the stunning Super Eagle signature guitar. Now PRS and Mayer have taken it up a gear with the J-MOD 100 John Mayer signature amplifier. Designed by PRS amp guru Doug Sewell, with considerable input from Paul Reed Smith and Mayer himself, the J-MOD’s task is to be a distillation of everything that’s good in Mayer’s amp collection, covering every sonic base for live and recording work.

The J-MOD is traditional, with black Tolex offset by gold piping and a salt-and-pepper grille cloth. The internals are PCB-based, with five boards dedicated to different sections of the circuit: preamp, power amp, front panel controls, bias test points and effects loop. The component quality is first class for everything, and this kind of construction reduces wire runs while improving reliability, as each board is smaller and less likely to flex.

The J-MOD is a single-channel preamp with a footswitchable gain stage for overdrive, and a footswitchable effects loop on the rear panel, with send and return level controls to interface with the widest range of outboard devices. A quartet of 6L6 output valves connects to the loudspeakers via a Cinemag output transformer. The wide bias range handles a variety of output valve types including EL34s and KT77s, with comprehensive test points on the rear panel.

John Mayer’s dynamic, nuanced guitar style demands a particularly reactive amplifier. Difficult-to-define characteristics such as dynamic response, touch-sensitivity or ‘feel’ are things the J-MOD has by the truckload. We’re impressed by its Fender-ish hi-fi openness and clarity when played clean, and the multi-dimensional D-style overdrive that effortlessly responds to pick attack. The J-MOD’s price tag might cause a sharp intake of breath, but incredible tone comes at a price – for those who can afford it, it’s money well spent.

2. The J-MOD head’s overdrive comes from a footswitchable gain circuit with separate controls for gain and level. It’s a simple solution with an exceptionally wide range that covers many styles 2

3. There are comprehensive bias test points and adjustment on the rear panel, so the J-MOD doesn’t have to be taken apart when you change valves. Bias range covers EL34s and KT77s 3

Words Nick Guppy Photography Joby Sessions 1 1. A simple Bright switch and regular bass, mid and treble tone controls combine to cover a very wide range of tones, from snappy single coils to fat, warm humbuckers

4. The J-MOD has a proper, footswitchable buffered effects loop with send and return level controls to interface with practically any outboard effect, from studioquality rack reverbs to stompboxes 4

5. Traditional heavy-duty mains and standby toggles are mounted where they should be on the front panel 5

6. The PRS J-MOD’s 100watt output stage can be tweaked and tamed with global presence and master volume controls to ensure just the right amount of edge at any volume level 6