GEAR TALKIN'™️ #14: The Roland Jazz Chorus JC-55

Jeff's secret weapon on Cousin

You know what's nice about the World Wide Web? At any time, on any day, you are a few clicks away from a relatable meme, a joyous dance sequence, or one of Mark Greenberg's GEAR TALKIN'™️ posts. There's a lot going on in Wilco world, and outside of Wilco world. So while Jeffy is fully absorbed in all that's going on, Mark is here with 500+ words about an amp. I know... you might be thinking, "How does he do it?"! Frankly, I don't know... because well, let's just say, gear isn't anywhere near the top of the list of things I care about. YET!! Each GEAR TALKIN'™️ submission makes me chuckle, and with so much going on in the world right now, we all need chuckles where we can get them. Be kind to each other. —Crystal 

Welcome back to Gear Talkin’™️! Oh you lucky people who are seeing these recent Wilco shows as the band rolls out songs from the new and wonderful Cousin LP.  So many new favorites!

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You may be noticing Jeff playing through a new amp setup, one very fitting to the sounds on Cousin. Jeff is now using a late 80’s Roland Jazz Chorus JC-55. It’s one of the portable versions in the series with two 8” speakers and “only" 50 watts of solid state power. I say “only”  because damn, 50 solid state watts are still way too much for most occasions, trust me. The Loft's recording engineer Tom Schick gifted this amp to Jeff in an attempt to clean out his basement of old gear. Few know that Tom lived a previous life as a well-schooled, pointy-headstocked axe shredder… a dark past Tom rarely speaks about. (Some say he killed a man with his own bare hammer-ons.) Jeff, Cate Le Bon, and Tom fully explored this new ingredient on Cousin, mixing amp chorus with early digital delays in new and pleasing combinations not yet heard in the Wilco oeuvre. Listen deeply to the landscape of songs like "Levee," "A Bowl and A Pudding," or "Cousin" and you’ll hear its shimmery audible cast. It’s the sound of a crisp, cool, glassy fog.

The Jazz Chorus line of amplifiers were made by Japanese manufacturer Roland starting in 1975 with its first and most classically regarded model, the JC-120 with 120 watts of solid state power pushing through two 12” speakers (and a model called the JC-60 that was exactly half in all dimensions). Many iterations followed over the years, but all were based around a chorus effect, which is basically a doubled signal with an adjustable phase modulation on the second signal that subtly alters the pitch and timing between the two signals, causing a widening and richness to the combined signals, from a slight slapback feel to a bit of a twirling seasick sound. Though this series is often associated with breezy, chimie 80’s new wave pop bands like the Smiths. the Cure, U2, and Joy Division, it has also been used and championed by many players in the jazz, prog, metal, and Afropop idioms as well as rock (I’m looking at you Joe Walsh, Joe Satriani, and Robert Fripp!).

There's tale of the possible origin story of the Jazz Chorus involving Fred Walecki, the owner of LA's renowned Westwood Music, the nexus of many of the great 60’s/70’s Laurel Canyon musicians like the Mamas and Papas, CSN&Y, the Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield, to name a few. It’s said that Fred was the one that (Court &) sparked the idea of a chorus amplifier and even reached out to Roland on behalf of Joni Mitchell, who wanted an amp to make her Ibanez electric guitar sound like two guitars at once. Oh I hope this story is true!

This all said, in almost all cases, Jeff playing almost any guitar through almost any amplifier will still sound just like Jeff. Maybe a little different around the edges, but still solidly Jeff. That’s the truth. Crazy, right? I’m not sure how he does that or how that works, but it’s true. It’s like Bun E. Carlos and any drum kit. Old… new… tuned… untuned… busted….toy... It doesn't matter... His playing will still sound thunderous, like Cheap Trick at Budokan. It's magic.

For more fun deep dives into the gear at the Loft, visit the Loft’s main Instagram.

This Week In Wilco, Etc.

2004 / October 9: Garth Hudson from The Band sits in with Wilco for four songs during their 23-song set at Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada. 

2022 / October 9: Wilco performs three surprise pop-up shows at Carol’s Pub in Chicago. Across the 7pm, 9pm and 11pm shows, 48 songs are performed, including Bob Dylan's “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You,” Tom T. Hall's “That’s How I Got to Memphis,” Terry Allen's “Death of the Last Stripper,” Stoney Edwards's “She’s My Rock,” Doug Sahm's “Give Back the Key to My Heart,” the Grateful Dead's “U.S. Blues," and Roger Miller's “Reincarnation.”

1991 / October 11: Uncle Tupelo plays Club Lingerie in Hollywood, CA and among the songs played are “Hello There” by Cheap Trick, “Do Re Mi” by Woody Guthrie, and “Gimme Gimme Gimme” by Black Flag.