Hi, guys.
It's been a few years since my last visit, and I'm happy to see the forum thriving.
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to catch a guy in the act of throwing a pristine looking 1981 Roland Jazz Chorus 50 in the dumpster. I managed to stop him, and brought the amp home with me. However, not all is well inside this thing. The JC-series is known for their clean sound. This one will break into some nasty sounding distortion, even when playing soft with weak single coils. If I turn the guitar volume down to almost zero it does not distort, so it does react to dynamics. Also, the chorus effect and the reverb is not working. The Vibrato works as it should. Plucking the springs in the reverb pan comes thru loud and clear. All other controls seem to do what they are supposed to to.
The amp uses the same circuit as described in the second half of the service manual found here : https://www.synthxl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Roland-JC-50-SERVICE-NOTES-2nd.pdf
Here is a little video of the amp, showing the distorted sound.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zvWB812VUS7bAtHz6
There is no sign of bad solder joints, burnt components or bulging caps. I will recap this thing, but I want it up and running first. I don't think the problems are caused by gone electrolytic caps.
As far as I can see from the schematic, there is no logic in that both the reverb and chorus not working. Can anybody take a look at the schematic and help me with where I should start troubleshooting?
It's been a few years since my last visit, and I'm happy to see the forum thriving.
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to catch a guy in the act of throwing a pristine looking 1981 Roland Jazz Chorus 50 in the dumpster. I managed to stop him, and brought the amp home with me. However, not all is well inside this thing. The JC-series is known for their clean sound. This one will break into some nasty sounding distortion, even when playing soft with weak single coils. If I turn the guitar volume down to almost zero it does not distort, so it does react to dynamics. Also, the chorus effect and the reverb is not working. The Vibrato works as it should. Plucking the springs in the reverb pan comes thru loud and clear. All other controls seem to do what they are supposed to to.
The amp uses the same circuit as described in the second half of the service manual found here : https://www.synthxl.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Roland-JC-50-SERVICE-NOTES-2nd.pdf
Here is a little video of the amp, showing the distorted sound.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/zvWB812VUS7bAtHz6
There is no sign of bad solder joints, burnt components or bulging caps. I will recap this thing, but I want it up and running first. I don't think the problems are caused by gone electrolytic caps.
As far as I can see from the schematic, there is no logic in that both the reverb and chorus not working. Can anybody take a look at the schematic and help me with where I should start troubleshooting?