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This page: Johnson J-Station: Operation and Control, Tone, Feel, Bottom Line

Operation and Control

The J-Station crams a lot of features into a relatively compact package, and the front-panel programming interface is a reflection of that. Fundamental amp-editing controls, such as gain, bass, mid, and treble tone knobs, are all intuitive. Basic effects editing (selecting an effect and controlling its intensity) is also a simple matter. To access some of the basic parameters, you'll have to push the Shift key, but this is a toggle switch -- once pushed, you don't have to hold it -- so tweaking can still be a one-handed operation.

J-Edit, a Windows-compatible editing package, makes it much easier to mine the J-Station's sonic depths. (click for a close-up)

Deeper editing can be accomplished in two ways: From the front panel (by accessing the edit menu), or by using the free J-Edit software (Windows only). The computer interface is elegant and intuitive -- but the front-panel menu is cumbersome and cryptic. Because the display is so small, you must scroll to the appropriate parameter before editing it, and parameters are shown as numbers, not words. For example, to edit reverb type, you must scroll to parameter 33; to tweak cabinet type, you need to flip back to parameter number 15. Needless to say, this requires that you have either an elephant's memory or the manual close at hand at all times. But you do get impressive access to the J-Station's inner workings. The compressor, for example, lets you set a crossover frequency -- signal below that frequency will be compressed, signal above it will pass through unaffected. Nice.

While the J-Station may not offer the POD Pro's breath of I/O options, it outdoes the original POD by including a 24-bit S/PDIF digital output (fixed at 44.1 kHz), an ideal feature for people using desktop studios. MIDI implementation is extensive. In addition to the J-Edit software, you can mate the J-Station to your sequencer and record changes you make in the sound for automated playback.

Tone, Feel, and Bottom Line

The J-Station delivers plenty of excellent tones. Though my favorites were of the hard-rock variety (J-Solo and the monstrous Rectified were especially inspiring), it also handled more traditional guitar sounds well. "Feel" was also natural, especially when I got past the presets and started creating my own tones. Most important, all my guitars retained their personality and vibe.

The bass amp models ran the timbral gamut, from the bright and sharp Modern settings to the warm and full Rock model. The acoustic guitar simulation would be passable in a gig situation but, like most simulations of its type, won't inspire you to chuck your Martin into the fireplace. If I had one criticism, it was that many of the sounds seemed a little too "in your face" -- a slight giveaway that this is a direct-recording device, not a miked guitar amp. But as I mentioned earlier, the effects are an important enhancement, and some careful tweaking of reverb and delay often added the naturalism I was looking for. I could go beyond nature, too: I loved setting the pitch-shifter to one octave below, dialing up a heavy amp setting, and creating monster riffs.

With its combination of low price and deep feature-set, the J-Station outshines the original POD in many areas while carving a sonic niche of its own. It should compete strongly for dominance in the home and project studio market.