Q: Can I use the JX44 without the footswitches?
A: Yes. The front panel has all of the controls to let you do most tasks.

Q: Is there a way to remotely control the effects send & receive?
A: The JX44 itself does not have internal remote switching for the effects loop. However, by using a device like the Radial BigShot EFX you could activate effects. The EFX is a cost effective footswitch controlled pedal that lets you introduce two different effects loops into the signal path. You could also use the Loopbone, a more advanced version of the same type of loop controller.

Q: I notice that there are two inputs for channels 1 & 2 on the front and rear panels. How do you select the inputs?
A: The front panel jacks have priority. This means that normally, you would connect the guitar using the back panel jacks. If you needed to connect a guitar in a panic situation, the moment you connect the cable plug into the front panel jack, the input diverts here.

Q: Could I stack two JX44s together for a crazy set-up?
A: Why not? Just use one of the outputs or effects send-return busses and have fun!.

Q: Can I program the amp set-ups?
A: No. Because of the sheer range of options, we felt that it would be too costly to introduce programmability, LCD screens and so on, so we made the JX44 as simple as we could instead. Hit a switch, the amp goes on.

Q: Can you explain re-amplifying?
A: Re-amplifying is a recording task that is used to replace or augment guitar tracks. What you do is record a dry track using the balanced DI output while performing as normal. After the gig, take the recorded dry track and send it back into the JX44 and to your amps and pedals. This process has been used for years to fix bad notes, improve the tone and thicken tracks.

Q: Why do you use plastic jacks on the SW8?
A: Actually, they are glass filled nylon and tougher that steel! We use ‘plastic’ so that we can completely isolate each of the channels and reduce noise. A full ground plane is employed and we build a virtual ground inside the SW8 to further advantage noise reduction.

Q: Can you explain how the SGI works?
A: The SGI or studio guitar interface is a dedicated transmit & receive device that takes a guitar signal and lets you send it hundreds of feet away to a remote amplifier. Connection between the SGI units is done with a standard mic cable. What it does is buffers or amplifies and then balances the signal with a very high quality guitar preamp. To make sure the tone is as faithful as possible to the original, you can adjust the load using the Drag Control™ to replicate the effect of the cable, pickup and amp circuit. Balanced signals are less prone to noise.

Q: Does the Drag Control also work on wireless guitars?
A: No, not really. Drag control is designed for regular passive guitar pickups. Because acoustic guitars and wireless systems are already buffered, the load correction circuit will have little or no effect.

Q: Why did you choose to use those darn wall warts?
A: The Radial JX44 is sold to countries around the world. This means that each country requires safety approvals and varying voltages to suit. The external power supply option is not ideal, but it allows us to ship a single production unit to all of these places without incurring huge approval costs such as UL or CSA in each country.