Koch Jupiter 1 x 12 Combo

August 2012 Guitarist 121
KOCH JUPITER 1 X 12 COMBO £610
GUITAR AMPS
K
och has re-entered the
UK market with a
revamped range of
heads, combos and accessories,
and there’s also new
distribution for the respected
Dutch amp builder. With a
diverse list of clients/artists
including Al Di Meola, Buzz
Feiten and Reeves Gabrels, as
well as a host of top players
from the Netherlands such as
Golden Earring’s George
Kooymans, Koch is a very
popular and well-known amp
brand on the continent and in
the USA. It’s good to see them
back on British shelves, and
appropriately enough this issue
we’re looking at an amp that
could have been designed
specifically for British players:
the compact and very portable
Jupiter combo.
With pleasing proportions
and a slightly deeper-than-
average cab expertly covered in
textured green vinyl, the
Jupiter’s cool vintage styling
and restrained appearance is
already winning friends and
influencing people before it’s
even switched on. The matte
silver control panel
co-ordinates nicely with the
amp’s sparkle grille cloth and
silver piping, and makes a good
first impression.
Koch’s Jupiter combo is a
hybrid design, which blends a
pair of 12AX7 preamp valves
with a clever solid-state output
stage that promises to provide
all the dynamic punch and
sonic warmth of valves.
Consequently, there’s no
output transformer, which
reduces the overall weight by
several kilos. Owing to the
hefty woodwork and a generous
magnet on the custom Sica
loudspeaker, the Jupiter’s still
no lightweight, but it can be
carried with ease using one
hand, which is something you
can’t say for many of its all-
valve competitors.
Its electronics live inside a
tough, powder-coated steel
chassis; there are two main
boards for the preamp and
power supply, with a pair of
smaller ones handling the front
panel knobs and switches. The
through-plated PCBs are very
high quality and are connected
by thick hook-up wires, which
are all neatly routed and tied
together, while the two output
devices dissipate their heat
through an oversized
aluminium heatsink for cool
operation and long life.
Both preamp valves plug into
quality valve bases, which are
soldered directly to the preamp
PCB. While they aren’t easy to
get to quickly, modern 12AX7s
are generally quite reliable
these days, so mid-gig
replacement is unlikely to be
a problem you’ll encounter in
normal use.
Overall, the Jupiter’s look,
feel and build quality inspires
lots of confidence – it’s clearly
built for professional use and
certainly looks ready to handle
the rigours of non-stop touring.
The Jupiter boasts two
channels – Hot and Cool, with
separate gain and volume
controls – sharing a
conventional passive bass, mid
and treble EQ network. Extra
flexibility comes from a gain
boost switch on the Hot
channel and a contour switch
on the EQ that shifts the mid-
range, bringing it forward and
adding a little more aggression.
Towards the right-hand side
of the control panel there’s a
level control for the Jupiter’s
digital reverb and a control
called the Dimmer, which acts
like an attenuator, adding some
of the feel you would get from
real output-valve saturation.
On the rear panel, there’s a
channel-changing switch and a
socket for the Jupiter’s two-
button foot controller, one of
which changes channels while
the other can be preset to
operate either the reverb or the
gain-boost functions. A pair of
speaker jacks, a simple series
buffered effects loop and a
speaker-emulated recording
output complete the tour.
Everything’s neatly laid out and
easy to understand, making the
Jupiter very user-friendly.
Sounds
It’s an enduring fascination for
us that some amps take a while
to get the hang of while others
instantly feel right, often within
a few seconds of plugging in.
The Jupiter definitely belongs
to the latter category,
immediately impressing with
its rich and responsive clean
channel. Despite the compact
enclosure, the Koch delivers a
tight, punchy bass that f latters
single-coils and humbuckers
alike, with a sweet treble
response that produces exactly
the right kind of edge to add
articulation without the awful
tinfoil fizz that afflicts many
hybrid designs.
Koch Jupiter
1 x 12 Combo
£610
Koch returns to centre stage with a killer hybrid combo
that you won’t want to miss by Nick Guppy
The Dimmer control acts like an
attenuator, adding some of the feel
you’d get from output-valve saturation
The amp has Hot and Cool channels: Hot has boost and contour switches
There’s a speaker-emulated recording output
The Rivals
Blackstar’s excellent Soloist
combo packs 60 watts of
valve power with a digital
reverb and costs around
£649; it’s hard to ignore and
has plenty of cool features to
keep you interested.
Peavey’s Vypr Tube 60
takes the opposite approach
to hybrid design, employing
solid-state for the preamp
and a 60-watt valve power
stage. With programmable
presets, built-in effects and
more, it’s a lot of amp for just
£499. Fender’s Blues Junior
may only have 15 watts, but
it’s one of the best-sounding
and best-selling products in
the company’s range –
another ideal small-club amp,
retailing at just £598.
http://vault.guitarist.co.uk
GIT357.rev_koch.indd 121 6/12/12 3:14 PM