Despite the association with some high gain tones, an excellent benefit of the solid state amp is their ability to offer spanky cleans at big volumes (wattage dependant); something that only the biggest loudest valve amplifiers can manage, with some even struggling to achieve that at the smallest gigs. For example, if you were looking to run a Vox AC15 with a clean tone in a medium sized venue, you will likely find yourself in crunch town due to the lack of clean headroom. Whereas the extra power of Boss Katana 100W - which sits at nearly half the price - at the same volume should be more than comfortable chiming away.
The Roland Jazz Chorus-120 is amongst the biggest examples of this. Offering super-clean, pristine and piercingly loud tones that was perfect for reggae, funk rhythms and the emerging jazz fusion scene, though, despite its name, not great for warmer, more traditional jazz sounds.
However, the amp’s sparkly tone and distinctive on-board chorus effect also struck a chord with ‘new wave’ guitarists such as Andy Summers, Robert Smith, Billy Duffy and Johnny Marr. Even James Hetfield was a fan, using it extensively on multiple early Metallica albums when cuttingly clean tones were required.