I actually bought the JamUp Plug about a year ago. At that time, I'd seen all the commercials for Apple's GarageBand, and I wanted a cheap interface for my iPad. I hooked it, and it worked well enough, but the guitar aspects of the GarageBand software failed to hook me. The JamUp Plug stayed in my drawer all summer, hardly ever used. Fast forward several months later, and decided to purchase the JamUp XT Pro software that is actually created by Positive Grid. Wow.
Let me say first that I'm not a professional/gigging player by any means, but I have about 15 years of experience and a decent collection of combo amps, pocket amplifiers (including the excellent Vox Amplug series), and effects pedals. I can honestly say that the JamUp Plug paired with Positive Grid's native software offers amazing tone and range of sounds for the vast majority of players out there.
Device Function/Use - The JamUp Plug is extremely easy to use, if a bit fragile. It is made of lightweight plastic, and plugs into the 1/8" headphone jack on your iOS device. The best (and IMO, only) way to use the plug is to lay it absolutely flat on a table with the 1/4" input jack and 1/8" headphone output weighting it down in place. If the plug is allowed to move at all while playing, you will get a "static"-like interference. But follow that procedure and you won't have many issues. Since it goes through the iOS audio jack, it is widely compatible with recording software such as GarageBand, AmpliTube, etc. But I honestly think JamUp's own software is the best out there. You can play it absolutely free with a few base amps and effects, or upgrade (usually $20) to the Pro version. I strongly recommend the latter. There are additional bundle packs for $9.99, or individual amps for $4.99 or pedals for either $2.99 or $4.99. IMO, virtually all of them are of excellent quality and reasonably priced.
Amp Models - The amp lineup offered by the JamUp XT Pro software is quite impressive. Positive Grid has renamed them, but they appear similar to the real-life counterpart, and the descriptions in their store will tell you the exact brand and model of amp they are modeling. The options range from vintage clean amps (Vox and Fender classics from the 50's and 60's) to high gain classic/metal rock (Marshall/MESA) to modern boutiques (Bogner and artist signature models). While I love distortion pedals when playing through an amp, I found that the gain options on the modeled amps in in JamUp XT were so accurate that I didn't miss my stompboxes.
Effects - My hope is that Positive Grid continues to add new pedals for future purchase, but even the lineup you get in the free version is quite strong (models of the MXR Dyna Comp, Ibanez TS-9, Boss OD-3 Overdrive, Noise Filters, etc.). Not only can you work the settings and turn the pedal on/off as if it were a real pedal, but you can move the effect around in the signal chain. This even applies to noise filters and placing items in the effects loop. I've heard some people complain about excess noise or "hissing", but if you work with the Noise Filter pedal (included), you can cut most of that out.
There's also a 2-track recorder in the Pro version, which can be expanded to 8 tracks for $4.99. It isn't as full-featured as other recording software, but it's significantly easier to use, and allows for basic exporting via email or to iTunes.
Please note that I dedicated a large portion of this review to the software accompanying the physical JamUp Plug itself because I consider these to go hand in hand. There are probably more expensive adapters out there that are less delicate, but for $20, the JamUp Plug absolutely does the job.
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Top reviews from other countries
Kurtis Brudenell
Hell yeah, finally in the UK
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2014André Allard
It work on and of on my ipad 2 . I am loosing the sound very often
Reviewed in Canada on April 2, 2014