marshall jcm, jtm, 800,900,2000 ???

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metalj

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can anyone tell me what is the main differences between these marshall tube amp models???

which one would be the best to play 80's style metal to current metal too. I dont want to hook any distortion pedals to the front end, just pure distortion from the amp with a effects pedal going through the loop?

and...i know this may sound stupid, but.....is there a difference in a marshall head vs a combo style as far as sound??? if you disconnected the speaker in the combo, and then hooked up both the head and the combo used as a head to the same cabs would there be any difference at all?? side by side with the exact same settings.

thanks for reading, i think i only asked 3 questions in one post.

Someone please take Randy Moss, he's killing my vikes.
metalJ from minnesota.
 
Prepare for a headache learning about the JCM800 series. Ugh! Talk about techincal shit. The short and simple answer is the original one channel 800's are the ones people look for...but even then there could be a specific model # that is better than the other one channels.

The 900 series is to be the same as some of the later 800 series 2 channels. Most say they suck. I owned one. It was nice. Loud. But nice. I sold it. What does that say? lol

2000 series is beyond me. Only played one for a short period of time and was told to "keep it down". :confused:
Can't speak as to it being good or bad. Only played it wide open for about 15 seconds.

As for combos and heads....
Supposedly there is a difference. But more importantly IMO, I say, if you are going to lug a 412 around to a gig, then fuck lugging a 212 combo too. Get the head.

JTM is the 600 series. Basically like Plexi's from the 60's and 70's, but I am sure someone will point out the differences.

Plexi for AC/DC, single channel 800 for Gn'R.
 
The single channel 800's are the 80's sound. (think Scopions Rock you like a huricane) The 900's are terrible. The 2000 can be set to sound like an 800 or to give more gain and a scooped midrange.
As far as the combo sounding like the head... You are hard pressed to find 2 heads that sound the same, so I don't know what to tell you.
 
Old 800's have a wonderful midrange quality. They cut through a live mix as well as anything I've owned. They indeed are the sound heard on countless older hard rock/metal albums. The original 800's are getting expensive but they reissued it not too long ago.

The other Marshall that I owned was a Silver Jubilee 50W 1x12 combo. That amp was very flexible. You could disconnect the Vintage 30 speaker and run 2 cabs off of it and it sounded fantastic. Those are getting wicked expensive but was reissued as the Slash Model (head only I believe).

Never owned newer Marshalls. My guitar guru techie guy doesn't like them because they have circuit boards and distortion chips in them.

Also, some say the old Drake transformers have something to do with the unique sound quality of the old Marshalls.

Hope this helps.
 
The other guitarist in my old band had a JCM2000-- I didn't like it at all. It sounded shrill and harsh in my opinion.

It seems the most "prized" Marshalls amongst guitarists are the older JCM 800s and the Plexis.

I believe John Frusciante of the Chili Peppers uses a JCM800-- so it's not neccessarily a "metal" or "hard rock" rig. But it probably is THE quintessential rock guitar amp.
 
I have JCM 200 DSL 100 and the shrill factor your talking about is easily delt with. I think it was more of you guitar players tone control then anything.
 
chadsxe said:
I have JCM 200 DSL 100 and the shrill factor your talking about is easily delt with. I think it was more of you guitar players tone control then anything.
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You are probably right. That's why I added the caveat of "in my opinion."

He wasn't a very good guitarist and wasn't exactly deeply concerned about sound quality. He was more of the type that just wanted to get up on stage and jump around.

But, (again, in my opinion), there are much better amps on the market.
 
Well to each there own.

You will not find a bigger John Frusciante fan then me. I have nailed his tone from BSSM perfect with my strat and the JCM 2000. I also play a lot of metal stuff and have had great success with the same head and an ESP/LTD Viper 400.
 
I have a modded JCM800 #2204 the horizontal single channel one and I love it. It was made in 86 and I bought it in 89. The only bad thing I've ever heard about this model is it sounds tinny at low volumes.

All I need now is the mullet and spandex from back in the day. :D

Check out this site for additional Marshall stuff. This guy is pretty cool

http://www.DrTube.com
 
chadsxe said:
Well to each there own.

You will not find a bigger John Frusciante fan then me. I have nailed his tone from BSSM perfect with my strat and the JCM 2000. I also play a lot of metal stuff and have had great success with the same head and an ESP/LTD Viper 400.
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That's cool. I didn't mean to come across as dissing on your amp. If it works for you, then it's the best amp on the market.

I'm just happy to meet another Chili Pepper fan on this forum-- there's a few of us lurking around here. Frusciante is one of my favorites also! BSSM is definitely one of my all-time favorite albums.
 
Ok, I'll add my 2 cents... I have a 76' JMP which I believe is the first master vol. model they made. I had to tweak it a bit, tubes, finding the right bias setting for the tone I want and so on. The jmp and jcm 800's are inherently bright. Especially at low vol. But with the right guitar and proper set up, they kill for 80's style metal and classic rock.
As mentioned earlier, you just have to find the right one. I've had numerous
compliments on mine from people who said that their model didn't sound nearly as good as mine.
A lot of it has to do with the player.
 
thanks guys, how about the question on sound compareson between a combo and a head.

i now know thanks to you guys that even the best tube amps can sound different even in the same class/model.

but throw that out the window for a sec. In general does anyone know if you took a marshall JCM2000 TSL head, hooked it up to a 4x12 cab, then took a marshall JCM2000 TSL 1x12 combo, unpluged the internal speaker and hooked it up to a 4x12 cab. Put both at the same settings, with the same guitar.

are they the same product?? wiring components tubes and all? In general will you get the same sound?

thanks, just doing some homework before buying and talking to sales reps.

MetalJ
 
woah!!!

No!! They are not the same product!! The combo amp is upside down!!!


Okay, so they are pretty much the same - If you were to take the chassis out of a head and combo and compare them you would find that they look very similar except the contols are upside down on the combo... Especially with the TSL series amps...

f you compare the pics of the front panels ftom the marshall homepage they are seriously the same, expect one is "upside down and backwards" They do this so that they can make the same PC boards for all of the amps they just have to wire the knobs backwards, you'll probally find that the PC boards are pretty much the same as the ones the four tube amps in the TSL series use, except missing the extra parts. Check out the attachment

So if you bought the 1x12 and then hooked it up to a 4x12 cab, it would really just be a TSL Head. You could even make a new box for it and use it as a head if you got tired of lugging the entire 1x12 around. Or you could get really creavie and build a custom 4x12 that will accomodate your amp chassis and have a 4x12 combo, how sweet would that be?
 

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gusfinley said:
No!! They are not the same product!! The combo amp is upside down!!!

Or you could get really creavie and build a custom 4x12 that will accomodate your amp chassis and have a 4x12 combo, how sweet would that be?
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LOL !! man that would be funny !!!! maybe we are on to something.

seriously, my reasoning is i play in big 300-500 people clubs and i play in tiny 50-100 people clubs. My thinking is the Big clubs i break out the 1/2 or full stack, tiny i prop up the 1x12 combo.

I know the 1x12 wont sound that great on stage(tiny), but the main thing is, i think it would keep the stage volume down and still give the house a great sound miced. my main concern is that the combo will still sound like the head when i want to break out the big guns and crank it.

thanks gus that was cool of you to post those pics.
 
metalj said:
seriously, my reasoning is i play in big 300-500 people clubs and i play in tiny 50-100 people clubs.
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The fact is its gonna be mic'd anyways. And they are onyl gonna mic one speaker. And even if they do mic more speakers, they will have the same smount fo house PA speakers no matter what. You probably don't need a 412. Unless you are lacking elsewhere...then go for the full stack.
 
I actually prefer my 2000 tsl 100 to my mesa trip rect. While I like using both, I can dial in a good sound very easily with the TSL. But that is me, and the only way you can tell if it's right for you is to play them. So go to a shop, tell them to tape the windows, and crank it up.
 
When the jcms first went to two channel guitarists were asking for more gain so they inserted a diode clipping ciruit somewhere amidst the gain stages of the preamp. This is the 2205/2210 (I'm pretty sure). There was a revision before the 900s came out, so one may sound very different than another.

You should consider 100w or 50w if you're buying an old Marshall. I understand the 2203/4s and earlier need to be turned up pretty loud if you're after high gain tones.
 
Doug H said:
You should consider 100w or 50w if you're buying an old Marshall. I understand the 2203/4s and earlier need to be turned up pretty loud if you're after high gain tones.
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apparantly the 100watt models on some marshalls can be brought down to 50w by removingthe two outside el34 tubes with no harm done. my guitarist did this to his early 80's jcm 800 with no trouble at all.
 
metalj said:
can anyone tell me what is the main differences between these marshall tube amp models???

which one would be the best to play 80's style metal to current metal too. I dont want to hook any distortion pedals to the front end, just pure distortion from the amp with a effects pedal going through the loop?

and...i know this may sound stupid, but.....is there a difference in a marshall head vs a combo style as far as sound??? if you disconnected the speaker in the combo, and then hooked up both the head and the combo used as a head to the same cabs would there be any difference at all?? side by side with the exact same settings.

thanks for reading, i think i only asked 3 questions in one post.

Someone please take Randy Moss, he's killing my vikes.
metalJ from minnesota.
Click to expand...

I never thought there was a difference. I guess buzz, more buzz, buzz & hum, buzz & hum & am radio interference.

I sold all my Marshalls as I do nothing but record and they suck ass for recording. But, if you have to have one, the JCM 900 is the better amp usually. This only means that the JCM 800 amps were really lousy.
 
I dont want to hijack this post ...


but if you are looking into those kind of Marshalls, you better spend an hour or so looking at the Sovtek Mig-60 head,

(made in Russia ...need I say more :-)


those are damn fine tube heads, w/ a fat spanking classic and heavy R&R sound ... plus they come with a built-in "underdog" switch ...
 
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