Morris UK ‘78 experience

Potatoworm

Potatoworm

New member
Hello all,

Anyone out there with a Morris UK ‘78? I love me a good cranked JMP master volume or an early 80’s JCM800. It’s obviously a VERY nice amp, but I’d like to hear your firsthand experience. I’ve thought about a Ceriatone 800 for a while but I might go the extra 10% and spring for the cream of the crop. I’m in the process of moving, all my gear is packed up for 3 weeks so all I can do is talk about gear 😂
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Those Morris amps do sound impressive. I really like what I've heard from the 68.....but, in all honesty, if the 78 is like a JMP 2203 I'd just hunt down a real deal JMP for the same money.
But, that's me.
Vs the 68, which will set you back about 5 grand less than a real 68 Superlead will cost if clean and original.
 
Racerxrated said:
Those Morris amps do sound impressive. I really like what I've heard from the 68.....but, in all honesty, if the 78 is like a JMP 2203 I'd just hunt down a real deal JMP for the same money.
But, that's me.
Vs the 68, which will set you back about 5 grand less than a real 68 Superlead will cost if clean and original.
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You might be right. Doing a quick search the 2204 specifically is hovering a little above $2000. If I can find an unmodified 2204 in great condition I may do it.
 
I'd also just recommend going getting the real deal. Shorten the journey and better resale/investment as well. I haven't tried a Morris, but I can still hear some of that new amp/filtered/more restrained quality in clips that I'd think would only get more noticeable in person, but other boutique amps I've played seem to have that restrained quality a lot more (Bruno, Metroplex, Tone King, surely others I'm blanking on at the top of my head)

I haven't tried yet any convincing substitutes for the vintage Marshall's, Fender's or Vox's
 
Do it. My favorite amp ever. I’ve had the real deal, Ceriatone 2204 (twice), Friedman Smallbox, and a Splawn Competition. It kills all of them. Super transparent loop, plenty gain, hi-low voltage option, and a 3 way bright switch to change character of gain. You will not be disappointed.

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Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
Morris has some great sounding amps. Would love to try one. And would definitely choose one over a marshall
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But, have you owned a real JMP 2203/4 or Superlead?

Not to take away from a Morris amp, I'm still fighting the GAS for that 68 model. That one is 5K less than a real 68 Plexi; I can see more people grabbing that.
But a healthy JMP 2203 is a pretty damn awesome amp, and costs about the same as the 78. I guess with the extra features, the Morris is attractive but I've always found the original still sounds best.
 
Racerxrated said:
But, have you owned a real JMP 2203/4 or Superlead?

Not to take away from a Morris amp, I'm still fighting the GAS for that 68 model. That one is 5K less than a real 68 Plexi; I can see more people grabbing that.
But a healthy JMP 2203 is a pretty damn awesome amp, and costs about the same as the 78. I guess with the extra features, the Morris is attractive but I've always found the original still sounds best.
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I havent, and would love to. But i havent played the morris and would love to. I feel like a lot of the marshall stuff has risen in status with the prices. It wasnt that long ago you could score a jmp for 1300 and people were only buying them to mod them
 
Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
I havent, and would love to. But i havent played the morris and would love to. I feel like a lot of the marshall stuff has risen in status with the prices. It wasnt that long ago you could score a jmp for 1300 and people were only buying them to mod them
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Negative. I've been doing this gear thing for 15 yrs, and people aren't buying old Marshalls to mod them. They're buying them because they are killer amps straight in, boosted, or if you want to mod, then go ahead...but after owning 60 modded/stock pre 1990 Marshalls they are at their best IMO with a pedal in front, no mod needed. Everything has gone up, that's just the post Covid economy. I've played enough clones/builds to have a pretty good take on this, from my tonal perspective anyway. You have a Wizard, correct? They are killer amps as well. But, a good Superlead from the 70s and a pedal or two will give it a run for it's money...and have better mids if that matters to you.
I know quite a few on here that have bought older Marshalls because they were at a good price, and thought about modding them but after experimenting with boosting they've changed their minds.
Back in the 90s you could get 68 Plexis for 1K. Vintage LPs for 2-3k. It's all relative. Just because they were cheap, doesn't mean they sound worse than a 2k boutique version. Quite the opposite.
I can see owning both a real deal JMP 2203 AND a Morris because why not. But a good healthy JMP has fantastic tone, they cost more these days but to me it's more a reflect on the quality of the amp vs status.
They're worth every penny. And no clone will get that Marshall tone any better than the original, since the clone won't have those killer transformers.
 
I’ve played my UK78’ side by side with a 77’ MV 2204 JMP. Still prefer the Morris even if you take the loop and features out of the equation. The master volume is ridiculously good and it has more gain than that particular 77’. I boost it with a Griffin Super Drive FWIW.

Glen ships them with the following tubes:
V1 EH7025
V2 JJ83s
PI Mullard CV4004
JJ EL34II power
 
EyesOfTheSouth! said:
I’ve played my UK78’ side by side with a 77’ MV 2204 JMP. Still prefer the Morris even if you take the loop and features out of the equation. The master volume is ridiculously good and it has more gain than that particular 77’. I boost it with a Griffin Super Drive FWIW.

Glen ships them with the following tubes:
V1 EH7025
V2 JJ83s
PI Mullard CV4004
JJ EL34II power
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Cool.

I just haven't heard a clone get the midrange that I like, compared to any older Marshall. I've played clones that the owner spent up to wire all the vintage parts in, mustards/ Philips etc. Without those Dagnall/Drake transformers, there's just something missing to my ear.
But, as in anything, YMMV.
I still may pickup that 68. Haunts me.
 
Racerxrated said:
Cool.

I just haven't heard a clone get the midrange that I like, compared to any older Marshall. I've played clones that the owner spent up to wire all the vintage parts in, mustards/ Philips etc. Without those Dagnall/Drake transformers, there's just something missing to my ear.
But, as in anything, YMMV.
I still may pickup that 68. Haunts me.
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I love my buddies 77’ no doubt. The Morris just behaves better at all volumes.
 
Old Marshalls or Morris? I vote both!

I own a few of both brands, and you really can't go wrong either way. Regarding Morris offerings on the whole, over the years, Glen has mainly made amps that were more unique designs and more of his own thing. And that's what I initially sought him out for years ago. It's mainly been in more recent years that he decided to offer up a few Marshall based/inspired builds as production models as well. That's a saturated market for sure these days, but I still love that he's done it. The UK line (I've played the '68 and '67) sounds absolutely killer.
 
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Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
I havent, and would love to. But i havent played the morris and would love to. I feel like a lot of the marshall stuff has risen in status with the prices. It wasnt that long ago you could score a jmp for 1300 and people were only buying them to mod them
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I think it’s just that those JMP’s (and boogie mark iv and iii’s) were severely taken for granted pre-covid. I used to think they were steals back then and didn’t say anything lol, but in retrospect it was only a matter of time before the prices caught up to where they actually sound. I fell for the stupid boutique marketing bs for years that vintage amps are “outdated” and must not be as good since they were also cheaper back then than the boutique counterparts, but then I spent all that time being unsatisfied trying out all these boutique Marshall-esque amps until eventually AB’ing with good old Marshall’s and there was the aha moment for me as well as when I did the same with vintage blackfaces vs amps like the milkman’s or Bruno’s. They just sounded almost like hearing a bland recording of the real amp when compared and also much more muted/unresponsive to many nuances in playing. JMO. Maybe Morris amps don’t have these issues, but after trying so many other boutique Marshall type amps I gave up a while ago now
 
braintheory said:
I think it’s just that those JMP’s (and boogie mark iv and iii’s) were severely taken for granted pre-covid. I used to think they were steals back then and didn’t say anything lol, but in retrospect it was only a matter of time before the prices caught up to where they actually sound. I fell for the stupid boutique marketing bs for years that vintage amps are “outdated” and must not be as good since they were also cheaper back then than the boutique counterparts, but then I spent all that time being unsatisfied trying out all these boutique Marshall-esque amps until eventually AB’ing with good old Marshall’s and there was the aha moment for me as well as when I did the same with vintage blackfaces vs amps like the milkman’s or Bruno’s. They just sounded almost like hearing a bland recording of the real amp when compared and also much more muted/unresponsive to many nuances in playing. JMO. Maybe Morris amps don’t have these issues, but after trying so many other boutique Marshall type amps I gave up a while ago now
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I understand for sure. And i would love a great sounding jmp, but you buy a 60 year old amp, you have a lot less reliable of an amp for one. Then i dont know about jmp, but the jcm are so hit or miss with sound. Some of these modern offferings sound so good. My MGL, for instance, I wouldn't trade for anything. It isnt for everyone, but it checks almost all my boxes.
 
EyesOfTheSouth! said:
I’ve played my UK78’ side by side with a 77’ MV 2204 JMP. Still prefer the Morris even if you take the loop and features out of the equation. The master volume is ridiculously good and it has more gain than that particular 77’. I boost it with a Griffin Super Drive FWIW.

Glen ships them with the following tubes:
V1 EH7025
V2 JJ83s
PI Mullard CV4004
JJ EL34II power
Click to expand...
Good to hear! His videos are great but it’s impossible for me to distinguish a good amp from a great amp without plugging my lp jr into it and playing it in a large room. For someone who plays mostly punk I sure am picky.
 
braintheory said:
I'd also just recommend going getting the real deal. Shorten the journey and better resale/investment as well. I haven't tried a Morris, but I can still hear some of that new amp/filtered/more restrained quality in clips that I'd think would only get more noticeable in person, but other boutique amps I've played seem to have that restrained quality a lot more (Bruno, Metroplex, Tone King, surely others I'm blanking on at the top of my head)

I haven't tried yet any convincing substitutes for the vintage Marshall's, Fender's or Vox's
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I know what you mean. I’m constantly disappointed by the “improvements” builders make. I may never learn though.
 
Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
I understand for sure. And i would love a great sounding jmp, but you buy a 60 year old amp, you have a lot less reliable of an amp for one. Then i dont know about jmp, but the jcm are so hit or miss with sound. Some of these modern offferings sound so good. My MGL, for instance, I wouldn't trade for anything. It isnt for everyone, but it checks almost all my boxes.
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I hear those as common reservations, but I’ve had and tried so many vintage Marshall’s and really haven’t actually found those to be issues yet. Maybe just luck. ‘70’s JMP’s especially (~40 year old amps btw) have been very consistent IME and have yet to try one that had issues. I admittedly haven’t liked some jcm’s as much as others, but I’d still easily take the worst sounding 800’s I’ve tried over the boutique Marshall copies I’ve tried so far and if used with a good boost or even mod I bet most would still think it sounded great and in retrospect if I had my tech look it over maybe I could’ve possibly liked it more. It’s a common concern about vintage amp’s reliability, but for whatever reason so far in all these years I’ve had actually slightly more recent amps than vintage amps that I needed my tech to fix
 
Potatoworm said:
I know what you mean. I’m constantly disappointed by the “improvements” builders make. I may never learn though.
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It seems like they make improvements with features and functionality, but not in the way they actually sound. Not exactly the type of progress I’d dream of with the “latest and greatest” stuff sadly
 
I'm still rock'n the Morris 69'/70'. It's still my go to amp. I'm tempted to try the UK 78' but I don't think it would be that different from the 69'/70'. Anybody try these 2 back to back?
 
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