What do you guys like as a high gain JCM800?

itsgoodnow said:
There’s a lot of great options. I like the Landry g3 and Moab the most for this. MGL would also be on that list.

Splawn is cool. It’s a little tighter and drier than others. Some people love/hate the mids.

The bogner helios would be closest to what you’re looking for from his line.

Hard to go wrong. Just different flavors of a similar sound.
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If he quits guitar now he’ll save enough money to buy a Ford Raptor R.
 
angelspade said:
I would strongly recommend the 410H version...You get the super high gain OD2 channel (which is great) and they can be had in perfect condition around $1,200.
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Thanks. Is that only available in 100 watt though? Does it have a lot more gain than the 50 watt version?
 
BABMusic said:
Thanks. Is that only available in 100 watt though? Does it have a lot more gain than the 50 watt version?
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the 410H has an entirely separate channel (that's included on the 210H) that has the most gain of any production Marshall. If you read up on the differences you will likely go with the 410H, as I did...its a far more versatile amp overall. The 410H version only comes in a 100 watt version, but the master volume is very effective and you can get ripping tones at bedroom volumes. Hope this helps.
 
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BABMusic said:
What's interesting is that no one so far thinks my pickups are the problem.
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I was going to suggest playing with bobbin height for that unruly A string you mentioned, but i did not want to detract from the main subject of your post.

Try lowering the A string bobbin. See if that helps tame the little fella.
 
@BABMusic Send me a Marshall to mod. 1959HW is the perfect donor amp. I'll turn it into exactly what you're looking for. At the end of the day, either just boost an 800 or mod an actual Marshall for additional gain stages and ditch the diode clipping options like Bogner and Ceriatone.
 
FourT6and2 said:
At the end of the day, either just boost an 800 or mod an actual Marshall for additional gain stages and ditch the diode clipping options like Bogner and Ceriatone.
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Are clipping diodes really the same as having a distortion pedal inside the amp? As far as I know, the Friedman Sat switch is clipping diodes.
 
I would try a Splawn. They are a bargain compared to the other usual suspects. They have the Marshall DNA with more juice and added options. It just sounds right to me. Or maybe a JVM. I bought a few JCM 800's recently and they just sounded wimpy to me. I ran a 2210 for 30 years and never felt it had enough gain, and I found myself right back there with again with these JCM800's I had. Unusable without a boost, and like you said I don't like using pedals so I sold them all and stuck with my quickrod.
 
Chris6870 said:
I would try a Splawn. They are a bargain compared to the other usual suspects. They have the Marshall DNA with more juice and added options. It just sounds right to me. Or maybe a JVM. I bought a few JCM 800's recently and they just sounded wimpy to me. I ran a 2210 for 30 years and never felt it had enough gain, and I found myself right back there with again with these JCM800's I had. Unusable without a boost, and like you said I don't like using pedals so I sold them all and stuck with my quickrod.
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I listened to both the Quick Rod and the Nitro from a Kyle Bull video, and the Quick Rod sounded very good. At this point, I'm sort of leaning towards the Quick Rod or a Marshall JVM. Bogner would be fun to try, but probably more than I want to spend. I'll probably stay away from 4K amps.
 
BABMusic said:
I listened to both the Quick Rod and the Nitro from a Kyle Bull video, and the Quick Rod sounded very good. At this point, I'm sort of leaning towards the Quick Rod or a Marshall JVM. Bogner would be fun to try, but probably more than I want to spend. I'll probably stay away from 4K amps.
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Yea I found higher price doesn't always equal a better amp. I bought a brand new Bogner 3534 thinking it was going to be my ultimate amp. Waited 6 months for it and returned it within a week. Owned most of the Friedman 20 watters, both 5153 50 watt, about a dozen Boogies,Also tried a SLO30 recently and came to the conclusion my Quickrod just sounds better than all of them to my ears and I think I paid $1300 for it.
I didn't care for the Nitro. Less gain and saturation, I think and real boomy low end. Also had a Splawn Super Sport, and a 50 watt EL34 mini Nitro that was cool but still not as good as the quickrod.
 
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BABMusic said:
Are clipping diodes really the same as having a distortion pedal inside the amp? As far as I know, the Friedman Sat switch is clipping diodes.
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No, clipping diodes aren't the same as a pedal inside the amp. But it's not too far removed at the end of the day.
 
Chris6870 said:
Yea I found higher price doesn't always equal a better amp. I bought a brand new Bogner 3534 thinking it was going to be my ultimate amp. Waited 6 months for it and returned it within a week. Owned most of the Friedman 20 watters, both 5153 50 watt, about a dozen Boogies,Also tried a SLO30 recently and came to the conclusion my Quickrod just sounds better than all of them to my ears and I think I paid $1300 for it.
I didn't care for the Nitro. Less gain and saturation, I think and real boomy low end. Also had a Splawn Super Sport, and a 50 watt EL34 mini Nitro that was cool but still not as good as the quickrod.
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I generally like scooped amps, but I didn't like the way the Nitro sounded in Kyle's video. It seemed to have lost some of those fangs that the Quick Rod has.
 
I'll chime up.... considering your mentions I'll throw a few things out there.


" I am interested in a few brands, mainly Splawn and Bogner"
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I have had plenty of other Splawns and Marshalls modded by Scott... Currently:

JCM800 from when he was rumored to get a tap on the shoulder saying he couldn't do that."
Splawn Quick Rod from 06' Heyboers
1959 Super Lead I recently acquired in trade for my sustainer

".... still retains the Marshall voicing."
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Do I think the Splawn has a Marshall voicing? Kind of. When I play my Quick Rod versus his modded marshalls, I really truly think part of that sound does come from the stock marshall trannies. To me, the Quick Rod, Nitro etc all have a little bit of a different flavor or sound from his amps. I do however like both. To me, the Marshalls still seem "Chimey-er"

" I hate using overdrives and just to rely on the amps distortion."
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You are me sir... Regardless where I played out, Arena's, Racetrack, Venue's... I'd be the guy loading in my refrigerator cases and the sound guy would start shaking his head.... two minutes later, I'd place one 57 in front of the mark on my lower 4x12, ask him to bring it up and within a minute ask him for a touch of reverb or delay from the board... I never relied on anything besides my amp, the room and the speakers.

I tell you this so you understand, you sound like our preferences are aligned... Raw tone.


"The feel of the Friedman is very chewy -- it's like you're using your pick against putty."
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I don't know whether it's my attack, my ears or not running delays but my biggest issue with the Quick Rod is it always sounds chewier and more 80's in clips than my amps. I have always wanted the more chewier, saggy tone from those amps than they deliver.

FWIW: I am one of those weirdos who plays hair metal/80's rock etc with a .73 - .60 and rakes the strings while still thinking "This attack is tight!"

"I kind of miss the more instant attack and wonder if these other amp options would be better for that."
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Again, to me, they seem more compressed and less chewy than my actual vintage marshalls.



At large my take is this: Based on what you're asking for and considering the prices you can pickup a Quick Rod for you might want to try one. My other opinion, Scott is one of the nicest dudes I've ever dealt with and I'm certain he would be a wealth of knowledge for these questions. It really sounds like you need a QR or a Nitro. Hope that helps.. Give Scott a call.
 
Headfirst Alta. You would be hard pressed to do much better than that, great Marshall DNA and no pedals required to kick into over the top drive.
 
BABMusic said:
Mesa Rectifier 2 x 12 -- I put in two 8 ohm Greenbacks.
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I love Greenies for classic rock and 80's hair metal(Zep, AC/DC, Priest, etc...).

But if you are aiming for a tighter, higher gain tone than that, a speaker change may do wonders.
Could save you a ton of cash too.

Someone else may chime in if this is something you are willing to entertain.
My speaker/cab experiences are rather limited so I will kindly yield to someone else to walk you down that slippery slope lol.
 
Depends on how much old style Kerrang you want and how much more gain you want really. I own an 1979 Marshall Splawn modded and it's alot thicker sounding than a stock Marshall and it can be a little wooly without a boost tightening it up but you can play it with no boosts. I also have a Cameron HG Jose that I built and that amp needs no boosts but has diode clipping. If you want all tube JCM800 Marshall's then here are my suggestions:

Splawn QR or Nitro
Ground Zero Hellion or moddedMarshall SNIPER which is all tube 3 and 4 gains stages. I think the MOAB has diode clipping as an option but may also have a switchable fourth tube gains stage, ask Redplated from Ground Zero for details.

Here's is Neddi Stanz Moab+ plenty of Marshall kerrang there....

Here the all tube sniper mod
 
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