Can the JCM800 / JMP 2203 do modern metal?

  • Thread starter Thread starter saxxamafone
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I own a JEL mod 2203 JMP.

Currently have tried boosting with an SD1 and OD808.
V30 speakers

Guitar has rather high output pickups

It sounds good don't get me wrong.

Wouldn't say it's as modern as my old 2ch dual rect.

Any tips on really taking these into modern high gain territory?

My definition of modern is like dual rectifier, 5150/6505, uberschall etc.

Or am I trying to make the amp do something it really can't?
Yes it will just try a 10 band eq ,deadweld duality ,fortin 33, any ts9 or od808, maxon,Friedman boost etc. just experiment with various pedals to shape your guitar tone
 
Not to derail the thread or anything, but it's sorta on topic. How big are the tonal differences between a JTM 2203 & JCM 2203. I know there was variances in tone just from amp to amp even in the same production year. Does a JTM have more of a 70's vibe to it and and JCM is more 80's90's?

That could play a factor in if it can stretch into modern metal. I could see where an 80's/90's vibe type amp with a different gain/tone structure and feel having an easier time doing it. Maybe it could be more about finding the individual amp that's better adept than looking at the 2203 model as a whole.
 
The later ones are said to be a bit brighter and from my albeit limited experience I can agree with that. I seem to remember that the circuit is more or less the same from the JMP to the JCM era but that there is a difference in the voltages. The dudes that know amps for real will chime in, I´m sure.
 
In short...........YES..............:yes:

The VFE standout is very good but the Maxon ST9 Pro+ is absolutely killer into a stock 2203 or modded 2203. I got a Maxon ST9 after watching Killtertones video and it's crazy good into my Splawn modded 79 2203 with stock levels of gain on the 2203. The pedal drives the shit out of the 2203 and the ability to adjust the mids and highs really add to how aggressive you want it.

Here's Killtertones totally stock 2203 verus a Dual Recto and the Marshall keeps up with the Recto IMHO. He is using SD Black Winter pickups in the video.

I also picked up a Maxon ST9 Pro+ after watching Jason’s video and I’m so glad I did. It does sound absolutely killer. I’d say my KSR Eros can get slightly more modern, but the Maxon ST9 Pro+ is amazing. My son is helping to pay his way through college in a classic rock cover band and we tried the Maxon ST9 Pro+ driving the front of a Fender Vibroluxe Reverb reissue and holy crap! The SRV tones that jumped out of that amp when he played Voodoo Child Slight Return blew my mind with how great it sounds!
 
Not to derail the thread or anything, but it's sorta on topic. How big are the tonal differences between a JTM 2203 & JCM 2203. I know there was variances in tone just from amp to amp even in the same production year. Does a JTM have more of a 70's vibe to it and and JCM is more 80's90's?

That could play a factor in if it can stretch into modern metal. I could see where an 80's/90's vibe type amp with a different gain/tone structure and feel having an easier time doing it. Maybe it could be more about finding the individual amp that's better adept than looking at the 2203 model as a whole.
Despite guys saying they’re the same on paper, I found the late ‘70’s JMP2203/4’s to have a richer, warmer, juicier tone with more growl, especially in the mids. The JCM800’s IME tend to sound brighter, tighter, punchier, smoother mids, not brittle, but more in that direction of the spectrum. They would be a bit closer on the spectrum toward modern, but still wouldn’t be what I’d reach for if that’s what I was going for
 
I must report I did not like my 78 2203 for modern metal in any way . But blended with another amp it was spectacular . Alone is a no go . I mean you could make it work but you’re just doing a bunch shit to make it sound like a modern amp already in the arsenal . But blended its it’s a great asset
 
I think it's kind of a subjective question, but the answer is objectively yes (IMO 🤣), but with the caveat that it might take more work and fiddling ...It also might be worth it! Agree 100% with those suggesting double boost + EQ in loop to get there.

I recently got the OD808x and like Eric Rutan I think you'll give up your original if you're into more modern tones.

 
It can get very very close if you turn the preamp volume to ten (not the master) and cut out much of the bass with a modern overdrive. This takes away the clankiness these Marshalls have and makes it sound very fat and saturated like a metal amp. But IMHO you are better off with your rectifier, Marshalls are more about rock and classic metal.

That said folks like Lee Malia from BMTH has had great results with a 800, he has an interesting setup as he has not much distortion at all, clean boosting the 800 with a klon.
 
I was a big recto fan for years but lately I have been playing a diy 2204 with mods and really digging it. I pretty much only play metal.

If the amp has to be 100% bone-stock then it’s not as easy. But a few switchable mods can make it much more high gain.

A depth control is required in my opinion, to add back bass you’ll need to cut up front with a boost pedal. If the amp has an FX loop maybe you can approximate this with an eq.

When I have my amp set up as ‘stock 2204’ without any gain boosts or extra gain stage, I need hot pickups, tight boost (like SD1, best voicing for a jcm800 imo), and another boost to double-boost to push the volume a bit more into the amp. I have an mxr micro amp clone that works well for this. This is kinda on the edge of ‘can do metal’ in my opinion. But I also don’t dime the gain on the amp (set the gain to 7 and break off the knob I say).

But changing the cathode resistor on the second gain stage to something lower than 10k can boost the gain greatly. I have mine switchable between stock, 5k cathode, and 2.7k with 1u bypass cap. That last one makes the amp higher gain than my recto.

On an old Marshall though, both of those may cause oscillation, if the lead dress is sloppy, if there’s no shielded wires, etc
 
I've thought about trying a stock 2203 more times than I can count over the years and avoided it after dissatisfaction with several stock JMP 2204s back in the day. I tried those amps with all different ODs, speakers, cabs, guitars/pickups and they never got me what I wanted for the metal tones I go for.

I finally gave in to my longstanding curiosity a while back and picked up a stock '82 JCM800 2203 (stock with the exception of a metro loop). I've cycled through some 80+ amps over the years and have to say this amp with a boost into the high gain input or double boosted into low gain input and an EQ in the loop is godlike for about any kind of metal you can throw at it. I'm confident having a loop for my eq pedal is the reason I like this amp so much and had one of those JMP 2204s I owned back in the day had a loop I bet I'd have been very happy.

I could honestly be 100% satisfied with just this JCM800 and a pile of boosts for near any kind of tones I'm interested in....from blues, classic rock, thrash, death metal, heavy chugging...its not just ok at the heavy stuff, its fucking incredible.
 
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This is an old clip of my 81 JCM800 4104 double boosted with Fulltone OCD into Boss GE7 with boosted mids. Master on 7 gain I think was 9 into my isobox punishing a V30 miced up with SM57

 
Jordan Petersen: “First you must define modern metal”.

Funny this thread popped up. I used to be all about a rock crunch tone but in recent years I have gotten heavier. So I hadn’t been using the JMP. Decided to pull it out and see what boosting could do. I’ve copied the setting from Lasse here and have been enjoying it.

 

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