Is the the JVM that bad???

  • Thread starter Thread starter War Admiral
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they're cool amps, had a jvm410h for quite a while, there's a huge dedicated forum to them

http://jvmforum.com/phpBB3/

lots of possible mods and things you can do, negative stuff for me was:

-too much gain on OD1 orange/red OD2 orange/red without it getting way too noisy/feedback etc.., and using low gain levels (9 o clock or less..) sounded thinner
-the selectable parallel/series fx loop is a bit weird on the model i had, either changed the volume or seemed to mess with the tone, the hardwired serial one is good otherwise

apart from that a very usable amp with good marshall tones, tubes/speakers will make a difference

note that the 210h has different channels than the 410h :

"
The really big difference between the two is that the JVM4 has OD1, where as the JVM2's OD channel is the JVM4's OD2.

Background info: The MID pot that controls the mid frequencies on the JVM4's OD1 is centered at 650 Hz. OD2, however, is centered at 500 Hz. This means it has a slightly more modern (read scooped) tone to it when compared to OD1. Otherwise, they're identical.

If you prefer the sound of OD1, I think the mod for it is to change 2 resistors inside the amp.

The second big difference between the JVM4 and the JVM2 is that the JVM4 has an ultra-clean setting. The JVM4's clean channel has the tone stack before the pre-gain stage, which is rather unusual for Marshall amps. The JVM2 has a "Clean Shape" section that runs what I will guess is a specific EQ filter stage before the gain stage. The tone stack comes after the pre-amp gain, so it's not quite as chimey as the JVM4's clean channel.

It all depends on what you need out of your amp. A simple mod can change a whole slew of things inside that amp.
 
The JVM is a great amp--if you can't get a killer rock tone out of one...well, it isn't the amp
 
War Admiral":2s26e9qj said:
Thinking of picking one up here locally...gonna try it Thursday....its the 210H model...
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A friend of mine has the 205h and likes it a lot. Imo they're not bad, but not as Marshally as I would like, it that makes any sense. If you're going for classic Marshall tone, I think there are better options, but they are pretty versitile.
 
I have the JVM210h and it's killer, I go trough a Marshall 4x12 with V30 AND G12T75.
they only mod I did was to replace the resistance to install a real choke(3H).

take time to listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmH-FN6vvq8
I go straight in the amp no effect. od channel orange.

Pascal
 
I have the 50 watt 205h. Since 2010 - gigs, rehearsals, recordings, tours - never one single issue with this amp and mine is bone stock. I prefer the 50 watt version; to my ears the clean/crunch flavors have a bit more 'knock'.

Did a recording recently - Les Paul through AB/Y into JVM (with 75s and v30s) and a really nice 70s JMP (v30s). The sounds I was getting were really complimentary - but the JVM actually sounded richer and had more balls. Maybe I'll post some clips after the holidays.

Like a lot of dudes here, I've played a ton of amps, but I have been totally content with the sounds, reliability, and flexibility of the JVM.

One last note - the clean channel (imo) is actually a really great pedal platform. I pretty much live in the Crunch Red channel, but for inspiration or contrasting tones I'll run a variety of dirt boxes into the clean and it works great.
 
I have a 410H.

Nothing wrong with it. Lots of options, nice foot switch. Just seems like a DSL with expanded functionality.

Unless it is a dud, and most builders of mass produced products have them, it should be fine.

My gripe on them is really about the economy and used gear prices. They lost 1/2 value immediately.

1000 is about the realistic used price. 1299 asking price at GC for a mint looking used one. .

Don't overpay for it. Resale is shit on JVM's even though they are good amps.

Good luck on the tone quest.
 
For that modded Marshall sound, the JVM excells. Tons of gain (if you want it), sounds great with gain at half or less, great cleans. Does it do vintage Plexi? No. But if you want higher gain Marshall goodness, the JVM sounds great.

I was in a GC a few months back, and I heard a killer high gain tone coming from one end of the store. Someone was playing VH, Ratt, Dokken - just my thing! I wandered over, thinking it was a Bogner or some other new boutique head. It was a JVM205.
 
Had a 410H, great amp. I'm not gigging anymore so it was a bit overkill for me though.

Comparing my 800 with various boost/EQ pedals to the canned gain built into the JVM I liked my boosted 800 tone a little better so I sold the JVM.
 
Heritage Softail":38obcqp0 said:
I have a 410H.

They lost 1/2 value immediately.

1000 is about the realistic used price. 1299 asking price at GC for a mint looking used one. .

Don't overpay for it. Resale is shit on JVM's even though they are good amps.

Good luck on the tone quest.
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Absolutely...in fact I bought my backup one at the time, and this was maybe a year after they were released...for about 1100 bucks. It's truly one of the great deals out there if you like the amp.
 
Thanks for the kind words on the clip everyone. I will definitely hold on to my JVM for life. For $1300 or less with all those functions and a great stock tubes, you can't go wrong.
 
Great responses here...thanks guys!! :rock: Now for the true test on Thursday...I really want to like this amp.
 
There's so much gain ( a lot of it superfluous) that I find PAF and p-90 pickups really shine through this amp. I tried a LP junior into one, demoing the guitar and it sounded very good. But…..In general I've found them wanting compared to other amps as with all the gain options it sounds like the same basic tone with different levels of saturation. I wouldn't say no to gigging with one but there's more than a few amps I would pick first. A certain coldness or stiffness to the mids and treble. You have three channels of high gain available and there's no real variety in it. If I ever decide to get one I want a later one where they improved the play on the pots. On the older ones you can wiggle them around too much. The newer ones they feel a lot more secure.
 
If anyone's interested there are 2 on the GC.com website..210s for 799 and 899...
 
Woah, the $799 one is in Hollywood. Maybe I should go check it out tomorrow...
 
skoora":1hyj6769 said:
There's so much gain ( a lot of it superfluous) that I find PAF and p-90 pickups really shine through this amp... You have three channels of high gain available and there's no real variety in it...
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I do agree that there is almost "too much" gain on OD2 red... however, I think that is because of the gain staging on the circuit, and there is no way for OD2 green to have enough gain if OD2 red doesn't have as much as it does. Orange is just right to me.

On your second point, I don't feel that way at all. OD 2 green is a bit jangly. OD2 has got the hair and kerrang (that's what I used for my clip above) and OD2 red has the modern metal thing going like a 5150,

On OD1 channel, orange (especially) has a completely different and more forward Marshally midrange that will stand out over the OD2 channels. I like OD1 for lead and OD2 for rhythm, The crunch channel also breaks up nicely on the lower settings... my biggest complaint with the amp is the noise, but it disappears in a recorded or live mix (using a gate helps a lot :D )
 
My Satriani JVM is a keeper. I liked the original JVM as well but dig the differences on the Satch model.
I had it sitting next to a YJM for a year and recently sold the YJM. YJM head was great with the Yngwie Strat and nothing else IMO. It didn't like humbuckers into it or my stock Strats. I didn't like the way it handled OD/ dist pedals up front either.

The JVM Satch on the other hand I can dial in whatever I want. If I want to use whatever fuzz, od, distortion pedal, I can find a clean- crunch- high gain mode that compliments whatever pedal I want to use.

Guy put up a JVM JS A/B with a Friedman Brown Eye vid, and even though the JVM was dialed in like there was a tarp over the cab, I thought it sounded better. Put that other guy's JVM JS doing VH next to the Friedman and it's not even a contest.

 
lolzgreg":d7s898jj said:
skoora":d7s898jj said:
There's so much gain ( a lot of it superfluous) that I find PAF and p-90 pickups really shine through this amp... You have three channels of high gain available and there's no real variety in it...
Click to expand...

I do agree that there is almost "too much" gain on OD2 red... however, I think that is because of the gain staging on the circuit, and there is no way for OD2 green to have enough gain if OD2 red doesn't have as much as it does. Orange is just right to me.

On your second point, I don't feel that way at all. OD 2 green is a bit jangly. OD2 has got the hair and kerrang (that's what I used for my clip above) and OD2 red has the modern metal thing going like a 5150,

On OD1 channel, orange (especially) has a completely different and more forward Marshally midrange that will stand out over the OD2 channels. I like OD1 for lead and OD2 for rhythm, The crunch channel also breaks up nicely on the lower settings... my biggest complaint with the amp is the noise, but it disappears in a recorded or live mix (using a gate helps a lot :D )
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I can never dial in a decent sound on CH 2 (crunch) unless it's low output hum or p-90/single coil type guitar. Anything hotter or fatter and there's just no Kerang or richness to it. I couldn't imagine ever using OD 2. OD 1 Orange is a well established, respectable metal tone but with the gain at 10 O'clock tops. I wish that CH 1 would behave like a plexi when on green and if you cranked the Master it would get nasty. The Orange and Red on CH 1 are useless for me. I actually wish OD 2 had some setting like the DSL where if you maxed the gain you actually got a fantastic Fuzz type distortion. Perfect for Fu Manchu type stuff. Fu actually used DSL's for years live with no overdrive pedals for this very reason. Just some things that would give the amp more flavors. Its definitely a jack of all trades, master of none type amp.
 
love my JVM ....to much gain is a good thing! can always turn it down ;)

better than some half baked amp with not enough gain!
 
Have the 210H here right now and Im trying to dial in some sounds...so far it sounds like a high gain shrill buzzbox :no: Tried a few settings and its a no go. Gonna pull it out of the chasis and see where the bias is at...
 
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