marshall jcm800 combo to mod it or not

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jcm800 early 80's combo in a1 shape: considering 1. modding for more gain or 2. modding again than removing the chassis and putting it in a new headcase and use with 4x12 cab. 3. who to mod ? any experience with this surgery ? some names that come to mind fortin, friedman, morris 3. or leave it alone.
 
Has it already been modded? If not, leave it alone, because one day it might be worth a fortune for being one of the very few left on earth that hasn't been molested.

Do some pedal shopping if you want more..
 
I'd get the flying dog-snot modded out of it by Mike Fortin.....
But thats just me :D :D
 
Ran mine with the #34 Levi specs found on the metro forum for a while which is essentially the GnR Illusion sound. Was pretty kick ass.. very minimal alteration to the circuit but a pain to work on the PCB. I took it all out and run stock because an unmolested amp as you have seen, never loses value. I recommend you purchase a soldano hot mod (there is another company making them now) for v2 which makes your gain go up considerably. You lose the clean channel low input but you've got a fire breather which you can tighten up with a pedal. MY beef with the combo is that it sounds crappy with only one speaker.. got to pump it through a 4 x 12.
 
How do those hot mods clean up with the volume knob? You could put it back to stock anytime if you decide to sell it. So does the hot mod sound as good as the Mod that you did to the amp?

Schaf
 
Hot mod didn't sound quite as good as the mod.. with the hotplate and master open, that #34 mod is incredible. Tons of gain and tight. Can sound a bit fizzy if too open though. The Hot Mod I found to be a tad flubby if pushed to where you want it for leads and hence the reason for a clean boost from an OD pedal. It is pretty good as well when you run the pedal with it but my preference was to the #34 spec because it was all amp. As for the hot mod, not the best for rolling down the volume. It is meant for balls to the walls.. HOWEVER, stock amp with the pulling of a tube. :thumbsup:
 
Do think the hot mod is any better than an OD in front? I can get a lot a versitility out of mine by running different boosts and OD in front. My favorite being a 1983 TS9. Plus, I like it switch off the OD or boost for some stuff and just play with the gain from the amp. That's what I call crunch!

I'm just wondering if I was going to be killing the versitility by modding the amp. Between boosts and OD's and my volume knob, I can get a surpising amount of versitility out of it. Besides just clean clean, I can get from clean with a little hair, all the way to ballsy gain for 80's metal. I hate to mess with something that works for me now, but you always wonder??????

Schaf
 
Do yourself a favour and just rock that bad boy with pedals. A good screamer and a JCM running EL34's (mine runs 6550's so bottom end is plenty but tone is a bit stiffer and lifeless sometimes) is good enough. Also have some fun with higher gain pickups like those older super distortions which i have heard through a plexi get plenty of gain for that old VH grind.

If you wonder about gain, grab a ceriatone and get some mods done.. or better yet, get one of those friedman modded Jet city 20 watters. Awesome sounding. tone quest done. I was about to get one before i stumbled across a good deal on the Randall Lynch Box.
 
jcm800 combos cut like a knife live. i no shit saw a band who the lead guitarist used a diezel herbert (with matching cabinet) and a JCM800 combo cranked wide open with a boost for rhythm and the JCM800 BURRYIED that diezel - between symbols and the marshall you couldnt hear anything the lead guitarist was playing except for his clean channel. it also made it sound thin and weak like a modeling amplifier.

i wouldnt touch it. boost it with a parametric EQ and use an EQ pedal. otherwise get a ceriatone if you want something to hack up by someone else.
 
Kapo_Polenton":31d3fd0y said:
I recommend you purchase a soldano hot mod (there is another company making them now) for v2 .
Click to expand...
what other company is making them now :confused:

and don't mod that amp
 
http://www.mo-toyz.com/shm/ - you can get their products on ebay. Work as advertised.

I do like the idea of a parametric eq as well.. not enough pedal parametric EQ or 150$ rack units that are simple.. someone should come back out with one. Is your JCM800 an EL34 equipped amp? While I dig mine, I do sometimes think it were equipped with EL34's. It is a simple mod on a PTP but on a PCB board doing anything is a bitch. You need to life that board and change values. Thumbs down on that one.
 
I would say if you aren't digging it stock then mod the shit out of it! I love Marshalls in all forms but I always get more enjoyment out of the modded ones. I have tried the OD in front, just never does it fully. Friedman, Fortin, FJA...Cameron if you can get one, you can't go wrong.
 
Kapo_Polenton":qr6p6fx2 said:
http://www.mo-toyz.com/shm/ - you can get their products on ebay. Work as advertised.

.
Click to expand...
thats been up for along time It's just some literature and sound clips about the hot mod, they don't make a hot mod, they just say your best bet to get one is to keep watching on ebay
 
tonmazz":1udurej0 said:
I would say if you aren't digging it stock then mod the shit out of it! I love Marshalls in all forms but I always get more enjoyment out of the modded ones. I have tried the OD in front, just never does it fully. Friedman, Fortin, FJA...Cameron if you can get one, you can't go wrong.
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Same here, I get some great tones out of them boosted, but not as good as the modded tones. I used to not want to get them molested, but now there's no going back, I look for Marshalls now with the intent to mod them before I even get my hands on them :lol: :LOL:
 
Kapo_Polenton":3n3a0c7k said:
http://www.mo-toyz.com/shm/ - you can get their products on ebay. Work as advertised.

I do like the idea of a parametric eq as well.. not enough pedal parametric EQ or 150$ rack units that are simple.. someone should come back out with one. Is your JCM800 an EL34 equipped amp? While I dig mine, I do sometimes think it were equipped with EL34's. It is a simple mod on a PTP but on a PCB board doing anything is a bitch. You need to life that board and change values. Thumbs down on that one.
Click to expand...

It has EL34. I tried 6550's. Wasn't a whole lot different like some people will have you believe. Like you said, more round bottom and the top's a little more brittle. I like the el34's. They break up a little sooner and are more smooth
 
tonmazz":wvv2398a said:
I would say if you aren't digging it stock then mod the shit out of it! I love Marshalls in all forms but I always get more enjoyment out of the modded ones. I have tried the OD in front, just never does it fully. Friedman, Fortin, FJA...Cameron if you can get one, you can't go wrong.
Click to expand...

That's the thing. I do dig it stock. But it would be nice to have some other options on it. BTW, I already put the metro zero loss loop in it. Mine's a 2204 head. It's not like these things are rare, so as far as not modding because of the value, meh. I don't think we're going to see a significant increase in value for a long time. If I'm going to do something for an investment, I'll put my money elsewhere. I look at it as a tool, what works best for me. I've played a lot of amps and even stock the JCM's hard to beat. But as always, I'm looking for a little something extra.

Schaf
 
Schaf":2kveh19j said:
tonmazz":2kveh19j said:
I would say if you aren't digging it stock then mod the shit out of it! I love Marshalls in all forms but I always get more enjoyment out of the modded ones. I have tried the OD in front, just never does it fully. Friedman, Fortin, FJA...Cameron if you can get one, you can't go wrong.
Click to expand...

That's the thing. I do dig it stock. But it would be nice to have some other options on it. BTW, I already put the metro zero loss loop in it. Mine's a 2204 head. It's not like these things are rare, so as far as not modding because of the value, meh. I don't think we're going to see a significant increase in value for a long time. If I'm going to do something for an investment, I'll put my money elsewhere. I look at it as a tool, what works best for me. I've played a lot of amps and even stock the JCM's hard to beat. But as always, I'm looking for a little something extra.

Schaf
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You are 100% correct, it's a tool to bring you some enjoyment, make it what you want it to be. :thumbsup: Now if it were a rare plexi then yeah maybe have some second thoughts. To each his own. I just put the Metro loop in my 2204, great loop!
 
My buddy has a JCM800 combo that I have been trying to weasel him out of for a while. I wouldn't mod it.
 
For those of you who have put the loop in, how obtrusive was it? How much of a pain in the ass was it to work on the PCB?

As for the hot mod, they had come across a stock of tubes and were making them a few years ago when i got mine. Atleast I thought i was buying one of their mods.. maybe i just picked one up on ebay from someone else who had bought and used one. Either way, kasha amplification has a similar device for v2 and also has a whole preamp stand alone unit that can be used in a similar fashion.
 
Kapo_Polenton":1agpmj6h said:
For those of you who have put the loop in, how obtrusive was it? How much of a pain in the ass was it to work on the PCB?

As for the hot mod, they had come across a stock of tubes and were making them a few years ago when i got mine. Atleast I thought i was buying one of their mods.. maybe i just picked one up on ebay from someone else who had bought and used one. Either way, kasha amplification has a similar device for v2 and also has a whole preamp stand alone unit that can be used in a similar fashion.
Click to expand...

It was pretty simple to put in. Just a few wires and, of course, drilling a few holes. It works great. Very transparent and it was only 90 bucks. It also has a bypass switch, but I never use it since there's no change in tone when it's engaged or not.

I almost bought one of those hotmods a few years ago. I'm not sure what they go for now but at the time they were no more expensive than a decent pedal.
 
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