Marshall JMP-1 preamp

[Deezmachine]

A good friend of mine sent me here to ask questions about any amplifier questions. First things first I've been playing for a decade but all of this rig stuff is new to me. My employer gave me a jmp-1 he has had sitting around. After getting some repairs done on it I have it running through the effects loop of a Marshall 100fx half stack. I'm told I should be running it through a basic tubed power amp for the best sound. I just want to know if anyone uses a jmp and what a good combo they have found to be with reverb and delay and other effects. My preferred sound is leaning towards metal like an older black sabbath sound. Another question i want to ask is if I can run the jmp through the preamp in the Marshall head, I haven't don't it yet because I feel like a preamp on a preamp can be a bad thing for the equipment itself. I have just been bypassing throhgh the effects loop. Any suggestions on what kind of gear I can throw in this setup for a solid metal sound would be great. Thanks in advance!

 

[wIsEbLooD]

yeah you can run it into the front just watch the levels. will probably work best in the loop though.

 

[Filter500]

FX loop is the way to do it rather than out front. I tried a VHT 2/50/2 power amp with the JMP-1, and while it was better overall than using FX loops (JCM 900 and Mesa Rectifier), the preamp still sounded average. My advice is, don't expect a drastic improvement using a rack power amp, although solid state power as you're using now will sound colder. Your improvement will more likely be from going SS to tubes, but rack vs. head is not as much of an issue from my experience. The JMP-1 will have a solid state quality to it no matter what do to its design.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Get one of the Marshall Dual 9100/9200 power amps and live large!!

 

[gtrwun]

The JMP-1 is average and bland at best. Not a great preamp in my opinion. It's just vanilla and doesn't have a soul. There are many other options out there cheaper that are better.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

The JMP-1 is average and bland at best. Not a great preamp in my opinion. It's just vanilla and doesn't have a soul. There are many other options out there cheaper that are better.

Don't get no cheaper than free.

 

[mrhiwatt]

I ran mine thru a Marshall EL34 50/50 power amp and used a Boss GT-8 for effects and as a midi switcher for the preamp. Worked very well.

MrHiwatt

 

[gtrwun]

The JMP-1 is average and bland at best. Not a great preamp in my opinion. It's just vanilla and doesn't have a soul. There are many other options out there cheaper that are better.

Don't get no cheaper than free.

Thats a hard point to argue! I guess i missed that little tidbit of info .......

 

[Death by Uberschall]

The JMP-1 is average and bland at best. Not a great preamp in my opinion. It's just vanilla and doesn't have a soul. There are many other options out there cheaper that are better.

Don't get no cheaper than free.

Thats a hard point to argue! I guess i missed that little tidbit of info .......

 

[RG955TT]

I had one in my rack for a while, I made it sound great thru 2 amps returns in stereo...so much so that Chris Degarmo's tech complimented my tone when we opened for Queensryche in 99....all in how you dial it in.

 

[spguitar]

Yup it's all in how you dial it in. I love my JMP-1.

 

[thecharmingnorth]

excellent preamp dude! run it thru a mesa simul-class 295, 395 or strategy 400 series power amp and your rig will smoke tone!

 

[Dave L]

The JMP1 is pretty cool, I used to have one years ago and either ran it through the old Marshall 9000-series poweramp or the return of a 5150. There are many, many ways to get it sounding like crap, but there are sweet spots all over it.

Heck, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard have been using the JMP1 more or less since the day it was released. It´s a nice piece of gear.

 

[Shark Diver]

I bought a JFX-1 with the intention of adding a JMP and a Marshall power amp. Never did, but now you guys have me wanting to finish that rig.

OP: There is no "best" way. It is what sounds best to you. The front of the amp probably not. But through the loop, or a separate power amp - all up to you.