Modern Marshall JCM 800?

Another affordable option is the old Sovtek MIG100H. They’re like an 800 with 6L6’s and sound darker, fatter and chewier in comparison with the mids voiced a bit more in the American direction and actually have really nice cleans on the low input. For the price I think they’re some of the best sounding amps out there
 
Meanjoegreene said:
I really like the Friedman Phil X. It’s got an 800 vibe with more gain and a few tone shaping features plus a great loop. I prefer it to a 2204 with an SD-1 but that combo is killer too.
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The Phil-X is the one amp I keep circling back to that I’d really like to try. Love the simple layout. Haven’t heard a bad or disappointing sounding demo yet. I’ve just cycled through so many heads in the last 3-4 years that in some ways it’s almost as though the shine is off the apple as far as the amp rabbit hole goes ... But I do wonder if I had gotten my hands on a Phil-X some time back if it would still be in my stable.
 
One of Phil's favourite amps is a 76 JMP ( the BBQ grill amp ) that he's had forever. It's a cascaded 2203 circuit with sky high plate voltage. I wouldn't be shocked if that's the amp Dave based the Phil X amp on.
 
The 800 circuit can gain out pretty decently if you get the MV up to 7-8, back off the preamp to 7, and crank the presence. The tone controls have less of an effect at that high volume so it sort of gets you to that classic high gain sound that those plexis were known for. More people should try running these amps this way because that presence knob helps balance out some of the low end woof you get with the preamp and power section being driven harder. A nice little tighten push from EQ or OD sounds really good when you get it up there. The everything on 10 thing doesn't work out as well with the 800's though. (imo)
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
The 800 circuit can gain out pretty decently if you get the MV up to 7-8, back off the preamp to 7, and crank the presence. The tone controls have less of an effect at that high volume so it sort of gets you to that classic high gain sound that those plexis were known for. More people should try running these amps this way because that presence knob helps balance out some of the low end woof you get with the preamp and power section being driven harder. A nice little tighten push from EQ or OD sounds really good when you get it up there. The everything on 10 thing doesn't work out as well with the 800's though. (imo)
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This is an easy tip that a lot of people miss out on.

Turn the treble off and use the presence control to open the top end of the amp. More gain, the amps sound more alive. Most people use the treble, and leave the presence low and they sound choked and weird.
 
Some suggest a Marshall JCM 900 SL-X and a 800 KK.
Well, I had an '86 and '84 2203 and 2204 (JCM 800) and I also had the SL-X and KK.
The KK didn't sound like my original 800. Without the beast section engaged it sounded good for something like Status Quo (as a matter of fact, I saw them using these) but to me the KK lacked some balls and headroom. I always thought that it sounded more like a 50 watt amp. And engaging the Beast section didn't help that.
I don't say it is a bad amp but it didn't sound like my 800 (2203).
The SL-X , same story, doesn't sound like an 800 (on steroids like they were advertised).
My Friedman BE 100 Deluxe does a better job at sounding like an 800 (mind you , Gain structure at the minimum position; adjust voicing and gain to taste..)
YxDRSWa.jpg

59AUwWj.jpg
 
turboblues said:
Some suggest a Marshall JCM 900 SL-X and a 800 KK.
Well, I had an '86 and '84 2203 and 2204 (JCM 800) and I also had the SL-X and KK.
The KK didn't sound like my original 800. Without the beast section engaged it sounded good for something like Status Quo (as a matter of fact, I saw them using these) but to me the KK lacked some balls and headroom. I always thought that it sounded more like a 50 watt amp. And engaging the Beast section didn't help that.
I don't say it is a bad amp but it didn't sound like my 800 (2203).
The SL-X , same story, doesn't sound like an 800 (on steroids like they were advertised).
My Friedman BE 100 Deluxe does a better job at sounding like an 800 (mind you , Gain structure at the minimum position; adjust voicing and gain to taste..)
YxDRSWa.jpg

59AUwWj.jpg
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WAY different experience than myself and others have had with the KK...maybe something was up with yours? When I had my KK, I had a Cameron Aldrich JMP 2203, my first SLO, and an 87 2205. The KK with the beast engaged was a monster, and with another slight boost in front was almost the EXACT tone as my Cameron Aldrich. The SLO was the most beastly when the volume was up but the KK was just a notch below as was the Cameron.
With the beast not engaged it seemed a little tamer than a typical 2203 but not so with the beast on. I sold the Cameron because I could get almost the EXACT tone with the KK and a small boost pedal, beast engaged. This was through a G12 65 JCM 800 Marshall cab from 83.
 
SoooRad said:
This is an easy tip that a lot of people miss out on.

Turn the treble off and use the presence control to open the top end of the amp. More gain, the amps sound more alive. Most people use the treble, and leave the presence low and they sound choked and weird.
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I always do this with any Marshall, more bite and gain this way.
 
Racerxrated said:
This is an easy tip that a lot of people miss out on.

Turn the treble off and use the presence control to open the top end of the amp. More gain, the amps sound more alive. Most people use the treble, and leave the presence low and they sound choked and weird.

I always do this with any Marshall, more bite and gain this way.
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agree with this. Took me years to figure it out.
 
I have always used the presence control as my treble then would shape from there. I always wanted a KK model for a custom build. That power section is a beast.
 
Bad.Seed said:
Good options listed so far. My recommendations (in order of personal preference)
Splawn Quick Rod
Those are off the shelf variants. The Splawn, for me, is everything I wanted an 800 to be. Big, tight articulate palm mutes and more gain than you could need, although it's all usable because the amp never muds up.
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This! You can buy used Splawns for a song these days, they are everything from plexi gain to hot rodded JCM800 as Splawn describes them, great features, good loop, usable clean depending on the models, the newer ones have a lot of flexibility. Again for the price you can't go wrong in my opinion. I've been rocking a Splawn modded Marshall since 2003 still love it it can do classic Marshall or modern all with great tone.
 
I mentioned it before, and I'll say it again.. Laney GH50L. Its a monster amp, (pathetically, another I've owned multiple times, yet an all-time fave). Its a JCM 800 with a boost, resonance switch for deeper low end,, aggressive as hell, and certainly a more modern, yet pure British tone. And hit it with a boost? A beast. A bit like the Engl Artist I had, but sharper attack.

Shit, maybe I missed it, but someone should have thrown out an Engl Retro or Artist.
 
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