My JCM 800 sounds like garbage. Any suggestions?

[Anonymous]

Send the amp to Rick Hamel at SIB Effects. Rick is one of the best techs out there, and he won't rip you off. Give him a call before you decide to start pulling the amp apart. The JCM 2204 is an iconic amplifier. It would be a shame to replace those wonderful Drake's with non-OEM iron. If RIck is swamped, call Brian at Super Sound Music. Both Rick and Brian are located in San Diego, CA.

Thanks for the tech recommendation, bro. However, I thought I tried this route by sending it to Voo Doo. Before sending it, I explained what problems I had with it and asked them to go through it and replace/fix anything that was adversely effecting the tone. They changed the caps, if I remember correctly. Still sounds like crap. I guess a different tech could have better luck, but after dropping $600 at Voo Doo, I'm hesitant to pack it up and ship it again. Unfortunately, there aren't any good amp techs where I live (Fresno, CA). At least none that I know of. If I knew it would make the amp usable, I'd do it.

Thanks again.

Why didn't you register your dissatisfaction with Trace and send the amp back to him and ask him to fix the issues you were hearing? After spending $600 for a mod, it should sound like you wanted it to... I'm sure he would have helped...

Steve

I did call him after I got it back. He said I could send it back to him and he would check it out. From Cali to New York, it's $100, each way, for shipping, which I would have to pay for. At that point, I decided to sit on it. Couldn't see throwing another $200 at it without a guarantee, especially since he had the chance to make it sound killer the first time.

Just to be clear, I didn't start this thread to bag on Trace. He seems like a nice guy and he never told be to go f*ck myself. I got the impression he would have seriously looked into the problem if I had the chance to look at my amp again. I guess I just didn't feel confident that he could rectify the problem. Maybe if I lived in New York, it may have made more sense to me. But from Cali, I felt it wasn't worth the risk again. I know his work is very reputable, which is why I sent it to him in the first place.

You're asking what to do now. For $200 that would have been the thing to do back then, and frankly, I still think it is the right thing to do now. I'm sure Trace would still look at it and likely help.

Steve

He should sell the 800 and get a Cherry Bomb. All the major Marshall tones in one.

Search over....

I have to say that I think this is a brilliant idea!

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Send the amp to Rick Hamel at SIB Effects. Rick is one of the best techs out there, and he won't rip you off. Give him a call before you decide to start pulling the amp apart. The JCM 2204 is an iconic amplifier. It would be a shame to replace those wonderful Drake's with non-OEM iron. If RIck is swamped, call Brian at Super Sound Music. Both Rick and Brian are located in San Diego, CA.

Thanks for the tech recommendation, bro. However, I thought I tried this route by sending it to Voo Doo. Before sending it, I explained what problems I had with it and asked them to go through it and replace/fix anything that was adversely effecting the tone. They changed the caps, if I remember correctly. Still sounds like crap. I guess a different tech could have better luck, but after dropping $600 at Voo Doo, I'm hesitant to pack it up and ship it again. Unfortunately, there aren't any good amp techs where I live (Fresno, CA). At least none that I know of. If I knew it would make the amp usable, I'd do it.

Thanks again.

Why didn't you register your dissatisfaction with Trace and send the amp back to him and ask him to fix the issues you were hearing? After spending $600 for a mod, it should sound like you wanted it to... I'm sure he would have helped...

Steve

And how did Trace not catch the fact that something was obviously wrong with it in the first place?

Maybe it sounded good to him? Maybe something happened in transit. Maybe a component just went...

Steve

 

[ibenhad]

Send the amp to Rick Hamel at SIB Effects. Rick is one of the best techs out there, and he won't rip you off. Give him a call before you decide to start pulling the amp apart. The JCM 2204 is an iconic amplifier. It would be a shame to replace those wonderful Drake's with non-OEM iron. If RIck is swamped, call Brian at Super Sound Music. Both Rick and Brian are located in San Diego, CA.

Thanks for the tech recommendation, bro. However, I thought I tried this route by sending it to Voo Doo. Before sending it, I explained what problems I had with it and asked them to go through it and replace/fix anything that was adversely effecting the tone. They changed the caps, if I remember correctly. Still sounds like crap. I guess a different tech could have better luck, but after dropping $600 at Voo Doo, I'm hesitant to pack it up and ship it again. Unfortunately, there aren't any good amp techs where I live (Fresno, CA). At least none that I know of. If I knew it would make the amp usable, I'd do it.

Thanks again.

Why didn't you register your dissatisfaction with Trace and send the amp back to him and ask him to fix the issues you were hearing? After spending $600 for a mod, it should sound like you wanted it to... I'm sure he would have helped...

Steve

And how did Trace not catch the fact that something was obviously wrong with it in the first place?

Because maybe there is nothing wrong with it? Maybe end user has a different view of what sounds like "THE JCM 800" sound! Who knows. Could just be a turd.

 

[ibenhad]

Does this statement by the OP offer any help?

"About 6 years ago, I bought a 1981 vertical input JCM 800 2204 on eBay. I didn't know much about JCM 800's at the time other than the vertical input models seemed to be preferred by most people".

Not an amp sound he knew or even was familiar with, just that "it seemed to be preferred by most people." What people, what style of music, what forum (TGP, HC, RT), and he admittedly didn't know much.

How about he send it to Mark Cameron to mod it? That should get the sound he wants. He is in Cali at least if he is affiliated with RCS from his avatar.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Does this statement by the OP offer any help?

"About 6 years ago, I bought a 1981 vertical input JCM 800 2204 on eBay. I didn't know much about JCM 800's at the time other than the vertical input models seemed to be preferred by most people".

Not an amp sound he knew or even was familiar with, just that "it seemed to be preferred by most people." What people, what style of music, what forum (TGP, HC, RT), and he admittedly didn't know much.

How about he send it to Mark Cameron to mod it? That should get the sound he wants. He is in Cali at least if he is affiliated with RCS from his avatar.

Sure, he'll get all he wants from Cameron, but only if that includes the possibility of never seeing his amp again

 

[Jer]

Post some clips and/or gut shots, I'm sure someone can at least put the "is this a lemon" question to bed.

 

[gibson5413]

You are ready for an Axe-Fx then you will buy a Kemper.

Grab a Kemper and profile it then sell it. That way you won't get sellers remorse.

 

[gibson5413]

Send the amp to Rick Hamel at SIB Effects. Rick is one of the best techs out there, and he won't rip you off. Give him a call before you decide to start pulling the amp apart. The JCM 2204 is an iconic amplifier. It would be a shame to replace those wonderful Drake's with non-OEM iron. If RIck is swamped, call Brian at Super Sound Music. Both Rick and Brian are located in San Diego, CA.

Thanks for the tech recommendation, bro. However, I thought I tried this route by sending it to Voo Doo. Before sending it, I explained what problems I had with it and asked them to go through it and replace/fix anything that was adversely effecting the tone. They changed the caps, if I remember correctly. Still sounds like crap. I guess a different tech could have better luck, but after dropping $600 at Voo Doo, I'm hesitant to pack it up and ship it again. Unfortunately, there aren't any good amp techs where I live (Fresno, CA). At least none that I know of. If I knew it would make the amp usable, I'd do it.

Thanks again.

Why didn't you register your dissatisfaction with Trace and send the amp back to him and ask him to fix the issues you were hearing? After spending $600 for a mod, it should sound like you wanted it to... I'm sure he would have helped...

Steve

I did call him after I got it back. He said I could send it back to him and he would check it out. From Cali to New York, it's $100, each way, for shipping, which I would have to pay for. At that point, I decided to sit on it. Couldn't see throwing another $200 at it without a guarantee, especially since he had the chance to make it sound killer the first time.

Just to be clear, I didn't start this thread to bag on Trace. He seems like a nice guy and he never told be to go f*ck myself. I got the impression he would have seriously looked into the problem if I had the chance to look at my amp again. I guess I just didn't feel confident that he could rectify the problem. Maybe if I lived in New York, it may have made more sense to me. But from Cali, I felt it wasn't worth the risk again. I know his work is very reputable, which is why I sent it to him in the first place.

You're asking what to do now. For $200 that would have been the thing to do back then, and frankly, I still think it is the right thing to do now. I'm sure Trace would still look at it and likely help.

Steve

He should sell the 800 and get a Cherry Bomb. All the major Marshall tones in one.

Search over....

I have to say that I think this is a brilliant idea!

Steve

Best solution thus far. the Cherry Bomb sounds awesome and could get you many different Marshall tones with some of the best features on the amp market!

 

[River City Studios]

Thanks, everyone, for all the advice.

For the record, I changed the tubes. Retubing and biasing are the extent of my technical skills. Didn't make a difference. I don't feel comfortable posting pics of someone's mod (intellectual property) on the Internet. That wouldn't be fair to Trace.

Here is my plan: I have a buddy that is an electrical engineer who is going to compare the circuit to the original 800 schematic and test the components. I'm not dropping another $200 to ship it to Voo Doo again. If my buddy can't find anything wrong with it, I will call Trace and maybe he can have a conversation with my buddy to provide some guidance as to what may be wrong.

If that doesn't work, it's going up for sale.

Thanks again.

 

[metalmaniac93]

Send it to Dan Gower for a Cali or Killer Kali++ Mod!!!!

Send it overseas?

Yep, I sent a 1983 JCM 800 2203 to him back in late May.

 

[Anonymous]

and posing for pics to put up here.

Pervert.

i slid that in there...tee hee.

i knew you'd get the entendre`, pervert!

 

[scriptphase]

Not doubting your experience, Dan, but I'm scratching my head how that amp could sound the same (except for the gain) after a HG Jose mod. If I'm understanding those mods correctly, at least the preamp is reworked quite a bit from stock, with changes not limited to the cathodes on the first two tubes, V1A plate resistor, the tone stack, different placement in the circuit of the master, and diodes added to the MV. When your buddy looks at it, the amp should be off the stock values in several places just due to the mod.

 

[Telephant]

Send the amp to Rick Hamel at SIB Effects. Rick is one of the best techs out there, and he won't rip you off. Give him a call before you decide to start pulling the amp apart. The JCM 2204 is an iconic amplifier. It would be a shame to replace those wonderful Drake's with non-OEM iron. If RIck is swamped, call Brian at Super Sound Music. Both Rick and Brian are located in San Diego, CA.

Thanks for the tech recommendation, bro. However, I thought I tried this route by sending it to Voo Doo. Before sending it, I explained what problems I had with it and asked them to go through it and replace/fix anything that was adversely effecting the tone. They changed the caps, if I remember correctly. Still sounds like crap. I guess a different tech could have better luck, but after dropping $600 at Voo Doo, I'm hesitant to pack it up and ship it again. Unfortunately, there aren't any good amp techs where I live (Fresno, CA). At least none that I know of. If I knew it would make the amp usable, I'd do it.

Thanks again.

Why didn't you register your dissatisfaction with Trace and send the amp back to him and ask him to fix the issues you were hearing? After spending $600 for a mod, it should sound like you wanted it to... I'm sure he would have helped...

Steve

And how did Trace not catch the fact that something was obviously wrong with it in the first place?

Because maybe there is nothing wrong with it? Maybe end user has a different view of what sounds like "THE JCM 800" sound! Who knows. Could just be a turd.

He's got a JMP so he should know what an 800 sounds like. They're not worlds apart or anything.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Send the amp to Rick Hamel at SIB Effects. Rick is one of the best techs out there, and he won't rip you off. Give him a call before you decide to start pulling the amp apart. The JCM 2204 is an iconic amplifier. It would be a shame to replace those wonderful Drake's with non-OEM iron. If RIck is swamped, call Brian at Super Sound Music. Both Rick and Brian are located in San Diego, CA.

Thanks for the tech recommendation, bro. However, I thought I tried this route by sending it to Voo Doo. Before sending it, I explained what problems I had with it and asked them to go through it and replace/fix anything that was adversely effecting the tone. They changed the caps, if I remember correctly. Still sounds like crap. I guess a different tech could have better luck, but after dropping $600 at Voo Doo, I'm hesitant to pack it up and ship it again. Unfortunately, there aren't any good amp techs where I live (Fresno, CA). At least none that I know of. If I knew it would make the amp usable, I'd do it.

Thanks again.

Why didn't you register your dissatisfaction with Trace and send the amp back to him and ask him to fix the issues you were hearing? After spending $600 for a mod, it should sound like you wanted it to... I'm sure he would have helped...

Steve

And how did Trace not catch the fact that something was obviously wrong with it in the first place?

Because maybe there is nothing wrong with it? Maybe end user has a different view of what sounds like "THE JCM 800" sound! Who knows. Could just be a turd.

He's got a JMP so he should know what an 800 sounds like. They're not worlds apart or anything.

Some 800's are worlds apart from other 800's. I've played some that were complete turds. Tube issues? Maybe, not sure.

 

[TrueTone500]

If you do find that you want to keep it, but need to replace the iron, check-out IG. They make some damn-fine replacement iron for Marshall!

http://www.ig-transformatoren.com/catalog/en/

 

[Schaf]

Send the amp to Rick Hamel at SIB Effects. Rick is one of the best techs out there, and he won't rip you off. Give him a call before you decide to start pulling the amp apart. The JCM 2204 is an iconic amplifier. It would be a shame to replace those wonderful Drake's with non-OEM iron. If RIck is swamped, call Brian at Super Sound Music. Both Rick and Brian are located in San Diego, CA.

Thanks for the tech recommendation, bro. However, I thought I tried this route by sending it to Voo Doo. Before sending it, I explained what problems I had with it and asked them to go through it and replace/fix anything that was adversely effecting the tone. They changed the caps, if I remember correctly. Still sounds like crap. I guess a different tech could have better luck, but after dropping $600 at Voo Doo, I'm hesitant to pack it up and ship it again. Unfortunately, there aren't any good amp techs where I live (Fresno, CA). At least none that I know of. If I knew it would make the amp usable, I'd do it.

Thanks again.

Why didn't you register your dissatisfaction with Trace and send the amp back to him and ask him to fix the issues you were hearing? After spending $600 for a mod, it should sound like you wanted it to... I'm sure he would have helped...

Steve

And how did Trace not catch the fact that something was obviously wrong with it in the first place?

Because maybe there is nothing wrong with it? Maybe end user has a different view of what sounds like "THE JCM 800" sound! Who knows. Could just be a turd.

He's got a JMP so he should know what an 800 sounds like. They're not worlds apart or anything.

I owned a JMP and two JCM's. All three sounded nearly identical. One JCm had EL34's and one had 6550's and you would be surpirsed how close they sounded even withe different tubes. People have this conception that they should have a ton of gain. They don't. The JCM should sound very close to the JMP. And the drakes are just fine.

But Danny's right. A stock JCM and one with a Jose mod are going to sound way different

 

['63-Strat]

There are literally tons of guys in CA alone you could send it to. CA is the guitar gear center of the world as far as I'm concerned anyways. No need to send it to NY or overseas. Without hearing it it's hard to know what's actually "wrong" with it. They're not very complicated amps, I'd think you could easily get it sounding how an 800 sounds, but maybe that's not what you're really looking for?

 

[ibenhad]

Just to prove I'm not talking out my ass, or to better prove I am talking out my ass they all sound different. The 2 JMP's are 50 watters from '76 I believe and not sure on my 800.



And of course the piece de resistance :

 

[Badronald]

I played many 800's over the years that sucked. They were inconsistent.

To say it should sound great is fine, but many of them didn't.

That's crazy... Don't really have experience with the 800 but if this is true, that's pathetic.

Any idea what was inconsistent about them? It seems to me that the design is there so it would have to be a component quality issue.

I've played amps of all kinds that "sucked" but figured in many cases it was a matter of tubes and/or bias issues. Heck, almost every amp on the floor at GC sounds like garbage.

I don't know why. Could have been simple tube/bias issues. Improper care.

I remember pawn shop hopping in Detroit in the late 80's early 90's playing DOZENS of Marshalls. It was rare to find one that wasn't modified. That could be the cause of my negative experience as well. There were probably many people working on them that had no business doing so. Back then people were experimenting.

 

[Schaf]

Just to prove I'm not talking out my ass, or to better prove I am talking out my ass they all sound different. The 2 JMP's are 50 watters from '76 I believe and not sure on my 800.



And of course the piece de resistance :

Not really disputing you or saying you don't know what you're talking about but, I've owned three (well considering the JMP) and played a bunch. Of course, the first thing I did when I got mine was make sure the tubes were good and biased them. Plus, three of my friends owned them. As a matter of fact my buddy owned a 100 watter that just had something that made it sound better than the others either me or my friend owned. But, none of them sounded "bad" unless there was something wrong with them or they just sucked at playing guitar. Maybe just a hair different but never bad. May be he just doesn't dog the sound of an 800. Although you can emulate just about any sound you've ever heard on an album in the 70's, and 80's?

As for sending it to Mark Cameron. That has to be a joke right. I would rather have a bad sounding amp amp as opposed to no amp.