NAD: 1979 Marshall JMP2203

[braintheory]

When you get the right one they can be magical for sure. The other thing is, a lot of times you’re your taste changes over time so what was once not your cup of tea now sounds killer.

I was always a huge fan of the ‘70’s JMP2203’s. I think I just overlooked them because I’ve owned a bunch of modded ones by Cameron (Aldrich), Gower (Rockmonster), Friedman (HBE/BE), Hopkins (Pandora) and thought I didn’t need a stock one because of those

I’ve not really found my tastes to change really in my last 7 to 8 years doing this. I just will periodically get an amp that’ll be so much better than anything else I’ve had and it’ll send so many others packing, but then years or sometimes months later come across something even better for my taste. For years it was my iic+ and Cameron modded Marshall’s that were doing that, then came my ‘97 Blueface VH4 and my Gjika for the non-metal stuff.

This JMP isn’t looking to send anything I currently wanted to keep packing, but is still my favorite right now along with my Gjika

 

[hstlaurent]

I always wanted to have a Gjika 10n. How does the it compares to the Kelley? I tried a Gjika mini amp last year which convinced me to get a 10n at some point. Hopping to have the funds soon. Cheers!

 

[braintheory]

Congrats man. Desert Island amp for me is a Marshall; love the C+ tone but if it's only 1 it's a Marshall. I have a Monomyth 2204 now and it is right up there with the Cameron's I've owned as the best modded Marshall from my experience. Every other modded Marshall is in 2nd place or further down..and I've had at least 1 from all the big names except Jose A. I do plan on another stock Marshall at some point. I know of a particular 78 2204 in town that I almost traded for a few yrs ago....didn't work out but I might have to revisit that. Juiciest warm midrange ever out of any amp I've owned. Those late 70s JMPs are less aggressive than the early 800s but have a certain warmth the 800s lack. Different enough to own one of each from my experience.

I actually once years ago got to compare a real Jose modded ‘79 JMP2203 to a stock ‘79 JMP2203 and liked the stock one a bit better. The Jose from what I remember sounded smoother, tighter, and more compressed, but not actually super different from the stock one. I tried it at this guy’s place in jersey city. I think he was a touring musician. Maybe other Jose’s are different, but that was the only real Jose I’ve tried. One of my friends here has a Jose modded Vox AC15. I’d be very curious to hear it

And yes I agree there’s this real juicy warm midrange that I’ve only heard in these late ‘70’s JMP’s. Honestly I think all the late ‘70’s JMP’s I’ve had that were modded lost some of that somehow, even the Cameron’s, but especially with the Friedman HBE/BE I had. That really seemed neutered compared to other modded JMP’s I’ve owned

They may very well be different enough to warrant having both a JCM800 and JMP2203. I’m not sure if I totally agree about the 800’s being more aggressive though. They do seem to be tighter, have more attack, and more trebly, which can be considered more aggressive, but I also interpret the more fire breathing growl of the JMP to arguably be a more aggressive sound in some ways. I should try though more 800’s admittedly, but I have tried quite a few and I love them as well don’t get me wrong

It could be the higher plate voltage of the 82-83 800s that give me that 'aggressive' feeling. Some of those early 800s have 500v on the plates. Late 70s JMPs were much lower, like 350-400v. Lots of variance though. More sag on the JMPs. I love them all though, never had a bad one or even average.

Agreed. I also have yet to play an older JCM800 or JMP2203 that didn’t sound great. Maybe the worst ones I tried I’d say sound just “very good”

 

[braintheory]

I always wanted to have a Gjika 10n. How does the it compares to the Kelley? I tried a Gjika mini amp last year which convinced me to get a 10n at some point. Hopping to have the funds soon. Cheers!

They’re different flavors. The Kelley is more in the American direction like a Fender or Boogie, but’s it’s own thing, while the Gjika is more British like a Marshall, but again also it’s own thing

The Gjika definitely sounds bigger, thicker/beefier, louder, more ballsy, growly, midrangey and I think just better overall, but the Kelley has this special really sweet and liquidy lead tone to it that the Gjika and anything else I’ve tried just can’t do, so both are staying, but I consider the Gjika better overall

The Kelley also has a really great spring reverb, maybe the next best I’ve heard to my Vibroverb or Ampeg’s, although for my taste the spring reverb on the Vibroverb is head and shoulders above anything else

The Kelley is an amazing amp. Maybe my 6th or 7th favorite in my arsenal

I like also the simplicity of the Gjika. Just a volume and tone knob, bright switch and a power switch, no standby

 

[hstlaurent]

I always wanted to have a Gjika 10n. How does the it compares to the Kelley? I tried a Gjika mini amp last year which convinced me to get a 10n at some point. Hopping to have the funds soon. Cheers!

They’re different flavors. The Kelley is more in the American direction like a Fender or Boogie, but’s it’s own thing, while the Gjika is more British like a Marshall, but again also it’s own thing

The Gjika definitely sounds bigger, thicker/beefier, louder, more ballsy, growly, midrangey and I think just better overall, but the Kelley has this special really sweet and liquidy lead tone to it that the Gjika and anything else I’ve tried just can’t do, so both are staying, but I consider the Gjika better overall

The Kelley also has a really great spring reverb, maybe the next best I’ve heard to my Vibroverb or Ampeg’s, although for my taste the spring reverb on the Vibroverb is head and shoulders above anything else

The Kelley is an amazing amp. Maybe my 6th or 7th favorite in my arsenal

I like also the simplicity of the Gjika. Just a volume and tone knob, bright switch and a power switch, no standby

Man, that really doesn’t help my GAS. Thanks for all the info!

 

[harddriver]

I've played alot of Marshall through the years and for some reason unknown to me the 79-80 JMP's just seem to be great years for the 2203's. Amps is these years have more mojo, YMMV. My 79 2203 with GE6550's kicked all the other Marshall's it came up against through the years, it always had alot of aggression and growled like no other, I was using a SD-1 and old green MXR distortion+ at the time. Alot of guitarist's that I played with back in the day went and bought newer Marshall's 82 and 83 2204's JCM800's because they loved my amp's tone and they were both dogs, no gain or aggression... when they brought them to band practice, They both were very disappointed in those amps when played next to my 79 2203, they were not happy. Psychodaves 80 sounds great as well.

At line voltage of around 120ACV my 2203 had about 454DCV on the plates. I am not surprised that your 79 seems to have the mojo as you describe. Pschodave's 80 sounds as good as his Camerons in his clips just using a SD-1 and Standout, I think I hear more of the Cameron mids when he is using the Standout.

I still have my 79 2203 but I had to rebuild it in 2003 because it developed an intermittent problem that we figured was a transformer issue that we could not track down, so I had Scott Splawn install new mercurcy magnetics OPT and a Drake Power transformer and install one of his boards in it, basically an early Splawn mod. While the amp sounds great, I wish it sounded as it did back in it's hayday but it has been reliable since he rebuilt it. It sound's like you had every great modded Marshall... so were back to 79-80 JMP's having something special. Somewhere in the production run all the parts and transformers were just on point IMO.

FWIW I bought into the EL34 hype in the 90's so I had it modded to run EL-34's I hated the EL34's in it, I only liked real Gold Lion KT-77's but once I pulled those tubes I quickly went back to 6550's to this day, I love them in my 79. I'm running old early 90's Svetlana St Petersburg 6550 C's in it now and have enough to last me. I think you would love 6550's even more, but if you're an EL-34 guy you might not, but give Psychodaves clip a good listen.

Congrats on the NAD!

 

[Racerxrated]

I've played alot of Marshall through the years and for some reason unknown to me the 79-80 JMP's just seem to be great years for the 2203's. Amps is these years have more mojo, YMMV. My 79 2203 with GE6550's kicked all the other Marshall's it came up against through the years, it always had alot of aggression and growled like no other, I was using a SD-1 and old green MXR distortion+ at the time. Alot of guitarist's that I played with back in the day went and bought newer Marshall's 82 and 83 2204's JCM800's because they loved my amp's tone and they were both dogs, no gain or aggression... when they brought them to band practice, They both were very disappointed in those amps when played next to my 79 2203, they were not happy. Psychodaves 80 sounds great as well.

At line voltage of around 120ACV my 2203 had about 454DCV on the plates. I am not surprised that your 79 seems to have the mojo as you describe. Pschodave's 80 sounds as good as his Camerons in his clips just using a SD-1 and Standout, I think I hear more of the Cameron mids when he is using the Standout.

I still have my 79 2203 but I had to rebuild it in 2003 because it developed an intermittent problem that we figured was a transformer issue that we could not track down, so I had Scott Splawn install new mercurcy magnetics OPT and a Drake Power transformer and install one of his boards in it, basically an early Splawn mod. While the amp sounds great, I wish it sounded as it did back in it's hayday but it has been reliable since he rebuilt it. It sound's like you had every great modded Marshall... so were back to 79-80 JMP's having something special. Somewhere in the production run all the parts and transformers were just on point IMO.

FWIW I bought into the EL34 hype in the 90's so I had it modded to run EL-34's I hated the EL34's in it, I only liked real Gold Lion KT-77's but once I pulled those tubes I quickly went back to 6550's to this day, I love them in my 79. I'm running old early 90's Svetlana St Petersburg 6550 C's in it now and have enough to last me. I think you would love 6550's even more, but if you're an EL-34 guy you might not, but give Psychodaves clip a good listen.

Congrats on the NAD!

My experience with 82s is I'm 3 for 3 with the 50w...2 2204s and one Canadian 4104 that had JMP skin...the Canadian and Northern European Marshalls still had JMP chassis/headboxes till 85 I believe. Each of them had over 500v on the plates and were monsters, more aggressive than any JMP of any year I've owned, and I've had 10 master volume JMPs. But all were great; one 79 2203 was in need of work so I returned it quickly. But usually all that is needed is a cap change unless its had some type of hack job mod.
I've just never heard a 'dog' or 'bad' sounding JMP or JCM 2203/4....some are incredible while others are just good, but no dogs for me.

 

[braintheory]

I've played alot of Marshall through the years and for some reason unknown to me the 79-80 JMP's just seem to be great years for the 2203's. Amps is these years have more mojo, YMMV. My 79 2203 with GE6550's kicked all the other Marshall's it came up against through the years, it always had alot of aggression and growled like no other, I was using a SD-1 and old green MXR distortion+ at the time. Alot of guitarist's that I played with back in the day went and bought newer Marshall's 82 and 83 2204's JCM800's because they loved my amp's tone and they were both dogs, no gain or aggression... when they brought them to band practice, They both were very disappointed in those amps when played next to my 79 2203, they were not happy. Psychodaves 80 sounds great as well.

At line voltage of around 120ACV my 2203 had about 454DCV on the plates. I am not surprised that your 79 seems to have the mojo as you describe. Pschodave's 80 sounds as good as his Camerons in his clips just using a SD-1 and Standout, I think I hear more of the Cameron mids when he is using the Standout.

I still have my 79 2203 but I had to rebuild it in 2003 because it developed an intermittent problem that we figured was a transformer issue that we could not track down, so I had Scott Splawn install new mercurcy magnetics OPT and a Drake Power transformer and install one of his boards in it, basically an early Splawn mod. While the amp sounds great, I wish it sounded as it did back in it's hayday but it has been reliable since he rebuilt it. It sound's like you had every great modded Marshall... so were back to 79-80 JMP's having something special. Somewhere in the production run all the parts and transformers were just on point IMO.

FWIW I bought into the EL34 hype in the 90's so I had it modded to run EL-34's I hated the EL34's in it, I only liked real Gold Lion KT-77's but once I pulled those tubes I quickly went back to 6550's to this day, I love them in my 79. I'm running old early 90's Svetlana St Petersburg 6550 C's in it now and have enough to last me. I think you would love 6550's even more, but if you're an EL-34 guy you might not, but give Psychodaves clip a good listen.

Congrats on the NAD!

I’ve never liked any 6550 amps I’ve tried as much as EL34’s. That’s what my ‘83 JCM800 2203 had. I’ve done a few side by side comparisons before of identical amps with 6L6 vs 6550 and also EL34 vs 6550. I liked that the 6550’s seem to sound more efficient, hi-fi, deeper bass and maybe more robust sounding, but they also sound smoother, more sterile/less character and lack the growl, warmth and complexity and midrange to my ears of the EL34’s. To me both EL34’s and 6L6’s just sound more musical and inspiring to play, but it is possible I need to try the right 6550’s, but I’ve yet to try an amp with 6550’s or KT88’s that really wowed me. Haven’t liked yet any KT77’s or KT66’s either. I’m admittedly not as experienced with extensive tube swapping as others here, but I’ve done a bit

I’ve listened to that clip before that you mentioned. It sounds quite good, but honestly I’ve heard clips of ‘79 JMP2203’s that I think sound a lot better and show more of that growl and warmth I’m talking about. I’ll try to find those clips I’m talking about and send a link here

 

[flatheads_4ever]

I too own a '79 JMP. I've had it since 1987. I bought it for $300. My favorite amp I've ever owned.

Congrats.

Ed

Those were the days....I remember I HAD to have a damn rack rig so that's where all my cash went. Ugh. Back then LPs, vintage Marshalls were going for a song.

Yup...

At one point I was running two jmp/vintage Marshall 4x12's in stereo. I really liked that rig. I stacked both heads on top of the slant cab and my 8 space effects rack on top of the straight cab. Best part was that I only a paid a total Of $1300 for two Marshall half stacks. If it didn't have a Floyd Rose or wasn't rack mountable, nobody wanted it.

Ed

 

[LPMojoGL]

Love my 78 2203.
It just has that sound and is fun to play.
I missed my 77 2204, when this 2203 popped up. It was the only one around.
Now there are a couple more JMP 2203s available locally. I tempted to pick up another, just because.