NAD JCM 800 RI

[Erock]

I've been looking for a beater jcm to send to FJA for some mods, and saw this 2003 RI in craigslist for a really good price. It's in surprisingly clean shape, just had some dirt and stickers on it. It was stuck in pawn when I got it, lol, so she's been around the block. The guts look really clean though, and she sounds great after a little TLC. I'm kind of surprised how well it's built, I thought the reissue would be made cheap, but it looks great. I'm really liking it, raw aggressive marshall tone. I didn't buy it for metal, but I can't imagine there is much ground these amps can't cover with a boost.

I did notice a couple issues with it. A couple caps were bulging, and it looks like someone added a half power switch. Other than that, it appears stock. I didn't think I would see caps bulging in a 10 yr old amp, but it's hard to miss. It still sounded ok, but I replaced them with F&T just to be on the safe side. So far, I really like the results. It's not a huge difference, but definitely better bass response and quieter at idle. Anyway, here are some pics.

Here are a couple quick clips

Splawn v30 x creamback 65

Updated added Mills acoustics j75 x v30

 

[metalmaniac93]

Sounds great without mods!!

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

You've got to be pushing it there with an OD though correct? Sounds like they all do at lower volumes. Fizzy and a bit brittle. Get the master to 4-5 onward and there it starts to come alive! Nice amp though.

 

[Erock]

Sounds great without mods!!

Thanks man, it s fun amp.

You've got to be pushing it there with an OD though correct? Sounds like they all do at lower volumes. Fizzy and a bit brittle. Get the master to 4-5 onward and there it starts to come alive! Nice amp though.

Well, the pre is dimed, and yeah, I'm hitting it in front with a chandler colored boost. The amp is definitely loud. My zoom seems to work great in auto most of the time, but when it gets real loud, it starts jacking up and down with the levels. I had to turn it down quite a bit to not get the jumping. Maybe I'll try moving it farther back or something, it does sound way better with volume though, u are correct.

 

[lespaul6]

Sounds great... fja will only ruin it

 

[bhuard75]

Thats crazy, I have a JCM800 RI landing this monday. Mine is going to Dan Gower

 

[Erock]

Sounds great... fja will only ruin it

Uh oh, bad experience?

Thats crazy, I have a JCM800 RI landing this monday. Mine is going to Dan Gower

Haha great minds my friend, lol. I always thought Dan was across the pond, is he in the US?

 

[gibson5413]

Awesome Eric! Sounds killer.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Sounds great... fja will only ruin it

Uh oh, bad experience?

Thats crazy, I have a JCM800 RI landing this monday. Mine is going to Dan Gower

Haha great minds my friend, lol. I always thought Dan was across the pond, is he in the US?

Some people tend to think that his mods make an amp sound like bees in a can or very solid state and harsh. (comments I have read on other forums) It is all a matter of taste I suppose. To my ear, i am not a huge fan of the FJA mods but metal guys probably dig that grind. One thing that struck me is that if you didn't get this amp for metal, why bother sending it for mods? Leave it stock, you have the splawn for the high gain. Besides, if you want high gain with that amp, hit it with an SD-1 + another SD-1 with just the level up or an EQ.

 

[bhuard75]

Thats crazy, I have a JCM800 RI landing this monday. Mine is going to Dan Gower

Haha great minds my friend, lol. I always thought Dan was across the pond, is he in the US?

Dan is in the UK.

 

[Mesa\Kramer]

"Poland spring water"?

Sounds so yummy

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Congrats! I loved mine and thought it sounded great without any mods.

With a Boss SD-1/EQ it was vicious. I even liked the effects loop on it.

 

[university81]

grats =) , i got an old jcm800 sometime last year, one of my favourite keeper amps by far

especially tasty through greenbacks imo , try it out through other cabs/speakers if you can

here's a vid of mine

 

[Deleted member 8761]

Bitching tone! How does it sound with the Fluxdrive?

I would expect a recap job for an old JCM, not the reissue. Is that due to Marshall not buying quality parts or bad luck?

 

[OUTLAW1969]

Thats crazy, I have a JCM800 RI landing this monday. Mine is going to Dan Gower

Congrats Bobby.

And that sounds good, Erock. Post clips after the mods, too.

 

[dfrattaroli]

That really does sound good. Enjoy.

 

[Erock]

Awesome Eric! Sounds killer.

Thsnks man

Some people tend to think that his mods make an amp sound like bees in a can or very solid state and harsh. (comments I have read on other forums) It is all a matter of taste I suppose. To my ear, i am not a huge fan of the FJA mods but metal guys probably dig that grind. One thing that struck me is that if you didn't get this amp for metal, why bother sending it for mods? Leave it stock, you have the splawn for the high gain. Besides, if you want high gain with that amp, hit it with an SD-1 + another SD-1 with just the level up or an EQ.

Ic, yeah, I tend to gravitate to the metal side, so I like his mods. I gotta admit though, I really like this amp the way it is. I haven't hit it with my boosts I use for metal, so I'm still dialing it in. I only got it a couple days ago, did the cap job the other night in a coffee filled rage, lol.

Thats crazy, I have a JCM800 RI landing this monday. Mine is going to Dan Gower

Haha great minds my friend, lol. I always thought Dan was across the pond, is he in the US?

Dan is in the UK.

Isn't the round trip shipping alone prohibitive? I figured it was mostly for the UK guys, but I would love to try his work.

"Poland spring water"?

Sounds so yummy

Lol, thanks man. I use it for my solder sponge since I can seal it easy.

Congrats! I loved mine and thought it sounded great without any mods.

With a Boss SD-1/EQ it was vicious. I even liked the effects loop on it.

Yeah Tom, you know you're part of the reason I wanted one of these right? I always gas watching your JCM vids. You sold her?

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Yeah Tom, you know you're part of the reason I wanted one of these right? I always gas watching your JCM vids. You sold her?

Yes I sold it during a GAS episode to fund another purchase at the time. I had a nice group of Marshall's at one point, but it seemed redundant and I ended up selling them all off and kept my favorite of the bunch which I still have.

But that reissue was great, and actually more aggressive than some of the original JMP's I had.

 

[Erock]

Yeah Tom, you know you're part of the reason I wanted one of these right? I always gas watching your JCM vids. You sold her?

Yes I sold it during a GAS episode to fund another purchase at the time. I had a nice group of Marshall's at one point, but it seemed redundant and I ended up selling them all off and kept my favorite of the bunch which I still have.

But that reissue was great, and actually more aggressive than some of the original JMP's I had.

Lol, yes I can relate. The flip side isn't much better though. After vowing to not sell stuff I liked just to try unknown amps, I've ended up hoarding them like crazy. I have a room full of amps and cabs... for Madison square basement.

grats =) , i got an old jcm800 sometime last year, one of my favourite keeper amps by far

especially tasty through greenbacks imo , try it out through other cabs/speakers if you can

here's a vid of mine

Sounds great man! I would love to try a greenback cab win it. I was actually looking for a marshall cab when I stumbled on this head. The cab I was using is loaded with v30 x creamback 65. I may swap around some speakers and make one all creamback cab to try out.

Bitching tone! How does it sound with the Fluxdrive?

I would expect a recap job for an old JCM, not the reissue. Is that due to Marshall not buying quality parts or bad luck?

Thanks man! I haven't tried it yet, today is ground zero for some metal tones if I can get some time. You know, I'm as puzzled as you are. I would say bad luck if it was only one, but having 2 like that doesn't make sense. They are decent caps I think, ARS? I'm a little worried that something wasn't done correctly with the half power or something. I'm not using he switch until I figure out what it's exactly doing.

Thats crazy, I have a JCM800 RI landing this monday. Mine is going to Dan Gower

Congrats Bobby.

And that sounds good, Erock. Post clips after the mods, too.

Thanks, and I definitely will, when or if I do sent it. I may post some more clips if I have time with some different boost setups too. This thing is fun for a boost junky.

That really does sound good. Enjoy.

Thanks for checking it out man.

 

[AndyK]

Except for the caps, I think the reissue 800's are made better than the old ones. The wiring is neater, the boards are made closer to spec thanks to modern technology. Great amps!