So what are considered "good" JCM 800's and "bad" JCM 800s?

[droptrd]

I love all the hate for the diode clipping...but then everyone boosts them with a solid state type pedal!

Or, they send it to MC to mod and he puts diode clipping in it!

Flame away.

So he turns them into 900's?

 

[Loudness250]

I would say if it's a 2204 Horizontal input, go for it if it's a good deal. I had an 87' 2204 , the thing was amazing, Tone for days! It was not really the issue with the tone, The lack of filter caps in the 2203 might have affected those but the 2203's still retained the amount of filter caps, they just had the pots connected to the board and the inputs but that would'nt really affect the sound. 2204's retained there tone. And they have some power man, very loud and when boosted with a good pedal like an OCD or whatever, they just slay.

 

[joepete77]

I love all the hate for the diode clipping...but then everyone boosts them with a solid state type pedal!

Or, they send it to MC to mod and he puts diode clipping in it!

Flame away.

I hear what u r saying about people being turned off by diodes before ever hearing them,they can sound cool when in the right design, that being said, the way the diodes are used in early marshall 800 and 900's is different then the way jose or mc used them in his mods or by placing a pedal in front of the amp.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Good players smoke on good and "bad" JCM800's (2205's) Shenker and Norum play "bad" JCM's and rip on em.

 

[ericsabbath]

I love all the hate for the diode clipping...but then everyone boosts them with a solid state type pedal!

Or, they send it to MC to mod and he puts diode clipping in it!

Flame away.

Its not against diode clipping in general. Just how Marshall used it.

diode clipping can be used in many forms with different results
the JCM 900 dual reverb doesn't even have actual tube distortion, for example
that is not the case of the JCM 800 2205/2210 or the JCM 900 2100, though
I don't like the 2205 for other reasons, but I like the 2100 mkIII

the "Jose" diode clipping used by Cameron and Fortin is quite different and affects the tone in a less harsh way
the comp switch on the Peavey VTM is quite similar and sounds pretty good
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/i ... ttach=8924

 

[stephen sawall]

I love all the hate for the diode clipping...but then everyone boosts them with a solid state type pedal!

Or, they send it to MC to mod and he puts diode clipping in it!

Flame away.

I do not ..... I can not say I never do. It has been years since I have used anything but a phase(vibe) and wa. But in most cases there is none in the rig I use. And I would not describe it as hate .... I just am not a fan of that sound. I have yet to really like any amp that someone has put diodes in. Stock or modification. Obviously many people do ....including many people who have influenced my playing. I have never found a amp that I thought sounded better after a modification. The only modification I have ever liked was the one that Soldano did and I believe there was no diodes. Never been a fan of the Jose type modifications.

 

[Schaf]

I would say if it's a 2204 Horizontal input, go for it if it's a good deal. I had an 87' 2204 , the thing was amazing, Tone for days! It was not really the issue with the tone, The lack of filter caps in the 2203 might have affected those but the 2203's still retained the amount of filter caps, they just had the pots connected to the board and the inputs but that would'nt really affect the sound. 2204's retained there tone. And they have some power man, very loud and when boosted with a good pedal like an OCD or whatever, they just slay.

That's what I'm saying. Most people leave out the fact that in the 2204's there was no change in the circuit. The 2203 there was. As for staying away from the 2204's, meh, matter of preference. Mine rocks. I love it. I use a variety of OD's and boost's and get a lot of versitility as far as covering tunes. The use of different guitars, pickup and learning how to use of the volume knob is key to getting that versitility. I've played many gigs with it and "lacking fullness" is never a term that anybody used to describle my tone.

Schaf

 

[thiswaythatway]

And id stay away from the 50watters. They just lack the fullness the 100watters have - typically

I don't think Michael Schenker, John Norum, or Jeff Beck got that memo.

 

[Digital Jams]

Fuck this bullshit, buy the fucking thing and play it and YOU fucking figure it out whether it is good or bad.


Years is for bullshit mantle collectors and forum cred fucks....................



Fuck.......................




Well the earlier 2205/10s were not as good as the later ones................











to the OP, good luck with your search.

 

[JakeAC5253]

Years is for bullshit mantle collectors and forum cred fucks....................

Fucking yes. Deaf as well.

 

[Klark]

The old 2210 I had years ago was without any doubt one of the best sounding Marshall's I've ever heard. Way better (for me) than any of the 2203/4's I've owned, and much better than the 2555 I currently own. I've actually been looking to buy another 2210, but the problem is I don't remember what year it was, but I do know it was the dark olive colored tolex..

 

[joepete77]

It goes without saying to use your ears when picking out any gear, but I always think of the possible resale value , in which case the vertical input type is better. Also, the quality of the drake trannies is better in the earlier years. Also, many early 2205/2210 had problems with channel/bleed through, they corrected it later on. I actually owned all of these at one time. It can be hit or miss with these marshalls so try to play or hear it if possible before buying

 

[charveldan]

And id stay away from the 50watters. They just lack the fullness the 100watters have - typically

I don't think Michael Schenker, John Norum, or Jeff Beck got that memo.

 

[Schaf]

Also, the quality of the drake trannies is better in the earlier years.

First I've heard of that. They must have made one good one in '87. The one they put in mine.

Schaf

 

[skoora]

And id stay away from the 50watters. They just lack the fullness the 100watters have - typically

I don't think Michael Schenker, John Norum, or Jeff Beck got that memo.

Or Judas Priest

 

[stephen sawall]

Also, the quality of the drake trannies is better in the earlier years.

First I've heard of that. They must have made one good one in '87. The one they put in mine.

Schaf

I had posted that I like that transformer better earlier in this thread. A lot of people feel this way. YMMV

 

[Schaf]

Also, the quality of the drake trannies is better in the earlier years.

First I've heard of that. They must have made one good one in '87. The one they put in mine.

Schaf

I had posted that I like that transformer better earlier in this thread. A lot of people feel this way. YMMV

Unless I misunderstood your post, I know that Drakes are good. Mine is an '87 and has Drakes in it. It's a horizontal output. It the first I've heard of "earlier" Drakes being better. Just because it's a horizontal output doesn't mean that it doesn't have Drakes in it. Again, maybe I totally misunderstood.

Schaf

 

[stephen sawall]

Also, the quality of the drake trannies is better in the earlier years.

First I've heard of that. They must have made one good one in '87. The one they put in mine.

Schaf

I had posted that I like that transformer better earlier in this thread. A lot of people feel this way. YMMV

Unless I misunderstood your post, I know that Drakes are good. Mine is an '87 and has Drakes in it. It's a horizontal output. It the first I've heard of "earlier" Drakes being better. Just because it's a horizontal output doesn't mean that it doesn't have Drakes in it. Again, maybe I totally misunderstood.

Schaf

I guess I miss understood .....I thought all the Drake stuff was better. I thought they were using other made smaller transformers from someone other than Drake near the end. It has been years since I have owned one ....

Looks like typical inter-web ...confused communication .

 

[xXxGhotimanxXx]

sub.

J

 

[xXxGhotimanxXx]

I'm trying to figure this crap out. I've heard of non-master volume...does this mean that the amp has to be cranked to get distortion? IOW, saturate the power tubes, etc. Does a master volume amp allow for distortion at lower volumes? But the cost of this lower volume distortion is that it's coming from the pre-amp section? Do I have this right?

If this is the case, then what would be a good choice for a JCM 800 that will give distortion at lower volumes? What model and what year?

Forgive the noob questions...just trying to learn?

J