What would you buy if you want 80's/modern highgain British

[Racerxrated]

Sorry I don't get what you mean?

I'm slightly concerned after reading that 800 reissues aren't as good or don't have as good transformers as originals.

I've played/owned a few reissue 800s and at volume, they just pale a bit to any of the vintage 800s/JMPs (2203/4s) I've owned. That's probably a result of the vintage iron being a cut above the reissue stuff. If you are ok with a combo they can be had for 1K, vs the head versions that are running 1400 or so on most internet sites.
I do feel that of all the modded Marshalls I've owned that the Camerons are a step up, mostly because of the feel that is unique. But they are not cheap....for me nowadays I have an 82 2204 and I boost it with a few different pedals for different flavors.
If money is no object I'd highly recommend a Wizard MCII/MTL, the MC is going to be more 2203-like in the mids, the MTL is more low mid centered or modern. But both can be boosted to add a little flavor. They are an amp that pushes like no other, in the room it's unreal the power they have..I have a 180w Mesa Coliseum and the 100w MCI I had pushed even harder if you can believe that. But they sound good at a lower volume too, and not many if any amp has the clarity of a Wizard, plus it had great feel/touch sensitivity.

 

[311boogieman]

Just use a Splawn. If you want something with a bit more low end and smoother top, try the Splawn Quick Rod. Want something a bit more wild, try Gear 2. Want an absolute fire breather, use Gear 3 or get a Splawn Nitro.

*Fixed*

 

[jonthomas83]

And... Therein lies the problem. I knew there'd be a snag to this somewhat simple solution. JCM 800's are plentiful for decent prices in the UK. However, finding one which has those 'magic' transformers or a vertical input alignment, from a respected year, and a decent batch, is going to prove hard work, it seems!

 

[Bxlxaxkxe]

And... Therein lies the problem. I knew there'd be a snag to this somewhat simple solution. JCM 800's are plentiful for decent prices in the UK. However, finding one which has those 'magic' transformers or a vertical input alignment, from a respected year, and a decent batch, is going to prove hard work, it seems!

Honestly man, the best bang for buck is the horizontal input 2204. I do not know amps inside and out but from everything I've read and discussed with techs, they are no different than the vertical models. Mine is from 1985 and it sounds absolutely killer. I love the thing.

 

[jonthomas83]

And... Therein lies the problem. I knew there'd be a snag to this somewhat simple solution. JCM 800's are plentiful for decent prices in the UK. However, finding one which has those 'magic' transformers or a vertical input alignment, from a respected year, and a decent batch, is going to prove hard work, it seems!

Honestly man, the best bang for buck is the horizontal input 2204. I do not know amps inside and out but from everything I've read and discussed with techs, they are no different than the vertical models. Mine is from 1985 and it sounds absolutely killer. I love the thing.

Thanks, man, I will keep my eye out but even amps from 1985 are hard to come by. It's going to take some patience on my part and I'm sure the right one will come up. Thank you, man, your clip has inspired me so much!

 

[Slaytallica]

Reason I bought the Friedman BE-100 Deluxe

Excuse the sloppy playing as it was a rainy bourbon filled evening


https://youtu.be/2PYVdaLOIPA

 

[cardinal]

And... Therein lies the problem. I knew there'd be a snag to this somewhat simple solution. JCM 800's are plentiful for decent prices in the UK. However, finding one which has those 'magic' transformers or a vertical input alignment, from a respected year, and a decent batch, is going to prove hard work, it seems!

I've played a lot of 2204s. Vertical. Horizontal. As long as the circuit is stock, they all sound the same. And even if someone has fussed around inside, as long as they didn't scorch the board, it's easy to put it back to stock. I'm sure you can find something killer!

 

[ClintN667]

If you have the cash Gower can source an amp and mod it for you and you will come out cheaper than buying a marshall on this side of the world. Its been on my wish list for awhile. I just sold my Monomyth modded amp to handle some bills but I really loved that amp if you have a Marshall he can mod it for you for I think 3-400 but the metro loop is extra too. Out of the two Splawns I had I preferred the Nitro but both were nice. When switching between the Nitro and Quick Rod the Nitro seemed clearer and percussive. I would love to try a V2 amp if/when I get some extra cash to buy an amp or maybe a Ceriatone.

 

[Racerxrated]

And... Therein lies the problem. I knew there'd be a snag to this somewhat simple solution. JCM 800's are plentiful for decent prices in the UK. However, finding one which has those 'magic' transformers or a vertical input alignment, from a respected year, and a decent batch, is going to prove hard work, it seems!

I've played a lot of 2204s. Vertical. Horizontal. As long as the circuit is stock, they all sound the same. And even if someone has fussed around inside, as long as they didn't scorch the board, it's easy to put it back to stock. I'm sure you can find something killer!

Yup the 2204s retained the same filtering where the 2203 changed it up a bit, in 85 I think and even more by 87. That's where the recommendations are to grab an 84 or older 2203..because of the filtering AND the pots that were board mounted post 84. I have read that the transformers changed sometime in the mid 80s, but I've had a bunch of early/late 80s 2203/4 and they all sounded good to great...really haven't played a bad one.

Now, if you really want to get a monster look for an 82 2204/4104...they have over 500v on the plates and sound like they are putting out closer to 100w at volume. Mine measures at 504v on the plates and is a BEAST.

 

[FourT6and2]

And... Therein lies the problem. I knew there'd be a snag to this somewhat simple solution. JCM 800's are plentiful for decent prices in the UK. However, finding one which has those 'magic' transformers or a vertical input alignment, from a respected year, and a decent batch, is going to prove hard work, it seems!

I've played a lot of 2204s. Vertical. Horizontal. As long as the circuit is stock, they all sound the same. And even if someone has fussed around inside, as long as they didn't scorch the board, it's easy to put it back to stock. I'm sure you can find something killer!

Yup the 2204s retained the same filtering where the 2203 changed it up a bit, in 85 I think and even more by 87. That's where the recommendations are to grab an 84 or older 2203..because of the filtering AND the pots that were board mounted post 84. I have read that the transformers changed sometime in the mid 80s, but I've had a bunch of early/late 80s 2203/4 and they all sounded good to great...really haven't played a bad one.

Now, if you really want to get a monster look for an 82 2204/4104...they have over 500v on the plates and sound like they are putting out closer to 100w at volume. Mine measures at 504v on the plates and is a BEAST.

What was the filtering change?

And why does an '82 2204 have over 500v on the plates but other years don't? Is the PT spec'd differently or is it just a change in the B+ dropper value?

 

[Racerxrated]

And... Therein lies the problem. I knew there'd be a snag to this somewhat simple solution. JCM 800's are plentiful for decent prices in the UK. However, finding one which has those 'magic' transformers or a vertical input alignment, from a respected year, and a decent batch, is going to prove hard work, it seems!

I've played a lot of 2204s. Vertical. Horizontal. As long as the circuit is stock, they all sound the same. And even if someone has fussed around inside, as long as they didn't scorch the board, it's easy to put it back to stock. I'm sure you can find something killer!

Yup the 2204s retained the same filtering where the 2203 changed it up a bit, in 85 I think and even more by 87. That's where the recommendations are to grab an 84 or older 2203..because of the filtering AND the pots that were board mounted post 84. I have read that the transformers changed sometime in the mid 80s, but I've had a bunch of early/late 80s 2203/4 and they all sounded good to great...really haven't played a bad one.

Now, if you really want to get a monster look for an 82 2204/4104...they have over 500v on the plates and sound like they are putting out closer to 100w at volume. Mine measures at 504v on the plates and is a BEAST.

What was the filtering change?

And why does an '82 2204 have over 500v on the plates but other years don't? Is the PT spec'd differently or is it just a change in the B+ dropper value?

The can filter caps were reduced from 6 to 3 on the 100w 2203s between 84-86. Now, I'm not a tech but I've read where the actual filtering stayed the same with the remaining caps having different values? But I've also read that no, the filtering was reduced. So all I know for sure is the 86 2203 I owned had 3 can filter caps vs the 83 2203 that had 6. The 86 was not as aggressive as the 83, not as ballsy. Still a good amp though.
Regarding the 82 2204 there are posts on the Marshall forum that talk about the pre 82 2204s having 370-400v (around there) on the plates vs 500+, and that the PT was different for a short time in 82-83 with the 50w Marshalls. I've had 2 82s and they both were beastly aggressive compared to the 'softer' sounding JMP 2204s.

 

[Mr. Willy]

Granger builds a killer 800 clone.

https://www.grangeramp.com/2204_plexi.php