Amp recommendations for more headroom

[Teethgrinder]

Hello all,

I currently use a RI JTM45 with 2 orange V30 1x12 cabs.

I use a pedal board with drive pedals, reverb etc

The problem I have is that I am not getting the volume boost I want when I kick my drive in. A lack of headroom, being the problem I imagine.

Back in't 90s I used to have a 6100 head with a 4x12 - I stupidly sold it - I miss is so much - that thing kicked hard when moving from channel 1 to channel 2.

I suppose I could buy one again, but being real, it is just too big and loud, never mind now buying what is a pretty old amp, with all the issues many of these units are now having - MIDI board failures etc (I always used the midi and would want to take advantage of this feature once again)..

--

The question is - are there any alternatives to the JTM45 that will get me nearer the headroom I want, without veering into 100watt monsters once again..? Or am I asking for something that doesn't exist...

Many thanks

 

[giblesp]

JVM 100 watt. Good pedal loop, though you may find you can ditch the OD pedals, and pre program the footswitch for solo boosts, or whatever.

Should be plenty headroom, for super cleans or full on hi gain, plus everything in between.

 

[guitarbilly74]

The lack of separate gain and volume controls in the JTM45 makes it harder to get clean headroom. That's a problem with the amp, it's made to overdrive easily.

Getting an amp with a cleaner preamp and separate master volume would solve this. The DSL40C for example, would give you plenty of clean headroom.

 

[vivanchenko]

One of these will substantially increase the headroom and loudness of your JTM 45. Just use it instead of the 5AR4. Also, clean boosts will work with it much better.

 

[Mike_LA]

I suppose I could buy one again, but being real, it is just too big and loud, never mind now buying what is a pretty old amp, with all the issues many of these units are now having - MIDI board failures etc (I always used the midi and would want to take advantage of this feature once again)..

Ummm, before this gets imbedded in internet history, we have Not seen an increase in amp failures in relation to the 6100 over any other marshall amp discussed in this forum. There are waaay more DSL issue posts.

As stated from replys earlier, you want a 2 channel amp.

 

[nortiks]

If you really, really want headroom, get a Diezel Herbert... And as a plus, you can sell all of your pedals to help pay for it.

 

[marshallmellowed]

Hello all,

I currently use a RI JTM45 with 2 orange V30 1x12 cabs.

I use a pedal board with drive pedals, reverb etc

The problem I have is that I am not getting the volume boost I want when I kick my drive in. A lack of headroom, being the problem I imagine.

Back in't 90s I used to have a 6100 head with a 4x12 - I stupidly sold it - I miss is so much - that thing kicked hard when moving from channel 1 to channel 2.

I suppose I could buy one again, but being real, it is just too big and loud, never mind now buying what is a pretty old amp, with all the issues many of these units are now having - MIDI board failures etc (I always used the midi and would want to take advantage of this feature once again)..

--

The question is - are there any alternatives to the JTM45 that will get me nearer the headroom I want, without veering into 100watt monsters once again..? Or am I asking for something that doesn't exist...

Many thanks

It depends on how loud you're running the amp. Any amp, it doesn't matter if an amp is 20w or 100w, will not have any headroom (volume left) once the power section is clipping. The easiest, but probably one of the most expensive approaches, is to get a re-amping unit that has 2 foot-switchable output levels. The 3 I'm familiar with are the Bad Cat Unleash, the Boss TAE, and the Fryette PS-100. The Bad Cat, and Fryette have a 2nd foot-switchable volume control to accomplish that, while the TAE is programmable. The Bad Cat is the most affordable of the 3, I see them for around $350 - $400 used. I got mine for $90, as it needed repair. The Bad Cat is good for up to 50w amps. I have the Bad Cat and TAE, but use the TAE most, as it allows you to access internal FX (Delay, Reverb, EQ...) in conjunction with the volume boost with one press of the footswitch. I set my TAE solo boost up to add more volume, a bit more delay, and a different EQ curve (more upper mids). Aside from those re-amping approaches, an attenuatior with 2 foot-switchable levels would work. With units that only boost the volume, depending on what you use for solos, you could end up doing some tap dancing (several pedals) to go from solo to rhythm, which is why I like the TAE. If you mic your cab and go through a mixer and PA, there are some other more cost-effective approaches.

 

[paul-e-mann]

Hello all,

I currently use a RI JTM45 with 2 orange V30 1x12 cabs.

I use a pedal board with drive pedals, reverb etc

The problem I have is that I am not getting the volume boost I want when I kick my drive in. A lack of headroom, being the problem I imagine.

Back in't 90s I used to have a 6100 head with a 4x12 - I stupidly sold it - I miss is so much - that thing kicked hard when moving from channel 1 to channel 2.

I suppose I could buy one again, but being real, it is just too big and loud, never mind now buying what is a pretty old amp, with all the issues many of these units are now having - MIDI board failures etc (I always used the midi and would want to take advantage of this feature once again)..

--

The question is - are there any alternatives to the JTM45 that will get me nearer the headroom I want, without veering into 100watt monsters once again..? Or am I asking for something that doesn't exist...

Many thanks

A cheap fix for this is get a Mad Professor Underdrive pedal. Set the amp for lead tone and volume, set the pedal for rhythm tone and volume. Another cheap solution, I also have a Zoom G3Xn and it has a lead boost function built into its patches. The cheapest solution, use your guitar volume knob, dial it down for rhythm tone and volume.

 

[goldtop0]

Also along with the solid state rectifier get a couple of EVM12L speakers, that'll do it for you.

 

[Teethgrinder]

Ummm, before this gets imbedded in internet history, we have Not seen an increase in amp failures in relation to the 6100 over any other marshall amp discussed in this forum. There are waaay more DSL issue posts.

As stated from replys earlier, you want a 2 channel am

not wanting to spread unfounded rumours ;-). I have read that numerous occasions about the failed MIDI board issue, and about the overheating combo problem.. Of course that could just be a very small subset of owners, I guess. Either way, I suppose these amps aren't going to be able to be supported indefinitely due to some spare parts no longer being available.. I would, however love to think I could just buy a use 6100 combo and have my favourite ever amp back... without the worry of it being obsolete at some point down the line, or horribly expensive to maintain..