Considering Ceriatone JCM 800 2204HW - Questions

[ampeq]

Mine shipped yesterday. I should have it next week. We'll see if it gets held up anywhere, It's currently in China.

Mine all came in 3 days! (I'm in RI) Yours "should" get there about tue. I would think. Please let us know what you think about it. I'v been playing my ES335 thru my 2202 with a Retro30 WGS speaker in a closed back 1-12" cab, it sounds incredible to me. Congrats, I think you will love it.

 

[saxon68]

Hey @heavypic did yours come in yet? Nik says mine should ship first week of July and you ordered before I did.

 

[dslman]

My friend , and amp builder built my Ceriatone 2204 from Nik’s kit, and added a buffered loop that works great.
I put the chassis in a JMP headshell made by SourMash that fit perfectly, and looks like my old 2203 .
It’s so much fun to play, and has a rich punchy tone.
I did some experimenting with the bright cap, and found it really needs one to sound/feel like the old amps, especially in the gain /feel dept.
I settled on a 500pf if I remember correctly.
Like others have said, if you like the old 2204/2203’s you’ll probably love this amp.

 

[X2203xman]

My friend , and amp builder built my Ceriatone 2204 from Nik’s kit, and added a buffered loop that works great.
I put the chassis in a JMP headshell made by SourMash that fit perfectly, and looks like my old 2203 .
It’s so much fun to play, and has a rich punchy tone.
I did some experimenting with the bright cap, and found it really needs one to sound/feel like the old amps, especially in the gain /feel dept.
I settled on a 500pf if I remember correctly.
Like others have said, if you like the old 2204/2203’s you’ll probably love this amp.

The 3 way bright switch is one my favoritr features on my Ceriatone all access plexi 51.Especially when you play both Tele and a SG.

 

[TXOldRedRocker]

My friend , and amp builder built my Ceriatone 2204 from Nik’s kit, and added a buffered loop that works great.
I put the chassis in a JMP headshell made by SourMash that fit perfectly, and looks like my old 2203 .
It’s so much fun to play, and has a rich punchy tone.
I did some experimenting with the bright cap, and found it really needs one to sound/feel like the old amps, especially in the gain /feel dept.
I settled on a 500pf if I remember correctly.
Like others have said, if you like the old 2204/2203’s you’ll probably love this amp.

The 3 way bright switch is one my favoritr features on my Ceriatone all access plexi 51.Especially when you play both Tele and a SG.

I ordered my Ceriatone 2204 completely built by Ceriatone with a buffered loop and the 3-way bright switch. Such an incredible amp!

 

[What?]

The 3 way bright switch is one my favoritr features on my Ceriatone all access plexi 51.Especially when you play both Tele and a SG.

Me too. Must have. Of all those extra features on the plexi 51, the only ones I really use anymore are the bright cap switch, negative feedback switch, and PPIMV.

 

[sri]

Hi All,

I am considering purchase of the CERIATONE JCM800 2204 HW for blues/classic rock (Allman Bros, Cream, SRV, ZZ Top, Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones, etc.). I don’t play metal. I typically use a Kealey TS808 pedal up-front and sometimes a Boss GT3 multi-effect pedal in the loop for delay, etc. I play LPs, Strats and Teles. I recently purchased a Marshall Origin 20H and a 2x12 with Greenbacks...liking that a lot!! I can play the O20H at full power at home with reasonable settings. I am now looking to add the 2204 given it's features, Ceriatone reputation, etc. - it looks to be a cool long-term keeper.

I like the current features of the 2204: pre-amp gain, T/M/B equal, master vol, presence, passive FX loop, full/half power, external bias probe jacks/adjustment).

I seek forum opinion for the following 2204 options:

• 3-Way Bright Switch: I believe this mini-switch can be installed on the face of the amp which is my preference. Question: Does one of the switch positions turns off the bright effect when not needed? ...or is it 3 separate brightness settings? I heard this switch demo'd on vids of other Ceriatone amps and it appears to be a useful feature.

• Is the PPIMV option necessary? I have a few master volume amps (Marshall O20H, Blues Junior, Fender DeVille, Bugera V22) and have been satisfied with the customary 1 gain / 1 volume controls. Pros? Cons? I don't need to be too quiet (save for hearing loss!) at home.

• I play mostly at home these days. Is there a problem running the 2204 amp at the 20W / /triode, half-power setting most of the time with EL34 tubes? My current speaker cab is a Peavey 2x12 with two 25W Greenbacks (16-ohm cab). I will need a new 2x12 cab, likely with Greenback and Creamback speakers to handle the 2204 at full power when needed. I know about the Ceriatone 2202 (20W model), however I prefer the full 50W, 2204 when needed.

The 2204 HW looks like a really nice amp!!

Appreciate the advice! I look forward to forum replies.

Regards

Ceriatone are nice, well made handwired amps with generally good componants. I must have had 10 through my hands for general maintenance/tweaking and the only fault issues were a failed mains switch and a bad contact in a passive send and return loop. That puts them above Marshall in build quality on this small sample. Soundwise they are pretty faithful to the models they are 'paying tribute to' and yes the added flexibility with mini switches to modify the signal path in flight is useful/good. I would add that Nik (the owner/designer) is a brilliant guy and offers help/advice and goes so far as to publish all his schematics and build docs online making maintenance and customisation of his amps a doddle (as does the lack of PCBs!!!) My only issue is that the amps arent CE, WEEE marked so are not legal to sell in the UK/Europe. They are very nicely engineered and I fully believe they would pass such LVD and EMC testing so no scary danger stuff to warn of but venues that look for PAT testing proof on all kit could refuse one of these amps into the venue as there is no confirmation its safe and wont cause criminal radio interference.

 

[Rorer714]

Hey all,

OP here. I decided to order the Ceriatone JCM800 2204 HW. I sent Nik at Ceriatone an email today to initiate my order.

Question: I currently play my Marshall O20 head through a Peavey 212-6, 8/16 ohm, 2x12 cab with two G12M, 25W Greenbacks (8 ohms ea)...love the GB tone!!

Since I like the GB tone, I was considering purchasing another 2x12 cab and loading it with a one GB and either a Creamback or WGS ET-65 to accommodate the 2204's 50W of power. I read somewhere that total speaker watts should be ~1.5x peak amp power to be safe - true??

I assume my current 2x12 cab with two 25W GB's could be damaged if pushed too hard with the 2204. Probably OK with the 2204 in 20W power mode, but not at full power with amp cranked. The GBs are 25W and the CB/ET-65 are 65W. Is there any problem with pairing 2 speakers with a noteworthy difference in peak power?

Any other suggestions for a speaker to pair with a GB in a 2x12 for the JCM800 2204? I play blues/classic rock (Allman Bros, Cream, SRV, ZZ Top, Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones, etc.). I don’t play metal.

Thanks all!!
Regards

take a look at Mojotone. they have a "British" line of speakers.