How can i make a JCM 800's OD quiet?

[Axel1991]

I want to be able to use the Marshall JCM 800 combo at apartment volumes night or day.
I thought of getting an attenuator but people at other forums said it wasn't the solution.

OD pedal maybe?

And i want to keep it as cheap as possible

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

If you are talking about noise in general that is the issue, then maybe a noise gate might help. ISP Decimator, ISP G String, Rocktron HUSH, MXR smart gate, and Boss NS-2 are some options. You JCM 800 is a high gain amp, so depending on your settings, your OD might produce some noise, as most high gain amps do.

Otherwise, you might have a problem with the amp, such as microphonic tube.

 

[Axel1991]

Its not noise its volume

 

[ironlung40]

Its not noise its volume

I use a clean boost like the mxr microamp to boost the amp and get better gain, and I can get decent tone at lower levels. It is not near as good as when cranked, but good enough for practice, etc.

You may want to try the mxr microamp, or if you need even more gain, try an OCD, or similar.

 

[mmorse]

The only way is to use an OD pedal into the amp set to clean at the volume you want. Which OD pedal is entirely up to what sounds good to you. With my 2204, I use a Blackstar HT Dual pedal into the low input with the amp set to a clean tone. I can get the HT Dual to sound almost identical to the amp when it's cranked. All at house friendly levels.

 

[kebek]

i would go with a power brake or buy a small amp for practice...

 

[Jon Rambo]

I use a Fulldrive OD pedal and it allows me to get good sounding gain that i like at practice volumes. I live in an apt and no one has complained. Of course it I'm playing past like 9pm I use my Blues Jr.

 

[monty john]

Yo Axel your gonna hate me....that amp is made for BAND practice and GIGS, its a friggin tube amp.....like a Ferrari that needs to get goin fast... Hello

Get a better practice amp for your needs....and save the 800 for real time on the clock....band gigs practice etc....

By the way I love love 800's but they gotta get the volume up to where she breathes and shines ...brown sound ....not in an apartment....

Anyhow its not really a bummer you got a great great amp, just wrong application.....

 

[DSL100 Dude]

Lucky for me I have my own home and a dedicated music room. I can open it up at home or out enough of the time to keep me happy.

That said, I still use my little solid state Marshall for any time that I really want to play but warming up the head just doesn't make sense or do not want to disturb anyone. Heck, the little guys even have headphone jacks so you can really be apt. friendly.

 

[wkcchampion]

Attenuator or load box. I see no other ways.

 

[Rob_Hermans]

I've had a JCM 800 2204 since the late 80's and it's only ever sounded right when it's turned up to ear-breaking volume. For several years it was my only amp, so I was always disappointed with my sound at low volumes.

In about 1990 a friend suggested I look at the Tom Scholtz Power Soak (he had a Rockman). I got one on the cheap, and it worked quite well, but with any more than -6dB of attenuation (it goes up to -32dB) I lost a lot of that brightness and bite that the amp is known for.

I recently added some rack gear to my rig, including a Palmer PGA-04. This has a built-in load box, allowing connection to a mixer, computer or any line level gear, without connecting guitar speakers directly to the amp (but there is a through connection if you still want to connect to a cab). The voicing controls are really good, and you can get 'that' sound without sacrificing a load of highs. There is a missing element when you don't connect a cab, that being the speaker breakup you get at high volume, so it's not perfect. The other MAJOR drawback with using attenuators is that you're driving your amp at high levels ALL THE TIME, shortening the life of all the components.

I bought a Fender Blues Junior for practice, and that's fine if you want 'a' valve-driven sound to play with, but even that amp is a bit loud for the bedroom. I'm thinking of getting a design for a very low wattage amp (5W or less) and build it myself...

Hope that helps

 

[PaoloJM]

IMO JCM800s sound pretty average at anything other than band rehearsal volumes or higher.
To sound it's best you still need an attenuator or PPIMV, or both, for band rehearsals or most gigs.

I've tried pretty much all methods, OD, attenuator etc.
Your money might be best spent on something like a MicroCube which is designed for bedroom play.

 

[ironlung40]

Yo Axel your gonna hate me....that amp is made for BAND practice and GIGS, its a friggin tube amp.....like a Ferrari that needs to get goin fast... Hello

Get a better practice amp for your needs....and save the 800 for real time on the clock....band gigs practice etc....

By the way I love love 800's but they gotta get the volume up to where she breathes and shines ...brown sound ....not in an apartment....

Anyhow its not really a bummer you got a great great amp, just wrong application

The only way is to use an OD pedal into the amp set to clean at the volume you want. Which OD pedal is entirely up to what sounds good to you. With my 2204, I use a Blackstar HT Dual pedal into the low input with the amp set to a clean tone. I can get the HT Dual to sound almost identical to the amp when it's cranked. All at house friendly levels.

Sorry guys, but I just don't agree here.

1. Yeah this amp is not a bedroom amp. We all know that. But, I've got many big wattage amps, and I practice/jam with all of them at home all the time. I don't crank em' up enough to hit the sweet spot, but, it's practice....so who really cares if it doesn't sound it's absolute best? You can practice with these amps, absolutely, and I don't think buying a lesser practice amp is always the best solution. Either way you go, you are compromising tone. Most people buy a solid state practice amp which does not respond dynamically to your playing style like a tube amp, so in my opinion, you're better off sticking with the higher wattage tube amp, and just accepting the tone at lower levels, and playing it anyway. You'll still "learn" to play your tube amp, even at lower levels.

2. You do not have to run the amp clean, and then depend on a od or distortion pedal to get the dirt you want. I always run my 800's in the high input, and then boost with an od or clean boost to get higher saturation and gain. It works well, even at lower volumes. I play at home with my 800 MV on about 1-2, preamp on about 6, and then use my microamp to boost it up more. It works fine for practice. It doesn't sound as good as when the MV is on 4 or above, of course, but it still works.

I never run my 800 as a clean platform in low input...nor is this the "only way".


My advice to the OP, since opinions are varying a bunch here, is to start out with the clean boost or od pedal. It is the cheapest alternative. Try it and see if you can get along with it. If you cannot, then go another route. I would buy an attenuator over a practice amp, because you still may be able to get use out of the attenuator, even at gigs.

 

[wkcchampion]

I've had a JCM 800 2204 since the late 80's and it's only ever sounded right when it's turned up to ear-breaking volume. For several years it was my only amp, so I was always disappointed with my sound at low volumes.

In about 1990 a friend suggested I look at the Tom Scholtz Power Soak (he had a Rockman). I got one on the cheap, and it worked quite well, but with any more than -6dB of attenuation (it goes up to -32dB) I lost a lot of that brightness and bite that the amp is known for.

I recently added some rack gear to my rig, including a Palmer PGA-04. This has a built-in load box, allowing connection to a mixer, computer or any line level gear, without connecting guitar speakers directly to the amp (but there is a through connection if you still want to connect to a cab). The voicing controls are really good, and you can get 'that' sound without sacrificing a load of highs. There is a missing element when you don't connect a cab, that being the speaker breakup you get at high volume, so it's not perfect. The other MAJOR drawback with using attenuators is that you're driving your amp at high levels ALL THE TIME, shortening the life of all the components.

I bought a Fender Blues Junior for practice, and that's fine if you want 'a' valve-driven sound to play with, but even that amp is a bit loud for the bedroom. I'm thinking of getting a design for a very low wattage amp (5W or less) and build it myself...

Hope that helps

Ah Palmer... I have a PDI-03, it's just perfect!

 

[Jon Rambo]

Sorry guys, but I just don't agree here.

2. You do not have to run the amp clean, and then depend on a od or distortion pedal to get the dirt you want. I always run my 800's in the high input, and then boost with an od or clean boost to get higher saturation and gain. It works well, even at lower volumes. I play at home with my 800 MV on about 1-2, preamp on about 6, and then use my microamp to boost it up more. It works fine for practice. It doesn't sound as good as when the MV is on 4 or above, of course, but it still works.

I never run my 800 as a clean platform in low input...nor is this the "only way".


My advice to the OP, since opinions are varying a bunch here, is to start out with the clean boost or od pedal. It is the cheapest alternative. Try it and see if you can get along with it. If you cannot, then go another route. I would buy an attenuator over a practice amp, because you still may be able to get use out of the attenuator, even at gigs.

That's what I do. I hardly ever plug into the Low input. It doesn't sound as good as it does at band practice or a show when I can crank it, but it sure sounds better than a solid state practice amp. Plus it's practice.. it doesn't have to sound it's very best when I'm playing it in my room.

 

[ironlung40]

That's what I do. I hardly ever plug into the Low input. It doesn't sound as good as it does at band practice or a show when I can crank it, but it sure sounds better than a solid state practice amp. Plus it's practice.. it doesn't have to sound it's very best when I'm playing it in my room.

+1 Exactly! I'll never waste my money on a shitty "practice amp".

 

[noise5150]

The ISP Decimator will kill most of the noise but NOT your tone and throw a MI Audio Crunch Box in front or a Wampler pedal in front. That's what I do for late night playing. These pedals can get close to EVH/GnR tones.

 

[MogHoz]

I personally never even plug in at all while at home, unless I am recording. In that case I use a little Peavey Classic 20, hidden away in a closet, miced with a 57. That little amp slays, and really sounds great through a 4x12.

What's fun is to go through your house or apt and look for sweet spots while playing by placing the headstock of your axe directly onto (for example) a door jam, or stairwell. Anything that resonates will sound cool. A big plate glass window can sound awesome...

~
MogHoz

 

[tonefreak]

Well if you play loud enough for long enough you'll go deaf, and then it will be nice and quiet.