I have a Studio Classic JCM 800. Is it worth getting a 50w JCM 800?

[vivanchenko]

The 2204 is totally worth it. It sounds bigger, very different dynamics, much more punchy.

 

[scozz]

I have three 2204's. My question is, is it worth getting a studio head?

Man I wouldn’t think so,…..

With good attenuators today I can’t really see a reason,… unless you just want to downsize to gig with or whatever. That’s probably a reason.

 

[Burk]

some things you can do, are...

*get a cab w/ 12" speakers, like a 2x12, or 4x12.
*get bigger glass bottles in the power section. I'm running KT88's & they are perfect.

Of course, I bought the head, so, I can run it w/ any & every cabinet I have.

You will notice a bigger thump w/ 50 watt & a bigger thump yet w/ 100... but, the 50 watt will be more compressed & have less headroom.

I'm also running a hot-mod, so I'm getting high gain (but, I don't run it that high). At home, I'm using a JohnH attenuator & crank the volume to 10, at all times...

Other than that I plug straight in, have a little reverb in the loop & run into my 2061CX cab, loaded w/ H30 12" speakers...

Gets pretty much whatever sound I want from it!

I’ve never jammed with a drummer that I could use anything less than 50w. I would bet to say that a 2204 is louder than a 4010 or a 4010 through a 2x12 or 4x12. The jcm800 combos have a 4n7 on the mid pot that pulls the mids down a bit. The good news is they aren’t as loud as say a 2204….the bad news is they aren’t as loud as a 2204. I actually tried the 4n7 on my 2203x to see what it sounded like….I didn’t really like it. It capped the volume down a bit and almost tamed the gain down a bit. I would highly recommend a 2204……at least a 50w amp of some kind, I just don’t think a 20w anything is enough to keep up with most drummers…unless you’re doing jazz or something super soft or light. My $.02.

 

[scozz]

I’ve never jammed with a drummer that I could use anything less than 50w. I would bet to say that a 2204 is louder than a 4010 or a 4010 through a 2x12 or 4x12. The jcm800 combos have a 4n7 on the mid pot that pulls the mids down a bit. The good news is they aren’t as loud as say a 2204….the bad news is they aren’t as loud as a 2204. I actually tried the 4n7 on my 2203x to see what it sounded like….I didn’t really like it. It capped the volume down a bit and almost tamed the gain down a bit. I would highly recommend a 2204……at least a 50w amp of some kind, I just don’t think a 20w anything is enough to keep up with most drummers…unless you’re doing jazz or something super soft or light. My $.02.

Have you played an SC20h or an SV20h through a 2-12 or 4-12?

 

[TonalEuphoria]

I would really have to wonder what the exact amount of wattage and db each 20 watt Marshall is putting out. I know my modded DSL20cr with it's WGS Retro 30 speaker and the JJ E34L power tubes I'm using is more than loud enough to play with only the hardest hitting drummers. And than, there are these things called PA's which I can simply mic the speaker with a E906 as I do. And get more than enough volume to fix that situation.

 

[Ufoscorpion]

I have three 2204's. My question is, is it worth getting a studio head?

Probably not

 

[Ufoscorpion]

I’ve never jammed with a drummer that I could use anything less than 50w. I would bet to say that a 2204 is louder than a 4010 or a 4010 through a 2x12 or 4x12. The jcm800 combos have a 4n7 on the mid pot that pulls the mids down a bit. The good news is they aren’t as loud as say a 2204….the bad news is they aren’t as loud as a 2204. I actually tried the 4n7 on my 2203x to see what it sounded like….I didn’t really like it. It capped the volume down a bit and almost tamed the gain down a bit. I would highly recommend a 2204……at least a 50w amp of some kind, I just don’t think a 20w anything is enough to keep up with most drummers…unless you’re doing jazz or something super soft or light. My $.02.

I beg to differ my EVH lbx is more than loud enough at 15 watts , I’m sure a studio Marshall would be ( not tried one ) .

 

[dro]

I agree, it’s not the same as a vintage Jcm800,… but that’s a lot different than saying it’s,… “not quite a real Jcm”,……


These Studio Marshalls are only 20 watt amps, the heads cost $1750.00, the combos are $1950.00. I’m not sure how much more $ they should cost.

Just saying,

Well, you can get a RI JCM800 for $3549.99

 

[Musicmaniac]

In my band I use a 4010 and the other guy used a SC20 for awhile. He didn't think it had enough guts to grind on the heavy stuff.

 

[Deftone]

Probably not

Well what am I going to do with this 3203/1966 stack? It's too cool not to get a proper all tube small box head.

 

[fitz]

Well what am I going to do with this 3203/1966 stack? It's too cool not to get a proper all tube small box head.

View attachment 132876

Um, get a proper all tube small box head?

 

[Deftone]

Um, get a proper all tube small box head?
View attachment 132877

Right?!? I like this guy.

 

[marshallmellowed]

I beg to differ my EVH lbx is more than loud enough at 15 watts , I’m sure a studio Marshall would be ( not tried one ) .

Agree, either Studio Marshall is plenty loud to hang with the drummers I've played with. If a drummer is hitting hard enough to bury a 20w tube amp, he's not a well trained drummer (IMO). Talking indoor practices or small venues. Any thing larger, and the Studio amps would need PA support. Obviously, if running everything through a PA, these days you don't even need an amp. Neither of the 2 cover bands I play in use guitar or bass amps live or when practicing (all PA & monitors).

 

[scozz]

In my band I use a 4010 and the other guy used a SC20 for awhile. He didn't think it had enough guts to grind on the heavy stuff.

When I was gigging, (about a hundred years ago, 1970s), if you didn’t show up with a 100 watt amp you were laughed at and ridiculed, literally.

It was a completely different time.

We were a very loud band, but in those days you had to be loud because most venues didn’t have PA systems. Bands had their own small systems, usually one PA column on each side of the stage, and a single PA head.

20, 25, 30 watt amps were for practice or maybe jam sessions, but no one gigged with them, you’d be laughed out of the venue. Literally sometimes!! Haha.

Today though, I see guys like @tallcoolone in a great sounding LZ cover band, and he sounds phenomenal even when using his 20 watt Marshalls!

When venues started to incorporate their own PA systems, well that was a game changer, (God I hate that saying).

Old guy reminiscing a bit.

 

[Kutt]

Nothing beats the real deal, the bigger iron, and the higher wattage but I'll throw out another option that's sort of in between. Have you tried a BOSS Tube Amp Expander? It's got a 100w power amp along with tons of other useful options including USB out for recording and outputs for playing live.

You can effectively re-amp your SC20 up to 100w. Put that through a 4x12 and you've got a formidable rig that can be whisper quiet or raise all hell. I was ripping through mine into a pair of Redbacks this morning in fact:

 

[Cossack]

You can effectively re-amp your SC20 up to 100w. Put that through a 4x12 and you've got a formidable rig that can be whisper quiet or raise all hell. I was ripping through mine into a pair of Redbacks this morning in fact:


View attachment 132878

The more I learn about the Boss TAE, the more I think one is eventually in my future, whether or not I get a 50w JCM800.

 

[TonalEuphoria]

Woe is me, what do those poor musicians do who only use modelers now? How do they practice with their bands with a heavy smacking drummer, partly drunk, eyeballing everyone's girlfriends, thinking of why no one ever likes the smelly drummer compared to the guitar player?

Oh yeah, they go through the PA. My bad.

And of course a player who's using a tube amp that is having trouble in the mix can simply add a FRFR/Powered monitor on and go direct from their amp or from a mic to it in those kind of moments. Or buy an actual PA to go into. Of course I don't know what the singer is doing than.

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[marshallmellowed]

The more I learn about the Boss TAE, the more I think one is eventually in my future, whether or not I get a 50w JCM800.

i use mine religiously with my non-master amps. I've found that re-amper's like the TAE and Bad Cat Unleash are the most effective way to get a decent solo volume boost with those amps. I've tried my 2203x and a couple of other master volume amps through the TAE, but those amps sound better straight into a cab (IMO).

 

[Dogs of Doom]

Woe is me, what do those poor musicians do who only use modelers now? How do they practice with their bands with a heavy smacking drummer, partly drunk, eyeballing everyone's girlfriends, thinking of why no one ever likes the smelly drummer compared to the guitar player?

Oh yeah, they go through the PA. My bad.

And of course a player who's using a tube amp that is having trouble in the mix can simply add a FRFR/Powered monitor on and go direct from their amp or from a mic to it in those kind of moments. Or buy an actual PA to go into. Of course I don't know what the singer is doing than.

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I thought the idea was to shrink your gear size... now you bring a whole PA, just for the guitar player, because you refuse to use the right amp for the job...

 

[TonalEuphoria]

I thought the idea was to shrink your gear size... now you bring a whole PA, just for the guitar player, because you refuse to use the right amp for the job...

It's only not the right fit in that particular situation of that hard smacking drummer and no PA. Which is a very rare thing gigging and even practice these days with all but the most amateur band. Afterall, where is there not a reasonable PA these days. And even in practice if a band doesn't have their own PA, what is the singer singing into? And than, they obviously need to buy one.

Of course a player isn't restrained to one amp. They can use a low wattage amp for gigging and have a higher wattage amp for practice and the most extreme situations. And in the end, every guitar player is better off with more than one amp.