JCM 900 vs. JCM 2000

[Synyster]

Eurotubes sell sets of a quad of JJ's E34L's and 4 High Gain ECC83S (12AX7)'s for $112.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

GuitarGuy, I hear ya on most all of your earlier points but $300-$400 dollars is pretty out of the league to retube a DSL unless you are talking NOS in which in this case is not needed. Hell you don't have to spend that much even on NOS. Not sure where you're getting this info but please don't come on and scare someone into thinking they gotta spend all the money they have in their pockets to play a Marshall. And you do realize your Mesa may have double the amount of tubes in it than a Marshall depending on what model it is. I know a Triple Rec has 6 6L6's alone for just the power tubes so that's not a fair comparison.

EL34's can be had for anywhere between $28 and $45 a pair and you can get cheaper or more expensive if you like but on average you could easily spend $90 for a quad of Tung-Sol's which get rave reviews everywhere, very good and reliable tubes. Or $56 for a matched quad of JJ's which are fine as well. And would probably last this guy a good while. At average labor for an hour bench time in California which is on the high side nationwide is $60 to install and bias which is standard. So could be $150 in all.

EL34 / 6CA7 Tube Types

My Mesa was a Single Rect 50 watt. It had (2) 6L6s and (5) 12AX7s. It seems my recollection of the price of tubes was inaccurate due to my one and only retube being back in 2006. My point is still the same though. >>> Retubing isn't cheap but is absolutely necessary if you want your amp to perform at it's best and function properly.

 

[Lespaulnmarshall]

Now THAT is a good reply..bravo bro!

DSL's are easy

900's are like rocket science

That's the differance.

 

[jcmjmp]

Woah..well im sure it should take at least almost a year for my next tube change, right? So 400 is alot for one time but I know better now and I'm gonna keep puttin like 5 bucks a week away for the amp for a future change.

They're changing the transformers too, there was a bit of rust on them but apparently SMALL amounts of rust isn't something to worry about on a transformer (my dad does electronics and he says it's actually better for the transformer...i couldnt explain how lol)

I like the DSL because it has NO annoying hiss or feedback, I played a mesa triple rec for a while, it was pretty nice but it's tooooo much for me. I actually prefer amps with 1 eq for 2 channels. Short, sweet n to the point.

Dude - CHANGE TECHS -

Marshall is not the issue - its your tech. He's either incompetent or is trying to get as much money out of you as possible.

Rust on a transformer is a good thing. You don't just replace a transformer for no reason like that.

 

[tonyd927]

Dude - CHANGE TECHS -

Marshall is not the issue - its your tech. He's either incompetent or is trying to get as much money out of you as possible.

Rust on a transformer is a good thing. You don't just replace a transformer for no reason like that.

Im really trying..believe me..It's just i have a warranty called "extended benefits" meaning all repairs are completely free (minus tubes) and as long as the amp is being repaired you get a loaner. But to get that benefit it hasto go to their shop. Ive already called and complained about the guy that did the repairs..so they should be giving me someone different

and my apologies jcmjmp..i feel like ive been a f***tard here..
I really do appreciate all the help ive been getting =)

 

[Buggs.Crosby]

Dude - CHANGE TECHS -

Marshall is not the issue - its your tech. He's either incompetent or is trying to get as much money out of you as possible.

Rust on a transformer is a good thing. You don't just replace a transformer for no reason like that.

sounds more like he is milking Marshall for the warranty money and you can bet if this happens too much Marshall will remove him form their authorized repair list
i fixed my head with some tech help from this board...not a problem since
1 problem (caused by a tube failure) 1 fix now i'm back to sweet as hell tone
and hopefully if you do get another amp you will also find another tech. or you will be blaming (insert brand here) instead of the real problem

send an e-mail to Marshall about your issues and see what they say....even if all that happens is they can say nothing at least they may watch to see if he is milking which may help other users in the future....Marshall is not the best selling amp of all time for nothing

 

[Ken]

DSL's are easy

900's are like rocket science

That's the differance.

I retubbed my DSL 50 with Tung Sol's for under $200. And DSL's are so easy to bias no one should pay for it! Marshall should make all their amps with the bias pins like the DSL's.

Perhaps the reason the 900's are unpopular with many Marshall owners with other amps is they are hard to DIY and thus many are way out of spec?

Ken

 

[core]

My Mesa was a Single Rect 50 watt. It had (2) 6L6s and (5) 12AX7s. It seems my recollection of the price of tubes was inaccurate due to my one and only retube being back in 2006. My point is still the same though. >>> Retubing isn't cheap but is absolutely necessary if you want your amp to perform at it's best and function properly.

I hear ya on that for sure. My 6100 which needed tube and is an exception at 11 tubes total was expensive to retube for sure! But that's not the norm. Just want to make sure people know we try to be very accurate here on the boards and post links to reputable dealers if possible because the threads become a public place for advice and not just for the OP.

 

[tonyd927]

I hear ya on that for sure. My 6100 which needed tube and is an exception at 11 tubes total was expensive to retube for sure! But that's not the norm. Just want to make sure people know we try to be very accurate here on the boards and post links to reputable dealers if possible because the threads become a public place for advice and not just for the OP.

Any recommendations on tubes for my amp? what types/brands should i look into/avoid?

I pretty much like the sound of the amp, i like alotta mids with some bass but not too trebly. With the presence knob turned to 10, feels like it livens the amp up.

 

[core]

I would head over to the Preamp thread and ask away just for clarification. Those guys know DSL's and what works best but I have a feeling they'll say something like:

V1 ask for a low noise Tung-Sol 12AX7
V2 High Gain Tung-Sol 12AX7
V3 better to ask them but probably Electro Harmonix
V4 Electro Harmonix since it's not important for the Phase Inverter to be a toneful tube but it should be a high gain tube.

 

[tonyd927]

I would head over to the Preamp thread and ask away just for clarification. Those guys know DSL's and what works best but I have a feeling they'll say something like:

V1 ask for a low noise Tung-Sol 12AX7
V2 High Gain Tung-Sol 12AX7
V3 better to ask them but probably Electro Harmonix
V4 Electro Harmonix since it's not important for the Phase Inverter to be a toneful tube but it should be a high gain tube.

Ok will do, thanks alot

 

[tonyd927]

Got some good news and some bad news...

the shop called me today, the amp has been sitting there for a week and no one's even bothered to look at it. But the manager said if the problem persists after they fix it im entitled to a full refund.

Any suggestions on RELIABLE and versatile amplifiers?
id prefer something along the lines of Marshall and Mesa.
Thanks

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Got some good news and some bad news...

the shop called me today, the amp has been sitting there for a week and no one's even bothered to look at it. But the manager said if the problem persists after they fix it im entitled to a full refund.

Any suggestions on RELIABLE and versatile amplifiers?
id prefer something along the lines of Marshall and Mesa.
Thanks

IMO it's quite soon to really start thinking about the possibilty of a replacement. I'm no expert by any means but I'm pretty confident that the new tubes is what this amp needs. If you happen to get the full refund I'd probably send it to a different tech as the one youve been using sucks. lol

 

[tonyd927]

IMO it's quite soon to really start thinking about the possibilty of a replacement. I'm no expert by any means but I'm pretty confident that the new tubes is what this amp needs. If you happen to get the full refund I'd probably send it to a different tech as the one youve been using sucks. lol

true that, well if i got the refund id wanna get a DSL 100 but a later model, like 2004-present. Ive been told that SOME not all, but SOME have had issues with the PCB board overheating, which is exactly whats happening to mine. Maybe ill try a 50 watter.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

true that, well if i got the refund id wanna get a DSL 100 but a later model, like 2004-present. Ive been told that SOME not all, but SOME have had issues with the PCB board overheating, which is exactly whats happening to mine. Maybe ill try a 50 watter.

The dsl50 I just bought is a 2005. I had heard about the overheating issue as well and went with a more recent model just to be on the safe side.

 

[tonyd927]

The dsl50 I just bought is a 2005. I had heard about the overheating issue as well and went with a more recent model just to be on the safe side.

THANK YOU! everyone here denies the overheating issue..i wish there was some way to record this amp..its awful..it works fine and sounds amazing for about a half hour, then i slowly havto turn the volume up to hear, then it gets really buzzy, then i hear a blender and im afraid to leave the amp on.

I will for sure get the amp repaired one more time and if i havto fix it again then BOOM its the lemon law and im pickin up a new dsl

 

[DSL100 Dude]

Hey, the manager already is making good to refund if need be so that is a good thing.
I will say that if it is still crap after all the tubes are replaced then get your refund and shop around. However, I agree that maybe also sending that head to a great tech very well may help too.

 

[tonyd927]

Hey, the manager already is making good to refund if need be so that is a good thing.
I will say that if it is still crap after all the tubes are replaced then get your refund and shop around. However, I agree that maybe also sending that head to a great tech very well may help too.

DSL100 Dude, what year is your amp? ..to go along with the idea that pre 2004 dsl's have some lemons and i apparently have one lol
I wanna do my amp some justice and keep trying to get this workin. I have a different tech this time, the manager of the shop will be personally doing the work.
Thanks for the advice

 

[DSL100 Dude]

If the first set of numbers in the SN are the year then it is a 2007. Otherwise I have no clue, I bought it for a good deal because my shop was sitting on it for too long.

 

[tonyd927]

If the first set of numbers in the SN are the year then it is a 2007. Otherwise I have no clue, I bought it for a good deal because my shop was sitting on it for too long.

Nice, yours obviously works well then?

Years 2000-2003 are a bit sketchy from what ive learned..Im trying to find a 2004-present but no luck right now