JCM800 - Bedroom level playing - Any hope?

[Azaril000]

Hey all,

I have finally after weeks of deciding, tone researching and deal hunting found a JCM800 for £600.

As I have stated in my other posts I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 40w which I can safely manage at bedroom levels without attenuators but with just a simple volume box, I can jack in my overdrive or fuzz and still relatively keep it at bedroom levels. My version of bedroom levels is pretty versatile, My neighbours are hardly in and even when they are its not much trouble. I can also get a good tone out of my Fender HRD in my bedroom the full fender sound out of it. I do not play at volumes where It hurts my ears.

Anyways the reason I mention that is to give some idea that I can manage reasonable a 40w amp.

I have really set myself to buy a JCM800, to just go ahead and buy the real deal tone instead of "can be's or close enough's". I found a 50w head.

I know for a fact even at 50w its still a gigging amp, so I am asking the wel knowledgable folk at this forum if theres any hope of me playing this beast in my bedroom with or without any help? Attenuators? 1x12 cabs, 2x12 cabs? I dont want to do anything to damage the amp or shorten its span.

Im pretty hyped to get it, but honestly if its gonna blow my ears out then I dont also want to waste the money as I prob wont be gigging for a LONG time (LONG).

Cheers!

 

[longfxukxnhair]

Get a hot plate, power brake or power soak. Or at the very least a volume pedal. 50 watts and a bedroom is gonna be fucking loud! Tear it up!

 

[jcmjmp]

+1

 

[MartyStrat54]

A five watt amp can exceed bedroom levels. That 50 watt 800 is very loud for a 50 watt amp. You will have to go the power soak (attenuator) route. The only problem is they aren't cheap.

 

[sold4blues]

The struggle with my 800 (2203, 100 watts) and fiddling with volume settings between 0 and 0.05 came to end by using an attenuator. Only by doing this I finally got that Marshall tone I searched for all the time. Playing a Marshall at mediocre volumes just does not work...

As most attenuators sport a line-out you can even route the post amp tone to a PC or MAC running a guitar cabinet/speaker emulation and there is nothing like a Marshall with cranked volume with you being able to record it at night time. Some attenuators are said to suck some high frequencies but I can't really trust people on this. Humans do perceive frequencies different as the volume rises. Just dial in the treble a bit more if needed.

I am using the TAD silencer. Might have a hefty price tag but so did the Marshall. Without it I would have already sold the 800.

 

[wegman]

Forgive me because I don't know but does this amp have an effects loop?

 

[PaoloJM]

Forgive me because I don't know but does this amp have an effects loop?

That depends on the model of JCM800.
Which model are you thinking of buying?

You'll get a tone that approximates a cranked JCM800 by using a boost pedal and an attenuator.
Any attenuator that I've used sounds bad after -12dB and so you'll still need to have the master volume down @ 2/3. To get the overdrive tones then you'll still need the clean boost.

 

[wegman]

I am not the OP. I asked the question because what i do is run an effects processor in the effects loop. I then control the volume with the effects processor in and out volumes while cranking the volumes on the amp. You don't get power tube distortion but I am able to achieve decent tone at manageble volume.

 

[80's Rocker]

I play my 800 at bedroom levels easy. It is a halfstack and I can get great little tones playing in my bedroom. I can manage it and I like the sounds I get when it is queit. I have never quite gotten the concept of an amp not being able to be played at bedroom levels providing they have a MV.

 

[RobS]

bedroom level, master way down is really just pre amp sound. A Powerbrake is what you really need to keep it quiet and have powertube distortion sound quality.

It really depends on how quiet you want it.

They are expensive but worth it.
I got my son a MG10 for Christmas. For low vol practise I think it sounds great for the $ when he lets me have a go!!

 

[019228]

It also depends on your cab. I play a 1979 2204 with a cab full of 25 watt greenbacks. this cab breaks up a lot sooner than a cab with GT75's. I live ina condo and get good tone with my preamp vol at aout 6 and master vol at 1 1/2.

 

[kebek]

too loud for room level... forget it... if you want to buy power brake or anything else to reduce wattage to get room level invest in a practice amp instead... but a jcm 800 is a very good amp... get the jcm 800 for your studio and a practice amp for home...

 

[wegman]

If you guys want to take a moment of your time if you go to my Acid Planet site (links at the bottom of my signature) and listen to the March to Victory that is my 2210 at bedroom volume

I know there is to much effet on the guitar it was one take and I couldn't fix it.

If you think the sounds sucks please say so but that recording was done at bedroom volume.

 

[NateCordova]

you know im probably gonna get WTF are you nuts reaction when i say this.

I love my VOX DA5 at home. It has the best marshall jcm800 simulator i've seen in pratice amps. If you want that jcm800 tone at low volumes there is good modeling stuff out there.

Maybe im going crazy too but when i use the master volume higher on my DA5 i feel like it gets extra saturation and its not a freaking tube.

The jcm800 would probably sound the most awesome thing ever cranked.
But at low volumes it shouldnt sound so much better than small wattage amps.

 

[Azaril000]

By they way this is the 2204 50w Master volume head

 

[Jesstaa]

The jcm800 would probably sound the most awesome thing ever cranked.
But at low volumes it shouldnt sound so much better than small wattage amps.

Tube amps aren't only about power tube distortion, a JCM 800 100watt head will still sound a million times better at like 1 on the volume, than an uber low wattage fairly average non Marshall (If Marshall is what you're looking for) thing.

I'd much rather run a monster of an amp with like 7 tubes quiet than an amp with 2 or 3 tubes total at medium volume.

Edit: I have a 100watt half stack, and it's perfect for my use. I really don't get why people say "Oh, a powerful tube amp is too much for bedroom use". Because since the invention of the master volume knob, they really aren't =/

 

[RobS]

If you guys want to take a moment of your time if you go to my Acid Planet site (links at the bottom of my signature) and listen to the March to Victory that is my 2210 at bedroom volume

I know there is to much effet on the guitar it was one take and I couldn't fix it.

If you think the sounds sucks please say so but that recording was done at bedroom volume.

I like it!

 

[wegman]

I like it!

Hey thanks man. Thank you for taking the time and the comment.

If any one is wondering how at low volume I got over the drums believe it or not those are electronics.

My intent is not derail the OPs thread and pimp my tunes. I was just throwing something out there that was done at low volume on an 800 2210 to show it can be done.

 

[Vince]

Any 50 Watt and lower tube amp can use a module that scales the power back to the power tubes and keeps the tone.

It's called Power Scaling..... SkipZ's VariWatt.... Home


There are many others out there that do the same thing too....

 

[Brett Blackmore]

Hi,

The JCM800 comes with a master volume which will give you a good enough sound to play around with, however I do recommend you have a 4x12 box to get a thick sound.
Attenuators are very expensive and the one I had did affect the sound negatively. Regretfully there is an element of luck involved to find one which works well. Some on this forum swear theirs are good and others here who have/had the same models say the opposite. I had a Tom Scholz? II and it was not good at all.

I personally would try a o/d or distortion pedal for 50 Euros - Each to their own...

Cheers Brett