Marshall 30th Anniversary Series thread (6100 / 6101)

[TheLoudness!!]

Why do you ask?
A 6100LM w/ 5881 can be changed to EL34 by changing a couple of components easily.
Many 6100, 6100LE and 6100LM Amps have been changed. There was even an official instruction brochure by Marshall.

I own 6100LEs w/ EL34s and a 6100LM w/ 5881s.

Both have their own character but are similar.

If you like the amp in front of you and you like the deal, purchase it.

Both have a huge overlap of great variety of tone on tap that I never worried about little differences.

Have fun with that Amp.

Actually, I have never even seen a 6100 in person.

Thought about trying one out at some point. I do remember the magazine advertisements for them when they rolled out.

They seem to be a very polarizing amp. We will say it's an amp that I am curious about.

 

[Scuba200ft]

Has anyone ever found a good source for a replacement pedal controller for these?

 

[Mike_LA]

Actually, I have never even seen a 6100 in

They seem to be a very polarizing amp.

Um, in what way?
I have seen very few posts that cast a disparaging light on the 6100, execpt for that BS about overheating and channel 3 having too much gain.

 

[TheLoudness!!]

Um, in what way?
I have seen very few posts that cast a disparaging light on the 6100, execpt for that BS about overheating and channel 3 having too much gain.

Well...I'm going to guess it was because of chatter regarding the construction of the amp internally. It seems to scare a lot of people off.

Best I recall and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe a JVM has more going on inside of it than the 6100?

But it could be an apples to oranges comparison if we are talking something like a JVM410...

 

[Thoma]

6100 ...

They seem to be a very polarizing amp.

I would disagree, as most people really love it.
However some don't fully understand the 6100 and blame it on the amp.

The Ad Slogan says it all:
"What's blue, has 17 knobs, 22 switches, 3 channels, variable damping factor, effects loop, 11 tubes and sounds like God?"

It's Marshall's most versatile Amp built until that point in time.
And that was Jim's idea about the 6100. Put all his trademark tone history in one head.
And he did.

I absolutely love that thing.
It's capable of MANY awesome tonal characters. And I use 3 of these sounds.
(The amp is even capable of getting out of Marshall tone territory.)

The downside of this vast flexibility:
It takes a little understanding to dial in settings.

I saw a video on YT in which someone bashed the Ch3 "Contour" switch. Obviously the guy did not even read the manual.
He just pressed the button and was upset that the tone changed to something he did not like in that moment.
Almost as stupid as complaining that tone cleans up when you switch to Ch1, isn't it?
Similarly stupid like claiming that Hendrix didn't need MIDI. So why would anybody do MIDI Channel switching?
It's no Marshall because all to 11 does not work properly. Seriously?

A friend got a blue/gold 6100LE Stack recently and after a couple of minutes he complained that his Les Paul would not sound as expected.
Some minutes later he was more than excited as he is now only starting to appreciate the endless possibilities of the amp.
And his Les Paul is very fine after all.

As far as I can tell after decades of 6100 happiness:
Polarisation is between appreciation and utter nonsense of some internet trolls.

My four 6100 heads and one 6101 combo have been perfectly reliable. They even have the original filter caps.

With one exception, which was my own stupid tbh.:
I ignored that a valve had some discoloration.
Some point in time it blew and caused some components to fail. Including the MIDI board.
A technician told me that it was unfixable.
I was able to fix everything myself. And I never did anything on tube amps before.
If an amp tech can't fix a 6100, there's a good chance that guy needs some training.

All in all, 6100/6101 are my favorite Marshall models.

 

[Thoma]

Has anyone ever found a good source for a replacement pedal controller for these?

It's not a replacement for the footswitch, but a cheapo midi footswitch should do fine:

Connect your MIDI Foot Controller to the MIDI Jack of the 6100.

Switch to the amp to ch1, hit the respective footwitch on your foot controller and press STORE on the Amp.
Rinse and repeat for the other 2 channels.

From now on it should switch by hitting the floor controller.

 

[wst]

Hi,

I miss my original manual. Can anybody help by adding a pdf?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Thoma]

Hi,

I miss my original manual. Can anybody help by adding a pdf?

Thanks for your help!

Here you go:

https://medias.audiofanzine.com/files/marshall-6100-30th-anniversary-user-manuel-479802.pdf

 

[rtcook]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://medias.audiofanzine.com/files/marshall-6100-30th-anniversary-user-manuel-479802.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi36daEruj-AhV8IUQIHe1nBbwQFnoECBoQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3e4_IyU8h70qZF3mVc1Y5p

 

[Mike_LA]

Link to schematics as well

 

[wst]

Thank you!!!!

 

[Seventh Son]

Yesterday, I was playing through my 6100LM + 1960A, with the amp set to near-TV volume. I couldn't believe how fizz free this amp is. I had the treble knob on 10 on both dirt channels and still wished I could push it more, as I am used to so much treble from my DSL20HR when I'm playing it at bedroom levels. Marshalls can sound fizzy at low volume, but the 6100LM definitely doesn't have that problem. I was reminded that the 6100LM is a very classic Marshall in the way its EQ is designed. The closest I got to a DSL-type of of tone with it was on the Lead channel with the Contour button engaged.

 

[rtcook]

So a high gain scooped tone is that of a DSL? I had one of those and I don't recall that. Guess it depends on DSL settings.

 

[Seventh Son]

So a high gain scooped tone is that of a DSL? I had one of those and I don't recall that. Guess it depends on DSL settings.

My buddy and I practice every weekend. He plays my DSL20 and I play the 6100LM. The closest I ever get to the DSL tone is on the Lead channel with the Contour button engaged. That setting gels best with the DSL It is not an exact match, but it gets close enough that our tones mesh well and the differences don't stick out to the point that one amp stomps on the other in terms of EQ.

 

[rtcook]

What's your gain setting on the 6100? Guess I would not think of a Dual Super Lead as high gain.

 

[rtcook]

I guess I am not remembering the DSL tone correctly. Seems its a high gain tone. So that would make sense you would have to be on the third channel of the 6100.

I'll have to try this. I have a 6100LM and a 6101.

 

[Seventh Son]

@rtcook Currently, the gain on my Lead channel is at 8 (Gain Boost engaged). This might sound like a lot, but it really isn't. I'm not sure whether the 6100LM's gain is just cleaner or whether there's just not as much gain as on more modern amps, but for some reason, I find I can push it as much as I want and the sound stays useable across the entire range. On the Crunch channel, I find that the gain increases until 8, after which there's only a little more compression. Here, too, the gain is very useable across the entire range.

Often, when I play the Lead channel, it reminds me of my DSL's sound, that I wonder whether the Lead channel may have been the inspiration behind the DSL line. It sounds to like some of the DSL DNA is there. I am, of course, purely speculating.

 

[rtcook]

I always thought the third channel of the 6100LM was like the JCM900 and engaging the boost switch was taking you into JCM900 SLX territory.

 

[Thoma]

Keep in mind:
These amps are a couple of decades old.
And given a certain amount of wear of your tubes and al the components (let alone characteristics of different tubes) makes up for quite a range of tonal qualities.
I've got a couple of 6100/6101/LMs and even though they share similar characters, they all have their sweet spots and tonal differences.
Example:
The other day I swapped preamp tubes from one 6100LE to another.
The characteristics of the tube sets moved vice versa, but the characteristics of the heads still remained.

Another example:
Some time ago I ordered a set of pretty expensive NOS preamp tubes for testing.
And all of a sudden my formerly creamy nice top changed end became fizzy and annoying.
There was no way to get rid of it. Back to my original stock Marshall tubes from 1992(!).
They still do fine.
My conclusion is - as my amp creates sounds I like, I enjoy and use them.

If I need an amp sound it can't produce with my 6100LEs,
I just use my cheapo Mooer modeler and skip the preamps.
Some might think that's sacrilegious behavior, but never had any complaints from the audience.

 

[Eduberto Palitroke]

Hi all.

My 6100 has a big volume drop when switching to channel 3.
I've read in this same thread something along the line that the trim pots on the back can affect the overall volume of each channel when the loop is set in some particular way.
Did I get that right?
Or is it just normal this volume difference between chs 2 and 3?