Marshall 6100 cleaned up and running

[zslane]

Okay, so the 6100 that I picked up off of eBay has been cleaned up, re-tubed, and re-biased and is now up and running (it needed a replacement T500mA fuse too).

I am so used to my DSL-100; it is going to take a little time to get used to this baby. Channel 2 and channel 3 sound very similar to me...I must be missing something important.

Anyone care to share some of their favorite settings? I'm aiming primarily for those great 70s hard rock tones (Zep, Sabbath, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Aerosmith, etc.), though late 70s metal is also a favorite (Maiden, Priest, Randy Rhoads, etc.)

 

[HOT TUBES 70]

remember you have a master vol. and 3 channel volumes , you have to have the channel
vol. around 3/4 to get the good chunky tones also watch your compensation hi & low
buttons ....i have mine both out . for the most modern tone you want to run it in pentode mode @ 100 watts , then pour on the master volume . this will make the tone
ooz from this amp . ENJOY !

please let us know your thoughts on this amp after you have played it !!!!

 

[mercilessdeath86]

Yeah I'd like to see how you guys set this amp up...

I'm on channel 3 with the contour and gain boost switches pushed in with both of the pickup compensation switches pushed in...

mids are set about 1/4 and treble at 3/4, bass at 1/2 gain is full. master vol is at half and I have the channel volume at 3/4

Brutal shit!

 

[zslane]

I like the fact that each channel has its own EQ section. But I have a question about the volume controls.

There is an overall master volume, all the way to the left of the front panel. But each channel also has its own volume control (separate from gain), and I'm wondering why. What is the difference in tone between putting, for example, channel 2 volume at ten and the master volume at 4, versus the other way around?

I mean, I could dime each channel's volume control and just use the master volume to dial in loudness. Or, I could dime the master volume and use each channel's volume control to dial in loudness. Is this right? Is there a qualitative difference (in tone) between the channel volume(s) and the overall volume?

I hope I'm making sense here. How do you guys use all the various volume controls? And what (rationale) drives your choices?

 

[HOT TUBES 70]

yes, the far left vol. is your master , and your others are for the channel volumes , i have the master volume at 3 to 4 and the channels at the volumes that work for you
and your set up , this will be loud enough to play live for most people . then you can
adjust your EQ on each channel to your taste etc.

also check out the buttons on the front panel on channel 2 , these will give you several
o/d and distortion options , both out and a pile of master volume some of the best crunch of any mashall that i have heard , mode A button in , and you have a jcm 800
type o/d and then both mode buttons in and you get jcm 900 type gain , then there is
the 3rd channel , if you like the scooped sound then you will love this channel , i like
more mids etc , so don't run with the contour button in ,this channel you will have to
explore on you own , but very strait ahead.

keep us posted , when you get past all the nobs and learn how to dial it in , i think
you will like this amp alot .

also what brand of tubes did you get , cause i think mine is due for some love soon !!!

 

[zslane]

I put in a fresh set of ECC83S preamp tubes and a fresh set of JJ E34L power tubes.

I've noticed that the clean channel stays nice and clean up to about 5 on its channel volume. Past that and it starts to lose some definition, even with the bright switch engaged. That's fine by me, I get more than enough volume from it even set at 5. Now, with my Tube Screamer turned on (no gain, just volume boost), that clean channel starts to sound just like channel 2, which is pretty neat.

I find I get the most mileage from the crunch channel, especially with the two mode buttons. Channel 3 sounds the same as channel 2 to me, unless I turn on Contour, and then there are some other interesting results. But I have a feeling I will be spending most of my time playing with crunch, not lead.

I'm curious what would happen if I fed the FX send (set for -10db) from my DSL-100 into the input of the 6100. That would basically cascade the DSL preamp into the 6100 preamp, right?

 

[HOT TUBES 70]

no question , channel 2 is the heart of the 6100 , as for you running you DSL into
the 6100 , i don't think it needs it IMO !!! or would i try it ... channel 2 takes pedals
very well too . like all marshall amps they need master volume to sound good ,this amp
even more imo , once you get the master jacked up , it sounds soooo good !!!!

 

[Silverbursted]

Please forgive me for asking, but I really don't know and just need a direction to start looking up the answer.
Which series does the 6100 belong to?

 

[zslane]

I believe it is pretty much its own beast, not part of a particular series. It was Marshall's 30th Anniversary amp back in 1992, and it represented their best efforts to put the tone of several classic and modern amps into one chassis (JTM-45, SLP, JCM 800, JCM 900).

 

[zslane]

I've been throwing a few curve balls at channel 2 just to see how far I could push it and still get nice tone out of it. For example, gain dimed, mode C, plus Tube Screamer, plus ZW wah pedal = amazing, soul shredding tone with sustain that can last nearly forever (by exploiting the natural feedback just a little).

Of course, I get this from my DSL-100 too... I'm really hoping the 6100 won't turn out to be redundant. It's clean channel does sound cleaner than the DSL, but that could just be my imagination.

So what can the 6100 do that the DSL-100 can't, and how do I dial it in?

 

[HOT TUBES 70]

i can't speak for the EL34 based 6100 chassis , but the 6100LM version can do
everything and more than the average DSL 50/100 , are you running this amp
on pentode mode ? this makes a big difference to my ears for tone , imo . for
me personaly the 6100LM is a little meaner sounding , this stems from the 5881
output tubes , again this is just my opinion ,i have played thru both versions
and liked the LM version better.

 

[zslane]

Yes, I have it in pentode, full power mode. Of course, I have an attenuator on it, just like I do on my DSL. Perhaps an attenuator makes all modern Marshalls sound the same? I dunno.

I don't have the LM version, and even if I put 5881s in, it would still lack whatever the other changes are that make up the "Lead Mod"(ification).

 

[HOT TUBES 70]

Yes, I have it in pentode, full power mode. Of course, I have an attenuator on it, just like I do on my DSL. Perhaps an attenuator makes all modern Marshalls sound the same? I dunno.

I don't have the LM version, and even if I put 5881s in, it would still lack whatever the other changes are that make up the "Lead Mod"(ification).

have you tryed it without the attenuator , i find them to color the sound.
there is mods out for the LM version , its only to the 3rd channel .!

 

[tazzboy]

Yeah there is 6100 at Elderly Music in Lansing, Michigan for $850. But unfortunately they do ship used amplifiers it's in store only sales.

 

[zslane]

have you tryed it without the attenuator , i find them to color the sound.

I did, but only at very low volume (I live in an apartment). If the only way to hear the difference(s) between a 6100 and a DSL-100 is to crank volume up to 6 or 7 without an attenuator, well, then I will never get to hear the difference from my own equipment. Not any time soon anyway.

 

[HOT TUBES 70]

well you still have a kick ass set up !!! very nice rig !!!
when you get your rig outside your apt. you will be able
to crank both and listen to the difference .

 

[zslane]

Tonight I will be cleaning up all the tolex and plastic bits with Mizzy Orange Solvent, and spritzing all the pots with contact cleaner (I get a little static from some of them when I turn the knobs). She should be looking like a whole new girl after tonight!

(I already used some pretty heavy-duty rust remover on the rivets...now they are a dull silver color rather than a grungy brown color...they'll never be chrome-y again, but they still look a lot better now than they did when I first recieved it. Though oddly enough, there are exactly two rivets that are a shiny gold color after being de-rusted...dunno how that happened!)