Marshall Amp Recommendations?

[Thrashman93]

Hello all,

I joined Marshall Forum to ask some questions and gather recommendations for my first tube amp I am looking to purchase in July.

I have been playing for over a year so far and use a 10 Watt MG10cf for bedroom practice. Eventually I want to join or find a band and someday play bigger things perhaps.
I play 80's thrash metal (Testament, Overkill, Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax etc.) mainly along with 80's heavy metal (DIO, Iron Maiden, DaimondHead etc.) also play hard rock and AC/DC.
The tone of a solid state just is not doing it for me.

Main question is what amplifiers from Marshall could I use as a base to get 80's metal tone? I perfer that eras voicing. I have considered JCM 900's, JCM 2000's, or the new DSL40c. Now a combo would be best but I have no issue with getting a halfstack set-up.
My guitar is a Jackson js22r dinky with HH high output pickups I plan on upgrading someday.
my budget should be able to stretch to $900 but less than that would be A-okay to.

 

[Matt_Krush]

JVM.
The 2 channel would get you by...the 4 channel will cover it all.

You are in the exact musical area as me my friend.


A head and a 2x12 will sound better than the combos.

 

[Thrashman93]

Yeah I was considering a head and cab. Just a combo would be handier for me but it depends what I find that's within my budget. I would gladly take tone before convenience.
JVM is too far out of my price range?

I would perfer a JCM line simply due to the voicings and being made in Britain=higher quality. I would imagine.

JCM 2000 DSL100, JCM 900 Dual Reverb combo or head are what I have seen all over craigslist and ebay and guitar center. Just want to be sure it's a full tube of el-34's and not something more modern voiced.

 

[Hogwild]

JCM 800 (vertical input) through 1960B with made in England Greenbacks.

 

[Thrashman93]

I would like a JCM 800, but every single one of them is over $1,000 to $1,500. Just for the head or combo. Not getting an 800 at that price range.

 

[Hogwild]

I picked up a JCM900 SL-X for $400 one time. I had it converted to EL34 and it was a mammoth!

 

[Thrashman93]

I have found no SLX's at al online yet. Do you know of any being sold? or have an amp to offer? Ha.

 

[Solid State]

The DSL40C will own pretty much anything you throw at it. With your budget you could even include an OD, Delay, and a Wah. You'd be set.

 

[gjohnson]

A DSL Will get you the tone you want and some. They are a plently on CL CHEAP.

 

[Thrashman93]

The DSL40C will own pretty much anything you throw at it. With your budget you could even include an OD, Delay, and a Wah. You'd be set.

Is the DSL40c an all-tube el-34 signal path?, what sort of tones can you get out of it? I'd be slamming any amp with 80's heavy metal/thrash metal.

 

[Thrashman93]

A DSL Will get you the tone you want and some. They are a plently on CL CHEAP.

The DSL40c was the one I was gonna go for originally but found I could get an older one with more vintage voicing of the era...unless the dsl40c gets the 80's metal tone.

 

[Matt_Krush]

Yeah I was considering a head and cab. Just a combo would be handier for me but it depends what I find that's within my budget. I would gladly take tone before convenience.
JVM is too far out of my price range?

I would perfer a JCM line simply due to the voicings and being made in Britain=higher quality. I would imagine.

JCM 2000 DSL100, JCM 900 Dual Reverb combo or head are what I have seen all over craigslist and ebay and guitar center. Just want to be sure it's a full tube of el-34's and not something more modern voiced.

JVM is British made.
Look on Guitar Center's used section or any of the other online places for their scratch & dent/B-Stock.
That's how I buy mine...
If you buy a new Marshall (don't care which) and it comes with J&J power tubes...replace them with something else. While they work..there are better.

I just received 2 JVM 205's, each with the same pre-amp tubes (mix of J&J and Shuguangs)...one has J&J EL34's the other with Tung-Sols, both amps with a May 2016 date. Both biased at 35mv/side. Eq'ed the same...identical cabinets. The Tung Sol EL34's are tighter, quieter, deeper bottom end, just louder and better sounding than the J&J loaded one.
I even did the choke & negative feedback mods to the J&J loaded 205 and the stock one with Tung Sols still kills it.

I am going to swap some KT77's and the winged C's just to see what else I can coax out.

 

[Thrashman93]

JVM is British made.
Look on Guitar Center's used section or any of the other online places for their scratch & dent/B-Stock.
That's how I buy mine...
If you buy a new Marshall (don't care which) and it comes with J&J power tubes...replace them with something else. While they work..there are better.

I just received 2 JVM 205's, each with the same pre-amp tubes (mix of J&J and Shuguangs)...one has J&J EL34's the other with Tung-Sols, both amps with a May 2016 date. Both biased at 35mv/side. Eq'ed the same...identical cabinets. The Tung Sol EL34's are tighter, quieter, deeper bottom end, just louder and better sounding than the J&J loaded one.
I even did the choke & negative feedback mods to the J&J loaded 205 and the stock one with Tung Sols still kills it.

I am going to swap some KT77's and the winged C's just to see what else I can coax out.

Thanks for the tube tips!, Around here there are more jcm 2000 dsl and tsl 100's than older amps....how would that work for the tone I'm searching for?

 

[Matt_Krush]

I don't have direct experience with either of those.

I was on a tone quest back in 2002(ish) when my old Marshall Valvestate gave up the ghost.
I recall going in with every intention with leaving with either a Mesa or Marshall that day...tried out the TSL, DSL, Dual Rec and wasn't overly impressed by any of them...

As I was walking out they had a B52 stack. Thinking to myself...what is this..at that price it's got to be crap..
I tried it out and found "my tone" immediately and it served me well till I moved to a JVM410 2 years ago.

The MIDI capability and more channels is what interested me in the JVM. I was also looking at Mesa's road king (I think it is)...Dude on another forum steered me to the JVM and I do not regret it at all.

Warning: the 410 is noisier than the 2 channel models and will require the use of noise gates.
Once dialed in and set up...my searching has been done.

I run a G-Major in the loop for all my lead effects (and additional EQ control) and control it all with the Berhinger FCB 1010.

Can the DSL sound like a JVM?
I don't know.

But I know I can go from clean with chorus & reverb to full out distortion with delay & reverb or to a light overdrive with a press of a single button.
I know I can have multiple EQ or noise gate settings for multiple channels...I know I can assign 1 master as a boost...
I know, for me, it was well worth getting.

I know it's not for everyone and I don't want to sound like I am pushing it.

 

[dptone5]

JVM or save up for an 800. It may take a little while longer to make the purchase, but you won't regret it....

My advice. Don't settle. Take your time and save for the amp you will love. It will make you want to play more and the satisfaction you get will be worth the wait....

Best wishes and hope you decide upon an amp and find exactly what you're looking for at the right price!!

DP

 

[Thrashman93]

I have time still. I will find one that suits me. Jcm 2000 seems like a sweet amp. JVM was recommended multiple times.

Other thing is do any of you guys know of people selling any particular amps or complete halfstacks anywhere? Such as a jcm 900 slx? Etc.

 

[Shae201]

I play the exact same music as you do. Im in a band that plays some early prog type metal and thrash like Mercyful Fate and Maiden to Rush and even early Death like leprosy. I jave been playing the jcm 800 2205s which have a little more gain on tap than the single channel 800's but the single channels are saw raw and awesome too. Boosting the front end with a little more OD like an SD1 can get me Sepultura sound. 2205 are the cheaper amps in the 800 family. I actually am selling a 2x12 1988 800 combo that I could sell you close to your budget if interested. Tha layer models had even more gain like this one. All original, great amp. I think you should go with a channel switcher 800 in the 2205 family, thats my preference. Good luck.

 

[Thrashman93]

I picked up a JCM900 SL-X for $400 one time. I had it converted to EL34 and it was a mammoth!

Do you know of any jcm 900 SLX amp heads being sold or someone who may be willing to sell? I have listened to a couple being played and they were SPOT on on the tone I'm looking for. When cranked, they sound freakin great!

 

[Thrashman93]

I play the exact same music as you do. Im in a band that plays some early prog type metal and thrash like Mercyful Fate and Maiden to Rush and even early Death like leprosy. I jave been playing the jcm 800 2205s which have a little more gain on tap than the single channel 800's but the single channels are saw raw and awesome too. Boosting the front end with a little more OD like an SD1 can get me Sepultura sound. 2205 are the cheaper amps in the 800 family. I actually am selling a 2x12 1988 800 combo that I could sell you close to your budget if interested. Tha layer models had even more gain like this one. All original, great amp. I think you should go with a channel switcher 800 in the 2205 family, thats my preference. Good luck.

That sounds great. The only thing ATM is im not buying yet. Around July I will be buying.
What's the tone like on that 800? And do you know of any SLX amp heads being sold?

 

[JCMDOUG]

DSL40C or DSL100H from guitar center because you can try it for 30 days and return New or used gear for any reason.
Gary Holt from Slayer has DSL100H I Googled Slayer guitar rig rundown and watched the video.
You can get used DSL100H or 40c at GC all day long. Some of the older DSL 2000 have issues like output transformers, and drifting Bias and I read that different years don't sound the same. The speaker ohm switch go's bad and can kill the output trans.

JVM if you can but I love my DSL tone better.