Marshall Jcm 800

[danielNoble]

the only thing that got me worried.. the white panel what should say the model name etc.. it looks blank.. but the serial number is on there.. and its engraved with some sort of stamp into the metal.. it doesnt have "Mk II" or "Super Lead" written on the back either


but damn... it sounds effing crazy

 

[danielNoble]

its really got that ACDC sounding vibe to it... its beautiful.. however.. to get the more metal tones i hooked it up with a DOD YJM pedal and wow.. it sounded great

 

[danielNoble]

should my model of the jcm have anything written on the back? e.g "Super Lead" , "Mk II" etc?

 

[GibsonSlash]

So how do you like the new amp Daniel?

 

[janarn]

Oh I'd take a real Marshall over a clone, all things being equal! That's history and art all in one. But who has $5000?? Or whatever...

A clone WILL sound better and cost $1000 IF assembled by a reasonably experienced person. I'd take that bet! Yet I agree: who knows what you get on eBay as far as who built it, what skills they had, etc. but I'm talking theory, not practice. Yes, a clone will also will need upkeep over the years as well...and if it's stolen it's replaceable!

I can't say if modern components are better. A techie might know what the tolerence on the original ones are: 10%? 5% on resistors and capacitors? I know modern transformers will be better if you pony up the money because no one used top shelf stuff back then. They wanted to keep the cost down. Remember, Marshall was a new company with a unique product, selling everything they made easily, so they didn't feel the need to use top flight parts. A clone can be made today with better parts and WILL SOUND BETTER! I know that's upsetting to some...

Ken

I have had some vintage amps. A Vox AC30 from '63, and four Plexies,
one from '65, one from '67 and two from '68. (two 50w, and two 100w)
I have used an experienced tech on my amps when I bought them,
and non of them have broken down, or needed repair.
I had my Vox for 25 years, and just changed the tubes.
Filter caps have to be changed on some of them, but it has not been
done on my Vox or my '65 100w Marshall.

These amps both sounds better, and need less repair from what I
have experienced. I have also bought some new amp. Much more
problems with them.

Quality of transformers and components? The early components Marshall
used was made to survive the war. Todays components is not made of
the same materials, and not in the same way. Restrictions for production
and pollution makes that impossible. Mustards also sound better when they
are old, just like old wood in a guitar.

And they don't make transformers like they used to do, that's just like
the old PAF pick-ups. They don't come out that good if they are made
in modern machines for a low cost.

Today it seems like the most important thing is to earn money.
Through Marshalls history you will find out that changes have been made,
not to make the amps better, but to produce the amps at lower cost.

That don't make better amps!

 

[Ken]

I have had some vintage amps. A Vox AC30 from '63, and four Plexies,
one from '65, one from '67 and two from '68. (two 50w, and two 100w)
I have used an experienced tech on my amps when I bought them,
and non of them have broken down, or needed repair.
I had my Vox for 25 years, and just changed the tubes.
Filter caps have to be changed on some of them, but it has not been
done on my Vox or my '65 100w Marshall.

These amps both sounds better, and need less repair from what I
have experienced. I have also bought some new amp. Much more
problems with them.

Quality of transformers and components? The early components Marshall
used was made to survive the war. Todays components is not made of
the same materials, and not in the same way. Restrictions for production
and pollution makes that impossible. Mustards also sound better when they
are old, just like old wood in a guitar.

And they don't make transformers like they used to do, that's just like
the old PAF pick-ups. They don't come out that good if they are made
in modern machines for a low cost.

Today it seems like the most important thing is to earn money.
Through Marshalls history you will find out that changes have been made,
not to make the amps better, but to produce the amps at lower cost.

That don't make better amps!

People don't fix vintage amps that aren't broken. If yours sound great, that's great! There's no way of telling how much better they could be unless you start swapping things and that seems almost a sacriledge!

I agree that old stuff was better made as far as quality control goes. Hand wired and soldered is better than a machine doing the work, where every connection is at risk.

We disagree on transformers. New after market ones like Mercury are better made and better designed than WW 2 stuff. This is a fact. And better transformers give more consistancy on supply voltages and provide more power to the speakers giving better lows and crisper highs. This is a fact as well. If you don't like a better frequency spectrum that's fine, but most people do.

Wood gets better with age. (Pickups do not, but that's a whole other subject! Moderen BALANCED humbuckers blow PAF's away. But you have to balance them yourself to 1 ohm or less difference between the coils. Takes an expensive OHM meter that reads accuratly to 1 ohm out of 50,000)

Transformers and capacitors get worse as they slowly get out of spec. Some will last another 100 years while some go bad after 30 years or less. Out of spec componets very slowly (or not so slowly in the case of output transformers!) ruin your tone. You won't notice it day to day, but this is a fact. That being said, lots of vintage amps still sound great!

Marshall et. al. need to turn a profit as you pointed out. This means cutting corners everywhere. Take a new DSL circuit and use a choke, hefty output transformer, check all connections and replace higher tolerence parts with tighter ones. You will have a MUCH better amp. The same hold true with clones using better componets when compared to the originals.

Ken

 

[janarn]

You will not get a good gitarsound from an ideal frequenzy respons.
A good gitarsound it's based up on a calculated misconstruction.
(from a Hi-Fi point of view)
So I disagree that changed values from a ideal frequenzy respons
in components and OT, will make an gitaramp sound worse.
I think that's what's makes a gitaramp sound good.