Mod JVM or sell it?

[maxxi]

So here's the story:
I currently own a JVM410H together with an AFD100 and recently added a mesa mark V to the collection.

The AFD is currently on sale, and now I'm stuck with the following dilemma: do i sell the JVM as well, and get a SC20H for classic marshall tones or do i get the JVM modded to loosen up, and sound more old-school?

My major gripe with the JVM is the fact that it sounds very compressed (especially the crunch channel), but love the fact that it's so versatile.
The SC20 on the other hand is plug and play, but needs an overdrive pedal in front to get into thrash territory.

I'm looking for classic/old-school Marshall tone (guns 'n roses, ac/dc, iron maiden, ...), that crunching Marshall sound.
For modern heavy stuff I'll be using the mesa mark V.

Your input is greatly appreciated.

 

[paul-e-mann]

So here's the story:
I currently own a JVM410H together with an AFD100 and recently added a mesa mark V to the collection.

The AFD is currently on sale, and now I'm stuck with the following dilemma: do i sell the JVM as well, and get a SC20H for classic marshall tones or do i get the JVM modded to loosen up, and sound more old-school?

My major gripe with the JVM is the fact that it sounds very compressed (especially the crunch channel), but love the fact that it's so versatile.
The SC20 on the other hand is plug and play, but needs an overdrive pedal in front to get into thrash territory.

I'm looking for classic/old-school Marshall tone (guns 'n roses, ac/dc, iron maiden, ...), that crunching Marshall sound.
For modern heavy stuff I'll be using the mesa mark V.

Your input is greatly appreciated.

Maybe sell the AFD and JVM, use the funds to get an 800 or a plexi.

 

[spacerocker]

I would Mod the JVM!

Some background:

I bought my JVM410 in 2009 to replace a JMP2230 I had been using since 1984. What I loved about the 2203 was its fantastic rock rhythm guitar sound, with the gain on about 3/4. What I disliked was the inability to boost volume for solos (what ever pedal I put in front of it - I tried them all...) the lack of a built-in reverb, and the inability to get a true clean sound (without changing inputs)

When I bought the JVM, I loved the versatility, the clean channel, the built-in Reverb, the effects loop, MIDI control (which was a bonus!) and being able to play solos with a decent volume using OD2 Orange as my dedicated lead channel.

But I found the rhythm guitar sound on Crunch Orange or Red to be rather dull and lifeless, and lacking the "spark" that the 2203 had. I also found OD1 Orange and red modes very flat and compressed sounding and excessively prone to squealing feedback!


To cut a long story short, I carried out a number of mods over the course of a few years, and have ended up with an amp that sounds identical to a 2203 on Crunch Orange, and has a much more dynamic and open feel! Of course it still has the JVM versatility and great lead and clean sounds....

The mods I did and kept (I did reverse some I didn't like...) are as follows:


Negative feedback Mod
Choke
AFD Mod
Anti-compression mod (plate resistors)
Power supply "sag" mod (can't remember what it is called)
2203 type treble-peaker mod

This sounds like a lot of mods, but the mods are all simple, and usually involve just a few components, but it has transformed the JVM into the perfect amp in my view!...

 

[marshallmellowed]

So here's the story:
I currently own a JVM410H together with an AFD100 and recently added a mesa mark V to the collection.

The AFD is currently on sale, and now I'm stuck with the following dilemma: do i sell the JVM as well, and get a SC20H for classic marshall tones or do i get the JVM modded to loosen up, and sound more old-school?

My major gripe with the JVM is the fact that it sounds very compressed (especially the crunch channel), but love the fact that it's so versatile.
The SC20 on the other hand is plug and play, but needs an overdrive pedal in front to get into thrash territory.

I'm looking for classic/old-school Marshall tone (guns 'n roses, ac/dc, iron maiden, ...), that crunching Marshall sound.
For modern heavy stuff I'll be using the mesa mark V.

Your input is greatly appreciated.

Depends. If you can mod the amp yourself, it might be worth a shot to see if you can get it where you like it. If you have to pay someone else to mod it, I'd probably sell it and get something closer to what you want (tone-wise). I modded the crap out of my JVM 410H, and also my JVM HJS, but just never bonded with the JVM line. My favorite amp at the moment is my 2203x, and then my 1959 SLP. I'd say, going from a JVM to a SC20, you wouldn't gain much in tone/feel, but would lose all the versatility of the JVM. IMO, the OD1 channel of the JVM 410 (Green or Orange mode) can be dialed to sound very "similar" to what you'd get from the SC20.

 

[spacerocker]

Depends. If you can mod the amp yourself, it might be worth a shot to see if you can get it where you like it. If you have to pay someone else to mod it, I'd probably sell it and get something closer to what you want (tone-wise). I modded the crap out of my JVM 410H, and also my JVM HJS, but just never bonded with the JVM line. My favorite amp at the moment is my 2203x, and then my 1959 SLP. I'd say, going from a JVM to a SC20, you wouldn't gain much in tone/feel, but would lose all the versatility of the JVM. IMO, the OD1 channel of the JVM 410 (Green or Orange mode) can be dialed to sound very "similar" to what you'd get from the SC20.

I did all the mods myself (I am an electronics engineer - but anyone who can solder to a reasonable level should be able to do it) - but even if someone had to pay a tech to do it, it shouldn't cost a lot! The components are very cheap - the most expensive being the choke - which is more of a "feel" thing than a tone modification in my view, so is not essential. I would have thought most techs would do this work for less than $150/£100 - I certainly charged less than this when I have done it for others...

As you say, it does depend on whether you like what JVMs have to offer? Personally, I can't think of another amp that does the same, at a comparable price! Spending $150 (or less) for a few mods to tweak it tonally is money well spent in my opinion! At one point I modded my JVM to be exactly the same as a 2203 (the circuit is almost identical anyway...) - but then undid some of the mods as I do like the extra gain available in the JCM Crunch Red mode....

I certainly wouldn't recommend (as a previous poster commented) switching from a JVM to an 800! that would be an unnecessary and retrograde step in my opinion! The 800 has a killer rhythm guitar sound, but is limited in most other respects, and I can get that sound out of a JVM with a few simple mods anyway!

 

[marshallmellowed]

I did all the mods myself (I am an electronics engineer - but anyone who can solder to a reasonable level should be able to do it) - but even if someone had to pay a tech to do it, it shouldn't cost a lot! The components are very cheap - the most expensive being the choke - which is more of a "feel" thing than a tone modification in my view, so is not essential. I would have thought most techs would do this work for less than $150/£100 - I certainly charged less than this when I have done it for others...

As you say, it does depend on whether you like what JVMs have to offer? Personally, I can't think of another amp that does the same, at a comparable price! Spending $150 (or less) for a few mods to tweak it tonally is money well spent in my opinion! At one point I modded my JVM to be exactly the same as a 2203 (the circuit is almost identical anyway...) - but then undid some of the mods as I do like the extra gain available in the JCM Crunch Red mode....

I certainly wouldn't recommend (as a previous poster commented) switching from a JVM to an 800! that would be an unnecessary and retrograde step in my opinion! The 800 has a killer rhythm guitar sound, but is limited in most other respects, and I can get that sound out of a JVM with a few simple mods anyway!

All subjective, of course.

 

[RCM 800]

The AFD didnt get the old school tones? I was gonna say Id sell the JVM but maybe it would be better to just use the money from the AFD sale to get an SC or 2203/04 (marshall or clone) and see if they will work for you before you ditch the JVM. I know JVMs are cheaper in Europe but here in the states it just seems weird to me to have to mod a amp that costs so much. I would also worry about resale and just whether the mods would make things less reliable.

 

[Moony]

@spacerocker

And please don't forget the "Plexi Cap Mod" (the 0,68 or 1uF cathode bypass cap at R97).

 

[saxon68]

Save up for the mini and have both? Then you can make sure you’re happy with zero regrets.

I’ve known guys who got part time jobs for a short time to get something they really wanted. One worked 3 years of weekends to buy a Dodge Viper. That’s some serious dedication. To him it was worth it because he owned it outright.

 

[V-man]

a critical question you failed to address is why you are selling the AFD, which may shed more light on selling/modding the JVM. The other big factor we are missing is why you feel the need to sell TWO amps (one of which should fetch a NIB SC and the other, possibly as well)

 

[EJstrat&JVM]

Same question, why the heck did you sell the AFD100?

 

[Jethro Rocker]

I just did the neg feedback to mine, very simple, and it opens it up more, channel 2 is not overly compressed. The only mod I did. I would try that first, cheap n easy just need a pot.

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

@OP: Sell the JVM and buy something else that you are sure to like.

 

[ShatteredVitreous]

I had the almost exact dilemma but between a JVM and JCM800. I feared I would miss the versatility but took the plunge. Not a single regret, didn’t miss the JVM.

Then I stupidly sold the JCM, but now have an SC20H and couldn’t be happier.

Why tone chase when you can just buy the tone. It will never be the same.

 

[PelliX]

Why tone chase when you can just buy the tone. It will never be the same.

Yeah, but the tone is still always in the next thing you don't have, right.

 

[Moony]

Yeah, but the tone is still always in the next thing you don't have, right.

Yeah, tone chasing is like this

 

[MoonKnighter]

My 2Cent opinion.

Keep The JVM and make the right mods.
I did it and now i'd never get rid of the JVM. I got everything and with quality, versatility.
Do the right thing: do the right mods

 

[maxxi]

a critical question you failed to address is why you are selling the AFD, which may shed more light on selling/modding the JVM. The other big factor we are missing is why you feel the need to sell TWO amps (one of which should fetch a NIB SC and the other, possibly as well)

The reason for selling The AFD is because I have a love/hate relationship with it for years, and 3 amps is a bit much at this moment.
It has something going on in the high end that i can't dial out, regardless of what speaker I use.

And as the AFD fetches quite some money it seems a good time to part with it.
Don't get me wrong, the AFD is a great amp that sits very well in a mix, but seeing I mostly play at home it's time to try something else.

The reasons to maybe mod the JVM are;
- I already own a JVM
- the JVM sits very close to a jcm800 tonaly
- the mods seem like a tech shouldn't charge a fortune for it.

Reasons for not modding the JVM:
- no guarantee i will like the amp more after mods
- not certain if mods will get me the tone i am looking for.

 

[maxxi]

Btw, does anyone have some sound clips of their modded JVM? I'm interested in the NFB and anti compression mods to let the amp breathe a bit more

 

[EJstrat&JVM]

I would get a Friedman Small Box and call it a day, it's like a hot rodded Plexi, but with a better master volume and no hum.