So I got some cash to spend on a 100 watt head Vintage Modern vs JVM

[lowendpurveyor]

I'm looking to buy a 100 watt head. I've already got a DSL 100 but am looking for another head as a main gigging amp. At the moment I am weighing up the pros and cons of the Vintage Modern vs the JVM. The JVM I believe is more versatile but I am really liking the sound of the Vintage Modern distortion. To me the JVM distortion sounds more like the DSL which in my opinion is a little bit more boxy and fuzzy sounding while the Vintage Modern's distortion is more creamy and smooth. I'm not too familiar with single channel amps, does that mean you can only clean up by turning down the gain? Which one would you guy's recommend? I'm basically looking for a good clean and dirty channel. The dirty channel has to be versatile enough to play hard rock/metal rhythms as well as leads. The JVMs options seem a tad to versatile to me at this stage. While I am at it I am also considering a Peavey 6534+ (which I don't believe has a clean) and an Orange TH100

 

[diesect20022000]

If you have too much trouble deciding get the fortin modified VM. It's a BEAST.
That said i play metal and rock too and i'd have a hard time decind between them but, i think i'd end up with a VM just because there's a HUGE noise floor on the JVM's. They're both modern so they're probably not built amazingly as nothing is now but, yeah for modern metal the JVM will do it better but, I like going the path less traveled personaly.

I prefer the JVM and 800's in a blind tone test under hi gain though.

Play them both and go from there.

 

[medicjg]

I have a dsl 100 and a vm 2466. I run them both together split with a radial aby. There are pros and cons to both amps but combined the two are better than either alone. To be honest its fing brutal. I run both heads through a rivera stereo cab so there really is not much more to carry. Get a stereo cab or two 2x12 cabs. I promise that you wont be disappointed. I set the vm in the hdr and the dsl on the green 2 to get a great crunch and back the guitar volume off for cleans. For lead tone i switch the dsl to the red channel for more gain and with the vm its pure bliss. Get the VM

 

[TubeStack]

I have a 2466 and LOVE it, but one thing to be aware of is that it's not a two channel amp. It has two "dynamic ranges," but they're both part of the same channel.

The VM is mainly designed to get various levels of clean/dirty tones by turning the guitar's volume knob down/up. Originally the amp was not going to have the two dynamic ranges, it was only going to have the boosted 'high dynamic range' (which, to me, is really the heart of the amp). The original vision of the amp was the boosted, high dynamic range application, basically a hot-rodded JTM45.

The purpose of incorporating the two dynamic ranges is so that players with high-output pickups can access a greater range of clean sounds with the guitar's volume knob. When designing the amp, they found that players with hot pickups got a very dirty sound super-fast when turning their guitars up just a bit, in the bottom range of the guitar's volume knob.

Adding the low dynamic range provided the levels of clean/dirt that would be normally be between around 1-3 on the guitar's volume knob in high dynamic range, across the entire span of the guitar's volume knob, for players with hotter pickups. (All this info comes from the Vintage Modern Forum, where the amp's designer Steve Dawson is a member and posts regularly, which is so cool and helpful. You can literally PM him in the evening with a question and have an answer in the morning, such a great guy.)

If you're looking for smooth, creamy blues rock tones, the VM is definitely the one to go for. It can also be very rocking and aggressive, but it's generally always got that KT-66 smoothness. It's amazing how much it still has that Marshall roar, yet has its own unique vibe going on. Killer Marshall!

 

[big dooley]

JVM vs VM makes no point, they are totally different from eachother

for gigging purposes where versatality is needed, the JVM is hard to beat, as it can do so much, while offering on the fly switching... especially the 4 channel version
for players that rely purely on their guitarcontrols, the VM is the amp to have

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

I'm looking to buy a 100 watt head. I've already got a DSL 100 but am looking for another head as a main gigging amp. At the moment I am weighing up the pros and cons of the Vintage Modern vs the JVM. The JVM I believe is more versatile but I am really liking the sound of the Vintage Modern distortion. To me the JVM distortion sounds more like the DSL which in my opinion is a little bit more boxy and fuzzy sounding while the Vintage Modern's distortion is more creamy and smooth. I'm not too familiar with single channel amps, does that mean you can only clean up by turning down the gain? Which one would you guy's recommend? I'm basically looking for a good clean and dirty channel. The dirty channel has to be versatile enough to play hard rock/metal rhythms as well as leads. The JVMs options seem a tad to versatile to me at this stage. While I am at it I am also considering a Peavey 6534+ (which I don't believe has a clean) and an Orange TH100

Hello. It's kinda hard to see how the DSL100 isn't doing it for you; it has good cleans, good rhythm, and a good high gain lead-type channel. The DSL100 is a pretty vicious amp that should be versatile enough to get you what you are looking for (good cleans+dirty channel for hard rock and metal rhythms as well as leads), but maybe you have some other kind of sound in mind.

If you need an amp with a true clean channel, the JVM is it. Speaker selection plays a big part in getting a good clean tone, but JVM cleans are generally some of the best if not the best to ever come from a Marshall at the onset of it's release. For classic rock, I recommend the following channels and modes: clean/orange, clean/red (good for bluesy solos, too), crunch green. For hard rock: crunch/orange (kick up the gain), crunch/red (turn back some of the gain), OD1/green. For metal, anything past OD1/green with gain set to your liking.

I agree with Dooley that the VM and JVM are worlds apart. Assuming no mods and no floor pedals (nothing but guitar+amp+cab), in a jamming situation, a JVM can more than keep up with a VM, but the VM cannot go into the sonic territory that a JVM can (specifically, the JVM 410H). There is no way a stock VM with no floor pedals can match the high gain tones of a JVM410H.

Of most importance, relying on the guitar's volume control to attain a pseudo clean tone will only work if everyone else in the band lowers their level. You need the bass, drums, keys (if applicable), and singer to all lower their volume and/or sing with less volume. Otherwise, everybody will be louder than you when you dial back the volume. This is a glaring practical idea that so many players ignore when they say, "I just roll back the volume for cleans." BS, I say. This only works if you are jamming by yourself or if the entire band lowers their volume, too. It has been my experience this creates more problems than solutions. All you will be doing is pissing off your bandmates, the house soundman, and the audience when they all end up saying, "turn it up! I can't hear you! why did you turn down your volume?"

 

[TubeStack]

Of most importance, relying on the guitar's volume control to attain a pseudo clean tone will only work if everyone else in the band lowers their level. You need the bass, drums, keys (if applicable), and singer to all lower their volume and/or sing with less volume. Otherwise, everybody will be louder than you when you dial back the volume.

This is not true at all. If the amp is designed for it, there's barely any volume difference whatsoever, just a difference in EQ and gain level. Esp. w/ the VM, it's amazing how well it performs this way. And if you're doing it right, it's suiting the section of the song you're in and matches what the rest of the band is doing.

 

[coldsteal2]

I use my low dynamic for low volume, and high dynamic for
high gain crunch and lead, its "like" having two chanels.

 

[big dooley]

i do play with the guitarvolume as well, for some nuances...
...also with the SD P-rails and triple shots on my LP the difference between outputs alone can give some nice effects
so a 4 channel/12mode amp with a lester that has 40 options, can give me anything i want...
but somehow i do like to add an AFD100 in the mix and team it up with the JVM as i've described in my marriage of the JVM and AFD-topic...

 

[Rockerduck]

one thing no one mentioned is that the VM 2466 can get a great sound at lower volumes. You don't have to crank it for a sweet spot. Therefore, you can play this amp at smaller events without being too loud or play outdoors and play it loud. It cuts through without having to crank it up also.

 

[crossroadsnyc]

Don't underestimate the versatility of the VM. While being a single channel amp, it will still deliver some of the best cleans you'll hear from a Marshall, not to mention provide enough gain for anything you could want up through early Metallica type gain levels (first two albums). If you're in need of modern metal tones, you'd be pleased to see how well the VM takes pedals (and hey, if you need to step on a channel switching pedal w/a JVM, then stepping on a pedal isn't such a big deal anyway). In between, you'll find everything else you would want for any application ... blues, classic rock, hard rock, classic metal, hair metal, whatever ... it's all there.

Don't be scared off by using the volume knob. The amp was designed to be very interactive with your guitar, which is something that only enhances the versatility. It might take you a couple of weeks to get use to it, but once you do it will be second nature. Between the volume knob, and perhaps one or two pedals, you can do everything a 4 channel JVM will give you (and you'll actually do less tap dancing than having to switch through all of those JVM channels).

I think the JVM is a kick ass amp. You really can't go wrong w/them ... they have a ton of options, and they sound really good. Then again, even my least favorite Marshall amps sound pretty damn good to me!

 

[coldsteal2]

one thing no one mentioned is that the VM 2466 can get a great sound at lower volumes. You don't have to crank it for a sweet spot. Therefore, you can play this amp at smaller events without being too loud or play outdoors and play it loud. It cuts through without having to crank it up also.

Yea i can actualy crank my VM at a lower volume than
my 5 watt class five, and with full saturated gain.
You can use it easliy as a bedroom amp

 

[TubeStack]

one thing no one mentioned is that the VM 2466 can get a great sound at lower volumes. You don't have to crank it for a sweet spot. Therefore, you can play this amp at smaller events without being too loud or play outdoors and play it loud. It cuts through without having to crank it up also.

This is very true. I get a good tone for writing/jamming in my basement, with the volume at 1 or so. You can also get a good sound with the MV at 3 or 4, for gigs where volume is an issue, etc. Although I've usually been able to get it to at least 5 at most bars, even tiny ones. The tone is so smooth and rich, you don't notice the volume as much. (Of course, nothing beats getting it to 6 or higher. )

 

[TubeStack]

Also worth remembering is that the VM 2466 is really about an 80W amp, as it's rated 77W clean and 100W when overdriven, as opposed to most Marshalls which are 100W clean and way more when pushed.

This, to me, makes it the perfect wattage. Enough to get nice big lows and lots of punch and clarity, but also crank-able in most rock/blues settings.

 

[newbies]

I'd go jvm personally, love my 410h you have good cleans can go anywhere from 800s goodness to metalheaven & it sounds good at low bedroom levels aswell.

 

[bluesymetal]

+1 for the jvm especially if your considering a 6505+ as well, which does have a clean channel btw, as I don't think the vm has quite that amount of gain and low end thump as a 5150 type amp for metal. I recently sold a jvm 205 in favor of a 2204 however the 205 is a great amp. Someone stated before they are noisy but I didn't have that experience with the 205 I had. I had a 410 a few years ago that was the noiseist amp I've ever owned though. I would get a 205 if I were u and spring for the 410 footswitch so you could have presets for ever mode the amp offers on the fly. The jvm has way more gain and low end you'll need for metal ( I never ran my gain on the od channel past 4 and resonance past 5) plus great cleans and decent 800 tones all on the fly. The on board reverb is great and two solid effects loops. Also as stated before the master volume on these amps are killer, when I played shows where we micd and the sound guy had me turn down, I could up the gain a smidge and not miss a thing. I'm sure the vm is a great amp but the jvm can do a lot more in a live situation.

 

[lowendpurveyor]

Considering that I have a DSL 100 would you say that tonally it is in the same ball park as a JVM with the Vintage Modern being a different beast all together? From what I have heard the Vintage Modern is moder mid rangey, spongey and classic where the DSL and JVM are tighter.

 

[bluesymetal]

I would think the dsl green channel with the gain up would be similar to a vm. The ultra gain on the dsl is similar to the jvm's od channels, but I actually much prefer the jvm. It's always a matter of opinion with tone though. Honestly the dsl should cover the ground ur looking to cover, they all sound like marshall's ya know? No one in the crowd will know the difference. If your keeping the dsl you might want to consider a different brand to have something different than the Marshall sound. If you are gonna ditch the dsl though the jvm is a pretty amazing piece of gear and has a lot of different Marshall's in one box.

 

[Username2]

The DSL is still different then the JVM but if your question is which is closer then the JVM is. The VM is in its own class. The VM has KT66s and has its roots in a Hot Rod JTM period amp.

Man you have to vet your gear and that means more then just getting opinions here. Your chain, your guitar, your cabinet all play into the end sound. Take your guitar to the store and play them both.

 

[quiksilver98]

I'm looking to buy a 100 watt head. I've already got a DSL 100 but am looking for another head as a main gigging amp. At the moment I am weighing up the pros and cons of the Vintage Modern vs the JVM. The JVM I believe is more versatile but I am really liking the sound of the Vintage Modern distortion. To me the JVM distortion sounds more like the DSL which in my opinion is a little bit more boxy and fuzzy sounding while the Vintage Modern's distortion is more creamy and smooth. I'm not too familiar with single channel amps, does that mean you can only clean up by turning down the gain? Which one would you guy's recommend? I'm basically looking for a good clean and dirty channel. The dirty channel has to be versatile enough to play hard rock/metal rhythms as well as leads. The JVMs options seem a tad to versatile to me at this stage. While I am at it I am also considering a Peavey 6534+ (which I don't believe has a clean) and an Orange TH100

Well concerning your DSL there might be someting up with it. When I play mine, and it took me a while to find good settings, it takes up the whole room, lots of thud lllots of AWESOME tone.

MY vote either way is VM.....I tried the JVM and im sure I got faulty ones but I didnt like it, im open to tryin them again........but the best amp ive owned soo far in order is 1959slp, DSL100, VM 2266, AC30c2, JCM900.

The thing with the VM is you have to use your guitar volume control to alternate between clean and dirty. So you might a couple OD pedals for extra gain.