Trying to find that 800 sound

[solarburn]

I'd still pedal that Ori20. Its way cheaper and you can get close with pedals. I can get my DSL40C crunch channel pedaled to run 800 like. Loaded with a Celestion Gold.



If i was going to go with another amp it would be a 5150 Iconic for anything 80's and 800 like. Green OD channel all day. Pedal that channel anything from that era. Especially with an SD1. Ive got 2 Iconics. Affordable Marshall 800's on the Green OD channel. Into a 412 with Heritage GB's, 412 H30/Heritage 65's, and 412 H30/V30. Iconic is a no joke Marshall cousin. Did i say affordable? Why yes. Yes I deed.

 

[Matthews Guitars]

Read again in that same article, farther down the page. The Out of the Cellar album was cut using a Rivera Super Champ plugged into an Orange 1x12 with an EVM-12L in it. And other effects were no doubt part of the formula.

Yes, of course Marshalls were also used, but the original tone was built around that Champ.

 

[Derek S]

The Friedman stuff is VERY 800ish IME...if you can't afford the Smallbox at the moment, try the BE-OD pedal, think you'll be impressed.

 

[Edgar Frog]

I don't seek out to replicate anyone's specific tone but I definitely go for the 80's sound as my main tone. With my ORI20H the main thing I do is crank the preamp gain to 3 o'clock, higher or all the way and set volume with the master. I don't do like most and crank the master and set volume with the gain, I do the exact opposite. Then from there I use either my Ibanez TS7 Tube Screamer as a boost or add some gain as well, or I use my Rat 2 the same way. Layering them on top of the amps built in boost works great as well. My speakers are 2 1x12 greenback's in a stack.

All the tone controls, tilt and presence are always in different places on any given day. So no set place on those but noon is always a good place to start. I have horrible chronic tinnitus so my ears are different everyday. I do run the tilt at noon a lot of the times but it definitely doesn't stay there. I also use both pedals stacked sometimes (TS boosting Rat) and also use each one as my straight up dirt/distortion pedals like they were designed to be used. Both can get some great 80's tones all on their own.

I can get a lot of good preamp gain out of the amp with the TS cranked with the hot switch on and the amp boost turned on. I keep the power section relatively clean especially for my time based effects (flanger, chorus, delay, reverb) in the loop. IMHO for the 80's rock and metal tones (I don't call it hair metal) the preamp gain works best. Most were running the front end hot with hot pups and boosting the front end and or layering with dirt pedals. In the end there is no one way to get there.

You just need to experiment like I did and find what sounds best to your ears. Like I said I don't chaise any specific artist tone, only my own. I'm not a pro and only play at home for my own entertainment and learned to shape everything on my own and with my ears. So take everything with a grain of salt as they say.

 

[Gunner64]

Klon klone Pedal. Or headfirst mod. I have both and it can get pretty close to 2204ish tone. Not as close as my 2k dsl100 with a clean boost, but in the ballpark for sure.

80s tone...ADA MP1. Your Ratt, Warrant, White Lion, Skid Row, Dokken tone in 1 rack space. They're going for 5 to 800 bucks now.

 

[paul-e-mann]

So I play a lot of 80's music.... GNR, Ratt...
I haven't been able to find the tone, I'm looking for.
Right now I have an Origin 20 going through 4x12 1960, with 2 greenbacks and 2 VG30s. I've changed the tubes and I've done a lot of research on knob adjustments. All has helped a lot. It sounds great for classic rock, like Led Zep. The highs and mids sound ok but the lows sound flat.
I would really want a JCM800, but can't afford a used or reissue. So I'm trying to look at my alternatives....
1. Mod my Origin20, even though it's only 6 months old.
2. Get a JCM900, readily available and easier to mod, to get to that sound.
3. Trade my Origin for a mini JCM800. A little more on the expense side. But not sure how close I would come. I've read people stating it doesn't really sound like an 800.
So as an example of the tone I'm looking for, listen to GNR Rocket Queen.
Thoughts? Suggestions?

Thanks

Ditch the Origin and get a proper 800. SC20H or 2204/2203. Or have a clone built - Ceriatone, etc.

SC20H sounds spot on to a full size 800, just not as big sounding.

 

[marshallmellowed]

DSL has too many gain stages. Will never have an 800 sound. The midrange is just off. Missing frequencies and midrange punch that an Eq pedal won't bring back. I've been thru 3 different dsls and fought with all of them. Trying to unload one right now for next to nothing.

Exactly my experience. Modded my 100H quite a bit. At this point in life I've decided that, if I'm having to mod an amp that much to get the sound I want, I just need to move it on to someone else. The new owner liked the mods, so a win-win.

 

[TXOldRedRocker]

Plexi Breed - Electric guitar pedal - Plexi 1987, 1959, JTM45 Overdrive, Distortion, Preamp - Colombo Audio Electronics Guitar preamp pedal based on the glorious tones of Marshall Plexi heads. Faithful in all its features, the history of rock in a pedal. colomboaudioelectronics.it

Fantastic MIAB.

 

[armandodiaz]

Thanks for all the suggestions. So the settings I'm using are so....
Presence: 8
Master: 8
Tone: 4-8
Mid: 6-8
Bass: 0
Tone: 7
Gain: 8

I've tried a Tube Screamer and I have an Electro Harmonix OD. They sound ok, but they take a lot of the clarity away, even with the gain at 9 o'clock. I've been thinking of looking at other OD pedals... SD-1, Blues Breaker, Fulltone Full-Drive2.

As for guitars I have a Les Paul with Burstbuckers and an Explorer with JB's.

i admit I've only used the lowest vol setting. I'm planning on getting (or building) an attenuator, so I can use the highest setting. I will need one no matter what decision I make.

 

[armandodiaz]

The SC is still not quite the real deal. A clone will sound spot on. A 2203 clone will cost you less than the 20 watter, and it will sound better if done right. It will be indistinguishable from the real deal. I tried my 2024 clone side by side with a 2204 and the result made me smile a big happy smile. Cost me about 1200 Canadian.

I've always wanted to do a clone. Do you suggest any? Maybe Mojotone? I also know about the Chinees kits from KLD, they have a 25w version.

 

[fitz]

I've always wanted to do a clone. Do you suggest any? Maybe Mojotone? I also know about the Chinees kits from KLD, they have a 25w version.

British Style JCM800 2204 HW - Ceriatone

The Ceriatone British Style 2204 HW is our take on a timeless amplifier design first introduced in the 1970s.

ceriatone.com

 

[vivanchenko]

I've always wanted to do a clone. Do you suggest any? Maybe Mojotone? I also know about the Chinees kits from KLD, they have a 25w version.

I bought all parts separately, choosing the best ones I could find. The JCM 800 has the same transformers as the Plexy.

It is very easy to mod any Plexi kit into a 2204/03 kit. The only thing that's different is just a few resistors and caps in the preamp. My 2204 started off as a Plexi clone too. I like it in the 2204 incarnation much better.

Here it is. Looks more like a JMP. The amp still has a plexi faceplate. Two of the 4 input jacks are dummies. Inside and specwise it's an exact JCM 800 clone.

 

[qautomat]

Flamma FS06 as preamp in beginin and Ori preamp for clean at the end

 

[Beryllium-9]

 

[guitarbilly74]

Get a Boss SD-1 and try to push your Origin with it. Even if it's not 100% there and you still end up wanting the 800 clone, you will still need to push an 800 with the SD-1 to get "80's tones" so the SD-1 won't go to waste..

For clones, look at Ceriatone or Mojotone. Jet City also has a 50w 800 style amp that is pretty good for the money. The DSL100H will work too. In fact, I have a 1987X, a 2203 clone and the DSL100H and the DSL is the amp I gig with the most. It's inexpensive, easy to get a good tone at any volume and it sounds like a good Marshall should.

But start with the Sd-1 into your current amp. It's only $50 and you will be able to use it with any amp you end up buying.

 

[paul-e-mann]

Thanks for all the suggestions. So the settings I'm using are so....
Presence: 8
Master: 8
Tone: 4-8
Mid: 6-8
Bass: 0
Tone: 7
Gain: 8

I've tried a Tube Screamer and I have an Electro Harmonix OD. They sound ok, but they take a lot of the clarity away, even with the gain at 9 o'clock. I've been thinking of looking at other OD pedals... SD-1, Blues Breaker, Fulltone Full-Drive2.

As for guitars I have a Les Paul with Burstbuckers and an Explorer with JB's.

i admit I've only used the lowest vol setting. I'm planning on getting (or building) an attenuator, so I can use the highest setting. I will need one no matter what decision I make.

To get better clarity set your OD pedal as a clean boost, pedal volume dimed and gain off. Dial some gain into the amp and hit it with a clean boost.

 

[armandodiaz]

Yup, that's the sound I'm looking for.

 

[V-man]

Yup, that's the sound I'm looking for.

Hence my initial advice.

To recap (with what everybody folded in)

If you LOVE the Origin for what it is as it is on vintage lo-gain tones, a pedal may be worth trying to expand the amp you already love’s range. Even if it doesn’t nail it, you would probably keep the Origin you love and add another.

HOWEVER, if you simply like the Origin but not that much (i.e., would be willing to mod it to what it’s not and not sweat losing the original voicing of the amp), why waste time and money for a “duct tape & bubblegum 800?”

The absolute best solution here is a 2203/2204 of whatever year, but it’s prohibitively expemsive.

The most convenient and practical solution is the SC-20, which has the sole drawback of smaller transformers.

The most tailored solution might be something like a stock or modded MkIII, but that’s the most risky and least bang for the buck (affordable amp + mod costs + potential service/repair -caps, etc) may outpace the price of a new SC-20

 

[Musicmaniac]

SC20H or save for the real thing, it's worth it!

 

[kysrsoze]

When I still had my O20, I thought it sounded killer with an SD-1 or a Friedman BE-OD in front… and right where you’re trying to get IMO. I also have toyed with an OD that allowed you to boost a specific mid frequency, and it helped dial in that nasally snarl characteristic. But you could do the same thing with an EQ pedal.

If you insist on buying an amp that easily gets there and doesn’t cost a small fortune, the EVH Iconic is it. It’s a brilliant amp.