Would you Bother?

[8bit Barry]

Would you be kind enough to help me choose. I have bought the following Marshall amps over the last 35 years, all second hand, most before the advent of the internet / eBay. I play them all, swap them around regularly, I’m not a collector, but I love characterful amps.

2204 JMP 50w (essential!)
2144 JMP 50w combo (don’t use much due to 2204)
1963 Super PA (being modded to Super Lead / Bass)
1987x Plexi Reissue (incredible so good!)
9005 + JMP1 (absolute metal heaven)

After borrowing my brother in laws 4100, I’m considering something else for a more high gain 90’s sound…

2555x Silver Jubilee
JCM900 SLX
JCM900 Mk3

Do you think the gap in the weapons cabinet is wide enough for one of the above?

I’m leaning towards the 2555x.

 

[Geeze]

I've have many of the amps you listed. I tend to like the NMV Marshalls as they are more raw sounding. The reason I say that is I owned a 2555X and it was too smooth. It did have an amazing clean channel. The 900 MK3 was a monster that needed to be loud to really give up the goods. I've heard good things about the JVM410 series but haven't played one.

Maybe you should take a tour through the other 90's amps if you're looking to widen your tone palette. Dual Rec, 5150, Elmwood or some of the hot-rodded Marshall mfgs.

Also with any number of pedals you can push your stable into any genre of hard/heavy/metal. Empress Menace is my current favorite with the NMV amps. And then there is the deep dark rabbit hole of speakers to fall into.

Russ

 

[FleshOnGear]

@8bit Barry, out of the amps you listed the JCM900’s have more gain than the Jubilee, if high gain is what you’re after. I would think your JMP1 rig would scratch that itch, though. Anyway, I tend to think that more is more, so why not grab another?

Russ has a good point about looking at other brands, but if you’re set on another Marshall, I’d go with the SLX. I know you didn’t ask, but I will just mention that the 5150III blue channel is amazing.

 

[Tatzmann]

I'd skip those amps, mainly because those sounds can be more or less replicated with stompboxes infront of your 2204/1987.

I'd suggest putting a HotMod into your 2144 combo...that way you have your dedicated highgain alltube amp plus your combo gets more usage.

Double-Win.

Edit: Just looked up the 2144. It has a different pre-amp setup than a 2204, so i'm not sure if a conventional HotMod works in there atm.

 

[PelliX]

I tend to agree with the @FleshOnGear and @Tatzmann in that you can simply push your 2204 and co harder, but *if* you're set on another amp, the SLX. No diode clipping (until you put whatever pedal in the loop), plenty of gain. Might sound 'bigger' than the JMP1 if that's what you're after...

Good luck choosing!

 

[67mike]

I would try a 2555x and JVM in store.

BTW if you dial in the 2555x ....it is anything but smooth....it will rip faces off! It can also be dialed in to be smooth almost Mesa like od as well.

Try em

 

[8bit Barry]

Thanks everyone - that’s great advice so far. I’ve only just started reading about the SLX.

I am concerned choosing the 2555x is too similar to the 2204, but there’s always a certain amount of overlap I guess.

 

[67mike]

Thanks everyone - that’s great advice so far. I’ve only just started reading about the SLX.

I am concerned choosing the 2555x is too similar to the 2204, but there’s always a certain amount of overlap I guess.

I have a 2555x, 2204, and 2203. Different enough to own em all.

 

[8bit Barry]

After listening to videos on the JCM900 SLX, Mk3 and the 2555x I think I feel more interested in the Silver Jubilee... now I have to try one out...

 

[paul-e-mann]

After listening to videos on the JCM900 SLX, Mk3 and the 2555x I think I feel more interested in the Silver Jubilee... now I have to try one out...

Look into popping a hot mod into your 2144.

 

[V-man]

Gain is not a problem. 2203/4s are 60’s muscle cars- there’s no end of shit you can bolt on to add horsepower, including internal amp, external tube, and external diode distortion. Lots of jackasses complained about 800s not having enough gain/needing a boost for hi-gain metal… then 4 threads down extol the virtues of their 6505… when it’s boosted (morons).

The problem for 800s (and this is subjective/not nec a problem at all) is voicing, not gain. Adding gain is easy. Changing the voicing (shifting mids to a modern tone) will require more work/gear. I had the Jubilee and 2 “Modern” voiced Marshalls. They were played less than the 2203s and eventually sold off. It would be nice to have them back on a whim, but if it never happened, I’d live. The same would not be true if I had no 2203.

 

[Michael Roe]

Would you be kind enough to help me choose. I have bought the following Marshall amps over the last 35 years, all second hand, most before the advent of the internet / eBay. I play them all, swap them around regularly, I’m not a collector, but I love characterful amps.

2204 JMP 50w (essential!)
2144 JMP 50w combo (don’t use much due to 2204)
1963 Super PA (being modded to Super Lead / Bass)
1987x Plexi Reissue (incredible so good!)
9005 + JMP1 (absolute metal heaven)

After borrowing my brother in laws 4100, I’m considering something else for a more high gain 90’s sound…

2555x Silver Jubilee
JCM900 SLX
JCM900 Mk3

Do you think the gap in the weapons cabinet is wide enough for one of the above?

I’m leaning towards the 2555x.

Maybe try a BBE Sonic maximizer between your JMP-1 and 9005. Before you chug the first chord, set both the BBE knobs to about 1'Oclock. Adjust all bass and treble/Presence and gain knobs back a notch or two.

 

[Sg-ocaster]

SLX

 

[8bit Barry]

SLX

Can I ask what makes you say that? I see you owned a Silver Jubilee....

 

[8bit Barry]

Maybe try a BBE Sonic maximizer between your JMP-1 and 9005. Before you chug the first chord, set both the BBE knobs to about 1'Oclock. Adjust all bass and treble/Presence and gain knobs back a notch or two.

Never heard of that - I have a space left in my rack. I can't say the 9001/9005 is lacking but always interested in improving things. Do you have one yourself?

 

[Michael Roe]

Never heard of that - I have a space left in my rack. I can't say the 9001/9005 is lacking but always interested in improving things. Do you have one yourself?

That was a very common thing to do back in the 90's. TBH, at least in my area, I think I was the first to use one with a guitar rig. Yes, I have one and have always used it after the JMP-1.
The JMP-1 has a fixed tone stack under the hood. So, really no BMT controls that you can adjust. Which I assume has lots of mids. The BMT&P controls are really just a 4 band graphic EQ. I never knew this until recently when I got a Fractal Axe Fx III which has models of all the chs on the JMP-1.
This made total sense to me because I never really liked the sound of a graphic EQ. I always adjusted those BMT &P knobs very little.
The BBE claims it adds punch by aligning the low and high frequencies. Some guys say it is snake oil and just a fancy scooped EQ. I agree it does add a bit of a scooped tone and a bit of a boost but I do believe it does what it claims for the punch (Phase alignment). IMHO, the BBE works best for a heavy chugging type tone and for a player who has a heavy/dynamic picking technique. Most of the time I spent using the JMP-1/BBE it was using a JCM 2K DSL as a power amp along with a Marshall 4x12 B cab loaded with T75s. It also works great with a Greenback loaded cab for some more mids and a more classic rock tone. Most importantly, ONLY use a BBE with a serial loop or preamp>BBE>power amp. A parallel loop will cause the tone to be out of phase which kind of proves that the BBE is not snake oil .
Oh, and to your original question of this thread, Get a DSL and a BBE and have some fun. Oh yeah, you probably will need to turn any resonance or deep switch off or down more than normal.

 

[8bit Barry]

The BMT&P controls are really just a 4 band graphic EQ. I never knew this until recently when I got a Fractal Axe Fx III which has models of all the chs on the JMP-1.
This made total sense to me because I never really liked the sound of a graphic EQ. I always adjusted those BMT &P knobs very little.

Well I never knew that. I use mine with a Zoom 9050 which has a competent EQ, but i do use the JMP1 BMTP controls.

This BBE does sound like a cool low cost addition to a setup that’s used for chugging.

Do you have an old one or a newer red / silver one?

 

[Michael Roe]

Well I never knew that. I use mine with a Zoom 9050 which has a competent EQ, but i do use the JMP1 BMTP controls.

This BBE does sound like a cool low cost addition to a setup that’s used for chugging.

Do you have an old one or a newer red / silver one?

My current one is a red/silver.

 

[Michael Roe]

Well I never knew that. I use mine with a Zoom 9050 which has a competent EQ, but i do use the JMP1 BMTP controls.

This BBE does sound like a cool low cost addition to a setup that’s used for chugging.

Do you have an old one or a newer red / silver one?

Here is a vid of me and some former band mates trying to play some original tunes we wrote back in the late 90's. We hadn't played together for about 20 years! The first minute or so we couldn't remember how that song went. Then we actually get through one of the songs. Funny thing is that I originally used an Ibanez and used a trem during one part of the song. That didn't work with a Les Paul!
Anyhow, the rig I am playing through is the JMP-1 with the BBE and DSL . Although, there is a Bogner cab there I believe there was a 1960Ax cab not in the shot that I was using as a cab.
Obviously, this was recorded with a cell phone.

 

[Adrian R]

Here is a vid of me and some former band mates trying to play some original tunes we wrote back in the late 90's. We hadn't played together for about 20 years! The first minute or so we couldn't remember how that song went. Then we actually get through one of the songs. Funny thing is that I originally used an Ibanez and used a trem during one part of the song. That didn't work with a Les Paul!
Anyhow, the rig I am playing through is the JMP-1 with the BBE and DSL . Although, there is a Bogner cab there I believe there was a 1960Ax cab not in the shot that I was using as a cab.
Obviously, this was recorded with a cell phone.

Metallica!!