Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

[Gamera]

Yay? Nay? Pros? Cons?

I'm looking for my holy grail amp. Needs to go from Trowery, distorted single coils to chunky, fat, crunchy, old school metal. I don't have a problem with boosting it with a tube screamer or similar. I don't have much use for cleans although I appreciate them. Opinions? If yes, what should I look for in a 2x12 cabinet? If no, why?

[ItsaBass]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

I loved my JCM900. It was a head, but it was the 100W version, not the 50W. It was a pretty versatile amp for a Marshall. Still nowhere near as versatile as a Fender or Ampeg, though. I liked the dual reverb, dual master/gain controls and the half power switch. The only drawback to the controls was a common one in amps: shared E.Q. by both channels. I sold it to a friend. While I sometimes regret that, I don't think I would trade any of my Ampegs to have it back. And, honestly, as much as I loved it, it always sounded best when being used alongside an Ampeg V-4, not as a standalone amp.

Take a look at Mesa F50 or F30 heads on the used market. They are one of the most versatile amps I've ever played that still had a definite personality. They've been replaced by the Express series, which I actually like better, as the OD channel is not as over the top, and there are voicing switches for each channel, as opposed to pull-bright switches. However, for what you describe, I think an F series amp would be a tad better than an Express.

[GLJazz]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

I had a JCM900 - mine was the 4100 so the 100w with scale down to 50w played through a v30 loaded 4x12. I never jived. Definitely not a wide array of sounds, required some components touched up a few times.

Have you played any of the recto series?

[Gamera]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

Have you played any of the recto series?

Not actually played through but I am familiar with the sounds. Very nice but just a tad over the top and industrial to my ears. And I don't know if I've ever heard a single coil through them. Based on what I have heard, I have a hard time thinking I could do the more organic Trower/Hendrix single coil thing with them. No?

[JCM900MkIII]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

Trower played JCM900 Dual Reverbs in this tour, so that department has it covered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0d1HilfLxA

For metal tones, go check the Marshall forums. There are a couple of members with 900 DR's that play metalz.

Not sure if it would fit the "holy grail" bit though.
If you want a Marshall, get an 800 or a Vintage Modern. The VM covers both bases.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

they are okay, but they are geared towards a midrangey high gain sound. The clean channel shares the same eq as the lead channel and is not too inspring. ITs a good workhorse amp for late 80s rock tones. If thats what you are after then go fo it.
i used a jcm 900 dual reverb 100watter for many years. Currently have a 900 MKIII 100 watt combo too. The master volume models sound better than the dual reverb ones IMO

[Robert S.]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

I was never a fan of the 900s but some folks have success with them. The Plexis, 800s and even the DSL heads were more my speed.

[marcello252]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

I was never a fan of the 900s but some folks have success with them. The Plexis, 800s and even the DSL heads were more my speed.

+1

I had two Jcm 900 in the past, one the common 2 channels head and the other was the SL-X 50W, I really liked the second one only, the 4500 sounded sterile and harsh to my ears.
I think the SL-X was an underrated amp.

[dr. ad]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

i have one... don't do it man.
if you really want a 2-channel marshall get a DSL
you have to jumper the effects loop (to get the whole preamp working) and run it in pentode mode to get it happening, and it's still just fake-sounding dirt and a very marshally clean channel.
funnily enough, running the clean channel hot is the way i usually use mine; and there are other options as far as 2x6L6 'clean' amps go

i much prefer my 15W night train

[dr. ad]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

you could look for a TSL 2x12 combo, i think they have a V30 and a H30 as standard

[marcello252]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

you could look for a TSL 2x12 combo, i think they have a V30 and a H30 as standard

I put it in the same sound category as the jcm900 2 4500, no doubts.
In another thread there was some debate on TSL vs. DSL and it appears the DSL wins hands down, although the circuits are similar

[dr. ad]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

sounds like it's DSLFTW

[Gamera]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

Thanks for the opinions. Maybe I'll keep looking. I should also mention that the amp this would be replacing is a Genz Benz El Diablo 60W combo. It would need to be better than that or no dice.

[JeffB]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

I was never a fan of the 900s but some folks have success with them. The Plexis, 800s and even the DSL heads were more my speed.

+2. Also check out the vintage modern. Which also happens to be Trowers current weapon of choice

[marcello252]

Re: Marshall JCM900 4500 50W head

Also check out the vintage modern

I heard a guy playing the vintage modern live and it was very good, but his sound was too much effected to correctly judge