Anyone own/used Marshall JMP?
- Thread starter BluesGuyJ
- Start date
Re: Anyone own/used Marshall JMP?
The 4 input, non master volume jmp's have good clean tone imho. Not bright fender clean and sparkly, but warmer, darker and richer to my ears. Cranked up to 5 or 6 and you get a slight chimey overdrive. If you want a good idea of a jmp clean with a strat, listen to under the bridge by the chilli peppers. Frusciante plays a strat through a 4 input jmp. You can hear how the clean tones are full warm, yet is on the verge of overdrive. You can also listen to the cleaner tones of hendrix. Also, I believe some of the clean tones on Pearl Jam's early records were strats and lp's through a jmp marshall.
Now if you're talking about the late 70's 2204 type jmps, the cleans aren't that great. The late 70's Jmp 2204 heads are pretty much the prototype of what became the Jcm 800 2204. These are good for one thing, and thats to crunch hard. You can get a decent clean tone if you lower the preamp volume and plug into the lo input. You get a very dark, bassy tone. Almost bassman like, without the sparkle.
The 4 input, non master volume jmp's have good clean tone imho. Not bright fender clean and sparkly, but warmer, darker and richer to my ears. Cranked up to 5 or 6 and you get a slight chimey overdrive. If you want a good idea of a jmp clean with a strat, listen to under the bridge by the chilli peppers. Frusciante plays a strat through a 4 input jmp. You can hear how the clean tones are full warm, yet is on the verge of overdrive. You can also listen to the cleaner tones of hendrix. Also, I believe some of the clean tones on Pearl Jam's early records were strats and lp's through a jmp marshall.
Now if you're talking about the late 70's 2204 type jmps, the cleans aren't that great. The late 70's Jmp 2204 heads are pretty much the prototype of what became the Jcm 800 2204. These are good for one thing, and thats to crunch hard. You can get a decent clean tone if you lower the preamp volume and plug into the lo input. You get a very dark, bassy tone. Almost bassman like, without the sparkle.
75lespaul
New member
Re: Anyone own/used Marshall JMP?
Plus, I've noticed as far a pedals, each amp reacts differently. As far as pedals go, you've got to check each one to see if it sucks any tone out of your amp. I currently have an old sixties Univox amp that is just killer. I put an old '68 Marshall Supa-Fuzz (yes, it's Supa, not Super) pedal in front of it and when it was off, the amp sounded exactly the same as if I was plugged in direct. However when I plugged in my same year Vox Wah, it sounded ungodly with the wah but when the wah was off the sound was dull and lifeless. I had a true bypass installed and now it's great. Gotta watch out for that.
Plus, I've noticed as far a pedals, each amp reacts differently. As far as pedals go, you've got to check each one to see if it sucks any tone out of your amp. I currently have an old sixties Univox amp that is just killer. I put an old '68 Marshall Supa-Fuzz (yes, it's Supa, not Super) pedal in front of it and when it was off, the amp sounded exactly the same as if I was plugged in direct. However when I plugged in my same year Vox Wah, it sounded ungodly with the wah but when the wah was off the sound was dull and lifeless. I had a true bypass installed and now it's great. Gotta watch out for that.
Otis
New member
Re: Anyone own/used Marshall JMP?
This is subjective stuff. I've played through the same '72 or '73 50 watter (I forget) since about '74 and I do know the amps. They are picky with what you put in front of them. I'd rather just plug straight in and roll back the guitar behind the vocals and crank it for fills and solos. I took a metal fit through the late '70s and 80s and had a hell of a time finding an OD pedal that sounded good and now I can't remember what it was.
I am no help at all, am I? When you roll it back behind the verses, it'll clean up with enough definition to play chords out of your jazz book but it's never going to sound like a Twin Reverb on 3 or 4. I like that but I'm not you.
This is subjective stuff. I've played through the same '72 or '73 50 watter (I forget) since about '74 and I do know the amps. They are picky with what you put in front of them. I'd rather just plug straight in and roll back the guitar behind the vocals and crank it for fills and solos. I took a metal fit through the late '70s and 80s and had a hell of a time finding an OD pedal that sounded good and now I can't remember what it was.
I am no help at all, am I? When you roll it back behind the verses, it'll clean up with enough definition to play chords out of your jazz book but it's never going to sound like a Twin Reverb on 3 or 4. I like that but I'm not you.
Re: Anyone own/used Marshall JMP?
The thing is though is that I'm looking for an amp that has a good decent clean that I can throw a distortion, wah, chorus, delay, and maybe a compression pedal on top of. I play from Jazz(that's why I need a good decent clean), to blues and progresive metal. I know Satch uses a Marshall with a lot of pedals, I believe a Marshall 6100. That's what he used on the San Francisco CD/DVD, and it sounds like it takes great to pdals. That's why I was curious about the JMP. They've got good tone alone, but I was just curious as to how they took to pedals. Are there any other Marshalls that I should look into that take well to pedals?
The thing is though is that I'm looking for an amp that has a good decent clean that I can throw a distortion, wah, chorus, delay, and maybe a compression pedal on top of. I play from Jazz(that's why I need a good decent clean), to blues and progresive metal. I know Satch uses a Marshall with a lot of pedals, I believe a Marshall 6100. That's what he used on the San Francisco CD/DVD, and it sounds like it takes great to pdals. That's why I was curious about the JMP. They've got good tone alone, but I was just curious as to how they took to pedals. Are there any other Marshalls that I should look into that take well to pedals?
Alvin Lee Fan
New member
Re: Anyone own/used Marshall JMP?
I find those to be pretty individual sounding, hard to nail down the exact sound you'd get from one. I owned two '78 50 watt JMPs, Master Volume models. They were as different as night and day. One was full, lush, thick, great cleans and incredilbe crunch, the other was thin, bright and no guts. If you're looking to get one, be sure you try it out first.
I find those to be pretty individual sounding, hard to nail down the exact sound you'd get from one. I owned two '78 50 watt JMPs, Master Volume models. They were as different as night and day. One was full, lush, thick, great cleans and incredilbe crunch, the other was thin, bright and no guts. If you're looking to get one, be sure you try it out first.
CapoFirstFret
New member
Re: Anyone own/used Marshall JMP?
I owned a 1971 Marshall JMP Super Bass 100 watt head for a little while and while yes, when I got to crank it, the tone was godlike. But there wasn't a good clean tone to be found on that thing, and even after I pulled tubes to drop it to 50 watts, I couldn't get usuable tones out of it at a decent volume and definitely couldn't find a clean tone I liked. I'd say if you want versatility, Marshall JMP is the wrong place to go about it. I sold mine and bought a Mesa/Boogie Rect-o-verb single rectifier amp...and I haven't looked back once.
(btw, I play a lot of jazz, country, and blues...I'm not some nu-metal freak. I play my share of rock, and my blues has a *LOT* of edge, but for the most part, a great clean tone is the heart of my sound, so the marshall just didn't cut it)
I owned a 1971 Marshall JMP Super Bass 100 watt head for a little while and while yes, when I got to crank it, the tone was godlike. But there wasn't a good clean tone to be found on that thing, and even after I pulled tubes to drop it to 50 watts, I couldn't get usuable tones out of it at a decent volume and definitely couldn't find a clean tone I liked. I'd say if you want versatility, Marshall JMP is the wrong place to go about it. I sold mine and bought a Mesa/Boogie Rect-o-verb single rectifier amp...and I haven't looked back once.
(btw, I play a lot of jazz, country, and blues...I'm not some nu-metal freak. I play my share of rock, and my blues has a *LOT* of edge, but for the most part, a great clean tone is the heart of my sound, so the marshall just didn't cut it)
XSSIVE
OCDologist
Re: Anyone own/used Marshall JMP?
i own a near flawless 50W '79 JMP and it collects dust lol...i just had fresh tubes put in a few month back but it just doesn't have enough balls for me to play my style music through it without a pedal (and i'm not a pedal fan). as for your question mine seems to do clean real well it can get real loud and stay clean with no breakup until you really push it then comes a bit of grit which is nice for some music...it's distorted tones where i lacks a good kick to my ears at least. i think i'm going to eventually send mine to trace a voodoo amps and turn it into a monster to fit my needs since i won't sell it being that it was a gift from my older brother and my first amp.
-Mike
i own a near flawless 50W '79 JMP and it collects dust lol...i just had fresh tubes put in a few month back but it just doesn't have enough balls for me to play my style music through it without a pedal (and i'm not a pedal fan). as for your question mine seems to do clean real well it can get real loud and stay clean with no breakup until you really push it then comes a bit of grit which is nice for some music...it's distorted tones where i lacks a good kick to my ears at least. i think i'm going to eventually send mine to trace a voodoo amps and turn it into a monster to fit my needs since i won't sell it being that it was a gift from my older brother and my first amp.
-Mike
JeffB
Let it B
Re: Anyone own/used Marshall JMP?
I don't recall the model number ,but I had for a brief time an old late 70's JMP combo. 50 watter, MV,2x12 (kinda like a bluesbreaker). It had the knobs on top of the amp.
Stock it sounded horrible, both cranked and for cleans. Guy I got it from had put 6550s in it..blech. I was gonna get it modded, but decided to sell it to grab a new Les Paul. Guy who bought it had it rebiased for El34's and had another gain stage put in IIRC. It still sounded like crap, LOL. I think it really needed a speaker change too. Don't remember what kind were in it.
That was the second worst sounding marshall I owned/heard. Just awful.
I don't recall the model number ,but I had for a brief time an old late 70's JMP combo. 50 watter, MV,2x12 (kinda like a bluesbreaker). It had the knobs on top of the amp.
Stock it sounded horrible, both cranked and for cleans. Guy I got it from had put 6550s in it..blech. I was gonna get it modded, but decided to sell it to grab a new Les Paul. Guy who bought it had it rebiased for El34's and had another gain stage put in IIRC. It still sounded like crap, LOL. I think it really needed a speaker change too. Don't remember what kind were in it.
That was the second worst sounding marshall I owned/heard. Just awful.
