J Moose
New member
Can a Marshall really be "out-Marshalled"? I played some "new" ones today...
I'm a fairly picky guy. I pretty firmly believe that only a Fender/Gibson/etc is gonna sound, respond & vibe "right" and like it's supposed to be no matter how "good" the other thing might be. Anderson or Suhr Strats are a great example... Heritage vs. Gibson etc.
I've owned a 2205 for a long time, about 9-10 years now. It's an '84 with 6550's and a few years back I had a very competent & respected tech modify the dirt channel using an idea I had. He ripped out the diode clipping for LED and made changes to the tone stack & basically turned it into a mini-Jubilee. It sounds killer. Massively thick. Plenty of gain is there, enough to satisfy all the but the most extreme gainfreaks.
I also own a Rivera Rake Reverb head... 55 watts, two channels... like a blackface & '70s Marshall + in the same box. Again, super responsive... plenty of gain (w/boost on) and lots of tonal possibility's. It covers some, even most of the same ground as the 800... the midrange is so much more aggressive & forward, very enjoyable to play & it records really really well. Very picky about speakers & cab though...
While the Rivera has this midrange onslaught & is very 'tight' overall, especially on the bottom end, the 800 has a "whomp" and fullness that only comes from a Marshall & has a slightly wider "usable" EQ range. Different sure, but in the same ballpark. Overall the Rivera can also cover a LOT more ground then the 800 which is more of a one-trick pony. But it's a freakin' GREAT trick!
Anyway... as of late I've been thinking about parting with one of these heads to free up some cash & get something different like a Soldano or Orange... maybe another Boogie.
Today I played a Vintage Modern head & matching cab. Spent maybe 5-10 minutes on it before deciding it wasn't for me. It sounded good and all... but it was lacking something. It felt kind of "solid-state" and had a 'buzz' to the top end that didn't disappear even with the presence & treble totally off. It seemed like the tone controls didn't do much of anything really, it was all in the body & gain controls. It DID have the "whomp" in spades... but overall I like my 800 a whole lot more.
I didn't try the JVM, just NOT interested in a massive channel switcher. I don't need that for what I do & have known too many guys who have problems with the 30th Anniversary & TSL heads to go down that path. The Kerry King 800 was insane, but again...my 800 was so similar that its not in the running.
For the record I do like the JCM 2000 DSL's a whole lot. They record well & respond nicely... not a JCM 900 fan but the SLX heads are kinda dope.
This whole thing has me wondering...
Can a Marshall be out-Marshalled?
I'm a fairly picky guy. I pretty firmly believe that only a Fender/Gibson/etc is gonna sound, respond & vibe "right" and like it's supposed to be no matter how "good" the other thing might be. Anderson or Suhr Strats are a great example... Heritage vs. Gibson etc.
I've owned a 2205 for a long time, about 9-10 years now. It's an '84 with 6550's and a few years back I had a very competent & respected tech modify the dirt channel using an idea I had. He ripped out the diode clipping for LED and made changes to the tone stack & basically turned it into a mini-Jubilee. It sounds killer. Massively thick. Plenty of gain is there, enough to satisfy all the but the most extreme gainfreaks.
I also own a Rivera Rake Reverb head... 55 watts, two channels... like a blackface & '70s Marshall + in the same box. Again, super responsive... plenty of gain (w/boost on) and lots of tonal possibility's. It covers some, even most of the same ground as the 800... the midrange is so much more aggressive & forward, very enjoyable to play & it records really really well. Very picky about speakers & cab though...
While the Rivera has this midrange onslaught & is very 'tight' overall, especially on the bottom end, the 800 has a "whomp" and fullness that only comes from a Marshall & has a slightly wider "usable" EQ range. Different sure, but in the same ballpark. Overall the Rivera can also cover a LOT more ground then the 800 which is more of a one-trick pony. But it's a freakin' GREAT trick!
Anyway... as of late I've been thinking about parting with one of these heads to free up some cash & get something different like a Soldano or Orange... maybe another Boogie.
Today I played a Vintage Modern head & matching cab. Spent maybe 5-10 minutes on it before deciding it wasn't for me. It sounded good and all... but it was lacking something. It felt kind of "solid-state" and had a 'buzz' to the top end that didn't disappear even with the presence & treble totally off. It seemed like the tone controls didn't do much of anything really, it was all in the body & gain controls. It DID have the "whomp" in spades... but overall I like my 800 a whole lot more.
I didn't try the JVM, just NOT interested in a massive channel switcher. I don't need that for what I do & have known too many guys who have problems with the 30th Anniversary & TSL heads to go down that path. The Kerry King 800 was insane, but again...my 800 was so similar that its not in the running.
For the record I do like the JCM 2000 DSL's a whole lot. They record well & respond nicely... not a JCM 900 fan but the SLX heads are kinda dope.
This whole thing has me wondering...
Can a Marshall be out-Marshalled?
