Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

cris_hendrix

cris_hendrix

New member
Hey fellows!
first, thank you for letting me be part of this community, i have a serious doubt.
I'm now into more sort of prog rock music (not metal tech math core...yadda yadda progresive), think of Steven Wilson, last Opeth records (i love that guitar sounds on "eternal rains will come", last Porcupine Tree albums, or mr. Guthrie Govan's tone that i found just perfect (gainy but defined, mid oriented) and thinking about sounds i believe that what i need is a marshall jcm 800. If it's that way, it's good because my ears are working, but not my wallet. So i made a list of possible candidates:
-Jetcity jca 50h (not my favourite, too much "dirty" gain)
-Blackstar HT 20h (sounds great, i had it and worked for me, but i used with a tele knock off so i'm not sure now)
-Victory V30 (sound is perfect, but moneywise....ughh)
-
My gear is a Prs SE singlecut with a Suhr SSV on neck and Duncan Pegasus on bridge, thru bb preamp thru volume, delay and amp (currently a Peavey XXX which i'm selling, 120 watts is overkill) and a 2x12 cabinet i'm planing loading with Celestion V-type and V30 speakers. So i realized i need an amp 50 watt at max, no less than 20, avoiding EL84 tubes (when they get too loud, they sound like crap :/ ) so i've been stuck on 50 watters.
I had a Laney GH50 that was nice but had a weird honky sound when i engaged the neck PU (probably due to the eminence GB128 that i hated and sold) and traded the head for the Peavey. So i feel lost, i can't get a tone i like. I love gainy but clean solos, good note separation, but i have the money issue, so i have a budget of $650 us dollars (head only) and here in Chile my posibilities are scarse to find something else-better-bestbangforthebuck sort of amp. But i would like to know what you guys think to help me decide which to buy, know your recomendations. AH, yes, i rely on amp gain for main dirt sound.
greetings and thanks!
what i look for in tone (kind of):







your help is welcome!!!
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

Here are the first two amps that come to mind when I hear that someone is looking for an 800.
If you get really lucky, you may find a Mesa Stiletto in that price range. I would keep an eye out for the old Sovtek amps, or the new EH mig 50 reissue.
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

I'm not sure how readily available they are in Chile, but a Peavey VTM is a fairly cheap JCM 800 clone. Out of all the options you listed, I'd go with the blackstar. I've played a few different models from the HT line and I have no doubt that it can pull off the kinds of tones you're going for.
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

dxlxntxxlxr said:
Peavey Windsor. About 200 bucks 100 watt all valve head
Click to expand...

I second this.

Also, here in America, JCM 2000 DSL100 and DSL50 amp heads can be found in the $400-$500 range with ease (I got my mint condition DSL100 head for $380).
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

cliffenstein said:
I second this.

Also, here in America, JCM 2000 DSL100 and DSL50 amp heads can be found in the $400-$500 range with ease (I got my mint condition DSL100 head for $380).
Click to expand...

Oh crap I forgot about the DSL aka the BEST AMP THAT MARSHALL HAS EVER MADE
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

cliffenstein said:
Haha...yep...classy looks and killer performance. I love mine!
Click to expand...
thank you all guys for your kind answers. I couldn't find a DSL 50 (they are pretty scarse here) I had a Dsl 100 i traded (now i regret) but i didn't enjoyed it's sound, and that strange delay in channel switching. I've moded it actually. But yes, if i had the chance to have a Dsl 50 i would have kept it. After months of changing the DSL 100 i've found a used Dsl50 for 1200 us dollars (the cheaper price i've found here) so it's out of reach anyway :( The crunch on channel 1 and the drive 1 were good, after the mod and when i had the celestion speaker sounded awesome (because i hate the sound of marshall 1960 stock g12t-75 speakers) they screw the sound of most marshalls to my ears. With v-type sounded near perfect
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

Never say "I want a JCM800 sound" and then start entertaining brands other than Marshall. Brands have differing tones unless we're talking about exact clones of Marshall circuits.

I have a 4 6550 JCM800, 2 EL-34 JCM800, and Jubilee, plus a bunch of killer amps like Bogner and Bad Cat. As great as those other amps sound, none of them sound exactly like a Marshall.

The DSL's are what most 800 seekers are looking for, because they're a higher gain version of that tone. Look for a used DSL, retube it and bias it right. I'm sure you'll be happy with it. Also, a lot of those amps have perfectly good tubes, so just bias it first. It's likely to be all the servicing it needs.
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

^ Whoa- when did you get the 4/6550 Marshall JCM800?? ( knew you had the showroom condition JCM 800 50 watt combo ( 2xEL34)
 
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Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

After seeing you've had a DSL, consider grabbing a Jubilee 2555 on sale now for $1250. It's better than the DSL and may be your last chance to own a new one at that price. I wish I had a big bank account. I'd buy several of them just for the heck of it.
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

You can get the 800 sound with a real British built marshall for less.
It is the jcm900 MKIII dual master. Not to be confused with the jcm900 hi gain dual reverb. The dual master has no reverb.
The MkIII is essentially an 800 but with an extra switchable master volume control and a separately controlled clipping circuit that can be dialed in with the stock tube sound for the higher gain more modern sounds. It is an excellent amp.
marshall-2500-jcm900-master-volume-1990-1992-91555.jpg
 
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Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

yeah, well, marshalls are out of my budget for now :/ the ideal is marshall, but now i only need the flavour of marshall, with tubes. Some day i'll grab a good ol' plexi or a master volume...those are gold
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

If the JCA50H is too gainy for you try some JJ ECC83MG's in the preamp. They're a mid-length-plate design with a bit less gain that will clean up the tone a bit without screwing up all the plate impedances like using other 12A?7 type tubes can. Circuit-wise, being that it's basically a Chinese-made Soldano Hot Rod 50, which itself was based on the SLO100, it's probably the closest of your choices to a JCM800 2204. The weakest link in the Jet City amps is typically the tubes and a tube swap will help profoundly. A JJ ECC803S (long-plate design, not the 83S or 83MG) in V1 will also sweeten up the midrange in sexy ways I can't even describe in words.
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

I guess is the closer/best choice i have. There is a "jcm800 mod" for it, i will check it out. Thanks!
Any other opinions? is there any love for the Jetcity over the Blackstar for what i need?
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

cris_hendrix said:
I guess is the closer/best choice i have. There is a "jcm800 mod" for it, i will check it out. Thanks!
Any other opinions? is there any love for the Jetcity over the Blackstar for what i need?
Click to expand...

The only other thing that I can recommend is the Bugera 1960 Infinium.

I own one. I beat the snot out of it and it keeps asking for more. Now, I don't use it like you would, but it would absolutely do what you want. It's basically Bugera's copy of the Marshall 1959RR Randy Rhoads head. Randy's original was a late '70s JMP 1959 that he had modded with a master volume and had the two channels cascaded, so it's essentially a 1959 converted into a 2203 if you use the bottom inputs. I use the parallel jumpered input myself and I bypass the master volume and use my Jet City Jettenuator to knock down the volume, going for more of a Van Halen thing, but it will most certainly do the JCM800 2203 thing while looking like a JMP head.
 
Re: Help with tone: jcm 800 on a budget??

I'll chime in here. I'll flash my credentials by stating I own both a 2204 and 2210.

Those two don't even sound the same. And I agree with Gearjoneser on the sentiment that if you want an 800 sound there's only one way to get it. Yes, DSL's would fit quite nice, and although the 900 MKIII is closer than the DR version, I still don't think the 900's do it well. In the Marshall world I'd go for DSL over the 900.

HOWEVER. If you want to get somewhat there on a budget, Peavey Windsor would be my recommendation. Dirt cheap for what they are and Peavey's are built like tanks.
 
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