Marshall experts, help me..

B

BloodRose

Professional Scapegoat
Thanks in advance...

Since Ace Frehley, Ive always been drawn to the amazing sound of a paul thru a Marshall.. During my musical heyday of the 80s, all the guys I loved ran JCM 800s. I am still loving players that use marshalls. Slash is a current one I love. One of my fav players tone wise is John Sykes, just to let you know where I stand.. (of course vintage van halen too)

Anyhow, I figure now is the time to down grade the guitar collection and get the amp of my dreams to get the sound I hear in my head..
However... Everytime I play a Marshall, Im left disappointed. I cant get the crunch I hear on the recordings. (I dont want to have to run a pedal first)
I heard a sound clip on you tube of marshall demo ing the new Kerry King model and thats more what Im talking bout....

Anyhow, is there a secret to getting that wail outta a Marshall? I cant crank so I have to have a master volume. Ive tried to like the Vintage modern, but it seems bland to me. The High gain is ok, but the other seemed dull.
I love some of the tones on the JVM but I worry that all those buttons are nothing but reliability headache..
I tried a JCM800 and was prepared for a life changing experience and had a change of undies nearby just in case.. After all this is the amp that is on nearly 80% of the music that I bought growing up. But I was left disappointed. It seemed to have no balls.. (lack of a better way to put it)

Ive played a PV Ultra plus for several years. Am I just used to getting alot more gain or what??
I like thethick tone of a 6505 but dont want that all the time..
Any suggestions??
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

Check out some SPLAWN CLIPS from their website.....Its a Modded Plexi/Hot Rodded JCM800/Ultra Modded JCM800 all in one! Don't expect 5150-Mesa-Soldano gain out of it tho. It a very organic articulate amp that thrives on tone, not gain......They just came out with a model called "Nitro" that is suppose to be high gain
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

Get yourself a used plexi reissue and then have Tim Caswell mod it for you. You can have instant "Slash" for well under $2000, and you will never lose money if you sell it.

Tim Caswell is the tech that modified the original plexi that George Lynch and Slash wanted to buy from SIR.
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

metlking said:
Check out some SPLAWN CLIPS from their website.....Its a Modded Plexi/Hot Rodded JCM800/Ultra Modded JCM800 all in one! Don't expect 5150-Mesa-Soldano gain out of it tho. It a very organic articulate amp that thrives on tone, not gain......They just came out with a model called "Nitro" that is suppose to be high gain
Click to expand...

yeah, ive been shopping these... was seriously thinking quickrod since I cant find what I want from marshall, but the nitro has me messed up..

Does an SLO have alot of gain?
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

Ayrton said:
Yes, but not really a "classic Marshall" sound. Not to mention the price of a SLO-100.
Click to expand...

yeah, I know they are wicked expensive. So is the EVH and the KerryKing head..

How does the tone differ from a MarshaLL?? I though they were hot rodded marshalls??
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

BloodRose said:
. .......

Anyhow, is there a secret to getting that wail outta a Marshall? I cant crank so I have to have a master volume. .....
Click to expand...


That's the main problem right there. If you use a master volume on a Marshall, you still have to use relatively high master settings. It's all about pushing the output tubes, at least a little bit.

You would probably really like a 50 watt Jubilee. There arn't as crazy loud as most, so you can crank up the master while still having relatively a lot of gain on the front end.
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

BloodRose said:
yeah, I know they are wicked expensive. So is the EVH and the KerryKing head..

How does the tone differ from a MarshaLL?? I though they were hot rodded marshalls??
Click to expand...

The SLO sounds (to me) like a very over driven Marshall (this is not a bad thing), but for something that can cover everything from late '60's Cream to '80's metal, then get a modded plexi.
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

Don't be intimidated by the JVM's many knobs. Once you figure out the whole layout, you can pinpoint all the historic Marshall tones. It's the swiss army amp Marshall lovers have always wanted. Sure, there's classic Marshalls we all love, but as a great all 'round amp, the JVM on a 1960AV with Vin 30's is as good as it gets as far as channel switching Marshalls go.

That said, there's plenty of others that give up the goods, which is what you're honestly looking for. The new EVHIII, Bogner Shiva and Ecstasy, most Splawns, and Soldano Decatone.
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

Gearjoneser said:
Don't be intimidated by the JVM's many knobs. Once you figure out the whole layout, you can pinpoint all the historic Marshall tones. It's the swiss army amp Marshall lovers have always wanted. Sure, there's classic Marshalls we all love, but as a great all 'round amp, the JVM on a 1960AV with Vin 30's is as good as it gets as far as channel switching Marshalls go.

That said, there's plenty of others that give up the goods, which is what you're honestly looking for. The new EVHIII, Bogner Shiva and Ecstasy, most Splawns, and Soldano Decatone.
Click to expand...

Im not intimidated by them as opposed to setting them up. Ive played with one and its suprisingly easy to find a decent sound.. I am VERY tempted by this one.. I just worry that all those switches will crap out or break.. Or that the sounds are more computer generated than tube generated.

I had an amp once, (my first tube amp) and I loved the thing.. but it kept crapping out on me. the problem was circuitboard related.. I had to sell it cuz it kept breaking..

I dont have any way to try a splawn, bogner, or soldano. I like the splawn clips Ive heard and the feedback seems good.
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

haha yeah.. i love kerry king's 2203 too.. KT88 JCM tone with built-in booster.. what not to love..? plus the not-so-everyday marshall look.. bang!
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

ANY MARSHALL needs be run at high volume to give up the goods. Master Volume or not. It's not a bedroom amp, unless you are single have a good sized home with a decent piece of property.

Otherwise you will need pedals.


Some of the modded versions WILL sound better at lower volumes, but Marshalls are all about getting those power tubes juiced...not preamp gain.

Hence why I don't own a marshall anymore. Not feasible for home use.


I would make two suggestions though fi you are dead set on a tube amp

1) check out the clips HEREthis guy IMO has the best sounding mods...they don't deviate as much from the classic marshall sound as Splawn and Voodoo and some others do (not that it makes them bad, just different)

2) Mesa Stiletto ACE
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

If you are going for a classic Marshall (Pre JCM900), you've got to crank it to get it wailing. I find the 900s too thin, but some like them just fine. Not a fan of the 2000s so much, but the JVM is pretty cool.

But I think your best option might be Splawn.
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

JeffB said:
ANY MARSHALL needs be run at high volume to give up the goods. Master Volume or not. It's not a bedroom amp, unless you are single have a good sized home with a decent piece of property.

Otherwise you will need pedals.


Some of the modded versions WILL sound better at lower volumes, but Marshalls are all about getting those power tubes juiced...not preamp gain.

Hence why I don't own a marshall anymore. Not feasible for home use.


I would make two suggestions though fi you are dead set on a tube amp

1) check out the clips HEREthis guy IMO has the best sounding mods...they don't deviate as much from the classic marshall sound as Splawn and Voodoo and some others do (not that it makes them bad, just different)

2) Mesa Stiletto ACE
Click to expand...


I kind of liked the Ace.. funny you should mention that one as I figure it too, needed to be "aired out"...
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

If you cant crank but want to sound like ace/ 70s rock dudes, try a marshall 18 watt amp. We dont need no stinkin master volumes! If you cant crank, then Im assuming you dont gig and the 18 will be more than loud enough to jam with
 
Re: Marshall experts, help me..

I got a hotplate and I am quite happy. I use it with my 900. An earlier post said they found them thin..I agree. With the hotplate and cranking the master it thickens and sounds really good. I wish I did not suck playing and I would enjoy it more.
I like the DSL 201's if you want a smaller wattage marshall. 20 watts you can crank the master and get good tone without deafing yourself.
 
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