Marshall JCM 800 212 Combo

[Heretic]

Someone who is leaving for another country is currently selling his JCM 800 212 combo. I've tested the amp and I thought that it sounded great, but then again, the only tube amp that I can currently compare it with is my Laney Cub 10, so I dunno how great it'd be alongside other vintage tubes considering that they are very expensive in the Philipppines.

This is a 30-year old amp by the way. The owner has been kind enough to let me take a look at the innards and they seem to be well taken care of.

Are there any known quirks with regards to this model or Marshall combos in general that I should know?

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Marshall JCM 800 212 Combo

jcm 800 2x12 master volume? thats the business my friend! Especially if it is the 50watt version.
quirks: loud as hell.
other quirks: great marshall tone and loud as hell.
some of the 800s are dirtier than others, but they all have an excellent eq curve for rock.
Try an sd1, a tube screamer, a ds1 or a rat in front of it and you have a seriously meaty tone.
Most 800s are pre diode clipping circuits used in jubilees, 900s and so forth so they are a very simple, pure, rich sounding and efficient amp.
Oh yeah.... did i mention they are loud?

 

[DankStar]

Re: Marshall JCM 800 212 Combo

put a boss super od in front of it and be prepared to have your balls turned to dust.

 

[Stef]

Re: Marshall JCM 800 212 Combo

jcm 800 2x12 master volume? thats the business my friend! Especially if it is the 50watt version.
quirks: loud as hell.
other quirks: great marshall tone and loud as hell.
some of the 800s are dirtier than others, but they all have an excellent eq curve for rock.
Try an sd1, a tube screamer, a ds1 or a rat in front of it and you have a seriously meaty tone.
Most 800s are pre diode clipping circuits used in jubilees, 900s and so forth so they are a very simple, pure, rich sounding and efficient amp.
Oh yeah.... did i mention they are loud?

+1
go for it!

 

[Laughing Kookaburra]

Re: Marshall JCM 800 212 Combo

I always played straight in, plenty of drive for hard rock and old school metal.

I had an early model, but I forgot if it was a vertical input or horizontal input model.

 

[Heretic]

Re: Marshall JCM 800 212 Combo

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I've finally made the move to purchase the JCM 800 and had this itch to play a little just before I go to bed. It's around 3:00AM right now since I had to meet with the seller midway from the province. Following everyone's warning about the amp's loudness, I set the master volume to 2-3 or roughly at around 8 o'clock.

Good grief, hopefully I won't get a memo from the Homeowners' Association later. This 2x12 is L-O-U-D!

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Marshall JCM 800 212 Combo

Congratulations!

Early JCM800, single channel, vertical inputs. Simple but brilliant. That is a great amp.