marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

[rombola]

hey people i havent decided yet which amp i want , i was checking out the jcm 800 , is this a good amp ?? i play mostly metal ! let me know your thoughts about it , also i wanna know how much are they going used?
i saw some guy in another post about the gear he has and he says that he spended $600 on the jcm 800 half stack ???? (we are talking about the 50 watt ) or let me know the diferences and which one is the better cause i have seen many of them in totally diferent price ranges, whats up with that?

 

[JOLLY]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

Hell yeah they're good. If someone got a half stack for $600 then they got one heck of a deal. The 50 watter is what you want unless you're playing stadiums....it'll break up faster.

 

[rombola]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

jolly your my idol, dude your guitars are awesome!!!!!!!! thanks

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

There are two basic types of JCM 800's - single channel (2204) and dual channel (2205) in the 50 watt variety. Which is better depends on your personal taste. As a GENERAL rule, most seem to prefer the lead tone or distortion of a 2204....it has that classic Marshall "Roar" when pushed hard.

The 2205 is arguably more versatile, but many feel that the use of additional diod clipping makes the overdrive slightly thinner and buzy. Again, it's all personal taste. I have played both, and like both. I have a modded 2205 that I absolutely love. In it's stock form, the clean is somewhat steril and flat, but useable. The overdrive to my taste is very decent. I had mine modded to have BF type cleans and a combination of Plexi and 2204 tones on the lead channel. I could have lived with the distortion in it's stock form, but the clean channel is what made me ultimately decide on the mod.

Jeff Seal, who is a member of this board, can do amazing things with a JCM 800. He tells me that the 2205 circuit is the most moddable, due to the number of pre-amp tubes it has stock from the factory. One of the most common mods to a Marshall (single channel) is to add annother tube for additional gain stages.

Again, it's all about what you prefer. Play both if you can....there is a difference.

 

[rombola]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

awesome dude !!! what about prices and also with what cab should i match it

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

I have a 2205 from 1985, and aside from a small mod, I use mine with a Rivera 4x12 and a Hiwatt 4x12 ... when used with a guitar that has a bridge humbucker and a Fulltone Full-Drive 2 or similar overdrive, you can get some really great metal tones out of one!

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

I see heads going from $500 to $900 or so on Ebay. If you are patient and shop hard, I think you can find one in decent shape around $500. As far as cabs, I like the 1960 A (slant cab) but there are a lot of good cabs, not just Marshall. I just like stuff to match. Also, if you don't want to haul a half stack around, you can get a 1922 (2x12) Marshall, or even better, an Avitar cab.

Lots of options.

 

[Pandemonium]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

Try plugging into the low gain input and goosing it with pedals. That's the best way to use a 2204 IMHO.

 

[Tom M]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

My guitarist has an older (I think it's 1982) 2204. While with an Invader and too much distortion, it sounds buzzy, the thing is absolutely brutal with the right axe through it.

 

[rombola]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

My guitarist has an older (I think it's 1982) 2204. While with an Invader and too much distortion, it sounds buzzy, the thing is absolutely brutal with the right axe through it.

what you think with a les paul standard loaded with a duncan distortion and 59 !!!!!!!

BTW ! i have a schecter c1 too they are awesome

 

[Tom M]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

what you think with a les paul standard loaded with a duncan distortion and 59 !!!!!!!

BTW ! i have a schecter c1 too they are awesome

I think that should be one amazing sounding rig.

 

[Stevo]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

what you think with a les paul standard loaded with a duncan distortion and 59 !!!!!!!

Pretty friggin sweet! :32: That's a combo that I really love for hard rock. I had a 1979 2204 for a while and really liked the rock tone. I sold it and got a plexi reissue.
Here's a clip of the 2204, with a Les Paul, Duncan Distortion and 59 neck:
tune

 

[rombola]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

Here's a clip of the 2204, with a Les Paul, Duncan Distortion and 59 neck:
tune

dude is that just the les paul straight to the amp ???????? that tone is killer

 

[man-in-moon]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

I have a 2204 that i'm trying to sell i just got it retubed and the hi input jack fixed sounds great its on ebay now but if someone from here wants it i will give them first shot. I spent $800 on the amp and another 140 on tubes and having the jack fixed and everything else checked out. I am trying to get 625 thats shipped and insured. but may let it go alittle cheaper if some ones serious. if interested pm me

 

[Leveller]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

This sounds awesome guys I'm looking for one too. How do you fell about the combos? I think I could get a pretty good deal at a 4120 I think it was? Anyway sorry for the hijack =).

 

[Stevo]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

dude is that just the les paul straight to the amp ???????? that tone is killer

Thanks man

Except for the wah, it's natural amp tone. I did however use an attenuator so I could crank the amp without blowing my head off :saeek:

I can get similar tones with my plexi reissue, but I can also get good clean tone. I figured that I'd need an attenuator with either, so I went for the plexi which I think has a slight edge, tonewise and with more versatility. The prices are pretty close also.

 

[Dankerella]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

I bought an old JCM800 50-watter "lead" (single channel) head in MusicGoRound for $350 around 1999 and ended up selling it on Ebay. I'm a dumbass for doing so, even though I got more out of it than I put in. I was into metal at the time, and had to use a pedal a lot (usually the Ibanez tube king). The pedal made it noisy, but with a Hush pedal, it quieted right down. The amp sounded great by itself too, and I wish I still had it...

Not the most versatile thing in the world, but a kick ass amp nonetheless.

 

[Stevo]

Re: marshall jcm 800 50 watt!!!!

Not the most versatile thing in the world, but a kick ass amp nonetheless.

I agree.. the JCM800 certainly is one of those LARGE contributors to the world of rock