Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

[shogunlegend]

i just happened to find a marshall jcm 900 dual reverb head for $560. it's in great shape, actually looks almost new, and sounds SUPERB! wow, i'm just taken by the tone. this is a great amp. i wouldn't have guessed from hearing it that it had 5881s in it. the tone was really great. why doesn't marshall still make these? marshall is stupid and should be shot for treason because these amps are legendary. i don't think there's a way to make these sound bad.

anyway, is $560 a good deal on a head in this condition? anyone know about these? when were they made maybe, or any known issues. does anyone know what artists used this particular model?

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

I'm thinking it's because most people don't like it as much as the JCM900SLX, so the DR not as desirable and therefore less expensive on the used market.

 

[pixelpusher]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

i think that's a decent price for one in good condition.. i recently sold my 4100 dual reverb head for $650 in very good condition.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

Good price, but def the DR are the least desireable. I couldnt get rid of mine fast enough, but some people really like them.

SLX doesnt do anything for me, the original MKIII is where it's at for 900s.

And I do believe Marshall has a RI 900...or did.

 

[jimmy]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

I love the SL-X.

But that's not to say that you might dig the reverb model! Pick it up, dude. If you hate it, you can always resell it for what you paid.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

The 5881 loaded DR's were made between mid-1993, early-1994 to 1999-2000. They did a reissue of the 4100 DR but I don't know if it's still being made.

IMO, the 5881 loaded DR's aren't all that great. They lost that Marshall magic with the tube swap. The EL34 loaded DR's sound much better and really kick out the Marshall tone. Put an overdrive pedal out front and they can scream. If anything, the clean channel cleaned up better with the 5881's.

$560 in good condition is about the going price. You could get a MkIII or a SL-X for the same price. They're solid amps but just missing the mojo, IMO.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

I have a 50W EL34 model 2 12" combo. I used it for about 10 years A/B,d with a SF Super Reverb. It is a really nice amp, but the cleans are really hard to keep clean. In order to get the volume high enough by comparison to the drive channel you have to run the gain high and it Over drives it pretty easily. The effects loop is also not very good. Other than these 2 minor issues I think its a very usable amp. I still keep this amp at our bands rehearsal space.

 

[theodie]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

Meh, take the $560 and buy an early model MKIII with EL-34's! You will be more than glad you did so.

 

[nightwing122087]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

I've played a few JCM900's and never liked any of them. Could never get a nice saturated tone out of 'em. But then you got guys like Billy Gibbons and Vivian Campbell who get great sounds from the 900's.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

If you think it sounds good, it doesn't matter what tubes are in it.

You can always put EL34's in there later if it starts to bug you or whatever.

 

[theodie]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

I've played a few JCM900's and never liked any of them. Could never get a nice saturated tone out of 'em. But then you got guys like Billy Gibbons and Vivian Campbell who get great sounds from the 900's.

Dont lump all of them in the same catagorey. They are not the same!


Better yet, please do so and spread the word. That way I can still get another KILLER sounding amp for CHEAP!

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

Can someone outline the differences in the 900's?

 

[ErikH]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

Can someone outline the differences in the 900's?

Take a look at this: http://www.erikhansen.net/marshall. I talk about the MkIII and a little about the SL-X there. The MkIII was the next step for the Master Volume JCM800's. The SL-X came a couple years after the MkIII, essentially replacing it.

The Dual Reverbs are totally different. They have two independent channels and built in reverb. They were the next step for the split channel JCM800's.

 

[shogunlegend]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

that article was kind of cool. the thing is that although this thing has 5881 (which to my knowledge are in the 6L6 family), i hear the classic marshall tone only there's something smooth and nice about it. it gets plenty of gain and it really sounds sweet.

unless someone just doesn't like hte sound of 5881 tubes or something, i just can't see why anyone wouldn't love this amp.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

Yep, the 5881's are electrically equivalent to 6L6's. When the change happened, we still had an EL34 loaded 4100 in the store and decided to A/B it with the newly arrived 5881 loaded 4100. Both went through a 1960A cab. The difference I heard was the bloom the EL34 loaded amp had over the 5881's. It was like looking at the full tonal spectrum that the EL34's gave it and chopping about 10% off each end.

 

[thucydides]

Re: Marshall JCM 900 - Is This A Good Deal?

I had a 900 like you're considering. I liked it better once I changed out the 5881s for EL 34s. Just my personal taste. I only sold it because I'm selling most of my equipment for an overseas move.

If you like the sound, go for it!