Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

[Kamanda~SD]

The EL34 versions, I do not knwo whatyear it is from but I posted a wanted ass in the marshall forums and someone came up with one of these, can you tell me a bit mroe about them? Are they one of the good JCM900 models? That's what I've heard. Anythign else to say? I have a AVT now so comparing it to that would help! Clips as well. Thanks guys!

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

I have limited experiences

but I can tell you this

The SL-X is an all tube path. It's extreme gain, no clean channel here, it's a Metal Machine. I do not know the 50w models as well.

The SL-X, and particularly the 50w go VERRRRRRY CHEAP. I get them as low as $350 bucks and max $650 in Los Angeles, where everything including the women, are OVERPRICED.

The 900s are a tad buzzy, and just don't have the soulful Mojo of some of the 800s. That aside, this is the best 900, all tube tone.

Compared to an AVT, I think you will really enjoy the tonalities you can get from changing your volume knob, or as you adjust the amps volume to push or lay off of the tubes. Tube Marshalls have a lot more soul, and they can get sweeter and nastier depending on the speaker and the way you set or push them.

I would lay off the gain a tad and run this amp loud (with a hot plate if needed) and see the tones you get.

The main thing vs the AVT, is you get the Harmonic richness of tube tone, esp EL34s. Ever said - damn that tone sounds amazing? A lot of times that is the upper harmonics ringing in your ear. A well produced album like Appetite for Destruction will demonstrate that. A well mic'd tube Marshall has a Mojo to the tone. G n R had a sweet tone while everyone was using crappy rack sounds in the late 80s.

The best part, you can swap tubes - Svets, Ruby, Tesla, and milk even more harmonic tonal variations and feels.

Lastly, SL-Xs can be modded - so a company like Voodoo amps might help you make the amp even creamier. Otherwise this amp has some Dual Rec flavor in it, which can be a good thing.

If you get it cheap, having a tube MArshall behind you is very very very very Rock n Roll.

Now go do some damage young man!

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

AWWWWWWWWSOME. He's goign to give me the full rundown tomorrow! I use distortion channel 90% of the time and just roll my volume knob a bit back and I dont use mounds of gain either.

AWWWWWWSOME man I'm so pumped now, he actually lives in Canada too which is good for shipping and stuff, I'm so excited right now its rediculous.

 

[OlinMusic]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

Well, ummmm it has MOUNDS of gain so you gotta back off a bit on the amp. It's up there with the 5150 - in fact they were made to compete with the 5150s and Soldano's, Dual Recs which were new at the time and taking the market by storm. It will never be as creamy as a JCM800 but it will give you wayyy more gain and you can do things like put in a new transformer down the road to make it creamier.

You can back off the gain and make it sweeter.

Hope this all works for you.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

Yes, I'm checking otu clips now, JCM800 is my DREAM amp and the clips I hear of this amp sound awsome. I don't use too too much gain so thats no big deal for me at all! sounds lik a great amp and I can't wait until he gets back to me! Thanks for all your help.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

In brief, great amps actually. I like them with EL34's but not so much with 5881's. If you can snag one with the EL34's, take absolute full advantage of it and get it. You will not be sorry. I own the predecessor to the SL-X and love it to death. IMO, the MkIII and the SL-X (or MkIV) are the best of the 900 series.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

I was waiting for you!!!!! Awosme I'm definatly going to consider it, to mee its not fully a marshall without EL34's!!! I wish he would at least given me a price. I'll update you as I go, I'm super excited.

 

[greendy123]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

I have the 100w version of the amp and it works great on all distortion levels. The best part is the dual gain knobs give you different kinds of distortion. The amp can actually give you a clean sound with the pre-amp low and it sounds pretty decent or just rolling your guitar volume down does that too. In comparision to the a dual rec or 5150 I would say the distortion is not same at all. To a 5150 the distortion much more thicker instead of the metal type. The amp can get all those marshall tones too.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

LOL....Do I have a reputation or something? LOL.

Ask for pics of it too. If it's in good shape, expect it to be around the max price that Olinmusic said, maybe another $50. If it's got some road wear, a little less. Watch eBay too so see the going prices.

Good luck.

 

[theodie]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

I was waiting for you!!!!! Awosme I'm definatly going to consider it, to mee its not fully a marshall without EL34's!!! I wish he would at least given me a price. I'll update you as I go, I'm super excited.

BTW, I agree with Erik! I have the same amp as him!

Just make sure you get a good cabinet for it! When I originally got mine I had a 4x12 XXL Peavey cab and it didnt sound good through the Peavey cab! It had no lower mids and mids in general. I got a Marshall 1960AV and the first time I plugged it in, I knew I had a winner!

 

[greendy123]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

The prices on ebay seem like around the price when I was looking to my slx. The prices are from $600-1000, it seems the prices are pretty high still.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

Awsome guys. And Erik, you have the site with all the clips and seem to know aboutthe 900's very well.

I'm not looking to compare to 5150 or Dual Rec, I want the marshall tone, If I want a mesa tone I'll buy a mesa...and for the record I don't want a Mesa tone!

Yes hess goign to PM me when hes at work this morning so I'm goign to log on at school and check it out I hope I can get a good deal on this, seems to be well geared towards me!

P.S. I wont put this through anything but a Marshall cab (1960) to me it just doesnt seem right anay other way.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

Awsome guys. And Erik, you have the site with all the clips and seem to know about the 900's very well.

I spent a lot of time around them in the 90's. For about half the decade I worked in a music store and we sold them so I got to see all sorts of stuff, even the change over to 5881's when EL34's became scarce for a while there. I wanted to know more about what I was selling, not just about selling them. Once I started dabbling in electronics, I began looking at the schematics of the amps to see what makes them tick. That's only been in the last couple years though.

FWIW, I run mine through an old 70's Music Man 4x12. At some point here I'll be getting an Avatar 2x12 though.

I don't think he's saying it will sound like a 5150 or Dual Recto. The SL-X has gobs of gain, yes, but the 5150 and Dual Recto still have more, and are more compressed/focused. The SL-X is more open. There's still some compression but nothing like those other two. With the Preamp Volume all the way up and Gain Sensitivity at about noon to 1 o'clock, it sounds really sweet.

 

[greendy123]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

I don't think he's saying it will sound like a 5150 or Dual Recto. The SL-X has gobs of gain, yes, but the 5150 and Dual Recto still have more, and are more compressed/focused. The SL-X is more open. There's still some compression but nothing like those other two. With the Preamp Volume all the way up and Gain Sensitivity at about noon to 1 o'clock, it sounds really sweet.

Yeah I total agree with you on the openness of the amp. It has that looser marshall sound that gives it the thicker tone. +1 on the settings, I also use the settings around the same for my tone, guess we have more and more stuff in common:arms:

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

I missed my chance buying a bunch of SL-X 900's in Vancouver a few years back... wish i had bought one at least... i just could not figure how to get them safely back to Toronto

 

[ErikH]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

Yeah I total agree with you on the openness of the amp. It has that looser marshall sound that gives it the thicker tone. +1 on the settings, I also use the settings around the same for my tone, guess we have more and more stuff in common:arms:

Those same settings on the SL-X will have more gain than on my MkIII. That must be the magic position for them. I use a booster to get more out of it with the gain set that way. Makes it more diverse.

WhoFan: Next time you see one, just get it...LOL.

 

[Davey]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

damn... and i thought those were the crap ones >.<
why didnt i find this forum sooner.. i had a chance of snaging one of those up for 400

 

[ErikH]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

damn... and i thought those were the crap ones >.<
why didnt i find this forum sooner.. i had a chance of snaging one of those up for 400

Shame on you. Last week a MkIII 50 Watter went for $499 on eBay.

 

[Davey]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

well, i dun care for ebay lol.. this was local. now they are selling 900slx half stacks for like 1200 - 1400

 

[Bludave]

Re: Tell me about JCM900 50w SLX's

I have a 50W 900 combo. I have had it a very long time. Its sounds great. I run the gain at about 8 (out of 20) so I also don't use a lot of gain. I hardly ever use the clean channel (IMO it leaves a lot to be desired). I A/b this with a 68 Super reverb. I use a original Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal to push this a little when I need it. Primarily with a Tele or a strat. With HB PUPs it sounds real thick and creamy. I can get some really nice woman tones out of it when I roll the tone back. I Love this amp....... but I just bought a Bogner Shiva so....................... it may not be in my rig much longer. I haven't had much time with the Shiva yet. But I do really like the 900.