Tell me about Marshall JVM JVM205C

BrockSamson

New member
I want to get a good amp setup running again, and I've been looking at the Marshall JVM Series JVM205C combo 50w.

Any real-life users of these care to comment on them? I would use it for metal and would love to get a nice Marshall 80's metal tone out of it too, if possible.

I'm also a huge fan of Trans Siberian Orchestra and love their tone when doing solos. Is that good Marshall tone?
 
Re: Tell me about Marshall JVM JVM205C

I've seen TSO before but don't remember what amps Pitrelli and Young were using. I've use the JVM 205c a lot. My friend has one and it's been making me GAS for one. I hate... HATE... digital reverb, unfortunately for the JVM; however, everything else about that amp is awesome.

I tried the 215c too but did not like the 150w Celestion G12B speaker it comes with. The 205 speakers sound much better.

The mids are aggressive but there is a pinch less high mids and more low mids in than the DSL, and sounds a little thicker. I does not get muddy when you use the high gain modes if you use the tone shift or adjust mid control accordingly.

I think the 4 channel is better than the 2 channel. On the 2 channel you kind of go from vintage mode to too much distortion and treble. The 4 channel JVM gives you a little more in-between so it's worth the extra $$ in my opinion.

I don't really know how I feel about the cleans for pristine cleans like pretty chording and fingerpicking stuff you might do on a sparkly Fender, but for every other application of the clean channel it's really good.

That's my opinion. I wish I could tell you more but I don't own one yet. I use my friend's JVM205c when we jam. I know there are a whole host of options to run MIDI out and all that jazz, and I think you have 2 options of using it as a preamp into a power amp or as a power amp only. I can't tell you those things for sure so consult the manual, but there is a lot of features that I will probably never use.

Great sounding amp. Every time I pass by a decent player in a guitar store playing a JVM I always peek over to see what amp they are playing.
 
Re: Tell me about Marshall JVM JVM205C

The JVM 2 channel and 4 channel amps are voiced differently, the 2 channel is not a stripped down version of the 4 channel. The 2 channel version has more low mids than high mids while the 4 channel has more of the the high mid crunch/sizzle that is classic Marshall. That difference alone makes the 2 channel sound a bit less aggressive but a bit warmer.

I've seen TSO before but don't remember what amps Pitrelli and Young were using. I've use the JVM 205c a lot. My friend has one and it's been making me GAS for one. I hate... HATE... digital reverb, unfortunately for the JVM; however, everything else about that amp is awesome.

I tried the 215c too but did not like the 150w Celestion G12B speaker it comes with. The 205 speakers sound much better.

The mids are aggressive but there is a pinch less high mids and more low mids in than the DSL, and sounds a little thicker. I does not get muddy when you use the high gain modes if you use the tone shift or adjust mid control accordingly.

I think the 4 channel is better than the 2 channel. On the 2 channel you kind of go from vintage mode to too much distortion and treble. The 4 channel JVM gives you a little more in-between so it's worth the extra $$ in my opinion.

I don't really know how I feel about the cleans for pristine cleans like pretty chording and fingerpicking stuff you might do on a sparkly Fender, but for every other application of the clean channel it's really good.

That's my opinion. I wish I could tell you more but I don't own one yet. I use my friend's JVM205c when we jam. I know there are a whole host of options to run MIDI out and all that jazz, and I think you have 2 options of using it as a preamp into a power amp or as a power amp only. I can't tell you those things for sure so consult the manual, but there is a lot of features that I will probably never use.

Great sounding amp. Every time I pass by a decent player in a guitar store playing a JVM I always peek over to see what amp they are playing.
 
Re: Tell me about Marshall JVM JVM205C

The JVM 2 channel and 4 channel amps are voiced differently, the 2 channel is not a stripped down version of the 4 channel. The 2 channel version has more low mids than high mids while the 4 channel has more of the the high mid crunch/sizzle that is classic Marshall. That difference alone makes the 2 channel sound a bit less aggressive but a bit warmer.

It's not that they re-voiced it to be a different amp because they didn't. They use different transformers in the 50w version than the 100w. The difference you're hearing is the usual difference between a 50w and 100w head. Crank the 100w up loud and you will see how it gets more warmth and less sizzle.
 
Re: Tell me about Marshall JVM JVM205C

The 205 50w head looks interesting too. I might just pick up one of those so I can get a cab.

Believe it or not, but I scored a new Randall V2 head for $500 last year and still don't have a cab for it.

That way I could run both heads on a good Marshall or Mesa cab.

How does the Marshall JVM series compare to the legendary JCM-800 or the DSL for playing metal?
 
Re: Tell me about Marshall JVM JVM205C

JVM has more gain then the 800, I had the 205 head but thought it was a bit bright even with some NOS preamp tubes. My Engl is warmer, thicker sounding and tons of power!
 
Re: Tell me about Marshall JVM JVM205C

I'm a big believer in scaling down your choices on forums to about 5, then personally playing through all 5, THEN opening your wallet. At least you'll narrow it down to EXACTLY what it is you want.

I'm cheap, so I usually do the testing at retail stores, then actually buying from Craigslist. That's not what a retailer wants to hear, but it's how I usually score cool stuff I really want for lower $.
 
Re: Tell me about Marshall JVM JVM205C

Yeah too bad Guitar Center around here blows and doesn't carry anything "expensive" anymore. Sign of the times I guess...
 
Re: Tell me about Marshall JVM JVM205C

The 2 channel amps drive channel is based off a combination of the 410's 2 lead channels, Lead 1 which is classic Marshall and Lead 2 which is scooped for more modern tones. It is in the middle giving it a different voicing, that info comes from the amps designer in a post at www.jvmforum.com. I could not find the thread there as it is a few years old but I think Santiall the amps designer still posts there.

It's not that they re-voiced it to be a different amp because they didn't. They use different transformers in the 50w version than the 100w. The difference you're hearing is the usual difference between a 50w and 100w head. Crank the 100w up loud and you will see how it gets more warmth and less sizzle.
 
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