Marshall amp solution

[Chud]

Originally Posted by red5

I have done both. That unblock your ears comment was pretty unnecessary. I guess I could say they are decent, just not by my standards. JCM 2000s are just very poor Marshalls

I own a JCM2000 and think it's bloody great. I can't see why people bash them so often. You say it's poor, but haven't explainned why you think they are? I doubt wacking up the MV is the problem since my amp sounds great wacked up. I guess this sort of problem comes under the category of "What speakers are you using?"

[Ant1981]

Yay chud, my fellow English rocker, been waiting for you to back me up!

[red5]

Originally Posted by Chud

I own a JCM2000 and think it's bloody great. I can't see why people bash them so often. You say it's poor, but haven't explainned why you think they are? I doubt wacking up the MV is the problem since my amp sounds great wacked up. I guess this sort of problem comes under the category of "What speakers are you using?"

They do sound better with V30s, but that's true with anything (in comparison to the G12M75s).

I gave my reasons. They are the fizziest distortion sound I have ever heard from a tube amp and the power side does not cut it for me on the higher volumes like the earlier Marshalls do. They sound better than most Marshalls on lower volumes, which makes them good practice amps, but Marshalls don't sound killer until you turn them to 10 anyway.

They do run pedals really well, I'll give them that. Using the clean channel on a clean setting, I was able to get better distortion using a Rat than the amp had on the distortion channel. The rat did not work nearly so well with all the other amps I tried it with including my two Marshalls, so I ended up selling it.

[chopvai]

i'm with ant and chud,

i bought my jcm2000 last year, despite from all the bad stuff i've heard about them...

i'm happy with it, and im sure it will last with me for a long time

different people got different tastes... you can't please everyone

[Chud]

Originally Posted by red5

They do sound better with V30s, but that's true with anything (in comparison to the G12M75s).

I gave my reasons. They are the fizziest distortion sound I have ever heard from a tube amp and the power side does not cut it for me on the higher volumes like the earlier Marshalls do. They sound better than most Marshalls on lower volumes, which makes them good practice amps, but Marshalls don't sound killer until you turn them to 10 anyway.

They do run pedals really well, I'll give them that. Using the clean channel on a clean setting, I was able to get better distortion using a Rat than the amp had on the distortion channel. The rat did not work nearly so well with all the other amps I tried it with including my two Marshalls, so I ended up selling it.

Well i don't really understand that
I put my lead channel on the classic sort of scooped setting (Prescence 4, Bass 8, Mid 2, Treble 6, Gain 8.5) and it sounds really smooth. I think the problem is that you might be boosting prescence too much or something. It doesn't sound fizzy to me at all. In fact, compared with other amps i tried at the shop it sounded the smoothest. I put it up against a Mesa Rectifier, 5150 (newer version one), JCM900, A JSX and a JCM800 and it sounded the smoothest to my ears. Ironically, the JSX sounded the most over the top fizzy to me (on lead channel that is - crunch channel sounded better).

I also put a DOD Death Metal distortion put through the clean channel. Now THAT is a treble fizz fest Absolutely perfect for 7-string thrash. I can now get the fizziest most over the top screamming treble and the smoothest warm distortion from the same amp by just tapping two buttons

That said, lots of big bands use the TSL2000 nowadays (albeit mainly for clean stuff with a MF350 or whatever for distortion), but if you turn the amp up, put the deep switch in and hit a B chord on a 7-string, your nuts are guarenteed to rumble

[Drew]

As a former TSL owner, the worst I can say about them is the volume swell issue on channel switches (which, IMO is a dealbreaker right there). After a (more-or-less mandatory) tube swap and rebias, the preamp gain loses a lot of the papery edge it has at low volumes, and while it's clearly not intended to be voiced like a "vintage" marshall, and is much more modern in character, it's hardly a bad-sounding amp.

I did eventually sell it simply because that slight swelling, while less discernable at high volumes when the poweramp compression hid it to a certain extent), began to really annoy me, and because when I plugged into a Mark-IV and a Nomad one weekend I realized just how much I'd missed the Mesa lead sound, but I wouldn't go so far as to write the entire line off as "sucking hard." Granted, I wouldn't agree to "bloody great," either, but for a contemporaty-voiced crunch rhythm tone, the Lead channel certainly delivers.

Incidentally, calling the guy responsible for your suspention a "whining idiot" in your first post back isn't exactly starting off on the right foot...

[Ant1981]

Perhaps it is teasing the whiner a bit lol.

The only thing I don't like about the TSL is the slight mute between changing from any overdrive channel to clean, as you mentioned, and the FX switch on the foot switch is just pointless, you'll know why if you have ever used it.

Apart from that, it sounds like a Marshall should, of course people need to realise they can't simply set it up like an 800 or 900, as it is a different amp and needs to be used differently, just like a Mesa or a Peavey.

[red5]

Originally Posted by Chud

I put my lead channel on the classic sort of scooped setting (Prescence 4, Bass 8, Mid 2, Treble 6, Gain 8.5) and it sounds really smooth. I think the problem is that you might be boosting prescence too much or something.

Is presence at 2 too high? (It sounds like it has no highs at that point as well, which is the lowest I have turned my presence or treble to on just about any amp).

The power section still didn't cut it for me, even with EL34s.

Like you said many bands are using them, but I don't think they really had all that great of a sound most of the time And Mode Fours... all I have to say about them is... WHY??!???!? Wouldn't be so bad if they were priced properly...

[Ant1981]

Mode Fours are cheap in England, are they pricey in the States then?

I have to say, even I asked why do we need a 350 Watt hybrid amp? Lol we're killing ourselves with 100 Watt amps just perfectly.

[isida.d]

Mode Fours any good?

[Drew]

FWIW, I found the most useable lead tones on the Lead channel with the presence at 0.

[7 Dying Trees]

I actually really liked my DSl i had. And i put that up against a dual rec, JSX and a stilletto in the rehearsal room. it just had the ballsiest most rocking sound. Not as good as an 800 9which was beautiful) but a hell of a lot better than a 900 (Dual reverb at least, i've never tried an SL-X)

However, i didn't like the TSL at all as it just sounded a bit flat. But that's just me, and i didn't want any channel switching or anything like that.

[7 Dying Trees]

Oh, and when i tried the Mode Four out at the marshall factory it lasted as long as:

-turned it on
-played a chord
-turned it off

less than 5 seconds. it was rubbish.

[rgr]

My experience with the Mode Four at GC also.

[Ant1981]

I prefer my JCM 900 Dual Reverb over my TSL 100 to be honest.