Marshall JCM 900 Series

[Frankie]

Hey Guys,

Does anyone own or have they used any of these??

I've got the chance to pick up a half stack of one of these for $1000 (roughly $500-600 US)

Can you let me know the pro's and con's of it?

Any input would be appreciated!!

Thanx in advance!!

[urkoman]

Not a bad amp, but not a great one too. For that money iīd go for a JCM 800, far better IMO.

[Lonely Raven]

Agreed. The JCM 900 was the bastard son that nobody wanted.

I would try and track down a JCM 800, Laney AOE Pro Tube (JCM 800 copy)
Or one of the new DSL or TSL 2000 series. These new ones are rivaling
the old JCM 800 that everyone loves so much.

Remember, just because it's a name brand that you recognise, and it's
loud, doesn't mean it's good!

But then again, if you're SURE you can sell it for as much as you paid for
it, well then it can't hurt to try it out!

[Frankie]

thanks guys....

yeah, i've never been a huge Marshall fan, dont know much about them - only played through a few in store and i cant remember which one it was ........ all i remember is that i tried a mesa triple rectifier out straight after ...... it made the marshall sound like crap....

[7 Dying Trees]

Avoid. I've never liked them, used to own one and it went. Go for the older stuff, it may need a bit of help with overdrive (ie, a boost), but it'll have that old marshall raw edge to it, so try getting one of them

Otherwise, save your money for what you really want. Deals come along every so often and when they do, pounce!

But the 900 is a tad bit ****e...

[jeff l]

It depends, I have an SL-X with EL-34's and it's a good amp. I think most of the criticism is aimed at the Dual Reverb channel-switching series. A lot of people like their SL-X's.

[Chud]

I've been looking for a cheap JCM900 head and 412 cab for about 6 months ! It's taking its time, how much would a SL-X Slash amp cost, and how much would a 2255 Jubilie anp cost

[mike777]

Actually the SL-X is not the Slash signature. The Slash Signature (2555SL) is a reissue of the 2555 which is a Jubilee series amp. The SL-X was actually 2100SLX or 2500SLX and was part of the JCM900 series of amplifiers. I'm not positive what the used market is getting for these things.

Old JCM800 series amplifiers are cherished by their owners and you'll have to search long and hard for a great deal on one. The 2203's (100-watt JCM800 series single channel master volume head) were the most popular. Ones sold in the US were originally made with 6550 power tubes (I just learned that today and I couldn't resist the urge to show off)which retained basically the same sound continuouslyas you cranked it and had a lot more headroom than the EL34-loaded ones sold in Europe. Marshall is reissuing the 2203 as a 2203X with the EL34's and will have a true bypass FX loop. I want one of these things pretty damn bad. They will start to arrive in the fall but there are so many orders for these, that if you or I placed an order now, we won't seethem until early next year (unless you order from a store who already has theirs on order and it isn't spoken for yet )

I LOVE my Marshalls as much as I LOVE my JEMS/UV-what can I say. If you are looking for a basic 2-channel amp, I'd say spend a little more and get a DSL100. It gets heavy and cleans up really nice and warm. All the in-between sounds are great too.

Mike 777 Haug

[Kev Brigden]

Agreed on the 900slx model and personnaly I think that the JCM800's are ****e! To me the JCM800 does not clear up it's tone when you roll off the volume anywhere near as nicely as the JCM900... I like a dark non-'twangy' sounding clean channel similar to a Fender combo with mid shift selected... Plus, the JCM800's usually sound really bright and I dunno, 80's sounding... (very subjective to personal definition but hey...)

Bottom line:

Try an SL-X model, preferably 50w (Did they do a 100w SL-x?..hmm..) personaly I much prefer the 900's, but don't take anyone's word on which is better until you have tried one... I use my 900 with 412 cab with a DS-1 in front playin with a morely bad-horsie 2 and the tones I can get are amazing... so, TRY ONE!!!

[Kev Brigden]

Agreed on the 900slx model and personnaly I think that the JCM800's are ****e! To me the JCM800 does not clear up it's tone when you roll off the volume anywhere near as nicely as the JCM900... I like a dark non-'twangy' sounding clean channel similar to a Fender combo with mid shift selected... Plus, the JCM800's usually sound really bright and I dunno, 80's sounding... (very subjective to personal definition but hey...)

Bottom line:

Try an SL-X model, preferably 50w (Did they do a 100w SL-x?..hmm..) personaly I much prefer the 900's, but don't take anyone's word on which is better until you have tried one... I use my 900 with 412 cab with a DS-1 in front playin with a morely bad-horsie 2 and the tones I can get are amazing... so, TRY ONE!!!

[jeff l]

Kev, yes I have the 100 watt version. It's the 2100.

[strat110]

Well I've had a JCM900SL-X (100 watt) and a JCM800 2x12" 100watt combo and to be perfectly honest they were both ****e. The JCM900SL-X thought less versatile sounded better to me, but as its only 1 channel with 2 master volumes (good for solo boost) its not the best as it also doesn't clean up too well.

I should probably add that I was playing a Strat through them at the time which for the most part Strats do not like (except for my 1987XW) and when I sold the JCM900SL-X the guy that played it used a Jackson something or other and it sounded infinitely better so perhaps its a humbucker machine.

The JCM800 was just a complete donkey, horrid OD channel, clean channel was uninispiring, and the OD channel bled into the clean (which a helluva lot of twin channel 800's do)....this amp went very quickly in a p/x deal - phew!!

But at the end of the day, DON'T go with opinions like mine and the others posted here, try yourself and if you like and think it sounds good THEN IT IS GOOD!

[urkoman]

Originally Posted by Kev Brigden

Plus, the JCM800's usually sound really bright and I dunno, 80's sounding...

Yeah!!!!!Thatīs what i think itīs the best amp for soloing!!