Opinion on Marshall JTM30 1x12 Combo

[jazzedout]

Has anyone used a JTM30? How's the sound?
I have found one used for 300 euros, and I am relly tempted?
I have read some horror stories about its reliability? Are these repairable? Is it worth it?
I am planning on test driving propperly before buying it, so I guess it will show if it has problems. :-/

[bikeman]

I've owned a JTM30 1x12 and a JTM60 2x12. They're great amps for low volume and home use, but they don't like being "cranked" to the limit. The sound muddies out and problems occur. The first time I used my JTM60 in a band rehearsal the output transformer blew. I had it fixed, then sold it.

If it's for home use, then go for it. If you're going to gig it, I'd buy something else...

[Drew]

No shyte, I used to own one of these...


I eventually sold it when I had some trouble with it farting out and breaking up - like, not overdriving, but actually cutting out - at high volume. Prior to that, though, it was really a pretty cool amp.

I'm not sure I disagree with Bikeman either - really, it's a tube Marshall. It's designed for poweramp distortion. The "gain" channel is cursory at best, as I thought the best tones (which for practical reasons I almost never got to do) were to be had by cranking the thing way up and overdriving the clean channel. Not surprisingly, with my USA Strat I was playing back in the day, it was very Jimi-does-the-blues. Great, great, great blues and blues/rock tones to be had from that channel, and with the volume lower it had this really appealing glassiness to it - not lush like a Fender or even the later TSL channel cleans, but when I owned a TSL part of the reason I sold it (aside from my inability to dial up a clean sound I liked) was that I really missed the glassy character of the clean channel.

I can't say how widespread these reliability issues are, but if you can get a good tech to look it over, and if you can really open this thing up, it's a pretty kickass blues amp. More gain than "Red House" and you'll need some sort of an OD, but I actually kind of dug that amp.