Getting a new Marshall head soon, which is the best all-round unit?
These are available to me:

Valvestate 100
Jcm 800
Jcm 900
Jcm 2000
TSL100
TSL60
DSL100
DSL50
MG100
Avt 150
1987XL
AVT50
1959HW
2061X
MF350
1959SLP

I use a Jcm900A cabinet british model. Also run a Digitech RP200 currently, but would rather not use it if i can get a good distortion out of the new amp.

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1959 SLP is amazing,but it's so loud you really can't use it practically becuase it has no master volume!!!! So if you want it to distort it needs to be turned ALL THE WAY UP.Yikes.Ok I am a total Marshall freak so I will try to help ya out here.DON'T buy any JCM2000 amp! Here are the best Marshalls for heavy crunching death/thrash metal or just harder rock,from best to worst,and they are all 100-watt heads:

JCM800 2210-2 channel,make sure it is at least an '87 model or later as they went through some changes and were refined towards the end....this amp sounds EXACTLY like Ride The Lightning and even heavier with a booster pedal in front.

JCM800 2203-single channel,less gain and needs a booster pedal up front but sounds so damn good you will not be able to stop playing through it.The new reissue is good but older ones are better,and there were two different versions.....vertical and horizontal inputs.Vertical is the best one IMO and they are older.....the reissue is of this version.

JMP MK II 2203-same amp but before they changed to "JCM800" cosmetics.Almost the same circuitry except for a few small changes but basically they are a little less bright.Usually are cheaper.

JCM900 2100-single channel,with a switchable master volume so you can get a nice lead boost for solos.Great sounding amp but not as good as the others listed.Pretty inexpensive.

All these amps sound much better with an overdrive in front as a boost to kick more tube overdrive outta the front end (preamp section) of the amp.Try any of these you see,and when you hear what they can do you will not believe how great it sounds.I use a Boss SD-1 overdrive pedal in front of my 2210 and set it like this:
Level-10
Tone-6
Drive-0

In this way it acts as a"boost" pedal and transforms the amp into a fire-breathing monster!!!! Hope you find this information helpful.

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So the amp has to be Marshall?

Go with the MG100 if you really want a trOOly BrOOtal quality amp

Edit: Really though, can you not try any of these amps out personally? Many Marshell amps do need a boost pedal or modification to get quality high gain, but even then, at ear bleedding volumes.

There are amps that capture the tone of Marshell amps plus more.

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Yes, it says Marshall Head

No, the MG100 is junk. Just listing whats available.

Grindchord: You dont like the TSL/DSL? I heard the TSL in particular was a very good amp. Any reason why? And your above post was helpful, thanks.

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If you go for Marshall these are the best amps IMO.I used the JCM800 2210 on tour with my band Exhumed and used the JCM900 2100 in my old band Uphill Battle on tour and they both sounded extremely heavy and brutal.The vocalist/guitarist in Exhumed (Matt Harvey) uses a 5150 on the rhythm channel plugged straight in and mine was louder and had more balls than his amp,but also was much more midrangey,so we both sounded different.The 5150 is a great amp too on the rhythm channel.In my old band the other guitar player used a Mesa Mark IV and that amp was pretty loud and amazing.....it was better than the JCM900.Tone is subjective though really.

The DSL/TSL amps sound thin and sterile and also have the preamp/power tubes mounted on the circuit board and that to me is TOTAL crap.A solid state amp can sound the same as these....they are just not very warm or punchy at all and have WAY too much circuitry really.Simplicity is always better when it comes to tube amps I think.You will see right away if you compare a JCM800 to a DSL/TSL next to each other.I have done it.Just my opinion,but that's how I feel.

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I found these post to be very intriguing.

I have played through a JCM900. both the head and 212 combo, and found it to be the sorryiest distortion i've ever heard. But i guess you must obviously have to play that bitch SUPER loud in order to break it up or something.

That overdrive pedal idea/ or tube booster idea, is a pretty damn good one and really makes me rethink about trying some marshalls. I'm not saying i haven't heard good marshalls, cause i really like the.. "rock" tone they put out. But for some reason when i played those 900s, they weren't anything like they thought they would be.

I thought about getting an 800 cause i've seen a few bands i like live, and they had it, and it wailed.

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I have found an off the shelf marshall amp rarely gives you the metal tone you want.

Research other amps as well dude. Its a very noobish thing to automatically assume that marshalls are the best amps. Thats why all high school pop punk bands play them (If they can afford them)

Yeah I thought Marshalls were crap for a long time until I stumbled on that booster pedal trick.And yeah they do have to be pretty loud to sound good.But most of the heavier tones I like come from that boosted Marshall sound,which I never knew until like 4 years ago.It's better to have an amp that sounds heavy plugged straight in for some but I like using a few pedals anyway so it doesn't bother me any.

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The 900 has to be almost fucking dimed before that nice thick distortion begins to appear. The same with the 800, but even then a good boost pedal or mod really helps to shape and control things. Slayer uses modified 800's if I'm right, and these marshell amps sound great once driven enough. Overdriven tube amps doesn't always mean loud volume and there are ways to crank the amps without ear bleeding volume to go with it. A power soak ( Hotplates are nice ) is the best option. It allows you to dime the amp, have nice tone, and at adjustable volumes. The only draw back is that you will have to replace tubes once a year, at the least. Tubes don't wear well when driven to distortion on a normal basis. That is one of the great draw backs of tube amps. They are fragile, require frequent maintenance, and cost to maintain at peak performance.

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never ever ever get a valvestate

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My god... Did you even have to say IT's name. He would be better off with a Mg100

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Cannot go wrong with a JTM or a plexi.

For the price of a TSL100 JCM2000 head, you can get an Engl Fireball and mop the floor with it...

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If thats what kind of tone he wants.

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He seems to have his heart set on Marshell. They are nice amps and have a ton of aftermarket modification options. Plus their are so many people that know how to work on them that it will likely out live him.

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Agree. Although i too was completely dead set on getting a marshall until i tried them at the store and wasn't impressed. Granted i probably needed someone there to help show me how to dial in the tones. I ended up spending the same amount as i would on a tsl except on something completely different.

And have not once ever regretted it yet.

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Nor should you regret it. Marshalls need lots of work, extra equipment, boost, or voodoo magic before the heavy tone comes out of them at lower volumes. Crank a stock Marshell to 7-10 and it becomes impressive, but I like to be outside and 200 feet back when that happens.

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hahaha well said... well said.

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I hear TSL's and DSL's are very very unreliable amps. I know this from several HC reviews and the only person I've known that owned a DSL100 had it break down on him 3-4 times in one year(and it was bought new). Marshall supposedly pumps out very crappy product nowadays, but I wouldn't know, just thought I'd point out that you pay more for that logo on the amp head than for actual reliability.

The JCM900 is something I'd like to try out though.

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Well what would be your best choice for a good tube mid-priced head from some other brand?
I just kind of wanted to match a marshall head to the cab i got (and dont plan on trading in).




What you just said is a noobish thing to assume. Nobody had one in my high school, it was all Mesa, Fender and Yorkville (for bass).

Ive been playing for 10 straight years by the way. There used to be 5 music instrument stores here when i first started, now theres ZERO. Sucks so much, the mill in our city is almost shutting down so everything's all gone to hell here.

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I like JCM800's. Sound good, and shouldn't be too expensive second hand if you know where to look.
They do need a boost and an EQ pedal though.

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hey does any remember the model name of the old discontinued marshall head that is only like 35 watts or something, you can pick em up for super cheap and appearently they sound awesome when cranked, i remember BLS mentioning these


EDIT: found it, its the 3203

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the key to jcm 900's is making sure they have el34's.. the 6l6 and 5881 loaded versions sound like junk since the amp was totally designed with el34's in mind. but since marshall's tube provided at the time stopped producing el34's, they just loaded the amps with 5881/6l6 type tubes.

also regarding the jcm 900's. there are different versions. the 4100 and 4500 models are the dual reverb models in 100w or 50w versions. these are the most common versions, and they really need to be cranked up alot and max out the gain to get brutal.

then there are the 2100 and 2500 100w and 50w versions(also know as sl-x) which do not have reverb, but have an added tube for more gain. these are the thick metal monster marshalls of all time imo. the 2100 is the one grindchord mentioned earlier.

the jcm 2000's don't suck by anymeans. i really like them. not enough to own one. good cleans for a marshall, the crunch isnt anything write home about, and they do a really good high gain sound(argue all you want, i could throw out some proffesional recordings with these on them that sound great.)

but if you really want the best marshall. you need to get a splawn promod 100 in a custom marshall replica case. http://splawnguitars.com/amps_products.htm

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[QUOTE=MorbidGuitar]


What you just said is a noobish thing to assume. Nobody had one in my high school, it was all Mesa, Fender and Yorkville (for bass).

QUOTE]


I agree. Its possible that MAYBE they like Marshall tone for that sound. Once again. The Marshall has a great rock sound, and therefor decient for punk. I find it hard to believe a shit ton of pro bands play on Marshalls because they just went along with some trendy thing to use Marshalls.

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His point is kind of true.Marshall are the definitive guitar amplifier.Its true they sell alot of their amps because of their name.

What do you guys think about the DSL 50? How is it's distortion and overall tone?
Over here, there arent any guitar shops with tube amps so i cant go in and try one out. my only choice is ebay.

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I've got a marshall dsl 100, its really really awesome and its so simple to use, all this crap about it sounding thin is bollocks. By far the best marshalls created. They sound good dimed but still sound good when there at medium level (3 and above). If you've got the volume under 3 it'll sound a bit crap as you have to kick in some volume to open up the tube sound. But it might be different with a 50 watt dsl due to the difference in power.

I'd try it out first, just so you know you like it. I remember trying so many amps before i settled on the dsl. Well worth it

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I like the jcm 2000's. They have brutal gain when cranked. I mean, listen to nile

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I didnt know nile used them, cool

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With a bost pedal or modified amp, I'm sure. If you want to know for sure, Karl is very active on the Nile forums. He's a pretty nice dude too, so if he hasn't mentioned what he uses yet, I'm sure he or someone that has asked him before will tell you.

He doesn't keep any secrets about his gear. The way he plays is the secret to his tone.

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nile definitely uses marshalls. i go to guitar center and play their jcm 2000's and it just screams nile. they rock.

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Sorry to be an noob, but why are they so bad?

Well,they arent great sounding,and are cheap.They sell because of the logo on the front.

they sound like crap, but use a gimmick to sell them.

"zOMG der is a TOOBE in it!!!11!"

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Haha!

They sound better than cheaper solid state shit.

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I don't know. There are some nice sounding S.S. amps today.

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Well thats not what i'm saying. I'm having a hard time understanding how alot of these people seem to think just cause its valve state that it sucks MORE than a solid state amp priced the same or even less. Makes zero sense to me.

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It doesn't make it suck more just because its hybrid, but hybrid amps do seem to be missing the best qualities of both types of amps. Just my opinion, for whats its worth. I think it has to do with hybrid amps still needing a little more research, but the builders promote them like they are made of gold. Even Randall, one of the best S.S. amp builders, are making some hybrid amps and they just don't score up to the all S.S. or all tube amps they build when it comes to tone. I've tried hybrid, S.S., and tube amps next to each other and just didn't like the hybrids. Maybe I need to play with hybrids more to uncover their better qualities, but I wonder if maybe a S.S. preamp and tube poweramp might sound better. Maybe that would capture some of the better qualities of both types of amps.

Kinda like a hybrid hybrid amp

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The problem with hybrid amps is that altough there is a preamp tube in it, the gain still comes from the transistors. The tube is only there for the "color", but it just doesn't realy do anything if it doesn't have any gain effect.

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I was just on the marshall website and i was looking through some manuals like this one http://www.marshallamps.com/downloa...00_50%20hbk.pdf and i noticed that it says to switch on the power BEFORE the standby. i thought you were supposed to switch to standby and then to power

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Definately not. The power switch for one allows it to warm up, while the standby switch is so you can start utilizing the amp. I'm not going to claim i know all about this, but it just makes common sense to me.

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I can see that. Granted i base my personal opinion on my old setup which had a Marshall AVT 50 head, and for the price i paid it had a pretty decient tone and volume.

Does it compare to the amp i have no? haha oh fuck no, but then again its over 3 times as much in price.

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valve states are pretty mediocre. atleast the marshall ones. I havent played any marshall SS's to know if they sound better than marshall SS's but i do know my crate SS sounds better than my valvestate 8100. I mean for $200 its not a bad deal, but for that price, just save $100 more and get a used blue voodoo which is much better.

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Well i currently got a valvestate 100R head and jcm900 cabinet. The overdrive distortion is pretty good. Gets a little crappy at super high volumes, but my digitech pedal sort of cancels that out now.

Im going to seriously look into one of the jcm2000 models. Got a trip to the music store coming up soon so ill have a look there.

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Sorry if i'm reviving this thread, but theres some questions that i need answers for. To begin with, since I've just heard shit about the AVT150, I'm thinking about buying a TSL 60. Is this a good amp? And also, since my experince is only with 15 and 100 watts, will there be enough power in that head to make myself heard(I'm currently a lead guitarist) in let's say, a pretty large concert hall or something like that?

I have a Laney GH50L which is 50 w all tube and if I turn it up to two, its loooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuudddd. You usually mic the amp when you play larger venues so don't worry, 60 w will be enough.

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Great head.

if your going to buy a marshall save up and get a splawn. its well worth the money, and a used one cost about as much as a new marshall.

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I havent liked the tone of any Marshall made after 1990, and the DSL's + TSL's In my opinion sound amazingly bad

Jcm's are great,you need to spend more time with the eq,or turn it up more.

Splawn?

Hot-rodded marshallesque boutiqueish amp.

www.rocksolidamps.com

Marshall Rip-off thats better than the original basically

not a rip off! that makes it sound bad. guy started out modding marshalls now he builds his own based kinda on marshalls. My amp is the tits! you get one!

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splawn is cooler name too

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+1

ripoff is not the right term. scott splawn has become pretty popular in the modding world, especially in marshall style amps. he builds his own amps now that are definately voiced around the sound of his modded marshalls, but all handbuilt with top notch quality and parts. he also builds custom chasis's for his amps, some are replica marshall chasis's, so you can get a pro mod in a vintage marshall chasis(marshall logo and all.). he builds cabs too, which are well priced, and come loaded or unloaded with choices of certain eminence or celestion speakers.

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IF I ever wanted to buy a Marshall I know I would get a Splawn instead.

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I would love a JTM or a plexi.

Any of you guys know what setup chuck (death) used? The earlier recordings sound more like a jcm900 or some tube head, while i think the newer ones he used a valvestate or something... Just wondering cause i would be interested in trying to replicate his guitar tone.

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valvestate 8100. i have one, its alright. i'm guessing it was mainly his x2n.

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A JCM900 with a tubescreamer would be fine.

I wanted a Marshall like you wouldn't believe, but when I bought it (DSL100), I was unimpressed. I couldn't find a decent distortion even, with my Boss GT-6. I ended up using 4 cable method and finally found tones I liked. By doing that though, since 4 cable method completely bypasses the preamp, will my tone be the same regardless of what head I use as long as I don't change cabs?

You need to sell the head if your are just using the poweramp.If you like the Marshall poweramp sound,pick up a Marshall el34 20/20,and spend the rest on a decent preamp.Or,get a completely new amp.

I know this sound like blasphemy but the Boss GTs actually has freaking awsome preamp settings. I use the 4 cables method with my GT-8 ( firmware version 1.03 ) and a Randall Cyclone. I use the Cyclone preamp 70% of the time with my primary patches but the GT switches to use its own preamps seamlessing. I like tube amps but solid state has come a long way lately.

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Yea, I would give it about 10 more years until SS overtakes tubes in the tone department.

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i'd say much longer...

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We will wait and see...but I doubt that one.

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More and more hybrids I think will be the case.

Tell that to my SE and Cobra.

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Yea we'll just have to wait and see. It will have to happen at some point because eventually the European companies that make tubes will stop making them, unless the guitar amplifier business is big enough. I just hope companies dont go hybrid crazy, unless of course they make a hybrid that actually makes sense (SS preamp, tube poweramp).

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once someone EMP's us, we'll be forced to use tubes.

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Theres always that.

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there will always be tube purists. i will be one of them. and i will do anything to make sure that i have my goddamned tubes and not some shitty three prong piece of plastic made by some poor ass three year old in malaysia.

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Maybe you don't realize how big the tube amp business is. As the majority of professional guitarists, aswell as an even bigger number of non"pro" guitarists. Are using tube amps and swear by them.

Even in bass rigs there is still a tube market. Aswell as pedals, hybrid amps, even pro recording studios have tube equipment like mic preamps.

As long as music exists, tubes will be in production.

Even the military uses tubes with some equipment.

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I have been wondering about this one.

Is valve production so low and poor nowdays that they cant make better ones than NOS that have been sitting formant for thirty years?

Also Surely theres enough players out there with valve guitar amps for companys to keep making them?

seems odd to me

The whole NOS thing has a lot of hype around it because you're always going to have the "the older the better" people that swear by vintage amps and NOS tubes.

To me its not a matter of better or worse, just different. There are tons and tons of awesome tubes still in production.

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Well that would be great. I hope tubes never go out of production. My bass amp is a Mesa hybrid and I wouldnt trade it for the world. I love my JJ's.

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Mullard