im just curious on getting one of these heads. Do all these amp models differ in their gain, i need quite some gain ummmm playing melodic death/black metal. but what i really want to know the differences between these amps thanx.

the jcm 900 4100 & 4500 dual reverb models are "hi gain", but still not insane levels, so if you like gobs of it, the jcm 900 2100 & 2500 sl-x models have an extra preamp tube for a couple extra gain stages. i like the 4100 model myself, but i'm pretty sparing on the gain. plus the sl-x's don't clean up as well.

the jcm 2000's are more modern and flexible overall. so if you need good cleans and brutal gain, they might suit you best.

jcm 800's, are sort of medium-hi gain... not brutal by themselves. but with a boost, or modification, they can be. they come in single or dual channel models.

__________________

hmmm thanx I currently have a 5150 and have a sonic maximizer running through fx send return, is the gain or sound from the jcm similar to the 5150?

No not really similar, the 5150 I would have said has higher gain than any of those you are considering. I have a JCM900 4502 (combo version of the head) and it needs a boost in order to get Death Metal gain. Why are you looking, surely the 5150 is perfect for melodic death??? If you want something a bit different then I'd recommend the Laney GH50L head, Opeth use them and they sound awesome.

5150 is very tight, sterile and gritty. Marshalls are slightly looser, warmer, and have a rounder low end... if that makes any sense...

all of these JCM's have slightly different tones.
the 800 is pretty much straight up rock, if you listen to any old Guns and Roses, you're hearing an 800.
900 is a bit more gritty, but usually has 6550 output tubes instead of el34's, so its not as warm, and has a different feel. Also has diodes in the clipping circuit (unless its sl-x) which kinda take away some tube tone. Cannibal corpse used to have some, and these are also very widely used by punk bands.
the 2000's sound pretty good, but the tubes are mounted straight onto a circuit board, so they have slight tonal differences compared to the 800 and 900... a bit less tube tone... The upside is that you have a wider range of gain to use --> super clean to crushing distortion. Everybody uses them... emo bands, rockabilly/psychobilly bands, punk bands, death metal bands (nile), you name it.

__________________

the 5150 is a more modern american high gain sounding for sure, the marshalls have that british grind, but hot rodded. the jcm 2000 would be most similar to the 5150, but even then, apples and oranges.

be careful with the bbe, it gets gimmicky really fast. you'll start to use it and think you can't live without it, and after a while you'll feel your tone just isnt good enough. taking the bbe out of signal usually feels like you just took a blanket off of your cab.

__________________

Opeth actually either uses the GH100L or the VH100R, which are just higher power versions. Although nowadays in the studio they use the Laney's more for leads.

@crayadas: I would seriously consider getting your 5150 modded if you are looking for a different tone. There are dozens of things that can be done, a lot of which can GREATLY improve the tone of your amp. Before you buy a new amp, check out FJAmods.com.

__________________

**Possible hijack** Which Marshall amps did Dissection use? I think I see a TSL something in their Rebirth of Dissection dvd but I think they used other Marshalls as well. Anyone know if they boosted their amps or swapped different speakers in their cabs? I must have that tone from the dvd. Anyone?

__________________

Thats exactly the tone im looking for, Have u heard Unanimateds album "ancient god of evil" man i love that tone not so much gain but still sounding heavy and helps with the harmonies they play.

What jcm is that on this picture? http://www.klub-mc.si/galerije/2005.../Dissection.jpg

I don't know personally but I swear somebody mentioned that Dissection used JCM900's with a boost of some kind. Don't quote me on that though...

Maxon 808, tubescreamer? These are pedals I hear about all the time but I never played through any. Which would be suitable for the sound of pre-Reinkoas Dissection? I cant tell for sure what amp that is in the picture above but its probably a TSL 60 or 100 because thats what was in the DVD. I know they used some JCMs back in the early 90's. All I know is that out of all the JCM800s, 900s, DSLs, and TSLs I've played in stores none had enough gain and sounded kind of fizzy. Im sure they could have all used a tube job and rebias though.

__________________

the od808 is a tubescreamer...

to kill the fizzness in a marshall... you change out the components inbetween the tubes... capacitors and whatnot... a tube change will have very little effect on the fizzzzzzz.

__________________

Well, I have some clips of my JCM 900 after it was biased hot, It might sound fizzy to some people it might not to others but I don't mind, I still like my amp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOGIPhnLfm8 (this one is with Digitech Death Metal pedal)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iV7YsQg2kI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2jT_gAawkA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngQ866cPljE

__________________

I tried a Marshall JVM two weeks ago and it had a lot of gain, and I'm not talking about the normal Marshall high gain tone either. It was actually high gain! Marshall made it that way due to demand for more stock heaviness. They did a good job. It sounded so good I nearly bought one.

__________________

I've got a marshall jcm2000 DSL 100, and i swear by it; it can pretty much go from clean to death metal with the flick of the switch. Sounds awesome when cranked and looses all that fizzy tone.

__________________

:-/ the poster of this thread actually passed away a few months ago a amazing guitar player he was at that and a great buddy of mine.

Condolences.

__________________

Leukemia right? Shame...

__________________

Can't most amps go from clean to distortion with the flick of a switch?

Sorry to hear.

__________________

Well some "killer distortion" amps have crummy cleans.

Hell the 900 unless cranked doesn't give "distortion" in my opinion, more of an overdrive.

__________________

I have a JMC 2000 DSL 100 head plugged into 2 1960 cabs. It is a pretty versitile amp, but all my effects come from my BOSS GT-6. So I would imagine that my sound would be quite similar no matter what I plat through. Just a theory though.

I tried one also. It was pretty decent. Although it still is missing something for me. I dunno what it is.

back on topic

Marshall JCM 800-Slayer, Old Death, bassically a good chunk of rock, punk and metal bands used them. They give great natural toneful distortion.

Marshall JCM 900-Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, Decapitated. Very dark, fuzzy sounding, gobs of gain but lacking in tonal variety. Eccellent if you are doing Grindcore or older Death Metal style material.

Marshall JCM 2000-Most recent bands use them. Very versitile amps.

I prefer the 800 and 900 over the 2000. That's just me tho.

I was actually looking at getting a 2 head set up. I have a Framus Cobra but want another looser and more dirty sounding head thrown into the mix to give a good old school raw type sound. What do you guys recomend JCM 800 or 900?

__________________