Thanks Maxime, great tones, you really nailed sweet child of mine with the SLP, I was convined it was the original than you mixed in at first. Cheers! Johan
Thanks Johan! Sweet Child O' Mine is one of those songs that I played so much!! I did that opening riff, at least, a thousand times. Glad you liked it and btw, your channel is really nice and useful!
KayakDangler I recently straight swapped my mesa boogie dual calibre 50 1x12 combo for a original 90s Marshall jcm 900 and 4x12 cab. Really like the Marshall it's a wicked amp. With Gary Moore being my main inspiration and influence all the years I have been playing guitar I always wanted one and can now say I love it. People give them a bad rep because they think you turn everything up full and that is it. Far from it. Learn how to set up eq nicely balance it with both channels and have it on half power 50 watts and crank it as we all know they start coming to life around 4 and half 5 mark on master volume on the channels.
Gary Moore is also my biggest inspiration and I also have a 900 with 2x12 celestion vintage 30s and it gets the sweetest tones from still got the blues and with a drive pedal it really has aggresive biting tones!
The 1959 absolutely SMOKES the other two. You can really hear the difference in dynamics and response from the power amp distortion vs the pre-amp distortion of the 800 & 900. Not that they sound BAD, but they just sound flat and compressed by comparison. Pete Thorn really turned me on to the difference in one of his recent vids.
The JCM900 most misunderstood and mis-used.The 900 is in my experience is the BEST Marshall of all time if you know how to use it.I've had them all.I still have my 900 and a DSL100.My 900 KILLS.Plus its a very versatile amp.Awesome cleans,crunch and brutal gain.Designed to sound best at volume.
i agree with this.. Not as plug and play as other models, but it can achieve vintage and more modern tones.. The way i prefer the 900 i s the A channel, just in between clen and crunch with a boost in front. Pushed hard in front with a good volume, man.. .. it kills. ACDC! ^^
It's funny how the 900 has done an about face with players. 15 years ago, no one liked the 900, everyone trashed it, yet today it's enjoyed a rennaissance (nice to see). Some feel the overdrive is harsh and unnatural feeling. I've played 900s and while cool amps, neither the 800 or 900 can compete with a late 80s Carvin X100B with the factory Hot Rod Mod. Honestly, Carvin is all that Marshall wishes it was.
Great video! All three of these are great amps, I have a 1991 JCM 900 with el34 tubes, sounds fucking awesome... The differences between these amps are just personal preference, you couldn't go wrong with any of them...
I like the 800 the best. It kind of takes the low end of the Super Lead and the high end of the 900 and smashes them both together for a super awesome mix of all of them!
They all sound fucking awesome. I have four myself, a JCM2000 pair, a JCM800 and a JCM900. Using the 900 as dirty amp and the 800 in the low gain input as a clean!
The 900 sounds "farther away" and really wouldn't cut through the mix in a busy band. It's too compressed and soft. The original 1959 has the most clear and detailed sound, it's like you put a magnifying glass up to the guitar. EXCELLENT demo, thanks.
You obviously know nothing about the JCM900 I have a re issue head play in a pro band and it cuts through amazing but it’s a mans amp and they are built to play proper gigs if you can’t get a fantastic tone out of these then go have some guitar lessons 😂
The Super Lead Plexi by a million miles. It has the headroom, subtlety and a cadence that no other Marshall has ever had. The original "Rock" amp will always rule in it's brilliant design, circuit board and simplicity. I have a 1975 Super Lead (which I bought brand new) and also own a JCM 800 and a 210H as well. I always go back to the Plexi. In club situations I use a THD hot Plate to reduce the output or everyone in the club would be killed !!!. If I need a total High Gain tone I bring my small pedal board which has a Keely modded Boss Metal Zone Pedal, a Wah and a Deja Vibe and the tone is other worldly. I actually prefer a single channel amp and prefer rolling off the Volume on my SG to get a very traditional Marshall clean "Jimi" tone.
I used to have a SLP. I was wondering- how do you incorporate that Metal Zone pedal on top of the existing drive sound the amp makes? In other words, are you turning up the volume of the amp to the point where it distorts and then putting the Metal Zone on top of that? If so it seems like that would sound weird. So how do you make it work?
Also,this is a very good demonstration of the great historic Marshall tone ! Yes,play a JCM900 loud and its power section comes to life just like the older ones.It can purr like a kitty and roar like a lion.Its not a one trick pony like the older ones.Plus a great effects loop AND half power switch.I don't need or want anything else.Marshall is home sweet home for me. Great demo ! No bull , just TONE and good playing.Good job.Thank you.
When you play Rock You Like a Hurricane to a Scorpions fan 😍👌🏼🎸 great video man! JCM 800 is the choice of mine, also, I like it boosted with Tumnus or Tube Screamer :)
Yes I feel that the 800 can have too much Hi end so w a good TS Analogman modded even better you can dial some of that out to taste and add some drive IF needed Great amp I have the 800 50 watt combo from the early 80s and live it
The SLP takes the cake! Informative, great sounding shootout and great playing too. It definitely helps me in making my big decision. Thank you sharing brother!
Use all three heads at once, the 1959SLP with a 4x12 cab loaded with Celestion G12H Heritage 55Hz speakers. The JCM800 with Heritage 20 watt Greenbacks, and the JCM900 with Vintage 30's. Now you on the road to building the foundation of a good rig. My 'A' rig is something like what I just described. Marshall 1959RR, 2466 Vintage Modern and JCM2000 TSL 60. Each driving their own 4x12 cabinets, 1960 Lead with G12H creambacks/Vintage 30's, Avatar Vintage Celestion Gold's/G12H 30 and EVH 4x12 with Celestion EVH drivers. All amps are equipped with NOS pre-amp and power tubes as well as Mercury Magnetics mains/output transformers and chokes. Edward Van Halen told me to do this!
I think the Jim 900 would sound nicer with the bass turned up a bit but of course for the propose of this video they probably had everything at 12 a clock. Great sounding amp the Jim 900. Might i say underestimated?
59 sounds the most untamed and is a kickass lead amp. 800 strikes the balance between raw and compressed. It's clear why these were the go-to rock/metal amp throughout the 80s. My personal fav. I've never heard a 900 sound bad live, but side-by-side it gets blown away by its predecessors.
Funny story - I was surprised when I saw Super Lead in local town's community centre (you can play there for free). Even paid practise rooms in greater city doesn't have even any of tube amp. Only one disadvantage of this amp is lack of „Master Volume” knob.
The sonic richness of the '59 kind of sold it to me.They are all good amps,the other two have a modern high end that might cut better through the mix and suit more modern hard rock and metal
Great comparison of the various classic marshall valve amp units. In my estimate the Plexi had the most harmic-rich content, the 900 had best chug-tone and the 800 had the most gain distortion.
Great demo. I have a 900 DR, early years with EL34's in the power section, and I have a Plexi reissue...4-hole Plexis rules all day. They're just tone monsters, and I know you can't cover it all in one video, but it should be mentioned that one can patch the channels, and for those saying that the 800 has more low end, patch the 2nd channel (Normal) to the the 1st channel (high treble) and it's beautiful low end all day...you can literally work those two knobs for all tone you'll need, and the EQ section just to fine-tone it. A good attenuator is recommended for the Plexi as there's no master volume (can be easily modded to have one) and they're loud beasts and benefit from some taming...unless you're playing an arena. JCM 900 is nice, but I will be selling it. Just no longer needed, but a good amp especially for the price you can get them for...many people love them. To me, it's a Plexi all day. Hands down.
In this demo, with a Les Paul I rate them in the order in which they appeared :- 1st place SuperLead, 2nd place JCM800, 3rd place JCM900. I have a feeling that with a thinner sounding Strat, or maybe even SG, the order could be reversed. Here the JCM900 is like gravy with too much cornflower added - thicker and creamier, but too much of the flavor is lost.
Thanks! Yeah, I prefer the 1959SLP and 2203X myself, but the JCM 900 is quite good when cranked (like in this video)! For people wanting an higher gain/'90s amp, it's the one!
I agree with you about the 900. I haven't heard a 900 model that I liked at all, even though it seems to have more gain, it isn't the "kind" of gain I would want to use. I think for people who want the "90's sound" with more gain than and 800 is capable of, the best option is a TSL-50 or 60 or 100 or 120....or one of the original DSL series, something from the older JCM2000 line. The 900's just all sound fizzy to me. They did use diode-clipping, but I don't think that's the reason (at least not the ONLY reason) because they snuck some clipping diodes in some of the later 800 and 2000 models too, and those amps don't turn to mush when the gain is set high and you maybe push the front-end with a clean boost. Also, I like a few of the Valvestate models, and they are basically solid state amps with one voltage-starved preamp tube acting as a diode between solid state gain stages, yet they are not fizzy or mushy to my ears, and depending on what you are playing, they are the superior choice for certain types of sounds. Whoa, I just wrote a blog on your comment.....
Maxime Paul-Degarie I really prepared the 900 over the 800 I have both amps.&use greenback for the the Cab.mine is 95 & 800 RI.I like the tone of 900 Better esp.if you crank it to 5 or 6 .Good Demo Man Fantastic..Mahalo..
@@AdamRainStopper I used to have a first generation (1992) 100 watt Valvestate head. Couldn't afford a tube amp so i bought the Valvestate instead. It served me well and sounded great!
All three sound killer. SLP and 800 as expected, both are true monsters, but the 900 surprised me actually. Especially the rythm tone was gorgeous too!
This just shows how iterative and subtle the development of Marshall heads has been. They're all basically the same voicing, all your getting is harder clipping with each new design, causing more compression, and the feeding of more treble into the signal, which gives you a more aggressive sounding distortion. Season to taste IMO. The EQ was really altered with the DSL line, with more attention given to the bottom end response.
Great tone in all 3 amps, but you can hear how they increase in gain and sustain from the Plexi to the 800 to the 900. To my ears anyway, the 900 came the closest to nailing Slash's tone.
All sound really good, though I think I liked the 1959SLP best. The JCM800 has great lows, but less midrange and slightly fizzy highs. The JCM900 sounded like a nice balance between the best attributes of the 1959 and the 2203. Thanks for posting!
+Maxime Paul-Degarie hey man thank you for your demo. I just got a jtm45 clone and I love it but it's going to be modded to sound like a cross btwn an 59slp and have the crunch of an 800.
I have an older JCM 900 dual reverb. sounds very nice thru a Dr Z Z-best cab. I find way better than a Marshall cab. using the gain volume only for overdrive sounds, it was nice but was missing something. not bad sounding but seemed to lack some depth or character. I just picked up a Rivera Rock Crusher attenuator for my amps. with the attenuator in line, the master volume can be run in the spectrum where people say cranking one of these amps is where they shine. Master volume now runs at 7 or 8 (which seems to be that sweet spot) rather than 2-3 to play at home. I have to say what a major difference. looses that "fizzy" sound some people complain about and the tone seems to have picked up very nice fuller tone. the attenuator really woke up this amp. now has that nice bite it seemed to struggle for. pretty much nail the Mick Jones from Foreigner tone. love it. also, it is set to the 50 watt setting, and using a jumper cable for the effects loop.
+John Spina With the SLP you can jump the bright and normal channel to make it a bit fatter, less bright.. that's how I usually use mine. But, in the demo it was straight into bright input like guitarists were doing in the '60s and '70s! Thanks!
Thanks for the demo. Hearing all three back to back was very helpful, I wasn't sure what I would prefer at the beginning but hands down its the super lead 1959. While the 800 and 900 are fantastic the difference is noticeable. The tighter bass in the 800 is way awesome but it doesn't seem to open up as nice as the super lead. The 900 is really compressed and seems to sound dare I say it synthetic compared to the other two.
The Marshall JCM900 is a great amp but it is to compressed stock, so if you Mod it, it can definitely become a very great amp despite how many people hate the amp and over look it.
They are sweet amps. I have 900 DR and 2000 TSL both 100 watts. It's hard to decide between the two. I bought a 800 2203 that someone modded to 2 channels. I'm up in the air on that one.
I know that the following will be considered sacrilegious by many, so I admit that it is higly subjective - but that's what MY ears hear: all three amps sound great in rhythm parts, but they only do so at volumes hardly anybody can really use (This was the reason why I sold my beloved 1981 JCM 800). Things change, however, when you play lead. Both, the Super Lead and the JCM 800 lack gain here in my opinion. This is why so many players use(d) some sort of overdrive or (treble)boost pedal to make up for this. For leads, the 900 sounds best to me in your clip, Maxime. These three amps represent an interesting development in (Mashall)amp history. Since players used pedals to give their amps more gain, companies reacted to this and built amps to meet the players' demands.
All have their different harmonic tones and strengths, love the tone of the plexi , but if I want to play harder rock would go for an 800 or 900, for my take home the plexi, could listen to that tone all day, whereas the 800 and 900 would blow my ear drums away after an hour of playing
For Solos, JCM800 For Rhythm, JCM900 The SLP is just lacking in gain, most likely why Randy Rhoads insisted on a gain push for his model. When I hear the rhythm for the JCM900, I hear clarity, but unfortunately for solos, I hear ear piercing. but maybe that’s a matter of the pickups and guitar wood being used. Great vid, thanks 👍🏼
The SLP and JCM800 sounds very similar. The thing that seperates them, to me; is that the SLP has this gritty "dryness" to it which sounds amazing. The JCM800s sounds very round and "lean" but still has clarity. I mean Dryness and lean in good ways. They both sound amazing..
I liked rhythm on all three amps really well. The SLP with lead had something special going on though. I'm not even quite sure what it is that I'm hearing. Great playing as well. :)
I liked the 900 - really smooth in this recording...maybe because it was recorded cranked up and not just master 1, pregain 10 like some people run them. The 1959 sounds the best of them all, though might be because you have an original and not a reissue.
I liked all of them. Personally, I'm playing a DSL100H, and it's most similar to the 800. Just a tad brighter. These big boys I hope to attain one day.
The SLP and the JCM800 sound a lot more organic. The JCM900 sounded a bit crap in the second part of the video where the intro of Sweet child o'mine is played. That doesn't mean that the JCM900 is bad. Let's say that this amp is more for another style of music like modern rock. The others 2 more for classic rock and Hard rock. Nice Demo by the way :)
I have all three of these heads, and I personally like the JCM900 the best. But then again, it depends on what guitar is being used also. #marshallheads #jcm900
I don;'t know I think the evolution of Marshalls to more and more compressed gain has made them less and less sonically rich and really mediocre tone wise -- you miss all those various overtones that are there in the early JMPs and JTMs. I realize that's what players in certain genre's are looking for - that brittle fizzy distortion but I think even if thats your bag you can get it better out of a pedal through an amp with less gain and a more rounded tone. Just my 2cents.
Matt Evans I agree. I own a JCM 900 Combo. The amp feels great and the clean/crunch channel sounds great when you don't dial the gain up too high. But the High gain channel is not a favorite for me on that amp. Nice power section though.
Maxime Paul-Degarie I have a 1959SLP/JCM800 split channel clone, and more oftentimes I use the SLP mode than the other.... There is something about the 1959's rawness and in-your-face that is front-and-center....You'll never gonna get that with a high-gain modern amp.
I think the Plexi can do anything the 800 can with an overdrive. Blind test would be hard to tell with both boosted. Just a tiny bit more saturation is all I can tell between the 2203. Strangely enough, the 900 DR isn't too bad either.
The JCM800 sounds a little deeper than the 1959. But the JCM900 sounds smoother, a better integrated sound, and reminds of what I hear on records. Your neighbor probably blew a fuse with your amps at 7!
I liked the plexi and 800. They actually seem the closest. Seems the 800 could do the plexi thing if you backed the gain off and some small tweaking. The 900 was more modern/squashed and great prolly for heavier players-which I am not so I say 1959 then 800. Excellent review
Nothing better than 1959 SLP. Perfect sound, clean, warm and in your face.
Wow, as a lifetime Scorpions fan, the beginning of this video pleased me tremendously! 1959 sound is spot on.
Thanks Maxime, great tones, you really nailed sweet child of mine with the SLP, I was convined it was the original than you mixed in at first. Cheers! Johan
Thanks Johan! Sweet Child O' Mine is one of those songs that I played so much!! I did that opening riff, at least, a thousand times. Glad you liked it and btw, your channel is really nice and useful!
Thanks Maxime! Glad you like it! Cheers
Agree w/ Johan- absolutely nailed it
DAMN!!!...Sure in the hell did!!!...Slash would have been fooled that it wasn't his track.
Just bought a JCM900 and couldn't be more happy with it!
Have fun with your new amp!! :)
KayakDangler I recently straight swapped my mesa boogie dual calibre 50 1x12 combo for a original 90s Marshall jcm 900 and 4x12 cab. Really like the Marshall it's a wicked amp. With Gary Moore being my main inspiration and influence all the years I have been playing guitar I always wanted one and can now say I love it. People give them a bad rep because they think you turn everything up full and that is it. Far from it. Learn how to set up eq nicely balance it with both channels and have it on half power 50 watts and crank it as we all know they start coming to life around 4 and half 5 mark on master volume on the channels.
Gary Moore is also my biggest inspiration and I also have a 900 with 2x12 celestion vintage 30s and it gets the sweetest tones from still got the blues and with a drive pedal it really has aggresive biting tones!
Great amp !
Cool man. 900s rule!
The plexi is the tone for me . I like that the old Marshalls weren't as compressed . and if I want to use pedals they take to those very well .
For clean and crunch - Plexi. For high gain - JCM 800.
IMO.
1. 1959SLP
2. JCM 800
3. JCM 900
And the JCM 900, is not a bad amp !
Thanks for the comment!!
@@MaximePaulDegarie The JCM 900 Is not a good amp either.
Kim Hansen the JCM 900 is an amp
That 1959 tone is the shit!
Correct! JCM900 is a killer amp
The 1959 absolutely SMOKES the other two. You can really hear the difference in dynamics and response from the power amp distortion vs the pre-amp distortion of the 800 & 900. Not that they sound BAD, but they just sound flat and compressed by comparison. Pete Thorn really turned me on to the difference in one of his recent vids.
The Plexi is my favorite, both sound and look. I do like the smaller, classic Marshall logo over the big, modern logo.
Dude I was really not expecting the Jcm 900 to sound that good especially sweet child o mine
The JCM900 most misunderstood and mis-used.The 900 is in my experience is the BEST Marshall of all time if you know how to use it.I've had them all.I still have my 900 and a DSL100.My 900 KILLS.Plus its a very versatile amp.Awesome cleans,crunch and brutal gain.Designed to sound best at volume.
Yes, it's reacting like an old Marshall should. It's a lot better when played loud!
i agree with this.. Not as plug and play as other models, but it can achieve vintage and more modern tones.. The way i prefer the 900 i s the A channel, just in between clen and crunch with a boost in front. Pushed hard in front with a good volume, man.. .. it kills. ACDC! ^^
Love my DSL100!!!
It's funny how the 900 has done an about face with players. 15 years ago, no one liked the 900, everyone trashed it, yet today it's enjoyed a rennaissance (nice to see). Some feel the overdrive is harsh and unnatural feeling. I've played 900s and while cool amps, neither the 800 or 900 can compete with a late 80s Carvin X100B with the factory Hot Rod Mod. Honestly, Carvin is all that Marshall wishes it was.
Great video! All three of these are great amps, I have a 1991 JCM 900 with el34 tubes, sounds fucking awesome... The differences between these amps are just personal preference, you couldn't go wrong with any of them...
JCM 800 all the way, but the Super Lead sounds awesome. The 900 sounds surprisingly good to me, too.
Super Lead and JCM 800 sound very similar.
super lead for me although the 800 kicks ass as well
+Gary Michaud :)
I like the 800 the best. It kind of takes the low end of the Super Lead and the high end of the 900 and smashes them both together for a super awesome mix of all of them!
love the feed back on the 800.cant beat that 800 that amp rocks
man that SLP sounds so amazing. A lot of character in that tone. Thanks for sharing!
No wonder why it's a classic! My pleasure!
They all sound fucking awesome. I have four myself, a JCM2000 pair, a JCM800 and a JCM900. Using the 900 as dirty amp and the 800 in the low gain input as a clean!
The 900 sounds "farther away" and really wouldn't cut through the mix in a busy band. It's too compressed and soft. The original 1959 has the most clear and detailed sound, it's like you put a magnifying glass up to the guitar. EXCELLENT demo, thanks.
Thanks!!
You obviously know nothing about the JCM900 I have a re issue head play in a pro band and it cuts through amazing but it’s a mans amp and they are built to play proper gigs if you can’t get a fantastic tone out of these then go have some guitar lessons 😂
@@DeanSinger1 Maybe, but it doesn´t sound very good.
for me the 800 was the best sounding overall. the 900 sounded a bit too compressed, it also had more gain than the others.
great demo
900 warmest 59 second 800 brightest that tells me I need all 3
the 900 has a stronger lower end. but the slp has a fatter mid. Yet the 800 longer feedback. they all sound good
The Super Lead Plexi by a million miles. It has the headroom, subtlety and a cadence that no other Marshall has ever had. The original "Rock" amp will always rule in it's brilliant design, circuit board and simplicity. I have a 1975 Super Lead (which I bought brand new) and also own a JCM 800 and a 210H as well. I always go back to the Plexi. In club situations I use a THD hot Plate to reduce the output or everyone in the club would be killed !!!. If I need a total High Gain tone I bring my small pedal board which has a Keely modded Boss Metal Zone Pedal, a Wah and a Deja Vibe and the tone is other worldly. I actually prefer a single channel amp and prefer rolling off the Volume on my SG to get a very traditional Marshall clean "Jimi" tone.
I also prefer single channel amps!
I used to have a SLP. I was wondering- how do you incorporate that Metal Zone pedal on top of the existing drive sound the amp makes? In other words, are you turning up the volume of the amp to the point where it distorts and then putting the Metal Zone on top of that? If so it seems like that would sound weird.
So how do you make it work?
lol at a metal zone into a 1975 Super Lead
You obviously dont know the keeley mod huh? ;)
you can't polish a turd my friend ;)
The SLP was the best sounding by far. The 900 came second. Great playing and very well recorded!
Thanks!! Glad you liked it :)
Yeah it's super awesome
Also,this is a very good demonstration of the great historic Marshall tone ! Yes,play a JCM900 loud and its power section comes to life just like the older ones.It can purr like a kitty and roar like a lion.Its not a one trick pony like the older ones.Plus a great effects loop AND half power switch.I don't need or want anything else.Marshall is home sweet home for me. Great demo ! No bull , just TONE and good playing.Good job.Thank you.
Thank you :)
When you play Rock You Like a Hurricane to a Scorpions fan 😍👌🏼🎸
great video man!
JCM 800 is the choice of mine, also, I like it boosted with Tumnus or Tube Screamer :)
Yes I feel that the 800 can have too much Hi end so w a good TS Analogman modded even better you can dial some of that out to taste and add some drive IF needed Great amp I have the 800 50 watt combo from the early 80s and live it
Myself I'm going to have to go with the JCM 900. Just liked the sound of it. All these were very much the same though.
Thanks!
The SLP takes the cake! Informative, great sounding shootout and great playing too. It definitely helps me in making my big decision. Thank you sharing brother!
Use all three heads at once, the 1959SLP with a 4x12 cab loaded with Celestion G12H Heritage 55Hz speakers. The JCM800 with Heritage 20 watt Greenbacks, and the JCM900 with Vintage 30's. Now you on the road to building the foundation of a good rig. My 'A' rig is something like what I just described. Marshall 1959RR, 2466 Vintage Modern and JCM2000 TSL 60. Each driving their own 4x12 cabinets, 1960 Lead with G12H creambacks/Vintage 30's, Avatar Vintage Celestion Gold's/G12H 30 and EVH 4x12 with Celestion EVH drivers. All amps are equipped with NOS pre-amp and power tubes as well as Mercury Magnetics mains/output transformers and chokes. Edward Van Halen told me to do this!
I likes the 800 best. It has the lowest gain but came to a nice feedback note where none other did. That says it all to me.
+Jak Leyton Thanks!
To me, the JCM 800 and the Plexi were very similar. I didn't really like the 900, too saturated for my taste. It's too "Slashy"
+ShortFingeredShreder Easy to set it for clean to what you heard here .I never used the ultra high gain on mine.Overkill for my taste.
I think the Jim 900 would sound nicer with the bass turned up a bit but of course for the propose of this video they probably had everything at 12 a clock. Great sounding amp the Jim 900. Might i say underestimated?
59 sounds the most untamed and is a kickass lead amp.
800 strikes the balance between raw and compressed. It's clear why these were the go-to rock/metal amp throughout the 80s. My personal fav.
I've never heard a 900 sound bad live, but side-by-side it gets blown away by its predecessors.
Thanks for the shootout.
Glad you liked it!
I'll take the 2203 or a 2204 anytime!
Excellent comparison btw. 👍
Funny story - I was surprised when I saw Super Lead in local town's community centre (you can play there for free). Even paid practise rooms in greater city doesn't have even any of tube amp.
Only one disadvantage of this amp is lack of „Master Volume” knob.
The sonic richness of the '59 kind of sold it to me.They are all good amps,the other two have a modern high end that might cut better through the mix and suit more modern hard rock and metal
I think the 800 might be my favorite in terms of practicality. It literally takes what the plexi and the 900 do best and combines them
1959SL for the win
Not so fizzy and more articulate
Thanks for the great demo!
Thanks for your feedback! Glad you liked it :)
Outstanding demo. Absolutely killer tones! Preferences aside you truly can't go wrong with any of that. Thank you
Bill Morrison Thanks man!
Really great video... actually great sound clips :) Personally I love the Plexi sound.
Thanks!
Own all three for studio the plexi for small gigs the 900 with a 1936 cab and out door shows my 800 Marshall till the end 🙏👏👌🔥🔥🎩
wow....sweet child o‘ mine intro is almost identical to original on 900
good work man
Great comparison video. SLP sounds nice and crisp. The 900 sounds a bit thin and compressed. The 800 has my vote. Thanks for posting!
+gibsonplayer8 Thanks a lot!! :)
Great comparison of the various classic marshall valve amp units. In my estimate the Plexi had the most harmic-rich content, the 900 had best chug-tone and the 800 had the most gain distortion.
Great demo. I have a 900 DR, early years with EL34's in the power section, and I have a Plexi reissue...4-hole Plexis rules all day. They're just tone monsters, and I know you can't cover it all in one video, but it should be mentioned that one can patch the channels, and for those saying that the 800 has more low end, patch the 2nd channel (Normal) to the the 1st channel (high treble) and it's beautiful low end all day...you can literally work those two knobs for all tone you'll need, and the EQ section just to fine-tone it. A good attenuator is recommended for the Plexi as there's no master volume (can be easily modded to have one) and they're loud beasts and benefit from some taming...unless you're playing an arena. JCM 900 is nice, but I will be selling it. Just no longer needed, but a good amp especially for the price you can get them for...many people love them. To me, it's a Plexi all day. Hands down.
Super Lead 0:20
JCM800 1:14
JCM900 2:07
+Brae Scanlon
Super Lead 3:08
JCM800 3:28
JCM900 3:47
Exactly.
All those Marshall amplifiers are great, but the Super Lead is the true "sound of rock"!
Thanks!!
In this demo, with a Les Paul I rate them in the order in which they appeared :- 1st place SuperLead, 2nd place JCM800, 3rd place JCM900. I have a feeling that with a thinner sounding Strat, or maybe even SG, the order could be reversed. Here the JCM900 is like gravy with too much cornflower added - thicker and creamier, but too much of the flavor is lost.
+dwftube Thanks for your feedback!
Best comparison!! Thanks!
1959 and 2203 are simply AWESOME!!!!!
Probably it was very very loud.... !!!
Thanks!! Yep, it was ;)
The Plexi and JCM 800 both sound great. The JCM 900 is too muddy.
Nice demo. The 2203 nailed the Sweet Child thing.
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Wow Max! Sounds awesome. The 1959SLP and 2203X were both awesome. Thanks for posting! DP
Thanks DP! It's always fun to help musicians to decide which amps they like the best... Sometimes, that kind of demo can help them decide!
Great shootout!
The Superlead just crushes! The JCM 800 is pretty good, but the JCM900....not so much.
Thanks! Yeah, I prefer the 1959SLP and 2203X myself, but the JCM 900 is quite good when cranked (like in this video)! For people wanting an higher gain/'90s amp, it's the one!
I agree with you about the 900. I haven't heard a 900 model that I liked at all, even though it seems to have more gain, it isn't the "kind" of gain I would want to use. I think for people who want the "90's sound" with more gain than and 800 is capable of, the best option is a TSL-50 or 60 or 100 or 120....or one of the original DSL series, something from the older JCM2000 line. The 900's just all sound fizzy to me. They did use diode-clipping, but I don't think that's the reason (at least not the ONLY reason) because they snuck some clipping diodes in some of the later 800 and 2000 models too, and those amps don't turn to mush when the gain is set high and you maybe push the front-end with a clean boost. Also, I like a few of the Valvestate models, and they are basically solid state amps with one voltage-starved preamp tube acting as a diode between solid state gain stages, yet they are not fizzy or mushy to my ears, and depending on what you are playing, they are the superior choice for certain types of sounds. Whoa, I just wrote a blog on your comment.....
Maxime Paul-Degarie I really prepared the 900 over the 800 I have both amps.&use greenback for the the Cab.mine is 95 & 800 RI.I like the tone of 900 Better esp.if you crank it to 5 or 6 .Good Demo Man Fantastic..Mahalo..
@@AdamRainStopper I used to have a first generation (1992) 100 watt Valvestate head. Couldn't afford a tube amp so i bought the Valvestate instead. It served me well and sounded great!
All three sound killer. SLP and 800 as expected, both are true monsters, but the 900 surprised me actually. Especially the rythm tone was gorgeous too!
This just shows how iterative and subtle the development of Marshall heads has been. They're all basically the same voicing, all your getting is harder clipping with each new design, causing more compression, and the feeding of more treble into the signal, which gives you a more aggressive sounding distortion. Season to taste IMO. The EQ was really altered with the DSL line, with more attention given to the bottom end response.
Great tone in all 3 amps, but you can hear how they increase in gain and sustain from the Plexi to the 800 to the 900. To my ears anyway, the 900 came the closest to nailing Slash's tone.
Glad you liked it!
Fantastic recording ! thanks for sharing.
Tha nks!!
All sound really good, though I think I liked the 1959SLP best. The JCM800 has great lows, but less midrange and slightly fizzy highs. The JCM900 sounded like a nice balance between the best attributes of the 1959 and the 2203. Thanks for posting!
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
LONG LIVE ROCK N ROLL !!!!!!
Amen!
thank you for this i have been wondering these differences for a long time
+emitchsr Glad you liked it !
The SLP sounded insane. Is it stock, but just turned up?!?!?
Hi! Thanks man! Yes, all stock.. straight into the amp, but turned up!
+Maxime Paul-Degarie hey man thank you for your demo. I just got a jtm45 clone and I love it but it's going to be modded to sound like a cross btwn an 59slp and have the crunch of an 800.
Yes because if you crank the amp it sounds distorted. Cheers
JCM 800 for sure. I owned a 2204 50 watt that was the best sounding Marshall I ever played through. Love that tone
close call between the 800 and slp, both sound great, slp a bit brighter. Neither really better
+Ade Ingate ^
+Ade Ingate I'm pretty sure it's a new 800 - the original British component ones don't sound like that. They sound more like the Plexi on this demo
Man, im going with the JCM900 on this one! This thing sounded great to me. All of them did without a doubt but that had a lil more edge
I have an older JCM 900 dual reverb. sounds very nice thru a Dr Z Z-best cab. I find way better than a Marshall cab. using the gain volume only for overdrive sounds, it was nice but was missing something. not bad sounding but seemed to lack some depth or character. I just picked up a Rivera Rock Crusher attenuator for my amps. with the attenuator in line, the master volume can be run in the spectrum where people say cranking one of these amps is where they shine. Master volume now runs at 7 or 8 (which seems to be that sweet spot) rather than 2-3 to play at home. I have to say what a major difference. looses that "fizzy" sound some people complain about and the tone seems to have picked up very nice fuller tone. the attenuator really woke up this amp. now has that nice bite it seemed to struggle for. pretty much nail the Mick Jones from Foreigner tone. love it. also, it is set to the 50 watt setting, and using a jumper cable for the effects loop.
My dream rig has always been a 90's JCM900 through a 80's JCM800 into Marshall full stack of vintage 70's Cabs.
Liked the 800 best as it had more balls in the low mids..The other 2 were a bit spikey in the highs for my tastes..Thx for sharing.
+John Spina With the SLP you can jump the bright and normal channel to make it a bit fatter, less bright.. that's how I usually use mine. But, in the demo it was straight into bright input like guitarists were doing in the '60s and '70s! Thanks!
Thanks for the demo.
Hearing all three back to back was very helpful, I wasn't sure what I would prefer at the beginning but hands down its the super lead 1959. While the 800 and 900 are fantastic the difference is noticeable. The tighter bass in the 800 is way awesome but it doesn't seem to open up as nice as the super lead. The 900 is really compressed and seems to sound dare I say it synthetic compared to the other two.
Thanks for the comment. Glad you liked it!
Same thing about the 900 here, but i gess it is just about gain
I love the fact that he played the Sweet Child intro, good riff to compare amps
The Marshall JCM900 is a great amp but it is to compressed stock, so if you Mod it, it can definitely become a very great amp despite how many people hate the amp and over look it.
Wow you pretty much nailed Slash's A.F.D. sound on the super lead.
Thanks!!
I just got a 50w 900 High Gain Dual Reverb and a JCM 2000 DSL for my son 👌. They sound sweet running each through a 4x12 vintage 30's cab.
They are sweet amps. I have 900 DR and 2000 TSL both 100 watts. It's hard to decide between the two. I bought a 800 2203 that someone modded to 2 channels. I'm up in the air on that one.
I know that the following will be considered sacrilegious by many, so I admit that it is higly subjective - but that's what MY ears hear: all three amps sound great in rhythm parts, but they only do so at volumes hardly anybody can really use (This was the reason why I sold my beloved 1981 JCM 800). Things change, however, when you play lead. Both, the Super Lead and the JCM 800 lack gain here in my opinion. This is why so many players use(d) some sort of overdrive or (treble)boost pedal to make up for this. For leads, the 900 sounds best to me in your clip, Maxime. These three amps represent an interesting development in (Mashall)amp history. Since players used pedals to give their amps more gain, companies reacted to this and built amps to meet the players' demands.
All have their different harmonic tones and strengths, love the tone of the plexi , but if I want to play harder rock would go for an 800 or 900, for my take home the plexi, could listen to that tone all day, whereas the 800 and 900 would blow my ear drums away after an hour of playing
mindofown hahah thanks man!
For Solos, JCM800
For Rhythm, JCM900
The SLP is just lacking in gain, most likely why Randy Rhoads insisted on a gain push for his model. When I hear the rhythm for the JCM900, I hear clarity, but unfortunately for solos, I hear ear piercing. but maybe that’s a matter of the pickups and guitar wood being used. Great vid, thanks 👍🏼
The SLP and JCM800 sounds very similar.
The thing that seperates them, to me; is that the SLP has this gritty "dryness" to it which sounds amazing. The JCM800s sounds very round and "lean" but still has clarity.
I mean Dryness and lean in good ways. They both sound amazing..
Elix1rify Thanks!
I liked rhythm on all three amps really well. The SLP with lead had something special going on though. I'm not even quite sure what it is that I'm hearing. Great playing as well. :)
I liked the 900 - really smooth in this recording...maybe because it was recorded cranked up and not just master 1, pregain 10 like some people run them.
The 1959 sounds the best of them all, though might be because you have an original and not a reissue.
Yes! The JCM 900 sounds better cranked, like all marshall should! My 1959SLP is a reissue, I guess mine is a good one :)
0:20 Plexi
1:14 JCM 800
2:07 JCM 900
I liked all of them. Personally, I'm playing a DSL100H, and it's most similar to the 800. Just a tad brighter. These big boys I hope to attain one day.
The SLP and the JCM800 sound a lot more organic. The JCM900 sounded a bit crap in the second part of the video where the intro of Sweet child o'mine is played. That doesn't mean that the JCM900 is bad. Let's say that this amp is more for another style of music like modern rock. The others 2 more for classic rock and Hard rock.
Nice Demo by the way :)
Thanks!! Glad you liked it :)
I have all three of these heads, and I personally like the JCM900 the best. But then again, it depends on what guitar is being used also.
#marshallheads #jcm900
I prefer the 1959, but at high volumes like that it is very easy to hear that the Plexi and the JCM800 are from a common lineage!
Yep, I find them to be very similar.. The JCM 800 having a bit more bottom end and slightly more gain. Thanks!
I don;'t know I think the evolution of Marshalls to more and more compressed gain has made them less and less sonically rich and really mediocre tone wise -- you miss all those various overtones that are there in the early JMPs and JTMs. I realize that's what players in certain genre's are looking for - that brittle fizzy distortion but I think even if thats your bag you can get it better out of a pedal through an amp with less gain and a more rounded tone. Just my 2cents.
Matt Evans I agree. I own a JCM 900 Combo. The amp feels great and the clean/crunch channel sounds great when you don't dial the gain up too high. But the High gain channel is not a favorite for me on that amp. Nice power section though.
And to make stuation even worse, people tend to reference tone with MP3 recordings....
No choke installed in any Marshall after the 800...they started cutting corners and the tone was affected.
the 1959SLP + Greenback = match made in heaven.
Indeed :)
Maxime Paul-Degarie I have a 1959SLP/JCM800 split channel clone, and more oftentimes I use the SLP mode than the other.... There is something about the 1959's rawness and in-your-face that is front-and-center....You'll never gonna get that with a high-gain modern amp.
The word you're looking for is "ballsy" lol
Andrei Tuico There you go.
I struggle to spell "rhythm" too. Damn! That JCM 900 sounds awesome! I own a '93 100wt and used to own a 50wt...only Marshall heads I've ever used.
Nice comparison. I'd love to hear the 1987x, and 50 watt versions of the other two cranked. Thanks for the post!
Wow I didn't know plexi sounded that sweet!!! When compared side by side it's so obvious
Thanks!
like both the SLP and the 800
nothing will ever be as good as the 59 plexi. its just the best of all time.they cant make them like that anymore
Yeah, a 59 is a beast!
I think the Plexi can do anything the 800 can with an overdrive. Blind test would be hard to tell with both boosted. Just a tiny bit more saturation is all I can tell between the 2203. Strangely enough, the 900 DR isn't too bad either.
Opie O'Brian Yea, they all sound great!
SLP was my fav. Cool comparison!
I have JCM800 2203x and it's absolutely amazing amp.
The JCM800 sounds a little deeper than the 1959. But the JCM900 sounds smoother, a better integrated sound, and reminds of what I hear on records. Your neighbor probably blew a fuse with your amps at 7!
1. JCM 900 or JCM 800
3. Plexi
I have a JCM2000 60TSP. My fave
900 more intense than 800... Depends on what doing with
I liked the plexi and 800. They actually seem the closest. Seems the 800 could do the plexi thing if you backed the gain off and some small tweaking. The 900 was more modern/squashed and great prolly for heavier players-which I am not so I say 1959 then 800. Excellent review
I liked the 800 best.
SLP for me!
The 900 is quite fizzy, but I think it is perfect for rhythm guitar. I just ordered a reissue of the 900, along with a JVM410H for leads
Nice setup! :)
The 900 is used with the A or B channel? Cos it make a big difference. I like the A channel most. More of the vintage Marshall vibe.