Marshall JCM 800 2203 King Of The 80's Tone
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- I finally got to play the amp that is responsible for many guitar tones in the 80's. (And beyond)
The Marshall JCM 800 2203 is an amp that I've never had the chance to play. Does the JCM 800 do metal? How does the JCM800 sound with a boost? Let's find out!
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Same rig I’ve been using for over 20 years but mine is 2204 50 watt version. Perfect for what I play. My originals and Priest Tribute. You did it justice my friend 🤘
Nice, to me the 50 watters sound better than the 100 watt versions. Not as much low end oomph but it distorts more quickly and feels more forgiving.
Our rehearsal place had both for long. The 50W version definitely sounds better. There is no question about it. For some reason it is just more gnarly and aggressive. The 100W is more "nicer" and "smoother". The volume difference is negligible. I'd say that it might even sound better than the Jubilee. But that is a tough call.
Dude Euge’s “Bad Boy” is absolutely crushing. I believe it’s a 2203
you mean yugovalovirta?
@@techforge-Nate yep 😂. Love that dude
Euge's "bad boy" is kinda unique tho.
@@techforge-Nate 😂
Have to say just that with a super imposing voice and then go into nice mode. 😂
@@TheCyberMantis first of all, it's the horizontal input model, which sounds more aggressive, because the vertical input one has a "de-fizz ING" component added.
Also, he change the caps. It has 4 instead of the typical 5. The reason is because his transformer blew and was replaced. Other than that, there could be something else wrong with it.
OH.. I forgot.... He probably doesn't have it biased as an EL34, at 25 watts per tube, and the tech may have biased it as a 6550 or Kt88, meaning that it is super hot, and that could be why he's blowing stuff left and right.
He had some Winged C's put in there, and then just a couple months later, something else. Dude eats tubes!
THE other problem with his amp is that it's either loud or practically off. There is some kind of problems with his controls. Either the master volume, gain, or both.
The thing is, I have 2x 1984 JCM 800's with the vertical inputs, and they both sound noticeably different. Still the same amp, but the tone is different. It could just boil down to component tolerances.
LOVE this video and Tone! Welcome to the 80s tone team. Marshall + sd1 rules!!!
Great playing as always Jerrod and superb tones! That signature Marshall midrange really shines. 🤘🏻😎🎸
I have a 79 2204 and did the SD1 thing for damn near 20 years until I had it retubed with EL34, and the bright cap put back in. The gain knob just made it flubby, and clean boosting was the way I tightened it up. After it was worked on, it's got it's balls back and my favorite thing to do with it is to roll the gain knob back to 5, and push the master volume up to 7 or higher. It's loud but, it's extremely responsive, crunchy and cutting, and doesn't need the help from the overdrive pedal anymore.
Great tone! If you boost it with a TS-9 you'll have more low-mids, closer to Judas Priest and Iron Maiden sound, SD-1 gets more Ratt and Dokken sound (Band names for reference). Otherwise it's a one trick pony, like you said the tone pots don't do much.
Great demo!
I used one back in the 80’s - 90’s with a 4x10.
Boosted it with a Yamaha EQ pedal.
Still have it.
They are killer amps.
Especially if mixed with a thicker amp.
Damn a JCM800 with and SD1 is such a good guitar tone. For something more 90's Florida death metal, you can boost it with a RAT. BTW your riffs sound great through the 800. Probably the right amount of gain for quad tracking.
Thank you.
Trey Azagthoth uses a 900 with a RAT rack unit. I talk to him every other week.
@@XChristianNoirX I was thinking the guy from Obituary but yeah Morbid Angel checks out too.
@@Eliphas_Elric Trey might have used an 800, but he needed an FX loop.
Don’t forget the ADA MP-1. Tons of metal guitarists used them. MP-1 into a JCM 2203/2204. Glam-Death Metal and Hardcore players alike.
Turbo is a great album. I recognized "Locked In" as you were playing it. Nice to hear some Priest that's not the usual "Breaking the Law" or "Living after Midnight."
Thanks for commenting. I loved that album. So many great songs
*That’s better than the tones I got. Especially at **4:10** in the video. 🎥🎩🎶🎵 I like the grunt it has along with clarity.*
I have a 2204 50w vertical input. I play alt/indie rock with it. The cleans are great too.
This one sounds sooo much better than the newer ones, such as your 2203x video. Thicker and meatier sound, really blows that they can't get the same drake/dagnall transformers anymore.
Of course you can do modern metal with it. Though Marshall are more about midrange than bottom end, with a high end a little fizzy but still if that’s the tone you like then why not! If you want the Marshall tone with more bottom end, Friedman is the way to go!
This will date me. In 93' ish I purchased a modded jcm800 combo (first amp purchase). I ran it scooped, presence around 8? And the depth knob cranked. Feeding it with an EMG loaded B.C. RIch... that's it. I can't imagine having any better of a Marshall experience. It was equipped with a 60 watt "rola." Eventually, I bought a well-used Laney 4x12 with era appropriate celestions. It made all the sounds I wanted, Eddy to Death. Traded the amp off because it quit twice. I got a Hughes solid state. Even though I have a few great amps now, I've only ever wanted that JCM800 50 watt.
Great review - it sounded really good!
The strength of the tone lies in the 800's "subtle" nature. Only downside is these got really pricey so a JVM may be the better option.
I prefer the Marshall jcm 2000 TSL but you made this thing sound amazing at the end with that pedal I've never heard of. Lol nice!
Euge Valovirta has no problems doing modern metal with his 1984/85 JCM 800s. In fact he mops the floor against any amp, including ENGL etc.
I'm not so sure about that. When he did a demo of the ENGL Fireball 100, the ENGL sounded super close to his "bad boy".
@@TheCyberMantis the Fireball isn't tight enough and in my opinion, the krchhhhh of the 2203 still sound better.
There are also things about ENGL that rub me the wrong way... Like no voltage selector switch and 9/10 oftheo amps don't have multi-tap transformers.
So if you travel, you might have to Cary a step transformer. Also, if you think you're gonna order their amp from Europe, where it's way cheaper than in the US, you have to use a transformer too.
The price for their amps in the US are kind of ridiculous.. And if they break down, you might have problem repairing them because their pretty complex.. Well, except for the Fireball since it's fairly simple compared to their other amps.
Oh yeah.. And if your amp breaks down, good luck getting a backup in time. I suppose one could pay crazy li eh and drag a backup around.
@@XChristianNoirX I use a Boss Katana head. I'll be okay.
One of my favorite guitar tones is Zakk Wyldes tone on No More Tears that was a jcm800.with a boss super overdrive pedal.
Hey Jarrod, Cool Video, I wondered if you would ever demo the JCM800 boosted, I don't have the JCM 800 but I have the JCM 2000 and use the SD1 it works for that Marshall Flavor I need or want to play at times. I do run it through the 1960A &B Cabs though.
I can confirm this is an amp that wants you to play hard: good tone only if you are a good tight player. Buy something else (high gain) if you want an easier feel and your touch is soft.
Also, this amp can get very harsh (especially at low volume) so I would advise to use dark speakers like g12-65, k100 or t75...avoid v30, g12-h30, cl80.
Last thing: it seems to prefer a ts9 instead of an sd1 as booster.
my 83' 2203 sounds great with my mesa cab w v30s
Can recognize that JCM 800 sound as soon as you started playing those old school riffs. Let me know if you wanna check out a couple Blackstar amps. I have a Series One 200 and a HT Stage 100 that both sound amazing. Would love to hear your opinion on them
Thanks for commenting. I will definitely get ahold of you soon
This amp sounded great under your playing. I know Marshall lacks low end, but let us be reminded the guitar is a mid range instrument. Perhaps you can keep this amp as your leads and playing really came to life!
Great job testing this out!
Love me some JCM800. I rocked an 30th anniversary 3 channel blue model for years. Much more aggressive than the model you're demoing.
I just got a 800 and what he means is it's so loud that you can't hide behind it you better be able to play.
You need that amp on your shelf 👍
Just one man's opinion who's watched a lot of your videos. This amp really suits your riffs. The dynamics and pick attack and space between chugs is much more defined then some of the other high gain stuff. A lot more articulation with less gain. It's harder to play, like you mentioned, but it 'speaks' a lot more for the listener. I play the Savage 120 MKII, but I keep the gain moderate and it has a lot of grind live because it's not overly saturated between 8 and 16th notes. Less 'blur' as I call it. Amps like this force you to play more articulately, and IMHO that's a good thing. It's much cleaner out front.
Totally agree. The openness and clarity is striking and refreshing. It doesn't sound compressed, reminds me of the old DIO albums of the 80's. Push the tubes hard, work the strings, and it will shine. :)
Funny watching you play the dokken riffs. We do an opener of dokken a tribute if you will. The hunter and unchain the night are fun riffs. I'm conflicted on more gain and less gain. I like both depends on the song and the mood im in. I can't pick one or the other as a preference . Both have pros and cons but having an amp that gives me the option to have more gain if I want it is clearly better.
Would love to see this compared to a Quickrod. I have a quick rod but I’ve always wondered if I’d be happier with the 800.
COMPARED to a Quickrod Lmao just noticed
You could definitely go into battle with the 800 along with your pedal board
Iv’e got the Kerry King version,absolutely love it
I find these amps are great for modern metal if you like messing with clean boosts. I have a lot of modern metal examples with the 800 on my channel :)
Turn the drive on the SD-1 up to about 11 o'clock and level to about 2 o'clock!!! The old Killswitch Engage setting won't quite work with a plexi style amp and the amp was never meant to have a ton of gain.
This thing boosted, has more than enough gain for modern-day metal. A lot of mojo in the 2203s
"Work the strings" lol...that's exactly what I remember when playing those Marshall 800s back in the 80s.
I happen to go right to van halen tones....uggh why though, Love all the GOOD NWOBHM tones that came from teh 800 and the jmp
To each his own. I’ve played these, the combos, and a 2210…. I actually prefer the 2210.
Jerrod, your riffs are not stupid. I like to hear new ones though.
I'm using the helix 2203 with the stupor overdrive which is based on the super overdrive
Woah Left field! Marshall JCM800 lets go! First!
Amazingly enough, I've never played one of the these. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to do it and to share it with you guys. Pretty cool amp.
I think that's the best tone you ever had on your channel.
I have a Vertical Input Version from '83. And my current EQ-Settings are:
Presence 5
Bass 7
Middle 2
Treble 4
Master Depends (really opens up after 1 o'clock. On 1.8 it screams.)
Your MV-Pot seems to have a different value. How loud was it?
Gain 7
I use a Deadweald Duality DX in Red Mode with it, with just a slight boost.
Thanks for commenting. Yeah, I heard the Vertical ones had more gain. Is that true?
This amplifier had a mod on it where the master was on the back. I forgot to mention that in the video.
I almost ran the duality in front of it in the red mode. I wish I would have now. I bet that would have sounded amazing.
@@TONEWARSgearshow No. The Horizontal ones are more aggressive afaik. Is it a PPIMV? Where was it set? You need to make another clip. ;) I have a SD1 here at the moment too, but i think i'll send it back :D
@@TONEWARSgearshow Most of the old Marshall heads say that the vertical input one is better, because it's more reliable, because the jacks etc aren't pcb mounted, but they do sound a bit different but...
I think the vertical input has an added component to "de-fizz" it, which incidentally makes it less aggressive sounding.
@@XChristianNoirX Thank you very much for the information.
@@TONEWARSgearshow there might be something else to it, like some kind of input impedance or capacitance of some sort... a friend of mine mentioned it to me before but I can't find the info in my emails so I emailed him to clarify. Anyhow.. This is IF I remember correctly.
However, it could just be the part that causes that.. Idk.
@8:00 Locked in, nice. I had a 1983 JMP 2203 Pre JCM 800 that I bought for $395 CAD in the early 90's and then sold a few years later for $450 CAD. lol. Grunge was a disaster for the market.
I love my 2203 100 w its fire
Great sound for Priest
Hi! Wonderful video, Did you use the ox to recording the amp? What simulation is used in this video?
I notice you do all kinds of amp reviews, but I have never seen you never do videos about speakers and cabinets you use. Unless I missed them? Speakers and cabinets play a huge roll in tones as well and might open up your content even further. Just a thought. I'm no expert myself in speakers and cabs, I just know what I like and play on. But they sure played a huge roll in the music through the years, from RNR, Metal, and Modern day music.
Hey Dredmusicalx He actually has a lot of content out there for speakers and cabinets and from time to time has them come on the show. Thats how I actually found out about this show/channel! :)
Thanks for commenting. I have a series called 1 amp 3 cabs. I play one amplifier through 3 different cabs so you can hear how it sounds. Feel free to check those episodes
I would take an ENGL Fireball 100 over a JCM800 all day long.
I’ve been wondering how’d an OG Marshall would sound compared to your collection. Not good enough for me to spend money on it compared to other options out there. Thanks for a very informative video🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
Thanks for commenting. Yeah, they are good amps but I don't think they compare to anything that I have on my shelves already.
Unless it’s modded I need an eq pedal to get what I want out of it. Really brings it to life !
I think JCM 800s are almost useless without a Boss DS1 or MXR overdrive in front of it: no sustain and muddy low end, and you gotta literally hit it with a hammer for notes to come out.
But add that overdrive pedal and suddenly this combination of gear is the best in the world.
I like the Zakk settings better of 6/5/6. Good tones regardless….
Did you check the bias before you started playing? Sounds in the vicinity, but I think biasing, maybe a little hotter would have brought it more alive?!??
Excellent!!!
Sounds great. Are you going to make captures for the QC? Also, some 5150 III captures.
Thank you. I wish I could capture it for the QC but I had to get it back to the store. I will definitely be doing some stealth capture though
Are you using a cabinet or I.R. sounds amazing. Yeah its not high gain but such a great tone. Excellet video.
Thank you very much I'm glad you liked the video. I'm using the Mesa 212 cab
Marshall SV20H Studio Vintage try this one heard it's a good one
I've always wanted to try one of these, but the prices are ridiculous. Lol
The cat from Bring Me The Horizon uses a stock 800 with a Klon in front of it and it’s nasty AF. Seriously, watch the episode of That Pedal Show with him. The idea that these amps don’t have enough gain for “modern” metal is silly. It’s all in the application. Euge Valvorita plays a different type of metal music then him, but gets sick tones from his 800. And it’s cuts in a mix really well.
Do a vid on the JCM 800 2203KK.
That things a beast.
The Jcm800 is a one trick pony, but it does that trick better than anything else. Put a mesa 5 band eq pedal in front, or thru the fx loop on a reissue, and it gets very modern metal.
iconic amp. I'd guess this is 84
I think this is going to be another case of listening through the laptop vs the full audio speakers. I've always adored the way the JCM's 'shunk' rather than 'chunk' on the chugs, but they are too thin in the body. There is a silkiness to the JCM gain stage that is hard to find. No wonder 'Tallica used Marks to fatten them up. If I could have the JCM pre (boosted) on the ENGL power amp I reckon it would be fire. Or just buy a Redstuff Minotaurus and have it be done. $$$$
I really want to try one of those amplifiers. Thanks for bringing it up again.
@@TONEWARSgearshow everyone gets sick of me mentioning them, just so hard to find outside of Germany. Let alone in this isolated continent on the other side of the world :)
From wich year is this Amp?
Prong/Tommy Victor had the best Marshall plexi and other Marshall tone.
You somehow managed to make this 800 sound like a 50 cent kazoo
That was the goal!
@@TONEWARSgearshow Success
800 is unbeatable ... everything at noon, bass and preamp full. Than kick sd1 with full level and drive zero. That is the sound.
They were just master volume heads in a different box...used loads back then. They sound better boosted with a clean pre amp like a Boss GE graphic or mxr micro amp...and they sounded way better back then too...the EQ does nothing...just turn it up!!!! It's designed to LOUD!!!
This is true for the early jcm’s . These were exactly the same as a 80 jmp , later they changed the input filter and also the second gain stage I believe
it's....alright. It's weird because zakk wylde's tone is super crunchy and saturated, but whenever I hear modern demos without any processing it sounds like its lacking a lot of gain. Maybe Wylde has a modded marshall or a custom boost pedal, but the pig squeels in your video sounded nothing like his wild/sustainy ones
I totally agree. This amplifier barely had the juice to do what I needed it to do. I'm sure a lot of guys got these modded and hot rodded and didn't say anything to people.
@@TONEWARSgearshow Maybe he has the Mr Scary Hotmod or the Lynchmod? That'd be a cool demo for you to try out, Marshall sounds pretty musical but to get it into the modern metal zone it obv requires modding
The chassis is actually a lot smaller than the box. Why do they have to make amps heavier than they need to be?
And Marshall, if you're listening, make a hand wired 2204, just for me.
The box doesn’t weigh anything, the weight is in the transformers
@@Johnsormani The majority of the weight is in the transformers. The box has weight too.
Hi. Whats the year of your amp ? Thanks
Sorry it was borrowed, I don't remember
Interesting.
Sounds great lol
I've seen some guys double boosting 800s and getting some pretty heavy tones
Crank the volume not just the preamp. Great marshall tone is cranked marshall tone.
What the f are you talking about? The amp is badass.
Man..maybe an SD1 is all I need, how could I've been so ignorant..
Thanks for commenting. A good overdrive pedal has so much value.
@@TONEWARSgearshow nah man, thank you for the demo, I've only played the 20watt jcm800 reissues, hearing the 'real deal' 2203 from the 80's is a treat.
Know what you mean. A friend of mine had a small 10 watt Marshall practice amp, I had a larger 50W Marshall, but mine didn't get the ooomph! that the 10W had. I was stumped. The difference was the SD-1 he was using and me only having a distortion pedal. Overdrive pedals makes a big difference!
My man is playing a JCM800 with a 7 string. lol
Morbid Angels Trey Azagthoth has done it since the 90s hahah.
Classic kick @$$ amp.
Tasty!!!
My early 80s 4210 combo sounds like complete and utter garbage. Flubby and the gain sounds like unbridled flatulence. It's a dog.
Don't like when badass heads run through pedals for boost, seems to defeat the purpose
I thought it sounded great!
I’ve heard much better when modded.
They been spoon feeding us for years
Go check the review by Euge valovirta. Sounds much better.
Just gettinga chance to watch this one. If you don't play Hoverboard Blues I'm taking away my like... lol jk
Lol I'll play is next Sunday
I thought it sounded great.
I'm telling you my friend....you will not know how good you are until people try doing 80s rhythms. Lol. I can tell you're alittle struggling.
I hear ya. The stretch chords from that era are challenging
Why does everyone demo this amp with shit music riffs??
We do it to give idiots something to complain about