Fractal Audio AMP models: JS410 (Marshall JVM410HJS)

* EDIT: Up-to-date information is available in Yek's Guide to the Fractal Audio Amplifier Models *

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The JVM410HJS is based on the JVM410H amp. We already discussed the regular JVM410H amp and models. It’s a 100 watts EL34-channel amp, with 3 three modes per channel. This article adds specific information about the Joe Satriani version of that amp.

JVM410HJS (what a name …) is Joe Satriani’s signature amp, after he left Peavey. The following changes were applied to the regular 410H. The reverb was dropped. Noise gates were added. A Mid-Shift button was added which centers the mids around 650hz when OFF, and around 500hz when ON. The Clean channel’s Green mode is based on the 30th Ann. Marshall 6100 (Satriani’s favorite clean tone). Some of the Marshall AFD circuitry has been included in the Crunch channel. The OD1 and OD2 channels are identical (voice matched for smoother transition between modes) and re-voiced.

IMHO this model totally rules when compared to the regular 410H amp/model. More liquid, thicker, less harsh, more usable gain range.​

Marshall:

"The Joe Satriani JVM head looks very similar to the stock JVM410H, but look and listen a little closer. You’ll realise just how different this amp is. The reverb pots have been replaced by four independent, studio-quality noise gates, one for each channel and, as specified by Joe, a footswitchable Mid-Shift button has been added (around 650hz off and around 500hz on). Tonally, this amp is very different from the stock JVMs. The clean channel is based on the 30th anniversary 6100 when in green mode, with the orange and red modes being hotter variations of that. The crunch channel includes some of the popular AFD circuitry, and the overdrive channels are voice matched for smoother transition between modes. The channels and modes have been re-voiced to Joe’s exact specifications after experimenting with prototypes on tour and during recording sessions. This awesome amp also features individual channel EQ, two master volumes and a switch memory that can recall your reverb, FX loop and master settings. There is also an emulated output that can be used for recording or, as Joe does, used to monitor on stage."​

Satriani’s comments in the manual:

“(…) start recording what would become “The Extremist” album, and Marshall had sent over this new head – the 30th Anniversary 6100. The first thing I did was go in to the clean channel and seeing how my box sounded and it was like: Wow – that’s amazing.. And that was really the beginning of me just depending on that head. I’ve got 5 of them & I even have a full stack with the polished brass chassis and logo that’s very cool. (…) Marshall set us up with some JVM and some (...) Vintage Modern heads and we just loved them. They literally transformed the sound of the band. I was using a JVM and the end of that touring cycle I’d realized exactly what it was I was looking to get out of the amp. Then came the offer to work with Marshall on a signature head… I was not only flattered by this gesture but also very excited because I had real, practical experience with the JVM and I had some things I wanted to change about it – specifi cally, make an already great amp even bigger, bolder, more punchy and more dynamic. To me the JVM410H’s four channels were amazing but what was even more mind-blowing was that it had three switchable modes per channel. So it wasn’t merely a 4 channel amp, it was 4 by 3. It was fascinating just to sit there and play through it. I felt that the designer, Santiago Alvarez, had really made a huge step forward in amplifier design by being able to pack so much into a head while making it so elegantly designed and functional. This amp gets you in and out of all the different eras of rock music, no questions asked. So that’s how myself and Santiago started working on the JVM410HJS. I think you can hear a good example of how Chickenfoot’s sound blossomed as a result of the JVM on the “Get Your Buzz On” live DVD [fi lmed on one night in 2009]. It’s a very fat, rich tone which we’ve since taken several steps further to make it even more of an organic rock and roll sound - which is the hallmark of my signature amp. Thanks to a really long and fruitful R&D period, I’ve been able to record, rehearse and play live with all the prototypes while Santiago and I fine tuned the amp…not just with Chickenfoot but on my solo stuff too. I’ve really put all the prototypes through their paces in “the real world” – well, in “my real world” anyway. To my mind, the original JVM410H has a sizeable chunk of Marshall History encapsulated within its 12 modes. I feel that Santiago and myself have capitalized and expanded upon that firm sonic foundation and, as a result, the JVM410HJS contains a lot of classic Marshall tones as well as a few fresh ones that people will regard as new classics.”​

Fractal Audio has modeled the Orange and Red modes of the Crunch and OD channels.

Satriani’s comments in the manual:

Crunch channel:

“I love this channel because, to me, it’s as if a very important period of Marshall History is sitting there. It also represents three of my alltime favourite amps that I’ve used to record all the time. I’m not going to go too crazy trying to over-describe these because anyone who knows and loves Marshall will know the classic amps and sounds upon which they’re based… (…)​
ORANGE MODE: Based on a JCM800 2203 which, like the JMP, is such a standard in rock music.​
RED MODE: That telling, modded JCM800 sound that so defined the ‘80s era, and is still a “go to sound” for any rock band. This channel is so useful. For me to be able to make two albums using this channel – a solo record and “Chickenfoot III” - and to tour, using all three modes during the show is a true testament to just how good the JVM410HJS’s Crunch channel is and how many different tones it can give you.”​

OD channels:

“It’s a crazy idea I know, but these two channels are identical. Generally, logic and intuition would tell you that the rational thing to do if you’ve got four channels is to make them all different. That said, I’ve realized, particularly from the experience of playing live, that once you get your tone dialedin, you wish that you could also get it a little bit louder and with a slightly different EQ once you get it louder. I’ve found this to be the case more often than not, and no-one wants to walk around with two heads if they don’t have to – they’d much rather have one head with the sounds in it. Hence the reason for OD1 and OD2 being the same. So working with Santiago, we made the two channels essentially the same as OD1 on the original JVM410H but then, at the click of a programmable button – the added Mid-Shift – you can make either one, or both of them be identical to the original JVM OD2 channel too, in terms of the EQ curve. So on the JVM410HJS you can dial in that big, full, organic “Get Your Buzz On” CF guitar tone. Or, you can activate that switch and there’s a bit of a scoop which I found while still being a really fat tone, makes more room for Sammy’s vocal in the overall shape of the sounds that make up Chickenfoot. But then, by the same token, I find that on my solo work that space needs to be fi lled by my guitar so I need that extra midrange to do so properly. I’ve now got the ability to have both those sounds and as the gain structures are identical and the way two channels behave are also the same, you can successfully use the channels back to back. (…)​

ORANGE MODE: Even more Gain.​

RED MODE: None more Gain ©Nigel Tufnel! In conclusion: I don’t want to say that “I’m as happy as a peach” because that’s a horrible analogy! Let’s just say that I’m spoiled for choice because there are just so many options for how wild you want your guitar to sound within the 12 Modes of the JVM410HJS. I love it, I really do.”​

The amp’s controls are: Volume, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Mid-Shift, Master, noise gate, Presence, Resonance (model: Depth). The Mid-Shift button has not been modeled.

Cliff’s comments:

“Joe said he puts all the tone controls at around 10:00."​

Marshall's JVM cabinet uses a combination of the G12 Heritage (G12H) and Vintage 30 (V30) speakers. Take your pick here.










What the best IR to work with that amp?
Cheers.
 
What the best IR to work with that amp?
Cheers.
My brother has the real physical amp, tried out a bunch of cabs, and swears by this actual cab.

Hence my excitement capturing it:
https://www.drbonkerssoundlab.com/p...volume-8-jmt75-4x12-guitar-cab-ir-collection/

Many users of these IR files report having success using one of the HypeReal mixes with the Fractal and their guitars.

In fact, you can find a preset used with these IR files to help you along the way:
http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threa...o-sound-like-joe-satriani.140775/post-1679983
 
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