Marshall JCM 900's and 2000's - Why are these never emulated in modelers?

Djenter said:
Finding an old thread, but the JCM900 2100 is the version to model if this is ever to be considered.
Has a very nice warmth to it. Popular amp used a lot in mid 90s death metal the way they fed those keeley-modded TS9's into them, or even after a Proco Rat for thicker stacking like Trey Azagthoth of Morbid angel always did from his Rack Rat R2DU (with one side of the two built in rats he had modified and using either or even double stacking them into the amp with each module on low to moderate gain and the amp dialed to about the same.
900-2100 was an unbelievable warm sound but still stayed very clear and focused. I will never forget when I was in the presence of such amps. I may try to pick one up.
Click to expand...
I’ve got a 2100 SL-X here at the studio. It’s a serious amp for sure! I want to send that and my JCM Slash to Cliff to model someday. The Slash is a killer Jubilee (destroys the new reissue), so that one has become my new favorite Marshall for harder rock stuff.
 
I have an JCM TSL100 (Not in use since years) - Not a typical Marshall like Plexi or JCM 800 but very underrated in my opinion.
 
Werpinater said:
I’d dig a JCM2000 DSL in the Axe! So many bands I grew up listening to used them!
Click to expand...
The original JCM 2000 version of the DSL really is special. It’s one of those amps that I’ll play for a while and then move on to something else for fun, but every time I come back to it, it has away of sounding great with any guitar and a ton of different musical styles. They’re pretty inexpensive these days. Sometimes the low price tag makes people think it’s a bad amp, but that thing has some serious mojo to it. I’d take it over a BE-100 any day.
 
York Audio said:
The original JCM 2000 version of the DSL really is special. It’s one of those amps that I’ll play for a while and then move on to something else for fun, but every time I come back to it, it has away of sounding great with any guitar and a ton of different musical styles. They’re pretty inexpensive these days. Sometimes the low price tag makes people think it’s a bad amp, but that thing has some serious mojo to it. I’d take it over a BE-100 any day.
Click to expand...
I used the settings you recommended for the BE-100 C45, and it definitely gets me close to that DSL tone of My Chemical Romance and Paramore that I grew up listening to! I think raising the frequency of the preamp high cut adds a lot to that texture.

Also I realize I may have actually heard your JCM2000 DSL live at some point! @York Audio
 
I'd love to have a JCM900 Dual Reverb like Daniel Johns used on Silverchair's first album "Frogstomp." I have always loved that tone.
 
My first Marshall was a JCM900 half stack I bought when I was sixteen. Worked all summer and saved for it. I remember the head and cab were each $600 Canadian new. :) I had to get an older bandmate to drive me an hour to pick it up, and when I got there the store only had the cab, so I took that home and just looked at it for a week, lol, and went back for the head later. I was never really happy with the dirty channel, but I later got good crunch sounds by cranking the clean channel. They were the Marshall of the 90s, everyone had them.

As for the DSL, I recall them having supposed build quality issues, at least as reported in forums, mostly with the transformers. But they were respected as a good amp for workable rock tones and very popular. I recently used a newer version in a rehearsal space and it was horrible, though.
 
2112 said:
I have a 2210. I'll pull it out in a few days and match it if anyone is interested.
Click to expand...
Did you ever get around to this? Do you still have it?

I had a 2205 and I loved it, but I eventually sold it to get something smaller. I never owned more than one amp at a time.

If I understand my Marshall gurus correctly, a 2205/2210 is basically 2204/2203 with a built-in Rat pedal.
 
faulknier said:
I'd love to have a JCM900 Dual Reverb...
Click to expand...
I had a JCM900 DR sitting on 2 Carvin 412B cabs for years in the 90s. It had to be turned up past 8 to sound good, but when it was, watch out! Pissed off T-Rex roar had nothing on that amp. Played many, many gigs with it and always got tone compliments from the guitar players in other bands we gigged with - even had a few guys use my Amp/Cabs because they liked it better than their own set ups.

To the OP: I've always wondered the same thing. Never once seen a modeler with a JCM900 in it and I'm always disappointed when there isn't one to choose from.
 
Smittefar said:
Did you ever get around to this? Do you still have it?

I had a 2205 and I loved it, but I eventually sold it to get something smaller. I never owned more than one amp at a time.

If I understand my Marshall gurus correctly, a 2205/2210 is basically 2204/2203 with a built-in Rat pedal.
Click to expand...
Still have it. I should get around to this :p

EDIT - had a quick comparison through the X-Load. Brit 800 with the knobs in the same setting except the MV (higher on Axe) and Mids (lower on Axe).

 
Last edited:
I recently put KT77's in my JCM2000 and the thing sounds amazing. I recently purchased a headbone VT so I could switch between the Axe (BE100 C45) and the JCM to dial in my tone on the Axe. I like using the classic gain channel on the JCM with the gain cranked. I play mostly Metal and Rock.

It took me an hour and a half, but I was able to get the C45 to match the JCM 2000. As I posted before, there is something about the low end on the JCM that I love. The C45 definitely lacked the low end that the JCM has and it took a lot of tweaking to get the low end close to the JCM. Adding a EQ in front to boost the low end on the Axe really helped as well as playing with the MV, input drive and depth. I was able to get the Axe to sound near identical if not better than my JCM. I was quite surprised.

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face because I was so amazed how close or better the Axe sounded than my JCM2000. Such an amazing piece of gear. Endless amp options without having to worry about tube failures, amp issues, pedal issues etc.

I'll still keep my 2 JCM DSL100's and 50 Watter, but they may be just a display here soon.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
aens said:
Just took a glimpse at Opeth's tech rider and if they have local backline Åkerfeldt wants to use a JCM900. Some people still use them it seems.

Maybe that's the reason he doesn't use an Axe FX? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
 

Attachments

  • D532D102-B178-4ABB-B99C-326DF3A64CA7.jpeg
    D532D102-B178-4ABB-B99C-326DF3A64CA7.jpeg
    618.7 KB · Views: 21
That’s nothing new I’m afraid. Mikael uses AX8 for effects only. I recall no changes to guitars in their 2022 tech rider.
 
Last edited:
I had a JCM900 Model 2500 for years. This was the single channel version that had two Master Volume knobs. It was also a 50 watt version of the amp. I think that you can basically get the same sound with a JCM 800 and add some diode clipping. These amps had two preamp gain knobs. One drove the preamp tube section like the 800, the other was a diode clipping circuit. Sounded great with a tube screamer. I used the amp for everything from Death Metal to Country. You could definitely get the Marshall tones out of the amp, but there wasn't anything really special about the amp besides the two master volume knobs which I used to a great extent. For a long time I ran an MXR eq pedal in the effects loop.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom