Marshall JCM 800

[roodyrocker]

I think the problem here is he doesn't really know what tone he's after. a JCM 800 and a Dual Recto are very different amps. Even the previously mentioned Bogner Uberschall, even though its a lot more expensive, is a different tone yet.
The JCM 800 will require a pedal in front of it for more gain. Nothing wrong with that as its been done many times before. The Dual Recto is an amp that I've found to be more difficult to dial in than Marshalls and sounds crappy at low volume. The character of that amp changes drastically for the better as its cranked. The Uberschall has tons of gain and sounds great but not really a true Marshall sound, it sounds much darker to me. The Randall RM 100 is a very easy amp to dial in and tons of tone options so that might be a good choice in the price range listed. The Peavey and Carvins I've not messed with much but if resale value is a factor these take a big hit in that department. Of course, if you buy older and used amps you might be able to get them cheap enough that resale value isn't a factor.

[Gibsonmac]

@Wilkinsi

Yeah, it is higher gain, its not a recto or Krankenstein or anything like that, so you would need a TS or something similar for heavy saturation. the JCM 800 is just a single channel amp that could be pushed to just past 'overdrive' but needs help for distortion, and an actual distortion pedal (not overdrive) for serious liquid saturation.

[RacerX]

the JCM 800 is just a single channel amp that could be pushed

Later model JCM8s are dual channel.

[Guitar_Symphony]

I think the problem here is he doesn't really know what tone he's after. a JCM 800 and a Dual Recto are very different amps. Even the previously mentioned Bogner Uberschall, even though its a lot more expensive, is a different tone yet.
The JCM 800 will require a pedal in front of it for more gain. Nothing wrong with that as its been done many times before. The Dual Recto is an amp that I've found to be more difficult to dial in than Marshalls and sounds crappy at low volume. The character of that amp changes drastically for the better as its cranked. The Uberschall has tons of gain and sounds great but not really a true Marshall sound, it sounds much darker to me. The Randall RM 100 is a very easy amp to dial in and tons of tone options so that might be a good choice in the price range listed. The Peavey and Carvins I've not messed with much but if resale value is a factor these take a big hit in that department. Of course, if you buy older and used amps you might be able to get them cheap enough that resale value isn't a factor.

yeah i love my Bogner Uber.....
but im looking for another 800...lol
Jcm800's are great but you should play one before buying one

[rattlehead74]

I need a hookup in Houston, lol.

I need to hear the tone of a REAL gain amp, so I know what I am looking for....now I am confused, lol

If your in Houston Tx, GC on Nasa 1 has a Peave 6505+ head for 699. You might wanna check it out, I don't think you could ever go wrong with a peavey 5150 or 6505's for metal.

[rdamaral]

I know the manager there. I will have to give him a call.

I have a deal on the table for a 5150 2x12 for $400. I might grab that and also keep looking for the ultimate head as well...

[Twitch]

Later model JCM8s are dual channel.

There is the 2203X thats out now, its a reissue, and IIRC, its single channel.

[RacerX]

Later model 1980s JCM800s (like mine from 1985)

[Twitch]

Later model 1980s JCM800s (like mine from 1985)

Ahh, got ya.

[roodyrocker]

yeah i love my Bogner Uber.....
but im looking for another 800...lol
Jcm800's are great but you should play one before buying one

I love my Uberschall as well. And even though its a two channel amp, the clean channel is hard to use live in conjunction with the distortion channel. It just can't keep up volume wise with it. I use my Uber on the distortion channel pretty much as a single channel amp. But as far as distortion goes, the Uber is king

[roodyrocker]

Later model JCM8s are dual channel.

Either way, nothing wrong with a single channel amp. I've been using my Marshall RR and Metropoulos amps quite a bit. These are single channel amps with no loops and no master volume. You get your clean channel by rolling the guitar volume knob back and they clean up very well. The JCM 800's are similar. There is something quite nice about the simplicity of these amps. heck even the dual channel JCM 800 is very nice. Again as mentioned previously just put a distortion pedal in front of it and it kicks ass!

[RacerX]

heck even the dual channel JCM 800 is very nice. Again as mentioned previously just put a distortion pedal in front of it and it kicks ass!

Way back in 1990 I got tired of using a pedal, so I had the Marshall modded with an extra tube.

[Chief_CrazyTalk]

I have a 1981 50w jcm800 and I love it to death. It's the two-channel reverb model, a 1x12 combo...but I use it with a pair of 1960x cabs. True, you'll need to boost it with a pedal. They're not super high-gain amps but so what? Neither are most of the best sounding amps imo. I can't speak for the reissues but I'd bet they scream too.

As has been said...whatever you buy, try to try it out first. Cabs make a big difference. Compared to the sound using my cabs, the combo by itself with the Modern Lead 80, which is a good sounding speaker, is worthless.

[Grim]

I used a JCM800 in the 90s (Single-channel). They get to not-quite-high-gain level. I would recommend an overdrive, as people here have said.

But my main problem with it is that if the amp is not cranked you get practically nothing... And these are inhumanly loud (mine was a 2203)

[toddstaples]

Used Splawn.