amp dilemma (jcm 800 content)

[Fragle]

as of right now, i own 3 amps: 5150, cobra, jcm800 2210. the cobra is my main amp, the 5150 i use at home...the marshall however hasn't been used for over one year (pretty much since i got my 5150 )
i've been wanting to sell the damn thing for a few months right now, as i figured i don't use it anyway.
now, i just fired it up to check if it's still working, any crackling pots or whatever (it's fine btw)
i dunno, maybe it's the new framus cab, but the freakin thing sounds amazing. certainly not as heavy as the cobra or the 5150, the clean sucked even more than i remembered it to suck, but it just had *that* marshall grind i haven't heared for....yeah, over one year i'd say

seriously, i don't know what to do. don't freak out, but i was planning to buy a line 6 modeler (likely the hd 147) for playing at home in order to spare the 5150 for real band use once the marshall is sold. keep in mind that i don't really have a use for the marshall, either....it sounds ok in the bedroom, but i know it really shines in a band context. unfortunately, i can't use it with the band, because it's a one trick pony, and i need at least 2 sounds plus a volume boost for leads..the marshall can NOT do that.
also, i've been gasing for both an ibanez rg 550 and a schecter hellraiser for months, but i don't quite have the funds right now without getting rid of some gear first...

any thoughts/ideas?

[markD]

well, i know what you mean. i had a super sweet jcm800 for a while, but i need an excellent clean channel and a great lead channel. the marshall was just a great crunch amp. i am not big on pedals for my distortion, so i ended up selling the marshall. i was sad for a little while, but the reality was i would never use outside the studio. so i got some cash and bought more useable stuff.

things change a bit when you gig regularly. the marshall was fun, but didn't give me what i needed on stage.

i say sell it.

[Firebird V]

play it for a week or so and then go back to the Cobra and the 5150 and see if you have the same love for it. If not, then dump it. That does it for me most of the time.

[yard dawg]

DUmp it. You can always get another one.

[siggy14]

Honestly if you are not in need for money, you are just selling to buy other gear i would say hold off. These marshalls just keep going up in value and you may get a great price for it now, but if you want one again in a few years you will probaly be paying a few hundred more.

[Fragle]

well, as for the getting another one thing....if i decided on getting another marshall i'd go for the single channel (2203) this time. even with the higher gain split channel i find myself using a booster of some kind to get the best sound out of it, and as i said, the clean sucks anyway the only real advantage of the split channel vs the single channel jcm800 is the reverb...imho.

and yes, you're right, i'm just selling it to buy other gear

[Dreamland_Rebel]

the 2210 is my favorite marshall. give it to me, and i'll take real good care of it till you want to use it again.

[kmanick]

play it for a week or so and then go back to the Cobra and the 5150 and see if you have the same love for it. If not, then dump it. That does it for me most of the time.

+1 that's what I would do.
I have the same type of love/hate relationship with my 5150.
Sometimes I hate the thing , but when I don't use it for a while and come back to it I always love it again.

You want a Hellraiser 6 or 7?

[horns666]

The 2210 is my favorite Marshall head, because I didn't require a stomp in the front. That was when I was really going for a true "classic" VH tone, which wouldn't be "heavy" enough for me these days...but I love the 5150 and I'm certain the Cobra rules..they're all and apples to to oranges and have their purpose I'm sure..

I like the rythm tone of my 5150, but always prefered my 2s10s and my Marshall rack for solos..they just "sing"..like a good Marshal does. As much as I love 5150 their lead tone ways always a bit "dead" to me..but the Amotts certainly make them work..having Andy Sneap in your pocket prolly doesn't hurt..

I heard nothing but great things about the Cobra..I would love to try one..my friend is getting a Bogner endorsement after playing both a Diezel and a Cobra while on tour..but he did say they truly kicked ass..but he's really down with the "girth" of the Uberschall they.. way I have it dialed it..

Getting a HD147 to save wear and tear on you main amps, sounds very pratical to me..I use my Kids Spyder just to practice on..

Rock on Fragle..

Bill Z

[Fragle]

yep, bill, you're totally right, the 2210 doesn't need a boost for more "vintage" rock sounds....schenker, van halen, ozzy, ratt, dokken...you name it. however, for the kind of stuff i'm doing (thrash/death metal with lots of groovy stuff and some opeth-ish sounds mixed in) it's definitely not heavy enough without one.

i don't have a love/hate relationship with it, either. i think it sounds great, especially in a band context. it's also the best sounding amp for lead guitar playing out of the 3 i own. however, as i already said, it's not suited for the stuff my band is doing, nor does it quite fit my playing style...i'm a hotrod marshall guy through and through....thats's the reason why i love the 5150, to me it sounds like a hotrod marshall with an "evil" edge to it if you know what i'm saying.

@kmanick: 6 string all the way. i have one 7 string, and i only use it once in a while when i feel like doing some nevermore stuff.
btw, did you check out the jeff loomis signature schecter? pretty hot guitar, kinda bare bones which like a lot. plus it's got a maple fretboard, and that's always a plus in my book now if i only had a use for another 7 string.....

[jgcable]

Yep, I agree, The Marshall 2210 is a great amp and you just won't get that Marshall tone from anything but a Marshall. Its mandatory that all metal heads own a Marshall amp.

[JACKSONFREAK]

<---wants a marshall 2210.. its christmas after all.. lol Tis the season for giving..