JVM or JSX head?

[lerxstcat]

Marshall hasn't had decent build quality since the JCM800 series of amps. If you want a Marshall buy a used JCM800 and get a modeling processor to give you the other sounds. It's not like the JVM doesn't have diode clipping anyway so if you're a purist you don't want it.

Your pots will be scratchy in a year and the loop jacks will oxidize around then too, and if you're lucky it will ONLY be that.

I told my friend to buy a JSX and he bought a DSL100 instead. The thing crapped out on hium 3x in 6 months so he dumped it and got a JSX. He is much happier with the JSX than he ever was with the Marshall even when it worked.

But it's your money, man. If you like it I hope it doesn't crap out on you.

[patricef]

Cbope: Ok, I see your point. Don't buy a recto, that's for 90's Nu-Metal and Metallica fans, not for 80's metal. I didn't have a chance to try the 5150III but it didn't get a good review from a friend who's a JCM800 addict, seems just a bit less noisy than the 5150II.
What I meant by saying that the JVM is not really a high gain amp, it doesn't have a channel specifically voiced for lead tones, it stays in the high-medium typical Marshall range. This can be an issue when you play in a band to get out of the mix when you solo, but not in your bedroom... Don't get me wrong, I brought my guitar and I played for almost 1h in the shop and I had a lot of fun. But the next day I played my amp (VH4): of course it doesn't have that Marshall "grain" but for lead playing it will let the JVM in the dust.
I see also you have a VoxAD60VT like my brother. If you buy any full tube head it will sound better than this, believe me. Then go for the JVM, it will be already a huge step forward, just wait may be a little bit until they solve the first issues (that should start to show up...).

[khabibissell]

Cbope: Ok, I see your point. Don't buy a recto, that's for 90's Nu-Metal and Metallica fans, not for 80's metal.

That is the biggest load of crap I've heard. I keep seeing this all over the internet and it must be perpetuated by people who have only spent 5 minutes with them at Guitar Center, heard 14yr olds playing drop D chords with the EQ set at 10-0-10-10 in Guitar Center, or read it posts by someone who doesn't know what they are talking about on some guitar forum. Rectifiers are capable of providing tones for practically any style of music... it is all in how you dial them in. They are tricky yes, but it is worth the effort.

[quote] Marshall hasn't had decent build quality since the JCM800 series of amps. If you want a Marshall buy a used JCM800 and get a modeling processor to give you the other sounds. It's not like the JVM doesn't have diode clipping anyway so if you're a purist you don't want it.

Your pots will be scratchy in a year and the loop jacks will oxidize around then too, and if you're lucky it will ONLY be that.

I told my friend to buy a JSX and he bought a DSL100 instead. The thing crapped out on hium 3x in 6 months so he dumped it and got a JSX. He is much happier with the JSX than he ever was with the Marshall even when it worked. [quote]

I'm not going to make comments on the reliability of the DSL series Marshalls, but if you think the JSX doesn't have any diode clipping going on, you are sadly mistaken. I would bet that the "wah" sound that seems to be present in 90% of the clips (and the one I just sold) 've heard is directly related to that. You may like that, but don't think the JSX is an all tube path. Actually, what modern high gain amps are? I'm sure there are, but chances are we're talking north or $1500.

It really boils down to what your ears tell you. All the above mentioned amps are pretty expensive, so it would be best to try them before you buy them. Getting some opinions is one thing, but YOUR ears are the ones that matter, not someone elses.

[cbope]

Cbope: Ok, I see your point. Don't buy a recto, that's for 90's Nu-Metal and Metallica fans, not for 80's metal. I didn't have a chance to try the 5150III but it didn't get a good review from a friend who's a JCM800 addict, seems just a bit less noisy than the 5150II.
What I meant by saying that the JVM is not really a high gain amp, it doesn't have a channel specifically voiced for lead tones, it stays in the high-medium typical Marshall range. This can be an issue when you play in a band to get out of the mix when you solo, but not in your bedroom... Don't get me wrong, I brought my guitar and I played for almost 1h in the shop and I had a lot of fun. But the next day I played my amp (VH4): of course it doesn't have that Marshall "grain" but for lead playing it will let the JVM in the dust.
I see also you have a VoxAD60VT like my brother. If you buy any full tube head it will sound better than this, believe me. Then go for the JVM, it will be already a huge step forward, just wait may be a little bit until they solve the first issues (that should start to show up...).

Well, I *had* an AD60VT... need to remove that from my sig. I had it about 4 months and then it started to make this annoying high frequency ringing noise whenever a high gain amp model was selected. I sent it back to the store (Thomann) who returned it to the German Vox distributor for repair. They said it wasn't repairable, so I'm patiently waiting for my refund. It's too bad because I really liked that amp, it sounded pretty good. In the end that's why I decided to go way up the food chain in amps this time, to get something that will hopefully last for a while.

[cbope]

That is the biggest load of crap I've heard. I keep seeing this all over the internet and it must be perpetuated by people who have only spent 5 minutes with them at Guitar Center, heard 14yr olds playing drop D chords with the EQ set at 10-0-10-10 in Guitar Center, or read it posts by someone who doesn't know what they are talking about on some guitar forum. Rectifiers are capable of providing tones for practically any style of music... it is all in how you dial them in. They are tricky yes, but it is worth the effort.

Marshall hasn't had decent build quality since the JCM800 series of amps. If you want a Marshall buy a used JCM800 and get a modeling processor to give you the other sounds. It's not like the JVM doesn't have diode clipping anyway so if you're a purist you don't want it.

Your pots will be scratchy in a year and the loop jacks will oxidize around then too, and if you're lucky it will ONLY be that.

I told my friend to buy a JSX and he bought a DSL100 instead. The thing crapped out on hium 3x in 6 months so he dumped it and got a JSX. He is much happier with the JSX than he ever was with the Marshall even when it worked.

I'm not going to make comments on the reliability of the DSL series Marshalls, but if you think the JSX doesn't have any diode clipping going on, you are sadly mistaken. I would bet that the "wah" sound that seems to be present in 90% of the clips (and the one I just sold) 've heard is directly related to that. You may like that, but don't think the JSX is an all tube path. Actually, what modern high gain amps are? I'm sure there are, but chances are we're talking north or $1500. It really boils down to what your ears tell you. All the above mentioned amps are pretty expensive, so it would be best to try them before you buy them. Getting some opinions is one thing, but YOUR ears are the ones that matter, not someone elses.

I totally agree about the Recto. It takes time to dial them in. Just look at the versatile range of tones that Petrucci can get from a Recto, he has been using them for years.

I should also mention that I'm not a pedal junkie. I'm a believer that if you need a boost or gain pedal in front of your amp you are playing through the wrong amp. If I used pedals, I would probably go straight for a JCM800 and never look back.

[patricef]

That is the biggest load of crap I've heard. [...] Rectifiers are capable of providing tones for practically any style of music... it is all in how you dial them in. They are tricky yes, but it is worth the effort.

Hey, you can play country music or Jazz in a rectifier if you want, but nobody else does... Shure it can provide good tones, but my point is that this amp appeared in 1989, right after the 80's metal and it has a totally different grain than a modded Marshal or a Soldano that were widely used before.

[patricef]

I totally agree about the Recto. It takes time to dial them in. Just look at the versatile range of tones that Petrucci can get from a Recto, he has been using them for years.

Come on ! Petrucci used also a Triaxis, MarkIIc and Mark IV (I had one!) which are more versatile than a Rectifier :

http://www.johnpetrucci.com/equipment1.html

Now he uses RoadKings and Lonestars

http://www.johnpetrucci.com/equipment.html

He obviously needs more than one amp to produce such a wide range:

I should also mention that I'm not a pedal junkie. I'm a believer that if you need a boost or gain pedal in front of your amp you are playing through the wrong amp. If I used pedals, I would probably go straight for a JCM800 and never look back.

Not necessarly: Satriani, Vai and others still use a good old TS9 or similar to add a little bit of "juice" (especially for legato runs), but the tone is given mainly by the amp.

[lerxstcat]

[quote=khabibissell;974658]That is the biggest load of crap I've heard. I keep seeing this all over the internet and it must be perpetuated by people who have only spent 5 minutes with them at Guitar Center, heard 14yr olds playing drop D chords with the EQ set at 10-0-10-10 in Guitar Center, or read it posts by someone who doesn't know what they are talking about on some guitar forum. Rectifiers are capable of providing tones for practically any style of music... it is all in how you dial them in. They are tricky yes, but it is worth the effort.

[quote] Marshall hasn't had decent build quality since the JCM800 series of amps. If you want a Marshall buy a used JCM800 and get a modeling processor to give you the other sounds. It's not like the JVM doesn't have diode clipping anyway so if you're a purist you don't want it.

Your pots will be scratchy in a year and the loop jacks will oxidize around then too, and if you're lucky it will ONLY be that.

I told my friend to buy a JSX and he bought a DSL100 instead. The thing crapped out on hium 3x in 6 months so he dumped it and got a JSX. He is much happier with the JSX than he ever was with the Marshall even when it worked.

I'm not going to make comments on the reliability of the DSL series Marshalls, but if you think the JSX doesn't have any diode clipping going on, you are sadly mistaken. I would bet that the "wah" sound that seems to be present in 90% of the clips (and the one I just sold) 've heard is directly related to that. You may like that, but don't think the JSX is an all tube path. Actually, what modern high gain amps are? I'm sure there are, but chances are we're talking north or $1500.

It really boils down to what your ears tell you. All the above mentioned amps are pretty expensive, so it would be best to try them before you buy them. Getting some opinions is one thing, but YOUR ears are the ones that matter, not someone elses.

I wasn't saying that the JSX DIDN'T have diode clipping, or that it did for that matter. I was saying that the JVM DID have it, since some people seem to think Marshalls are built the same from the JTM to the JVM. What they make today just looks like a Marshall, and only sounds like one until you set it up next to a real one, i.e., JTM, JMP or JCM800. Sorry if my post made you think otherwise.

Again, I'm basing my view on the JTM on Pete's reviews. AFAIK he is the most knowledgeable amp guy here, and doesn't just play through these amps but scrutinizes them pretty thoroughly. I know he is on the Randall RM100 now, but he still seems to like the JSX as the "Chevy" of amps, sounding good and being reliable.

Certainly if you don't like the sound you wouldn't want it no matter how reliable, but by the same token do you want a Ferrari shell with a Yugo drivetrain?

[khabibissell]

[quote=lerxstcat;975149
Again, I'm basing my view on the JTM on Pete's reviews. AFAIK he is the most knowledgeable amp guy here, and doesn't just play through these amps but scrutinizes them pretty thoroughly. I know he is on the Randall RM100 now, but he still seems to like the JSX as the "Chevy" of amps, sounding good and being reliable.

Certainly if you don't like the sound you wouldn't want it no matter how reliable, but by the same token do you want a Ferrari shell with a Yugo drivetrain?[/quote]

I'm not bashing Pete, but by your reasoning, shouldn't everyone buy a Marshall then? Jim Marshall has been making amps since the 60's. What he says about tone and build quality should be gospel with experience like that...

As I've stated many times in past threads, I'm not a fan of the JSX. That wah thing on the distortion channels drove me nuts. I don't think it is a bad amp, and it does have a ton of useful features, but I didn't not get on with it at all. I tried everything too. Of course, other people may like that tone... guys have been using cocked wah's in front of amps for years.

[kmanick]

problem is they all don't have that "cocked wah" tone.
Mine certainly doesn't (thank god I'd be really bummed if it did)

[lerxstcat]

I'm not bashing Pete, but by your reasoning, shouldn't everyone buy a Marshall then? Jim Marshall has been making amps since the 60's. What he says about tone and build quality should be gospel with experience like that...

I'm sure you realize there are some differences there. Pete isn't trying to sell me a JSX OR a JVM, wheras Jim Marshall wants to sell me a JVM. Agendas matter. So does build quality. Doesn't have to be top-notch, but at least don't use stuff so cheap that pots and jacks fail in a year.

[cbope]

problem is they all don't have that "cocked wah" tone.
Mine certainly doesn't (thank god I'd be really bummed if it did)

That's the problem and the reason I started this thread. If I knew for sure that I could get a JSX that doesn't have it, I'd get one. Problem is, the local shops don't keep them in stock and have to order them.

[khabibissell]

That's the problem and the reason I started this thread. If I knew for sure that I could get a JSX that doesn't have it, I'd get one. Problem is, the local shops don't keep them in stock and have to order them.

I really think you need to try one out before you buy. In my case, I played two JSX's at two different stores before buying the one I bought, which was bought from still another store (I got a much better "deal" than I would have at the other stores) . The first two sounded great. Maybe mine was a really early one and they changed it afterward? I dunno... Like I said, its not a bad amp IMO. If I could've been able to get rid of that underlying "wah" thing it had, I would've kept it for sure. It sat above the sweep of the mid knob and below the sweep of the treble knob. I suppose I could've used an EQ in the loop, but I felt that if the amp couldn't deliver the goods when plugging straight into it, the amp had to go.

I suppose you could order from Musicians Friend/AMS which would allow you to return it in the event it didn't work out for ya.

[cbope]

I suppose you could order from Musicians Friend/AMS which would allow you to return it in the event it didn't work out for ya.

I wish I could, but I live in Finland and it's prohibitively expensive to do that.
It's also a major hassle if there are warranty issues, because it's pretty likely the warranty wouldn't apply here. Since I recently had problems with a new Vox amp under warranty and had to ship it back to Germany, I've decided I'm only gonna buy something from a local shop where I can get warranty service if needed. Then there's the issue of supply voltage, 120 vs 230 V, if I buy from the states. So it's not really a viable option for me.

[kmanick]

how about an Engl then. over there the price is probaby pretty close on a Powerball.