Should I trade my JCM800 2210 for a JVM?

[PowerTube]

I keep hearing about how the JVM series amps are the "ultimate Marshall," although I haven't personally tried one yet. But for the sake of argument, let's assume that I march myself into the local GC, plug in, and fall head over heels for it.

For years, I played this 2210 across a 4x12 cab with a Metal Zone and GE-7 combination. It sounds great like this, BUT.... (and like Rosie O'Donnell's, it's a huge BUT(T)) it's totally a one-trick pony. Sure, that pony is nice but I like other sounds, too.

Since I got the Vetta II HD rig a couple of years ago, the Marshall has sat silent in the guitar room, with only the occasional whimper if I have an off day and I'm in the mood.

So to view the pros and cons:

PRO: It's a 2210.

PRO: It's somewhat of a "classic," although the market seems to be down on these right now.

CON: It's not high gain at all. It might be okay if I had the luxury of diming it, but that's not an option since other people live in my county.

CON: Speaking of which, the Metal Zone/GE-7 combo sounds great but the hiss is nerve-wracking. I've tried some noise gates, but they defeat the whole purpose.

CON: It has the worst clean of just about any amp I've ever heard. I can add a little gain to warm it up, but it'll never "sparkle" like the Vetta or a Fender.

CON: For some reason, I've always had a hard time tweaking my sound on it. I've never had this issue with any other amp. I can usually dial in the best an amp can give me within a couple of minutes, tops. It's probably just me, but still.....

CON: The knobs have developed some crackle over the years. It's probably nothing a little contact cleaner won't fix but since I'm listing cons....

So in short, I have this expensive, "classic" dust collector for which I really have no sentimental feelings since I never played it in a band or anything. Plus, I totally love the Vetta.

But I still have a thing for Marshalls. The JVM samples on Marshall's site sound really nice, plus I keep reading great reviews on it, minus the plastic knobs which I'm actually okay with since I don't tour. The Vetta totally rocks but the sound isn't quite as "organic" as some I've heard.

Advice?

[zeegler]

Well, it sounds to me, that the only reason you're keeping the 800 is that they have street cred. Yes, you can get a godly sound out of an 800. The problem is, you do have to be able to turn it up to get THAT sound. The bottom line is, you're going to enjoy the JVM more as an actually amplifier than a novelty item. Do it.

[PowerTube]

Well, it sounds to me, that the only reason you're keeping the 800 is that they have street cred. Yes, you can get a godly sound out of an 800. The problem is, you do have to be able to turn it up to get THAT sound. The bottom line is, you're going to enjoy the JVM more as an actually amplifier than a novelty item. Do it.

That's exactly what I'm thinking. Rather than having the whimsical pleasure of saying, "I have a 2210" (yay, me!) I think I would much rather have an amp with some sounds I love.

And the truth is, the 2210 was never really "me." In 1993, I went back to Austin to spend a week with a couple I'm friends with. I had a Carvin X100B head (old script logo type) at the time. I found this Marshall head in a pawn shop and paid about $350.00 or so difference.

So there I was, no longer playing in bands and in fact, rarely playing, PERIOD, at the time. But by damn, I had me a Marshall!

So yeah, I have absolutely ZERO history or fond memories wrapped up in this amp.

EDIT: By the way..... if I had to make a choice between letting go of the Marshall or the Vetta, it would be "bye bye Marshall."

[zeegler]

Sounds like you already know the answer. Besides, the JVM is still a Marshall, and a damn good one from all I've heard. The JVM has been on my short list for a while too.

[SRD86]

you could sell it to me

[Southpaw]

I know I have been looking at the JVM. I know I have always wanted a JCM 800 ..

If I had my way I would have both. I think I would keep the 2203. for it's tonal qualities and then Buy the JVM 410H. even though It is said that the 410H can emulate the 2203. It is always good to still have the original. Just my opinion

[DonP]

I know I have been looking at the JVM. I know I have always wanted a JCM 800 ..

If I had my way I would have both. I think I would keep the 2203. for it's tonal qualities and then Buy the JVM 410H. even though It is said that the 410H can emulate the 2203. It is always good to still have the original. Just my opinion

A 2203 is not a 2210. A 2203 doesn't have any clipping diodes.

[DonP]

Why do you need the JVM401H? If the Vetta is doing the job, just use that and sell the 2210.

I have a DSL100 and I'm perfectly happy with it. I've played a JVM410H, and I'd love to upgrade, but I'm a bedroom player and don't really need a mess of channels (I can spin knobs). My DSL100 is a 1 of 100 Orange Crush versions that came out in 1998. I use my DSL100 a lot (I don't have a Vetta).

My fear is that the more complex these amps get, the more that can go wrong with them.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Why do you need the JVM401H? If the Vetta is doing the job, just use that and sell the 2210.

I have a DSL100 and I'm perfectly happy with it. I've played a JVM410H, and I'd love to upgrade, but I'm a bedroom player and don't really need a mess of channels (I can spin knobs). My DSL100 is a 1 of 100 Orange Crush versions that came out in 1998. I use my DSL100 a lot (I don't have a Vetta).

My fear is that the more complex these amps get, the more that can go wrong with them.

the more complex they get, the more time spent tweaking them instead of playing them.

i waked into Sam Ash and traded my Mesa Stiletto straight up for a DSL100 and haven't looked back.

[PowerTube]

Why do you need the JVM401H? If the Vetta is doing the job, just use that and sell the 2210.

That was my first instinct because I know I can get more by selling it outright than I'll get on a trade. However, I also don't want the hassles of listing it, haggling over the price, etc...

I'm quite confident that Guitar Center would try to steal it. I seriously bet that they would offer maybe $300.00 for it, tops. So my best bet is to try and find a used JVM in a store or pawn shop somewhere.

[horns666]

You can always get the two channel JVM. I owned two 2210 JCM 800 lead series with reverb. For the style of music that you like, I can't see how the 2210 isn't a perfect fit for you. I used to nail classic VH, Dokken, Ratt, Loudness, ect with it. It was noisy at loud volumes levelas that's for certain, but I seem to have a grab on it by keeping my pinky on my volume knob when I wasn't playing. The 2210 has enough gain with diode clipping that enables to get above tones without slamming the front with an Dist/OD pedal. They're a different animal than the earlier 2203 and ect...that do require stomps. That's why those were my favorite Marshalls for quite some time.

I replaced my two 2210 stack (ran in stereo) in '96 with my Marshall rack..9200 (5881), JMP-1, JFX-1..with a BBE 422 in the loop. That was a convenient, refined version of of my tone when using the two 2210s.

I like the JVM, it has is a tad heavier tone than my rack. But I never required a noise gate at any volume level..and it is the only amp I ever owned, played or tried that doesn't change with volume levels. Prolly because the poweramp has enough headoom, and I rely on the preamp for my tone. I get the same tone and feel over drums or while noodling.

My only complaint with the JVM was big time noise with the gain up to my liking. Even at low volumes that fucker squeals big time. But what high gain amps don't? It comes with the territory. Too bad they didn't include the built-in noise gate of the Kerry King head. I like the JVM better than the KK mopdel..which sounds much like a 2203 with a good stomp really. Build issues aside, as far as tone goes, the newer Marshalls is a HUGE improvement over the DSL JCM 2000 IMO. I couldn't get rid of mine fast enough..yuk! Many players do great with 'em, but they're defintely not for me.

I had a batch of 5150s, and I like those but the clean channels blow. But I don't play clean so that never mattered. The 5150 never sounded like classic Van Halen but known for pretty killer metal tones. The 5150 III is voice much better for classic VH than the original 5150s. I wanted to like it, but after test driving one for 30 minutes I was disappointed and unispired. It only take me 30 seconds to dial up a JVM, Peavet JSX, and the cheaper but yet pretty damn cool 3120. The 3120 really suprised me, which is NOT often at any price. I'm surprised that amp is not discussed here more often. Especially what you get for the $$$. I want to buy my son a 3120 half stack. When trying them don't forget to try the damping setting on the rear panel. Best bang for the buck I EVER heard since the 5150. I was going to buy a B52 halstack for my son for $650. I was sorry I didn't grab it until I tried 3120. Yeah, it's that fuggin' good IMO!

For what most amp sell for you can run two Peavey 3120s at home or on stage.

PS I'm a stickler for keep it simple. Less is more in my book. Besides, stomps narrow and compress the tonal spectrum of all amps. They're cool for some things and may seem to tighten up some amps, but the trade off is squashing alot of touch sensitive dynamics. I've got used to not using them and I think it made me a better player. Now, I can plug into alot more amps and get by OK. Instead of when I was extremely dependent of my OD pedals..and they're very noisy. They have SO many great sounding amps these days that don't require a $50 fuzz box. It's just not necessary anymore

My bud bought a used mint Peavey 3120 halfstack for $800. Him and Curran Murphy used it in the studio, and it sounds great. I actually liked it before I knew how much they sold for. I thought the price was going to be on par with a new 6505..

BTW Soldano, Bogner, Splawn and such are great. But I owned a HR100 when they came out, and I liked my import SL60 much better. Those should go for prettty cheap..One channel, plug N go amp. I did use SD-1 with it at the time tho. But it was OK on it's own. The gain gain can easily get pretty flubby when pushing the gain too far. I like amps with 100% usuable gain on tap...slo, jvm, uber, vht, jsx, ect. Not like recto or 5150 where they start getting hairy passed 12:00

Well happy hunting..try everything. Asking opinions of favorite amps is like asking about of favorite Ice Cream. I like Ruggles All Natural Vanilla Bean. So I INSIST that is the best. Nobody should like something crazy such as chocolate. That would be ridiculous.

OK, I'm done. BTW JCF Sean Rafferty went thru three 5150 III heads, but he LOVED them!!! He's done with those.

I'm set, I never been happier with my shit, and I owned it for some time now. Follw you're ear..you'll know when it's right.

[jgcable]

I love the 2210 but I would do it if I were you. I totally understand.

[PowerTube]

Well, I tried the JVM yesterday. It was a half stack at GC. It sounded good. In fact, it was the best sounding Marshall right out of the box I've ever heard. I especially liked the "orange" overdrive setting. But.... I'm not sure it's really for me. Like Bill mentioned, I've never been fond of the squeal from tube amps. Plus, I really don't see what it offers that the Vetta doesn't with a little tweaking. As always, the Marshall cab sounded excellent. I honestly think that their cabs put them on the map as much as their amps.

Anyway, thanks for the input, guys. And who knows? I might still reconsider it someday in the future.

[Joe Stump]

Framus Dragon or Cobra no hands down if you want a non-hissy tube amp w/ all the gain you could ever responsibly use. The JVM is a good amp but remember, all the "newer" Marshalls are based on the 900 platform albeit some newer mods

The best Marshall I have EVER owned was my EL-34 loaded 900 SL-X. In fact, I had three of them

[Rupe]

The 2210 is much more suited to the gigging musician as it needs to be opened up a bit to do it's magic...it's not much of a "home use" amp. You will certainly find the JVM to be much more usable for your situation.