It all boils down to JCM900 SL-X vs. 5150 I/6505

[Torniojaws]

Alright, I've been on the lookout for a second amp to spice up my recordings and as an amp to use at our rehearsal space.

After hearing and playing many amps, now especially thanks to a small tour I did with 9 other bands - loads of amps I've set my mind on getting either the Marshall JCM900 2500 Mk. III / SL-X, or the Peavey 5150 I/6505. I really like both of them, and their availability is pretty similar. The Marshall is a wee bit cheaper used.

Now, what I'd like to hear is whether they have any known long-run problems? I know of the Peavey's preamp tube thingy, but that shouldn't be an issue in a used amp, and I'll probably re-tube anyways.

One advantage the Peavey has is that it's cathode biased, so in case of a tube meltdown during a tour you can just throw another in without equipment/a long break.

How does the Marshall sound in the studio though? I've never heard it used in metal/grindcore studio stuff, so that's a bit of a mystery. Everyone seems to praise the easy mixability of the Marshall though.

 

[Carcass29]

How does the Marshall sound in the studio though? I've never heard it used in metal/grindcore studio stuff

Carcass used the SL-X on their earlier recordings/material. The 30th Anniversary Marshall 6100 has the same tone as the SL-X on the second channel, Also get the EL34 models...I used to have one back in the 90's.

 

[Descent]

and changed to 5150 for Heartwork. nuff said.

 

[Kazrog]

and changed to 5150 for Heartwork. nuff said.

 

[Splat88]

Heartwork is a 50/50 mix of 30th Anniversary Marshall and 5150 with two Marshall T75 cabs taped back to back. There was a big thread on this here last year. There was a also a blended in Marshall practice amp in that sound IIRC.

 

[Exocaster]

How does the Marshall sound in the studio though? I've never heard it used in metal/grindcore studio stuff, so that's a bit of a mystery. Everyone seems to praise the easy mixability of the Marshall though.

There's gotta be something out there from the early '90s besides Carcass that uses the SLX. It's a totally different beast than the JCM 900 Dual Reverb. It's more of a modded 800 tone, without the Dual Reverb's diode clipping. It's not super versatile by any means- it's one channel with a footswitchable volume boost, basically- but there's a good amount of gain on tap. I would think it would do old-school thrash and DM tones all day long. It's voiced more for metal/high gain than classic Marshall rock tones.

I'd think it would be a no-brainer if you like Marshall tones, though I'd go with a DSL if you need a clean channel.

 

[SickBoy]

and changed to 5150 for Heartwork. nuff said.

I don't understand this "Heartwork this and that" obsession raging on this board... Almost every post about Carcass must contain that magical word.
And I prefer Necroticism's guitars by far, they're crushingly heavy

 

[006]

I don't understand this "Heartwork this and that" obsession raging on this board... Almost every post about Carcass must contain that magical word.
And I prefer Necroticism's guitars by far, they're crushingly heavy

I had never even heard of Carcass or that album before I came to this forum. I still haven't listened to that album or anything by Carcass for that matter. Don't intend to either. Though I suppose I should, with everyone here mentioning it quite often as a great production...dunno why I have no urgent desire to hear it though.

~e.a

 

[Exocaster]

I had never even heard of Carcass or that album before I came to this forum. I still haven't listened to that album or anything by Carcass for that matter. Don't intend to either. Though I suppose I should, with everyone here mentioning it quite often as a great production...dunno why I have no urgent desire to hear it though.

~e.a

Well, if you're interested, have some Carcass, from Heartwork:



These seem like they're just rips of the album tracks. The audio quality is better than the videos for No Love Lost and Heartwork that are up on Youtube.

 

[cobhc]

I'm sure Kreator used the SL-X back in the day, or at least some version of the JCM900 before they switched to 5150's more recently. Always loved Kreator's tone.

P.S. Buried Dreams is a fucking amazing track, always gets me pumped up

 

[Metaltastic]

Here here, though my favorite track on the album is definitely "Embodiment;" that modulated riff at 2:25 is sooo heavy

 

[Carcass29]

shit, now that I think about it....tons of bands used the SL-X models for recordings thoughout the 90's from Carcass to Overkill to Anthrax to Poison.

 

[Torniojaws]

I just sent an offer for the SL-X for 560 euros. Let's see how it works out The 5150/6505 is sold for ridiculous prices around here (both used and new :zombie, maybe because it's a trendy amp now. Common prices are 900 euros ($1320 USD) used and 1100 - 1200 ($1620 - $1760 USD) euros new.

 

[Erik Monsonis]

In Spain, the 5150/6505 used is sold from 650-850€... So, it's a must have for the low budget death metal guitarists

 

[MetalJonesy]

I used to own a JCM900 4100, and i know the slx models are more ballsy, but id go for the peavey dude, crisper, tighter tone. IMO its more versitile too

 

[Torniojaws]

I'm going to get the 5150/6505, but not right now. I'm just looking for a nice gigging/rehearsal amp that can endure a bit of carelessness I'm always worried when I've got my Powerball with me (being almost 3 times the price of the SL-X). But I pretty much nailed it when I found such a deal for the SL-X. It's not often you find it at such low price around here; it's usually 900 euros, too. And it's very rarely for sale at all, even for being such a common amp just 10 - 15 years ago.

 

[Exocaster]

If I may ask: post some clips when you get your SLX! I always enjoy a good Marshall metal clip.

 

[Descent]

i actually used to have one of those 900's. Good ballsy sounding amp. Needs tubescreamer in front as bottom end is a bit boomy but i was amazed at how good it sounded quad tracked on my bands demo we did with dave chang in 2000. Really loud as well. However a year or 2 later by band did a little tour with Darkane and we hired 5150's for the tour and after watching/hearing back some camcorder footage, i went out and bought 5150. Just has that thickness and heaviness that i always wanted but couldnt get with the 900 (apart from when quad tracked).
I'm a big Carcass fan, thats why i got the 900 but when i heard they used 5150 on Heartwork it confirmed to me i was right to change (as i think heartwork has one of the best guitar tones ever!).

 

[Torniojaws]

If I may ask: post some clips when you get your SLX! I always enjoy a good Marshall metal clip.

Here's two quick clips:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/juhau/marsu-1trk.mp3 (one track alone of random riffs)
http://koti.mbnet.fi/juhau/marsu-meshu.mp3 (quad tracked random Meshuggah clips with drums and bass)

Edit:
Oh yeah, and the cab is Engl Vintage 2x12" (Celestion V30). And I boosted the amp with Digitech Bad Monkey.

Edit2:
Forgetful Shure SM57 -> RME Fireface 400

Gotta experiment some more with the mic placement and amp settings. But in person it's simply mindblowing. It's like all the good parts of my Engl Powerball, but without the fuzziness and midscoop-ish sound. As for tightness, this amp is certainly up to par - if not tighter than the Powerball It's just slightly noisier, but nothing annoying.

Edit3:
Here's two pictures:

 

[Torniojaws]

Damn I love this amp