JCM900 - what are your thoughts?

[drew_drummer]

What are your thoughts on the JCM900? Not really after comparisons to the JCM800 or anything like that... but rather just your opinion on the RAW tone.

Because I used one last night, during a band practice. I really quite liked it. Although I should say I think it has been modded, not sure to what extent though.

 

[raisedfist]

I'm not a fan. The bassist in my band has one and I find the gain stage odd and un-natural. Love them for that light overdrive JR Ewing or Cable type thing though.

I think if it was modded it would be good though, a croydon band my mate played drums for had a modded JMP and that was amazing, I think the dude in RockBottom did it, sounded huge.

 

[greyskull]

the slx kicks ass but the dual reverb is hiss city.

 

[SethTheGreat]

It's been years, but the last 900 I heard in person was (at the time) one of the best live guitar tones I had heard. Im not sure which 900 it was though (2203, 2204, etc..)

 

[MatrixClaw]

It's been years, but the last 900 I heard in person was (at the time) one of the best live guitar tones I had heard. Im not sure which 900 it was though (2203, 2204, etc..)

Those are JCM800 models.


The MKIII and SLX are really cool amps, the Dual Reverbs are yuck.

 

[abt]

I don't think these are too bad at all. The one I use years ago was a cracker. Had push the shit out of it though before is sounded good.

 

[schwinginbatman]

I used one once. I got like 5 minutes of tweaking time though, so it sounded low-gain and scratchy. However, I heard a really thick tone come from it just a bit before that, so I'd say, yeah, they're pretty good.

 

[Terminus]

Those are JCM800 models.


The MKIII and SLX are really cool amps, the Dual Reverbs are yuck.

Yeah the DR never really sounded good to me either. I have heard a MkIII and I have to say, do want. Paired with the right cab and eq'ed nicely it kills.

 

[AllanD]

Dual Reverb sucks COCK. First "tube" amp I ever bought. Even with the treble and presence at 0, and the mids/bass all the way up, the amp was too hissy for any usable tones.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Like the SL-X a lot.

 

[jeid]

Had an SL-X and it was one of the best amps I owned. Was sad to let it go

 

[Gelatin]

Surprised to hear all the dual reverb haters. I had a dual reverb for about 8 years, really sturdy nice sounding amp - even if it doesn't have as high gain as the SL-X. It sounded truly awesome live outshining so many other amps and I kind of miss it. But somehow I can imagine that it maybe doesn't sound so awesome when recorded.

 

[drew_drummer]

This is the dual reverb model that I have, the 4100. It sounds really good. Yeah it doesn't quite seem as high-gain as some other amps, but it's high enough gain for what we do. I've got it for a while yet, so I'm gonna use it and see how it feels.

 

[SwambA]

I had one and at the time I was using a Hartke 4 x 12 guitar cab, it sounded horrible! I hated it! The day I sold it, the guy I sold it too ran it into a Marshall cab to test it out... It sounded great! I felt like such a dumbass for selling it.

 

[~BURNY~]

If it sounds good, it sounds good. I think their bad reputation is widely exaggerated.
In my experience, stock they sound too dry unless you push them to the point where the power section starts to distort. It makes the tone darker and much more usable. Also, their voicing doesn't get along the V30 very well. The more scooped g12t75 works beter with them.
Modded, they can sound very cool at lower volume.
That being said I don't find them particularly sturdy.

 

[Sloan]

Had an SL-X for a while and it was very unreliable, but I ended up making money off it, so that was ok. Not a fan.

 

[Tercero]

For that they are, I think they're cool. You can pick them up super cheap and they're easy enough to mod. There are a slew of amps I'd buy before I got a 900, but I've seen them go as low as $400 used. Great bang for the buck amps.

 

[zakky]

stock jcm900=
modified=

 

[Rex Rocker]

Thin and trebly. IMO.

Then again, I believe I've only tried the Dual Reverb.

 

[SethTheGreat]

Those are JCM800 models.


The MKIII and SLX are really cool amps, the Dual Reverbs are yuck.

Like I said, don't remember which model it was

That's what I get for posting from work (where posting is hard to do let-alone fact checking)




I know for a fact it was a 900 though. I thought it sounded great. The guitarist that owned it would turn his volume knob down a little ways and had the most amazing clean tone I had ever heard, then back up and got a reaaaally nice heavy tone.