The modern amp

[silverwulf]

Which model do you have man?? 2203, 2204, 2205, 2210??? There are plenty of mods available for them. The most common is adding another gain stage for the 2203/2204, but if you have either of the channel switching models (2205/2210) it might just need a good tweaking to sound great. Check out www.voodooamps.com or www.fjamods.com both do great work. Or check out www.harmonycentral.com , both dudes post there. Trace's username is Voodoo Amps and Jerry's username is JerryP.

-Joe

I would NOT recommend a Voodoo Amps mod. I've had the chance to play through a lot of different Voodoo modded amps before. While the work itself is clean and stable, they basically destroy the unique tonal characteristic of the amp. Every amp they mod comes back sounding the same. So, if you wanted to have a "Voodoo Mod" sound, I'd just buy one of the cheapest amps they mod on the used market...maybe a 5150 for $500 or soemthing...and send it to them. I say that because if you send them a Dual Rec or something else you'll pay $1000+ for, it's going to come back sounding exactly like the 5150 or anything else you send them.

As for a JCM 800, I don't think any mods are needed for one. I was always perfectly happy using only the amp itself and maybe a little extra grit form a pedal. Using the JCM 800's gain on "8" and a Boss SD-1 with the gain set at about 9 o'clock, there was more than plenty gain for metal.

For the JMP-1/EL34 Power amp combo...I also agree that you should try taking the BBE out of the chain. I know that you say that it makes it sound weaker, but that's not the fault of the amp. You can get some killer sounds out of those rigs. I would suggest removing the BBE and then start tweaking your settings. That's probably where the issues are...how do you have it Eq'ed currently?

 

[Fragle]

i also have a 2210. it surely is a great amp. i'm thinking about swapping the EL34s for some 6CA7 or whatever they are called....basically an EL34 with more bass and less honk. it's very picky when it comes to preamp tubes, too. having a JJ instead of an EH in v1 makes a world of difference, not only a slight tweak.
i found the tubescreamer as well as - *flame suit on* - the boss MT2 to work best with the 2210. believe it or not, the midrange rich sound of the 2210 pairs up VERY well with the mt2, just keep the gain under control.
as far as the ts goes....one question tachy, do you like the sound of exodus-tempo of the damned? if so, a 2210 boosted with a tubescreamer as well as an EMG81 in the bridge will get you VERY close. really really really close, trust me.

 

[Tachy]

Thank guis for the collaboration, I use the master volume of jmp1 at 3 o clock, becouse in this mode you can send a big signal to the power amp, the bbe work between the jmp1 and power amp becouse is a serial effect.
I use the bbe set in this mode :
low contour at 2 o'clock and definition at 11 o'clock.
I have anothe question...In the power amp I use el34 sveltana, what is the tonal difference between el34 and 6l6 tubes?

 

[Fragle]

6l6 have more bottom end and highs, whereas the el34 is a more midrange dominated tube. a 6l6 also has more headroom, i.e. you can push the volume further without overdriving the poweramp.
it's a matter of taste, really.

 

[Tachy]

Ok, when I'll go to my music shop I'll try some heads....but at this time most extrem and metal guitarrist have in their equipment krank heads....I'm very happy to try one of it, but in my town is impossible, becouse krank not exist!!

 

[TheStoryteller]

i've yet to hear a good sound coming out of a v30 loaded guitar, but that's just me. so far the bog standard marshall 1960A (or B) is my favorite cabinet, and i've used lots of different cabs. the oversized mesa rectifier cab came close, but there still was the piercing high midrange that's characteristic for v30s, although the oversize helped some.

Fragle, I'm a little curious here... You obviously don't like the guitar sound on Andy's productions (since most of them are /w V30). Personally, I think the most common Marshalls, 1960A or B that is, sounds really bad when it comes to metal but I love V30's, AND therefor also Andys productions. I'd really like to hear an example of what you consider a great guitar sound. Either a clip, or if you could tell me the name of an album where you like the guitar sound. This is out of pure curiosity; I don't have ANY intenstions to say "I'm right and you're wrong".

 

[Tachy]

Actually I play my racks into a marshall 1960a, in the past I've tryed 1960b of my friend guitarrist....Ther's only a little difference but not a very audible difference.
I think the problem is the costructions of Marshall cabs, infact after 4 or 5 month you can hear vibration comes from the near pannel of the cab.
When I'have more money, I think I'll get a mesa recto cab.
This is what i think.... probably Marshall cabs do the best in hard or stoner rock.

 

[Fragle]

Fragle, I'm a little curious here... You obviously don't like the guitar sound on Andy's productions (since most of them are /w V30). Personally, I think the most common Marshalls, 1960A or B that is, sounds really bad when it comes to metal but I love V30's, AND therefor also Andys productions. I'd really like to hear an example of what you consider a great guitar sound. Either a clip, or if you could tell me the name of an album where you like the guitar sound. This is out of pure curiosity; I don't have ANY intenstions to say "I'm right and you're wrong".

no problem bro, it's all cool.

i do like andy's stuff, chances are i'd not be here if i didn't maybe (or well, obviously) v30s sound great in a recording situation.
HOWEVER (and that's what i was refering to), i've played through a LOT of cabs, using lots of different amps (i'm an amp whore ), and i always come back to the 75w celestion loaded cabs. i think it might be due to my choice of amps. when i still played mesa i did like the v30s better than i do nowadays with my marshall. i found that marshalls have a very raw and in your face sound that punches you right ...well, in the face imho, the v30s are also very punchy speakers that slice right through any mix. great for making a mesa (particulary a recto) cut better, but just too much with a band away amp like a jcm800.
as for guitar sounds....oh man, there are LOTS of great sounds all over the metal and rock world. just to name a few (although these are very different from each other!), i'd say kreator-coma of souls, whitesnake-87, cannibal corpse-bloodthirst, exodus-tempo of the damned, iced earth-alive in athens and something wicked this way comes, nevermore-tge

 

[silverwulf]

...whitesnake-87

John Sykes had some killer tone out of the Mark III's. Also, I love his lead tones from his hot-rodded JCM 800 on "Is This Love."

...iced earth-alive in athens and something wicked this way comes...

Those were done with Marshall 1960B 4X12 Cabs like you like.

 

[Benny H]

Which model do you have man?? 2203, 2204, 2205, 2210??? There are plenty of mods available for them. The most common is adding another gain stage for the 2203/2204, but if you have either of the channel switching models (2205/2210) it might just need a good tweaking to sound great. Check out www.voodooamps.com or www.fjamods.com both do great work. Or check out www.harmonycentral.com , both dudes post there. Trace's username is Voodoo Amps and Jerry's username is JerryP.

-Joe

Do you(or anyone) know what model Dino's was and what sort of mod(s) it had? Demanufacture owns...

 

[~BURNY~]

Do you(or anyone) know what model Dino's was and what sort of mod(s) it had? Demanufacture owns...

I bet.. 2203. Later models are based on clipping diode.

 

[Fragle]

I bet.. 2203. Later models are based on clipping diode.

yes, the split channel jcm800 has diode clipping....so what? it sounds kickass!

 

[silverwulf]

yes, the split channel jcm800 has diode clipping....so what? it sounds kickass!

So does just about every JCM 800 made from about 1985 on, 2203 and 2204 models included.

Dino's amp was a 2203 that was modded by Bob Bradshaw of Custom Audio Electronics. You can have the same crunch mod done for $300 from them, and the turn around time is about 1-2 weeks.

 

[~BURNY~]

yes, the split channel jcm800 has diode clipping....so what? it sounds kickass!

I never said that it doesn't sound good... But the original model sound better to my ears...
JmpMKII included.

 

[Benny H]

Nice.. thanks.