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UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45

Marshall cab and head advice

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OnparOnpar Frets: 383
in Amps
I need to get a Marshall head and cab for a rock covers band. It has to be a Marshall.

Currently looking at cabs:
The 1936 2 x 12 seems to be slightly smaller than a 4 x 12 and weighs just 56lbs.
The 1960 is a touch larger but weighs 80lbs!
Is the 1960 worth the effort of having the extra speakers compared to the practical nature of the 1936?

And for heads:
Dsl100hr seems good on paper but some reviews say its a bit fizzy. 
The JVM seems to tick all the boxes but some reviews say its compressed and doesn't quite have the bark and roar of a 'proper' Marshall
Jcm800 is where my heart is pulling but it doesn't have the flexibility of the others. I do need a cleanish sound for some of the songs but guess I could use my volume control to reduce gain and add pedals. I guess with the JCM, is it that much better sounding that it's worth forfeiting the flexibility aspect? 

I did previously look at combos but now it has to be a head and cab. 
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Comments

  • manicguitaristmanicguitarist Frets: 348
    I’ve had every type of Marshall head since the JMP Master Volume. 

    The JVM covers pretty much every base. 

    But they’re not cheap. 
    But they can produce a decent tone at bedroom levels. But if you put it all on “10” it’ll sound dreadful. 

    A TSL or DSL is also a good option. 

    If you want one (good) tone but at “fuck me that’s loud” a jcm800 MV is your friend. 
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 22257
    The 20W version of the 800 / Studio  head is massively loud and sounds great. Put it with a vertical 2x12 for better horizontal dispersion. 
    And do not use V30 speakers in it. G12-65 or similar will be just the thing. 

    Unless you need a full size head as a stage prop.
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  • OnparOnpar Frets: 383
    fretmeister said:
    The 20W version of the 800 / Studio  head is massively loud and sounds great. Put it with a vertical 2x12 for better horizontal dispersion. 
    And do not use V30 speakers in it. G12-65 or similar will be just the thing. 

    Unless you need a full size head as a stage prop.
    Thanks but yes it needs to be a full size head and cab. I want amazing tone but it's also about the look on stage. 





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  • PetepassionPetepassion Frets: 291
    Personally I think the older Marshall cabs sound much better. I have the 2x12 and 4x12 early ‘80’s JCM 800 cabs with the Celestion G12-65 speakers in.
       The 2x12 is a lot easier to carry about and sounds great in isolation, but when compared side by side to the 4x12, the 4x12 sounds absolutely massive.
    just so happens I currently have the 4x12 for sale
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  • webrthomsonwebrthomson Frets: 947
    2x12 vs. 4x12 always boiled down to the size of the venue for me - I gigged for years with a Marshall 1936 with Marshall V30's in it and it sounded fantastic.

    Bigger venues would get done with a 1960A, the 4x12 always sounds bigger.

    I'd take the JCM 800 over the other heads with the exception of the JS version of the JVM as I like the cleans on that one.
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  • NerineNerine Frets: 1659
    JCM 800 reissue all the way. 

    4x12 is ok. Just avoid 1960A’s with the G12T 75 speakers. An 800 is bright until it’s wound up a bit. Those speakers don’t help. (Personally I absolutely hate them) 

    An EQ pedal for the loop will be your friend. A boost may be required in front. 

    You can get a pseudo 4 channel setup using the guitar volume control for your clean sound. 
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  • CatthanCatthan Frets: 306
    edited August 2023
    jube reissue
    jcm 800 reissue
    JVM JS

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  • OnparOnpar Frets: 383
    Well I'm definitely going for the 1936 2 x 12. I carried one last night and it's plenty heavy enough to carry. 4 x 12 would be too heavy to carry any distances. I know wheels on the bottom help but they don't work on gravel, mud, and other surfaces.

    Thanks for the feedback on the head.

    The JVM JS amps seem to be going for around £2k used. Are they really that much better sounding than a regular JVM??
    The JVM 205h seems like it could be perfect from a practical perspective if the tone is there as well.

    Love the idea of the JCM800. The reality is I'm not going to be able to really crank it for most gigs. Maybe I could keep it fairly clean and then use OD pedals like I currently do with my HRD but then I could be losing out on the reason for choosing this option as the pedals might colour the tone too much. 
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  • JonathangusJonathangus Frets: 4080
    If you're going down the pedals route - this, plus a used GV-2?
    https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/242162/fs-marshall-origin-50-head
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    As for "when am I ready?"  You'll never be ready.  It works in reverse, you become ready by doing it.  - pmbomb


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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 29588
    Jonathangus said:
    If you're going down the pedals route - this, plus a used GV-2?
    https://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/242162/fs-marshall-origin-50-head
    That would be my choice for a clean sound with pedals. 
    I use one with a 1936 cab and it sounds really good, great with all the drive pedals I've thrown at it. 

    My Marshall background is mainly 4-hole amps from the early 70s to current reissues and the Origin 50 to me is a cheap way of getting 90% there. 

    I also love a master volume JCM800 but they're not versatile enough for me live without setting them clean, which kind of defeats the point. 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 69426
    If you’re going to get a 1936, budget for replacement speakers if it has G12T-75s - they exaggerate the hollow/buzzy tone when the amp isn’t cranked up. I would also get a sack truck - the advantage of the 2x12” is that it will easily fit on one if you turn it sideways, whereas a 4x12” won’t.

    I prefer the 50W JVMs to the 100s, and the JS to the standard 100 as well - I think they sound looser and more open, the standard 100 is pretty tight and has more gain.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • FiftyshadesofjayFiftyshadesofjay Frets: 1301
    Onpar said:
    Well I'm definitely going for the 1936 2 x 12. I carried one last night and it's plenty heavy enough to carry. 4 x 12 would be too heavy to carry any distances. I know wheels on the bottom help but they don't work on gravel, mud, and other surfaces.

    Thanks for the feedback on the head.

    The JVM JS amps seem to be going for around £2k used. Are they really that much better sounding than a regular JVM??
    The JVM 205h seems like it could be perfect from a practical perspective if the tone is there as well.

    Love the idea of the JCM800. The reality is I'm not going to be able to really crank it for most gigs. Maybe I could keep it fairly clean and then use OD pedals like I currently do with my HRD but then I could be losing out on the reason for choosing this option as the pedals might colour the tone too much. 
    All the JVM’s sound good to me and the JS version is definitely the best. Nowhere near worth 2k though, it’s just way overpriced nowadays because they don’t make them anymore. You do sometimes see them for non stupid prices. 
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  • noisepolluternoisepolluter Frets: 721
    edited August 2023
    I wouldn’t discount a DSL without trying it - I actually prefer the DSL voicing to the JVM for classic rock sounds for instance, particularly the lead channels.
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  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7202
    edited August 2023
    I dont trust modern Marshalls. Dont worry about pedals they sound great with them in front and you will still get the bark and huge attack.

    Get a 50watt JCM800, Plexi or 70's 2 inputer and run it into a cab with Celestion g12-30H's for more lows or g12m-25's for more classic rock. Run it warm at half up so you can get passable cleans. Then a treble booster/SD1 or a thorpy gunshot/warthog in front and a delay/phase45 and you can cover anything from 60's Zep through to 80's hard rock or 90's grunge (with a bigmuff).


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  • TTBZTTBZ Frets: 2775
    edited August 2023
    If you're going for a 1936, go for the 1936V which has the Marshall Vintage speakers. They sound great and don't have the sizzly nasal quality that some V30s have. 

    DSL100HR is worth a look over the JVM, cheaper and still sounds great. I do really like the JVM205H. 

    Depending on your load ins I predict you may get tired of lugging a big head and awkward cab though so it would be worth looking at one of the studio series. I used my Jubilee for cover gigs and it always sounded great and more than loud enough, I rarely got the master above 6.
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  • OnparOnpar Frets: 383
    TTBZ said:
    If you're going for a 1936, go for the 1936V which has the Marshall Vintage speakers. They sound great and don't have the sizzly nasal quality that some V30s have. 

    DSL100HR is worth a look over the JVM, cheaper and still sounds great. I do really like the JVM205H. 

    Depending on your load ins I predict you may get tired of lugging a big head and awkward cab though so it would be worth looking at one of the studio series. I used my Jubilee for cover gigs and it always sounded great and more than loud enough, I rarely got the master above 6.
    That's great advice. I was going to buy the 1936 as it's cheaper and replace one of the speakers with a Celestion V30 as I have a spare one. But I might just opt for the 1936V if you think these are nicer sounding that V30s.

    I am sure I will get very tired of lugging around a huge head and cab but I am going to do it for 2 reasons: 
    - The look of a full size Marshall head on a cab for stage presence (cool as F)
    - I've never had any gear like this and well I want to give it a go


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  • Fingers657Fingers657 Frets: 70
    Make sure you get some wheels or a trolley dolly for your cabinet.
    A weight lifter’s belt and a pair of steel toecap riggers boots would be good purchases
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