# Jcm900 metal tone?



## ozzman619 (Oct 19, 2011)

just like the title says im wondering if the Marshall JCM900 is any good for metal, i found a couple near me that are cheap and i feel like picking one up if they can put out a decent metal tone. Some people on youtube seem to have got decent tones but they dont say if they are running pedals and stuff, so yeah any info would help


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## Chickenhawk (Oct 19, 2011)

This band uses at least one JCM900:
IN THE TRENCH | Free Music, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos
http://www.facebook.com/inthetrench

Forgot what the other guitarist uses, it's been a few years since I've hung out with them. Great bunch of guys (used to rehearse in the same building, and been to most of their shows).

The only pedals I remember them using were a boost (forgot which one), and a noise suppressor. A few effects for color (reverb, wah/autowah, delay, etc).

EDIT: Added their Facebook. I keep forgetting nobody uses Myspace anymore


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## Guitarmiester (Oct 19, 2011)

If you can find a JCM900 SL-X for a decent price, snatch it up! I wanted to hold on to that amp, but my Mesa Stiletto Deuce out-shined the JCM. As for metal with the SL-X, it's doable without an OD because you've basically got two gain controls. It's even better with an OD of your choice, but isn't necessary if you didn't want to deal with pedals.


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## troyguitar (Oct 19, 2011)

If you can actually turn it up they scream. If you're going to be using it in your room, I'd pass.


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## EOT (Oct 19, 2011)

Depends. What kind of metal? And like troyguitar said, they need to be cranked.


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## Beowulf Von Thrashmeister (Oct 19, 2011)

ozzman619 said:


> just like the title says im wondering if the Marshall JCM900 is any good for metal, i found a couple near me that are cheap and i feel like picking one up if they can put out a decent metal tone. Some people on youtube seem to have got decent tones but they dont say if they are running pedals and stuff, so yeah any info would help


 
The Marshall JCM900 is perfect for metal, I used to have the 100 watt head with a 1960A cab back in the early 90`s and the tone was bone crushing and could burst vital organs at 50 paces (it was very loud).

I would plug my Gibson flying V (white 67 re-issue) into the amp and it was brutal, perfect for anyone who loves thrash or death metal or anything else heavy !!!. 

I say go for it, the best thing to do is try them out and see what you think with you own ears, you can always add a favourite distortion or overdrive pedal if you want to push the gain further !!!.


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## 155 (Oct 19, 2011)

Im not a fan of the 900 for modern stuff at all...look elsewhere///dsl..tsl


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## Bevo (Oct 19, 2011)

Of course they do, it may need an OD pedal for some stuff but it will rip!
Keep in mind these suckers are loud and like to be played that way.

Before you make the investment go to Long & McQuade and rent one for the weekend, the $30 will tell you right away!


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## ozzman619 (Oct 19, 2011)

Bevo said:


> Of course they do, it may need an OD pedal for some stuff but it will rip!
> Keep in mind these suckers are loud and like to be played that way.
> 
> Before you make the investment go to Long & McQuade and rent one for the weekend, the $30 will tell you right away!


 

yeah thanks i totally forgot that i can just rent one.

As for tone im looking to be able to get basicly 4 different tones:
-Thrash (metallica, slayer, megadeth, anthrax)
-High gain metal like Children of bodom kinda stuff
-Modern metal (im thinking like lamb of god)
-and since my new band plays in B standard i need like a really full sounded tone kinda like Amon amarth

think i can get all these?


and yes ill be cranking this as loud as i can without hearing loss


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## ozzman619 (Oct 19, 2011)

also is there any differences in the 50 watt compared to the 100watt (other then the watts thats was a dead give away for me)


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## rug (Oct 19, 2011)

155 said:


> Im not a fan of the 900 for modern stuff at all...look elsewhere///dsl..tsl



this


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## TMM (Oct 19, 2011)

A JCM900 can definitely handle any of those tones you've listed, and do them well. It's an amp that gets a lot of it's tone from the poweramp, so (as has been said) it's not going to sound it's best until you've got it up to a decent volume.

I have a pretty decent clip I made with a JCM900 - I'll upload it & post a link once I get back on my normal comp.


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## ozzman619 (Oct 19, 2011)

TMM said:


> A JCM900 can definitely handle any of those tones you've listed, and do them well. It's an amp that gets a lot of it's tone from the poweramp, so (as has been said) it's not going to sound it's best until you've got it up to a decent volume.
> 
> I have a pretty decent clip I made with a JCM900 - I'll upload it & post a link once I get back on my normal comp.


 

that would be great if you could post that clip of it, im really thinking of getting one now cause i found one locally for $750 WITH a 1960 lead cab and maybe with a little haggling i can get an even better deal, only catch is its not the sl-x and its only the 50watt


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## Leuchty (Oct 19, 2011)

50 watt will make it "easier" to achieve the cranked sound.

FWIW, I would boost any tube amp. Just sounds better for modern metal.


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## troyguitar (Oct 19, 2011)

I generally prefer the 50 watt Marshalls, they sound good in small stadiums instead of requiring you to be at Wacken to open it up


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## ozzman619 (Oct 19, 2011)

so is the 50watt good enough then, i wont be playing extreme venues for a while but i still want it to be able to really crack up when needed


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## vlover (Oct 19, 2011)

I got an awesome tone from a SLX with BBE in the FX loop.


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## xCaptainx (Oct 20, 2011)

Go JCM800! I've had a few and LOVED them. I've used a few jcm900 backline amps and they never felt anywhere near as metal as the jcm800.


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## Dvaienat (Oct 20, 2011)

Very good for metal, though a very unique tone. Just make sure it is your thing before buying. A good example of a JCM900 used for metal would be Carcass's 'Heartwork' album. 

I must admit I'd go with a JCM 800 for metal before a 900. Here is a clip I found of an 800 2203:

http://lsd-tonstudio.de/sonstiges/2203llmodquadtracked.mp3


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## Beowulf Von Thrashmeister (Oct 20, 2011)

NatG said:


> Very good for metal, though a very unique tone. Just make sure it is your thing before buying. A good example of a JCM900 used for metal would be Carcass's 'Heartwork' album.
> 
> I must admit I'd go with a JCM 800 for metal before a 900. Here is a clip I found of an 800 2203:
> 
> http://lsd-tonstudio.de/sonstiges/2203llmodquadtracked.mp3


 

I`ve always wanted a JCM 800 they are the classic metal amp, and I`m quite tempted by the Kerry King signature model when I have the money !!!. 

I wish I still had my JCM 900 it had a really good tone, but sadly I had to sell it, which I really regret doing !!!.

Heartwork is a brilliant album !!!.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Oct 20, 2011)

If your after an LoG style tone they use Mesa Marks which are voiced very differently than Marshallls. Im not really a huge fan of the jcm either, I hate the way they respond to adding more gain.


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## ozzman619 (Oct 20, 2011)

only thing is i dont really want to spend that much money on an expensive amp just yet, i mean buying a mesa or a jcm800 would cost me easy double what i can get a jcm900 halfstack for, thats just my thinking behind it.


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## Andromalia (Oct 20, 2011)

Those amps were the standard amp at the rehearsal place I used in the 90es, and getting good thrash tones wasn't a problem. Never really understood why people didn't like them.


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## widdlywhaa (Oct 20, 2011)

I think most peoples' problem with the 900 is that it is viewed as the "Cheaper" of the JCM series. 

For whatever reason I'll never understand. I LOVE the SLXs! With the right boost (and that's not even always necessary) you can get a great palette of base tones to work with.


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## synrgy (Oct 20, 2011)

I bought a JCM900 in the mid 90's. I sold it within 6 months of the purchase.

It would have been amazing if I'd wanted to play more 'rock' as opposed to 'metal', but I found it not good for what I was trying to do at all. When I think JCM900, I think of Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction/Chili Peppers) and Slash before I think of anything from Metallica to Deftones to Meshuggah.

I ultimately went solid state for reasons of versatility. I've been kicking around a Marshall AVT150H for almost a decade (and I bought it used, so I have no idea how old it actually is) and I love it. It can do almost anything I want it to.

Of course, that's all completely subjective. The good news is, you don't have to take our word for it. The JCM900 is an easy amp to find in most guitar shops, so just bring your own guitar to your local shops and try one out to see how it sounds _to you_.


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## ozzman619 (Oct 20, 2011)

im going to head down to a music store soon and try one out, but does anyone know the difference with the slx and the regular version of the amp


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## grogarage (Oct 20, 2011)

trying an amp in a store can be misleading, another poster said ''if you can rent it for a week'' , that would be my best advice, band context is the way to see if an amp fits you, band practice or even better live show. There is soo many variables like wood, pickups, cab, effects and most of all, the way you play...every time i try a freind's amp i dont sound like him at all. Try straight to the amp, than try with a boost. With my guitar + my maxon 808 i can get close to my tone on almost any amp, even a Peavey Bandit 112 . I made the mistake of buying amps with only an ''in store'' test drive, the only amp i'm 100% satisfied with was purchased after a week or 2 at band practice. Good luck


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## Guitarmiester (Oct 20, 2011)

ozzman619 said:


> im going to head down to a music store soon and try one out, but does anyone know the difference with the slx and the regular version of the amp



The SL-X has an extra preamp tube and an all tube power amp section, unlike the rest of the 900 series that relies on diode clipping. The SL-X sounds closer to being an 800 than any other 900. It has a different gain structure with more useable gain and doesn't have a natural mid scoop like the other 900's.


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## ozzman619 (Oct 20, 2011)

Guitarmiester said:


> The SL-X has an extra preamp tube and an all tube power amp section, unlike the rest of the 900 series that relies on diode clipping. The SL-X sounds closer to being an 800 than any other 900. It has a different gain structure with more useable gain and doesn't have a natural mid scoop like the other 900's.


 
im going to have to go with the sl-x then since i play metal, that is if i do go for the jcm900


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## Bevo (Oct 20, 2011)

ozzman619 said:


> that would be great if you could post that clip of it, im really thinking of getting one now cause i found one locally for $750 WITH a 1960 lead cab and maybe with a little haggling i can get an even better deal, only catch is its not the sl-x and its only the 50watt


 

Not sure if its been said yet that the difference between 50-100 is 3db.
This is not much but the extra 50 watts gives you a more robust sound that is more full to me.

Hey where is that deal


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## TMM (Oct 20, 2011)

ozzman619 said:


> that would be great if you could post that clip of it, im really thinking of getting one now cause i found one locally for $750 WITH a 1960 lead cab and maybe with a little haggling i can get an even better deal, only catch is its not the sl-x and its only the 50watt



Found it, and posted it:

20110705 - Oni 8 - JCM900 by TheMammonMachine on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

I literally did 1 take per side, so the playing isn't perfect, but should give you a good idea of one of the possible tones.

$750 for the head + a 1960 cab is a great deal, you should jump on it. If you decide you don't like it, just resell the head, then resell the speakers individually, then post the empty cab on Craigslist for ~$50... you'll come out way ahead on that.


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## ozzman619 (Oct 21, 2011)

TMM said:


> Found it, and posted it:
> 
> 20110705 - Oni 8 - JCM900 by TheMammonMachine on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
> 
> ...


 
Damn man thats some pretty brutal stuff there is that the sl-x or the regular and did you boost it?, and thats what i was thinking if i really hate it i can sell it and even make a profit (and btw ive seen empty marshall cabs sell for $150-$200 here)


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## Guitarmiester (Oct 21, 2011)

$750 is am alright deal, seems a little high for a standard 900 and a 1960A. I got an amazing deal on my SL-X. Bought it for $300 and ended up selling it for $600 the same day I listed it when I decided to sell.


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## Bevo (Oct 21, 2011)

Marshall 100 watt JCM 900 mkiii

Check this out, sounds pretty sweet!!


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## TMM (Nov 2, 2011)

ozzman619 said:


> Damn man thats some pretty brutal stuff there is that the sl-x or the regular and did you boost it?, and thats what i was thinking if i really hate it i can sell it and even make a profit (and btw ive seen empty marshall cabs sell for $150-$200 here)



It's just the JCM900 Dual Reverb (100w version, IIRC). I'd love to have an SL-X, though.


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