Another 1w Marshall Bargain at GuitarGuitar?

not_the_dj

They did this a few weeks ago with the JTM1C, now they're shifting the last of the JMP1C at £379...

Anyone played one?

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_amps_detail.asp?stock=14022010112432

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/large/130/14022010112432.jpg

ICBM

Yes, I have. A very boxy, small sound which doesn't sound anything like a proper Marshall due to the 8" speaker and tiny cabinet. Overpriced even at that, really.

It's a shame they don't seem to have the heads - although presumably because those were actually worth having, they sold even at the original ludicrous price. The combos just suffer far too much from the quality of the speaker.

HHwarner

Not the best build quality in the world for the price but boy they sound absolutely fantastic. Iv got the JCM1H and it really is the best sounding practice amp iv ever heard. 1w is still pretty loud when it's cranked mind. Can be switched to .1w which you can speak over.

guitargeek62

Lol, two slightly conflicting opinions then!!!

not_the_dj

guitargeek62;174947" said:

Lol, two slightly conflicting opinions then!!!

@HHwarner has the head, so might explain the difference. What can were you using HH?

ICBM

guitargeek62 said:

Lol, two slightly conflicting opinions then!!!

As not_th_dj says, it probably sounds fine through a decent cabinet.

Actually the combo is usable as a head anyway, and since this one is now a lot cheaper than the head was, maybe it's not such a bad deal. Just don't expect it to sound good through its own speaker.

Gassage

Thing is, what's the point of having a 1w Marshall?

They should be big, unrefined, brash and loud.

Buying one of these is like having a diesel hybrid 1.6 litre Ford Mustang

HHwarner

Yes I use mine through a 2x12 cab. But as I said the build quality aint what you would expect for the original selling price. I bought mine second hand at a much more reasonable price

Babones

ICBM said:

Yes, I have. A very boxy, small sound which doesn't sound anything like a proper Marshall due to the 8" speaker and tiny cabinet. Overpriced even at that, really.

It's a shame they don't seem to have the heads - although presumably because those were actually worth having, they sold even at the original ludicrous price. The combos just suffer far too much from the quality of the speaker.

Pretty sure these are 1x10 combos. Nevertheless, i was never interested in the combos, as the heads are just better imo. They sound great through big cabs. Why cart around a whole combo to use as a head.

Babones

Gassage said:

Thing is, what's the point of having a 1w Marshall?

They should be big, unrefined, brash and loud.

And then you get told to turn down by the sound engineer (venue specific). Seriously, these 1 watters through large cabs, get you great sound at usable volume levels.

ICBM

Babones said:

Pretty sure these are 1x10 combos. Nevertheless, i was never interested in the combos, as the heads are just better imo. They sound great through big cabs. Why cart around a whole combo to use as a head.

Interesting - I thought from the sound of the one I played it was a 1x8", but I've checked and it seems it was a 10 (G10N-15). Must be a pretty poor one…

Some people have apparently reported a great improvement from putting a G10 Greenback in - you have to ask why, at the price they were, this was not the standard fitment.

Also while checking I discovered that Marshall are also now selling direct online (that's sure to please their dealers…) although at the full original price.

p90fool

I think the day I get told to turn down to the level of a 1w amp is the day I give up gigging.
The squeak of the beer pumps is louder than that.

timmysoft

I tried these when they first came out and just like all those little Marshall's it was pretty horrible. I though the vox ac4 was far superior

Babones

That G10N-15 is no doubt a variant on the one in the Class 5.

It's horses for courses. I tried an AC4 when they came out and found it uninspiring, small (cheap cab) boxy tone. I wanted to like it though.

Gassage

Babones said:

Gassage said:

Thing is, what's the point of having a 1w Marshall?

They should be big, unrefined, brash and loud.

And then you get told to turn down by the sound engineer (venue specific). Seriously, these 1 watters through large cabs, get you great sound at usable volume levels.

Sound engineers used to love my Hiwatt DR103.

It really was a thing of bliss just to let them level it and then step on a boost pedal after it was all sorted......!!

ICBM

Babones said:

That G10N-15 is no doubt a variant on the one in the Class 5.

I'm not sure, but from what I heard I wouldn't pay money for it.

It's remarkable, every time Marshall use a custom-order Celestion model like this, it's crap. I can only assume it's to save money. Without exception, any Marshall amp I have ever replaced the stock 'special' speaker with one from the classic range of standard Celestions, the improvement has been somewhere between useful and incredible. (Classic models: Greenback, G12H-30, G12-65, V30, CL80, and even the G12T-75.)

I suspect they may prototype the amp with a proper speaker and then let the accountants cost-cut it afterwards. The reason I think that is because a good example is the DSL201 - stock, it comes with a tin frisbee which makes the clean channel sound not too bad although a bit gutless, and the distortion channel sound thin, shrill and completely horrible, and too quiet. You have to set the tone and controls at the extreme ends of their ranges to get anything useful out of it at all - and very differently for both channels, which then sound like two different amps. But if you drop in a Greenback, the result is that if you simply set all the controls to noon, the amp sounds great and the channels balance perfectly for both tone and volume… so that makes me think it was designed by someone listening to it through one.

Babones said:

I tried an AC4 when they came out and found it uninspiring, small (cheap cab) boxy tone. I wanted to like it though.

It's not just the cab. I tried it through a decent one and it still sounded boxy and harsh. It is pretty though .

thermionic

ICBM said:

It's remarkable, every time Marshall use a custom-order Celestion model like this, it's crap. I can only assume it's to save money. 

When you see "custom designed" on a speaker, or indeed pretty much anything, it does not mean "designed to be exactly how we wanted it to be and therefore it's great". What it does mean is "we have £X money in the parts budget for this and we want 10,000 of them, give us the best you can manage and not a penny more."

Dave_Mc

^ )

Forge

1w is "only" 4 times quieter than a 100w so you will still get a decent volume but very little clean headroom.

I like my JMP1 but I have the head going through an orange cab with V30, it is the perfect amp to finish tuning my fuzz pedals in the late evenings. I don't really like the looks of the combos though...

matone

Always seems to be that the bean counters spoil Marshall products nowadays.Shame.