Marshall 2203 Zakk Wylde

EdGrip

I'm just musing here, really. 

I'll be needing to get a bass amp this year. 

A friend of mine has got a JCM800 Zakk Wylde signature head which he never uses, dating from a time when he actually played guitar. I think he keeps it in case he does play guitar again, and because it's a wonderful thing, and because its value will only go up. He's got no cab for it. (He had the official matching cab - I bought it off him, and then I needed the money a few years later and sold it to someone else as he couldn't afford to buy it back. It pains me to think of it.)

I've been considering buying it from him this year if he'll sell it, perhaps, as a bass amp. If you're not familiar with it - it's the prettiest head Marshall ever made, and it was built around a 4x6550 power stage. So in theeeeeeeory, it could be a cracking bass amp.

Whatcha think? 

ThePrettyDamned

Isn't it just a jcm 800 that's biased for different valves?

I really don't know, so I won't give you an answer, but I don't think a jcm 800 would sound great for bass, it's quite a tight and mid heavy amp.

Bloomin awesome sounding for guitar, but so is a normal jcm 800.

I don't know actual tech specs so I won't give a definitive answer.

EdGrip

Hmm. I was thinking that the EQ might need a reversible mod to make it a bit more bass-friendly, and I was hoping that running it into a bass cab might tame its mid-tastic tendencies. However, you're probably right. If it was a good idea, people would do it. ^_^

randomhandclaps

ThePrettyDamned said:

Isn't it just a jcm 800 that's biased for different valves?

WHHHAAATTTTT.  That would be like saying that the Wylde overdrive is just a rehouse SD-1 or the chorus a rehoused CE-5. 

Lixarto

What does that make Wylde?

samzadgan

common…enough of this Wylde bashing…the man uses very simple set-ups…its not his fault that companies want to sell their stuff under his name. 

MXR probably came to him and said 'we want to make a OD pedal for you" and he probably just told them he was happy with the SD1, and they just rehoused it…and that probably goes with everything else his put his name to.

yes…I'm a closet Wylde fan…

but in response to the opening post…i would say modding that amp for Bass may be more trouble than its worth…and it would be ruining a good guitar amp.

EdGrip

Well, as I said, reversible. 

I'm not a ZW fan by any stretch - just a fan of this particular amplifier. I live in the wilds of Norfolk; when we were about 16 years old, we brought it out into the back garden and pointed the 4x12 out across the fields, and turned it up to 11. Happy times. ^_^

samzadgan

EdGrip said:

Well, as I said, reversible. 

I'm not a ZW fan by any stretch - just a fan of this particular amplifier. I live in the wilds of Norfolk; when we were about 16 years old, we brought it out into the back garden and pointed the 4x12 out across the fields, and turned it up to 11. Happy times. ^_^

damn…that would be a thing of beauty!

ThePrettyDamned

I'm a huge wylde fan, and yeah, he probably doesn't care about the sig stuff (other than the wah).

I didn't think the chorus was a ce-5 though, I thought it was a boggo mxr analogue blue chorus but with a new paint job? Same for his pickups being a normal 81/85 set, but you can pick them up cheaper because people don't like sig stuff (I know I don't).

Sorry op, really not helping but I think I would sell it for the silly money it's worth, then buy a 2203 or a Laney gh100 or 50, then a 4x12 from a cab maker with speakers of choice, then buy a dedicated bass amp and cab.

Then spend the change on a couple of pedals.

p90fool

Surely you could get a proper bass head for about a third of the price, or is it a looks thing?

samzadgan

ThePrettyDamned;207629" said:

I'm a huge wylde fan, and yeah, he probably doesn't care about the sig stuff (other than the wah).

I didn't think the chorus was a ce-5 though, I thought it was a boggo mxr analogue blue chorus but with a new paint job? Same for his pickups being a normal 81/85 set, but you can pick them up cheaper because people don't like sig stuff (I know I don't).

Sorry op, really not helping but I think I would sell it for the silly money it's worth, then buy a 2203 or a Laney gh100 or 50, then a 4x12 from a cab maker with speakers of choice, then buy a dedicated bass amp and cab.

Then spend the change on a couple of pedals.

Actually his sig chorus came out before the blue analog one...i thing that was a case of building something for Zakk and it was so good they added it to their regular line up.

Agree with the rest of your post...LANEY!

ICBM

The Zakk Wylde will make a good bass amp. The 6550s give it more punch and headroom than EL34s - although 100W is not *that* much for bass, through an efficient cab it will be enough, particularly if you don't want a pristine modern bass tone - which you're never going to get with this amp anyway and you probably know already if you're even considering it.

Plenty of classic bass tones were recorded through 100W Marshalls - there's almost no difference between the Lead and Bass models. Use the Low input and you'll be in the ballpark of the same sound.

A suggestion for a cab would be the Mode Four cab - it's very popular with down-tuners for its huge sound because it's slightly oversized, so it should work for bass. It's rated at 400W so you probably aren't going to do it any harm even with a cranked 100W amp through it. Not too expensive either. (Just try not to buy one with a Mode Four head, since they're utter junk!)

If you want something more modern and 'bass' oriented, try Barefaced Audio. They make some extremely efficient cabs which will make your 100W sound like at least double that, and are lightweight… but not cheap.

ThePrettyDamned

samzadgan said:

ThePrettyDamned;207629" said:

I'm a huge wylde fan, and yeah, he probably doesn't care about the sig stuff (other than the wah).

I didn't think the chorus was a ce-5 though, I thought it was a boggo mxr analogue blue chorus but with a new paint job? Same for his pickups being a normal 81/85 set, but you can pick them up cheaper because people don't like sig stuff (I know I don't).

Sorry op, really not helping but I think I would sell it for the silly money it's worth, then buy a 2203 or a Laney gh100 or 50, then a 4x12 from a cab maker with speakers of choice, then buy a dedicated bass amp and cab.

Then spend the change on a couple of pedals.

Actually his sig chorus came out before the blue analog one...i thing that was a case of building something for Zakk and it was so good they added it to their regular line up.

Agree with the rest of your post...LANEY!

Oh cool.  I did not know that

So people would pay extra to not have his name on it  

Those Laney amps are amazing.  I really want one, but I know I'd rather have a 6505+ 120 watt.