JMP 2203/2204

Emiel

Never knew that, thanks for sharing! The early 2203 I had had those toggle switches (and the small logo). I wouldn’t be surprised if it had the Plexi-style presence circuit. Fabulous sounding amp once the master volume and pre amp volume got up a fair bit. I remember it sounding a bit thin and bright at lower gain setting. I did eventually have the bright cap cut but that seemed to cut some of that lovely aggressiveness. 

Recently I started looking for a similar again but man, try to find one. Plus people seem to want almost three times of what I paid for it!

bananaman

Yep, they are crazy money now.

spirit7

My ‘83 2203 is hopelessly impractical. It really is. It has killed my Power Station...

...but what a sound. 

bananaman

spirit7 said:

My ‘83 2203 is hopelessly impractical. It really is. It has killed my Power Station...

...but what a sound. 

Yeah, with preamp on 7 and the master on about 4 they sound absolutely orgasmic! But so unfeasibly loud that it's hard to comprehend unless you've actually stood in front of one.

ICBM

Try the master at 8 . They're actually the *loudest* guitar amp I know of, even though not the most powerful, on paper - even if you go by the usual true output power which can be substantially more than 100W. There's something about the aggression and cutting high frequencies in the sound that just makes them screamingly loud. The rare JCM800 version of the 1959 Super Lead - the 'John Sykes amp' - is up there as well, although I think the 2203 might still have the edge - but I've never directly A/B'd them.

Definitely perceptively louder than the 200W Major I had, which was much softer-sounding. Although I've never tried a Hiwatt 400 with guitar...

bananaman

400??? Bloody hell! Instant, life-long tinnitus after the first A chord I'd imagine :-)

Stuckfast

Where would a Dual Showman weigh in on the loudness-ometer?

Back on topic, I had a Marshall itch last year and bought a PA20 head (aka JMP 1917 and almost identical to the JMP 2061). It won't do the super high gain thing but it sounds lovely and breaks up at a good volume for playing with a band.

ICBM

bananaman said:

400??? Bloody hell! Instant, life-long tinnitus after the first A chord I'd imagine :-)

Probably! I would only ever consider one as a bass amp to be honest - they sound awesome for that. The 200s sound even better though - despite the lower power, they have a really effortless sense of depth and 'give'... really beautiful tone.

Stuckfast said:

Where would a Dual Showman weigh in on the loudness-ometer?

Not that loud. The originals are only 85W and with a pretty clean, open sound - although they get trebly and edgy cranked it's nothing like the attack of a 2203 or a Super Lead. Even the last 135W ones aren't really much louder - and they only get used for clean headroom normally, because the overdriven sound isn't actually that nice.

I've never actually played one of the very rare Marshall JCM800 250W Model 2000 though - that could be louder than a 2203. I've worked on one of the 375W Model 2001 bass amps and briefly tried it with my band, that was quite impressive .

Nerine

Totally agree. 

There are VERY few amps that will go toe to toe with a 2203 for sheer volume, regardless of the wattage. 

The way they deliver that 100w is unlike anything else. It’s brutal, and really must be experienced to be believed. 

bananaman

Yes it is my all time favourite amp. Many times over the years I came to the conclusion that it was ridiculous for me to have one, and so sold it. Within a year I'd bought another one. Then a few years later I'd conclude that it was ridiculous for me to have one, and sell it....etc....etc....  As an aside I knew the guy that designed it, Mike Hill, the ex-MD of Marshall. Very blase about designing an amp that basically is rock and metal. I guess that it was just work to him.

spirit7

It’s the way they interact with boost/OD pedals with the volume cranked and gain on about 7. Like nothing else!

chris45

Very interesting thread - so what’s the difference between the 2204 and the current production 1987X?  Am I the only one that can’t follow Marshall’s naming and functionality?

ICBM

chris45 said:

Very interesting thread - so what’s the difference between the 2204 and the current production 1987X?  Am I the only one that can’t follow Marshall’s naming and functionality?

The 1987X is a more vintage-style non-master volume amp. They don’t do a 50W MV model at all now, only the reissue 2203 (100W) or the SC20H (20W).

The numbering is largely illogical and was based on the catalogue numbers when Rose Morris were Marshall’s distributor, and which Marshall retained afterwards.

bananaman

chris45 said:

Very interesting thread - so what’s the difference between the 2204 and the current production 1987X?  Am I the only one that can’t follow Marshall’s naming and functionality?

The 2204 has one extra gain stage compared to the 1987. The 1987 relies on driving the the power amp into distortion for it's signature tone, the 2204 you can blend pre and power amp distortion for various flavours. Both sound great.

chris45

Thanks - SO...
Is there a production valve amp that does the Marshall "classic rock" sound that is master volume and <50W - that is it hits the sweet spot at practical volumes without attenuation?  From my reading of the Marshall catalog the answer is no although maybe someone else does.

bananaman

The SC20H.

shaunm

chris45 said:

Thanks - SO...
Is there a production valve amp that does the Marshall "classic rock" sound that is master volume and <50W - that is it hits the sweet spot at practical volumes without attenuation?  From my reading of the Marshall catalog the answer is no although maybe someone else does.

Find a used 2104 JMP combo. It’s everything you want sound wise and cheaper than buying a RI Marshall new.

CHrisP86

chris45 said:

Thanks - SO...
Is there a production valve amp that does the Marshall "classic rock" sound that is master volume and <50W - that is it hits the sweet spot at practical volumes without attenuation?  From my reading of the Marshall catalog the answer is no although maybe someone else does.

I know I started the thread but my DSL100HR does cover classic rock and sounds great at low volumes thanks to the dual master volumes.

If you crank the gain and volume on the green clean channel, I also think it has a pretty reasonable JTM45 type tone.

ICBM

shaunm said:

Find a used 2104 JMP combo. It’s everything you want sound wise and cheaper than buying a RI Marshall new.

I absolutely love these, but I'm not quite sure about hitting the sweet spot at practical volumes without attenuation. Although they're not as apocalyptic as a 2203, they're still bloody loud .

They're also an absolute pig to carry, especially if you're on the shorter side like me .

TTBZ

chris45 said:

Thanks - SO...
Is there a production valve amp that does the Marshall "classic rock" sound that is master volume and <50W - that is it hits the sweet spot at practical volumes without attenuation?  From my reading of the Marshall catalog the answer is no although maybe someone else does.

Try the Studio series in the style you like the most, that's what they're made for! They obviously don't have the same "thump" as the bigger versions but they sound great and do nail the sounds they're meant to, can still sound huge through a good cab.