NAD! Marshall Jubilee

chrishill901 · September 2014

After just not getting on with the Kemper I decided to buy Evildurka's Marshall 2554 jubilee combo. I have wanted one of these since I started playing but never managed to get my hands on one. After owning a JCM800, a DSL50 and... *cough* a Bugera 1990 JCM900 clone, and having tried a DSL40C, DSL401, Vintage Modern, JMD:50 and JVM combo, I had actually decided that although I love the recorded tone of a Marshall, I just dont like playing them. I love the roar they have, and always liked the ability that some of the older ones have to roar without much gain, but couldnt get away with how bright and harsh they all sounded to my ears and how I simply have never been able to crank one anywhere near where it needs to be to sound good and get rid of the fizz. Marshalls just don't seem to suit me

Needless to say I was reluctant about the Jubilee - it was more than likely to sound like one of the above, but the desire to own one from childhood, along with a genuine love for the tone I have heard from it got the better of me (Always loved Slashs live tone - I actually like his live tone less now he has started using the AFD100 - and I have always liked Frusciante's live tone too) . I have read that they are darker sounding, which suits me, but assumed it would still need cranking beyond a reasonable level to produce the goods.

Well I'm happy to say I was wrong. This thing is the best amp I have used without doubt. It can be quite bright and harsh and really f@*£ing loud at 50w, but the 25w switch is just amazing. It darkens the tone and makes it playable at any volume. I had a bash at home before I went to the studio and had the MV at 1 and it sounded sweet, and very quiet. In the studio, in 25w mode, to keep up with the drummer I needed the MV at around 6, where it really started to sing. The EQ makes this amp incredibly versatile, I have never used an EQ with such tonal range and it is very effective. With the gain around 6 the amp is really at a sweet spot - It has enough gain to chug and give a great hard rock Slash type tone, but it cleans up almost pristine with the guitar volume. We were amazed in the studio at how big and heavy it sounded without any real hint of gain - you couldnt really tell how much gain was there, it just had girth and sustain and big balls! We have quite a mix in our set, from an 80s chugging metal song to pop rock, and I have always struggled to find a happy medium between those two sounds. I usually set my amp for a heavy rock tone and use the volume control but have always been left with a thinner weaker sound for the lower gain stuff. This amp covers both without trying. Dig in and it will chug, but because there isnt much distortion the same sound works just as great for the pop rock... im not describing it well but it just has such a unique feel and response! I'm guessing it is because it is the first time i've ever been able to push to power section of a Marshall?

I'll be gigging it tomorrow which I can't wait for, it was a joy to play last night. If it holds up well then GAS will be history