Marshall Snob?

[Noah]

This guy I know is always putting down every other Marshall amp except the original 1 channel Marshall JCM 800. He always boasts about owning one that was from the 1st year they put them out, and gets really snobbish about 2 channel Marshalls especially and says they all suck. The funny thing is he truly sucks at playing guitar, and doesn't know all that much about equipment either...he just likes to act like he knows what he's talking about and repeats what others have told him I guess. When I tried to talk to him about some of the cool boutique amps, he has never heard of any of them and always says his Marshall is better.

Anyway, I admit I have no idea about it, but I've never heard anyone else say that the 1st year JCM 800 amps are supreme to every other Marshall ever made.

Does anyone have any knowledge of Marshalls? I'd like to know more about which Marshall are considered to be the "best" and and why he would say all 2 channel Marshalls suck. Obviously he heard it somewhere...

[HeeHaw]

I can't speak fondly of the JCM 800 series, as I never played through one that I actually liked. I'm an older, 4 input, non master volume, Marshall snob.:drool

[Don L]

True Marshall snobs won't even look at anything made after 1972, and some of them won't look past 1968. Your friend sounds like some peeps I know who think they know much when in reality, they are clueless...

[BBQLS1]

The 67-1972(or 1973) plexi panels are what the universe revolves around.

[John Phillips]

This guy I know is always putting down every other Marshall amp except the original 1 channel Marshall JCM 800. He always boasts about owning one that was from the 1st year they put them out, and gets really snobbish about 2 channel Marshalls especially and says they all suck. The funny thing is he truly sucks at playing guitar, and doesn't know all that much about equipment either...he just likes to act like he knows what he's talking about and repeats what others have told him I guess. When I tried to talk to him about some of the cool boutique amps, he has never heard of any of them and always says his Marshall is better.

Anyway, I admit I have no idea about it, but I've never heard anyone else say that the 1st year JCM 800 amps are supreme to every other Marshall ever made.

Does anyone have any knowledge of Marshalls? I'd like to know more about which Marshall are considered to be the "best" and and why he would say all 2 channel Marshalls suck. Obviously he heard it somewhere...
Well, to be perfectly honest, in build quality terms he's pretty much right. IMO the absolute peak was from just before the 800s when the voltage and impedance selectors were changed to the modern rotary switches, up to when the pots and jacks were moved onto the PCB. That's a window of around five years from 1979 to 1984 when I think they were the best production amps ever made, and right up there with any of today's small builders too.

(Yes, I know they're PCB amps and it isn't even the best-quality PCB you'll ever see... doesn't matter. They almost never break, and certainly not for anything to do with the PCB.)

The two-channel Marshalls do all have problems, by comparison - either small or large reliability issues, irritations like bleed between the channels, many models use solid-state diodes for some of the distortion (not inherently wrong IMO, but definitely frowned upon by purists), the reverb in the ones with it was pretty poor, etc.

Tonally I think the single-channel ones have the edge too. There's nothing particularly special about the first year of the JCM800s though - the amps were the same for several years, and really the same as the last pre-JCM800s (although for some reason I tend to feel those sound better, but I may be wrong). It's the split-channels where the first year or so of production is very different from the later ones - and most people prefer the later versions (I'm unusual in that I like the early one).

I'm not trying to justify this guy's position BTW, just explaining that it may be based on a small element of truth, but blown up out of proportion (like many popular but wrong ideas).

[rob2001]

I agree with your buddy. It's not snobbish to prefer one model to another. I had a 2205 split channel. The clean channel was weak ,amemic and really wasn't much of a clean at all. The dirt channel, while having more gain available, was loose and flubby compared to my current 4104 combo, which is a combo version of a 2204, 50 watt head. The bigger problem with the split channels was a design issue that allowed bleed from one channel to the next. If you had your dirt channel on and the clean off, but volume up, it bled into the dirt channel. They fixed it in later models though.

Geeze I hate to even go here but they also use diodes in the dirt channel to provide some of the gain. Jubes do too so that in itself may or may not be a bad thing. Be it good or bad, it's a built in OD pedal . I will admit mine had a pretty cool lead tone but that was about it for me. But to the point, I don't think you can be an amp snob until your amp is worth at least $2500.00!! :D

[Baba]

True Marshall snobs won't even look at anything made after 1972, and some of them won't look past 1968. Your friend sounds like some peeps I know who think they know much when in reality, they are clueless...

+1, he doesn't sound like he knows what he's talking about, there was LOTS of great tones recorded with Marshalls BEFORE the JCM800, so, I don't know if I'd call it 'the best'.

Not only that, but i recently had a chance to crank up my friend's 800, and that's just it, you can't get a good workable tone from one IMO, unless they are at band/earbleed level.

I guess it depends what you're going for, and I like the 800, A LOT, but it's totally useless in my real world.

[Mr.Hanky]

Tell him my 73 Super Lead will send his JCM home crying to it's momma with piss running down it's leg.

http://home.att.net/%7Eplayblues/Marshall.jpg

[dewman]

Spit my drink out laughing at that last comment man...good one!

[Tag]

This guy I know is always putting down every other Marshall amp except the original 1 channel Marshall JCM 800. He always boasts about owning one that was from the 1st year they put them out, and gets really snobbish about 2 channel Marshalls especially and says they all suck. The funny thing is he truly sucks at playing guitar, and doesn't know all that much about equipment either...he just likes to act like he knows what he's talking about and repeats what others have told him I guess. When I tried to talk to him about some of the cool boutique amps, he has never heard of any of them and always says his Marshall is better.

Anyway, I admit I have no idea about it, but I've never heard anyone else say that the 1st year JCM 800 amps are supreme to every other Marshall ever made.

Does anyone have any knowledge of Marshalls? I'd like to know more about which Marshall are considered to be the "best" and and why he would say all 2 channel Marshalls suck. Obviously he heard it somewhere...


I owned the same one, and sold it to my buddie years ago, who now owns at least 4 different JCM 800s. he sounds just like your friend. SOOOO...I was able to get him to bring it over and A/B it with my E.Pro. The Two Rock blew the $hit out of it.
:dude

[Griz]

I must be old.

I remember when the JCM 800's got no respect because they just didn't "sound like the old ones".

:D

[Whiskeyroad]

I must be old.

I remember when the JCM 800's got no respect because they just didn't "sound like the old ones".

:D

My thoughts exactly! :AOK

[BSHARP]

I'll probably get flamed for saying this, but IMO I always thought the DSL50's sounded better than the JCM800's

[Noah]

Tell him my 73 Super Lead will send his JCM home crying to it's momma with piss running down it's leg.



That is awesome! haha.. I'll make sure I tell him that one!:AOK

Like I said...he doesn't really know how to play much of anything, so I was wondering where he copped his attitude. Thanks for the responses!

[jpage]

The Two Rock blew the $hit out of it.


For that kind of jack it better blow ME.

[rob2001]

I think I should clarify my post. I was refering to the split channel 800's VS the singles. Since I re-read your post I can't say I agree with him as I did. Obviously the SL's and JMP's are fantastic amps. The 800's are great amps but I can't say "the best" Marshall. I had a NMV JMP and a Superlead, loved the sounds but for some reason I thought it was good to actually hear the drummer so I went to an 800! :D Just kiddin, I'll have another SL someday. Killer amp.

[Mr.Hanky]

For that kind of jack it better blow ME.

:rotflmao

The man has a point, especially since I paid $250 for my Marshall.... in 1982

[Crunchyriff]

That is awesome! haha.. I'll make sure I tell him that one!:AOK

Like I said...he doesn't really know how to play much of anything, so I was wondering where he copped his attitude. Thanks for the responses!

He's one of these "Ego purchase" fops who has little talent and mucho arrogance.
(Not that you have to be talentless to be arrogant.)

Ya know "I own it, and everybody else that towns something different SUCKS."

Tell him the truth- Far more "greats of Rock" recordings were made with PLexi and metal-panel Marshalls than those pansy hair-metal amps could have hoped to. Leave him yammering...

Disclaimer: I owned one of the "superior" Vertical input 2204's for a time, so I'm not stabbing you cats here who own and love them. Just having a bit of fun for the sake of a mental midget...

But I digress. I sold my JCM800 so that about tells you where I stand with them. My '75 JMP 50 had far mroe soul and tone, IMHO than my JCM800. Of course, I sold the JMP too...

[jezzzz2003]

Tell him my 73 Super Lead will send his JCM home crying to it's momma with piss running down it's leg.

http://home.att.net/%7Eplayblues/Marshall.jpg

Give him one for me while youre at it :Devil:BOUNCE