1979 Marshall JMP 2204 - What to expect?

[Random Hero]

I know it will be a bit of a classic rock machine but how versatile are these things? With a great, versatile guitar, what kinda thing can be expected from them?

Will they clean up to a sparkly clean with the right guitar/pickups? Respond well to an OD slamming the front end?

 

[illini]

I'll assume this isn't a joke thread:

The low input can be very sparkly clean. And depending on the amp, some stay cleaner longer in the high input. Of course low input pickups will keep it clean longer.

Depending on how you want to run it and what speakers you run it through, you can get modern and classic tones out of it. Running the gain higher will give you the classic JCM 800 tone, but running the gain lower and hitting it with an overdrive can get you more modern tones.

 

[Random Hero]

Haha, no, no joke.

So the low can get great cleans? And they stay clean?

 

[mscotts]

Pure Marshall awesomeness....Great amps, that's one of their best.

 

[walterw]

if you want to have your cake and eat it too, a metro amps loop will let you use the full-bore crunch of the higher gain settings and still use a clean booster for actual level jumps for solos, as well as allowing for nice delay and/or reverb fx.

otherwise a pedal in front of the crunchy preamp will just make it crunchier instead of louder, and delays become gritchy and hard to use.

 

[illini]

Haha, no, no joke.

So the low can get great cleans? And they stay clean?

Absolutely. It has beautiful cleans in the low input.

 

[walterw]

i really like the cleans of my '78 2203 in the high input, just turning the guitar down. the low gain input always seemed kind of bland and dry, without the lively "clank" of a plexi or even the scooped fullness of a blackface fender.

i always felt that the low input would make a good neutral platform for more "advanced" pedals, almost like you just had a tube power amp.

 

[LPMojoGL]

Had a line on a fawn, late 70s 2204. The sound was supreme. GC wanted too much at the time. The amp had what my Bogner Shiva was lacking, as far as articulation, cut, dynamics. It was a good one. I say, grab it if you find one that talks to you and it's for a price you're willing to spend. One of the best.

 

[dclxvi]

loudest, 50 watts, ever.

 

[EastCoastRocker]

I know it will be a bit of a classic rock machine but how versatile are these things? With a great, versatile guitar, what kinda thing can be expected from them?

Will they clean up to a sparkly clean with the right guitar/pickups? Respond well to an OD slamming the front end?

One of my favorite amps. Never really used them for cleans, but the clean sound is nice. Not at all like fender cleans though, so it depends on what you really want.

As far as slamming them with an OD, that would be the rock tone of champions.
Back in the day it was all about the 2204 and a tube screamer.

Some years used 6550's instead of EL34's. For me it's all about the EL 34's.
Make sure that you buy a 2204 with the original transformer. Those drakes were a big part of the mojo IMHO.

 

[wildschwein]

Great amps. Loads of grunt. Just ride the volume knob to clean it up. Maybe use a Tubescreamer for lead boosts.

 

[sanrico]

Oh man...the 1979 2204. My favorite amp of all time, favorite year, favorite Marshall look. This thread caught my attention for sure.

Incredible punchiness, ear-splitting volume available, dynamic front end. Can be bluesy, or with the right pedal, can be a metal monster. They can be sparkly, or downright vicious.

A great amp, through and through. Rock-oriented, but capable of more.

 

[Steve Ouimette]

if you want to have your cake and eat it too, a metro amps loop will let you use the full-bore crunch of the higher gain settings and still use a clean booster for actual level jumps for solos, as well as allowing for nice delay and/or reverb fx.

otherwise a pedal in front of the crunchy preamp will just make it crunchier instead of louder, and delays become gritchy and hard to use.

Doesn't that kit require drilling the chassis?

 

[V-man]

I have a '78 2203 and enjoy playing '70s hard rock through Slayer on mine. My friend has a '79 2204 and he plays garage rock with a fake british accent . If that ain't diverse, you tell me what is.

 

[Gemini2]

1979 Marshall JMP 2204 - What to expect?

Expect to hear one of the greatest classic Rock crunch amps ever made!

If you grab a Bad Cat unleash you have your cake and eat it too! Solo boost, effets loop, tame the volume.

There's a video where a guy plays a few simple riffs on 12 different Marshalls from plexi to newer stuff. The 1980 JMP 2204 in the video sounded the best to my ears.

 

[Damian The Man]

loudest, 50 watts, ever.

This!

It's a unique and amazing amp. On my '76 2204 I can have cleans on the Low input event with the volume cranked! The Hi input is incredible in conbination with a good OD pedal. You can play from country, jazz and blues to Hard Rock or modern detuned extreme metal.

 

[KPO]

I'm bought mine in 1981 and played it ever since, I played rock, blues, new wave, funk and everything in between in those more than 30 years. I had big racks and several other amps, this is my go to amp. Played it mostly with strats and pedalboard in front, open it up with pre and master on 5 edge of break up, sounds great with the classic 4x12 greenbacks.....

 

[Sean French]

You can expect one of the greatest classic rock/rock amps of all time IMO.
If has 6550 tubes I would recommend getting it changed back to EL-34 tubes. Just a couple of resistor changes, to my understanding, so they will bias properly.

Also they can vary in plate voltage. The lower plate voltage ones give up the goods sooner and the higher have more clean headroom.

 

[custom53]

Pure Marshall awesomeness....Great amps, that's one of their best.

 

[jbt7764]

i have a '79 2204 that is a 212 combo. I pulled the chassis and stuck it in a JTM45 headshell.
My advice is grab a dbl coil guitar, your 70's vinyl and send momma and the kids to the movies ! It works for me.