Marhsall JCM 900 for Recording

[JoshERTW]

Came across this add, the price looks decent and the amp is local:

Marshall JCM 900 DR 100w Head. - Barrie Musical Instruments For Sale - Kijiji Barrie Canada.

Everyone says the JCM 800's are the way to go for studio recording, but how much different is the 900?

I've played some of the new JVM's and really like the tone, I play hard rock and Dave Mustaine style lick based metal - That said, this thing is going for half the price of the new ones and if the 900's are also a "staple" of recording I should probably pick one up.

Has anyone used both? any opinions on the 900 for recording? Is this price ridiculously low and I shouldn't pass it up?

I will be using a 2x12 cab with it (vintage 30's).

[paul999]

I have a JCM 2000 And a couple days ago tried out a JVM combo amp. Ive recorded the JVM's a couple times and am quite impressed with their tone to be honest. I've been able to pull quite heavy tones out of either but the JVM is definitely slanted towards high gain modern tone compared to the JCM stuff. I've never considered myself a "marshall" guy but have been on a marshall kick lately and enjoying it quite a bit.

[JoshERTW]

I'm looking to get something primarily for my own use, but also an amp that will bring people in the door - i.e. young bands see a big marshall on my website and they are automatically more interested than if they don't see a Marshall

I tired out one of those Mesa Mini-Recto's (the 25/10 watt lunchbox style) and was blown away by the tone I could get out of that little thing. It sounds way bigger than it looks. Still, I think the JVM eye candy factor will be a better purchase for my "first" studio amp. I've also already got an old Randall which is in for repairs at the moment but is great for providing super crunchy metal tones and is generally solid for rhythm playing (I loving call the 2nd distortion on it the "chainsaw massacre" distortion haha), and I think a Marshall will be a better fit for lead and cleaner "rock" type tones, but still able to deliver decent modern sounds for clients who want those but also "have to try out the fancy gear".

[brandondrury]

Everyone says the JCM 800's are the way to go for studio recording

I hate people. I hate ALL people. 12 years ago a JCM 800 was $600. People couldn't get rid of them fast enough.

The JCM800 2203 (I think that's the one) is an outstanding amp. As for "the way to go", it's horrible for about 85,000 uses. It's just really, really awesome that mean ass Marshall sound. (Think Slayer. They pretty much sum it up.)

The JCM900 is a totally different beast. It's very, very fun but it ain't gonna get my "way to go" stamp, either. The JCM2000 has quite of bit of that JCM900 sound to it. It's got less "growl" in it and maybe more "bark"....whatever that crap means.

"staple" of recording

Be careful with all this stuff. There are about 50,000 "staples" of recording. What the hell does that even mean? Popular studio tools? That doesn't mean it's right for you (or wrong). This gear stuff (particularly instruments) is lot like chicks. What works great for one dude won't work for another.

Has anyone used both? any opinions on the 900 for recording? Is this price ridiculously low and I shouldn't pass it up?

I don't keep up with the JCM900 prices. I'd look on Ebay, I guess. My guess is this isn't an incredible deal, but about right. At that price I wouldn't jump on it, but I have quite a few nice amps and prefer just using my Axe FX anyway when politics aren't involved.

I'm looking to get something primarily for my own use, but also an amp that will bring people in the door - i.e. young bands see a big marshall on my website and they are automatically more interested than if they don't see a Marshall

A little. Philosophically, I generally try to ONLY buy the kind of gear that will either get HEAVY use or make people excited about coming to my shop. Marshall carries more weight than Crate or something, but I doubt if it has the intrigue that a Bogner would. (That doesn't necessarily mean a Bogner would be the right sound for whatever a person is up to.)

For high gain tones that kids get excited about, the 5150 is the best bang for the buck I know. I bought mine for $400 about 12 years ago. There are many, many options out there, though, and your situation may dictate better choices.

It sounds way bigger than it looks.

It's funny how we associate the size of the box with the size of the sound. The two are almost totally irrelevant in guitar land.

my "first" studio amp

Hmmm. If I was starting all over today.... A first amp needs a BUNCH of mega usable sounds in it. Few pieces do this and have a sexy name. An AC30 head with the right high gain pedals is brutal as hell, but only old guys get wound up about AC30s. The Axe FX Standard recorded direct is full-blown badass. Me taking the time with any of my fancy amps and micing them is hardly worth it anymore. The Axe FX sounds too damn good and is too damn fast to work with. The Axe FX will pull in a certain crowd for sure. You tones will probably be better with the Axe FX, but that's more of a room thing. You'll repel a certain crowd with direct recording, too.

Tricky times.

The general rule is either a person is serious about their tone and has their rig they want to use (which I encourage) or they don't know shit and expect me to make it. Then, an Axe FX would be a mega weapon because it would work for REM, Cannibal Corpse, and everything in between and have that "finished" thing that can be a lot of damn work with a real amp setup. Just my view. The odds that a JCM900 through a 2x12 is going to be a better sounding setup with more "user excitement" than an Axe FX is pretty freakin small.

I vote Axe FX Standard. YMMV

Brandon

[JoshERTW]

The Axe FX looks intriguing, but is sadly beyond my price range at the current time (in fact its about double...)

I'll definitely have to try one out someday.

[the evil]

i love the jcm900 and i keep my eye for them, but there are a few different models. i would say the average goin price is around 6-650, but if you can can get one for considerably less i would grab it. brandon is right, these arent at all like the jcm800. i think they have more of a crunch tone of good 90's rock and not so much of a heavy distortion. i think its clean channel is awesome to and along the lines of how my h&k trilogy was. however there are quite a few mods you can do to these to really take them to another level. i would not call these a staple unless all your clients are indie rock type bands.
a studio that uses these amps quite a bit is the blasting room in colorado. and im sure the jcm900 can be heard on many of the albums they have done...

[brandondrury]

The Axe FX looks intriguing, but is sadly beyond my price range at the current time (in fact its about double...)

I can't remember if I paid $1100 or $1300 for mine. If you watch quite a few and use Auction Stealer you can find one cheap. Not sure if you'd even like it if you got it though. Everyone has wildly differing tastes on this stuff.

i think they have more of a crunch tone of good 90's rock and not so much of a heavy distortion.

In other words, whether you like the gain on it is hit or miss. There were quite a few heavy records made with them. It's a distinctive sound and one I consider pleasing. I want to say the early 90s Anthrax records were done with these, but I don't know how I know that.

Brandon

[Jeronimo Mora]

I'm currently selling off my 6505 (Mesa cab sold recently ^.^!!) so I can snag that Axe Fx standard. I'm so close I'm going nuts because no one buys my Peavey haha.

Is there anyway you could get an ebay Axe Fx standard budget? It definitely something you might want to consider. They average around $1200 on ebay.