Review: Marshall JCM 800 (2205)

2 Reviews:

Review by	Ultimate Guitar
Submitted on	2011-06-14 10:15:53
Rating	8
I'm 18 years old, been playing for about 3 years, this is my first tube amp. Before this, all I had was my Spider 3. This was a heck of an upgrade. I really like it so far, it's perfect for the kind of music that I play. It's gotten me really close to my ultimate tone. Tom Morello uses the 05, as does Michael Schenker. Matthias Jabs from the Scorpions uses it's 100w counterpart, the 2210. If it were stolen, I'd be crushed, and I would try to find another one, or at least another JCM800. This really is a great amp, and I love it. You hear tube nazis bashing it because of the diode clipping thing, but don't listen to them. The diode clipping gives the sound that extra edge. If you see one, snatch it up quickly. You can get great deals on the split channel 800s because of all the bad hype about them.

Review by	Ultimate Guitar
Submitted on	2011-06-14 10:15:19
Rating	9
I play Rock/metal music, and this amp is well suited to this music, as long as it's used with a pedal. I have been playing for roughly 2 and a half years, and this is my first tube amp. I also own a Fender Champion 30 SS amp, a MXR Distortion+ pedal, and a Zoom 606 guitar effects pedal. I would definately buy another one if it were stolen, I would also maim the theif responsible. I compared it to some more modern Marshalls, (JCM900 series, DSL series) and found the gain on those models, while higher in general, was also of a much lower quality soundwise, and preferred to boost the lower gain on this amp (which stays good even after it's boosted). I wish it had a better quality effects loop, and a mid EQ control on the clean channel. Famous guitarists who used/use this amp or one of it's close counterparts include all 3 current guitarists of Iron Maiden (Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, Janick Gers) and Slash of Guns N' Roses fame.