All user reviews of 4/5 for the Marshall JMD501

The Marshal JMD 501 is a solid state guitar combo modeling amp. It has a 1/4 inch input and has a ton of parameters for effects and tone control of all types. It has a digital screen that you can save sounds in addition to the vast array of parameters. There is a nice amount of control over your tone, with a lot of effects, making the Line 6 Flextone 3 a versatile guitar amp.


UTILIZATION

The configuration of the Marshal JMD 501 is pretty easy to follow and it won't take too long to understand what everything does. It does take a little bit of time to figure out how to navigate through the screen, but it is done smartly enough that it won't take too long. It is pretty easy to get a good sound from this amp, but it really depends on what type of sound you are going for, as some of the effects are better than other on this amp. The manual for the Marshal JMD 501 is pretty complete and easy to understand, and it is a good idea to have it around while learning this amp.


SOUNDS

Marshal JMD 501 is great for rock music, but will work in almost any setting. The effects range from delays and reverbs to modulation effects, but none of the effects are that impressive to me. This being said, they are usable and it is nice to have so many different types of effects within one amp. It has a great clean tone, but the distortion comes off a bit tinny sounding and I would recommend using a pedal for your overdrive when using this amp.


OVERALL OPINION

I've been using Marshal JMD 501 for about a year and I have found it to be a good guitar amp. It isn't the best by any stretch, but it is a reasonably priced option for the intermediate player looking for an amp with effects. It is versatile and is perfect for the player looking to figure out what effects they like to use best. Overall, the Marshal JMD 501 is a nice amplifier, but I wouldn't recommend it for professionals in any situation.

This is the 50 watt combo version of the 102 amp. You get the same great features and tone. However, the tone will be a bit more spongy due to the cut of half the wattage. You will get a bit less headroom in the overall tone.

This amp is an interesting take on the new wave of amplifiers. They take the digital side of modeling and combine that with the power tube section of your already familiar Marshall tone. It was a big surprise at how close to the amp models that this amp comes close too.

Marshall JDM501 Digital/Tube Guitar Combo Amp Features:

Power: 50-watts
1x12"
16 digital preamps
Power Amp: 2 x EL34
Four modulation FX
Delay FX
Reverb
Noise Gate
Series/Parallel FX Loop
Footcontroller included
MIDI In and Thru
Emulated Line Out
Headphone Out
MP3/CD Line In

UTILIZATION

Details
Type Hybrid
Number of Channels 4
Power 50W
Speakers 1 x 12"
Effects
Reverb
EQ Bass, Middle, Treble
Amp Modeling Yes
Number of Models 16
Preamp Tubes 1 x ECC83
Power Tubes 2 x EL34
Inputs 1 x Instrument, 1 x Line (1/4")
Outputs 1 x Headphone (1/4"), 1 x XLR (Emulated Line), 3 x Speaker
Footswitch I/O
Effects Loop
Height 20.87"
Width 27"
Depth 10"
Weight 49.8 lbs.

SOUNDS

So basically it is a digital preamp and a tube driven power section. The preamps cover just about ever Marshall amp that they have done and it does a surprisingly good job. I have never been a fan of amp modeling as most of my experience has been with Line 6 and those things sound terrible. So when I first heard this amp, my ears immediately perked up.

The amp covers a lot of Marshall ground and the price is nice as well. If you can't find a decent tone out of 16 amp models then this isn't the amp for you. So you should be able to quickly get the sound you are looking for in about 2 minutes or less.

OVERALL OPINION

At new these amp come in at around $1150, which isn't a bad price for the features and tone that you get. There are plenty of hot-rodded Marshall tones available in this amp and it doesn't take too long to find them either.

I would recommend this amp to anyone who loves the Marshall tone and can't decide which series they would like to have. The tone come as close as you can get for a modeler and sounds fairly organic.