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Everlone « A classic Marshall combo. »
Published on 07/05/11 at 10:20The Marshall JCM 800 4104 is 50 watt, 2x12 combo. It is powered by two EL34 power tubes that drive the two Celestion G12-65 speakers. I have also seen this model with 6550 power tubes and Celestion G12T-75 speakers. The 4104’s controls are Presence, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master Volume and Preamp Volume. There are two input jacks; high and low sensitivity. This is a very no frills amplifier, but what it lacks in features it makes up for in tone.
UTILIZATION
It is extremely easy to get a good tone from this Marshall combo. One thing that should be noted about the single channel JCM 800’s is that the tone controls are cascading, meaning that turning the Bass knob will affect the Treble, etc.
SOUNDS
I use this amp with a Gibson Les Paul Custom. I have used a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive and a Fulltone Fulldrive II to boost the amp for higher gain tones and achieved excellent results with both pedals. This is a one channel amp and it is designed to sound overdriven, so getting a completely clean tone can be difficult. Using the low sensitivity input and rolling back on the guitar’s volume knob will yield a passable clean tone, but it will not sound like a Fender, nor should it. Like most other tube amps the Marshall 4104 sounds best when the volume is turned up a bit. I usually play with the Master volume around 4 on the dial. This starts to work the power tubes a bit more making the amp sound more dynamic.
OVERALL OPINION
This amp is designed to do one thing and it does it extremely well. Some may call it a “one trick pony,” but I personally love what this amp does. It is a classic Marshall sound in a compact combo, but is still loud enough for any rock band or live setting.
UTILIZATION
It is extremely easy to get a good tone from this Marshall combo. One thing that should be noted about the single channel JCM 800’s is that the tone controls are cascading, meaning that turning the Bass knob will affect the Treble, etc.
SOUNDS
I use this amp with a Gibson Les Paul Custom. I have used a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive and a Fulltone Fulldrive II to boost the amp for higher gain tones and achieved excellent results with both pedals. This is a one channel amp and it is designed to sound overdriven, so getting a completely clean tone can be difficult. Using the low sensitivity input and rolling back on the guitar’s volume knob will yield a passable clean tone, but it will not sound like a Fender, nor should it. Like most other tube amps the Marshall 4104 sounds best when the volume is turned up a bit. I usually play with the Master volume around 4 on the dial. This starts to work the power tubes a bit more making the amp sound more dynamic.
OVERALL OPINION
This amp is designed to do one thing and it does it extremely well. Some may call it a “one trick pony,” but I personally love what this amp does. It is a classic Marshall sound in a compact combo, but is still loud enough for any rock band or live setting.