Marshall JMP

[blue]

oookay, for reasons relating to an upcoming project, i am looking for a mid '70's Marshall JMP.  for reasons relating to sanity :) my preference is for a 50 watt master volume version.

can any of you guys advise as to what to look out for on these amps?  and what would seem a sensible price?

i've seen around 7 non master 100 watt heads in the last week!  would one of these make sense in any way, short of going on a stadium tour? :)

[Twinfan]

i've seen around 7 non master 100 watt heads in the last week!  would one of these make sense in any way, short of going on a stadium tour? :)

No.

Does it have to be an old one?  What about a clone like a Ceriatone?

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if it was purely for the tone, i'd be on to MJW for a build straight away.  unfortunately, to precisely fill the remit of this project, it would have to have been made in 1975!  of course, finding the right amp from the right year is practically impossible, so i've got it that as long as it's something that would have been available in '75, it will do.  Marshall introduced the master volume amps in '75, so going up as far as 1977 or '78 is just about acceptable.  a pre '75 would be ok too, but really, just too loud to be practical.

[Twinfan]

Gotcha!

I'd avoid 100 watters unless you're gigging large venues, or are prepared to run a hot plate.  EL34s really need to be cranked to sound their best in my experience...

[blue]

yeah, i've found that with my Genz Benz El Diablo.  sounds ok at low volume, but a completely different amp when you get the power section cooking.

i'll keep looking for a 50 watt mv, fingers crossed :)

[SchonFan83]

Where do you plan on using the beast?  Home use, or are you looking for an amp to take out?

If volume is the main concern, the 50watter is not going to be quiet.  It is certainly less powerful than the 100w or the Marshall Major 200w plexi, but if you want something you can actually crank in an average size venue, I would be looking for a 2061 or something similar.

I own a 20 watter, and I'm building a couple of my own currently

Having worked at many music stores over the last 6 years I can tell you its a bit tricky finding the right vintage piece.  Marshall would probably argue with me on it, but the schematics you find online were NOT always followed.  There's a lot of variance in the components used.  I've played several late 60s and early 70s amps that should be those "Holy Grail" types and they sounded like shite! haha

Voodoo Amps makes a really good plexi, with really top notch components (Mercury's, Etc) and they're priced very fairly.  Each wattage is available either master volume or non-master.
www.voodooamps.com

also check out Reinhardt amps!


Just my 2 cents on the issue

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it'll be mainly for recording, with possible gigs.  i know 50 watts is far from quiet!  but i think it's a little easier to get them cooking.  i think a hotplate or similar will also need to be involved if it gets as far as gigging, but for the recordings, it should be ok.

a Marshall of the correct vintage is the ideal, but if i come across another amp from the right year which floats my boat, it would certainly be ok too.  and lower wattage marshall combos, although the heads seem to be easier to find.

[SchonFan83]

Ah, gotcha.  Well, just make sure you get a good look at the inside of the amp..especially if youre buyin gon ebay or gbase ---ask them for some internal pics just to be on the safe side!!

Good luck!

[HTH AMPS]

I don't know why, but Marshalls made in '75 seem to be scarce - I've wanted one too (my birth year).  I'm pretty sure there were no 50w (2204) master volume amps in '75 as they introduced the 100w master volume heads first - I've seen just one '75 MV (2203) head ever, and of course it had the old style cosmetics such as the metal mains/standby switches and the old-style head box before they made them chunkier.  That one was around £700 and was at least a few years back.

So, since (imo) a 50w master volume (2204) disn't exist in '75, you're left with finding a non-master 50w (1987) head.  You're looking at anywhere between £600 and £1000 depending on condition and originality.

Heres a '76 that looks very nice... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-Marshall-JMP-50-Valve-Amp-Head_W0QQitemZ280408064819QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL?hash=item41499f8333&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ht_500wt_1182