A model that appeared as the face of the 90s Marshall after the JCM800, which boasted the best sales of Marshall in history. It is introduced in many studios and live houses, and is still active. In recent years, I think that many people have actually touched it because it has become more popular with JCM800 or more.
Although it is a model that was a pioneer of modern high -gain amplifiers, it was also a model that was asked by the Marshall fans of the past, saying, "Recent Marshall ...".
However, if you touch it again today, you will reconfirm that it is a model that is colored by many charms, such as the sharpness of the sound, the ease of use, toughness, and cost performance. Of course, a sharp drive edge that can compete with recent high -gain models is a powerful character that impresses your own presence. As expected, it tells the achievements that have been a "face" representative of the Marshall since the 90's.
Appearance background
The JCM900 was announced at the NAMM show in January 1990. After the JCM800, which became a record -world sales in the 80's, this name was given as a synonym for the 90's. At the same time, the era of music called heavy metal, which demands harder sounds in the times, and more hard sounds. It was this year that Metallica appeared at the Grammy Award. Everyone in the scene did not get tired of the existing amplifier gain, and was looking for a further high -gain model.
Until then, Marshall had a global success in JCM800, but in the late 1980s, many players were unsatisfactory with the normal JCM800 gain. For this reason, I mentioned earlier that a Marshall remodeled movement occurred, which produced many competent amplifier builders such as Reinholt Bogner and Mike Soldano, but on the other hand, everyone is so advanced. It wasn't necessarily technology, but bad remodeling marshalls were starting to flood. It seems that there were some things that could go up to noise with the gain, or that it was soundly severe, or shrink the life of the amplifier itself. In this situation, Jim Marshall, who realized the need for a high -gain model, first announced the JUBILEE series in 1987 as the 25th anniversary of Marshall. At that time, it was represented as the "most distorted marshall", and it was popular with top artists at the time, such as Bon Jovi's Ritchie Sambola and GUNS N 'Roses slashes. The JUBILEE series should be a one -year limited model commemorating the 25th anniversary, but production will continue until 1989 due to the great needs received at the time. In the arrival of the 90's, he announced a high -gain amplifier, which was newly designed by Marshall as the sound of a new era. That is JCM900. Moreover, at this time, the concept of the 30th anniversary model following Jubilee was already designed.
Now, what is the JCM900 that fits you?
Like the JCM800, there were many variations for 900. However, there are two main patterns here. It is a model of HIGH GAIN DUAL REVERB (roughly 2 channels) and HIGH GAIN MASTER VOLUME (roughly one channel). Each has a 50W and 100W, and a head type and a combo type.
As the name suggests, the High Gain Dual Reverb model is a model with two gains and two masters that can be switched with foot switches, each of which can also be set up. That is, it is possible to switch between clean and drive, for example, the clean is deeper, and the drive can be set as shallow (or OFF). This model is easy to use and is the most introduced for business use. This is the JCM900 you can see in the practice studio.
The High Gain Master Volume model also has two gains and two master volumes, but only the master can be switched on the switch. Solo and Doka! It can be used with a loud sound, but it cannot be used like switching between clean and drive. If you distort it, keep it distorted, and if you want to clean it, you have to change the gain settings. (However, the master switching like this solo mode is quite modern from the present, and is installed in recent models such as KOCH.) The two gains are two -stage gain that works simultaneously on one channel, which is quite hard. It is possible to create distortion. It can be called a fast story, a distortion -only machine.
May it be distorted? Gain scale is up to 20!
Functions that are common to the two are the level of effect loops and direct -outs, the HI/LO switch that switches between the 3rd/5 poles, and the Output Valve Fuse, which is the first power tube protection circuit. In the unlikely event that any of the vacuum tubes occur, it has a role in preventing overloading by flying the normally running fuse of vacuum tube and preventing other vacuum tubes from being damaged. I have.
How to look at the model number
XXXX (4 -digit number)
4th digit: Indicates the model. 4 = High Gain Dual Reverb / 2 = High Gain Master Volume
3rd digit: Indicates the output. 1 = 100W / 5 = 50W
First digit: Indicates the number of speakers. 0 = Head for 0 speakers.
Example: 4102 4 = High Gain Dual Reverb, 1 = 100W, 2 = 2 speakers. For this reason, you can see that it is a combo amplifier equipped with 100W and two speakers for the channel switch.
What is SLX?
Models with "SLX" such as 2100SLX and 2500SLX are often found. How is this different from normal 2100 or 2500?
In 1991, the year following the announcement of the JCM900, a monster amplifier that can be said to decide the subsequent scenes in the United States. MESA/BOOGIE's Dual Rectifier and 5150 of Peavey. Two major high gains, which can be said to have changed history, will be released this year. I don't know if this was impatient, but Marshall was also countermeasures or high -gain games, or in 1993, one more pipe pipe was added to the preamplifier of the high Gain Master Volume model. It has a more high -gain specification with the plus two -stage amplification stage. The SLX, which means Super Lead X-Tra Gain, was written, strengthening the color as a heavy drive machine.
There are three pre -tubes from the previous model
SLX has four pre -tubes!
Also, at the same time, the power tube used in all models of Marshall will be changed from EL34 to 5881. It is said that this is due to lack of stable supply of Sobtech, a Russian vacuum tube manufacturer that Marshall was mainly used at this time, but this change has become a clearer and solid tone, which is 90. It became a typical sound of the age of Marshall. This specification lasts until 1998, when Marshall also introduced Svetrana, a Russian vacuum tube manufacturer, and most models will return to the EL34 specification since 1998.
EL34 and 5881
It overlaps with the above, but from around 1993, most of the models of the Marshal vacuum tube amplifier will switch the power tube from EL34 to 5881. Not only the JCM900, but also the 5881 was used in the 1959SLP and 1987X of the vintage reissue, which is also true that some core fans were discouraged. There is also a feeling that the negative idiom "recent Marshall" occurred at this time.
As a characteristic of sound, 5881 is called a 6L6 high -tractor tube, is a relatively difficult and clear tone that is relatively difficult to distort, and is a tube that does not easily change the sound even if the volume is relatively mild from the time of low volume. For this reason, it is suitable for dry clean sounds and solid distortion sounds, and historically familiar with fender amplifiers such as baseman. It is also used in many models of Mesa/Boogie and 5150 of Peavey, and can be called a tube that represents the American sound.
On the other hand, the EL34 is a tone that is sharp and bitten when the amount of low sound is sharp, and when the volume rises and starts clipping, the tone changes rapidly and transforms into a thick and sticky sound. In addition to being a tube that colored the particularly gorgeous part of the history of Marshall, it also used the UK's leading amplifier manufacturers such as Hiwatt and Orange, especially in Japan. There was also a myth.
Because it was a change to 5881 on such a back, there was certainly a part that could sympathize with critical voices from particularly enthusiastic British rock fans, so only 5881 vintage reissue was sold in real time at that time. I also remember that I felt a little lonely. Although it was more mental than the sound side. Fortunately, almost all of the models after 1998 have EL34 returned to all, and the vintage series, as well as the JCM900, will be EL34 again. This has been taken over since the subsequent JCM2000.
You may think that it is such a modern era, but when you see the 5881 specification JCM900, you may miss it a little. The character of the high gain amplifier is emphasized on the contrary, and in a sense, it sounds like a "more JCM900 sound". It's a bit of a story, but when I listen to the sounds of the 5881 specification 1959SLP, it's attractive. On the contrary, I was disappointed at that time.
For that reason, it is an interesting part of JCM900 that there are both 5881 and EL34 versions. The early (until around 1993) and recent years (late 1998) are EL34, and between them is 5881. If you see it in a studio, etc., it may be one of the ways to enjoy JCM900 to think, "Which is this?"
The 5881 model has a label indicating 5881 use at the top.
JCM900 family?
In fact, the 30th anniversary model 6100 that seems to have been developed at the same time
Although it is not the JCM900 series, this model is a deep relationship with JCM900. The blue leather is an impressive 6100. This is the first three channel of Marshall from clean/crunch/lead. It is a model that is also equipped with MIDI and the world. Appeared in 1992, which was about two years after JCM900, the 30th anniversary of Marshall's establishment. Three channels are now commonplace, but at that time it was a breakthrough.
In fact, this model, development itself, was almost the same as JCM900. However, when the JCM900 series was released worldwide, it was difficult to produce in parallel with each JCM900 model. As mentioned above, the times are occurring in the high gain boom. It may have been aimed at the movement of other brands after the JCM900 release.
In such a trend, the 6100 that appeared, but it is a three -channel model that is completely independent, and it can be said that it is a three -channel model manufactured very early in the world. Channel 1 is a clean with two modes, and you can select a clean tone with a marshall -like clean tone with a midshift and bright control. Channel 2 is a channel that should be called a rhythm sound, a vintage style reminiscent of JTM45, a representative sound of the JCM800, and the JCM900 style. Furthermore, the highge -in sound that should be said to be the strongest in Marshall in the history of channel 3. It is thought that this sound has evolved JCM900 and has become the source of the SLX mentioned earlier. The 6100, which covers from traditional tones to the state -of -the -art sound, was surprised by many musicians, and was also known for using Joe Sutria and Gary Moore, and became a "blue marshall".
The lot made for the first time of Aniva Sally is a completely gold plating specification, and it is a gold that is not only a chassis but also a tube cover and tube spring. The gold panel was also used for the cabinet front logo. This specification is only 500 units (800 combo units) worldwide, and are called 6100LE. Since then, the usual chassis has been produced until the end of the anniversary year, except for the blue leather, and from the following year until the late 1990s.
What is the charm of JCM900 again?
The JCM2000 series was released as a new model with a view to the 21st century in 1999, when the 20th century approached the end. The JCM2000, which has the ability to be a flagship, captivated from young players to veterans of the past, and seemed to be over. Certainly, as JCM2000 became widespread, many models of JCM900, such as SLX, gradually disappeared. However, only the highest JCM900 HIGH GAIN DUAL REVERB series 4100 is still being produced. It has been 18 years since 1990, when the specifications were changed, without any change in specifications. As the music scene has changed in a variety of things, it can be said that it is an unusual long sales. The reason for this is that the official word of Marshall is "the sound image is absolutely thick and the vintage DNA is hidden", but this expression will not be false. There were countless "distortion" amplifiers since then, but the tone of the natural drive is as high gain. In other words, the hardest "overdrive" amplifier in the world may be the feature of the JCM900.
If you add it, its simplicity, ease of use, and ease of understanding when you get it for the first time is also a great attraction. In addition, the fever is not a lot, and even if you use it for a long time after a sound, the sound axis is hard to blame, and there are few troubles, so I think that it is a reason that many engineers have been trusted. increase. In addition, I would like to add my personal opinion to say that it is the most reliable model in connecting via a rack type preamp. I have a feeling that it is safe for the time being in the environment where the JCM900 is placed.
JCM900 with such high reliability. It's not a pure vintage sound, and it's not a crazy modern heavy gain, but it's no doubt that it's a shadowy person who has definitely supported the scene for nearly 20 years. "Simple", "Tough", "Hard" ... All the words required for rock music are in the JCM900. I don't think so.
