I am starting to lean more toward selling it. I picked it up in a trade so I am not too attached to it yet. It is kinda cool to have around, but not as a paperweight.
... but of all the Marshalls I have owned, this one really has the growl sound. Add a little palm muting and my drummer really has to work the kick drum to keep up.
Taming the beast
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
Re: Taming the beast
I would be sure to check the B+ voltage before trying any 6V6 tubes, even the JJ. Some of these 100 watters had over 500 volts.
These amps are loud, no doubt about it. Some of it also has to do with a "perceived loudness" that comes from all the high end frequencies that these amps let through. Have you tried a jumper on the inputs so that you are using both the normal and the bright channel? And then blending on the two volume pots to get just enough high end but not so much that it is slicing eardrums? It will still be loud but not as much slicing through.
While I don't recommend messing around on a vintage amp, if you are really inclined to do so then maybe try something radical like putting 20K resistors in place of the 1K screens. You will have to readjust the bias. This will cut the power and give it a lot more compression.
These amps are loud, no doubt about it. Some of it also has to do with a "perceived loudness" that comes from all the high end frequencies that these amps let through. Have you tried a jumper on the inputs so that you are using both the normal and the bright channel? And then blending on the two volume pots to get just enough high end but not so much that it is slicing eardrums? It will still be loud but not as much slicing through.
While I don't recommend messing around on a vintage amp, if you are really inclined to do so then maybe try something radical like putting 20K resistors in place of the 1K screens. You will have to readjust the bias. This will cut the power and give it a lot more compression.