AmpTalk.com

[dketland]

Hi All

I'm new here and new to owning a tube amp! I just bought a Marshall JCM 600 head with a Marshall 4x10 cab [C410]. [Why did they discontinue to JCM600?]

The clean sound is good enough, distorts at high volume but I've overcome this problem. Now, the distortion to me is a little harsh. My little G80 combo gave fantastic distortion and I want that sound on this amp!

My question is, if I buy a pedal [say a Boss DS1] or similar, will I still get a 'tube' sound or does the pedal overdide the tube, if you get what I mean?

My band are going into a studio soon and I want to take my amp obviously. When my head is connected to the mixer [via DI I presume] will the mixer pick up the pedal sound if I have one connected?

Hope you know what I mean by those questions!

Cheers, Dan

[dketland]

Also, can I use any cab with the head?

Thanks!

[JoEllis]

Hey Dan

Firstly, I'm not too familiar with the JCM 600 series. I'm not sure why they were discontinued. I do know that the JCM 900 of the same time had some problems with weaker output transformers, among other things.

I would strongly suggest that you mic your amp (cab) rather than DI-ing. The sound you will get by DI-ing will be tinny, buzzy and absolutely lifeless. You want your amp to sound like it does when you play it through the cab. By DI-ing you will be bypassing the output-section and the cab. Oh, and BTW, never run the head without the cab. YOU WILL BLOW IT!!! Either way (Mic'd or DI'd), if you are going to be using a distortion pedal, it will be recorded. You are just adding something that alters sound to the signal between the amp and the guitar.

IMHO don't get the DS-1. You complain about the amp's harsh distortion sound. This pedal is one of the harshest distortion boxes around. Check for yourself on the "Distortion Grid" interactive page on the www.bossus.com site, where you can compare it to other distortions manufactured by Boss.

I have heard some good things about the Pro Co RAT and Line 6 Uber Metal. You might also like to try a few overdrives: Boss BD-2 Blues Driver, SD-1 Super Overdrive, Tube Screamer, etc.

Hope this helps. Oh, and please don't DI...

[Goes_To_Eleven]

Hi Dan, welcome aboard! The JCM600 series was most likely discontinued due to lagging saless. That's what usually dooms a specific amp model.

The switch from a solid-state amp to a tube amp can be quite a change to the ears. Tube amps deliver a distinctly different distortion than a transistor amp. I'm surprised you find it harsh, since tube overdrive is a much smoother signal than a solid-state amp or pedal distortion. Solid-state distortion, whether from an amp or pedal, is a hard-clipping signal whereas tube overdrive is a soft-clipping signal. You also get harmonic overtones with tube distortion that aren't present in solid-state distortion, which gives a very different and more musical sound.

I wouldn't recommend buying a distortion pedal if you want to keep the tube tone. A distortion box will give you an even harsher-sounding distortion. I recommend having your preamp tubes changed to Electro-Harmonix 12AX7EH tubes. They'll give you a higher gain and should smooth out the overdrive better than the current tubes. If you want to add a distortion/overdrive device, go with an Ibanez Tube Screamer. You'll get a gain boost but still retain that tube tone.

Concerning a cabinet, you can use any arrangement of speakers, but make sure the impedance matches your head. Don't run the head at 8 ohms with a 16 ohm cab. Make sure the ohms match. You can get away with running an 8-ohm head with a 4-ohm cab, but it isn't wise. As Jo said, never run a head without plugging it into a cab.

The DI is okay for rough recording work, but I agree with Jo. You're only getting the preamp section when you use it, and you lose the tone that the power tubes and speakers add. Miking is tricky, but you'll get your true tone that way.