JCM2000 good deal?

@Kerry Brown that Fender 4x10 can't be worth a whole lot. Seems reasonable for the head. The DSL has as it says 2 channels with 2 modes per channel. My guess is you would rarely if ever use channel 2 it is pretty high gain. Granted you can run gain on like 2 amd it is sorta like channel one Crunch with gain full.

Channel one has clean and crunch modes, these are NOT foot switchable so if you wish to go from clean to crunch, you have to push the button. Not as much of an issue if not used live.

It can sound fairly old school but with more modern tones. Channel ome crunches nicely, i prefer more gain so I always had to use an OD with channel one.

Hope that helps.
 
Jethro Rocker said:
@Kerry Brown that Fender 4x10 can't be worth a whole lot. Seems reasonable for the head. The DSL has as it says 2 channels with 2 modes per channel. My guess is you would rarely if ever use channel 2 it is pretty high gain. Granted you can run gain on like 2 amd it is sorta like channel one Crunch with gain full.

Channel one has clean and crunch modes, these are NOT foot switchable so if you wish to go from clean to crunch, you have to push the button. Not as much of an issue if not used live.

It can sound fairly old school but with more modern tones. Channel ome crunches nicely, i prefer more gain so I always had to use an OD with channel one.

Hope that helps.
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Agreed! Ive come to like the Classic Gain section a lot, doing like you said and overdriving it a lil. I changed the preamp tube on that section to a 12AU7 instead of a 12AX7 to choke the gain down a lil but open headroom a lot, that way an Overdrive pushes it real nice like a boosted 2203
 
Thanks for the info. I sent an email to the seller asking about the year and if it is a DSL50 or 100. Haven’t heard anything back. I have to go to the city tomorrow for a doctor’s appointment which is near the seller. Don’t know when I’ll be in the city next. We are not locked down here but we are strongly advised not to leave our homes unless it is essential.
 
Clockworkmike said:
The JCM2000 bias drift issue is almost exclusively a problem seen in the 100watt models. The 50w for whatever reason, largely avoided that issue, though there are some reported cases of it. The Revision 20 board was supposed to fix that but the problem still occured after replacements on many. The Stabile Bias mod seemed to be the most reliable fix as well as the cheapest. Roughly $80 vs $250 on the Rev20 board
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There have been plenty of 50 watt with the bias drift issue.
But some of these are a bad bias pots, not a bad board.

Despite what year, or what wattage, I would still recommend doing the diagnostic.
I would not recommend ignoring it because of the year, or because of the wattage.
The bias adjust pots can go bad despite the year or the wattage.

When the bias adjust pots go bad the tubes burn up, and other worse problems add up etc.
It can lunch the output transformer.
 
Kerry Brown said:
Thanks for the info. I sent an email to the seller asking about the year and if it is a DSL50 or 100. Haven’t heard anything back. I have to go to the city tomorrow for a doctor’s appointment which is near the seller. Don’t know when I’ll be in the city next. We are not locked down here but we are strongly advised not to leave our homes unless it is essential.
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Add lists it as a 100.
 
Clockworkmike said:
Agreed! Ive come to like the Classic Gain section a lot, doing like you said and overdriving it a lil. I changed the preamp tube on that section to a 12AU7 instead of a 12AX7 to choke the gain down a lil but open headroom a lot, that way an Overdrive pushes it real nice like a boosted 2203
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When I had a DSL40 I had gain on loke 7 or 8 on Crunch and full ip on am OD but zero gain on pedal. Lots of guts! Stayed with 12AX7 I am a higher gain guy
 
Jethro Rocker said:
When I had a DSL40 I had gain on loke 7 or 8 on Crunch and full ip on am OD but zero gain on pedal. Lots of guts! Stayed with 12AX7 I am a higher gain guy
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Normally i am too myself. I toyed with that concept to allow it to be cranked a lot louder on that channel and get into the natural break up, sort of an AC/DC vibe. Ultra Gain Channel, its stock and wide open for the gain lol

I use an Overdrive in a very similar manner as you too then! In that the pedal gain is pretty much off but using it to push the front end of the amp
 
Amp Mad Scientist said:
There have been plenty of 50 watt with the bias drift issue.
But some of these are a bad bias pots, not a bad board.

Despite what year, or what wattage, I would still recommend doing the diagnostic.
I would not recommend ignoring it because of the year, or because of the wattage.
The bias adjust pots can go bad despite the year or the wattage.

When the bias adjust pots go bad the tubes burn up, and other worse problems add up etc.
It can lunch the output transformer.
Click to expand...
I will break mine down this weekend and check it out. Its a 98 so definitely in the early years ( 2nd year of production). Always a possibility it could be a candidate for this future issue, though hopefully not.

Meanwhile however, an old friend of mine I used to be in a band with, has the 100w version and same year as mine. His popped a few years back, smoked tubes and fuses out of the blue. Most likely its this problem but he very lazily and downright frustratingly just tossed the head in the corner and has left it to rot and die
 
Session 5 said:
It probably is, but i would prefer it to be in better looking condition.
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Norm we don’t buy with our eyes, we buy with our ears.
Hell my best cabs that got sold off years ago where beat to hell, but they did sound glorious , hell I have beaters now, but a good deal is a good deal .
If you want new looking you have to pay the larger dollar amount.
 
Kerry Brown said:
Thanks for the info. I sent an email to the seller asking about the year and if it is a DSL50 or 100. Haven’t heard anything back. I have to go to the city tomorrow for a doctor’s appointment which is near the seller. Don’t know when I’ll be in the city next. We are not locked down here but we are strongly advised not to leave our homes unless it is essential.
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I really have no experience with the amp you are looking at, but after reading the thread. I realize that there could be an issue with it.
Keep that in mind for the purchase amount.
I do know that a Marshall has great tones regardless of model, place of manufacturer ,
You can get many flavors out of them and I didn’t see a well worn look on the head.
Cheers to what unfolds
Mitch
 
Mitch Pearrow SJMP said:
Norm we don’t buy with our eyes, we buy with our ears.
Hell my best cabs that got sold off years ago where beat to hell, but they did sound glorious , hell I have beaters now, but a good deal is a good deal .
If you want new looking you have to pay the larger dollar amount.
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No disrespect Mitch, but I personally buy with my eyes and ears. I am sure the amp sounds very good. I am not saying the amp is not a good deal, its just not good enough for me. I am one of those guys who looks after his equipment, when I purchase gear I want it to be pleasing to my eyes and my ears. :cheers:
 
Mitch Pearrow SJMP said:
I really have no experience with the amp you are looking at, but after reading the thread. I realize that there could be an issue with it.
Keep that in mind for the purchase amount.
I do know that a Marshall has great tones regardless of model, place of manufacturer ,
You can get many flavors out of them and I didn’t see a well worn look on the head.
Cheers to what unfolds
Mitch
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That issue has been a real thorn in Marshall's side for a while now, probably their most infamous design flaw to date. Its very fixable and easy to do, but honestly, Marshall should have issued a voluntary recall on it since it became such a wide spreading issue. Instead, they released a $250 replacement board and said " F$ck you guys, here!".

That being said though, its a tough as nails amp, amazingly versatile and in my case, unbelievably reliable ( some never had an issue, guess i got lucky lol) Its design continues to this day with amps like your DSL40Cs, which are the same exact circuitry and sound.
 
Session 5 said:
No disrespect Mitch, but I personally buy with my eyes and ears. I am sure the amp sounds very good. I am not saying the amp is not a good deal, its just not good enough for me. I am one of those guys who looks after his equipment, when I purchase gear I want it to be pleasing to my eyes and my ears. :cheers:
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Back when they came out in 1997, they were roughly $850 to a $1000 depending on where you got yours. I think mine was about $1300 new off the floor with a 1960A 4x12 Cabinet in 1998 ( cabs were typically $400-500 at that time, so the head was roughly $800-$900). The used market has fallen slightly on them but still averaging around $550-$800 pending on condition. The newer DSL100H off the floor new is about $900 but are made in Vietnam vs the original Bletchley England facility, however the Vietnamese ones havent had that issue the English versions did.

I used to have a disgust if something was in bad physical condition despite if its working condition was fine. But i learned that you can easily fix cosmetics but circuitry is another game. I foolishly let a 1996 Peavey 5150 120w Head go for $275 that i bought for $350 because the Tolex was torn up. I couldve replaced it cheaply and now, sat on a $1000-1400 amplifier lol
 
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