I have 500 dollars, i am in a punk/metal band and I need an amp

[SpiritDave]

D .... if the amp sounds good ... don't worry too much about retubing it.  Tubes can ... if used correctly ... last YEARS.  If you have MINT amp ... you will probably find it's not been used heavily and the tubes are perfectly fine.

My JCM900 had stock tubes ... and it was 15 years old.  Sounded awesome.  Unless you start to hear a shitty sound, don't worry

[Bobarcord]

yeah unless you start notincing the sound quality going doing  , Don't worry.

That was a pretty good deal on that amps .


Oh and Timothy bite me .lol

[D]

Question:


I was playing today and my amp cut out and the sound was gone for like 2 seconds and then it slowly came back...........


What caused this?


I put a fan behind my amp afterwards and it never happened again............ So did my amp overheat? Should I keep a small fan behind it at all times?

[Johnny Rattlesnake]

Sounds like dirty pots. $10 for a can of aerosol pot cleaner/lube at any electronics store.
Just pull your knobs off and spray the pots and turn them. Let dry and repeat. Should clean them right up.

[JimBobTTD]

Dirty pots shouldn't do that, unless you were turning a knob at the time. A pot is a carbon resistor and a wiper - when it is connected and not being moved, dirt shouldn't have an effect on it.

If you do want to clean your pots, you will need to open up your amp. On the pots, you'll see a small hole. Spray electrical cleaner (go easy) in there and rotate the shaft. As we are dealing with tube amps here, don't touch the capacitors (cylindrical things) inside, as they store up electricity. Learn how to discharge the capacitors if you really want to start poking around in there, and never touch the insides of the amp with both hands. Ideally, put one hand in your back pocket.

On a spanking new amp it is unlikely that the pots are dirty. Not impossible that the pots are shit - this has been a Marshall flaw for a long time.

I would say it was most likely caused by a power dip. Perhaps a lot of people in your area all suddenly decided to put the kettle on.

[Genesis]

Question:


I was playing today and my amp cut out and the sound was gone for like 2 seconds and then it slowly came back...........


What caused this?


I put a fan behind my amp afterwards and it never happened again............ So did my amp overheat? Should I keep a small fan behind it at all times?

I don't know if it was the heat that caused this, but the DSL401 does have overheating issues. In fact, some people have permanently fitted fans at the back of the amp. You might want to check out some reviews at harmony central, where they've written what they've done.

[D]

What is the best tube u guys would recommend?


My amp isnt sounding as good today as yesterday

So Im thinkin where its a used amp and all, Maybe I could use a new Tube???


If not, when the time does come, what should I get?

[Genesis]

I don't think anyone can recommend a "best" tube amp, depends on what you like and your budget of course. Only the higher end Marshall heads are good IMO. My suggestion would be to narrow it down to 3-4 heads, go to your local guitar store, play them and pick the one that you like. Go for combo's only if you can't afford a head + cab.

[D]

Im sorry

I meant when my tubes go bad in my amp, what should I replace them with?  talkin bout the power tubes.

[Genesis]

LOL    My bad.

JJ Audio (formerly Tesla) or SED (Svetlana) should be fine.

Edit: You can get matched JJ EL84 pairs at around $16.

[JimBobTTD]

I thought the amp was almost new? I don't think you need to change the tubes just yet. But if you do want to, JJ and Svetlana are good. Groove Tubes get mixed reviews.

Getting good tone one day and not so good the next is pretty standard. Sometimes the amp just doesn't want to play. Spend some more time playing with the amp, and get to know it better. You'll soon find that you understand it more and will get better tone more often.

You need to treat it like a workhorse. Warm it up before use and you can use it hard for a while, but the thing will need a break. Let it cool down afterwards. Some days it - like a horse - will simply not want to do what you want to do.

[D]

^
Thanks for the tip.



I got it at practice last night and it performed very well, So u guys are right, it doesn't need anything changed.

[D]

Ok guys, I need some more help.

Which amp is better, the first one or the 2nd one?

I bought the 2nd one but I also WON the first one off Ebay.

The first one would cost me 130 more dollars........ I can take the one I bought the other day back and get this one.

Do u guys think the first one is 130 dollars better than the 2nd?

I need to know ASAP cause I gotta let the guy I won the auction from know something by tomorrow night.








http://cgi.ebay.com/Marshall-JCM-601-Combo-Amp-60-Watts-All-Tube_W0QQitemZ220171912290QQihZ012QQcategoryZ38075QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem





http://www.guitarcenter.com/Marshall-DSL401-Combo-Amp-100496703-i1145929.gc?mode=1

[Genesis]

Well, basically it's the same amp but at 60W instead of 40W. The JCM601 will be quite louder. I guess it depends on if you really need the extra power and are willing to spend $130 for it.

If you're happy with the loudness of your current amp w.r.t your bandmates instruments, keep what you have. If your guitar is getting drowned out by your drummer and other bandmates, go for the JCM601.

[JimBobTTD]

As you are going to have both for a while, you can A/B them and keep the one you like best.

[D]

I am taking the JCM2000 DSL401 back to Guitar center and getting a refund.

So im gonna roll with the 601.



The guy is shipping it to me even with the original packaging and Box Plus he has taken amazing care of the amp, no scratches or nicks.? He warms it up and cools it down properly and 20 more watts for 130 more dollars is worth it to me.


It was one of u guys on here who told me to not let 100 bucks stand in the way of getting the best possible quality. So Im gonna fork over an extra 100 for the extra power.


Also, on the JCM2000 DSL 401, they have had overheating issues which concerns me, the Tubes etc are hard as fuck to get to whereas the 601 is easily accessible etc.


Also, when playing Sunday night, I had my amp up to 7 and could barely hear myself playing, and that was doing solos which should cut through anything.

So the band I am in, I definitely need more power.

[JimBobTTD]

That was me. I said not to let $100 stand in the way. It's great advice and it has helped me alot.

If you want to cut through, increase the mids. It's the mids which are heard.

[SpiritDave]

D...

It's got 3 ECC83 Preamp tubes, and 2 EL34 Poweramp tubes.  This is the SAME tubes you find in the DSL401, and in fact, in almost all Marshall amps.  They're easy to get hold of, so I don't know why you think they're hard to get.

Hope you enjoy the amp

One thing I'll say is this .... when you're using this amp ... push the master volume ... That's the power section.  Sure, dial in as much gain as you want, but make sure you use the power section ... that's where you'll get that 'thump', and the natural harmonics and tone.  It's all about power amp section on tube amps.

[Genesis]

It's got 3 ECC83 Preamp tubes, and 2 EL34 Poweramp tubes.  This is the SAME tubes you find in the DSL401, and in fact, in almost all Marshall amps.  They're easy to get hold of, so I don't know why you think they're hard to get.

He meant they are hard to access on the amp.

[SpiritDave]

It's got 3 ECC83 Preamp tubes, and 2 EL34 Poweramp tubes.  This is the SAME tubes you find in the DSL401, and in fact, in almost all Marshall amps.  They're easy to get hold of, so I don't know why you think they're hard to get.

He meant they are hard to access on the amp.

ok hehe I misinterpreted