The official don't buy this amp if you play at home list...

[jgcable]

I have heard several of the JVM Marshall's and I was actually impressed with what I heard, online clips and guys using them live...granted I have not played through them but I could see them being very useable, event at lower volume levels. What I'm not too sure on theses days is build qualities and reliability of the newer Marshalls.

I would think if its primarily used at home they are fine. Hard gigging... I wouldn't be confident unless I had a road case for the heads. PC mount pots and jacks always scare me... along with thin PC boards and low quality tube sockets. Most of the new production Marshalls seem to be built this way.
They do make several very high quality amps though. I would like to see a gut shot of the JVM because I agree.. it really sounds good.

[Grandturk]

They do make several very high quality amps though. I would like to see a gut shot of the JVM because I agree.. it really sounds good.

Try to youtube a "marshall factory tour" - there's a homemade vid that a visitor to the Marshall factory made and you get some real detailed shots of them making the JVM boards through the solder machine and showing it up pretty close. It looks like a typical modern amp board with lots of surface mount and pots right on the board.

[jgcable]

Try to youtube a "marshall factory tour" - there's a homemade vid that a visitor to the Marshall factory made and you get some real detailed shots of them making the JVM boards through the solder machine and showing it up pretty close. It looks like a typical modern amp board with lots of surface mount and pots right on the board.

My opinion is that PC board mounted pots and those plastic PC board mounted 1/4" jacks are a giant point of failure when subjecting an amp to the rigors of gigging or touring. If your careful.. they are fine. If you happen to hit one while loading or unloading or if you happen to yank hard sideways on a cord that is plugged into one of those plastic jacks you could be in trouble. I think its mandatory that a touring/gigging amp should have flying leads on high quality pots and flying leads on high quality Switchcraft or Neutrik 1/4" jacks.

[Grandturk]

Agreed. One shot to a pot not only busts the control but also potentially the board behind it and it's not as easy to fix. However, you're going to pay for that vs ease of manufacture.

[jgcable]

Agreed. One shot to a pot not only busts the control but also potentially the board behind it and it's not as easy to fix. However, you're going to pay for that vs ease of manufacture.

Which is a damn shame. Its just my opinion but players who buy 50 and 100w tube amps that were obviously designed for live use would have no problem spending more money for an amp that was built better. As soon as I see black plastic jacks or PC mount pots I stay away unless its an amp that's just going to sit home with the volume on 2. The sad thing is I bet 90% of all the JCM2000's and the JVM's do just that. I guess Marshall is smart to cut every quality corner they can.

[Chad]

This thread was giving me JVM G.A.S., then I read about the build quality (or lack thereof) and visited the JVM forum and see how nearly everybody is modifying their amps. My G.A.S. has subdued a bit. But I'd still like to try one sometime.

[PowerTube]

This thread was giving me JVM G.A.S., then I read about the build quality (or lack thereof) and visited the JVM forum and see how nearly everybody is modifying their amps. My G.A.S. has subdued a bit. But I'd still like to try one sometime.

I finally got to plug into one, a JVM205H, the 50-watt head. I'm hooked. Although, I'll probably go with the JVM410H because it's not that much more expensive used. We'll see.

[slo100]

Marshall 2203/4 amps changed in the early 80's from flying lead to board mounted pots and jacks. These have been proven to be work horses for professionals, amateurs, and basement warriors for decades now. I definitely agree that the board mounted stuff is much harder to fix. I almost bought a Marshall 6100 a few weeks ago from CL on the cheap. It was a 6L6 version and I wanted EL34. To convert that sucker was going to be a $200 bill + tubes due to a multitude of changes and the complexity of getting around the many boards in that amp. The good deal would have turned into a not so great deal after all that.

Similar to the 'is it a live or bedroom amp' I believe it comes to the individual's user requirements. Marshall (and many others) counts on people shelling out money for emotional reasons vs. practical use reasons...so does Ferrari. People who have the means and the will to buy a 100W full stack to put in the basement have and always will do so because it is what they want and need to fulfill whatever is driving that need. Many boutique amp makers tout their military spec designs and build quality eschewing board mounted components. Many people who buy these amps will never see a tour much less a stage across town. Again...practical requirements are not always buying criteria.

[jgcable]

Marshall 2203/4 amps changed in the early 80's from flying lead to board mounted pots and jacks. These have been proven to be work horses for professionals, amateurs, and basement warriors for decades now. I definitely agree that the board mounted stuff is much harder to fix. I almost bought a Marshall 6100 a few weeks ago from CL on the cheap. It was a 6L6 version and I wanted EL34. To convert that sucker was going to be a $200 bill + tubes due to a multitude of changes and the complexity of getting around the many boards in that amp. The good deal would have turned into a not so great deal after all that.

Similar to the 'is it a live or bedroom amp' I believe it comes to the individual's user requirements. Marshall (and many others) counts on people shelling out money for emotional reasons vs. practical use reasons...so does Ferrari. People who have the means and the will to buy a 100W full stack to put in the basement have and always will do so because it is what they want and need to fulfill whatever is driving that need. Many boutique amp makers tout their military spec designs and build quality eschewing board mounted components. Many people who buy these amps will never see a tour much less a stage across town. Again...practical requirements are not always buying criteria.

I didn't know that . I thought that all the 2203/4's were flying lead mount design. Interesting.

[slo100]

You can easily tell by the input jacks oriented vertically (JMP/early JCM800) or horizontally (PC board construction). Even on those amps while a broken pot would necessitate removing the board...it is only a single board. That 6100 I was looking at had multiple PC boards that had to be removed which meant a lot of extra labor. I had a Soldano SP77 Preamp a while back and broke a pot. That was board mounted construction and it was not too bad to switch in a new one.

Check the differences:

Old JMP/Early JCM 800 style


Newer design board mounted JCM800 style


6100