Marshall 4 input amps.

shaunm

How do you guys plug into the amps? Since I got my JTM I have jumpered the channels and plugged into the high input of the High Treble. However tonight I’ve been playing plugged into the top input on the normal channel with normal on 7 and the high treble on 5. What a revelation, I much preferred it, it sounded fantastic.

When I have looked into it I can’t find any pictures of the likes of Eric or Jimi jumpering the Normal and bright channels. Is this something that only came into play in the 70’s/80’s?

Winny_Pooh

Eric Johnson uses a Y cable. 

ICBM

In the 60s and early 70s, I’ve only ever seen pics of it being done to link two or more amps together, not the two channels on one amp.

It does make a difference as you’ve discovered, the channel the guitar is plugged into gets the full output of the guitar so is brighter, and the other one is loaded more heavily so is duller. So if you plug the guitar into the normal channel instead of the usual treble channel, the normal will be slightly brighter, and the treble channel slightly softer - ie there will be less difference between the two channels than the ‘standard’ way.

By using a Y-cable, Eric Johnson will get the brighter sound on *both* channels.

martinw

Have you tried NOT jumpering, but just winding up the 'unused' channel?

shaunm

@ICBM funnily enough it’s the normal channel that I’ve taken a liking to much more than when jumpered. 
The cleans are better and it seems to hit that mid 60’s EC tone this way. That’s why I started looking for old pictures. 

@martinw yes, I have noticed a difference in tone when I turn up the high treble side when I am plugged into normal channel alone. I thought that was interesting because it meant I could use the non plugged into side as a bit of an EQ.

jacksparrow

If you do not have a y cable i can highly recommend it for a jtm45.   So much better than bridging channels imho.

cosmiccarrot

I used to run my pedals in the jumper channel in my old 4 holer, it helped to keep the guitar signal more direct. I never did like the affect stomp boxes had on the tone in front of the amp especially at high volume.

shaunm

@cosmiccarrot on my JTM 45 I find that it takes pedals very well regardless of the input. 

What I will say is that I am struggling to find a use for my pedals other than Fuzz and modulations. 

thermionic

This talk of Y-cables make me think of the Rick-o-sound outputs and now I want to know what a Rickenbacker 360 plugged into a Marshall JTM 45 using two cables sounds like.

ICBM

thermionic said:

This talk of Y-cables make me think of the Rick-o-sound outputs and now I want to know what a Rickenbacker 360 plugged into a Marshall JTM 45 using two cables sounds like.

Fantastic . Better than with a mono cable and jumpering, because the two pickups and volume pots don’t load each other - the Rickenbacker wiring scheme is a bit odd because both volume controls are connected together at all times when it’s in mono, the pickup switch is upstream of them (the opposite of Gibson). Rick-o-Sound into two separate channels is more lively clean, and richer overdriven.