Plexi vs JCM tone

ESBlonde

I think it's easier to go JMP plexi and make it dirty rather than the other way around. JMP will eat up all the pop/covers you care tp throw at it, a second chanel or dirt pedal to pust it into slash tone or anything else you want. You get all the feel and touch response and flexibilty.

thomasross20

I can see the benefit of both ways - need to decide...
Will check out SLO type OD to see if I'd even like that.

thomasross20

Trying to read up on this Caswell Slash mod.
An extra valve (or two - nobody knows) in the pre-amp stage of either a plexi or JCM. Not helpful.

What does Slash use these days?

ThePrettyDamned

If you're chasing a copy of Slash's tone, you'll never stop spending money. You'll get a les paul, then another with a different build feature, exchange pickups, change cables, pedals, amps... 

Way, WAY better to find a good tone that sounds like you. If it's a driven Marshall plexi/jcm, it'll sound close enough for most guitarists, let alone punters. 

You know what I would do in your shoes? Ditch the blackface clean. I find that switching from fender clean to Marshall drive is a little bit jarring in real life, although everyone wants to do just that. Instead, I'd go for a vintage plexi clean channel that gets a bit gritty as you wind it up. It'll have plenty of sparkly clean tones. You could even have channel one based on something slightly more closely related to a Vox - they have jangly, very pretty clean tones but are not scooped as a blackface. 

Then have a JCM 800 lead channel. Don't build a boost in. It's easier and more versatile to have one on the board. Use a boss sd-1 for proper awesome lead tones into either channel. You'll cop slash, be able to do any pop cover you like and will always sound excellent. 

There are plenty of people that would rather have a fender clean but as much as I love fender cleans, I'd rather have a wicked Brit clean for that slash sound. Takes pedals great, too.

thomasross20

Sounds like you need your own custom

I use the fender clean and jcm sound when gigging and love it!

I'm going to check the slo sound tonight to see if jcm and boost to slo would suit me better.

ThePrettyDamned

thomasross20 said:

Sounds like you need your own custom

I use the fender clean and jcm sound when gigging and love it!

I'm going to check the slo sound tonight to see if jcm and boost to slo would suit me better.

I did nearly get one but circumstance went against. One day though. It'll be an orion with a plexi channel one and a 6505 lead channel on two, 100 watts with master volume. 

thomasross20

6505... oh Jesus, another one to check out lol.

koneguitarist

I used to have the JCM 800 4010 50w 1x12combo, loved it, worked for everything, stupidly I sold it, even now I don't know why! 

professorben

koneguitarist said:

I used to have the JCM 800 4010 50w 1x12combo, loved it, worked for everything, stupidly I sold it, even now I don't know why! 

I had one. 
It was ok, not amazing, very boxy. 
Really struggled to get pedals to work with it. 
Sold it when I got my Engl, never looked back
if I recall it was a Dec '81 vertical input one. 

professorben

ThePrettyDamned said:

If you're chasing a copy of Slash's tone, you'll never stop spending money. You'll get a les paul, then another with a different build feature, exchange pickups, change cables, pedals, amps... 

Way, WAY better to find a good tone that sounds like you. If it's a driven Marshall plexi/jcm, it'll sound close enough for most guitarists, let alone punters. 

You know what I would do in your shoes? Ditch the blackface clean. I find that switching from fender clean to Marshall drive is a little bit jarring in real life, although everyone wants to do just that. Instead, I'd go for a vintage plexi clean channel that gets a bit gritty as you wind it up. It'll have plenty of sparkly clean tones. You could even have channel one based on something slightly more closely related to a Vox - they have jangly, very pretty clean tones but are not scooped as a blackface. 

Then have a JCM 800 lead channel. Don't build a boost in. It's easier and more versatile to have one on the board. Use a boss sd-1 for proper awesome lead tones into either channel. You'll cop slash, be able to do any pop cover you like and will always sound excellent. 

There are plenty of people that would rather have a fender clean but as much as I love fender cleans, I'd rather have a wicked Brit clean for that slash sound. Takes pedals great, too.

Good advice this, especially the changing from F to M tones. 
im now looking at stacking pedals into my clean channel to try and avoid the sudden mood change and make things a bit smoother. 

thomasross20

I told Martin the sounds I like best from his amps are the Electra Grind (EL34) and that Orion video on his website. 

Also sent him this, so can hopefully get the sound "for me":

"Also, here are two tracks my band did in the studio. Strat into my Blackstar, crunch for rhythm and lead channel (+ humbucker) for lead (love the guitar sounds on these tracks....). 

https://soundcloud.com/tommysixstring/sets/cover_band_studio_session

And these are the sounds I use for my own album.... they're old demos but the guitar sounds are the same... 

https://soundcloud.com/tommysixstring/sets/album-trailers

Love the sounds on "Fable" and "1984". In fact the lead sounds on all them are really great... nice and full, not thin, a little bit "liquid" [not overly crunchy] - not swimming in distortion (no hiss or bees in a tin or whatever people say).  "

thomasross20

And slightly OT but this is the clear for me. This is THE clean:


It's bell-like! Not scratchy or hollow or anything. How do they get that? 

ThePrettyDamned

Don't worry, a 6505 isn't your thing - it's like a tight, very saturated crunch tone. It's the sound of some Van Halen (the heavier stuff) and, in particular, modern metal bands like Trivium and Machinehead. 

Great amp, but I think it's very not you mate! 

RaymondLin

That is drown in reverb.  What reverb pedal do you use?

thomasross20

Yeah I checked the 6505 out and you're right, no offence!
I don't use a reverb pedal. 

Time to get off the computer - I sent Martin about 10 emails with tones I like.. !!

RaymondLin

My Fender Champ clone sounds like that too with reverb.

put aside some budget for a reverb, Strymon Flint would do nicely.

thomasross20

I'm getting reverb built-in but who knows in future!

thomasross20

Telling you, if I get a clean like that, a maxed out plexi gain like in the Electra vid and JCM like in the Orion, I'd be well happy... still want to hear Thorpy's JCM -> SLO version, though. DYING to hear the difference!!

RaymondLin

I don't know..may be I am spoiled with mine but I can get cleans like that with my gear. A reverb pedal really does help.

thomasross20

I think in that video it's a combination of split coil pup, reverb, lowering the treble. Sounds great.