I have three in the house but I only really use the JCM900 at the moment:
I bought this a few years ago and it took me a long time to actually like this. I don’t rate the lead channel on it at all, it’s so woolly and muddy no matter what setting i have it on, but i gave it another chance and the first channel is great and takes my pedal set-up really well.
This was the first amp I bought; Roland Cube 30. the recording out is BRILLIANT on this and takes pedals really well on clean. Great for using a MicroKorg or for vocals in practice.
This is my dad’s amp but he barely plays any more so it’s more or less under my upkeep. Does plenty of things well.
I have one of the earlier Tube Zippers (2003/04, so not the first issue but the first time they moved to the new look dials) and mine doesn’t really do the crazy oscillation either. I recently played a newer one whilst testing out a few other pedals and you could really make that one do the oscillation trick. Might be a unit to unit or a tube thing.
There’s one or two floating around on ebay over here, so i’ll keep my eye on them. I’ve tried the Holy Grail Plus which is pretty good but for some reason I just want the Holier Grail more.
I guess it’s one of those things that you don’t notice when its in production but you rue when they become hard to find. Much like the previously crappy sovtek muffs, everyone under the sun wants one now! I still wish i hadn’t sold mine so cheap (the switches always broke), I could’ve made a killing on ebay.
I use a Non-Export MIJ Fender Strat (because you get way more choice with lefties in Japan) with a Marshall JCM900 50w 1×12. considering a Fender Twin or equivalent though.
You have a 50w jcm900 1×12 combo?
thats cool as hell! I’m envious!
It’s a twin channel; however the “lead” channel IMO isn’t great as it uses clipping diodes, the clean channel can do a good overdrive, it just takes a pedal or two (Graphic Fuzz into a Tube Zipper) to make it really sing.
I really like the sound of the 900, the clipping diodes make it sound like a distortion pedal
my laney has the same thing in ‘drive 2’ channel and use it more than any other channel. :metal:
well, i tried to find a setting that i really liked but it always sounded really muddy through a single speaker, so that channel is largely redundant. the driven channel on an 800 is a bit nicer, more rounded. like most amplifiers, a jcm900 does sound nicer through a 4×12. i don’t have the space for anything like that though at the moment.
Whats the general opinion regarding Fender Twins on here? I played a blackface a few weeks back and loved it. so much headroom.
i’m going through a bit of a surf/lo-fi phase at the moment, just no band to play with right now and this covers it all quite nicely (although i’d still like to stick a reverb pedal at the end of it all)
This is what I’m currently using. I’ve had a lot more than this in the past but this seems to be keeping me happy so far. I’d like a Holier Grail next but they’re getting hard to find now.
I use a Non-Export MIJ Fender Strat (because you get way more choice with lefties in Japan) with a Marshall JCM900 50w 1×12. considering a Fender Twin or equivalent though.
You have a 50w jcm900 1×12 combo?
thats cool as hell! I’m envious!
It’s a twin channel; however the “lead” channel IMO isn’t great as it uses clipping diodes, the clean channel can do a good overdrive, it just takes a pedal or two (Graphic Fuzz into a Tube Zipper) to make it really sing.
I’m certain i’ve seen someone on this forum sand down the slikscreen print off their SMMH; i’ve been scouring the forums to find the photo but i’ve had no luck. any idea whodunnit?
I’m not so keen on the painted zvex look either, i was just referencing the one-of-a-kind thing.
EDIT: the avatar of the user “ghost” on this forum has the SMMH i am talking about. maybe i’ll PM him.