Marshall JMP-1 Tube Pre-Amp

As far as ease, you have to be illiterate to not be able to figure it out. It would be nice it the programming was quicker to change, but overall, I have NO complaints.

For starters, I changed out the ECC's that were in it with two Sovtek LPS tubes for a thicker gain.
Still holding on to my crisp highs. I run it through a Rocktron Velocity 150 and use an Alesis MEQ-230 for tonal control. If you really want to have a big sound, that setup does it. My distortion is wicked and the punch is awesome. I do think that the MEQ-230 is the biggest reason for what I get, but I have always loved the tone of a marshall amp. I wanted rack gear, so I purchased this one used and have no desire to replace it. The unit makes no noticeable noise and I play loud as h$#^!! because I have a drummer and bassist that compete to see who can be louder. All in the fun of it...
Primarily I play Hard rock, from Iron Maiden to Shinedown, and Metallica to KillSwitch... , so versatility is not a problem. and to be able to change the tones and levels of distortion by a program switch is the best part, I don't have to remember knob presets and make the changes every time. ...or have to line up 12 different stomp boxes each for a different tone. Been there, done that and it makes a messy stage.

Never had a problem.......

Never needed them

I would love to have another for backup, but backup has been un-neccessary since this unit has been flawless. I have been complimented Several times on my tones and how "big-time" my sound is. As compared to other amps I have heard, I will stick with this pre-amp for a long time to come.

this product is extremely easy to edit! theres so many different presets i dont even know where to start!

well, for all those who are posting rants on how bad this product is, maybe you should use it before you trash talk about it. this piece has amazing sound quality, but ony if you use it through hums. single coils dont cut it, even on the clean channels. all you gotta do is run this baby through a nice power amp and your set to go!

i believe so. even though there is no warranty, if you treat things well, this preamp will do wonders for you.

haven't had to deal with marshall yet.

i play many different styles of guitar, and this preamp has done an amazing job at keeping each style individual. i have been using it for quite a while now. i run it through a hafler p3000 power amp (which i know isnt the greatest), but it sounds amazing. the only thing i have against it is its lack of compatibility with single coils. other than that i love this more than any other amp i have owned.

The presets are very easy to call up, and out of that, editing is also very easy.

Most of the preset sounds are'nt too convincing if you use headphones.
I used it once on a TL Audio VTC console as a pre, and then you could get some usable sounds out of it. ( Some were very good)
But this unit is made to use it with a Marshall 9100 or 9200 valve power amp, so have to get my hands on one of these to investigate the full potential of it.
I own a Marshall 6100LE full stack, but as a sole pre the JMP1 can't compete with that,but...(see above).
But it is still a Marshall, so i have a strong positive prejudice. (from the early 80's on they have a ultimate cool status for metal suckers like me, sorry.)

Marshall

The only thing you find on their site about it, is the manual. (do they ignore one of their own babies???)
But if you put a question through their site, you will get always get an answer from them, or from one of their dealers.

It has a very distinctive soundcharacter, which isn't always bad.
The only question is; can i use it for the sound i like.
And that's a matter of taste!!! (and using the right equipment with it)
I think it's a succeeded experiment in creating a MIDI programmable pre amp, but at the wrong moment in time; in the 90's no rocker even thought about it using computer-like stuff, except for some alternative dudes.
But nowadays it wouldn't be such a stupid idea to develop something like this for a DAW workstation, and Marshall is known to invest in new technologies.( which don't always are good, but never are bad) if you want to rock, BUY A MARSHALL!!!

Very easy to use and edit. I like the button feature and the speed at which I can make changes.

Here we go. Channels Clean 1 and Clean2 sound good but not great. A little noisy at peak levels and abrupt at around 8. Still needs more than the pre-amp to finish the sound. Even a little color from an effects processor can make a huge difference. I can live with these 2 channels but there's much better for the outrageous price. OD1 and OD2 sound like crap! I hear no convincing valves tones worth mentioning, but rather sounds more like an overpriced fuzz box. Dirty distortion at the high frequency and gutless for a Marshall. Gain and volume from 7 and above are just full of unwanted noise. Bass shift helps and is quite good but the sound is already bad. I think it could be usefull in a studio for certain tones but certainly not onstage. Those giving such good reviews on this amp can buy mine real cheap!

No problems yet although I've heard complaints about it losing buttons.

Never had to deal with customer support. I'd rather buy another amp!

I'm a recording engineer, musician (over 30 yrs), performer and an award winning songwriter. I use Marshall power amps Valvestate 80/80 and the Marshall 9100 Dual Mono, 4x12 1960a cab. Mesa, Marshall, Line 6, and various other amps and heads. The JMP-1 is just not competitive to other amp sounds when it comes to valve gain.

The unit is very easy to use - it has 4 channells - two overdriven and two clean.In my opinion, you can get used to this day from the first day not even saying that you will love it at the same time. The ease of use just depends on the kind of use. SOme palyers want to connect it straight to the soundcard of their computers, others just want to use it in the rack with poweramp and speakers.

You can get your own sound of this little tube preamp very quickly. This preamp earned a reputation of a very great preamp that has a lot of enemies like triaxis or rocktron prophesy. Most guitarists refer to this unit as "an old friend is better than two new ones".I know that guitar virtuoso Michael Angelo Batio, Iron Maiden, Paul Gilbert used to play on this preamp, And I think they made a right choice. Marhsall JMP-1 has jus enough distortion to play anything from blues to shred and heavy metal.I am currently using JAckson DK2M with Dimarzio ToneZone pickups and the result is very great. The sound is clean and has enough distortion. The amp isnt noisy at all. The only drtawback of this amp is that in order to fully enjoy the sound you would need to use the preamp with any effects unit for colouring the sound. I am actually using this amp through my computer speakers and it sounds nice. Later I want to buy VHT poweramp and probably Marshall vintage cab to fully enjoy the versatality of my amp. But now I am very impressed with the sound of just marshall jmp-1 through pc speakers

I am not a live performer, but I think these preamps are generally built very reliably

Never dealt with the company yet

I mostly play shred and I think this unit is so much better than many modern amps out there because it is has a very high quality. I have been playing for 1 year.I love everything about my marshall jmp-1 and I will definitely buy another one at no time after if it is stolen. I think marhsall jmp-1 is just keeping the top line in preamp products. Comparing it to Peavey Valveking 212 which I had, Marshall is just the product that has a unique tone to it but Peavey is the good product just for its price and does not have a unique tone.

It is easy to get great sounds of this unit. Most of the people here giving reviews compare it to an Engl or a Mesa. It is not one of these so you cannot compare it. it is apples and oranges. One guy said because he was a studio musician he had a good bead on this unit. WRONG. He like so many others are roped into one way of thinking and expect to get something that will do what other units do. No unit is made with the manufacturer's idea in mind that they want it to sound like another product. That's ridiculous.

It is tried and true Marshall sound and can shake the rafters and go up against other pre's. but it IS different.

Also, I am older than most giving reviews here, and many REAL guitar legends use this equipment time and time again. When they want an alternative, Triple Rec sound, they get a Mesa - they don;t try to make their Marshal sound like a Mesa.

Also, just because it doesn;t get the sound YOU think it should or was expecting to, does not mean it is not good sound and does not meet the definition of good tube tone. Different does not mean bad.
Many others are saying use a good power amp. No ****! Use a good power amp for anything! Not just this pre.

Editing patches is simple. Dial in your sound and save it. You can also map patches to MIDI numbers for recalling presets with your switching system.

The manual is simple and Marshall probably figured that tyhose who spend the money on such an item are going to have some experience under their belt. Boy were they wrong because most of the reviewers here have to have their hands held. Play with the unit! Experiment. Good tone for you is good tone. Everyone can tell when the sound is just bad. But something with low noise and that's dialed in the way you like it is good tone. Guitar players the world over don;t just setup their amp to play. There are all sorts of other things going on both in the studio and in live situations.

A lot of these so called experienced reviewers are just former beginners who read certain magazines and articles and they just believe that and nothing else. Go to guitargeek.com and look at all the different setups. Some of these reviewers will say some of them are great and about the same number of others would disagree.

I don;t know the revision number. It sounds great and does the job that I bought it for.

I can get the sounds of my favorite guitar players and many others, because they are using 12AX7 preamps in racks or in Marshall combos or heads and cabs. Can I get a sound like Kurt Cobain? Sort of. its not what he used. Can I get a Hendrix sound going through the pre and my Marshall 50/50 all tube EL34 power amp. Absolutely. Can I get the same sound as the Beatles in the early 60's. Hell no! I need a Vox for that. But the Marshall and the Vox both have great tube tone, they're just different.

With this preamp I can get the sounds of some great STUDIO albums from artists like Journey, Rush, Van Halen, Gary Moore, Deep Purple, etc. I need a Mesa or a Dumble to get my favorite Larry Carlton Sounds.

I use many different rack and foot pedal effects units and they all induce some kind of noise into the signal. That is unavoidable. That's why noise gates, compressors, and limiters where created. It nature folks. The physics of analog electricity and sound just works that way when you are talking about gain.

I use this preamp through a Marshall 50/50 EL34 Dual Monobloc Amplifier. It sounds incredible. Tones of lows and highs whenever and wherever I want it. I also use them through my Vox AC30s and it really gives off a different and cool sound as well. Between the two setups I can dial in a lot of different sounds and I can even mix then=m together to varying degrees to get some of those different timbres, much in the way Eric Johnson does with his Marshall/Fender setups along with a mixer and his array of different footpedal effects.

I have used the same two JMP-1 preamps for over 10 years now and they have never had a problem. They get hot even when being cooled properly. No problems whatsoever. I have replaced tubes in them and each time, these units perform up to standard every time, that standard being 100%.

I would never use any gear on a gig without a backup because of the myriad of other problems or accidents that can happen or be caused by others. A preamp is at the heart of your guitar's sound system so a backup is wise for any preamp. Some effects you can live without when they die on a gig.

Marshal is great about any repairs or answers to questions I have had for them. I have not had many since everything works so well.

I did have a power amp of theirs repaired once and the authorized service repair center was great. The technician was thorough in explaining to me what he had to do and how long he thought it would take, etc.

I play all sorts of styles of music and I never consider myself a slave to one brand of amp, guitar, or effect unit. When I need that signature crunch at any level of volume and distortion I can always count on Marshall. They invented the sound (with a tiny bit of help from the modified Fender Bassman circuit).

I have been a musician all my life, and grew up in a musical family. We all play and studied music formally. I have been playing guitar for nearly 30 years. I own several British-made Vox AC30s, Marshal cabs, Line 6 effects, Eventide, Ensoniq, tc Electronic. I use some MXR, Ibanez, BOSS, Roland effetcs and Ernie Ball pedals along with a Bradshaw switching system and a Sound Sculpture Switchblade.

I would replace this unit in a heartbeat. So many of the sounds people hear from guitars are generated by the Marshall preamp. And it just sounds great anyway. There is nothing about the unit I do not like. I like the ability to bring MIDI into the equation. I have owned Marshall heads and its nice to be able to recal a wide range of different sounds from the push of a button, and also because it is a tube unit. You cannot beat tubes for guitar. Tubes add a character and warmth you can't easily find in a tone of solid-state units.

It helps me make music in the way most of the gear i have does, itcan generate a wide enough array of "colors" that I can come up with something I feel fits into a particular piece of music.

It was pretty easy to have this thing running in no time. One of the easiest units i ever seen, but to tell the truth i haven't seen much. editing patches is pretty easy. manual is straightforward. But i wish it had more details in it regarding how the unit works, and maybe some schematics of the insides.

I play stuff like Children of Bodom, Firewind, Racer X, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Dream Theater and some 80s metal. This unit has way more than enough distortion in it to play that kind of music, and i don't understand why many reviews complain that the unit doesn't have enough distortion. I am not sure about extreme high-gain nu-metal stuff, since i don't play that stuff and i don't tune my guitars lower than D standard, but i think even if you were playing that kind of stuff it could work. After all,"7" from Slipknot used to use one of this units before. I think the unit has enough distortion in it to sustain the most screaming pinch harmonics, so don't take those reviews about weak distortion too seriously. The tone in OD2 is sounds more overdriven, and i prefer it better to the one in OD1. But OD1 is good in its own way, if you are into some classical stuff. I don't use the clean channels at this point much, but i think they sound ok.
My primary guitar that I use with it is Edwards E-AL-120 with EMG HZ pickup. The tone i get from this guitar and amp is very hot and perfect for metal. I plug this unit through speaker simulation output straight to my computer, but i have pretty powerful speakers which are ideal for practicing. I am planning to buy a power amp and cabinets for this unit one day maybe, but right now i just don't see the point as i am pretty satisfied with the tone.
People who complain about weakness of this unit, should try some hot EMG pickups i guess - that's one of my advices. I tried a guitar with seymour duncan 59 in the bridge through this unit - and the tone that i got wasn't as heavy as with my EMG. So maybe it's not all just about the distortion? I can also recommend distortion pedals, although for me it's enough distortion - i really love the natural tone that i get from it, and i don't feel like messing up with any pedals.

I am not a live performer, how would i know.

didn't have to deal with it.

I've been playing for about 2.5 years. I can classify myself as an intermediate to advanced hobbyist. Music is my hobby and i don't make any living out of it. I play for own pleasure and my friends. As i mentioned, i play some metal and instrumental rock for pleasure. If this unit was stolen, i'd probably get another one at some point if i could find it for cheap.
The reason why i got this unit is because i wanted to have something that sounds awesome, something that is versatile and not expensive - after going through various dsp practice amps and computer programs such as amplitube and guitar rig2, where i could never achieve the desired tone, i finally realized that there is nothing better for me than a real valve-driven preamplifier. So i got this used and i feel very happy ever since. I would certainly recommend this unit to everybody - including people like me - who play at home for pleasure - simply because it's an amazing sounding device. Well, maybe professionals should look around more, but for us mortals - it's simply awesome.
There is absolutely nothing that i hate about this unit. I love everything. I can't really compare it to other units of its kind... because i didn't try any other preamps. But i bet others like Triaxis would be better, but they also cost more as well. I can say with confidence that this unit is certainly better than having a practice amp or using those programs such as guitar rig2.

Takes roughly a half hour to get used to. Not all that hard. Intimidating at first, but it has an easy learning curve.

You've got to be kidding me. I can't believe the grief this unit has recieved in here.

Learn to tweak an amp, much less USE it before you review it.

If you pair this preamp with a shitty power-amp, you're gonna be disappointed. That's a given.

I run mine with a Mesa 50/50 on HI-POWER, with the volume and presence dimed. I adjust the preamp's volume to taste. I've gotten more useable sounds out of this amp than any amp I've ever owned.

For tube amps I've owned a Marshall Valvestate, Marshall JCM2000, Marshall JCM900, Mesa DC-3, Mesa Dual Rectifier, Carvin X-100B, and a Fender Bandmaster. Up until this point the only amp that I was almost completely satisfied with was the Mesa Dual Recto. I was still looking for that certain something however and I figured if I could have a Mesa/Marshall rig, I'd be in tonal heaven. Turns out I was right.

If this piece of equipment was half as bad as some of you say it is, would we have modern legends like Stephen Carpenter, Billy Corgan, or Tom Morello using it in their every day live and recording rigs? Hell, "Around the Fur" and "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" were all done with the Marshall JMP-1. You tell me that those tones aren't something special.

I've seen people do anything from mild blues rock to SLIPKNOT, that's right I said Slipknot and pull it off with ease. Just to humor myself I went home to see if I could get a raunchy, blistering nu-metal tone out of it. I rocked my own fucking socks out of my shoes. It's got that bass that makes things shake, those mids that are dark and cut right through, and the treble that sits right between your ears. It sounded like a fucking DIEZEL or an ENGL. I kid you not.


Once a person knows how to effectively tweak the EQ and use each Overdrive channel respectively, this amp is an invalueable asset to one's rig, live or studio. Our band recently cut an EP this summer and I did all of the guitars for the EP. You can check it out at www.myspace.com/descentedsilence.

I've talked to people in person who have owned this unit and are ultimately disappointed with it. My first question is "what kind of power amp are you using", 9 times out of 10 they will say "a solid state" something or other (Peavey, Yamaha, Nady). Well there's your problem. The GUTS and BALLS come from the power amp, and the gravy on top comes from the JMP-1.

Not nearly as rugged as the Mesa/Boogie stuff I've owned in the past, but it's very close. Cosmetically, it's weak. The knobs are fragile and I've lost one of the hexes off the headphone jack already. Otherwise it's a solid unit. Never had a problem with it performing.

There is some hiss and noise problems, especially on OD2 (feedback galore with a humbucker guitar). That's one gripe I have but I'm sure it's an easy fix with a noise gate.

I play anything Alternative Hard Rock and I dive into a bit of Metal territory at times. It has never failed me.

So far I've NAILED (spot on with the record) tones from the following bands :

Paw, Smashing Pumpkins, Pantera, Metallica, A Perfect Circle, Silverchair, Stone Temple Pilots, Everclear, ZZ Top, Hammerbox, Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana, AC/DC, and Van Halen. I'm sure there's more in there that I just haven't discovered yet.

Marshall describes this unit as every JCM and JMP head in one compact unit. They're not lying - it's in there, you just have to know what you're doing.

The presets are nothing special so don't waste your time judging based on the presets.

Hopefully soon I'll get some Pumpkins' clips up on the web. It's immaculate, almost scary how close the tones are on "Where Boys Fear to Tread", "Zero", "Porcelina", and "Jellybelly" are. After all, the album was recorded with a JMP-1.

Don't listen to the naysayers, this is a great preamp.

It's Very EZ to use. I think this is a good preamp for the ppl who're not familiar with "RACK STUFF". Just like simple rack preamps like GOOD-OLD "ADA MP-1", JMP-1 is good for the beginner. Connecting wiht axes, editing patches, everything is pretty simple and easy.

Awright. Since I'm a man who works at studios,I got to tell you about this stuff based on studio sessions,just like my previous review about "H&K's access preamp"

1. Noize

This is not that quiet gear. It's not perfectly clean like Line6's POD stuff, because it has valve inside. Considering it's a valve stuff, it's pretty quiet but you still need some good noise gate for serious studio gigs or recordings.

2. Patches/Sounds

A. Using JMP-1 with Power amp.

I tried this with Mesa/Boogie 2:90, MosValve MV960 poweramps.
And Mese/Boogie 12x4 all Black Shadow cab, Marshall 1936, 1960A cabinets all modified with Vintage 30 speakers.

Sounds pretty good with any power amps, for drive sound valve power amp(mesa) was better, and for clean sound, both TR & valve power amp were good.

But I doubt if I could use jmp-1 with those setting for live gig.
Because its drive sound is too weak. The particles of jmp-1's drive are just too small and fussy. Unlike marshall's MAN-Power overdrive sounds which can be brought from jcm800s or else, it's drive sound is just a bark of Paris's Chihuahua. You can get a heavy distortion sound with it, but still sounds way different the distortion sound of Triple rect's stack. So, even if you got nice power amps, just don't get it for your live gig, cause you'll find you brought the wrong one in 15 mins.

B. Using with Speaker simulator/emulator for Recording

It's pretty good for recording. I tried Marshall's SE-100 which is one of the greatest speaker simulator in history, also palmer speaker simulator that Van Halen used.

Sounds pretty nice, and it has the Marshall charactor. So you'll notice in a few seconds saying "that's a jcm sound" when you here a piece recorded with this.

Simple connetion :
AXE -> JMP-1 -> Speaker Emul -> Gate(optional) -> Recording board

C. Using with other EFXs.

It's really nice to go with extra effects. As you may know, Some preamps (or any other DRIVE Stuff) are not friendly with other effectors so they just don't mixed up enough to get the tone that you want. Some Drive gears just not get "Wet enough" for your Chorus effector, etc.

Most preset patches of JMP-1 are nice to go along your chorus, delay stomps, etc.

When you buy a used Jmp-1,

Don't forget to test the knob.

Turn the knob, test it, if it's OK and tight enough.

This is pretty weak stuff, I saw many used jmp-1 lost their buttons, and I never seen one(used) with knob which is tight and in perfect condition.

It's a marshall stuff, and sounds like marshall.
Don't buy this if you're a jazz musician or whoever what you only need is clean sound. Pretty nice stuff for recording, Great stuff for RACK-Preamp rookie pilots.

I think it's worth the money if buy this for $400 or better price.
And Strongly recommend you to think Again for more than $550.

Very easy to program sounds. The factory presets are very usuable, and need only a little tweaking to suit personal taste. The manual is informative, but the unit itself is easy to figure out.

Sound quality is just what you'd expect from a Marshall amp: lots of crunch and even tones. Noise is not an issue, unless the preamp is on maximum and you're playing at a loud volume level.

I've owned it since the mid 90s and have never had a problem with it (knock on wood...). I've consistently used it for gigs without a backup.

The jmp1 is able to produce excellent rock sounds. It's ok for Fender-type sounds, although other amps are probably better for that. I've been a playing musician for over 20 years, and have had other amps in the past (ADA mp-1, Marshall 50-watt head). I've recently tried the Boss GT-8 and other guitar processors, but the jmp-1 delivers the tube sound I prefer. I'm soon going to be adding a G-major by TC Elec. as an effects unit. Current set-up: Les Paul Custom > Marshall JMP-1 > ART Multiverb > Marshall 8008 power amp > 2 X 2-12s cabinets.