Marshall JMP-1 Tube Pre-Amp

Getting a good sound out of this preamp depends on how it is being used. IT NEEDS A GOOD POWERAMP, something that will crank out all of the bass and thick mids that this rthings puts out. Editing patches could not be easier to be completely honest, all self explanatory. The manual tells you everything that you coulsd have figured out for yourself upon opening the box. I do not know the firmware revision number off of the top of my head and I'm not in the position to take apart my rack and open the unit to find out.

Q: Can you get the sound of your favorite artists?

A: I'm not really about that, because IMHO if you want to get the sound of your favorite artist; you're going to need that exact rig that he/she is using and even then it may not sound the same. However, I am influenced by the tone of other artists, and thus work off of that to find a sound that I can say is tailored to me. I'm a very big Deftones fan and due to the use of the JMP-1 on many of their recordings, I opted to try it out. No, you will not be able to nail the Deftones White Pony tone, or the Smashing Pumokins MCIS tone, or any other amazing sounding recordings employing the use of this preamp. I will say that you can come close to it :-) I purchased this preamp because 90% of my favorite tones are present on records where the artist used this preamp.

Q: Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? Very bad?

I personally like lower fidelity, grindy, out of control guitar tones. This unit can produce those quite effectively. I'm not one for scooped mids either. By the way, you can get all the mids in the world with this thing or you can get the most rotten scooped mid sound you've ever heard, or close to it. So, as for distortion/overdrive, this unit does what I want it to do. Effects and such, it handles them very nicely. The clean channel is OKAY with me. Marshall's strong suit was never crystal clear shimmering clean tones. I'd prefer a Fender Twin or something of the like for my clean tones, but for now, this unit will do. One quality I have to say I love about this preamp is the punch that it has, but that also has alot to do with the poweramp being used, which leads me to the next question.

Q: What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?

A: Fender Mexican Stratocaster with Blue LS, Gold LS, SD Hot Rails from neck to bridge respectively. Fender American Telecaster with SD Hot Rails in the bridge. Signal is ran in series through a pedalboard consisting of a Bozz Hyper Fuzz, SIB Varidrive, Digitech Whammy, Boss DD-6, Boss PH-3. Signal then encounters an Axxess Electronics BS-2 splitter in the back of the rack where the signal is split one way into a Korg DTR-1000 and the other way into the input of the JMP-1. The signal from the JMP-1 is ran through an Alesis 3630 Compressor where it then goes to a VHT Two/Ninety/Two poweramp. Standard Marshall Cabinetry is used after the poweramp. Stock 1960.

Q: Is it noisy? On what settings?

A: VERY VERY NOISY on any setting other than clean or moderate crunch. Can be easily corrected with a noise gate, HUSH unit, or anything of that nature.

Q: Are the effects weak or do they always sound great?

A: I don't use a whole lot of effects outside of delay and chorus but they are both complimented with regards by this preamp.

Q: What amp are you using it with?

A: As stated above, a VHT Two/Ninety/Two poweramp.

I will now add a few notes about the sound quality of this unit. If you're looking for the Rolls Royce or Ferrari of tones, do not purchase this unit, you will be gravely disappointed. If you're looking for a real mean and hellish tone, purchase this unit. The unit could be tighter as far as bass goes. As I said above, less noise would be optimal. Despite it being a "VALVE PRE" it uses a fair deal of solid state electronics followed by the use of two 12AX7s. New tubes WILL clear up the sound of the unit. Use of a poweramp that can deliver what is needed to be delivered is absolutely essential. The VHT is one of the few poweramps that can accomplish this task. This is almost fully responsible for delivering the bass that this preamp puts out and thus being very punchy, unit could also be considered by some as "boomy" at first. Fine EQing IS needed. That's a minus for some folks. It also has a lot of what many may consider "undesired brightness and harshness." It's all about how you want it to sound.

Q: Can you depend on it?

A: Yes, I have never had a single problem with the unit. I've owned it for a litte over a year now.

Q: Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

A: Have done it. Will continue to do so until I have the funds to purchase another preamp.

As far as customer support/repairs goes, I have not dealt with anybody concerning this piece of equipment. I have dealt with Marshall before and had no problems at all.

I have not given the preamp any mods or upgrades yet. I plan on it though. The unit has not needed any repairs since I've owned it.

Q: What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?

A: I play in a metal band and I also play in a rock oriented band I guess you could say. I hate genres. The unit does exactly what I need it to do.

Q: How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?

A: Been playing for 6-7 years, also own a Marshall TSL 100 head, another Strat that is currently out of commission and awating mass repairs, and a Marshall AVT 20.

Q: If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

A: At first I'd get a VHT GP-3 then I'd get another JMP-1.

Q: What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?

A: Love: Heavy tone (very general descrip..) Hate: THE NOISE. Favorite feature: Instant recall from a bank of patches that I will probably never fill up and being the first piece of equipment to settle my tone quest for some time.

Q: Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?

A: I compared this with a Triaxis and Recto Pre. Both of which weren't really my thing. BUT, that can be considered invalid since those units were not used in my rig and put through the weeks of EQing that I've put into the JMP-1. A true comparison would be to have the units being compared placed in the exact same scenario that they would be normally used in while comparing.

Q: Anything you wish it had?

A: LESS NOISE (a small pet peeve of mine is obviously noise) ALL tube circuitry (no solid state components involved with the signal path.)

Q: Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?

A: The first piece of equipment that has helped me in a long time.

Q: Anything else you'd like to share?

A: Pretty confident I've covered all I can think of covering at this time.

Very simple user interface. Can be operated without a manual

I bought this unit second hand because it was cheap and I believed the hype. I've used it for recording and live through a el84 power amp, both through a 4x12 and two 1x12's. I have read harmony central reviews millions of times but have never felt so strongly as to write one. This unit is a piece of garbage, and before you make assumptions about the credibility of this review I am a guitar teacher/session player and have used every amp under the sun and to good effect. Pound for pound this is the worst piece of kit I've ever used. Firstly,the term valve preamp is very misleading as the JMP sounds transisterized. I suspect that the valves are part of the EQ circuit as with some valvestate gear. How, therefore, do Marshall justify the cost of this festering turd of a preamp.
To be more specific then, the clean channel is thin and lifeless and although I don't expect a Marshall to sound like a Fender, I normally quite like Marshall cleans as they're good for rythym (not being overly intrusive).
The 1st overdrive channel is a waste of time. The second overdrive channel can produce some reasonable harmonics and overtones but still within the confines of a preamp lacking in body and tone.
Furthurmore, what is going on with the FX loop? It does next to nothing from increments 0-6, after which point you're swimming in effects.
Believe me, I don't wish to be one of these people that gives everything a 1 or 10 out of 10, but considering the cost of this unit it deserves a 1. Had the asking price been ??150 brand new I would give it a generous 3....maybe.
I hope this review is of use to someone, as I am writing it as a warning to potential buyers. If you however like the sound of this preamp, then I know a really good ear, nose and throat specialist who can help sort out your ears.

Didn't own it long enough to break it although I did consider it.

Never dealt with them for this unit.

I have to play everything in my profession and this unit does nothing well. In my 18 years of playing I have used Boogies, Laneys, Torres, Fenders and countless Marshalls of which I still own a JCM800 4212 (superb, by the way-how a Marshall should sound), and nothing has offended my ear sufficiently for me to feel the need to warn others. I know why so many people use these things. On paper it's the perfect preamp;-small, light, flexible, MIDI switchable etc etc. I wanted to like it for the same reasons and I think that Marshall have played on this.
I've already sold the JMP1 now, but had someone stolen it I'd have had to hunt them down and shake their hand.
It's a shame you can't add to these reviews later, becaues I feel I've forgotten to rant about something, there is so much wrong with this unit!

Take 10 minutes of your time and sweep all the parameters to get to know the eq, and how the gain/volume responds to your poweramp.
Find the sound you want press store once, then choose the number of preset you want and press store once more. Voila you now have stored a preset. If you are using the loop for an effect you need a bit of basic knowledge. But that goes for any amp with a fxloop.

Here is the reason for why i desided to make a review of this astonishing piece of art.
It sounds so good on the od 1 channel alone, that i would have bought it even if it was a one channel preamp. I use this channel for 90% of my playing. It is so raw and transparent it`s unbelivable. i use it for hendrix style to searing metal sounds. All i can say is that you have to check it out if you havent had a chance yet. It have enough gain, but does not compress your sound and hide sloppy playing (i believe a couple of the people who dislike this unit, actually have to improve their playing skills...) The clean channels is weaker than the od channels. But i dont use the clean channels much any way. With a good guitar you can use the volume knob and adjust the gain you want. Works for me...
The od2 channel is more compressed and not as transparent as the od1 channel. But for shredding and soloing it is great! But for brutal tight rythm guitar it is all about using the gain with moderation. Where you can hear each note, and how hard you strike the strings.

I actually sold mine... Wanted something else. Had a fender twin, a mesa nomad and triaxis, rocktron piranha and voodu valve. I tried a bunch of pedals (tonebones Trimod, plexitube and hot british all sounds good but not great) Boss pedals, fulltone and maxxon.

Guess what. I ended up buing two jmp-1`s in sted. After two years of searching for the sound i wanted. And realised that the sound i want may change a bit. But it is to be found mostly in my playing skills.

i use it with a prs standard 24 and an american double fat strat with duncans.

Not to mention that for direct recording it sounds wonderful. But you have to make separet preset for direct recording. Because it sounds different than thru an amp. But it is the best way to record distorted guitars. Unlike digital modelers it has dynamics and let all notes shine trough. I have a pod xt and a v-amp 2. Both units sounds good for compressed hi gain sounds, but they dont respond the way the all analog jmp-1 does. Also tested the vox tonelab for a couple of days (it has a tube, but all the gain is made digital.)

At the end of the day. Jmp-1 is may not the right unit for every guitar player in the world. But for most it wil give years of addictive sounds that make you wanna play. And with the right setup you wanna make your ears bleed...

I give this one a 9 because of the clean sounds.
It should also have realtime midi control for the volume. If there is one thing marshall should improve on the jmp-2 that is all they need to do.

Works fine. Never had any problems. Put it in a rack and keep it there. That`s it.

Never had to deal with them

Sounds amaxing for most styles from hendrix to metallica and beyond. It is amazing with seven strings and lower tunings. But it sounds best when used with a closed cabinet. And it prefers at least one 4x12 and truly shrines with two 4x12 cabinets. Use a tube poweramp with it. But it sounds great with a valvestate 8008 (i have one for backup.) But it screams with a marshall 9200 poweramp and two 1960 bas one vintage loaded and one g12-75
Been playing for 17 years. Weekly gigs the last 11 years or so.
As mentioned earlyer in my review i miss realtime midi control over the overall volume.
It has improved all aspects of my playing skills and is truly one one of the best ways to make your guitar scream.

If you cant figure out how to use this after reading the manual there may be something wrong with you.

Editing is very easy.

Let me clear something up the people who say you cant get a good metal tone (hardcore,black metal etc...) out of this are freaking high. You can go from 70's prog rock to Death Metal.The cleans are good, you just have to find your sound and tweak it to your specs. If you dont like the Marshall sound than this is not for you and you should of never bought it.

I am using the jmp1 with a 1960 lead cab, rocktron hush, boss gt8 and a EL34 100/100

Guitars that I use with this rig Jackson USA Soloist, Fender USA Fat Strat w SD's, Gibson Classic LP.

I have had it for 2 years and its great!

I would like to have a backup just in case.

I had some questions and I sent Marshall a email and they got back to me within a day.Did they know what they were talking about well thats another issue.

-I play Heavy Metal (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Opeth, Death, etc...) and this thing is perfect.
-Been playing for 10 years.
-If it was stolen I would buy another one.
-I love the fact that its so easy to use.

First of all, ya get 26 factory sounds from the guys at Marshall!!!
IF you didn't.. (Then hold OD1&Clean1 down as you power up) They will reinstall. Of course, you will loose the patches you made... I will probably use most of there patches cause they completely cover the board as far as "MARSHALL Tone". If you???re spending the cash to build a great rack system, then you should definitely check this bitch out! DO YOUR HOMEWORK KIDS. What sound are you going for? I Read the manual once and I???ve been good sense:) As far as editing patches, I agree (sometimes) that the EQ could be better but after I have spent adequate time with it at all volumes I realized that most of the time I am just full of shit! This is a great and very natural sounding pre-amp and it does the job and does it really well. I've built a rack system so POST EQing takes care of that problem:)

It sounds really good with a really good power amp. I personally use a Mesa 2:90, and it kicks ass! (Leave the deep switching off on the Mesa)The Marshall has a bass shift button that adds low end and if you use both, it gets strange. If you want to hear what this thing can do then listen to "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" by the Pumpkins! Corgan and Iha pretty much covered the tone board with all kinds of guitar tracks to listen to.

I am using the Mesa 2:90
Marshall JMP-1
T.c. Electronics G-system
Two 1x12 Woodring Cubes with Celestion G12T-75's
G&L S-500 w/ Dimarzio HS-3(bridge) HS-2's(Neck, Middle)
Also, I changed the Pre-amp tubes in the Marshall and Mesa to JJ Ecc83S's and I put JJ 6L6 GC's for power tubes. BACK THE FUCK UP!!!

If your looking for a sound that is unique and natural, then you have found it. If you want the sound of a JCM800 and that's it, then buy one of those. Yes, this does sound a bit different but you have to realize that it is a different animal.

Yes, it is a little noisy on the OD channels. Duh!
Hush it out if ya need to.

Never had a problem with it and I have spend every fucking dollar I have on all this gear so I can't afford a back up. I'm not worried. I take care of my shit, and it takes care of me.

I haven't delt with Marshall. If I have a problem, I will consult one of the reliable locals who know what to do.

I desire versatility!!! I need to go from hear to there and back in no time. This is the best match for me and if it were stolen I would kill that mother fucker and put it back into my rack where it belongs:) I have been playing for 16 years. I chose Marshall because I love the beauty (some) of there amps produce. They, like everyone, make some shit, but I truly feel that I struck gold when I bought this pre-amp.

As far as what style of music that I write and play, well, search for "bamboo needle" on myspace and you can hear a little of what I sound like.

Every piece of gear you buy matters!!! If you buy a shitty power amp and try to run this thing, it probably will sound like shit. Who knows, it may be perfect for you. My point is, that most players who buy a quality piece of gear like the Marshall JMP-1 and give bad reviews either don't know what they have bought/ what the hell it does, or they haven't figured out what THEY want yet. So again, DO YOUR HOMEWORK:)

You've read the features. I just wanted to point out one thing. Has parallel effects loop, but when dialed to '12' becomes a serial effects loop, which is what I do. This way, my effects unit controls all the dry/wet signal. Less tweaking.

Very easy to use. Easy to program and get a good sound. Manual is O.K. My unit is brand new.

Gear: Ibanez JS1000, Gibson Les Paul standard, Fender Strat, all with Duncan ???59 pickups > tube screamer(Analog Man) > JMP-1 > DOD 15 band graphic eq > G-Force > VHT two/fifty/two > 4x12 cab w/Greenbacks. I???ve been playing in bands for nearly 30 years and have owned and played many different amps. Currently playing classic rock. Van Halen, Satriani, Deep Purple, etc.

Been using a Triaxis for about 8 years and must say I like the Marshall better. Maybe I just needed a change. The JMP-1 is easy to set up. The Triaxis is a little more sophisticated. To this day I???m still tweaking the Triaxis. I???d rather be playing than tweaking.
I???ve read many reviews on the JMP-1 concerning it???s design with preamp tubes (analog vs digital). I???m critical about my tone. I let my ears decide for me. Tube tone is the way to go, in my opinion. The JMP-1 sounds great. Isn???t that what it???s all about? I???m not an electrician. I don???t know how much of the signal passes through the tubes. All I know is it has a great sound and feel. Having a good tube power amp also helps.

I tried the speaker emulated outputs into my power amp instead of the normal outputs. It had a different sound, but I didn't like it and went back to the normal outputs. Try it.

JMP-1 vs Triaxis? It???s a matter of opinion. Both are versatile. With my rig, the JMP-1 sounds great. I like it better than the Triaxis. It has a more aggressive, metal tone to it. Darker perhaps, depending how you set it. Good classic Marshall tone. Won't do death metal unless you throw an eq in the effects loop. I use OD1 channel with my TS doing a little pushing. OD2 has tons of gain, but sounds too nasaly. This preamp does not need a gain booster in front of it, but I use my TS mainly for the nice midrange boost it produces. Clean tones? The Triaxis has the edge, but not by much. The JMP-1 can get great clean tones. I can definitely work with it. I???m not much a clean player anyways. If you want clean, buy a Fender.

Just got it.

Haven't dealt with support.

Bottom line - the Marshall JMP-1 is worth checking out. Don???t go strictly by what you read. Let your ears help you decide. I???m keeping both preamps in my rack. JMP-1 is my main, Triaxis my backup.

Q - How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?

A - The thing about the JMP-1 is that it takes time to tweak. I've found that most *good* tube amps/units are generally NOT "plug-in-and-play". If you're not patient about tweaking and adjusting, you probably shouldn't be playing through a Mesa or a Marshall. However I guess to sum it up I'd say I've spent about 3 hours worth of tweaking time to get my sound.



Q - How about Editing patches?

A - Editing is fairly easy. Spend 10 minutes with the controls and you get a good idea of what each button does.



Q - How is the manual for it (if there is one)?

A - Mine was used so it did not come with the manual. At first you think you need a manual, but after spending some quality time with the unit you realize that you really don't NEED the manual to get what you want out of it.

Q - Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? / Who are they?

A - The main goal of this preamp was to get the sound of The Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. That's not too far fetched since they used one extensively on the record. I finally did flag down the settings for the JMP-1 used on the record - out loud it sounds nothing like it, but stick a mic in front of it and put it to tape, and it's perfect. However the real gem about this preamp is that it's so easy to find your own sound. It's not a one trick pony by any stretch of the imagination. Change one point on any dial and you have a different sound. If you feel creative about guitar tone, this preamp is for you.


Q - What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?

A - I run the JMP-1 through a Mesa Classic 50/50 preamp through a Crate Excalibur 4x12 (Celestion V30s). It's very important to dime the volume and presence on the power amp because the Marshall is a solid state/tube hybrid. This way you're getting more tube saturation and less solid state op-amp distortion. For guitars, I have several Fender guitars - I love Fenders and it's all I usually play. But be warned that this amp is completely and totally biased for humbucking guitars. Throw a stock Strat or Tele through there and you're bound to be disappointed. In fact you may even want to sell it right away. Right now my main axe has become a Fender Toronado for such reasons (humbucking pickups). I'm going to try a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster and see if I can get the same sound out of my Strats and Teles without butchering the electronics. Les Pauls and SG's are a dream for this amp.


Q - Is it noisy? On what settings?

A - Ha. My drummer complains that it sounds like a jet plane taking off when you're not playing. If you roll off the volume on your guitar (so it silences the pickups) and still have the volume high on the preamp, a constant hiss occurs and it's by no means a subtle one. The preamp is noisy and is probably due to the solid state circuitry.


Q - Are the effects weak or do they always sound great?

A - Depends on how you tweak it. This pre can sound like a toy, or it can sound monstrous. My general feeling is that the preamp sounds really toy-like and harsh, but it records amazingly well and cuts through like magic. In fact maybe my description is a bit harsh itself; compared to most other amps it kicks their ass all the way to Mars. It's just not as warm as a Plexi or the older Mesa/Boogie amplifiers.


And just like any other amp (I'm amazed at how long it takes some musicians to figure this out - and some never do) the way it sounds by itself will not sound the same once you bring it into a band setting. In order to cut through and stand out, I have to set it to a very very mid-heavy setting. In fact by itself the "band setting" sounds extremely obnoxious and even annoying. However it works great and records even better. And the harmonics! The harmonics! More pinch harmonics than you can imagine. I sound like a professional through this thing.

Half of it seems built really well (the chassis) but the knobs are plastic and one false step while carrying it will result in some broken command parameters. Take extra special care in transporting and while rocking out. No you cannot jump on this thing with the "people's elbow" and expect it to survive. I've always felt Mesa held the upper hand when it comes to construction and build quality.

Q - What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?

A - I have always been an Alternative Rocker at heart. I love grunge, I love 90s rock, and I love psychedelic rock. That pretty much describes our band right there. And it works excellent. I would recommend it to anyone who plays 90s rock. Maybe not as a main unit (but you can certainly use it that way) but perhaps as a side dish for more interesting tones.


Q - How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?

A - Four years. Wow that's much longer than it feels. I'm not going to boast about my gear but let's just say I have more Fenders than you can shake a stick at and enough pedals to last me through five gigs of stage infernos.

Q - If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

A - I'm young. I don't have much experience in tube amps YET. While I feel I have found a great sound in this preamplifier, I still have the excitement and motivation to try many more amps. This preamp doesn't shout my name but it sure sounds good. If it were lost, stolen, or broken I would probably end up with another Mesa/Boogie. Those Mesas are great amps and I love them to bits. Marshalls are great too but Mesas have a certain quality to them that cannot be matched.


Q - Anything you wish it had?
A - Better compatability with single coil guitars.

Q - Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
A - It's inspiring. When you have good gear that is responsive to your playing, it just helps you write better.


Q - Anything else you'd like to share?
A - For the used price it goes for, it's about fair. I would never consider purchasing it at the catalog price though. Way too much.

Equipment is being used with a Jackson Dinky 2 (with Duncans configured: neck-sc; middle-sc; bridge-hb; 5-position pickup selector) and a Roland GR-707 Guitar-Synth (2 stock hb's, 3-position pickup selector). On ocasion, I'd put a Rickenbacker 4001 bass with active EMG's through it for effect with varied results.

To me, the preamp is pretty good for the type of music I make, since it's not the extreme rock kind but slightly more towards classic rock. As said before by others, if you're looking for a Soldano, Buddha, Orange, etc. you won't find it here, neither will find those sounds for nu-metal. (or at least I haven't tried as per my musical needs). But the unit screams if properly zoned in.

For the type of music I play and for most of what I hear (Beck, Clapton, Hendrix et al) plus some 80's-90's, It's an excellent preamp. Some people have said there's no good distortion out of it but IMHO it all depends on what you have. In my case more distortion with the Jackson, less with the Roland (probably because the 707 is been aged more and the other is kind of the new kid on the block). Direct to computer is pretty good and sounds real, not a distortion box, not an emulator. Be warned again, if you're after that "Chop Suey!" kind of sound, look somewhere else, or probably use something else along with it. The sound of this unit is quite articulate. Try Beck's rendition to "A Day In The Life" with a middle pickup strat, roll off the highs in the guitar just at the point where the tone knob sets in, with a OD2 with a 16-18 drive and you'll know what I'm talking about. Even if you do through headphones.

Basic features have been discussed already, so now you know what this unit has. One thing to note, units aren't shipped with 12AX7's, but european Marshall ECC83's which, have slightly different gain (the latter has the highest).

Make year: 1995, specially tuned for Mexico AC (noted on power transformer)

Boutht used from 2nd party at Ebay, with severe cosmetic damage. (later on I knew there was extensive repair to/meddle with printed circuits)

I only wish it had real-time midi control over volume, drive and distortion. Another downer is that simulated output can't be programmed (except via volume & drive programming, which I use for "voicing" guitar drives).

Unit is used in my personal studio for my (now difunct) online music page where I used to release my solo efforts.

I'm giving a 9 here because of the lack of midi realtime control I wish it had. (i.e., I can't do the gradual distortion "set-in" through "To Sleep, Perchance To Dream" section of Rush's "La Villa Strangiato" with it along with my ART X-15 midi floorboard, although it would be nice).

For a long time the unit went rock-solid, but being in a country where AC changes a lot, I suppose my unit suffered from a brown-out and the transformer gave in. It used to overheat anyways.

Could use a backup, but they're so overpriced nowadays.

At this point I'm trying to contact Marshall for service, parts or just plain rejection, to no avail. No answer as of this date (have one month insisting via email).

Although I have inspected the rest of the parts via schematic, it seems a well-built unit. Case and frame are solid-built. One complain is that sometimes some components are a pain-in-the-neck to desolder for service, namely diodes, diode bridges and the aforementioned power transformer. I would have used another method to affix that one to the PCB instead of clamping the connecting pins. Maybe mounted on the frame, then use connecting pins.

I've played for as long as 20 years now, in & out because I mainly play bass and keyboards, but guitar to write.

Other stuff I own goes from a Rick 4001 bass to several keyboards, bass pedals, an Ovation Acoustic, and the unevitable DAW.

Oh, yea I would bleed to death if it was stolen. Now I'm so sad since it's broken, my friends think my girlfriend left me or something like that. I'm desperate for fixing it.

Maybe what I like the most of this unit is absolutely brilliant. At least to me. I would not compare to others because other brands and makes are different.

I'm giving here a 9 alghough my unit is broken and Marshall haven't responded and I haven't found a person who can repair it yet (for a reasonable price) or someone who can sell spare parts. I still love this unit, I don't want to let it die.

I'm using a Jackson PS6-T which is just a good guitar, despite the ordinary stock pickups (will get a pair EMGs soon). I'm running this thing through a Marshall EL34 50/50 power amp and a 1960B cabinet, and let me tell you this thing really rocks.
The distortion you get is as brutal as you might want: with those pickups I can get decent long-sustained pinch harmonics at a gain of 16 of a max of 20 in the OD2 channel.
OD1 channel is very vintage -not my style, but it sound awesome though. I haven't tryed the clean channels extensively yet, so read other opinions to get a decent descripction.
Some words on noise: The unit is practically noiseless, but you must keep it away form any power amp because it picks the 50Hz hum (I live in Argentina). 1 or 2 rack spaces away from my power amp is good enough.
Don't rate it 10 because I couldn't compare it with a Triaxis yet -that could leave it this way or make it a 10.

Well, everyone must know this by now, but I'll state them:
2 12AX7 valves that drive this preamp
100 programable MIDI-controllable Patches
4 channels: 2 Clean, 2 Distorted
Parallel FX send and return
Common controls: Bass, mids, treble, presence and a Bass Shift
Emulated speaker outputs

Well, the features are what any reasonable person might expect: nothing else than what a preamp is supposed to do. Anything beyond that would we for an fx processor.
There is a point on some of the features: As the thing is fully programable, every "knob" is digital and takes certain discrete positions. For the volume (not so very important) and Gain "knobs" they run from 0 to 20 values, which is great; but on the EQ section these values run from -6 to +6. At first I thought this was restricting my settings a lot, but after you hear how much you change the sound on every bit you realize it's good enought.

It's been a short time since I got it, so I can't tell well. Even though I bought it used and Nobody ever had any problem with it and it's build like a tank.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 5 years now and I must say I have a nice piece of gear.
If it was lost or stolen I'd be mad because these things are quite hard to find here at this moment, and are quite expensive to us due to our deficient economy. But away from this fact, I'd like to try how good is a Triaxis compared to this thing.
Didn't like the fact that picks hum form a power amp that's close to it, but I can live with it.
Again for the overall rating, I don't give a 10 because I didn't have the chance to compare it with a triaxis. When I do, I'll come back and post it!

I'm using it with a Gibson Les Paul Studio, a Boss SE-50 signal processor, a Boss GE-21 equalizer, a Yamaha A100 mosfet power amp and a Mesa-Boogie 100 watt passive speaker.
I've been fiddling with it for several weeks now, and I can't seem to get good distorted sounds. The clean sounds are rather good, expecially with the bass shift feature turned on. The two clean channels sound not too bad if saturated, even though they don't impress me much compared to other units. The distorted channels, well, unless I miss something important here, they are disappointing at best. They only sound decent with a massive amount of gain, but even then, the tone is not so good (a bit harsh with a lot of midrange no matter how one fiddles with the EQ controls). With low-to-moderate amounts of gain, the distorted channels sound quite bad. Very "glassy" and nasal, with very little sustain. I will keep on trying, but having read others' reviews, I don't think this unit will ever sound quite right. And I don't feel many hints of warm valve sound too; it sounds like solid state to me. I do prefer my Korg A4 for distortion, even though it's not hi-fi sound.

It seems to have what it's needed: MIDI operations, effects loop, enough memory for patches, stereo sound, channel switching, and amp simulator circuitry for direct desk injection.

I have just recently acquired it used, and unless the above mentioned sound quality problems depend on some kind of tube consumption, I must say it seems reliable. AFAIK the internal battery is now about 12 years old, and it still runs (good thing, because I've read that it's a pain to replace); the unit has been carried about quite a lot (if in a sturdy rack) but is in good working order.

No opinion; never dealt with them but the user manual, which I lacked, is online, which is good.

Given the problems with sound quality, I would only recommend it if you were lucky enough to get it for a very good price, like myself (well, I had it for free!).