Marshall 2203 JMP MKII Master Volume Lead

Mine was made in 1978. I bought it used. It had already been converted from 6550s to EL-34s. No channel switching, no effects loops, no headphone jack, no reverb, just tone, baby. It has everything I need, and nothing I don't need, so I'm giving it a ten. Even the low sensitivity input is underrated. It's versatile enough for classic rock and classic metal. 100 watts is more than enough power for me. If you're not opening for Metallica at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, then you don't need 100 watts.

I play a Gibson '54 Les Paul Gold Top reissue (the one with P-90s and a wraparound bridge) and a Gibson '57 Les Paul Junior reissue (with a single dog-ear P-90) through this head into a Mesa/Boogie 2x12 Recto Cab (closed-back, of course, with Celestion Vintage 30s). I use this combination mostly for AC/DC, Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, you know, The Classics. Gibson + Marshall = classic rock tone. I played a friend's Fender Tele-Sonic, which is essentially cross between a Gretsch Duo Jet and a Telecaster, through it. Gretsch + Marshall = Malcolm Young tone. Extreme dynamic sensitivity. Even the softest attack gives you enough time for dessert.

Like a camel in the Sahara. You've gotta change the tubes once a year anyway, jerk ass! Gig without a back-up? Are you kidding? What else could I fit in the back of Spidey Mobile (Honda DX hatchback, red)? You've gotta take extra tubes and fuses, though. That's the secret.

It's 25 years old. I'm not the original owner. This doesn't really apply.

I've been playing for 20 years. My other guitars include a Fender '52 Telecaster reissue, a Fender '62 Jazzmaster reissue, and a Fender '70s Stratocaster tricked out to look like the one that Ritchie Blackmore actually played in the '70s. My other amps include an original '63 Ampeg Jet, and original '71 Fender Vibro Champ, and a small-head Mesa/Boogie Maverick with matching custom 2x10 cabinet. I'd probably buy a JCM 800 reissue if this one was lost or stolen. It's the same amp anyway. The Plexi doesn't have a master volume, which I need, so there's nothing else to consider. They should've stopped at the JCM 800. The JCM 900 is crap. The jury is still out on the JCM 2000, but it's no JCM 800. The only thing I hate about it is that I only have one.

My amp is a JMP MKII 2203. This amp is pretty versatile with single coil pickups, but sounds too dirty on the clean channel with a humbucker guitar. No channel switching, no headphon jack or any of that crap. Just gain, master volume, prescence, treble, bass and mid. That's all an amp needs. Not too many features, but there's not a thousand knobs to twiddle with. 6 knobs, 2 inputs.

I've used about every guitar under the sun with this amp. It's pretty damn noisy all the time. It's constantly humming. It's so hard to get the clean channel to break up. The distortion is very very saturated. It sounds great for ROCK and that's about it. It sounds thick and meaty and rich. The clean channel isn't too bad, although I'd like to see what this thing would do with a little reverb...but that'd just be another knob to twiddle with. You can get a huge variety of tones out of this thing by switching guitars and cabinets. It's also pretty tube sensitive as well. I like the sound of it, but it wasn't quite "the most highest tone" I've been searching for. When using this amp, I like to put the gain where I want it, and slowly bring the master volume up until I hear the power-amp to start to slightly break up (around 6 or 7), that's when I get it sounding it's best. This thing sure does sound alot louder than 100 watts...it can eat any modern 100 watt Marshall alive in sure power of the sound.

Well, I blew a fuse a couple weeks after I got it, but other than that it's pretty reliable. This amp has never broken down and I've never had to give it much attention. I would take this on tour with me without a backup...but I'd bring extra tubes, fuses and such. This amp is pretty tough. This doesn't have the problems such as cold soldering and thin PCB's like the newer Marshalls. My friends have to take theirs into the shop all the time. Mine is a workhorse, but I have a feeling she won't be lasting too much longer without needing some work.

Never delt with marshall, but I heard they're alright. I'd prefer to mess with things myself so I head over to certain BBS' (such as the forums at plexipalace.com) to get some advice. If that doesn't work then I call up Vic at Plexi Palace and ship my amp out and he does everything that needs to be done. I can't comment on Marshall's customer service.

I've been playing for about 6 years. I've owned my share of tube amps and cabinets. I also play bass and I've had alot of equipment pass through my hands, but I'm in no means a tube-amp expert...but I like to think I know what sounds good and what doesn't. But it's all subjective anyways.

If this amp were lost or stolen, I'd just get something better. In fact, I'm only going to own this amp for a couple more weeks, I'm trading it for an Orange.
I love the distortion, I hate the ineffectiveness of the versatility without changing guitars. I love the feedback I can get and how saturated it is. I can get great tone at bedroom volumes and this thing sounds so great when it's cranked it's unbelievable. It hums alot and everything seems to be fine...it's just that normal Marshall hum.
I was going to buy this, a Hiwatt or an old Fender. I chose this because it was both vintage, and had a master volume. I hate the way most Marshalls sound and think Marshall is very, very over-rated. This is the only Marshall I've ever played that I liked. It doesn't sound so Marshally at all. It sounds great and I would take this over a Super-Lead or a JTM-45, no matter how much they are worth. I've played other MKII 2203s, and mine certainly has that amp mojo that only 1 out of every 20 or so amps off of the Marshall line seem to acquire. I love the sound, but I need to bring down my inventory and buy an amp I can use for both guitar and bass. I like it, it's been a good friend, it sounds good, but I have to part with her. It's an amp I wish I could keep. This amp is the envy of all my friends who play guitar. They all have newer Marshalls and mine blows theirs out of the water. The new Marshalls sound paper-thin and more like Mesas. The 2203 MKII was probably the best Marshall ever made in my opinion...it's saturated, tough and sounds thick as hell.

I hate to see her go, but there's better amps out there.

My Marshall 2203 was made in 1979. It has one channel and plenty of power to rock. No footswitch or anything like that. It's pretty simple. The distortion is excellent. I can here all the notes in each chord I strum. I would say it has a crisp sound and definitely cuts through the mix when I play with my band. I did try a distortion pedal once but that caused me to lose definition. I never use pedals.

I play a Gibson Les Paul Custom with EMG's. I used to get shocked at times playing and singing through a microphone. Someone told me if I used EMG's that wouldn't happen so that's why I switched the pickups. I am able to get all those classic rock tones and metal tones with ease. It is a quiet amp with virtually no noise. The EMG's help out with the noise factor. I have always felt that a pure signal is best. For this reason I try to use my hands to mimic sounds on certain songs.

I have never had any problems with this amp. It is extremely reliable.

I bought this amp used and had it re-tubed once by a qualified technician. Sounds perfect.

I have be playing guitar since 1980. It's really the only amp I own. My first amp was a Music Man RD 112 my mom bought me for my birthday when I was a kid. I bought this amp when I got better at my instrument. I selected this one because all the guitar players I tried to emulate used the same thing. I really didn't consider any other amp because this was the sound I was interested in. If something happened to this amp I hope I could find the same one.

this is a 1978 marshall JMP MKII 100, it has everything I need:)) TONE!!!!

well, this amp is basicly, GREAT!!!!!!!! great tone, mine is loaded with 4 Sovtek EL 34 but I want to try some 6550's and kt88's on it some day. If you're looking for that 90's Grunge sound, ( pearl jam, sound garden, alice in chains, etc), GET this amp. remember this is no Mesa boogie, this is a real AMP!!! :))

never had problems with it:)

I've been playing for 10 years now, I've had, Solid state amps, a LANEY GH100L( DO NOT BUY THis AMP) , a Marshall jcm900 2100 ( SLX )
and nothing comes even close to my old jmp 2203 :))

This amp was made in 1979 according to the card on the chassis and the serial number. I am lucky to have found one unmodified and in good condition.

It is not the most versatile amp in the world as far as bells and whistles, but it does what it was designed to do VERY VERY WELL. What is it designed to do? ROCK. Straight up, no bull, ROCK n' ROLL! This is the sound of the 70's 80's and 90's all rolled into one beautiful package. Unrivaled clarity, harmonics, sustain, etc. etc. After using modern amps all the time and switching to this old JMP, I will **NEVER** use a modern amplifier again. How's that for a testimony? This thing sounds THAT GOOD.

This amp has one channel, dual inputs (for low and high gain), and controls for PRESENCE, TREBLE, MIDDLE, BASS, MASTER VOLUME, & PRE-AMP VOLUME. Just your standard plug-in-and-jam amplifier.

It is rated at 100 watts, but these came fitted with 6550 power tubes so it actually pushes more like 130-140 watts (i.e. it is VERY loud - using it at home with the volume on 2, palm muting rattles the windows and knocks things off shelves.. this is NOT an at-home-only practice amp).

Speaking of tubes, this amp has new Svetlana 6550's and new Electro-Harmonix 12AX7 tubes.. they provide a VERY QUIET hum-free sound.. you can barely tell this amp is on until you strum a chord and then it knocks you flat on the ground.

I'm playing this amp with a Gibson SG Standard with the 498/490 pickups. No pedals, no bull, just TONE.

I play Independent Rock music (emo, hardcore, indie rock, etc.) with it, and it suits my styles perfectly.. there's just enough gain with the preamp maxed out. If I needed more gain I could swap the first two preamp tubes for EI tubes and maybe change the resistors to "up" the gain, but I don't really feel the need. It is just fine as-is.

The amp has zero hum while working other than a standard "hey, i'm on!" noise.

The amp does "crunch" better than I hoped for. I bought this amp without hearing it first, and when I heard it, I was BLOWN AWAY. Words can't describe how full and 3-D this amp's sound is. After playing modern mediocre amps for years, I have finally seen the light.

I've never had a problem with a Marshall, and I doubt I ever will.

This amp is older than me, and is in pristine condition and has been really taken care of. I don't expect ANY trouble. I'm going to buy a set of spare fuses just in case.

N/A

I've been playing guitar for about 7 years now, and this is my 4th tube amp, and my 3rd Marshall. I don't see any possible scenario where I'd buy another amp to replace this one.

If I lost it, I'd die. If someone stole it, I'd hunt them down and kill them. haha :)

I can't think of anything I wish it had, really. It does what it is supposed to do, and sounds WONDERFUL doing it.

I guess the saying of "they don't make them like they used to" is very applicable here.

Bravo, Jim Marshall.

This is a 1977 super lead mk.II. The back of the amp says Model 1959.
It has a master volume and a high and low input. I just replaced the the original GE 6550 power tubes with GT-EL34's (hardness 7) and tweeked the Bias to 34mV. This old head had been gathering dust for 20 years. I was ready to get rid of it prior buying a Groove Tubes Bias Probe.

On this amp the low input was designed to resemble a Fender amp and it does very well. I use a USA Strat with custom shop Texas specials or a 2001 USA Telecaster with the stock delta-tone PU's. Turn the Master volume to 10 and use the preamp volume to determine the desired over all volume. This will give your Fender guitar that SRV Tone with lots of punch. Use the High output for your Les Paul, SG or Explorer and this amp will produce the ultimate Rock Tone. I use '57 classic pick ups in a Les Paul and a 61 Reissue SG and Super Distortion Diamazio's in an Explorer, all of these ROCK! I have found that the X2N Diamazio will bring a Les Paul to life in the Hard Rock world.

Marshall amps are real work horses. They have never let me down. However, I would recommend, if you have any experience with high voltge DC circuits, that you call Groove Tubes and order a Bias Probe. I bought one recently and have discovered my old Marshalls can produce a wonderful range of Tones to die for!!! The points is you can tweak your amp to your preference without the hassle of taking it to the shop.

Never had a problem.

I've been playing since 1966.I really wish my mother would have bought that stratocaster I wanted in '66. Oh well, it was $100 more than the Kalamazoo. Please, note the price of the head included the two 4X12 cabinets.

i dont know exactly the year of my 2203 lead i think its around 1986 or 87 .i bought it in 1992 used at eugenes guitars plus in dallas ,it doesnt have multieffects or anything just a plug n play jack ,very simple.i use this amp at home ,and do bring it on the road sometimes but i dont like to move it alot ,this amp has what i call police power ,you turn it up and the police will come and see you ,they usually say sounds pretty good but can you turn it down,i say ok thanks

i have a kramer 100 st with a single emg 81 pickup bolted directly to the body with a volume and tone knob i put in myself ,it fits my style great i play hendrix,
van halen, stones, black sabbath, rock.the amp isnt really noisy i have a digitech rp6 i use that cuts out static ,i can play clean or dirty ,the preamp is also a bass extender past 5 it cranks bass i dont turn it up past 4 on the master and 5 on the preamp it is a loud mother humper ,i am using a peavy 4x12 cab now it likes lots of volume i have rewired it and put foam isulating material in it to achieve the marshall speaker sound .

i can always depend on it ,i did have a prob with the tubes glowing red one time intermittenly but i traced it to a bad speaker cable ,i have never changed the tubes in 10 years and it still rocks i guess because i take good care of it never gowing past half volume at home,i dont recomend any mods to this amp ,thats all hype to get you to pay for service work ,the only thing you need is the variac and thats external this amp is alredy a hot rod so why change it

i have never had to call about any repair or service ,i guess marshall kept this amp simple for a reason ,low maintnence ,suits me fine

ive been playing for many years and feel i still cant just wail away some people can pick it up faster i guess.well i bought it to replace a stolen amp and am glad i did .i did have a laney 100watt it got stolen and replaced it with the marshall ,i am getting a new cabinet for my marshall a real 1960b cab i cant wait

The proper name for my 2203 is the JMP Mk.II Super Lead. With a title like that, you can't go wrong! This one dates from 1980 and is equipped with Svetlana EL-34's. As touched upon in numerous other rviews. This is the model that preceeded the famous JCM 800 2203. This is of course a modest 6 knob, 2 input tone machine. You need nothing more than those simple controls to serve as a platform for the most responsive, pleasing, scorching, Boogie killing tone available. This amp will put to shame almost every "production" amp made since. Unlike later versions of this classic chassis, it retains the all important bottom end thump and "horizontal" midrange that is so nescessary to have as a launching pad for any effect to be put in front of it. The later Marshall just don't cut it in the balls dept. Sorry SL-X, TSL, DSL, 900 etc. fans. The truth is out there and it's called JMP. Put a few (or many) effects in front of this puppy and prepared to go on a tone safari. The power stage is 100 Watts. That means this is not a bedroom amp. I can't believe all the poeple that bitch about the lack of distortion at low volumes. Well DUH!. Get a Flextone Spider for your bedrooms folks. This amp is meant to be played at HIGH VOLUMES with a band (I can't believe I feel I have to actually explain this to some of you). The louder it goes the closer to bliss and tinnitus you will get. No rating because it is pure and simple. Dead stock and no-nonsense. The only reason the previous owner parted with it is because he downsized his rig.

I use as my main guitar, a 1993 Gibson Les Paul Classic with a Duncan Seth Lover in the bridge and Duncan Alnico II Pro in the neck. I plug into it with a Marshall Blues Breaker II set on clean boost as well as a Marshall "Edward The Compressor" set at a conservative level. The combiation of those two pedals with the raw tone of the 2203 gives me a very sensitive pick attack and well controlled killer distortion that is no where near the mud and crud of so-called "high gain" modern amps. My style is as simple as my setup. I play old school punk and hard rock through this thing and it gives me everything I need and more. I don't play clean through it, though the low input clean tone is acceptable but lacks the headroom and "sparkle" I get from my Hiwatt DR-505. The straight in distortion and sustain is orgasmic when the amp is cranked up loud and proud. I don't get to do that as often as I like, so the 2 pedals sort of add dimention to the pre-amp at jam volume. I usually play small clubs, so i can't crank up and let fly. The crowd in front would suffer permanent damage. That is why I use the pedals. To avoid law suits. Unlimited potential in the sound dept. Only your pocket book can hold you back.

22 yrs old and still punishing the neighbours. 'nuff said.

Never dealt with them. Nice bunch of folks, I hear.

I own several electric guitars. 3 Les Pauls, Heritage H-157, Fender '62 Re-Issue American Jazzmaster, Hamer Californian, 2 Larrivee neck thru's, Larrivee made Schon, Odyssey, Fury BBM, '67 Gretsch Viking. I retired my 1978 Hiwatt DR-505 in favour of the 2203. I use it through a Marshall 1960 stereo cabinet with Celestion G12s at 16 ohms of course. All in all the best amp I ever owned for loud band situation. The raw tone and volume is unequaled. As I said before, just put you favouite FX in front and get ready for lift off. If you are a tone purist plug your SG straight in and say hello to Angus Young. Who could ask for more? If any of you are curious, my bedroom amp is a Duncan 84-50.

That is all.....

My newly aquired JMP Mark II 50 watt Lead head was made in 1977 and is a pretty stripped down affair: old style, metal flip switches for power and stand-by, presence, bass, middle, treble, master volume and pre-amp controls are all that adord it's surprisingly well-kept exterior. It's generally well known, though, that superfluous controls and electronics only add to deteriorate the overall sound quality and that very much holds true here - I use this amp for my three piece melodic post-punk/handcore band and it totally holds it's own. Our bass player likes a loud-but-zingy tone and our drummer hits *really* hard and this is the only amp I've played that really cuts through enough to add to our noise. It has one channel with high and low imputs.

It is exactly what I need in an amp - I'm a little hesistant in giving it a 5, but to be honest if you're the sort of person who needs three channels with reverb and harmony switches, this is not be the head for you.

As for me, no reverb and just the minimal features is just what I need. So for my needs I give it a provisional 10.

I play a Fender Strat with a stacked Dimazio humbucker and, as mentioned, my band plays fairly melodic post-hardcore/punk (think bands like Jawbreaker, Fugazi, Jawbox, Alkaline Trio, Samiam etc.) and this amp suits it perfectly. It's not, say, Deftones heavy, but for a heavy sound that is bright enough to cut through heavy drums and bass, this rules the roost.

The only slight problem I have with my head is that it has a slight hiss/buzz to it. I've been told that this is due to the old style of power lead it requires (ie. a round socketed one, not a kettle plug). It does seem to make more noise it it ends up going through a bunch of extention power leads instead of direct to the mains, but I'm pretty sure that my quite badly earthed guitar has something to do with the noise. At normal levels, it doesn't cause any problems, though.

I recently used this amp in the studio and the hum was barely audible. The sound is quite simply the best punk guitar sound I've heard for only 2 guitar tracks (left and right stereo) - very warm and full, but with enough beef to be pretty damn rockin'.

I've heard that the 100W version requires much higher master volumes to get the same degree of distortion, so the 50W is ideal. It's REALLY loud. I'm used to playing through a borrowed 100W JCM 900 (and for a while that was the amp I was after) but this kicks it's arse for volume and tone. I don't even use a distortion pedal - just a volume pedal to tone it down a bit for quieter moments.

The low channel gives a nice, warm clean sound, but I use the High channel exclusively. It sounds like a heavier AC/DC or a very full pop-punk Green Day / Dillinger Four / Foo Fighters sound. It does seem to sound better through an older cab as opposed to the newer stuff (which favour the electronics laden newer JCMs) and the tone and sustain just sings... What it lacks in "brutal" heaviness, it makes up in full-bodied tone.

At first I noticed it cut out very slightly every so often, but I soon realised this was due to the power lead. I added a few layers of thin tape to the outside of the end of the lead to make it 'stick' in the power socket a bit better and it's not had the problem since.

This amp is a year older than I am and from what I've heard should have plenty of life in it yet. The EL34s have probably been replaced since it was made. I'm not worried about this having any problems any time soon. This is how Marshall amps should still be made.

Marshall is pretty much the rock industry standard. Although I've had no dealings with Marshall themselves, I imagine most reputable guitar shops can help you out should you encounter any problems.

I've played through a lot of other amps since, in the 3 years or so my band has been gigging/recording, I've not had my own proper equipment and have used a friend's JCM 900 set-up or had to borrow when that was not available. The studio where we practice has an old, beat-up JMP which I tried out and was throroughly impressed with - I endeavoured to track down one for myself and found that my own head sounds much better than the one in the studio! Other than the slight hiss as mentioned above (if anyone has any suggestions as to how to fix this, please drop me a line) this amp is PERFECT. It's very loud, very clear and warm and is the dog's nads for the type of stuff I play. I cannot reccomend this amp enough. If you can get hold of a good sounding one for a reasonable price - DO IT! The local jerks at Music Ground here in Leeds, UK quoted me #1000 to get hold of this head and I got it for a quarter of that price. They're becoming harder and harder to get hold of, so keep your peepers peeled.

I don't know the exact year but I think it's either 83 or 84. The amp is a no-nonsense, single channel, all-tube rocker. There is little gain without pedals at bedroom level but when it's cranked, watch out. I play hard-rock that's similar to Gn'R, the Cult, and the Stooges and it is almost perfect. The only thing I wish it had built in is a gain knob so that I don't have to kill my parents when I practice.

I use a Gibson Flying V with Seymour Duncan pup's (JB in bridge and Alnico II Pro in the neck). The Duncan's complement the amp extrememly well and gives me a really fat, tough tone. It was a little noisy until I had it repaired and cleaned out. The amp gain get a great crunch an clean tone. The amp is great to layer effects on since it's so basic. The distortion won't compare to a Soldano or Mesa but it fits my need perfectly.

Hasn't died on me yet.

Never had to deal with them.

This was my first tube amp and it was one of the best gear choices I have ever made. I've been playing for about 6 years and I know a good amp when I hear it (at least I like to think I do). I was originally looking for a Marshall Silver Jubilee 2550 or 2555 but no luck. I am a huge fan of Slash and I was looking for his amp too. If it were lost or stolen, I'd try looking for a Silver Jubilee one more time. I played the amp for the better part of 3 hours before I made up my mind. It's not the best amp for METAL guys unless they add an eq to cut mids but it suits my style perfectly.