Marshall 2203 JMP MKII Master Volume Lead

My amp was made in 1979. It just features Presence, Bass, Mid, Treble, MV and Gain. One channel, no effect loop. You can't say this is versatile, but this baby reacts wonderfully sensitive to the volume control of the guitar. Adding pedals, it gives you all you need for hard rock and blues rock.

It's simply great. Proud, loud and direct like a punch in your face. I run it mainly with a 1977 Gibson Explorer and a 1976 1960A cab. Of course the Gain control is welded at "10". For adding gain, I use a Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor pedal. With this, I get the amount of distortion I want. The amp whispers, sings and bursts. But it will never be a high-gain monster, unless you modify it. But please don't. That's blasphemy.

I had to do two check-ups in 30 years, changing valves and one or two small parts. It never let me down playing live or during rehearsals (except for the red power-on-light that broke once). For me, this is reliable.

Never had any contact with those guys so I can't tell.

I've been playing over 30 years, and the JMP 2203 is my amp ever since. Never needed or wanted another. Maybe sometimes I'm kind of jealous of the newer amps because they have this tsunami gain. But if it comes to sound and tone, this amp is king. It's my baby. I take care of it, put the black cover over it after playing (lettig it cool down first of course) and wish it a good night. This is an amp to fall in love with. Would it be stolen or lost, maybe I would become a monk.

1978 JMP MkII 100 watt
bought 3 years ago.(had been in an attic for 12 years)
great condition for a 30 year old amp.
1 channel....all it needs.Add a couple of drive pedals, chorus and a delay and TURN IT UP.

absolutely brilliant sounding beast.
a perfect mix of power,grit,punch and clarity.
the louder it gets the better it sounds.once you start to open it up it really sings.i read someone saying "its like the voice of God....only louder".Amen to that brother.
put a tube screamer etc. in front of it and you're laughing.
also got a DSL 50.thought that was good but JMP blows it away.
used to own 50 watt JCM 800 1 x 12 which i remember being good but the JMP is the best sounding amp i've ever played through.

these things are built to last.been thrown about backs of vans,dropped,its still in better shape than me.

been playing 23 years,owned a lot of gear (and smoked a lot of gear )and at long last im happy with my sound.tried jcm900 stacks, 1970s pro reverbs, stereo 1x 12 combos,TSLs and DSLs but im at home with the JMP through a 1960A cab.(and a Peavey Classic 30).
My Strat,Tele and PRS all work well with this amp, the differences between guitars and sounds more prominent,the whole thing more alive.......

1979 Marshall Jmp 2203
Simple controls Presence,Bass,Mid,High, master volume, and preamp volume. No fx loop no reverb nothing I dont need. I installed JJ Kt88s and a high Gain kit from Bob at Eurotubes

I use the jmp with a maxon od9 and a isp decimator. The sound is exactly what I am looking for thick and crunchy with solid lowend.The amp cleans up with my volume rolled off well as much as i need it to anyway. The overall sound is punchy and solid I love it

29 years old and still works perfect.

dont know not too concerned

Love this amp so much if it was stolen i would hunt down the bastard that took it no questions asked

i think the amp is made in 1977. must check with the serial number. it's no nonsence, no cosmetics amp with just the eq, presence, preamp and master volume. and it's all i need, just plug and play. it's not a versatile amp and it's not supposed to be but i can't be subjective so i'm giving it a 5.

uuuu what a sound!! i always liked that particular sound, the drive is unbelievable! think of the Ramones...i noticed it has powerfull gain, more than i expected. i just bought it yesterday and can't stop playing it. Man am i happy to have bought this monster. I use a telecaster with a seymour duncan hot rails on it and it sounds so good on this amp. i gotta mention the amp came with a 1960 lead cabinet with 4 25w greenbacks in it so i couldn't wished for a better deal. believe me this is the ultimate rock sound for me.

i just bought it yesterday so i can't write of my own experience, but the amp is mint!! it's like new. it even has the original cardbox in which it was packed. the person who owned it never had problems, just with the tubes, but it's natural for tubes to wear down.

no opinion. i didn't deal with them jet. i'm gonna send an email with a serial number to get some info about the amp so then i'm gonna rate the support.

i've been playing for 12 years activly now and i've tried lots of amps (jcm 800, 900, mesa rectifiers, mark IVs, randalls...you name it) and this amp blows them all away (well not the 800; they are the same circuit really). i love the sound and thecsimplicity of the thing. i don't use footswitches so this is all good. just plug my guitar and turn the preamp volume at 3/4 and master at 1/3 and that's it. this is a perfect rock/punk/even metal amp with a distinctive sound, lots of mids and crisp high end and howling bottom end. i think i'm like the happiest man right now :)

My Marshall 50 watt lead combo was made in 1979. The fatures are very limited, and that is the way it should be, but it took me a while to learn that!. a basic array of tone controls; presence, treble, bass, middle, gain and master volume means there is no chance of getting lost or confused when adjusting your tone to suit. Simplicity means versatility here. One channel (high or low sensitivity), no reverb, no efects loop, no line out and two 12" celestion greenbacks. Lovely! I thought it needed two channels, reverb and more bells and whistles. I bought a TSL60 head for that reason. Good amp but not great! The old 2203 combo is great!

Blues, 70's rock, funk, soul, death metal with the right effects. This amp is capable of anything. It is soooooo loud! Sooo tonal! I swear it has some kind of natural reverb. It is fat and works well with my Epiphone Les Paul and Fender Strat giving a full sound on the edge of breakng up when the gain is set to 4 and the amp is driven hard. Use a volume boost, compressor, overdrive pedal etc and you will not be disappointed. I use a ZOOM GFX3 pedal to gig with and simply use the pedal levels with delay/reverb and or level boost for the best Marshall blues sound I have ever heard! The Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal works Really well too. I have played some big halls with this amp and never use the volume above 4! Can't say that about the TSL60 head I use through the same cab!! Replaced the tired old Mullard Power valves with Svetlanas and it sounds gorgeous!

Totally reliable for the two years I have had it! The valves were original - almost thirty years old so replacing them seemed a small price to pay for renewed tonality. Excellent! Had to replace the led power switch, purely cosmetic really.

Very good, very cheap and very friendly. A prompt service! Feels like the staff all work in a big shed somewhere a real family feel!

I have been playing in bands (blues \ rock based stuff) for 24 years! Used all sorts of stuff! People keep telling me that digital/transistorised amps are the way to go! Then they hear my old Marshall and feel dissappointed with their new junk! I am serious! My Marshall makes you play hard. It drives you as much as you drive it! The only thing I struggle with is the weight!! ??350 - worth ??3500 to me! Track one down, plug in, turn it up and learn to play. You will improve whilst playing this amp!

My amp is from the year 1982, i recall its the last year of the JMP mastervolume, then Marshall changed it to JCM in the same year.
The amps features are simple but efective, i dont need 4 channels in my playing. I do like players before me have done, plug in and play.
It is perfect to me in every way, i guess i wouldnt know how to use a new amp. Cos this one gives me everything, and i mean EVERYTHING!
A feature i wish it would have is a beer holder, u know that would come in handy.

This amp is pure perfection, it is like voice of god but only a lot louder. yes this baby is a very loud one, but i love it!

never let me down and i dont play with backups, man i took this to our european tour and it just played well night after night.
And in these years when have owned it i have once changed a tube, and i take it to the tha amp repair dude once in a month to get it cheked.

C'mon, the makers are from fancyland.
when i asked some minor things they had the time for me and for my questions and i got the anserws that i was looking for.
So they shure know many things, like how to built the ultimate amp and how to treat customers

I've been playing for quite a while and i have played a music store of amps and guitars, when u recycle the instruments over and over then u realize that the "thing" comes from the simpelest combinations.
I found my sound thru this combination:
1972 Fender Stratocaster, dunlop jh-1 wah, dod yjm booster, boss ns-2 the JMP, 4x10' marshall cab with celestion 35w speakers and from there to everybodys ears.

This ones a 1979 model, all original. So features, well its pretty basic but that means its harder to get a bad sound out of really so its an advantage in my opinion. However this has one thing that all the other classic marshalls lack, a master volume which means I can play with authentic vintage crunch without upsetting the nieghbours. One of the things i love about old marshall's (apart from the smell) is the little plate inside that tells you the age and who wired your amp, mine was wired by Karen I wonder what she was like? I play in covers bands and an original band my sound would be described as typical 60/70's rock which this amp is perfect for. This amp is trouser flapping loud the four el34 valves really chuck the volume out in spades, beware drummers!

so you want me to describe to you what a jmp marshall sounds like? Well its a bit good, vintage crunch and deep clean sounds with acres of headroom, lovely. Ofcourse this all depends on what guitar and cab you use with it. Im using a 4x12 carlsbro vintage re-issue cab that is supposed to go with the carlsbro 50 top, however is sounds great with this head and its very similar to a vintage marshall cab, birch ply and 4 lovely celestion g12's. the guitar im using is a 2003 gibson les paul standard so it does led zeppelin very well. This amp is basicaly the same as a jcm800 which is re-issued by marshall and costs the scary side of ?1000 you can pick these amps up however for less than half that, and they look cooler in my opinion.

rock solid, if world war 3 broke out the only thing left would be cockroaches and marshall JMP amps.

I met Jim Marshall once he seemed nice so im gonna give this one a 10

Ive been plaing 7 years now, this amp was a steal, a vintage marshall you can overdrive at low volumes, fantastic. It wont be stolen however because you cant really move one of these thing discreetely.

Not many features on this one (thank god) pure valve path and one of the last marshalls to do so. Thats why they dont gain up like modern marshalls just a big thick crunch. A mod for a switchable duel master volume would be nice though al la Cornford MK50.

Well having owned this Amp for a number of years I find there are two ways to get the best from it.
1. Crank pre amp and master volume on a massive stage pref outdoor gigs and so on, roll off the master vol for cleaner moments with a tube screamer for adding sustain. Unfortunatly I rarly get the chance to use it this way cos you would be quite deaf in no time at all but the sound is classic Angus.
2. Back to the real world in pubs and clubs where I normally play I use the low input, pre amp volume up full, master around 6/7 to get a lovely chiming glassy clean tone and loud as well. Using it this way bypasses the first gain stage of the pre amp valves so any pedals that you use for distortion etc work much better cos there not being coloured by the amps pre amp. It still goes extremely loud and remember the pre amp aint doing much but the power amp is absolutly singing at this point. (sounds good with boss MT-2 this way as well)

The only other thing I changed was the output valves from EL-34 to EH6CA7 which is basically the american version of EL-34. They are cheap reliable and sound different to EL-34. I wont say better (dont want to open up that can of worms) but they are to me. In fact they dont sound to dissimilar to my RI Bluesbreaker combo albeit with more power (2203 is a 100 watt amp not 50)

Its a valve amp and without regular valve checks and servicing it will go break down (just like a car) get a tech, or do as I did learn to diy (be bloody careful though).

In England Marshall will via an appointment, check your amp for free no matter the age, and they will give you a competative quote for the work they carry out WHILE YOU WAIT. A score of 10 isn't enough for this section.

Been playing in gigging bands since my late teens to present day, (44 years young), through Ibanez S540, Telecaster, plus effects to numerous to mention. If lost or stolen I would get another (they are reasonably cheap on e-bay). I love it because its got LOUD TONE for gigs (you can always hear me above the other guitarist LOL) Dont buy it for bedroom use only its the only area the word crap will get used in this review. Overall you can buy a lot better If you are prepared to part with thousands of pounds/dollars Cornfords etc. But bang for buck giggers like these are worth their weight in gold to me cos they are built like tanks, cheap to buy, easily serviced and last forever.......I,m keeping mine.

made in england somewhere over the friggin rainbow, who cares!!!

plug your guitar straight into this bitch..crank the master Vol. and stand the funk back. forget about pedals, what your guitar looks like, pickups and all that techy bull shit which steals your soul and leaves you with no musical flavor...who gives a shit about that let your fingers tell the story!!! quit braggin about how you can play!!! music is art, and there are no fukkin rules..evh could play through a turd plugged into a lightbuld into a tweeter and sound better cuz he's got groove and soul..and could give six fucks less about what kind of tubes are in his amp, he'd rather throw back a little vodka and play the shit outta any thing available...

Amps are only reliable to a certain point..it's a machine nothins forever..but change the spark plugs once and a while.

send my marshall overseas...I'd have to get a job to pay for that..skrew that..A little bit of electronic saavy and you can do it your self.

I've been playin for approximatly 14.78 years, yeah no one cares, besides that I can't read music and I don't care what a 5th asus interval b# is. who's gonna steal an amp covered in duct tape?..with no logo and covered in empty beer cans in a dark basement. besides I sleep next to it with a samaurai sword.

1977 Mark ii master lead head and ealry 80's 4x12 cab. bought it from a high school friend who had a ton of yngwie mods done to it. the gain is unbelievable now. it acts like a variac now...full marshall crunch at a practice amp volume. plus it has an effects loop added to it. i've been playing a 75 fender super reverb for the past few months and this marshall absolutely kills the fender for rock. but the fender kills the marshall for cleans, so i'll be using an A/B switch at gigs. Does this all suit my style? this set up would suit anyones style!!! Everything from twangy country sounds in the Fender up to death metal crunch in the modified Marshall.

Fender Strat with a JB junior humbcuker in the bridge. I can get Zakk Wyld squeals, Stevie Ray bite, Hendrix feedback, ZZ Top's 'audio razor' sound, etc...clean is ok, but i use a Fender super reverb for cleans...i have the best of both worlds...and with the varica added to this head, the marshall is about 80% more than a stock head

for a 77 it is reliable...mind you i have had problems with the input jack, but i think that is to be expected with age....other than that it has been fine!

never tried...

until you play a Marshall, you don't know what it feels like. It doesn't only sound different, it feels different...you can feel the tone in the strings...hard to explain...it has 'scoop' that no other amp, pedal, head, combo, etc, can come close to...i learned over the years that if you want to sound like a Marshall, play a Marshall. no pedal or effects processor or amp modellor is going to cut it...even the construction of the cabinet makes a difference!!!

I bought this Used, I have a 1977 Fawn Tolex Model 2203 -100W High/Low input loaded with EL34s, one channel - No Mods. It has all the sound and features I need, becuase it has TONE baby Tone... I have played other amps, and terms of power I have never played its equal even among other Marshalls. Its so load, that you can stand next to it and feel your pant legs blowing. It always infuriates other guitar players when the start that ".. I gotta be louder cause I ain't got no skilz.." thing. The versatility is in your hands and in your heart so...

I use a BOSS overdrive pedal when I want that Metal Halen sound, otherwise it gets a great rock sound. When I play to myself I put High to 2 and Mid to 4 and base at 6 and presence Max, OD pedal on drive Max, MV 4. Just enough to feel good without rattlin your foundations off. If you want to go clean and mean. crank the MV and very the amount of gain. Oh BTW you MUST HAVE A MARSHALL CAB with Celestians!!!! I nearly sold my head playing through a Peavey 2X12 and thinking man this sounds like crap...

Never let me down, I replaced the filter caps cause it was starting to 60 Hz home. Not bad for 20 years of ownership ( I bought it used)

Never needed em

I nearly sold the damn thing twice because I was ignorant kid who thought that technology was the answer. It wasn't till a friend who was dumber than I, said, "hey I can't hear your playing through all that sh*****, why don't you play without it" I ray of light hit me even though I denied that my effects rack and midi switchable crap was the end all. Goes to show you, sometimes age old wisdom and pre transistor technology has something to say in our Larg Scale Integrated Transistor Technology world. Shed your skin baby this is the real deal.

Review for a 1977 JMP in reasonable condition, with the most important asset intact: TONE. One channel of course; controllable preamp gain, passive EQ, EL34 output valves... all standard but classic Marshall fare. The only thing I did that makes the amp non stock is decouple one of the capacitors before the main tone stack to reduce brightness.

I'm glad it doesn't have reverb on it actually, one for the weight it adds, two for the fact every marshall without exception has had crappy sounding reverb.

I've used this with a 77 Gibson Les Paul (one of the better ones from the Norlin era), an 01 Gibson SG and an Aria Pro II guitar I can't remember the model of.

I run it with one of the above mentioned guitar into a sound city 4x12 with fane speakers and/or a reissue 1960AX loaded with greenbacks.

Does it suit my musical style? It IS my musical style! The cleans are alright if you don't mind a slightly broken up sound, the high gains are excellent when the master volume is cranked. Gritty, punchy and tight with just a hint of old plexi tone at higher volumes. Not loads of variety here just awesome rock sounds.

About the only other few Marshalls that can touch this, in my opinion, are the 6100LM, Silver Jubilee/Slash and the occasional top notch JCM800. I've always been more into the aggressive marshall sounds so I don't rate plexis like some people do (heck most of them are just fender bassman circuits with minor tweaks anyway).

Yeah, I think 27 years on and still teaching the new boys how a killer rock amp should sound is a pretty good sign of how well this amp was made. Still continues to be cranked and still continues to deliver, in the rehearsal room and on the stage.

Pretty poor in some respects. Yes they are polite and helpful - IF you can get through to them. Trying to order parts can be a friggin nightmare, be prepared to stay on hold for a time if you phone them up.

I don't need Marshall to repair this though, I have my own preferred technicians to do that if need be.

I've been playing around seven years. I've already listed the better gear I own and use. If this were stolen I'd go hunting for a Silver Jubilee head. I love the look and the top notch rocking tones. I hate the weight but hey what are roadies for eh?

I already compared it to other Marshalls. I would bother to compare it to other amps but for overdriven and distorted tones why bother with anything other than a top marshall. I tried bothering with other rock amps and it simply put off the inevitable.

I wish it had switchable channels but thats asking a bit much. Overall a great piece of kit, and because these aren't considered vintage yet, plus the fact they are currently available in great numbers, they can be had for stupidly low amounts of cash. Mine cost more than average cos it came from a guitar store not ebay or the trade papers.

TO MY UNDERSTANDING, MINE IS A 1980 MODEL. IT FITS MY STYLE PERFECT.
I PLAY A LOT OF HENDRIX, TROWER, FLOYD,SABBATH, SLAYER, ALICE IN CHAINS ZAKK WYLDE ECT. NO FX LOOP CHANNEL SWITCHING OR HEADPHOINE JACKS OR OTHER USELESS FEATURES. DOES WHAT I NEED. HAS PLENTY OF POWER.

I PLAY A 78 STRAT, A JIMI HENDRIX TRIBUTE STRAT AND A NO NAME S.G. COPY, ALL WHICH HAVE STOCK P.U.'S IT IS NOISY BUT IT GETS THE JOB DONE. I RUN THE PRESENCE @ 2O'CLOCK, THE BASS @ 3O'CLOCK,MID @ 6 O'CLOCK AND THE TREBLE @ 1O'CLOCK. I RUN THE MASTER AT 2 AND THE PRE AT 9. THE REST OF MY DRIVE COMES FROM A ZAKK WYLDE OVERDRIVE AND A BIG MUFF AND AN ARBITER FUZZ FACE

VERY DEPENDABLE, BUT I ALWAYS USE A BACK UP JUST IN CASE (LANEY AOR PRO TUBE LEAD 100 WATT). NEVER ANY TROUBLE

N/A ITS A MARSHALL

I HAVE BEEN PLAYING FOR 13 YEARS. TOO MUCH OTHER GEAR TO NAME OFF.
IF IT WERE STOLEN I WOULD BEAT BURN AND SODOMIZE WHOEVER STOLE IT.
LOVE THIS AMP TO DEATH.

Dont know when it was made but the sticker on the chassi says tested 1977 , its a mk 2 so i assume its been shipped to the usa and retubed with 6335`s???? i suspect its older then 77 but not much. its as versitile as i need it to be , that said its got only one channel so if your thinking about buying one make shure you have a good boost pedal. i use this amp at practice and gigs , its MIGHTY loud and i rarely crank it past 4 on the master and 8 on the pre amp, plenty power!!!!

i use a les paul and a danelectro with this amp , it sounds thick and stoogesy with the les p. the dan sounds fabulously garagey through this amp.It does not like budget all in one fx boxes {zoom 505} they tend to hiss horribly , the amp can clang or roar should you choose it to do so but dont expect clean tones from this valve breathing beast

never broken anything other than the pre amp pot but that was my fault as i was trying to ram brass knurled knobs onto the pot shafts, it looks awsome covered in furry leopard skin { my own customisation }
changed the tubes to el34`s

never needed it

been playing since i could walk
if someone looks at my amp the wrong way i want to break their hands

i once told my wife that if there was a fire in the house not to panic and that i would be back to get her after i got my amp out of the building , she said "well you know i could help you carry it." i said "no its too heavy for you and you would probably drop it"

79 Marshal MKII Master Model. Added Gain Mod. 1 Channel, High/Low inputs, Marshall Tone Stack, Pre PI Master. 4 Speaker outs. FX Loop added By earlier owner.
No need for added features. Used for recording as well as gigging.

Just replaced the 6550 GE Tubes for 4 GrooveTubes EL34LS and 4 ECC83 preamp tubes. After biasing was complete this is a real monster. Love the natural distortion and with the mod it is really nice and big sounding. Not thin and Bright.
Good Harmonics and sustain. Each note is easily distinguishable.

Down low I get a fat bright sustain which is great for quiet rehearsing. Up loud maybe 3-4 max My neighbors are ready to mob the house. I have always bought the JMP master volume models 77-81 50wt and 100wt you always get your money back if not more, when you want to try another. This one more than satisfies my need for warm bright crunch. I have used many different cabs but the best for my sound are my 2 Marshall 4x12s running 25wt greenbacks in one and G12L-35s in the other. With this cab combo and this amp I get the body and attack I want. (Influences: Iron Maiden, UFO, Judas Priest, Halen, KISS, Scorps and Big Hitters.) I never buy any other type of head this is it for me. The new stuff is junk and flat most of the time. The competitors are close but ugly looking and thin sounding.

Never has let me down. Only 1 did when it took a dive off the double stack and hit concrete. Then it was only a fuse believe it or not.
25 years of playing only Marshall JMPs and I honestly can't image using anything else. Yes I have tried the others.
I have never once worried about retubing. I have always had ELs so I guess I've been lucky. You have to lug it- but it is worth it when you play.

I never worry about needing a company to sevice my amps.
I know a couple of shops that have good Marshall techs. If I had to, I would give them a try only on recommendation. I have never had to deal with a tech on one of these, I have had 9 over the last 25 years. Music stores are usually pretty lame when it comes to the older amps. They always try to push the garbage they need to move or whatever.

Playing 25 or so years. Gibson and Ibanez Explorers/Destoyers/V's.
Gibson hot ceramics or Seymour Duncans only. Straight input. Effects come with recording.
I will buy nothing other!.....Ever!...Yes my Mantra!
Marshall is the best in my opinion and very reliable if used correctly.

This is a 2203 and mad 17/01/1979. Its a very unusual color (a bit like a sort of whicker color) and i am told they made just a couple of hundred. This amp head is total rock. I have (and still do) use boogie triaxis and marshall 9200 (el34) and a boogie road king, but this amp has its own inimitable sound that is difficult to emulate on any other amp. Dont waste your time with simulators either they are generally crap. My 2203 is otherwise (I think) stock. The lead channel is VERY toppy, so much so that you have to turn the trebble right off, maybe its been modded Im going to check. Just lo and hi imputs, two speaker out and nothing much more, but who cares - this is rock n roll.

Yep, this is where the thing jumps out at you. The sounds (with the master above 5 and the pre up full will move your bowels (especially if you stand too close to the cab) and believe me, it is still one of the best rock sounds (along with the triaxis and road king kit) that I think you can get. If you rock - don't get one of those pussy foot newer tops - Ive had them all (the 2000 series, the dsl etc etc) get one of these - preferably not modded its awesome.

Ive only had this top for about a couple of months, but the previous owner had it 20+years so it looks VERY original under the cover. The valves had 1/4 inch of dust on them! This one has EL34's (the best for a marshall) so make sure yours has them too.

Don't need any, but from experience I know Milton Keynes will help.

Ive been playing since about 69 so have had some practise. Ive been in bands and also solo things, so I guess I have seen the miles (visit www.tonymckenzie.com to find out all about me).

I would buy another one of these amps without question. The hates for this amp are weight (but try picking up a road king ugh...) and loves remain the sound. I suppose Im a gear head as much as a guitarist, but you just know when something is RIGHT - and the 2203 Master Vol is dead right. I have also tried a Boss overdrive pedal with this amp, just use the level knob and dont use the overdrive knob (i.e leave it on 0) and this gives an overall smoothness to the sound - without any mods to the amp - you should try this on your valve amp - especially the older models.

79 Marshal MKII Master Model. Added Gain Mod. 1 Channel, High/Low inputs, Marshall Tone Stack, Pre PI Master. 4 Speaker outs. FX Loop added By earlier owner.
No need for added features. Used for recording as well as gigging.

Using only my 4 Gibson explorers with 550t and Seymour Duncans I have all I need.
I never use the FX Loop or the extra gain mod some dummy added to it.
I find this to be a sin since the sound I require comes from the amp itself.

Down low I get a fat bright sustain which is great for quiet rehearsing. Up loud maybe 3-4 max My neighbors are ready to mob the house. I have always bought the JMP master volume models 77-81 50wt and 100wt you always get your money back if not more, when you want to try another. This one more than satisfies my need for warm bright crunch. I have used many different cabs but the best for my sound are my 2 Marshall 4x12s running 25wt greenbacks in one and G12L-35s in the other. With this cab combo and this amp I get the body and attack I want. (Influences: Iron Maiden, UFO, Judas Priest, Halen, KISS, Scorps and Big Hitters.) I never buy any other type of head this is it for me. The new stuff is junk and flat most of the time. The competitors are close but ugly looking and thin sounding.

Never has let me down. Only 1 did when it took a dive off the double stack and hit concrete. Then it was only a fuse believe it or not.
25 years of playing only Marshall JMPs and I honestly can't image using anything else. Yes I have tried the others.
I have never once worried about retubing. I have always had ELs so I guess I've been lucky. You have to lug it- but it is worth it when you play.

I never worry about needing a company to sevice my amps.
I know a couple of shops that have good Marshall techs. If I had to, I would give them a try only on recommendation. I have never had to deal with a tech on one of these, I have had 9 over the last 25 years. Music stores are usually pretty lame when it comes to the older amps. They always try to push the garbage they need to move or whatever.

Plain old local papaers or Ebay even.....thats where I pick 'em up and I am always happy. Be sure to try it before you buy it though.

Playing 25 or so years. Gibson and Ibanez Explorers/Destoyers/V's.
Gibson hot ceramics or Seymour Duncans only. Straight input. Effects come with recording.
I will buy nothing other!.....Ever!...Yes my Mantra!
Marshall is the best in my opinion and very reliable if used correctly.

Even if you have to pay 900.00. If you like the sound similar to the groups above....you won't go wrong with these models.

Very best to you...enjoy!

1978 MK II Master Volume. Not versatile, but doesn't really need to be. 1 Channel, High/Low inputs, Marshall Tone Stack, Pre PI Master. 4 Speaker outs.

I play 'lawsuit' Ibanez' mostly. '76 Destroyer with a Duncan Custom Custom and a Floyd routed in is the main ride. Have a few others: Set Neck Greco LP Standard, another '78 Destroyer, Warmoth Parts Tele with mini-humbuckers, Mexi strat. I play '70s-80s style bluesy ROCK. My own stuff is similar to: Travers, Schenker, early VH, Frank Marino, etc. This amp works REALLY well for this style. I hit it with a Keeley-modded Tube Sceamer and an Ibanez Parametric pedal. Orange 4x12 loaded with Weber Silvers and Blue Dogs. Great combination!! This amp is running old Magnavox 6550's and is a tad bright and has a slight 'hole' in the mids. Am going to swap in JJ E34L's to remedy this. But the tonal building block that this amp intrinsically provides is fantastic! It's nature is all the right Marshall stuff. I may try a 330pf cap paralleled on the input resistor; I'll wait till I retube to decide. Nice basic Marshall quality already, though. I'm most often using now as a 'slave' into the low input. I use a Keith Reinneger head with an fx loop. One side comes back into the Reinneger Head, the other side into the low Marshall jack. KILLER!! Like havin a big bad power amp with an added tone stack!!

25 yrs. old. Has a scratchy mid pot, but that's easy to remedy. Feels VERY solid. The output tranny doesn't look original ton me, but I've been playing 'er for 3 months now; no problems.

I have one of the finest repairmen in the business.

Great, solid Marshall 100 watter. It is a one-trick-pony. But it's a mighty good-sounding trick! They're also easy to do minor mods like changing the Cathode resistor on V1b to lower value or like I said earlier, put a cap on the input resistor if you want. May put in a fx loop some day. The basic amp itself KILLS for stright rick/Bluesy Rock. Highly recommend it, but the price on these things is heading up, so move now.

This amp was made in 1980 according to the sticker on the chassis and the serial number is 02694M it has EL34 tubes. No modifications.
Just one channel (2 inputs)
I have used this amp for practise, recording and concerts. It has just the right amount of power I need.

I use a Galama (Dutch Guitarbuilder)Les Paul model handbuilt guitar with Bill Lawrence L90 pick-ups, a Reissue '67 Gibson flying V, a ESP Telecaster (first releases) and a '70 scalopped fender Stratocaster. There is only one sound, but thats GREAT.

It has always worked, never failed me.

I bought it with the Cab in 1984 from the first owner.

I have been playing for 26 Years, I own a 8040 valvestate for home use. A MXR (original) Distortion +, Marshall Guv'ner pedal, cry baby Wah wah and DOD 250 pre-amp (yellow)
I compared it to a marshall 2000 tsl once and thought I could throw it (2203)in the dustbin, that was, until I plugged the 2203 in, what a tone and growl. It blew it away.

I bought this jcm 800 2203 (it was made in 1981) used but its pretty straight forward gain and lots of it. it has 100w no effects loop which sucks and no reverb which sucks too, but the tone fucking rocks.

This is my rig, I have a Ibanez RG prestiege 2120x that is running to my effects, Ernie ball volume pedal, boss ge-7 eq, boss ls-2 line selector, boss ns-2 noise suppressor, boss dd-5 delay, boss ce-5 chorus, boss cs-3 compressor, ph-3 phase shifter, ds-1 distortion, dunlop 535q wah pedal. the amp sounds great, i like good clean tones and being only one channel its kinda hard but what i did was i took my eq and dropped all the sttings to (0) except for the volume which is up a little then it is run through all my modulation effects and sounds great for my style. I play anything from joe satriani, steve vai, to lincoln park, finch, flaw, mudvayne, etc... but this amp is just fine for me right now. i am going to have all the capasitors replaced cause its over 20 years old and i don't know how well the last owner treated it. i am also going to have it change from 6550 to el34 power tubes. then i am going to have some minor mods down by torres engineering, the mid range boost, the gain boost, 50 - 100watt switch, and a 100 watt bullet proof mod done to it ( basically this is a surge protector built in to the amp it prolongs tubes life and protects the amp. the midrange boost and gain boost are push pull pots which are on the bass and treble knobs and when pulled its boost the mids and gain and when pushed back it returns the amp to its original state, this is a feature of torres engineering that i liked beacuse i wanted more versitilaty out of my amp and everyone does mods to there jcm 800 but it doesn't sound like the amp they purchased in the beginning so i like that there mods can be turned off letting the amp sound original like it was supposed to sound.

don't know yet but being a marshall i don't think i ll have anything to worry about.

don't know

i love this amp and will enjoy playing for as long as i have it.

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.