Marshall JCM 900 4100 Dual Reverb

pretty versatile amp here 2 channels with separate gain master volume and reverb- and a half power switch-very nice- if it had dedicated tone controls for each it would be even better. Its big it's heavy but it's worth it for live gigs out of a 4X12 with 2 Relic 30's and two green backs it really moves a lot of air even at modest volume. All tube and one of the last breed of hand wired amps from the best thing to come out of Britain since the Fab Four!, oh and the Stones and the Who and Cream and Hendrix ( yeah it was England) And Zep etc...

This just sounds great! both channels are very cool- now i've been doing this for a long time and this amp gets way less respect than it deserves many die hard old school Marshall guys don't like it- period but if you take 5 minutes and play with the gain/volume of this you can pretty much geta very passable JMP sound or a JCM 800 sound- Clean channel will gget a very close JMP sound when pushed. I like not taking stop boxes- Best sound is pulling two tubes and running it on High power. a bit more claptonon bluebreaker sound. Doesn't have what my PTP wired JMP has as far as overall bark but where can you turn that up?

never busted

never needed

playing 45 yrs , not as versatile as my 6101 anniversary ( still think thats the best amp Marshall ever made!) but it sounded TONS better than a brand new 94 100 watt Plexi re-issue I had - as I said before at times sharing the tone stack could seriously affect performance but this one doesn't suffer as much as my early Boogies did from that affliction. Anything I wish it had- Someone to move it and the 4X12 cabinet

1996 version. 5881 power tubes. May as well have one channel, though it can be classified as having two.

Half power is useful; reverb is passable. Effects loop works well.

It fits my needs because it does many different styles without a lot of tweaking. However, since it includes the channel B that I never use, I'll rate it at a 6.

Sound quality is a 10. Easily.

I believe sound quality should reflect what an amp is capable of. My "trick" with this amp is to ignore the fact that it has a B channel and only use A. From there, it's crank the master - literally crank, not 7, not 8, crank - and then adjust the gain to taste. From there, I'd put this amp up against my $3500 Bogner 101b in a heartbeat. While it's not capable of everything the Bogner can do, if you set them up for the same type of the sound, they're just different; one isn't better than the other.

Specifically, I use it with a Strat and a Les Paul. I go from cleaner stuff, to lightly distorted blues, to rock and even metal. While it doesn't have as much gain as I could sometimes use, say for leads, what is does, it does with prowess.

Where does it not sound good? Channel B. It doesn't matter where the settings are, channel B doesn't sound good. Sonically, it's very thin with a lack of lows and not enough high highs to let the tone "breathe"; it's anemic. This is where the 4100 gets a bad rap, which is why they're so cheap!

All in all, it's a great sounding amp!

The previous owner for years didn't play the amp. In fact, when I got the amp, it had EL34s in it!! It was neglected; no doubt about that.

I threw some 6L6s in it, biased it up, and that was it. These are as solid as they come!

Have not heard great things, but I've never dealt with them.

Think and say what you want to, but I bought this thing after learning Korn used it on their first album! I learned it used 6L6s and that was about all the convincing I needed (had been wondering what a Marshall would be like with them).

The positives: what it can do, again, it does VERY well. Solid amp with a ton of power.

The negative: channel B is useless

Overall it is disappointing to see Marshall release an amp that has such great potential and yet falls so very short. It's like they took the JCM 800 circuitry for channel a, and used 6L6s since EL34s were made very poorly at the time. That much is awesome! Then, they needed to get more gain out of it, but got a little lazy, so they put DIODE CLIPPING in the gain channel! That sucks! I find myself sometimes wondering if they bothered to listen to it before it left the factory!

I'll give it an 8 because they're damn inexpensive for what they pack in channel A. I'd give it a 10, but since it's supposed to incorporate the second channel with more gain and it just sounds bad, its intended purpose isn't met.

1992 model made in England of course.This is the 2 channel independent reverb model switchable from 100/50 watts.Ample power to get the job done either way.Theres an effects loop and footswitch for channel switching and reverb I believe...mine is MIA!This model was supposed to be the "high gain" answer to the earlier 800's.Versatile? Well I can't think of anyone that gets a Marshall for it's versatility but as far as standard features it's enough.They were cool enough to put LED indicators for blown fuses.2 outputs (1 for each pair of tubes).There are 2 line out jacks in back.1 for direct and 1 for recording compensation.Not familiar enough with the workings of these to comment further.

This is where I'll need to split to a 2 part review.This amp carries a stigma of love/hate with it.Supposedly the worst amp Marshall ever made I've heard."Out of the box" I would tend to agree.The high gain is really a joke however the clean channel is fantastic.A nice touch over the single channel 800's.Reverb gets the job done.If you are looking for a pounding metal amp you WILL be disappointed BUT...KEEP READING...Don't give up on it.To wake up this AC/DC only amp you will need pedals.I got a Boss SD1 super overdrive and a GE7 Eq.Best investment ever.This thin,sustain starved and anorexic thing became a monster and wants to kill every other amp around now.The Eq alone thru the effects loop was 80% cure...seriously.This pedal has the volume control and 7 bands to mess with so you can get it all effectively using the volume to push the preamp.Depth?More than enough to be had.You will even be able to tame the harsh upper mids this amp is plagued with.Then add the SD1 and the sustain for leads WITH harmonics,all thru the dirty channel so as not to lose the Marshall tonal qualities.Bottom line is theres an awesome amp waiting to be unleashed so don't feel there's no hope for it based on other reviews.I like classic rock right through total brutality metal and with this setup you will get all of it.I've got a couple decent Jacksons,1 USA KV2 and an older Jap neck thru as well as a 95 Gibson Les Paul Classic custom shop all with SD pickups.Rating WITH pedals is 10 but for the stock amp a 5.

Every amp company has it's lemons and you also never know what will happen on any given day with a tube amp so no backup?Let's not kid ourselves.Mine was a used from ebay jobbie.It came with a blown fuse but promptly replaced it and have had no other issues yet but it's still kinda new to me so we'll see.

Heard the support from Marshall was kinda lacking but personally haven't needed them.No warrantee used.

Since these are going reasonably cheap used due to their reputation,I would say get one if you can.With the added volume control of the EQ it is no longer an amp that will only sound decent cranked but still does sound better that way.I hated the thing at first but have never sounded better since adding the pedals.This setup will keep up with amps selling for way more $ now and I'm glad I got one.I was considering the Line 6 Spider Valve head but no longer need to look further.My needs have been met and for less $ still.I've tinkered with the guitar since I was 15 and I'm 41.Bought and sold more gear than I care to remember always looking for something better.Since I don't have the bank account to get really high dollar stuff,settling for used has become the way to go for me.The JCM 900 4100 is a bargain given it's potential.Besides I've never met a Marshall that could do it all on it's own so here ya go.

Mine is the EL34 model, dual channel/reverb(gain and clean) with shared EQ(Low, Mid, High and Presence). It has both a Master volume and a pre-amp gain for each channel. Effects loop in the back with level control, Recording out(useless), 8 or 4(16) Ohm switch, high or low setting, basically runs the tubes in Triode when at low, also other stuff but im doing this from memory so I cants remember what else is back there.

Ok here is the part that has plauged these amps since their release. The problem with them is they use diode clipping in channel 2, now this for the tube purest its a no no, on the other hand they can get of their boutique amp high horse soap box and actually give this amp a shot. This amp is no easy fix to make it sing, I have had mine for almost 13 yrs now and it took some TLC to get it to sound the way i like it. Before I explain what I did to get it that way, Ill say what it sounded like before I modded/added stuff. The Clean channel was about the only reason I bought this, its warm and has just the right amount of overdrive if you want it to, also if you dial back on your guitars volume knob you can clean it up quite nice, then turn it up for some good ole' bluesy classic rock tones. The gain channel..well, it lacks, alot, fizzy gain, loss of low and jesus the damn high's will kill you! But i guess if you are doin some pop punk 3 power chord riffage you'll be right at home with it. The gain on channel two is basically useless after 3/4's, it really makes no difference if you stay there or go to 10(wish mine went to 11, but oh well). So yeah, the mod part, I kept asking myself should I bag this thing and free up the space, I never used this amp, I had my Mesa Dual recto and I was a happy camper for the time, but then i decided why not just mess with it until it either broke or I would use it. I spent quite a while on the net looking for an answer then i got my first step..http://web.aoct.org/marshall/jcm900-gain-mod.txt, follow this and you will not regret it! wow what a difference it made, suddenly I had this amp sounding like you would think a Marshall should! But i wasn't done, It still lacked, so I threw a Modded TS-9(pick a TS-9 mod, there has got to be 50 different ways to mod this pedal, all do ok stuff, mine is the JRC4558 op-amp with a few cap and resister changes, sounds great anyway look into it)BAM! again fantastic rich overdrive on either channel. Ok were almost there, so I started to use this amp now instead of my Mesa, I know crazy right, not really Im so sick of the "MESA is the only way to go" ********, besides I never once was told what a great sound I had with the mesa, and now everytime I fire up the JCM 900 people say what the hell! So i played with it for a while perfectly content with its sound, great gain, its good enough for any style you want, you just gotta know how to caress it. Then one day i bought the BBE Sonic Stomp, just because I figured it would sound good for my bass rig, I used it on my Marshall for fun(thru effects loop, very important)......MOTHER OF ALL THAT IS HOLY! It was just like they say, my amp sounded like a blanket had been lifted off the cab, beautiful tight lows, perfect mix of mid and highs all in a 2 knob box, seriously if you don't have one get it! Sure you can probably get a close enough sound with any EQ, but c'mon it has two knobs and workd amazing! Ok i know this isn't a review for the BBE so back to the amp. I know can palm mute this thing and it jiggles my belly, i can solo and blast right thru the mix(i play with a full band including the 2 other guitars, one Orange AD30 and the other uses a Mesa Triple) they both sound great but now its like a whole new ball game kids! Anywho, this has been wordy and kinda all over the place, but really just pick one of these up, I swears i see them all the time for like $250 on craigslist, its well worth it if you give it some love. Another thing with or without the mod, this amp loves pedals of any kind. Also the other thing is, its not a Plexi, Mesa Recto, Orange High gain, Peavey 5150, Soldano Hot Rod so quit trying to say it dosen't sound like one..it's not! YOu do however gotta crank this amp, just like most tube amps, its sounds pretty thin until you hit 12 noon on that master, but c'mon why not just got all the way!

Like i said mine has been in my hands since 1996'ish, and never had a problem with it.

Never had a need.

I use a 2x12 cab with Vin30's and a 4x12 with Gt12-75, Les Paul Deluxe and an American Tele. Pedals include the BBE Sonic Stomp, Ibanez TS-9(modded), Daddy-o overdrive(modded), Boss DD-3 delay, Holy Grail reverb, and a DIY volume pedal.

First run 1989-90 4100 with EL34s. Features are listed in prior reviews. I couldn't ask for any more features on this amp, other than no diodes in the gain channel and two EQs, one for each channel, otherwise everything you need. My output transformer has been replaced.

I use EL34s. I mention this, as there are two power amp tube versions of the 900. Also, people often switch to 6L6s or 6550's etc. I play a LP Standard with burstbucker pickups and a full pedalboard rig. I mainly use the clean channel with the pre cranked on half power mode and pretty flat EQ, switching to the gain channel only when I need a little more grit. I love the sound of the clean channel cranked, it's really the amp at it's best. It sounds outright flat below 12 o'clock on preamp or poweramp settings. Clean is not this amps forte, although it's not terrible. 100 watts is so overkill, the half power setting is the only way to go, through a 16 ohm cab. Tube breakup is necessary to remove some of the sterility of the gain channel. A pretty versatile amp all in all, and capable of solid tone, just turn it up. Reverb is decent and subtle, good for smoothing out clean tones.

I have been gigging with this amp for about 7 years, and the reverb has died on me twice. I had it repaired, and it died again. I don't mind much, because I use an EH Holy Grail into the preamp for some cool reverb through distortion splats. Also the stock output transformer blew in the middle of a gig once - worth noting. I had it replaced with an inexpensive upgrade, no Mercury Magnetics or anything, and it sounds even better. More note definition. All that aside, I feel like this amp is very dependable, and use it regularly with no backup.

Bought it used.

These amps go used for less money than most Marshalls, and they're a complete bargain. Not the king of the heap, but a solid gigging amp and an underrated performer. It's really become a part of my sound, and is slowly becoming harder and harder to replace, no matter how hard I try!

This amp has all of the features and functions that I use on an amp. In this sense it is the perfect amp for me. It has an effects loop with trim control, 50/100 watt switching, a lead channel, 3-band global eq, and my favorite: footswitchable spring reverb. REAL Spring reverb is often taken for granted. When you sort of "overload" the reverb chamber it gives off a haunting sound and sort of feeds back. I can't put into words what it sounds like. Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. Just go to your local store and do it. Then you'll vever want another digital reverb pedal.

The clean channel is good, but not great. It doesn't have the thick, silky highs like a jtm or jmp marshall amp, but it does have that "glassy" sound. Especially with single coil neck pickups. Oh man do those sound great, especially with the reverb cranked. The Lead channel is beastly. I don't know what some of these metal guys are talking about. I have a les paul with a 498t bridge pickup and wow, I can get a good brown sound. It will get up there with the JCM 800's. It's a shade lighter. As far as clarity goes, the gain channel lacks the definition in your notes when you play a power chord or add notes to the chord you are playing. That's why I only use this channel for leads. I use a fulltone OCD on the clean channel for dirty tones when I'm not soloing.

if you've ever seen the pixies, my bloody valentine, or the lemonheads live, chances are you've seen/heard this amp. I've seen all three in the past 7 years and they had "killer tone, man".

I have dropped this thing a few times. I tour all the time, all over this great United States and I have never had a problem with this while I was on the road. Regular tube changes and I just got new springs in the reverb tank a month ago. My amp was built in 89 I think, two years after I was born. It's in better shape than me ;)

Never needed it, but I'm sure mr. Marshall has his hands full. I go to local guys anyways. Support local music and business.

Alot of people knock this amp because it doesn't have the bassier marshall tone that everyone loves. What people need to know is that Marshall was obviously trying something different with this amp. The highs on this amp are crazy sensitive. I keep the treble at about 2 o' clock at the most (on my plexi clone I keep it fully boosted for that tony iommi sound). I almost think this amp sounds like an AC30 on steroids. I'll tell you what, my plexi clone kills this amp a million times as far as tone and harmonics go. but That plexi doesn't have spring reverb and I wouldn't count on dropping my plexi and playing a show with it. This is the best live amp I've used. It is great for any style. Love it or hate, just don't knock it until you try it.

excellent example from Marshall but more versatile

Marshalls always sound scary at high volume,because of their power amp distortion. Very brutal and beautiful.

excellent quality workmanship

been playing for almost 20 years,owned a lot of amps. Marshall are the best amps

I love this amp when im playing live and you're there to feel its raw power, however on recordings it tends to lack its brute strength. I have used my JCM 900 on all of my bands recording with gibsons but always need to triple layer to get a heavy sound.

2 channels with reverb in each of them .Eq bass middle treble and pressence .Very usefull head.

Words from me are not enough to describe this head.The name marshall tells it all.The clean channel just crystal sound and the lead gain channel is maybe the best overdrive i ve ever heard in my life .The exellent eq that this head has it s very sensitive leting you make whatever sound you can imagine.THIS head is loud as hell.WORTH BYING IT IF U CAN FIND IT HAHAHA.

2 friends of mine plus me own this head and never had problem with something.If you are kind with this amp(make the nessesary service when needed ,change tubes etc)the amp will be kind to you as well.

1996 Marshall JCM900 100w valve head, model 4100.

4 x 5881 valves
3 x 12AX7 valves
Spring Reverb
Footswitchable Gain/Reverb
100/50 output switch

The JCM 900 is a simple split-channel amp, the clean and drive channels share the EQ section and only have independant gain and reverb controls. I only ever use this amp in the 50w mode, nobody should ever need 100watts unless you're ripping up a stadium. Its easy to use and doesnt over complicate anything. Would have been nice to have some sort of mid focus/contour control on the lead channel, just to give the voicing a wider sweep.

This is actually my 4th JCM900, but my first 100w version. The thing i love about them is the transparency of the sound, it sounds like a marshall always does but you can still hear your actual guitars tone, this is something that most modern amplifiers fall down on. The simplicity of the design means that the sound is very consistent in most situations, dont expect it to sound like a mesa or a 5150 because it never will, this is pure modern marshall. My main guitar is a heavily modded 50's re-issue Telecaster, bartilini humbucker at the bridge plus a high mass bridge and saddle set up. I also use an ibanez jet king jtk2 and an Aria Superstrat.

Clean - The clean on this amp is nice and choppy, its not overly deep or overbaring, which is great in a band situation, but you may need to add an addition EQ to the front end for recording just to make the tone jump a little more. Its a good sound for clean rock passages, ska punk or pop-rock, it doesnt really have the bite for fast country or the smoothness for soul and r&b. Push the gain on this channel and you can get some nice rootsy break-up, great for 70's rock and punk.

Drive - The drive channel is what i've always loved on these amps. The gain is nicely graduated until the last quarter and then it seems to lose its feel, i've heard this can be graduated further by changing the valve in position 1 to something a bit cleaner, but i like the sound of the EH 12ax7's i always use! The lower gain settings are great for subtle lead work and forceful rhythm chops, but the amp really comes into its own when you push the gain up to about2 o'clock. You'll be rewarded with a chunky, rich and musical distortion thats easy to control but sounds great. One thing you'll notice is the amps lack of mid range control, you'll frquently find yourself maxing out on the mid knob just to be heard above the drums, definately go for some EH tubes because they help project the mids and keep the low end tight.
The band i play in is a pop-punk/melodic rock band, its all original material, think jimmy eat world, spitalfield and yellowcard.

I've had four of them, aslong as they're serviced and revalved regularly then theyre reliable and road worthy.

Marshall doesnt even have any email details on its webpage!

I love jcm900's, they're very much MY sound. I never liked the 800's, DSL's we're good but very generic sounding, the new Vint/mods and JVM's are great amps but i still think that the 900 is the best modern amp they've built. Just make sure that you look after them well, in the next ten years this will become the marshall amp to own!

You can also pick these up mega cheap, especially the 5881 versions.

This amp has a 3-band eq with presence and reverb. Honestly I think the reverb is a little weak. I have to turn it all the way up to get the sound I desire, but that's just me. Also I have to crank the pre-amp gain on the clean to get it loud enough so that there is a clean balance switching between clean and dirty. It has your basic fx loop and slave outputs.

The sound quality is awesome for rock, blues, or metal. The clean is nice but the pre-amp gain has to be turned up to almost 8 for volume with out it breaking up too much. The overdrive is just awesome though, this is a true rocker's amplifier.

When I bought the amp it was broken, probably because of shipping. After it was fixed it worked really good. It needed a new reverb tank and some other things so maybe this is why the reverb is weak. Other than that it has never let me down in the year that I have had it.

Never had to contact.

I like it because i got a good quality amp for a pretty meager price ($400). If I had the money though, I would get something else.

3 band EQ
2 Channel - Clean and Dirty
Presence control
Dual Reverb

Wish it had separate EQ and volumes.

I have played all types of Rock and Roll, Metal and Blues.
This Amp is amazing. It's never been moded, Tho I have been trying to figure out a way to put 6550's in it. (Dont ever try it without consulting a pro... You will melt the power transformer!!)

Sounds best with Humbuckers or EMG's.

I have 3 guitars that play through it as of current:
97 American Fender Strat

SUPER MODIFIED Epiphone Gothic Explorer with Seymore Duncan CUSTOM CUSTOM Pick up

Ampeg Dan Armstrong Acrylic (Keith Richards, Joe Perry, Dave Grohl, Josh Homme)

LOVE THIS AMP.

I have had some fuse issues with the amp occasionally. But that was just due to a need for tube changes.

I gig with this amp non stop. And I will continue gigging with it until it dies.

MARSHALL FOR LIFE!

Never Needed.

I WILL USE THIS AMP FOREVER.

Marshall could just make this amp for the rest of time.

Made for the rock and nothing else. I love the straightforwardness of the design, as it seems the best amps do (Orange, Hiwatt, etc.). The only confusing knob is a "presence" button, and I still don't know what that thing does exactly. I find the Direct Recording out useful for running a tuner (not recording out of - come on people!).

This amp seems built like a muscle car - with a lot of useless horsepower. It's totally overbuilt for me, as I only use one channel and always use it at half power (and only turned up half way from there). Even at that setting, many a soundman has asked me to turn down, so that 100 watt feature is a waste. Maybe it's a macho thing.

I run it out of a 212 with Vintage 30s, as I sold the matching Marshall 1960a half stack I bought it with to a metal kid. What a difference in sound! That and my rig is now 50 pounds lighter. No matter how many speakers you have, the soundman only mics one. The rest you are senselessly lugging around. Again, maybe a macho thing?

This amp is for making that AC/DC style, straight up rock sound. You know, the sound of a thousand classic rock, southern rock, punk rock and hair metal bands. If you are looking for anything different or diverse, you will probably be disappointed. I am personally in love with that sound and this amp does it for me.

This thing worked great for years, but in the last six months it has failed on me twice. One of those was one of those tricky problems that happens here and there, with the volume cutting in and out. My tech told me that these "new" Marshalls tend to do this a lot, with random connections coming loose and other problems. Yow, that is scary.

I'm no amp afficionado like a lot of people on hear, judging amps as others judge types of wines ("full body," "nice vintage," "a little bit sweet"). I haven't tried a lot of amps, but I have been consistently in love with the tone of this one for years.

My JCM900 was build in the early 90's, it has al the things I need, A simple equalizer, 2channels with reverb and gain, and tons of power and rock 'n roll

Both channels are amazing and sound like they have to sound, the clean is very bright and you can drive it up with the preamp gain control of this channel up to some nice overdriven bluessound, the B lead channel is amazing too, because I like late 80's and early 90's rock and heavy metal, it has leadsounds up to m??torhead and stuff like that. Sometimes I use a distortion pedal if I want to play something more modern..

This amp never let me down, never broken down, I have the amp for about five years and I had never problems with the amp.

I've have been playing for a long time and probably the jcm900 was the deal of my life because i could get it very cheap with a 1960a cabinet. This amp is just completely rock 'n roll, excellent for gigging or just a jam with some friends.

Produced in 1991-92 and still has the original EL 34:s. Dual channels working very well, could have been even nicer with dual EQ:s, but it is not essential. The half power possibility is very handy. The fuse system seems practical, but i have never blown one.

The clean sound is OK, but can be a bit harsh at moderate levels. The distorted sounds are much better (no surprise). The clean channel produces a nice bluesy overdrive when pushed. The high gain (diode clipping) channel contains a more lead type sound with distortion and sustain. This is a little brighter, for making leads stick out which cold make it a little buzzy for accentuating other parts of a song. If you use moderate clipping and play very loud some really nice tones come out of that channel as well. It is a very, very loud amplifier and a 50W head should be more than enough and better for cranking the power amplifier. I have used it without effect pedals, but have recently tried a Marshall GV-2, to get three kinds of basic sounds and that works very well and sounds natural. I have been playing guitar for 36 years and I use both single coil and humbucker guitars.

No problems.

Can't say. I have never had any contact with Marshall.

I have used it for 12 years, bought it second hand and have never had the slightest problem with it. I've heard better plexis in a classical Marshall sense, but a lot of worse 800:s and this is far better than the new Vintage Modern i tried. The plexi I had before was a very good one trick pony if cranked, but this 900 has a wider sound spectrum.
This amplifier will become a classic in spite of the internet bashing and the excessive 800 cult. It is now reproduced by Marshall.

dual channel 100 watt
made in the 90's sometime
came factory with 6l6's
Modded eq section & change from 6l6 to el34's

This is a really nice amp after changing out preamp tubes to tung sol 12ax7's & converted the original 6l6 to el34's (svetlana)
Had the eq section modded & now it has a huge variation with tonal character...I love its range now...I play rock & roll so this is the perfect amp for me

I blew several sets of power tubes using a power soak & have since sold the power soak...No problems with the amp otherwise

? I hate customer support anywhere...they all suck regardless...even if they help you out , they still suck

Ive been around the block for a while & have tons of gear to fuck with...This amp is my nucleus...Im positive theres several jcm 800's that would give a left nut to sound like my modded 900 model...
Im in bliss now
I got this thing dirt cheap...best deal on anything I ever bought new or used...it needed retubed when I bought it & that was a cheap thing to take care of...Did I mention I got the 4x12 1960 cabinet with it as well?
BEST DEAL EVER ON ANYTHING...IM'A LUCKY FUCKER

Well enough said about the hardware features by others. My Amp is actually the 100watt combo with four 6L6 valves.
I sometimes use it as a head with a 4x12 standard Marshall Quad box to get that classic "Brown" Marshall Knock tone or otherwise on its own as a combo coz the open back sound is also very nice and versatile.
The main feature is that the JCM900 is a fabulous and tasty sounding Rock Amp that wont suck the tone of your instrument and will deliver that classic Fender single coil or Gibson humbucker sound whether in context of smokey jazz or overdriven tones ala Gary Moore etc.
Its getting harder but you may just jag one of these amps cheap on account of past criticism by those who must have presumably had faulty hardware or just those who have no clue anyway.
As mentioned by many many others - make no mistake - this amp is a classic and will be sought after for its classic benchmark Marshall tone.

This amp is a monster - a gorgeous capable and reliable one at that and will easily deliver those musical sounding classic rock or other desirable guitar tones die hard tone dogs would die for. Easily one of the best Marshalls ever made which wont allow other guitar players or other fellow musicians to intimidate or elbow you out of the stage with their sound at a gig and at the same time actually make you stand out as a guitarist and musician. Experiment with the effects loop that is to say the power amp "in" as mentioned by others and you will have a four channel amp with different sounds enabling you to harvest the sounds of most styles with ease - yes even speed metal. Also try the reduced power setting. You wont actually get much drop in volume but it does change the sound although both settings sound good. This Amp is a classic to those with good ears and fingers. A Tube Screamer or decent equivalent, Boss delay chorus and EQ thru the power amp in section will place you in Tone Heaven in less than a heart beat. I have owned this amp for nearly four years and I'm still in love with it.I'm in three bands - one does mainly Corporate shows and the occasional Pub gig doing a variety of popular music, another is a Jazz Combo and we work regular at a variety of venues and also a rock band doing a fair amount of our own originals or covers with our own arrangements.
My JCM900 is the only amp I found capable and versatile enough 2 cut all three different type of gigs.I have seen and heard others try to get the same vesatility by resorting to tone modeling pre-amps with their very identifyable imitation over-processed sounds that lack character and that exciting tone of a real amp. Well I also own a COSM Preamp but only use it to sketch guitar parts in my studio for recording which I eventually re-record with a mic in front of my amp.

Very dependable but just look after the valves and service every year if you work the amp hard and often (five nites a week in my case) and it wont leave you in the cold

Not ever needed so N/A

In the last 15 years since my first High SchoolBand I have owned many classic valve amps like other Marshalls, Fenders Boogie etc and non valve amps including the brilliant Roland JC120 and JC77 - actually still have the Rolands and in truth the JCM 900 is my fav Valve amp. My JCM 900 and the Rolands have the classic tones sought and heard in many contemporary and classic rock recordings.In fact friends of mine have hunted this model Marshall down after hearing and trying mine. Mine is the 6L6 valved model and I personally like it better than my friend's EL34 valved model as the 6L6 sounds smoother. I mainly use Strats, Tele Thinline and also have a Les Paul Custom I hardly use coz its so heavy and a Nighthawk I do use very often All my guitars sound good with their own hallmark sounds thru this tone monster amp

I've owned this amp with EL34's since 1994, and I have to say I love it. Has more than enough features. I play blues/rock (Clapton, Moore, Santana) and is great for this style. I gig with it regularly - it is very well made, what you'd expect from Marshall.

Clean sound is good, but nothing like a Fender sound. This amp's strong point is its distortion sound. When driven hard, its hard to beat... but it needs pushing. At low volumes the tone isn't great, but then again it's not designed for that! I always have it on half power and run it through a 2x12 cabinet which sounds very sweet..better in many ways than before when I had a 4x12 which needed higher volume to sound good. I play a strat with tappable humbuckers made by Evans which are wonderful pickups (sadly no longer made). In a nutshell, this amp sings, cries, sustains and kicks ass all depending on how you want it to sound.

Certainly, its very well made and solid.. in fact it can manage to play on if a tube blows. The clean channel gain pot needs replacement and can be a pain to set it right as it scratches the sound if not.

Never needed it.

Would be devasted if it were stolen and would certainly replace it - perhaps with a lower powered model. I love its looks and sound - I get many compliments after gigs.

1998 model with 5881 power tubes, changed to better sovtek tubes after few months or so.
Reverb is nice, adds extra presence and cut for soloing. Nice when used subtley on clean channel.
I thought having only two channels would be a downer as i was used to having a solo boost channel (previously had a TSL combo) but the sound cut right through such that i found i didnt need the extra channel. very impressed.

B channel is great a it allows for a massive range of sounds, all with a twist of the gain. A channel is great, awesome clean sound (up to 5 or 6 on the gain) and nice crunch for gain settings over 6ish. Even at gain levels over 6 pulling back on the guitar volume even from 10 to 9 will clean it up nicely.

I am currently using this with a marhsall 1960A cab although wouldnt mind trying out the 150W version with the vintage30s. Anyway using this with a fender strat with lace sensors (blue, silver, gold), Gibson LP Studio, Ibanez RG520QM and an epiphone gold top (took a lot of work to get it sounding good with out all the damn electronics issues that come with epiphones, it just looked so good and i couldnt afford the gibson version as most people can understand)

Distortion would be good for metal if kept at max and you were really pushing the power tubes but for me this is a ROCK amp! clean through to crunch through to awesome high gain dist!
good stuff all round.

Ive only had it a year but its got me through all my gigs so far hassle free! i never use a back up mainly cause i dont have another $2k.

I can compare it to the TSL and DSL combos, Valvestates & Fender hotrod (as i have owned all these) and i'd have to say this is the better of all of them, more flexible, dynamic and probably just better suited to my style. Range of sounds was better than i had expected and i cant see myself ever getting rid of it!

I just got a Marshall 1993 JCM 900 4100 with 5881's. I am writing this review because like most, I have been in search of that right sound. This amp is the most versatile amp out there. I have read many reviews under rating this amp and you guys are missing the boat. I will agree that you have to get the right version of this amp. I have owned 5 of these and did not like the EL-34 version or the 50 watt version as the 50 watter lacked bottom and the EL 34 version was not very smooth.

This amp can go from pretty clean with the 5881's to screaming all out rock. The clean channel with the 5881's is very clean at high volumes. It is not a Fender clean but does not distort if you keep the gain no higher than 5-6. My amp came with 6L6's which I immediately changed to Tung Sol 5881's and also changed the pre-amp to Tung Sol 12AX7's. This change changed my life. These are by far the best tubes to use in this amp. I have tried them all. I have been playing in bands and guitar for 30 years. I have all old Boss Japan timed effects running through the effects loop and a Keeley tube screamer in front for boost and light distortion on the clean channel. This is the most under rated Marshall. I have owened the TSL 60 which sucked, the DSL 50 which sucked, 1987X plexi which was cool but just to damn loud and again 4 other JCM 900's which sucked until I got the 5881/6L6 version.

These amps are simple but great.

No Comment.

I would never sell this gem.

I bought this amp second hand for #400 with a jcm900 1960 lead cab, shared EQ is the main problem, I solve it with a EQ. I used to have a 4 cahnnel AVT, totally uneccessary and for amateurs. Load up on the stompboxes though, I found the clean channel wouldn't go clean enough but it may be broken. I also paid more for the AVT than I have for this, and that sounded like a cheap imitation so don't even bother.

I play modern rock, so no nu-metal shite, more Janes Addiction, Chilis, Muse, Rage, that sort of sound and you can get that sort of ballsy rock I personally love from this amp easily. I haven't even tried to scoop out the mids, what's the point when they sound so good? I use a cheap PRS santana SE with dual humbuckers, a les Paul and a squier tele custom (Im on a budget of course) it sounds the business, if you can't get a decent tone with this then you're a lame guitarist or you like lame music - Nu metal is dead and this amp's rating had been dragged down by kids expecting it to sound like the next big metal band, it sounds good, period. Clean channel is a bit poor though, still 10/10 because channel B makes up for it.

PS-I'm not a middle-aged rocker, I'm 18, and I love this amp.

It occasionally needs turning off and back on again for some reason, but it's old and well used and it works second time. Makes a loud noise when you turn it off though, I should look into that really! Haven't had it long, I'm writing this so I don't lose any friends by bragging about my new amp too much!

This is my dream amp, the next step for me would be something ludicrous custom made, this is all you need. If you can't make it sound good then you have a problem with your technique or somewhere else in your setup. I do wish it had seperate EQs though, and a better clean channel. Still...go and buy one, now.

100 Watt JCM 9000 4100 Dual Reverb Reissue, 2005 or 2006?... 2 channels - the 5881-type tubes in it not the EL-34's. Its all been covered already. Its not the most versatile head out there but its two channels allow it to do what it was designed to do - play rock music! Shared EQ is kind of a bummer though. Effects loop is always a useful feature.

I used it at the store for a couple hours with my 1980's Kramer USA Nightswan. This beast is meant to be played LOUD and absolutely ROCKS. The overdrive is to die for! If you love AC/DC, Whitesnake, Guns N Roses, Aerosmith, or any other classic rock bands I would check this head out. It covers those styles very well and is lot of fun to play! Tight and punchy amp, with a lot of midrange - sustains for days and feeds back beautifully. I was able to get both great rythym (with the gain lower) and searing solo tone (with the gain set higher) on the lead channel. Clean channel wasn't a vox or fender... but don't let that hold you back from trying this amp - the clean isnt half bad and the amp is a MARSHALL! cmon its meant for rocking out. The pinch harmonics seemed to really pop off my guitar through this amp. Also the reverb was great when used moderately. I am no great guitarist but everyone who walked by came over to see what amp/guitar I was playing and they all dropped compliments on my tone.

To be honest, I have no idea why these JCM900's are so maligned by most Marshall fans... you can sometimes see the old ones going for really low prices! I think these things are overlooked and will get more popular as more people come to realize what a great and distinctive rock tone they put out.

Don't know but the salesman (an older dude with a lot of experience) told me that tube-head marshalls have been great over the last few years for reliability. The amp certainly appeared to be well put together - its a tube amp though so it needs to be babied.

Can't say. I think the warranty is 5 years - which is what it should be for an amp of this price. I have never dealt with Marshall.

So to recap:
100 watts - dont play it in your bedroom - get a powerbrake!
Tone - Sweet rock, blues, and even edgier rock/country tones on tap... great rythym and lead tone here.
Metalheads - Don't buy this, you probably won't be happy. Not enough gain and sounds far too warm to be a good metal amp. I find that Krank or Mesa Rectifier series make much better amps for metal. This amp likes standard tuning and searing solos not drop D or C chugging.
Don't play it with crappy guitars - My Kramer was a match made in heaven. I think any solidbody gibson or quality solidbody rock guitar with humbuckers would love this amp. Strats w/fuzz pedal or tubescreamer would be good too.
Don't play it through crappy cabs - I played it through a Mesa Rectifier 2x12 vertical slant cab... WOW did it sound good. Vintage 30 speakers are great for this amp.

I can't fairly give this an overall rating, since I don't own it - but I would say that its worth checking out if you love rock. The price is too steep in my opinion, so I will probably check out some of the old ones to see if I can score one of these amazing (and unfairly criticized) amps. (also see: JCM 800 users who pay thousands for their amp are suckers when this one can be had for a few hundred)

Jcm 900 high gain dual reverb 100 watt 2 channel amp head.
Seperate volume, gain & reverb controls for each channel. Shared eq.
4 el-34 tubes and 3 ec883 preamp tubes. I've used it to play gigs and it has tons of power. Very loud with great tone.

I play a strat, sg, epiphone dot, les paul, Ibanez and a tele.
I play mostly rock, blues, heavy metal, reggae and original stuff.
The amp is like "oh my god" awesome. Very quiet with humbucker equipped guitars. Single coils are a litle nosiy but that the guitar not the amp. I run this head into a Marshall 4x12 jcm800 straight cab
and usually on 1/2 power. I use a tubescreamer with the gain set low and the level a little high so it acts as a boost, into a hendrix wah and a digital delay thru the efects loop. This gives me basically a 4 channel amp. Clean, clean with tubescreamer for a vintage sounding crunch, lead and lead with tubescreamer for over the top sustain for days type leads. The clean channel can get clean to a vintage crunch depending on how much gain you dial in. The reverb is really nice. Its kinda sterile sounding but clear, bright and crisp at the same time. I Like it alot. Usually I set the clean channel up with the gain on 4 and master on 5-7 depending. The lead channel is really great. The distortion rules on this amp. Its much better than any jcm 800 I've heard. This channel has a trebly character to it with a heavy bottom end thump. The amp seams to be starving for fuel unless you turn it up. As it approacheds 1/2 volume it really starts to open up. I usually peg the gain and run the volume between 4-7 depending. It sound great at 6 on the volume with the gain at full, but this is too loud for most situations and people start complaining even on 1/2 power which is how I keep it. The amp isn't really that versitle. Its great for rock and metal and it can do blues allright. Its hella loud even on 1/2 power and it really sounds great. The distortion is where its at on this amp, it has that distictive Marshall roar. The clean is good as well but definately no fender clean.

Yes its dependaple. Other than a couple of pots that are scratchy
which I will replace eventually, the amp has never let me down.

I've been playing 27 years. If it were stolen I would probable try to find another one. I love the Marshall sound.
This amp is the shit for hard rock music.

I got mine used for $800 w/. the matching cab. It's a 1991 i believe. I mostly use the Dirty channel - I play punk music. My only complaint is the lake of independent channels, but you'd be surprised how different you can get the 2 channels by tweaking the gain.

I've used this head to power half stacks, full stacks, (marshall and mesa), the ohm selector is very helpful. Also the half power setting is good when I run the amp thought my 100 watt green back cab (but I do loose some tone)

I use gibsons w/. humbuckers or P-90's, and the all sound good wit this amp.

The Clean channel is really good though...if you put the Gain to 8 or so you can get a killer AC/DC type sleazy rock'n roll tone. The amp doesn't really do a "fender" type clean (but if you want that, get a f*****g fender.

the hi-gain channel is really good. It has a little more distortion than jcm-800's and jmp's I've played. This Amp is very suited to playing punk rock - especially if you don't have the cash for a high priced jcm-800 that's be moded.

the only thing on the amp that is sub par is the reverb. it's barley there - but then again....Marshall's aren't really known for reverb, are they.

I've used this amp to record 2 full lengths and 2 EPs. It's been on 2 US tours and 5 west coast tours and played about 300 gigs locally!

The only problem I've ever had was right after I got this amp it blew a fuse and cracked two tubes..however I finished the set! I had the fuses changed and the amp retubed and have never had a problem sense (that was 2001) and it has failed me sense.

I bought in used and ten years old. It was WAY out of warranty.....

I've be playing for 10 years. I would definitely replace this amp with the same. I've owned Crate, Fender, mesa, and laney heads. They all disappointed me - but not my 900

Enough. If you need more, then buy a couple of stomboxes...(you can never have enough of those little bastards)

People are hating this amp because its distortion(which comes thru every brickwall ;) and they complain that clean isn't good enough. Well, like someone said here that if you don't like like the marshall sound, then why you did buy it in the first place...

The clean channel makes me play with Joe Strummer feel everytime, it is definitely NOT a dull channel. It's not sterile at all, it's more like between fender and mesa. Picture if Jeff Buckley would've been in the Clash :) Ballsy, bluesy, you name it...

The OD-channel: First time I played thru this channel I was like "oh, what the fk". It sounded like thousand bees are about to buzz you. It was so piercing sound that I wanted immeaditely to check the back of the amp that it really had tubes. But as most of you know, this isn't a full tube amp.
I started to like the sound after I had turn the gain little back. The all knobs full isn't the best sound you can get from this head, I must admit that.
But what really makes this amp versatile, is when you put EQ-pedal(like boss)in its FX-loop...Well, it opens a totally different world...like when you using V-curve(at pedal) you get mesa/zakk wylde-tone...
I was about to buy a new head(yep, gotta keep moving, never stay with one girl more than a few months...heh ;), but luckily I read somewhere that you should try to use an extra eq-box with this amp.
When I don't use pedal it sounds like a hard-rock amp should sound. And when the box is on then it sounds "modern USA crunch"...well, I can't complain, this is the amp for me.

I'd gig w/o a backup. Change the tubes once a year(if you gig/practice every day).

Well, the key here is to build machines so good and realiable that no one needs to complain or manage even to crush these things. But unfortunately nowdays everything is made so cheap that it takes no time to break, that's why there's need for this customer support thing.... :)

If you like manic street preachers(90s-era), hard-rock, dave navarro stuff or basic pure rock with no techno tricks, then check this out. But everything depends on your personal taste, so try this amp before you buy...never buy anything without hearing how it sounds live, unless it's superbly cheap... :)