I decided to get this amp as a transition to the analog world, having used only FX Pedals and SS Amps in the past. Now six months later, I know I made an awesome choice.
In general, this head offers the "real" Marshall experience at a low cost, and should not disappoint anyone knowing what they are going for. The sound is GREAT and the head is capable of being used for home practice at low volumes (with a relative tonal trade-off) or loud gigs where it transforms into a blasting beast.
Summing-up my experience, here what i've found:
Pros
- Classic Marshall tone, with loads of gain available
- EL34 Tubes sound amazing when played loud
- Takes pedals very well
- Improved compared to older JCM2000 models
- Sounds great on both 10 & 20 watt modes
- Reverb is fine
Cons
- As with any tube amp, low volume sacrifices tone and makes the sound fizzy. Still, the tone is acceptable at 2
- Single EQ and Reverb for both channels make switching not so seamless. Especially for live playing
- Tone switch sucks out the tone instead of scooping it
- Not much headroom for cleans, in case you want them crisp and loud
For me, this amp has replaced most of the gear I used to play on from day one. I mostly play rock and metal, and I can get a great variety of sounds by adjusting the knobs or adding a pedal or two. It seems like all the digital pedal configurations are not so important when you have one thing that actually works for you after all.
