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About Colonel Clank
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Colonel Clank's Reviews
Marshall JCM 800 4104 212 Combo JCM 800 4104 212 Combo
JCM 800 4104 212 Combo
05-11-2007 12:00 AM
Overall Rating: I have been playing since 1980. I was 13. I started smoking grass in 1979...but it wasn't really good grass. I started smoking good grass in 1986 and fantastic grass in 1990. I attribute my 15-year fascinatio
Overall Rating: I have been playing since 1980. I was 13. I started smoking grass in 1979...but it wasn't really good grass. I started smoking good grass in 1986 and fantastic grass in 1990. I attribute my 15-year fascination with weed as the cause of my short term memory issues. I haven't smoked much in 15 years and stopped doing crank, mushrooms, acid and coke on a regular basis as well. I'm gradually getting a lot of my memory back and people say that i play much better now that i can remember my riffs and solos every time. However, playing the 4104 makes my want to get loaded and let her rip just based on the sound and vibe that i get from it.
To do it all over again, I would get a 1X12 or the small sized 50w stack head, instead of the 2x12. I would aslo like reverb and maybe an effects loop. In general, there are a lot of great amps out now that are more versatile. I really like my Marshalls but would check out other brands as well. I would even consider solid state amps for practice but for playing out nothing beats two marshall halfstacks and an svt for a fourpiece rock band. I'll never sell it for any reason that i can think of.
Other stuff that I own/play includes a Peavy 1x10 ss combo (for sale), 4 newer les pauls, 3 strats a G&L Rampage (1985), a spector ns2-a, essex pbass copy with emg's, a spirit xp5 5-string bass, GK800RB and RBH410 Cabinet, a Marshall VS30R (great practice amp and the reason for selling the PV), and a squire strat. Roland TD6 drum kit.
I have been playing live (with friends mostly)less due to work demands but have been writing tunes to record on a Boss BR-864. I reviewed the boss on HC as well. I love Hard Rock and metal but the metal has to have a singer that can sing..barking, while sometimes tolerable is ok but that's not really my bag baby.
To do it all over again, I would get a 1X12 or the small sized 50w stack head, instead of the 2x12. I would aslo like reverb and maybe an effects loop. In general, there are a lot of great amps out now that are more versatile. I really like my Marshalls but would check out other brands as well. I would even consider solid state amps for practice but for playing out nothing beats two marshall halfstacks and an svt for a fourpiece rock band. I'll never sell it for any reason that i can think of.
Other stuff that I own/play includes a Peavy 1x10 ss combo (for sale), 4 newer les pauls, 3 strats a G&L Rampage (1985), a spector ns2-a, essex pbass copy with emg's, a spirit xp5 5-string bass, GK800RB and RBH410 Cabinet, a Marshall VS30R (great practice amp and the reason for selling the PV), and a squire strat. Roland TD6 drum kit.
I have been playing live (with friends mostly)less due to work demands but have been writing tunes to record on a Boss BR-864. I reviewed the boss on HC as well. I love Hard Rock and metal but the metal has to have a singer that can sing..barking, while sometimes tolerable is ok but that's not really my bag baby.
Features: This amp was bought new in 1985 at Chopin music on north Olden Avenue in Trenton NJ. Being the corn muncher that i am, i traded a perfectly good Fender Champ (i think it was the one with an 8' speaker) just to knock a $100 off of the price. This amp has never been about doodads. It's about balls and ear crushing volume. The features are basically on (raging) or off. In all fairness, if the pre amp is down around 3-4, master is up quite abit and you use a booster pedal for over drive (my favorite is the yjm 308 pedal (these were being blown out for $29 at GC before they stopped carrying them) there is enough ability to roll into distortion from clean when using the volume knob on the guitar. This works great and makes for a much more musical transition between clean and nasty. it also helps to back off the picking aggressives. Playing this way makes for a more dynamic guitar performance. Anyone can step on a buz box but the 4104 gets these tones with finesse.
Points off for no reverb: 1 (i believe a reverb model was available but not sure)
Points off for no effects loop: 1
Balls are a feature and it has a lot of those.
Points off for no reverb: 1 (i believe a reverb model was available but not sure)
Points off for no effects loop: 1
Balls are a feature and it has a lot of those.
Sound Quality: This Marshall is quiet as a church mouse when there is no gain boosting pedal in front of it. It makes me wonder why all the tube amp websites talk about converting the filaments to DC when my 4104 has ac filaments and has zero noise....and that is with 22 year old caps (she's all original except for the power tubes and phase inverter tube.
The amp is made for Rock and hard Rock. Metal guys like the tone but want more gains and compression. that is where the booster pedal comes in. i can stick a $29 booster pedal in front of it an jack he gain up to insane levels. The amp just gets thicker and sweeter sounding with no unmusical feedback.
For those who are considering the 6550 to el34 conversion, i have been down that road and prefer the 6550's 2:1 over the el34's. 6550's are twice as expensive but are twice as powerful in this amp. that is after having the biasing done by someone who knows what they are doing. El34's have more midrange like a plexi but are lacking in the bass and total output. It's a noticable difference. I also have a 100w marshall bass head with el34's which i like but the 4104 is just as loud and rich sounding with the 6550's. For those who question the difference that a proper biasing makes, the 100w head was improperly set for 6550's when i bought it (used:$180 in 1987 cause it was blowing tubes and fuses). After removing the hack job resisters and a capacitor (never figured out why they added it to the bias circuit) it sounds very good. It went from dull and uninspiring to "i can't wait to get home and plug in."
Back to the 4104. It sounds awesome for rock/hard rock/metal with a pedal.
The amp is made for Rock and hard Rock. Metal guys like the tone but want more gains and compression. that is where the booster pedal comes in. i can stick a $29 booster pedal in front of it an jack he gain up to insane levels. The amp just gets thicker and sweeter sounding with no unmusical feedback.
For those who are considering the 6550 to el34 conversion, i have been down that road and prefer the 6550's 2:1 over the el34's. 6550's are twice as expensive but are twice as powerful in this amp. that is after having the biasing done by someone who knows what they are doing. El34's have more midrange like a plexi but are lacking in the bass and total output. It's a noticable difference. I also have a 100w marshall bass head with el34's which i like but the 4104 is just as loud and rich sounding with the 6550's. For those who question the difference that a proper biasing makes, the 100w head was improperly set for 6550's when i bought it (used:$180 in 1987 cause it was blowing tubes and fuses). After removing the hack job resisters and a capacitor (never figured out why they added it to the bias circuit) it sounds very good. It went from dull and uninspiring to "i can't wait to get home and plug in."
Back to the 4104. It sounds awesome for rock/hard rock/metal with a pedal.
Reliability/Durability: This is where i was disappointed. I had it for a couple years and then the amp would have a problem where the volume woud drop to 1/10th and i would have to smack it on top for it to pop back on. Scary! Turned out to be a cold solder joint. A TV guy looked at and charged me $50 to diagnose and fix it. he also adjusted the output tube bias with an osciliscope which made it sound a lot warmer. He must of done it right because the original power tubes (GE's) lasted for almost 15 years playing almost every other weekend with a drummer and bass player, plus a couple hours each week.
The problem was a very big disappointment because it was so fundamental and should have been a quality control reject.
Now. I am a dumbass at times. Despite reading that it should not be operated without a load, i decided to plug my line out into a reverb delay unit and then into the 100w head which was attached to a speaker cabinet. After playing a while i noticed it smelled a little funny and turned it off... that was 15 years ago and never had a problem. it did blow the h/t fuse a few years later when the ge's finally gave up the ghost but i am surprized that I didn't destroy the output transformer. "living and learning, or just living?:
The problem was a very big disappointment because it was so fundamental and should have been a quality control reject.
Now. I am a dumbass at times. Despite reading that it should not be operated without a load, i decided to plug my line out into a reverb delay unit and then into the 100w head which was attached to a speaker cabinet. After playing a while i noticed it smelled a little funny and turned it off... that was 15 years ago and never had a problem. it did blow the h/t fuse a few years later when the ge's finally gave up the ghost but i am surprized that I didn't destroy the output transformer. "living and learning, or just living?:
Customer Support: One day i decided that i wanted to "understand" the circuit in the 4104 so i called korg, who was the distributer at the time, and asked for a schematic. they mailed one for free and didn't even give me greif cause i sounded like 15-year old metalica listening, 7/11 hanging out dirt bag.
That is the extent of my customer service experience and it wasn't even with Marshall. I will say that I go marshallamps.com to check out the stuff, both vintage and new. I would like to see more information there but really enjoy the new product demos.
That is the extent of my customer service experience and it wasn't even with Marshall. I will say that I go marshallamps.com to check out the stuff, both vintage and new. I would like to see more information there but really enjoy the new product demos.
Purchased From: Chopin Music, Trenton NJ (went out of business about '86)
Price: $500.00 USD
Boss BR-864 BR-864
BR-864
05-10-2007 12:00 AM
Overall Rating: In order, I play Metal, Hard Rock, Rock and Electric Blues. I have been playing for 20 years and can now afford more toys than when I was mowing lawns for beer money. One cool thing about this machine is that I can great sounds out of...
Overall Rating: In order, I play Metal, Hard Rock, Rock and Electric Blues. I have been playing for 20 years and can now afford more toys than when I was mowing lawns for beer money. One cool thing about this machine is that I can great sounds out of inexpensive guitars. My last recording, entitled "In Your Face" had a $100 used squier HH Strat (including the George Lynch SD pickup) and an Essex Pbass copy with EMG's ($110 for the bass and $50 for the EMG's which were on sale but not advertized at GC for some unknown reason, talk about being at the right place at the right time!) I also have a G&L Rampage (1985-bought new at Russo's in Trenton NJ), a white american strat, honeyburst LP standard (I love these two guitars), an Essex LP Junior with fake p90's (solid mahogany with a clearcoat finish. I had to level the frets once but this thing has more sustain than an organ...but its very heavy also), an Epiphone LP Custom, Spirit 5-string Steinberger copy, Spector NS2A and my first acoustic electric which is a Gretsch Sierra Jumbo. I have a 50w jcm800 head, a 100w JCM800 head, 1 1960a and a carvin 4x12 straight front with celestion g12m70's. GK RB800 and RBH410 cabinet.
This was the best sounding and most flexible unit for the money when I was shopping. I shopped quite hard and ended up at GC. To do it all over again, I would probably just spend the extra money for a computer set up since the portability was not as much of a factor as I expected it to be. However, I have been able to program drum patterns and arrangements while riding the train (NJ Transit) back and forth to work. That is a good way to justify the portability.
I grew up on Boss effects pedals. They always appealed to me from a styling, durability and sound quality perspective. I think they have maintained the same product positioning with this product. I use it all the time and have no intention of selling it. It is super handy because it is so self contained. All you need is a guitar and your ipod headphones. In the end I feel a 9 rating is appropriate based on what it does (and does it well) as well as the superiority to its competition.
A couple of pet peeves:
1) the constuction feels a bit plasticky, especially for something that cost $350-$400 when it came out and is meant to be portable. I will note that the controls feel better than all of the other portables that I tried and that i have had zero trouble with them.
2)Styling seems like an after thought. The replacement, they call it the BR-600 or something like that, looks like they addressed this-it also has phantom power if I read the ad right.
3)You have to buy the AC adapter for $15-20. This did not set well with me. Yeah, I bought it.
This was the best sounding and most flexible unit for the money when I was shopping. I shopped quite hard and ended up at GC. To do it all over again, I would probably just spend the extra money for a computer set up since the portability was not as much of a factor as I expected it to be. However, I have been able to program drum patterns and arrangements while riding the train (NJ Transit) back and forth to work. That is a good way to justify the portability.
I grew up on Boss effects pedals. They always appealed to me from a styling, durability and sound quality perspective. I think they have maintained the same product positioning with this product. I use it all the time and have no intention of selling it. It is super handy because it is so self contained. All you need is a guitar and your ipod headphones. In the end I feel a 9 rating is appropriate based on what it does (and does it well) as well as the superiority to its competition.
A couple of pet peeves:
1) the constuction feels a bit plasticky, especially for something that cost $350-$400 when it came out and is meant to be portable. I will note that the controls feel better than all of the other portables that I tried and that i have had zero trouble with them.
2)Styling seems like an after thought. The replacement, they call it the BR-600 or something like that, looks like they addressed this-it also has phantom power if I read the ad right.
3)You have to buy the AC adapter for $15-20. This did not set well with me. Yeah, I bought it.
Sound Quality: I have not tried to mic up my amps yet. I just plug in to the unit and use the COSM sounds. The effects are very powerful. There are a lot of choices and many that sound fantastic. Plus just about all of it is fully editable.The clean guitar sounds are very good-warm, full and still crisp. The distorted sounds are also pretty good but my first reaction was that they sound a little scratchy. However, when combined with the other instruments and tracks, they are still quite impressive and my first impression became less meaningful. One of my favorites for hard rock leads is the "fixed wah" preset (#67 or #69-i forget)Think Michael Schenker on steroids. I also like to do two mono rhythm guitar tracks and pan them hard right and hard left. Bass can be mono to use up less memory. I just bought an acoustic guitar but have not had a chance to try it yet.
Vocal presets are really cool and add enough karaoke to keep things interesting. The model that replaces the 864 has phantom power for condenser mikes-which should be a big advantage.
All-in, The sound quality is very good. Remember this a portable device that isn't meant to be substituted for a full computerized setup. It sounds a zillion times better than the Yamaha cassette 4-track that i bought in '86.
Vocal presets are really cool and add enough karaoke to keep things interesting. The model that replaces the 864 has phantom power for condenser mikes-which should be a big advantage.
All-in, The sound quality is very good. Remember this a portable device that isn't meant to be substituted for a full computerized setup. It sounds a zillion times better than the Yamaha cassette 4-track that i bought in '86.
Reliability/Durability: I have had no problems in about 2.5 years. My friend bought one when I bought mine and has had no issues either. That makes for a sample size of 2.
Ease of Use: First. This really has 65 tracks including the Rhythm guide (1) and the 8 virtual tracks for each of the 8 playback tracks.
This is where some people get the headache: The manual appears to have been translated into english and there are some obvious errors & omissions etc. But it does tell you just about everything that you need to know to get up and running. Like anything that's more complex than soccer ball, there is a little bit of a learning curve before you remember all of the functions and how to access them. I have crappy short-term memory so I keep the manual handy for reference. I found the bouncing and mastering functions to work exactly like it should when i followed the step by step instructions. I didn't see it in the manual but you can move the faders while bouncing to adjust levels on the fly for solos or vocals etc... Contrary to the post below this, the original tracks do not disappear forever. Once mastered or bounced, the machine defaults to the v2 or v3 tracks. (Each of the eight tracks has eight choices of alternate tracks that can be played, that's why they claim you can record 8 takes on each track and then choose which one you want to use when playing back.)your original tracks are still there under the v1 if that is what you originally recorded them on.
I play primarily rock tunes, so I have been quite happy with the drum sounds provided and have not tried to add any yet via the tone load. I could see adding a flammed snare to replace a tom and maybe adding another cymbal as well. (I have a Roland e-drum that I will try this with.) It all seems pretty easy from the manual (which, in my opinion, is completely satisfactory.) It is quite easy string together drum parts and most of the basic rock beats are already provided as presets. Once I string all the basic pieces together, I go back and edit the tune to add cymbal crashes, adjust the velocity to make the song sound more dynamic and tweak the hi-hat or ride accents to make it more interesting.
Score: 10-1 for the manual, since it sounds like so many reviewers have trouble with it. The remaining score of 9 is supported by having a lot of great features which really are quite easy to use. Don't let the learning curve frustrate you and don't be afraid to sit down with the manual. it really helps.
This is where some people get the headache: The manual appears to have been translated into english and there are some obvious errors & omissions etc. But it does tell you just about everything that you need to know to get up and running. Like anything that's more complex than soccer ball, there is a little bit of a learning curve before you remember all of the functions and how to access them. I have crappy short-term memory so I keep the manual handy for reference. I found the bouncing and mastering functions to work exactly like it should when i followed the step by step instructions. I didn't see it in the manual but you can move the faders while bouncing to adjust levels on the fly for solos or vocals etc... Contrary to the post below this, the original tracks do not disappear forever. Once mastered or bounced, the machine defaults to the v2 or v3 tracks. (Each of the eight tracks has eight choices of alternate tracks that can be played, that's why they claim you can record 8 takes on each track and then choose which one you want to use when playing back.)your original tracks are still there under the v1 if that is what you originally recorded them on.
I play primarily rock tunes, so I have been quite happy with the drum sounds provided and have not tried to add any yet via the tone load. I could see adding a flammed snare to replace a tom and maybe adding another cymbal as well. (I have a Roland e-drum that I will try this with.) It all seems pretty easy from the manual (which, in my opinion, is completely satisfactory.) It is quite easy string together drum parts and most of the basic rock beats are already provided as presets. Once I string all the basic pieces together, I go back and edit the tune to add cymbal crashes, adjust the velocity to make the song sound more dynamic and tweak the hi-hat or ride accents to make it more interesting.
Score: 10-1 for the manual, since it sounds like so many reviewers have trouble with it. The remaining score of 9 is supported by having a lot of great features which really are quite easy to use. Don't let the learning curve frustrate you and don't be afraid to sit down with the manual. it really helps.
Customer Support: Not Applicable since I have had no problems with the machine.
I am sure there is a U.S. support office but I suspect, based on my experience with the manual, understanding Japanese my be usefull...Sorry guys, but you asked for it by releasing a draft manual that should have had more editing done. I couldn't resist.
I am sure there is a U.S. support office but I suspect, based on my experience with the manual, understanding Japanese my be usefull...Sorry guys, but you asked for it by releasing a draft manual that should have had more editing done. I couldn't resist.
Purchased From: Guitar Center-Springfield NJ (I go there all of the time now)
Price: $375.00 USD
SX SPB 62 SPB 62
SPB 62
06-26-2006 12:00 AM
Overall Rating: I have been playing guitar for 20 years and tinkering with basses for half of that. I own a Geddy Lee jazz, Spirit 5 string headless, an SX Les Paul copy (mahogany clear finish and p90 clones-thi
Overall Rating: I have been playing guitar for 20 years and tinkering with basses for half of that. I own a Geddy Lee jazz, Spirit 5 string headless, an SX Les Paul copy (mahogany clear finish and p90 clones-this thing is great), a les paul standard, American Strat, G&L Rampage, 2 Marshall 1/2 stacks, a digitech 2120 artist and various other stuff. The 9 rating is mildly price weighted. Here you get more than you pay for.
Features: 2006 Typical off-shore P-bassesque copy. Tobacco sunburst finish with chrome hardware and a white three-ply pickguard. Came with an acceptable quality passive pickup. Everybody says that these things are made out of solid alder, and I can't claim to be an expert on wood varieties, but I had to shave a little wood out of the control cavity to fit the second 9v battery (I installed an EMG P pickup as soon as I got the bass) and the wood felt more like basswood or some softer variety. I can say that the wood is real and not a plywood like some of the off-shore guitars. The finish is surprizingly good. the neck has a vintage looking yellow tone to the urathane and the sunburst came out very nicely. Neck has a rosewood fingerboard. Bridge is a p-bass style but looks thinner than a fender american bridge-though not as thin as some more expensive basses such as the fender mexicans. The neck is at least as thick as the fender p-basses, maybe thicker. Came with nothing that wasn't bolted to it. Rating of 8 is not for quantity of features but the quality. Tuners work well and look similar quality to fender mexican. I'll change the nut to brass and keep my eye out for a solid bridge. I don't feel bad about modding a copy but would have modder's remorse if I started with a $900 Fender American....
Sound Quality: I bought it to get that low midrange tone that goes well with hard rock from the late 70's, early 80's. It is thumpy and still provides decent sustain. I liked the stock pickup but always wanted to try an emg in a pbass and am very happy with the result. The EMG is way more powerfull sounding but admittedly lacks a little of that organic passive tone. If you like passive tones you may like the stock pick well enough. I will not change it back, but for $100 I can go buy another Essex since I live near Rondo. I play through a GK RB800 head and GK RBH410 cabinet-that is the big daddy 410 cabinet from GK.
Reliability/Durability: Bass is fine for live or studio use.
Hardward is fine. No complaints.
Finish is very good.
Strap buttons have not had any issues
Never had to adjust the truss rod so far.
Fine for gigging without a back up. But for $100 you could also have a backup Hmmmmm.
Hardward is fine. No complaints.
Finish is very good.
Strap buttons have not had any issues
Never had to adjust the truss rod so far.
Fine for gigging without a back up. But for $100 you could also have a backup Hmmmmm.
Customer Support: I don't know the prefecture in China where this came from. Rondo on the other hand is great to deal with.
Purchased From: Rondo Music in NJ
Price: $109.99 USD
G&L Rampage Rampage
Rampage
10-13-2005 12:00 AM
Overall Rating: It is metal. Features: 1985/86 Super heavy black body w/matching headstock-
Overall Rating: It is metal.
Features: 1985/86 Super heavy black body w/matching headstock-looked like maple when the pickup was replaced, original kahler tremelo, all black hardware except for the chees-ass nut lock which is sheetmetal and looks like crap. The strat style body is not a clone of the familiar strat but has its own shape- smaller horns and a little more slender around the waist. One of the most prominant features of this guitar is the untreated bare wood neck with an eBony fingerboard and huge flat frets. The neck is medium thickness and gets a bit dirty looking but gets faster and faster the more that it's played. The neck is made out of quartersawn maple which is cut from the same piece of wood and reversed to keep the wood from warping in any one direction. It works. The action was set up right after I bought it and has not moved in 19 years...even when living in many different climates. Except for the previously maligned nutlock, the features are perfect for the focused metal guitar player. One pickup, one volume control and solid heavy wood. I installed an EMG81 they day after I bought Metalica's Ride The Lightning album and never looked back. The Kahler trem is really good though a lot softer than most FR's. I give the features a 9 for being focused and high quality-not for being plentyful. It's not a swiss army knife, It's a butcher's knife that has been made out of excellent materials.
Sound Quality: This guitar is for metal. Nothing else. It has a cold tone and is uninspiring for anything but metal or super hard rock. I can't remember what the original pickup sounded like but have had no desire to take out the emg81, which is only on the third battery in almost twenty years. The sound has a super strong lower midrange and well defined upper midrange with great sustain. The ultra highs are not there which makes the guitar feedback resistant. Attack is very very hard. The Kahler tremelo does not react the same way that Floyd Rose trems do. It sounds much more controlled when diving and that is not meant to be a compliment.
Reliability/Durability: This was my one and only through various garage/basement beer drinking sessions. A backup is a must because you can't finish a song without changing a string. Everything else is indestructible.
Customer Support: Never had an issue that needed manufacturer support. I bought this new in 1985 or 1986 from Russo's back when they were in a little house on Broad St. in Trenton NJ(the cigarette smoke used to be so thick your eyeballs hurt just looking in the window). They don't seem to smoke as much now. I still buy most of my stuff from them. The new building is nice and holds a lot more stuff but I miss gazing at a new axe while my eyes water and chest gets tight. That is Character.
Purchased From: Russo Music on BROAD STREET in Trenton NJ
Price: $370.00 USD
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