URGENT! 1978 JMP MKII w/ mods

[acewithalester]

ok so i found a 1978 jmp mkII at my luthiers shop today and i need help. its got 4 inputs and its been modded... the previous owner gave it a master volume and instead of having the ohm selector dial and turned each of the speaker outs on the back into 4,8, and 16 ohm inputs. aesthetically its in rough shape but not horrible (if the sound is there then who cares anyway). the previous owner also put 6550's in it, havent gotten a look at the brand yet though. hes asking for $1100 and it seems like a good deal to me (as long as it works of course, but i trust him). however im not gonna pull the trigger on it without some outside input from more knowledgeable sources.

some of you know ive been having a run of real bad luck with my 2466, and i have the possible option of returning the one i have now and buying this one... sorry steve i LOVE the sound of the vm but i mean come on... its a vintage marshall
any info is greatly appreciated as this is a time sensitive matter!

[surfnorthwest]

There were a few different versions of that amp.

JMP Lead Series Standard and Master Volume, 50W/100W. There were the 1959 & 1987 Super Lead heads, the 1986 & 1992 Super Bass heads, the 2203 & 2204 Master Volume heads. This one sounds like a modified 1987 or 1959 (is it a 100 watt or 50 watt?)

The 6550 tubes may not have been a conversion, many US amps had these and not the EL34s. The US distributor at that time (Unicord Inc.) decided to switch to 6550 output tubes in favor of the EL34's. Too many Marshalls were coming back under warranty with defective output tubes. Apparently the EL34's didn't like to be knocked about while being shipped from Europe to the US of A. Instead of fitting new EL34's, Unicord decided to fit 6550's, thinking that these "heavier" tubes would last beyond the warranty period. This in itself was true, but many American guitar players were wandering why their Marshall amps sounded so different from their European brothers. Some people actually like the bright sound of the 6550's in their Marshall amps but most guitar players prefer the original sound of the EL34's.

Don't know why you never made the connection with the VM but hey, we just want to keep you in the Marshall family. Asking us to comment on a amp thats that old and that has been modified would net a less then honest recommendation. I would have to see and and play it.

In the end the amp is worth what you or someone else is willing to pay for it. And if you really get along with the tone then heck yes get it. If cosmetics are important you can buy another head box for it that will make it look brand new.

[Bear]

ace, for not much more, you can find a bone stock JMP and have a fresh platform. I personally don't care to mod amps. If I plug my guitar into the amp ad the amp into a cab and it don't sound like what I want, it's not for me. Everyone is different, alot of guys buy amps just to mod them, so only you can know what you like. But I suggest you get a stock JMP if thats what you want and for little or no money, you can be really happy.