JMD will emulate how much of the other amps?

[Sebb]

I should say "Hi" properly I just joined the board and am just about to join the Marshall owners club, so hey, everyone, I'm really glad this board and y'all are here. I just dived in on my first post and didn't say hello. Very rude.

A newbie question.... I downloaded the manual for the JMD and I get that there are presets for the various amps and pedals, but if I select one of them am I then 'playing with that amp' or playing with the settings that they USED when they modeled the amp? eg the JVM is suppsed to have "12 unique tones" and they used three of them on the JMD. (first point - I'm guessing that the other 9 aren't 'available', at least as a JVM, maybe using other modeled amps). And then if I take one of the 12 that is included - Overdrive Modern - it "cranks things up with a powerful contemporary crunch, derived from the JVM4's red 'moded' Crunch channel". Have they modeled the amp or one setting of the amp? Did they model the red crunch with a gain of 9 and a reverb of 7.5 etc etc, or the way the whole amp behaves on that chennel? So when I play with the settings on the JMD is it like I've got the JVM red crunch channel and am now adjusting its knobs, or is it like I am starting with a specific tone and now I am making adjustments on top of their settings?

Could be a dumb question, but any answers gratefully received!

Sebb

[surfnorthwest]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the decision to score a JMD1, I love mine.

but if I select one of them am I then 'playing with that amp' or playing with the settings that they USED when they modeled the amp?

To answer this you have to understand the patented technology a Swedish company named "Soft Tube" used to model the Marshall amps. They went after the harmonic curve of the amps and some more stuff so I have linked the article below which will help you understand.

http://softube.se/natural_harmonic_technology.php

Simple answer is the dynamics of the amp are modeled in this head and you will have the luxury of tweaking it.

Many who have not played this amp have dismissed it, their loss IMO. But it did win 2010 best amp head of the year award at M.I.P.A. which is not something that can be dismissed. I find it to be the most flexible amp I ever owned. Go to the website below to hear each preamp.

http://www.marshallamps.jp/html_site/jm ... ta_en.html

[Beck-Ola]

Hi Sebb.

Not a dumb question at all. My understanding is that when using any respective preamp you are "playing with that amp" and not at some optimized setting of that amp used for the modeling process. It would seem to make sense to start with a neutral sound. The preamp controls should affect the basic core sound of each amp model the same way as on the amp it's modeled after. Therefore the Gain at 7 on "Overdrive Modern" should be equivalent to the JVM4's red 'moded' Crunch channel with Gain on 7, and so on with the tone stack settings, etc. If you have the TMB all at 5 it should sound like the amp it's modeled on with its TMB all at 5. Maybe SteveD will weigh in on this.

I was wondering some similar things along the lines of were the particular amps used as models selected "magic" amps from the Marshall vaults or just good everyday representatives of the species? Were the tubes installed some very rare and exceptional NOS Mullards, Amperex, or the like? Like did they use the very ultimate ones they knew of (would make sense)?

It would be cool if they could model some well-known players' amps, e.g., EVH's amp on the first album, Clapton's Bluesbreaker and Disraeli Gears amps, Hendrix's Woodstock amp, Ritchie Blackmore's Major, etc., that is if they even still existed or could be accessed. To model those actual amps and have them embedded in a JMD model would be awesome. You could call it the JMD: Signature Model. :dance

As an aside, did they not include a hard copy of the manual with your amp?

[guitarest]

Sebb:

I honestly do not know the magic or science behind the JMD; what I do know is I love the head. I played a gig this weekend (got to bed this morning at 6am; I love the playing hate the hours) and my amp doesn't look like a normal JMD since I removed the black on/off and removed the black piping and replaced with white. Loads loved the am and wondered about it; got to say they all were surprised (again I might add) that this amp is nothing short of my fav amp for many reasons. Many had heard bad stuff about the head prior but when I jump from December (Collective Soul) to Happiest Days of our Lives and Another Brick in the Wall Part 2, then slam into Remedy (Seether) one right after another without one magic box on stage people do notice it.

Have fun with your amp; don't try to get to technical with it. IMO that will only discolor what the amp is really made of; hell let those elves in England do what they want. All I want is the tone; and I got buckets of tone......

[Sebb]

Hey, surfnorthwest, Beck-Ola and Guitarest,
Thanks very much for the links, the perspective, information and advice. That is all v helpful. I am *about* to joing the Marshall owners club and haven't yet. I have found a JVM 50W combo shop-used for $1,299 and it's awesome, but I think I really want the JMD and cna't find anywhere I can play it (not that an hour with it would really let me get at what it can do). SO I think I'll just have to dive in. I can always return it if I hate it (that won't happen) and if after a couple years I think I'm missing something I can always look then - when I'll more of an idea what I'm talking about.

The demos blow me away - I can't wait to actually get some of those tones from my own fingers (at which point I'll discover how much the owner of the actual fingers matter!).

Sebb

Beck-Ola - is that a tribute to Jeff Beck? Love his Guitar Shop album, Blow By Blow etc.

-- Sun Jan 09, 2011 10:46 am --

For anyone else following this that doesn't want to go to all the links here's the core to the answer:

"The EQ and other filtering set the overall sound and character of an amplifier. Natural Harmonics digitizes these filters with minute precision, like in the example shown in Figure 2. To maintain this precision for all EQ knob settings, the interaction of the potentiometers in the passive tone stacks of the valve amplifier designs must be captured. "

In other words - and from other statements from Softtube - they model the amp, and all the pots for the amp AND how they interact with each other and the other electronics AND how this behavior changes over time. (Rather than syaing "here's one output curve from that amp, we'll bend your signal to fit that".)

Sebb

[surfnorthwest]

Yes dive in, it will be the most versatile amp you can own. Also with its XLR out it makes for a great recording amp. You can simply leave the amp in standby and record it while monitoring the sound through studio monitors.

Buy from a online retailer such as Sweetwater where you get a 30 day money back guarantee. Check out Schnullyman's videos with the JMD1.

[youtube][/youtube]

[guitarest]

Even AMS has it and depending on the price they offer no interest financing for qualified buyers (I should be a spokes person). Been buying stuff from AMS for ever it appears; at least before the internet got popular in the mid 90's...

I live in hill billy hell and most stores do not have the products I want or the financing so I go with AMS almost always.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-MAR-JMD100-LIST
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-MAR-JMD50-LIST
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-MAR-JMD102-LIST
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-MAR-JMDHS-LIST

[Hellhound]

I've had a JVM 410 and I have had the JMD50 combo and 100 Head. Yes, that channel on the JMD does sound almost the same as the JVM, and work in almost the same way. I found the 50w combo to sound a bit thin but the 100w Head and 1960AV work great together and produce a much warmer and fatter sound, even at lower volumes. The juggling around with volumes was a nightmare on the JVM410, nearly every channel and mode is a different volume.


I sold the JVM, kept the 100w JMD head!

[Beck-Ola]

Beck-Ola - is that a tribute to Jeff Beck? Love his Guitar Shop album, Blow By Blow etc.

Absolutely! "Beck-Ola" was the second album made by The Jeff Beck Group and released mid-1969, and one of the greatest assemblages of rock talent ever. This is the sound of a freight train running head on into a 1959 stack turned up all the way with a lunatic on guitar. First thing in the morning I put this on LOUD and turn up the amp and blare away the cobwebs. You've got to check it out if you like heavy rock. Beck-Ola is to Blow By Blow as a demolition derby is to Chopin.

Jeff Beck- guitars
Ronnie Wood- bass
Nicky Hopkins- piano and organ
Tony Newman- drums
Rod Stewart- vocals

Engineered by the legendary Martin Birch definitely on the heavy side.

Here are some clips for a taste:

Plynth (Water Down the Drain) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM__Hgis ... re=related
Spanish Boots - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKoQcght ... re=related
Hangman's Noose - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UPxoMu_ ... re=related
All Shook Up - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN18OcFN ... re=related

And this gem by Donovan, with this same Jeff Beck Group as back-up recorded at this same period. See if you can recognize that trademark groove. And check out the exquisite introductory riff by Beck.

Barabajagal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo9QsspW ... re=related

*Bonus* And here's another gem by Donovan with who else but Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham backing him with Page offering up some legendary fuzz guitar.
Hurdy Gurdy Man - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYFbQfcJduU&NR=1

But I digress...heh-heh...Enjoy everybody!

p.s. Slash who??

[noise5150]

I own the 50 watt head version and I know this is not exactly what you asked initially but I can tell you that have the JMD50 head set up right next to my DSL....which is set up right next to my brothers JVM410 (all with their own cabs) and we have done some caparisons. The JMD gets VERY close to the DSL and JVM tones IMO. Specifically, the DSL clean setting mode and the JVMs crunch channel red mode are spot on. I've never played a JPM-1 rack unit before but if you listen to different albums recorded with that unit from the 80s, you can hear that tone in the JMD. I would like to hear the JMD next to a JCM800 re-issue for comparison. IMO, the JCM800 mode on the JMD is not as high gain as I remember 800s being in the past but I usually boost that mode with a pedal and its really sings. And just to reiterate what others have said here, the direct recording function is stellar. I am considering selling my POD which I purchased for that one reason.

[Sebb]

Beck-Ola, thanks for those links, I checked them all out and will definitely get the album of (your) name!
I did the deed today and ordered my JMD501!
Getting my guitar set up as well so all will be cool and froody. Natick Guitar Center sold a 100W JMD head this morning as well, so the salesman was getting interested in why - I did my best to explain.
Sebb

[guitarest]

I also still have my pods, while the JMD is my number one head, I know there will be times that I need or want that extra push for the other amps like my 5150. My fav pod is the X3 Live and I have had it now for over two years and the XT Live while really smokes other units it is so ancient when compared to the X3 Live. While they have released a newer floor model (HD500) to me its a huge step backwards and the X3 is a far better unit so I have no plans to purchase that unit. My only reason for still using the Pods at home is for recording; currently my PC setup is almost all line6 software and hardware so the JMD is not currently compatible although this will soon be a thing of the past.