Marshall JMD50H

Marshall JMD50, 50W hybrid Digital / Valve head

Digital amp modelling.

Aaah yes. For those of you who break out into itchy hives at the mere thought of it, it's probably best if you skip this section. Maybe just read the bits about the JVM410 or the 6101 again.

For a long time, I ran a dual-amp setup, with the JVM doing its valve thing on one side, and the MF350 on the other side, set clean and being fed quite nice modelled amp tones from an HD500. It was cool and all, but I gradually ended up concentrating on the JVM.

The issue was that all of my effects (delays and shit) came from the HD500 too ... it was always the plan that the JVM was going to be run 'dry' (no effects, just valve drives and the on-board reverb), but the amp models that drove the MF350 started to leave me a little cold.

So, I started to look around for an alternative modeller. But what? The Helix? Kemper? Headrush? Or maybe a used AxeFX? I looked around, and tried what I could, but I couldn't get to the point where I was willing to let any of those take over my rig. I'm confident that some of them would challenge the JVM, but that amp was (and is) the centre of my rig and I have no desire to change that. Also, I know perfectly well that I'd use any of them to model a decent Marshall, then would stick with that tone. I needed something a bit more ... a bit more Marshall.

Now, the recent Marshall CODE series (which includes a full-size head) was interesting on paper, but the novelty of BlueTooth control and the like would wear off pretty quickly, I'm sure. Oh, and the one I tried sounded like a massive, stinking bunch of arse, so I never tried another.

Before the purely solid state CODE series, however, Marshall flirted with modelling with the JMD series, which was launched at the winter NAMM at Anaheim in 2010. Sales were strong, but they were discontinued pretty quickly. On paper, they were promising ... a component-modelled digital front end with built-in digital effects, stuffed straight into a full valve power stage. Interesting. And Doug Aldrich used them throughout his 2012 Whitesnake tour ... I saw that tour, and Doug sounded like a full bag of awesome.

The architecture was similar to the JMP-1 preamp, with a 12AX7 doing ... erm ... some valve stuff, and the rest of the tone being processed. I'm fine with that ... I very nearly got a JMP-1 during my search, and still might. And why not ... if they're good enough for Dave Murray, Phil Colleen and Billy Gibbons, then they're good enough for me, although my dislike for rack gear has stopped me so far.

So. I looked around for AGES, missed out on a couple, then managed to agree a deal on this one. I wondered whether I should wait for a 100W version, but they aren't that common, and I didn't want to wait another 6 months to get hold of one, so this 50W version will have to do. Practically, by the time you wind up a 50W valve amp to the point where the valves are cooking a little, it's already going to hurt, so any extra offered by the 100W is ... essentially ... just more pain. So, this is my first ever valve amp with just two power tubes. And that's fine.

The digital front end was designed "in partnership with Marshall" (whatever that means) by 'SofTube' in Sweden, which has a decent reputation for making studio recording software and effects ... they're used at Abbey Road Studios, so it appears that SofTube must know the ropes.

The front end is designed to replicate loads of Marshall amps/rigs from over the years, including (ahem ...) the 1959 Plexi, 1974 combo, JCM800, JCM2000, JMP-1, as well as some (potentially quite odd) stuff like the Guv'nor drive pedal ... a drive pedal straight into a valve power amp? Hmm. Also on the list are the Mode Four MF350 and the JVM410, so it should feel quite at home.

The amp models are designed to replicate the components / circuitry that the signal hits, in order (... of course that's what the designers of the Helix did a few years later). From an end-user's point of view, that is surely a more sensible approach than simply capturing and modelling the amp as a whole. Regardless, it seems to hit the spot, and the models go from clean, shimmery valve goodness, through creamy, raspy valve goodness, to soaring high gain valve goodness. You see my point ... it sounds right, and feels right, and I'm left wondering if the JVM really IS the centre of my rig after all.

To give an example of the modelling architecture, let's take the 1974 combo. Now, I've played a couple of them, and they're LOVELY amps. Instead of modelling that loveliness directly, Marshall say that the model "... combines a 1974 ECC83 pre-amp stage with models of the original 1974 treble and gain controls followed by a modelled EQ with the midrange set at 650Hz and the Bass controlled using a variable capacitor, fed into a model of the original 1974 phase splitter and its EL84 push-pull power amp with no feedback, feeding into a modelled 1960 speaker load ...". Er, ok. Whatever all that shite MEANS, the result is that it sounds like a lovely, juicy, squishy old valve combo, and VERY much like my recollection of the real deal, so I guess that's a win. I've not had the inclination to do direct A-B comparisons between my regular amps and the models of the JVM and the MF350, but I WILL, and will report back.

Back to the amp.

The models are arranged in sets of four (clean, crunch, overdrive and lead), with four examples of each. So, that's 16 Marshalls (... and as you'll appreciate by now, more Marshalls is simply 'better'). Of course, each is infinitely adjustable using the usual array of knobs, and the settings are all saved when you capture a patch to memory, and you can access 28 patches from the supplied footswitch, or 128 if you go down the MIDI route.

The effects section (all of which are saved with your amp patches) includes a noise gate, chorus, phaser, flanger, tremolo, a bunch of delays, and a delicious reverb. SofTube describe them as 'studio quality', which I guess they WOULD do, given that they specialise in making effects for recording studios. For the record (although I'm not really a big FX guy) they sound great, and are MORE than enough for my needs.

So, all kinds of modelled goodness from the front end, solid effects, easy programming and recall of a bunch of usable patches, all fed into a proper valve power amp, straight into the arse-end of a 1960 4x12. I LOVE it!

Some quotes:

Paul Gilbert: "I like it very much ..."

John Norum: "It sounds really really good ..."

Doug Aldrich: "It's a kick-ass hybrid tube amp"

Rob Chapman: "I'm just loving the crap out of this amplifier"

My daughter Phoebe (2y10m) "My ears hurt Daddy". True story.