Advice on JCM800 clone

[AntKnee]

Ok, amp techs and aficionados... I'm considering buying this JCM 800 clone. Let me know if you see any red flags on this. It has a clean bill of health from reputable music shop. How much would you pay for it?

[mremic01]

The turretboard looks very well done. The wiring isn't as neat as it could be. Normally, lead dressing on these things looks much more deliberate. Builder have very particular paths to run the wires in order to avoid noise. Looks like they went for a little bit of mojo with the Sozo caps. My guess is the builder has a lot of soldering skill but hasn't done many amps, or just built it for himself without worrying about potential noise.

I tried to build one of these once and wound up with a bunch of sparking between the grid resistors and the chassis. Not sure what was wrong, but that's the kind of thing I might be worried about in a DIY build of unknown provenance.

[gordo]

Really nice parts involved and I'm a big fan of the transformers. Cabinet dimensions look a bit off but of no significance to the sound. Do you like the way it sounds?

What sort of money are we talking here?

[AntKnee]

I haven't played it yet. They are asking $650. I haven't decided whether or not to pursue it further.

[thesmokingman]

ignoring the hand-built vs manufactured argument, this is a 50 watt jcm 800 ... the ehx/sovtek mig 50 pretty much is one too ... which you can get for less than that new. just something to consider

[Rockhorst]

I haven't played it yet. They are asking $650. I haven't decided whether or not to pursue it further.

Like thesmokingman indicated: you should be able to find a JCM800 for $500 or less in my experience, with a little looking around. Then again, not all JCM800s are made alike, there's definite differences between production runs. Still, the price is probably fair, considering the work and the high quality parts used...so play it and if it sounds exceptional, you may consider buying it. But if you have any doubts, realize that no one is probably going to buy it off you for that same amount. Resale you'd be looking at $300 or $350 I gather. It sucks, but if there's no brand on it, it gets really hard to sell!

[AntKnee]

Every Sovtek Mig 50 I see has an asking price of around $600, and the JCM800s, especially the 2204, are asking over $1000. Where are you guys seeing these for such low prices? If they were that low, I wouldn't even be considering this clone.

[pickdropper]

Every Sovtek Mig 50 I see has an asking price of around $600, and the JCM800s, especially the 2204, are asking over $1000. Where are you guys seeing these for such low prices? If they were that low, I wouldn't even be considering this clone.

There's a JCM800 on TGP right now for $900 or so.  That might be worth considering.

With this one, if you get it and everything works, you'd probably want to put in some time redoing that wiring, but that is fixable as long as the parts are OK.

[flanagan0718]

$650 for a JCM Clone seems high to me. The Mig 50s are really nice. If I were going the Marshall route I'd be on the hunt for a DSL50. Those were my personal favorites. But that's just me.

[thesmokingman]

https://reverb.com/p/electro-harmonix-mig-50-2-channel-50-watt-tube-guitar-amp-head?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxv-Z196d1wIVSJR-Ch0KyA62EAYYASABEgIy7_D_BwE&hfid=4124731

[AntKnee]

Is the wiring on it really that big of a deal? I've been seeing a lot of JCM800 gut shots that have similar looking wiring.

[thesmokingman]

that depends ... if the amp is noisy then yeah, that wiring is a problem.
listen, I don't care to debate this issue of wire routing because some people really are into 90 degree bends and perfection and I'm not going to win them over no matter what I say. I will say that I've built similar amps with similar wiring and had no trouble and I've had little fender champs give me grief if everything wasn't perfect AND shielded. that is something the builder should have sussed out before offering it for sale and you should be able to discern on test drive.

[AntKnee]

that depends ... if the amp is noisy then yeah, that wiring is a problem.
listen, I don't care to debate this issue of wire routing because some people really are into 90 degree bends and perfection and I'm not going to win them over no matter what I say. I will say that I've built similar amps with similar wiring and had no trouble and I've had little fender champs give me grief if everything wasn't perfect AND shielded. that is something the builder should have sussed out before offering it for sale and you should be able to discern on test drive.

Basically, that was my point of view also. If it doesn't make noise or oscillation, I really don't care about the wiring, to an extent.

[Rockhorst]

Where are you guys seeing these for such low prices? If they were that low, I wouldn't even be considering this clone.

I *may* have been a bit too 'optimistic'. Just checked prices online (Dutch websites) and asking price is about €750 - €1000. If you catch a lucky break (which takes only patience and zealous checking of market places) you can get a steal sometimes. I've heard of deals on the second hand market you would not believe. Thing is: if you spend $850 on a Marshall JCM800 second hand, you can sell it again without any considerable loss and maybe even with a profit. Us pedal builders know that (re)sale price for a big part is in the eye of the beholder: if it says Marshall on the front, it's worth more. That may be of no concern to you, in which case this could be your dream amp and totally worth it. It's just good to think about it before hand.

As for the wiring: probably no problem at all!

[mojah63]

Buying Marshalls sight unseen is  a crap shoot. I've owned a few duds and have a great sounding one now.  If it sounds great then it is.  Everything Marshall after 1972 73 is on a PCB board and the lead dress isn't great either. I'd pay 500 for it if I was looking for a jcm800