Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head 

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

Firstly, I am in a bar/party cover band of older (>30 years to nearly 60) musicians with day jobs. We are not all Recent Hits, but do mostly songs people have heard of in all years from mid 60s to this year. The flexibility of this head is its big feature for someone like me. This is not a prescriptive review -- this is just how I use it.

Some of the skeptics have wondered why you would need 4 channels with 3 tones each. They have a good point, but not one that applies to a cover band.

If I had to have one amplifier, it would have to produce the tones that this amp can do on channel 2 (crunch) green and orange, and channel 3 (OD1) green and orange. Crunch orange and OD1 green are quite similar and are the tones of the classic plexis and old Marshalls. Crunch green is what you would want for "clean" tone with a Marshall level of compression and just a little breakup for an electric guitar. OD1 at orange is what you would do for distorted classic rock -- adding an overdrive in front of a plexi or a very saturated pickup, for example. For every song I really like, and everything I would do if I wasn't doing covers, those two channels at those two colors would cover it.

For gigs, I can set channel 1 (clean) and Channel 4 (OD2) to be more extreme. The clean channel is actually what i use to be my acoustic guitar and occasionally as my hollow body electric emulating an acoustic. It is not perfect, nor is as good as having a specialized acoustic amp or clean tone jazz amp. However, it is good enough, and it simplifies the signal path to not have separate amps, and there is enough separate EQ to make it work.

Channel 4 can be used for dirtier, more distorted stuff, and the weird thing is that now I use it entirely for country. My band doesn't do any metal, and the heaviest guitar sounds we do are the likes of Carrie Underwood.

Getting the hiss to go away is not that big of a deal -- put an MXR Smart Gate or any other gate I've tried into the _serial_loop_ and twist the knobs -- it will take care of the problem. The JS head might be better and I haven't tried it. I do appreciate that you can't use the OD channels on this without a noise gate, but it isn't a big dial to fix. The reverb is good but nothing special.

Reading this review before submitting, I realize that the oddest thing is that I personally have no use for any of the red versions of the four channels. That is probably a classic rock attitude -- this thing has a lot more metal tone than I will ever use, so you should use other reviews if you want that.

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

Since it is a tube amp you need to turn it on for 10 -30 minutes to get the best tone. Most all of the controls sound great at 12 o'clock. Then you can use all of the 12 channels to dial in the right sound. After that the finishing touches of the tone come from your fingers. (bone tone)

The clean channels sound really good as well as all levels of overdrive from blues, rock, to metal. Not sure but dedicated metal guitarists without the need for versatility along these lines may want to get something German boutique.

The nice thing is it sounds like a Marshall with lots of tweak-ability. Since this is an industry standard you can sound on point over a lot of music genres. As with any amp the right pairing with guitar is essential.

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

This is an Amazing all Tube amp that sounds poor like a Solid State one, It does not have the warm and Broad sound that you would expect from a Tube Amp, It sounds ¨Transitorized¨

Of Course it has many usefull and amazing features: 4 channels, 3 gain stages, Effect loop, Midi in, programable foot switch, very maleable EQ (with presence and resonance), Two Master Volume accesed by FS, etc. but the core ¨the sound¨ does not convinces me, I selled my JCM2000 DSL to buy this amp because the More Gain feature and now I am completely sorry
I´ve used many High-end amplifiers (5150, 6505, JCM800-900-2000, MESA rectifier, Orange dual terror) this amp has the most amazing features and worse sound, I recommend you buy some good Tube amp and if you need more gain, add some OD pedal, It would sound more organic than this

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

Try it out over and over before making the purchase.
I have had the JVM410H for over 3 years, and know it's strengths and weaknesses. Without a doubt, it has more to offer than any amp that is on the market. For example; You have 4 channels, and with each channel you have 3 settings, green, yellow, and red. Green being the lowest setting, and red being the highest. This is one of 7 amps that I have, all being tube, and each with their own sound. The Fender Twin Reverb is at the top of the chain for clean sounds, but the Marshall JVM410H is not far behind. The pedal board is a must have, and can be set up to change the amp to any channel or color. Without going into what has already been written, you can rest assure that this amps has many features. However, there is also a huge problem when it comes to amps with huge gain. As one person has already mentioned, there is a great amount of hiss with this amp set on high gain, or crunch settings, with the color on red. It doesn't matter which noise gate you use, it will not clean the hiss. I also have had it looked at, and was told that the reason for the hiss, is due to the Marshall tubes being rated really high in gain. If you were using a scale of 1 to 10 on gain in tubes, and the number 10 being the highest. The tubes that come with the JVM410H would all be 10's. This is fine if you are playing live gigs and you don't mind the hiss, but if you have a recording studion such as I have. There is no way to record with this amp, other than on the clean channel. To address this situation, I had the tubes changed from the really high gain 10's, to a tube that would be rated a 3 on the 1 to 10 high gain tube scale. This doesn take anything away except the hiss, and you can use a pedal if you want to increase the gain. My speaker cab is a JCM900 1960 Lead, and I'm happy with the combination.
In the three years I have had it I have had no problems, other than the hiss I've already described. The head seems to be made really well, and it would appear that Marshall spared no cost in making a good amp head.
When I purchased this head it was priced lower than it is now. While I feel that all music gear is over priced, I really think that Marshall is asking to much for this amp. Nevertheless, it does have a true Marshall sound, and does more than any amp they have made to date. If you are a metal player, then this amp would be perfect for you. For those of us that are classic rock or light metal, we could probably get by with the 50 watt head instead of this one. The clean is the best sounding that you will ever hear out of a Marshall amp, and the volume will break you windows on high gain. Just keep in mind that there is a hiss that you have to deal with.

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

Awesome amp. I love it.
For a long time I have been searching for the perfect amp, tone-wise and feature-wise. It is not difficult to find an amp that sounds great and gives you one or two channels. Or to find an amp that gives you tons of channels but doesn't sound that great. Or, in my case, my JCM2000 with a great clean and a great crunch and a less than desirable lead channel. With the JVM 410 I think I have finally found my amp. The JVM 410 offers 4 different channels with three possible voices on each one. Each channel can be quickly selected using the 6-button footswitch. I was always using pedals and footswitches to create the four channels I needed for the music I play (clean, rhythm crunch, fills crunch and lead) with a combination of overdrive, distortion, boosters, compressor... With the JVM is super-easy getting this done (and still I'd have so many more possible combinations). And most importantly, the amp sounds great, the tone is superb and it's the most hi gain marshall I've heard so far (if hi gain is what you need). I bought a 1960a cab, after much consideration. I have also played this amp through a 1960 vintage (with vintage 30s) and the 1960a sounds much better. This amp will give you plenty of mid range frequencies and the 1960a offers a tight low end and great highs, so it's the perfect combination. With the v30s, it sounded a bit too mid-rangy for me (and I do love the mid range for the music I play, but it's definitely too much). In general, I am very happy with this amp, to the point that I am selling my 80s Lee Jackson (both head and combo), my blackstar HT20, my peavey classic 30 and possibly my jcm2000 TSL. The JVM does everything all these guys do with a better tone and plenty of power. another great thing about the JVM is that it sounds really good at room volume as well (with the master volume at 1). Hardly any amp I have owned has sounded good unless I was pushing the volume to ear bleeding levels.
It's a marshall... unless the footswitch fails, I don't see any problems. Although if something breaks, I know it will not be cheap with so many channels/features... I bought the 3 year warranty just in case...
Again, it's a Marshall. It will have a great re-sale value if I ever find something better. also, I bought a re-stock one, so I paid about 50% less...

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I have owned this amp for 2 months now but, I am assuming I will eventually be able to have it repaired. I have owned 1 Ampeg and currently own 3 Vox amps. I have not had one moments trouble from any them but, my first Marshall valve has been nothing but, trouble. This is my first and my last with Marshall.
The JVM410H has the most options of any amp out there with 4 channels and 3 settings (green, orange and red) per channel. 2 separate Master volume controls which can be programmed to the channels individually. The options are the best out there for a tube amp.
Maybe I have a lemon. The OD2 channel is unusable in the orange or red modes due to hiss and hum. Techs said this was normal. I finally took a trip today to a local store where they had this exact amp head and found out the problem I am experiencing is not normal. With either orange or red setting on the amp I checked at the store and all settings at 12 0'clock, which with the master at 12 o'clock I would say this is cranked, there was a very small amount of hiss on red. I came home and tried the same test and the hiss was unbearable on the same settings on my amp. The cables I have work fine on other channels and with my other amps but, I picked up a new Mogami Gold just in case. The new cable made no difference.
Compared to other amps of equal options the value is ok. If it worked correctly.

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

This is THE Marshall. 4 channels, 3 modes each, from clean jtm45, all the way up to super hot rodded JCM 800. this is the holy grail of marshall amps. This amp has converted many Mesa Boogie purists to Marshall, including myself. Don't beleive me, check out the JVM forum. The designer of the JVM has worked with Slash, Y.J. Malmstein, and now he's working on a new JVM signature amp for Joe Satriani.

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I have been playing for over 40 years. I have owned at least one of everything. This is the most fun I have ever had with any amp hands down.I played it for a year playing stock and loved it and after the warranty ran out I did the R108 mod and installed a Mercury Magnetics choke in place of R108 and also put in a Mercury Magnetics output transformer. I Wish I Had Another 40 Years To Play with this puppy!!!! After this mod this amp will do Any Venue from Yes!! Country To Metal! And about all you need is a bit of delay. When I die I hope I Get To Take It With Me!

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

I bought one of these new along with two 1960A and two 1960B cabs. I use this head as a preamp to my Marshall EL34-100/100 dual mono-block power amp. The mono-block then powers the 4 cabs.My USA Jacksons all love this combination, a little bit of overkill for your average small club gig, but outdoors this rig ROCKS!!The cleans I get from this head will crack crystal and the overdrive goes from slightly driven blues to mondo-thrash metal and everything in between. I've owned lots of Marshall's this head is their best.The Orange has a great tone, but no versatility, this head outdoes all others in its price range, hands down.

Comments about Marshall JVM Series JVM410H 100W Tube Guitar Amp Head:

Believe all the positive statements people write about this amp. I searched for 'my amp' through the last years and went through a lot of different stuff - tube amps and modelling - before I two weeks ago found this one. I took my 212 V30 Cab and one of my favorite strats to a guitar dealer to test amps. This amp convinced me right away and from the biginning it was also the clean and crunch sound which where very amazing - big rich tone with tight basses and beautifull highs. The gain channels are also great but that's what everybody would expect from a top of the line Marshall. All 12 sounds are very good and the tone is always rich and punchy. And with all the features it comes with incl. two masters and midi I think this amp is more than very good offer. Well done Marshall!!