Marshall JVM410H 100W Head Review

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Steven Page

I became a fan of Marshall Amps just like many people; my idols played through them and the older Marshall amps sounded good. However, I’d been turned off by Marshall over the past few years after having bad experiences with some of the newer amp models. It seems purchasing certain older models is proving increasingly difficult and expensive. Ultimately I went elsewhere and used many other brands, some good and some bad.

When Marshall released the JVM model it caught my attention. On paper it seems to be an amp with incredible features and apparently an incredible tone to go with it. I forgot about the JVM for a while until one day I felt like trying one out in a shop. I loved it and was determined to get one at some point.

After thinking it over for a month or so I decided to sell my favourite amp at the time and take the plunge. I purchased the JVM410H used but in great condition and I instantly fell in love with it when trying it out with my own guitars.

Features:

Well there are a lot to list so I suggest looking on the Marshall website. It’s a 4 channel amp and each channel has 3 different modes, each mode progressively increases with gain. The amp includes separate volumes, fantastic digital reverb for each channel and a great silent recording feature.

Sound quality:

Amazing – this is possibly the best sounding Marshall that has come out for a while. The clean sounds are the best cleans I’ve heard from a Marshall – it’s not quite a Fender clean but it’s a great sound; very warm, glassy and can sound “jangly” when turning up the treble and mid-range.

The overdrive is classic Marshall. Gritty, lively and punchy and can sound warm, complex and when playing big open chords, every note rings out loud and clear.

The distortion is where the amp shines for me. OD1 orange is perfect for solos. It’s not too compressed and doesn’t have the fizz that some high gain amps have. OD2 Red is what you would use for Death Metal or Thrash. It’s tight, snarly and kicks out. I’d go as far as saying that it can sound similar to Dino Cazares’ tone on “Demanufacture” and that’s without a tube screamer in front of the amp.

The JVM is ‘picky’ with speakers. I found it works best with Celestion Greenbacks; their warm and mid heavy tone works wonders where as V30’s sound too raspy.

Reliability:

I’ve only owned it for 5 months and I’ve not had any problems so far. No pops, crackles, blown valves or problems with switching. The pots feel a little cheap if I’m honest and not as solid as they could be but for an amp that’s so versatile and has so many features, some corners will be cut.

Overall rating:

A fantastic amp that can do anything you can throw at it. Marshall hit the nail on the head with the JVM and hopefully they’ll develop the JVM range further. A possible upgrade could include a feature that gives users the ability to use different power amp valves, similar to the Laney VH100R. I’d also like to see Marshall use more robust control pots but it’s not a big deal.

But for just under £1000 RRP and £600ish used you can’t go wrong with it.

This review was submitted by Guitar Jar contributor: Steven Page