Shall I get rid of my JCM800?

    I don't know if I'll regret it but I'm seriously thinking about selling my JCM800 and my 4x10 cab, along with a bunch of pedals...


    I bought my KPA (toaster version) to use it at my home studio but after a while using it every now and then in the rehearsal room and also in some gigs the idea of switching my live rig to digital crossed my mind a few times (less weight and volume of equipment, easier setup, great, sound...). But since I updated the firmware to the latest beta and was blown away by the possibilities of the new delays + morphing, I am seriously considering the idea.


    Therefore, I reckon if I want to do it right I have to spend some €uros and get me:


    • A nice but inexpensive FRFR speaker (no clue about this, but read good stuff about the Yamaha DXR10, and EV... any experiences?). In the rehearsal room I used an ALTO speaker I borrowed from my drummer. It did the job, but it was HARSH AF. In the gigs I used my marshall 4x10 cab with a linear amp, and cab off in the kemper, but whilst sounding nicely, I kinda feel I'm losing the advantage of not carrying so much stuff around, so...

    Regarding this, anyone has tried both the DXR10 and the DBR10? Sound-wise, is there a big difference? What about the EV ZLX-12p (active speaker)? any experiences with this one?

    • The Remote. Looks like it's a no brainer if you want to use the kemper live. I've been using an old MIDI conotroller but there's lots of stuff I can't do with it.
    • A nice and sturdy Bag (photo-videography bag?) OR a proper flightcase to keep the KPA safe when gigging and so.


    If I sold the JCM800 and the cab I'd only have to add some extra money to get it all...


    What do you think, guys? What advice would you give? (apart from profiling the 800 before selling, hehe) :thumbup:

    Hola Sercho,


    it is always difficult to give the right advise. I am using a pair of EV ZLX-12p that sound very good to my ears and are at the same time dead silent. The advantage of the FRFR is of course that you replicate also the sound of the cab that was profiled On the other hand if your are into plain rock'n'roll and you are playing mainly with a Marshall type of overdrive sound and sometimes more clean you could also consider a small power amp (https://www.thomann.de/es/harley_benton_gpa_400.htm) and a passive and light 1x12 cab (https://www.thomann.de/es/palmer_pcab112gbk.htm)? In case you need a broad variety of sounds the FRFR is of advantage and you can e.g., easily play also your acoustic guitar with it.


    This bag is quite handy https://www.thomann.de/es/kemp…rch_rslt_kemper_277547_11


    Hasta luego
    Sacapuntas

    There are at least 2 documented cases:


    Anyone using the gigbag for the head?
    Official Bag Has Damaged My Kemper... Very Angry!!


    of clip that connects strap and bag to break, and Kemper Profiler unit being in real danger.




    I strongly recommend doing *** low cost modification *** to this bag (in fact any bag) that will secure possibly breaking clips made of unknown material.

    I've asked myself this question too, past year. Until last week I've had (yes, HAD) a Mesa Triple Rectifier + Recto 4x12 for almost 10 years. I've made some profiles with different mic's that sound pretty amazing to my ears. So after some real headaching, heartattacks and stressful moments, I've sold my Mesa set......... and ordered a second Kemper rack with a Synq 1K0 poweramp. Next buy will be a pair of nice wedges or a pair of 1x12" cabs that will be loaded with Eminence Beta 12CX and ASD1001....... I think my back will be very happy because of the weight and compactness of this set.

    Hi Sercho,
    i have sold my jcm 800 top and one red 4x12 marshall years ago (1995). I have teardrops in my eyes when i see the prices for that stuff from the late 80th today.


    If you didnt need the money yet sell it in 20 years

    I sold my JCM800 and don't really miss it (it did not get much use anyways). I did keep my Marshall JMP 1, Marshall 1w offset, Fender '57 Deluxe . I am still on the lookout for a Marshall JCM1, DSL1 and JVM1 but the Kemper has cured any need for the high(er) power tube amps.

    Hola!


    By dead silent you mean zero noises / hiss? that's a good point. Thanks for the input, I definitely want to go FRFR, because though I mostly play hard rock and so, I love some good and healthy metal headbanging every now and then :D . BTW, I assume you're spanish: you live near madrid?
    Regarding the bag, I don't really like the kemper bag: apart from the weak clip issues @skoczy pointed out, it doesn't look very sturdy to me... The only pro I see, is the nice green Kemperish color :P and the remote fitting in there with the KPA itself. I think I'll look for a nice videography bag such as these:


    https://es.aliexpress.com/stor…=2114.12010612.0.0.d6PnVX
    https://es.aliexpress.com/stor…=2114.12010612.0.0.d6PnVX


    I know they're as pricey as the official bag, but they look really nice and rugged to me.




    Quote from Eltzejupp

    Hi Sercho,
    i have sold my jcm 800 top and one red 4x12 marshall years ago (1995). I have teardrops in my eyes when i see the prices for that stuff from the late 80th today.


    If you didnt need the money yet sell it in 20 years

    I don't really need the money but I have to justify stuff to my wife, hehee... I mostly need room :D , TBH I don't want to store stuff I ain't using... anyway I bought my 800 about 5 years ago, so I don't think price is gonna rise too much actually.



    Quote from paults

    I kept my Jubilee, sold an extra cabinets and all external effects other than a Talkbox. The Jub is my backup.


    I use a DXR10. I compared it to the EV and the DXR sounded a bit smoother. But, you may prefer the EV's price.

    Hmmm I imagined something like that, I guess I'm gonna have to test both units and see if the sound is worth the price difference or I can live with it... I guess I might go for the yamaha, you know sometimes I'm sure I'm gonna have to use it in smaller venues not as a monitor but also for the audience to hear the guitar... in medium - big stages I wouldn't mind that much to sacrifice a bit of the sound quality (all in all it's only for me to hear myself in that scenario) and save some bucks, but...




    Thank you all guys!

    If it's a newer one, easy peasy, sell it.


    If it's an 80's one, and not modded, sell it. You can find them around easily.


    If it's unique, vintage, modded, then keep it if you have the room.


    Typically in such a dilemma, I keep the item, store it, and if I don't pull it back out for a year, I sell it.

    Quote from sercho

    Yep it's an 80's not modded, @db9091. Anyway I'm not gonna rush, I think I should probe the 2nd hand market here in Spain to see how the prices are ATM for this kinda heads and then I will decide.

    You might have the only non-modded 800 in Spain! MOD THAT PUPPY! haha! Then you'll be allowed to keep her (and profile it for us, plus some columbian coffee on the side while I'm being all demanding of your services!)

    @sercho


    Since you come from the JCM-800 I would honestly sugget to get yourself the DXR.The EV has definitly a mid-scooped kind of thing and has sure its advantages if you want a more "detailed" sound when playing also at low volumes.The DXR can easily handle "rock"-profiles like any JCM800/marshall type of things.Actually it is very good doing these..

    Quote from db9091

    If it's a newer one, easy peasy, sell it.


    If it's an 80's one, and not modded, sell it. You can find them around easily.

    Yes.You can find them easily.But still it depends on how good they sound.I played "millions" of JCM800s..2203s,2204s,2205s,2206s etc..many sounded like &%$§,most sounded "good" and a few sounded so great (mostly 2204s) that you might try to find a way how to steal them because the owner will never sell it..ask Slash for this matter..


    If it is a "special" marshall I would not sell it.

    Quote from Nikos

    @sercho


    Since you come from the JCM-800 I would honestly sugget to get yourself the DXR.The EV has definitly a mid-scooped kind of thing and has sure its advantages if you want a more "detailed" sound when playing also at low volumes.The DXR can easily handle "rock"-profiles like any JCM800/marshall type of things.Actually it is very good doing these..

    Thank you!! This is very helpful, much aprreciated. I don't want to narrow my sound to only rock, though. I assume the DXR can handle successfully wider range of sounds as well? (yeah I'll play mostly hard rock but some southern/country as well and eventually some hi-gain stuff)

    Quote from Nikos

    Yes.You can find them easily.But still it depends on how good they sound.I played "millions" of JCM800s..2203s,2204s,2205s,2206s etc..many sounded like &%$§,most sounded "good" and a few sounded so great (mostly 2204s) that you might try to find a way how to steal them because the owner will never sell it..ask Slash for this matter..
    If it is a "special" marshall I would not sell it.

    Well I'm not an expert in 800, I've played a lot with an old JMPbefore I bought the 800 (sounded great, a pity it wasn't mine), but I have come to like my 800 better. I'll make some research to find out the details of my amp (exact model, etc.). Thanks anyway!!

    Well I finally made up my mind and went for the Yamaha DXR... but I got the 12 instead of the 10. The reason why is because it might be useful in other situations (though my plan is using it mostly as a monitor/cab for my KPA, I might end up using it every now and then as a small PA for acoustic gigs or parties...).


    The thing is loud AF, but at the same time is a bit boomy-boxy (boominess can be EQ-ed out with the built-in filters), and the overall sound of my guitar through it didn't impress me much in the rehearsal room. I'm seriously considering returning it for a DXR10, now that I still have the 30-day return policy from thomann... What attracts me more from the DXR10 is the theoretical less-boomy sound and the weight-size. Price is not an advantage since I still would have to pay the shippings for the return of the 12 and the coming of the 10...


    I also decided to pick the original KPA bag, because it will let me carry both the KPA and remote (when I save a bit more, will pull the trigger), and some pedals and cables in the pockets. It'n not very likely I'm going to make big tours any soon, so protection should be enough I reckon.



    Thanks for your help and advice, guys!



    ps. I ain't selling the 800 yet. I made a first profiling session in the rehearsal room but I think I have to develop my profiling skills to make something decent here. :D

    I've read a few reports on here that say the DXR12 is inferior to the DXR10 and DXR15. More boxy and boomy, as you experienced. I have absolutely no experience with any of them.


    On the other hand, I do have experience with the Kemper bag. I've used it to fly back and forth from DK to UK stuffed to breaking point with my KPA plus Ambrosi ATM-70 (adds an extra 2 kilos or so), Remote, all cables, Mission EP1-KP and Line6 G10, sometimes even an extra expression pedal (an old modded Vox wah). It's served me well!

    Quote from sercho

    I also decided to pick the original KPA bag, because it will let me carry both the KPA and remote (when I save a bit more, will pull the trigger), and some pedals and cables in the pockets. It'n not very likely I'm going to make big tours any soon, so protection should be enough I reckon.

    There are at least 2 documented cases, when the clip connecting strap to bag has broken and caused damage.


    Think about securing the clips. You can use thick cable ties (you can use few of them in parallel to make the connection eve stronger) or small metal chain.

    Quote from sambrox

    I've read a few reports on here that say the DXR12 is inferior to the DXR10 and DXR15. More boxy and boomy, as you experienced. I have absolutely no experience with any of them.


    On the other hand, I do have experience with the Kemper bag. I've used it to fly back and forth from DK to UK stuffed to breaking point with my KPA plus Ambrosi ATM-70 (adds an extra 2 kilos or so), Remote, all cables, Mission EP1-KP and Line6 G10, sometimes even an extra expression pedal (an old modded Vox wah). It's served me well!

    Yeah, I'm taking those reports into account. Also beggining to consider getting one of those SS amps fitting in the back of the KPA and going with a traditional cab (1 or 2x12 for example). Is the ambrosi any good? Do they even keep on producing it? How about the other one, Camplifier, wasn't it?


    Then I would only have to get me one of these palmer tiny cabs for an extra tight and compact rig! :thumbup:



    Quote from skoczy

    There are at least 2 documented cases, when the clip connecting strap to bag has broken and caused damage.
    Think about securing the clips. You can use thick cable ties (you can use few of them in parallel to make the connection eve stronger) or small metal chain.

    Yeah, in fact one of the pieces of the clip in my bag's strap arrived broken, but I actually didn't mind because I never thought of using the strap, after reading those cases. Instead I've got a couple of spare better straps with way better clips :D