Marshall head

MARSHALL JVM410H HEAD £899
GUITAR AMPS GUITARIST INTERACTIVE
territory as you switch through the
three modes, while OD1 and OD2 cover
just about every player’s wish for a
great Marshall lead sound. It’s all there
– JCM900, DSL, TSL and a lot more
besides. The full-on power of OD2 with
the gain control maxed out will be more
than enough for any distortion fi end.
Mind-blowing overdrive capability is
matched by impressively low
background noise – in fact, with the
clean channel selected, it’s hard to tell
the amp is actually on until you hit the
strings. There are many amps that cost
considerably more, which are sadly
lacking in this area. It’s good to see
Marshall leading by example, with a
low-noise design that will work just as
well in studios as it will on stage.
The digital plate reverb used on the
JVM is nicely EQ’d and very fl attering,
with the added extra that the reverb
tail isn’t chopped off when you change
channels, it’s left to decay naturally. All
of the switching functions operate
virtually seamlessly, with almost no
clicks or pops, even at very high gain.
It’s great to have all this functionality
but the abiding impression here is that
the JVM sounds utterly superb – far
better than its immediate predecessors.
For the fi rst time in quite a while, this
is a modern Marshall that boasts an
almost pure all-valve path from input
jack to speaker socket. We say almost,
but if you discount the digital reverb
(which still uses a valve in the recovery
circuit) and a single MOSFET in the
resonance circuit, it is all valve, and the
result is a more organic and fl exible
tonality than you’d previously expect
from this kind of amp. That’s not to say
the JVM can’t rock hard if you want it to
– the sheer power and aggression is
typical Marshall – but you can do a lot
more besides and that is this amp’s
strong point: it’s a multi-channel, multi-
mode monster that really works and,
try as we have, we can’t fi nd a single
weak point in the JVM’s tonal palette.
Verdict
So, after a long wait, Marshall is back
with a new fl agship that delivers on
every promise. Its versatility is up there
with the best and so are the tones. You
could easily pick one of several sounds
lurking behind the JVM’s front panel
and cut an entire album without
changing it. Build quality is as good as
you’d expect and better than many
of its competitors. The fi nal clincher is
the price – at just under £900 for the
head, the JVM represents incredible
value for players at any level, especially
as this is an amp to last. If you’ve been
waiting for the ultimate Marshall, then
it’s time you headed to your local dealer
to meet it in person. The JVM is going
to be one of the hottest amps of 2007,
mark our words.
The clean channel is one of
the best you’ll fi nd on any
guitar amp, let alone a
Marshall
122 JANUARY 2007
Marshall JVM410H head
RATING
Mesa Stiletto Deuce
£1,975
Hughes & Kettner
TriAmp II £1, 295
Rivera Knucklehead
Reverb head £1,799
Mesa’s Stiletto is its
dedicated EL34-
powered head – it’s
nothing less than a
fi rehose of tone,
capable of delivering
some of the best rock
guitar sounds in the
known universe. But
over here it’s also quite
pricey. The TriAmp is a
well-developed design
with a long pedigree
and neck-snapping
good looks to match
its awesome tonal
armoury. It can be easily
upgraded for MIDI use
too, and it’s one of our
favourite super-heads
– less well-known than
the Mesa, maybe, but
just as formidable.
Rivera’s awe-inspiring
MIDI-powered
Knucklehead Reverb
can easily match the
JVM’s huge fl exibility
– for tone it’s arguably
the ultimate in EL34
power and its build
quality is the
best there is. Yet it
is double the JVM’s
price and you’d expect
nothing less for that
kind of money.
The rivals
The JVM’s channels cover
a vast array of territory
and would not be found
lacking in the studio
The JVM is a full-blown
four channel design with
four sets of controls for
each channel
GIT285.rev_marshall 122 4/12/06 11:25:32