YJM100 - 'The Ultimate Plexi' thread!

[santiall]

Originally Posted by mAx___

I looked at pictures of the guts but I could not see any traditional-looking coupling and tone caps, could you explain how did you design the pre-amp section of the YJM100. For example if I'd like to modify it from Superlead to Super Bass spec, where are things?

the preamp is the same as any 1959. The caps are all there where expected and with the traditional values as well. There are not many caps so it sould be easy to follow by looking at the chassis ;-)

[Söulcaster]

Originally Posted by santiall

the preamp is the same as any 1959. The caps are all there where expected and with the traditional values as well. There are not many caps so it sould be easy to follow by looking at the chassis ;-)

Congratulations Holme....Now you can tell people how Santiago himself, posts on your YFM thread!!!!!

[Holme]

Originally Posted by Söulcaster

Congratulations Holme....Now you can tell people how Santiago himself, posts on your YFM thread!!!!!

I'm humbled!

[Holme]

Hey I hope Yngwie doesn't come on!
He'll 'Unleash The Fury!' on me!

[pleximaster]

Some of you know I rent/lend some of my Marshalls to studios and special shows just as an excuse to own many amps and cabs... I only have about a third of my stuff at home and I can bring any new amp home and just say to the Mrs; "New? No darling, I have had that thing for years..."

I normally don´t lend them to gigs and especially festivals as they tend to be reliced fast...

However, I made an exception with the YJM the other week, I was for a special band I know, who just resently recorded an album with it and as I was personally in charge of it, as thier "special guitar tech" that night!

I got to do a sound check and I ran the YJM into 4 vintage basketweave cabs on an outdoor arean stage at full power! That was a better then sex experience! The noisegate made it so quite till you hit a cord and birds 2 miles away just took off in fear!!! Even the stage sound guy thought it was cool (for a while... ) then we engaged the epa. With the amp tamed by the EPA it still sounded amasing but at human sound levels.

I brought a 1969 plexi 100 watter as a backup. It is also an amasing sounding amp, however at 10 it is not quite a the YJM and it has some ghost tones gonig on that you can hear playing above the 12th fret. Ghosting is normal with all old 4 holers more or less even with cap jobs done. However in a band situation you don´t hear ghosting... I wonder why the YJM don´t ghost, does it have it higher filtering, still it doesn´t sound stiff.

Therefore, I have to agree that the YJM is the ultimate gigging amp!!!

plexi

[Mat_P]

Great experience, Plexi!
On ghost notes, I can hear them clearly with the EPA on 10.
They dissappear fast though as you roll back the EPA a bit.

[indeedido]

I've been doing some experimenting over the last couple of weeks with boosters and my YJM100. I wanted to share a little of what I found. I dig the '70s rock tones- Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, KISS, Trower, etc you get the picture.

Electro Harmonix LPB-1: This was the original boost back in the day. Ace Frehley used it so it has to be good right? Not for me. Too wooly. Boosted the amp, but seemed like it needed a treble booster to go along with it. Not for me.

Wampler Plexi Drive: This is a great stand alone pedal on a clean amp. Super great I should say. But I don't think it's designed to be a boost. It didn't work well as a boost, too wooly too much bottom end. Maybe with a treble booster.

Fulltone OCD: Nice pedal, very popular. But for me it was too dark. A little scooped on the mids too. A lot of boost available but not the tone I'm looking for.

Xotic EP Booster: Super cool boost. I liked it a lot. Dip switches inside really alter the tone. I give it a positive.

DOD YJM308: Very similar to the onboard boost now, maybe a slight bit brighter. Too close to keep.

Hardwire Tube Overdrive: Great stand alone overdrive on a clean amp. A little to strong for me on an already dirty amp. Don't like it as a boost but very much do on a clean amp. Even with the bass control down a bit, just a little too warm for me. I like presence with just a little warmth.

Ibanez TS808: Lovely pedal. Nice mid hump. A little warmer than the onboard boost. Smoother too. There's a reason it is so popular.

The winner in the bunch for me is the TS808. I think I prefer the onboard booster over all, but I'm going to keep the TS808 as a second option for a different kind of tone. The built in booster gets me 90% of the tones I'm looking for and the TS808 can do the rest. It's also good for a good Jimmy Page tone where I like the built in for VH/KISS/etc.

[Holme]

I'm not really a pedal guy,I have a total of 3.
1 & 2.A ZW MXR & a Vox Satchurator which I had with the Haze 15 & still to this day haven't even tried with my YJM!
3.A basic JD Cry Baby Wah which I purposely bought for the YJM & I think works with superbly!
I don't know,I just plug in a Gibson,let rip & think "Do I really want to **** with that sound?"


Nah!

[Odin69]

Originally Posted by indeedido

Xotic EP Booster: Super cool boost. I liked it a lot. Dip switches inside really alter the tone. I give it a positive.

DOD YJM308: Very similar to the onboard boost now, maybe a slight bit brighter.

.

I have both of these pedals also, and, like them both.

I've tried the full drive 2 on it also. It sounds OK, it doesn't really have a lot of gain. It's more subtle. I never really liked the boost on this pedal and use the EP booster instead. I've been thinking about getting rid of the FD2 for this reason?

Electro Harmonix Metal Muff Nano sounds good but, it can be a dark sounding pedal when you cut the mids with the switch.

The FD2 and the Nano (with the mids on) sound pretty good together with both gains around 9-10 o'clock.

I didn't like the Fulltone Ultimate Octave on the YJM. Maybe, if I tweaked the amp knobs more, I might be able to get it to sound good? I really only like this pedal on my Peavey JSX.

I bought a H.B.E. Skullcrusher a couple of weeks ago but, I didn't think it was worth keeping and took it back. It enhanced the sound but, when you turned up the gain it got too fizzy sounding. It might be good as a dirty boost pedal?

[rjtm]

My god I love this thread... So much awesome information!

[rjtm]

Originally Posted by pleximaster

Some of you know I rent/lend some of my Marshalls to studios and special shows just as an excuse to own many amps and cabs... I only have about a third of my stuff at home and I can bring any new amp home and just say to the Mrs; "New? No darling, I have had that thing for years..."

I normally don´t lend them to gigs and especially festivals as they tend to be reliced fast...

However, I made an exception with the YJM the other week, I was for a special band I know, who just resently recorded an album with it and as I was personally in charge of it, as thier "special guitar tech" that night!

I got to do a sound check and I ran the YJM into 4 vintage basketweave cabs on an outdoor arean stage at full power! That was a better then sex experience! The noisegate made it so quite till you hit a cord and birds 2 miles away just took off in fear!!! Even the stage sound guy thought it was cool (for a while... ) then we engaged the epa. With the amp tamed by the EPA it still sounded amasing but at human sound levels.

I brought a 1969 plexi 100 watter as a backup. It is also an amasing sounding amp, however at 10 it is not quite a the YJM and it has some ghost tones gonig on that you can hear playing above the 12th fret. Ghosting is normal with all old 4 holers more or less even with cap jobs done. However in a band situation you don´t hear ghosting... I wonder why the YJM don´t ghost, does it have it higher filtering, still it doesn´t sound stiff.

Therefore, I have to agree that the YJM is the ultimate gigging amp!!!

plexi

Thats an awesome experience! Its good to know that at full volume a YJM sounds just like a stock plexi

[rjtm]

Originally Posted by indeedido

I've been doing some experimenting over the last couple of weeks with boosters and my YJM100. I wanted to share a little of what I found. I dig the '70s rock tones- Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, KISS, Trower, etc you get the picture.

Electro Harmonix LPB-1: This was the original boost back in the day. Ace Frehley used it so it has to be good right? Not for me. Too wooly. Boosted the amp, but seemed like it needed a treble booster to go along with it. Not for me.

Wampler Plexi Drive: This is a great stand alone pedal on a clean amp. Super great I should say. But I don't think it's designed to be a boost. It didn't work well as a boost, too wooly too much bottom end. Maybe with a treble booster.

Fulltone OCD: Nice pedal, very popular. But for me it was too dark. A little scooped on the mids too. A lot of boost available but not the tone I'm looking for.

Xotic EP Booster: Super cool boost. I liked it a lot. Dip switches inside really alter the tone. I give it a positive.

DOD YJM308: Very similar to the onboard boost now, maybe a slight bit brighter. Too close to keep.

Hardwire Tube Overdrive: Great stand alone overdrive on a clean amp. A little to strong for me on an already dirty amp. Don't like it as a boost but very much do on a clean amp. Even with the bass control down a bit, just a little too warm for me. I like presence with just a little warmth.

Ibanez TS808: Lovely pedal. Nice mid hump. A little warmer than the onboard boost. Smoother too. There's a reason it is so popular.

The winner in the bunch for me is the TS808. I think I prefer the onboard booster over all, but I'm going to keep the TS808 as a second option for a different kind of tone. The built in booster gets me 90% of the tones I'm looking for and the TS808 can do the rest. It's also good for a good Jimmy Page tone where I like the built in for VH/KISS/etc.

Very nice review indeedido! I've heard some good stuff about the TS808 with the YJM and I think im going to try that.

[Mat_P]

Yes, great review, Indeedido!

On the TS808, how do you experience the coloring when the pedal is switched off?
I have a modded TS9 that I quite like but hardly ever use because it colors the tone when turned off.

[indeedido]

I didn't notice it sucking tone when bypassed. Any time I find that with a pedal I get rid of it immediately.

[indeedido]

I'm curious about a Keeley modded TS808. But I can't see the pedal being much better, pretty good as is.

I forgot to mention I demoed a handwired tubescreamer next to a TS808 on a YJM100 yesterday at guitar center. I was curious about the difference given the price point too. I found the handwired version to be wamer/darker than the standard and a little more mid scooped. It also had a bit more power. But I liked the standard version better.

[rjtm]

Originally Posted by indeedido

I didn't notice it sucking tone when bypassed. Any time I find that with a pedal I get rid of it immediately.

Originally Posted by indeedido

I'm curious about a Keeley modded TS808. But I can't see the pedal being much better, pretty good as is.

I forgot to mention I demoed a handwired tubescreamer next to a TS808 on a YJM100 yesterday at guitar center. I was curious about the difference given the price point too. I found the handwired version to be wamer/darker than the standard and a little more mid scooped. It also had a bit more power. But I liked the standard version better.

Cool thanks Indeedido. I have a few questions before I look into buying one for the YJM. Does the tubescreamer alter the tone a lot or is it more of a clean boost? Also is it warm and natural? Does it keep the dynamics and other great things about the amp (is it transparent)?

Thanks,
rjtm

[indeedido]

The TS808 is warm and very natural. It colors the tone only slightly, imparts a nice mid hump. The coloration is subtle and one I would say is pretty close to transparent and can be set to be a pretty clean boost. I don't think you would be disappointed in it at all.

[John 14:6]

Originally Posted by indeedido

The TS808 is warm and very natural. It colors the tone only slightly, imparts a nice mid hump. The coloration is subtle and one I would say is pretty close to transparent and can be set to be a pretty clean boost. I don't think you would be disappointed in it at all.

I think my next pedal purchase will be a Maxon OD808. I plan on ditching my cheap (Delta Lab) Tubescreamer copy pedal. Both the Maxon and my copy have true bypass so they should not color the tone any. The Delta Lab pedal actually sounds pretty good, but I bet the Maxon will still sound much better.

[indeedido]

I've read the Maxon and Ibanez pedal are the same thing, I've never a/b'd one together. Can't lose with either one!

[indeedido]

I should clarify too and say the TS808 has no tone suck when bypassed.

[Ealdst]

Originally Posted by John 14:6

I think my next pedal purchase will be a Maxon OD808. I plan on ditching my cheap (Delta Lab) Tubescreamer copy pedal. Both the Maxon and my copy have true bypass so they should not color the tone any. The Delta Lab pedal actually sounds pretty good, but I bet the Maxon will still sound much better.

Can't say I've used a 'real' tubescreamer, but the Maxon is my most used pedal on my board and has been for years, you won't be disappointed with it!

[Redstone]

I REALLY want one of these. I was going to get a 1987x, but I think the versatility of this amp is great. The major problem is I can't find any in my country

[Ealdst]

Originally Posted by Redstone

I REALLY want one of these. I was going to get a 1987x, but I think the versatility of this amp is great. The major problem is I can't find any in my country

Which country are you in? Andertons (www.andertons.co.uk) ship to many countries outside the UK, their prices are pretty good and their customer service has never let me down - even when my YJM didn't have the power lead in the box they shipped one out to me next day and threw in a set of strings to say sorry too!

[Holme]

That's a shame Redstone
Like Ealdst said,can you not get one shipped to you?
Hope you get one sorted out!

[rjtm]

Originally Posted by indeedido

The TS808 is warm and very natural. It colors the tone only slightly, imparts a nice mid hump. The coloration is subtle and one I would say is pretty close to transparent and can be set to be a pretty clean boost. I don't think you would be disappointed in it at all.

Originally Posted by John 14:6

I think my next pedal purchase will be a Maxon OD808. I plan on ditching my cheap (Delta Lab) Tubescreamer copy pedal. Both the Maxon and my copy have true bypass so they should not color the tone any. The Delta Lab pedal actually sounds pretty good, but I bet the Maxon will still sound much better.

Originally Posted by indeedido

I've read the Maxon and Ibanez pedal are the same thing, I've never a/b'd one together. Can't lose with either one!

Originally Posted by indeedido

I should clarify too and say the TS808 has no tone suck when bypassed.

Originally Posted by Ealdst

Can't say I've used a 'real' tubescreamer, but the Maxon is my most used pedal on my board and has been for years, you won't be disappointed with it!

Yeah I think my next pedal will be a Maxon808. I'm going to sell my mxr custom modified badass pedal. Ir colors the tone too much for me. How much do you guys think I should sell it for?

[rjtm]

Originally Posted by Redstone

I REALLY want one of these. I was going to get a 1987x, but I think the versatility of this amp is great. The major problem is I can't find any in my country

Yeah I've heard andertons is great for that. I'm sure you can find one just have patience and keep looking!

[Holme]

Don't know if any of you guys have seen this video Nuke made ages ago but I've had to post it for some that haven't!
Has me in stitches every time I see it!
(It was posted as piss take to someone who 'dared' to mock the DSL,which at one time i'm guessing was the forum favourite!)

DSL and the Marshall Forum - YouTube

DSL and the Marshall Forum - YouTube

I love it!

[FennRx]

about blew my house down this morning.....100w mode with EPA at noon position

Cranked by Tuned By Ear on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

[Holme]

Originally Posted by FennRx

about blew my house down this morning.....100w mode with EPA at noon position

Cranked by Tuned By Ear on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

F@@kin Hell Fenn did it blow your MC Hammer pants off!

[FennRx]

Originally Posted by Holme

F@@kin Hell Fenn did it blow your MC Hammer pants off!

After doing that clip, here are my findings.

1) I am deaf
2) I am reasonably confident i now am in atrial fibrillation
3) I need to contact a mason to check the structural integrity of my house
4) I have an erection