Marshall jtm45 reissue pedals etc

[Kolanti]

So I traded my jcm 800 for a jtm45 modded with a master volume.
I love the amp and it screams marshall but sometimes I am in need of a bit more boost and some fx. Problem is that with the 800 I didn't play with boosts for more gain because I didn't need them.
What boost would you recommend ? I play with a Les Pauls and the style I play is southern rock Allman's brothers style and classic heavy metal (early Priest etc).
Furthermore one of the deal breakers for me is the lack of fx loop. I put my ehx holy grail neo on front but with a lot of volume it sounds like sh_t. Very muddy and the reverb gets distorted.
Is there any way to have a reverb on front and don't sound bad ? The fx loop of the 800 really spoiled me when it comes to reverbs and modulation.
Cheers

 

[Eric'45]

I think the usual suspects TS9, SD1, etc *might* work for those who like the sound. I don't like it, I'm more a Fan of Treble Booster Circuits. Many variations of the Rangemaster Circuit can be found, or if you like a bit more of a clean boost, you might try the TC electronic Spark. The advantage of using something like a Treble Booster with a JTM45 is, that the Lower frequencies and low Mids stay clean. Otherwise the JTM is prone to become 'flubby' or muddy in the lower registers. I think the most important thing to consider when boosting a JTM45 is you have to apply the boost at the right frequencies. Just as you supposedly keep the Bass on the Amp low, your Boost should hit more in the High mids, and leave the lower frequencies alone. (Basically that's about the idea behind the Treble Booster).

Using Modulation, however, will always be some kind of compromise with an Amp without FX loop and it depends more on the choice of effect.. There are delays that can work good in front of the Amp, especially those that were used like that initially. I'm thinking of Tape Delays (or Emulations of them), or some of the more subtle analog delays. That goes also for Modulation. The more 'vintage oriented' it is, it was probably used in front of Amps without loop, and will work that way.

I don't know how the Master Volume on your Amp was implemented, but if you can still use your two channel Volumes independently, and you still have all 4 Inputs, remember all 4 Holers have their own interesting possibilities here. Since you play a Les Paul, I'd say jumpering the Channels is not of the greatest Importance to you (At least IMO jumpering is more suited for single coils).
Try to connect your Guitar to the upper Left Input, and run a Cable from the lower Left Input to your Holy grail. The output of the Reverb goes into the upper Right Input on the Amp (or Lower right, you can experiment here). Now you can kinda mix in your Reverb by turning up Channel 2 Volume. @junk notes has posted up some other interesting ideas to play with the 4 Inputs, they can be used for all sorts of Effects .

 

[Kolanti]

@Eric'45 I'm gonna try experimenting with the multiple channels and the reverb. First time I hear this method . As for the boost I was thinking a treble booster or a klon centaur clone like the rockett archer. What treble boosters would you suggest?

 

[jcm800gridlock]

Always recommend.

 

[paul-e-mann]

So I traded my jcm 800 for a jtm45 modded with a master volume.
I love the amp and it screams marshall but sometimes I am in need of a bit more boost and some fx. Problem is that with the 800 I didn't play with boosts for more gain because I didn't need them.
What boost would you recommend ? I play with a Les Pauls and the style I play is southern rock Allman's brothers style and classic heavy metal (early Priest etc).
Furthermore one of the deal breakers for me is the lack of fx loop. I put my ehx holy grail neo on front but with a lot of volume it sounds like sh_t. Very muddy and the reverb gets distorted.
Is there any way to have a reverb on front and don't sound bad ? The fx loop of the 800 really spoiled me when it comes to reverbs and modulation.
Cheers

Try boosting with an EQ pedal out front.

Why not install a loop in the amp!

 

[Eric'45]

What treble boosters would you suggest?

I found there are basically two types of Treble Boosters- 'polite' ones and 'aggressive ' ones. Look, here is an interesting article about the various types.
https://www.guitarpedalx.com/news/news/16-of-the-best-compact-treble-booster-pedals

My personal favourite is the Catalinbread Naga Viper. Silicon Transistors, instead of Germanium, so it's definitely one of the more aggressive variety. It's also one of the more tweakable Boosters- you can expand the range until you get a full- range boost (That was what Iommi's modified Rangemaster did), and the amount of girth is finely controllable.

 

[vtrain]

If you would prefer an additional tube gain stage, versus a front end boost, you can try the Legendary Tones Hot Mod which plugs into your v2 tube socket and has two 12AX7’s on it.

Otherwise, I like the BB Preamp pedal which will do clean boost as well as dirty drive, and has a two band active eq, so it will cut bass frequencies which can be useful with a JTM45.

 

[Kinkless Tetrode]

You could have the Metroamps zero loss FX loop installed. The muddy reverb is probably caused by phase inverter stage distortion (with the PPIMV) which would still be down stream from the loop. However, with the reverb in the loop you could use a boost in front of the amp which would put the reverb more post distortion and you wouldn't need to squash the phase inverter that much.

 

[Cosmic Ray]

Highly recommend Wilson Sparkling Blue miab

 

[David Rivers]

So I traded my jcm 800 for a jtm45 modded with a master volume.
I love the amp and it screams marshall but sometimes I am in need of a bit more boost and some fx. Problem is that with the 800 I didn't play with boosts for more gain because I didn't need them.
What boost would you recommend ? I play with a Les Pauls and the style I play is southern rock Allman's brothers style and classic heavy metal (early Priest etc).
Furthermore one of the deal breakers for me is the lack of fx loop. I put my ehx holy grail neo on front but with a lot of volume it sounds like sh_t. Very muddy and the reverb gets distorted.
Is there any way to have a reverb on front and don't sound bad ? The fx loop of the 800 really spoiled me when it comes to reverbs and modulation.
Cheers

thats the problem many have..hard to find a one size fits it all and not spend tons of money..the 800..is a different animal than the jtm45, although with the master mod..many pedals out there for sure,..the pedl i have is an original marshall gov pedal has a loop jack on it..these can be found used online occasionally. i recommend to watch as many youtube videos of different overdrive pedals..maybe that can help you decide..and btw..it's ok to own more than one pedal...i do, i own quite a few mostly od pedals

 

[lespaul339]

45's take pedals so well. You can't go wrong with any boost pedal you put in front of it. I boost mine with lots of different overdrives, distortions, and fuzzes. This is what I throw at my JTM 45

 

[Bodhi F. Dharma]

Dude, I have both of your amps, JCM800 and a JTM 45 (reissue).
The JTM 45 is glorious when it’s wound up all the way. I usually jump the channels. If I need to push on the amp for more I use an electro harmonix soul food or Mesa engineering tone burst. Both pedals are really great with this amp.
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