NAD: Marshall 82' 4104 vers. I gotta stop buying stuff

[i3oosted]

Picked up a Marshall 4104, the serial number dates it to 1982 and has the vertical inputs. Has original Celestion G12-65s. Its not the cleanest, has some tolex tears but nothing big, missing a couple plastic end caps and someone put casters on the bottom which I dont mind at all. Funny thing is my old DSL40CR was heavier and bigger with 1 speaker...

I was looking for a 2203/4 head but saw this one and was just kicking the tires with the owner, he asked for an offer and thinking I should stop buying stuff gave him a lower offer and he took it, whoops! Couldn't pass that deal up plus, strangely, I was about to purchase a couple of G12-65s for my cab the night before!

He purchased the amp from an estate sell and did not know much about the amp. It looks to have original iron(Drake) but I haven't pulled the chassis yet. Pulled the preamp covers off hoping to find Mullards but they are what look to be super old Sovtek 12AX7AWs, the silk screening looks very old. Interesting find though the power tubes are vintage 6550 TUNG SOLS made in America.

Should I convert it to EL34s? I think people are surprised at how punchy these 6550s can be when they actually hear them.

Thank god I have a Fryette Powerstation cause this thing will rip the paint off the walls. I had recently purchased a SF Princeton Reverb 79' all original down to the glass(RCA) for $600 and that tone is to die for. Hopefully this ones a good one!

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Awesome score!! It will be a heavy bugger!
You say your "old" DSL40CR was heavier? It's a very new current amp so just wondered. I would have thought this would be oodles heaveier. A 4104 is 60 lbs.
Cheers on the great loud amp!

 

[i3oosted]

Awesome score!! It will be a heavy bugger!
You say your "old" DSL40CR was heavier? It's a very new current amp so just wondered. I would have thought this would be oodles heaveier. A 4104 is 60 lbs.
Cheers on the great loud amp!

Yea, meant the amp I recently sold before I bought this one, my DSL and yea my DSL was heavier and about the same size as this one which is weird since this one has 2-12”s.

The research I did before buying this amp kind of intimidated me about the size and weight of it but having a DSL this was no worse lol.

 

[Geeze]

I gotta stop buying stuff - Why? Hookers and blow are gone [thankfully] in the morning but an amp sticks around.

Nice score!

I personally like the 6550's - I have a JMP2203 with them and one with EL34's - love them both.

Russ

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Yea, meant the amp I recently sold before I bought this one, my DSL and yea my DSL was heavier and about the same size as this one which is weird since this one has 2-12”s.

The research I did before buying this amp kind of intimidated me about the size and weight of it but having a DSL this was no worse lol.

Wow! Really? Specs say the 40 is 10 lbs lighter. Not that it really matters. I have a couple 2x12 combos amd I' ve looked at the odd 4104 and they are killer heavy.
I bought my 4010 partly because of the weight factor. Didn't need another 2x12.
Congrats on that amp!

 

[Chris-in-LA]

You don’t need no attenuator with that thing, crank the gain and ease the volume up to 1. Easy. Thank me later.

 

[plexilespaul]

its a heavy son of a bitch but a tone to die for. congrats! I regret selling mine.

 

[wntbtw]

Awesome score! 2204`s [& 2203`s] rule!!

 

[Musicmaniac]

Excellent combo but I've got to believe it's heavier than the DSL40. Congrats!

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Congratulations on your score.
Beautiful amp, and tone to kill.
Cheers

 

[Blokkadeleider]

Should I convert it to EL34s? I think people are surprised at how punchy these 6550s can be when they actually hear them.

No! Don't convert to EL34. You'll regret it. Keep those 6550's.

Gr,

Gerrit.

 

[i3oosted]

Excellent combo but I've got to believe it's heavier than the DSL40. Congrats!

Well from lifting the DSL up the day prior to help buyer put it in his truck to 2 days later lifting the 4104 into my truck... DSL seemed like a monster to my arm scale lol.

 

[jcm800gridlock]

No! Don't convert to EL34. You'll regret it. Keep those 6550's.

Gr,

Gerrit.

I agree, keep the 6550’s in the amp. OP you have a very special and great amp.

I had an ‘83 vertical input 4104 (my member name) with G12-65’s. One of the best sounding Marshall’s that I’ve ever owned. Not a bad tone to be had at band volumes.

Congratulations and enjoy.

 

[eastwood6]

I preferred the 6550’s in the JMP 2104 combo I used to have. Had my tech switch the amp to EL34’s and hated it. Switched back.

Don’t be like me. Keep em’ as they are.

 

[Filipe Soares]

awesome score!

 

[i3oosted]

I agree, keep the 6550’s in the amp. OP you have a very special and great amp.

I had an ‘83 vertical input 4104 (my member name) with G12-65’s. One of the best sounding Marshall’s that I’ve ever owned. Not a bad tone to be had at band volumes.

Congratulations and enjoy.

Yea I think I’ll keep the 6550s in it. Been playing around with it past 2 days. It’s all true what they say, sounds thin and fizzy at low volumes 1 and under. Past 2 on the MV it starts getting real punchy and full. What I’m most impressed with is how much it cleans up with guitar volume knob. I’ll give it a run through my power station to kick the MV up higher for studio noise level, cant wait!

 

[Neil Skene]

This was my first Marshall. Mine had G12T75's never looked back.
Im almost 100% that mine came up on ebay last year. Its in pretty bad shape and someone has changed the speakers but I wish I bought it now.
The more I looked at it the more I remembered all the marks and cuts, this is the only image I have of it from ebay.
Yours looks really good. Love It.

 

[i3oosted]

This was my first Marshall. Mine had G12T75's never looked back.
Im almost 100% that mine came up on ebay last year. Its in pretty bad shape and someone has changed the speakers but I wish I bought it now.
The more I looked at it the more I remembered all the marks and cuts, this is the only image I have of it from ebay.
Yours looks really good. Love It.

View attachment 70760

What settings were you using?

 

[Neil Skene]

What settings were you using?

Its a long time ago but I used it in two ways. In the high input when I could play loud with the pre amp on 6 master above 4 and up and pushed with an OD if needed.
EQ was pretty basic p-6 b-6 m-4 T-6
When I could not have it blasting, which was 99% of the time, I used a pedal (Ibanez SM9) in the low input with the pre amp on 4 and eq the same as above with the master way down around 1 or 2 at the most.
These are good amps, you can virtually spin the knobs anywhere and it will sound OK.