Marshall SL-X?

[RJF]

Is the JCM 900 SL-X head any good? I had a Dual reverb 4100 and it was the biggest piece of shit known to man kind. I've heard the SL-X version is very different? True, or is it just a 4100 with some more gain?

What is your opinion of this amp?

 

[Juggernaut]

Killer amps....

I had one recently that was modded by Gutierrez, sounded OUTSTANDING.

 

[HeimBrent]

When it comes to JCM900s, the ones built in the first few years are supposed to be the best, and that would exclude the SLX.

Oh, and what the JCM900 4100 is concerned. You must have had a bad one, because mine rocks

 

[JTyson]

When it comes to JCM900s, the ones built in the first few years are supposed to be the best, and that would exclude the SLX.

Oh, and what the JCM900 4100 is concerned. You must have had a bad one, because mine rocks

I have one that will cause internal bleeding
its far from stock though

 

[rupe]

I never owned one but did play through a few back in the day and found them to be head and shoulders above the other 900 series amps. It also got a favorable review in a 100w head shootout in Guitar Player back in late '94 that included a lot of "boutique" builders (Bogner, Matchless, ENGL, Egnater, Wizard, et al).
IIRC, it has diode clipping...essentially a factory hot-rodded 900. Came stock with 5881s too I believe.

 

[blackba]

I never owned one but did play through a few back in the day and found them to be head and shoulders above the other 900 series amps. It also got a favorable review in a 100w head shootout in Guitar Player back in late '94 that included a lot of "boutique" builders (Bogner, Matchless, ENGL, Egnater, Wizard, et al).
IIRC, it has diode clipping...essentially a factory hot-rodded 900. Came stock with 5881s too I believe.

I thought the SLX was the only JCM900 to NOT have diode clipping....

 

[BlinkTwice]

Killer amps....

I had one recently that was modded by Gutierrez, sounded OUTSTANDING.

Sounds great to me

 

[D-Rock]

I never owned one but did play through a few back in the day and found them to be head and shoulders above the other 900 series amps. It also got a favorable review in a 100w head shootout in Guitar Player back in late '94 that included a lot of "boutique" builders (Bogner, Matchless, ENGL, Egnater, Wizard, et al).
IIRC, it has diode clipping...essentially a factory hot-rodded 900. Came stock with 5881s too I believe.

I thought the SLX was the only JCM900 to NOT have diode clipping....

That's right.

the 2100 and 2500 models - diode clipping

the 4100 and 4500 models - diode clipping

2100 and 2500 SL-X - 100% tube

 

[RJF]

Yep, THe SL-X is all tube, no diode clipping. The one I'm looking at also has EL34's instead of the 5881's.

 

[rupe]

Yep, THe SL-X is all tube, no diode clipping. The one I'm looking at also has EL34's instead of the 5881's.

I'll have to find the factory description of that amp from back in the day...I'm almost positive it said that it had diode clipping. If not, all the better IMO...wouldn't be the first time a description was incorrect.

 

[ConcreteVampire]

SLX 100% tube. Op amps for channel switching.

Can be bratty/ratty sounding, easy on the gain. Needs volume. Takes boost, so,so. Has that strange 900 mid freq you either love or hate. Play it first, don't pay too much. Do not buy the 6550. El34 model all the way...

 

[HeimBrent]

Wouldn't 6550's tighten it up a bit? Make it less... Soft?

 

[ConcreteVampire]

Wouldn't 6550's tighten it up a bit? Make it less... Soft?

It's just the wrong p-tube for that pre amps voicing. Play em both. Big difference.

 

[rupe]

SLX 100% tube. Op amps for channel switching.

Can be bratty/ratty sounding, easy on the gain. Needs volume. Takes boost, so,so. Has that strange 900 mid freq you either love or hate. Play it first, don't pay too much. Do not buy the 6550. El34 model all the way...

I thought these only came with 5881s or EL34s?

 

[ConcreteVampire]

SLX 100% tube. Op amps for channel switching.

Can be bratty/ratty sounding, easy on the gain. Needs volume. Takes boost, so,so. Has that strange 900 mid freq you either love or hate. Play it first, don't pay too much. Do not buy the 6550. El34 model all the way...

I thought these only came with 5881s or EL34s?

Oops! Meant 5881's..

 

[Primakurtz]

The USA versions (some, all?) came with 5881's. Easily converted to EL34's (I like EL34Ls) with a few resistor changes.

Very sensitive to preamp tubes - fun for tube rolling fiends.
No clipping diodes.

Basically, the SL-X was Marshall's response to the modders who were adding extra preamp gain stages.

They are sadly undervalued, terrific-sounding amps.

 

[Filter500]

SLX 100% tube. Op amps for channel switching.

Can be bratty/ratty sounding, easy on the gain. Needs volume. Takes boost, so,so. Has that strange 900 mid freq you either love or hate. Play it first, don't pay too much. Do not buy the 6550. El34 model all the way...

It's a single channel amp though. Are you talking about the twin master volumes?

 

[ConcreteVampire]

SLX 100% tube. Op amps for channel switching.

Can be bratty/ratty sounding, easy on the gain. Needs volume. Takes boost, so,so. Has that strange 900 mid freq you either love or hate. Play it first, don't pay too much. Do not buy the 6550. El34 model all the way...

It's a single channel amp though. Are you talking about the twin master volumes?

Yes.

 

[Hollywood]

The SL-X in my experiences were a big let down.
They are a decent amp, ONLY, and I say ONLY if you crank them up.
The sweet spots in the SL-X amps are somewhere in vloume , after the cops are on the way, and just before you go Fk'n deaf.
I know they had two versions in 100 watt and 50 watt. Both were equipped with either 5881 power tubes or el-34 power tubes..
In the 50 watters that ran through my hands I had this one in particular that was head and shoulders above the rest.
I researched it and found it was an original 5881 circuit SL-X.
When I first got it it had el-34's in it, so I had it restored to it's factory corrrect 5881 tubes set up and it smoked..
But only loud as hell just like all the rest of the SL-X amps.
I always look back on SL-X marshalls as a HUGE let down personally.
But no two people like the same things, so they may be right up your alley. Give em a try.

 

[RJF]

SL-X is off the table, went with a VHT CLX instead.