# Marshall 30th Anniversary Series thread (6100 / 6101)



## Tonton

*All new owners of 6100's...welcome to the dark side!*

I noted the bulky thread was deleted.
So let's start from here again and show your beautiful 6100's.
A central thread to share tips, settings and mods and discuss about *the best Marshall ever made!*

6100LE (blue with brass chassis- limited to 800, EL34s)
6100 (blue - no brass chassis, no limited batch but only build in 1992, EL34s)
6100 (black with EL34 build in 1993 - 1994/5)
6100 (black with 5881/6L6 from 1994/5)
6100 LM (black with 5881/6L6, LM=Lead Mod which means more gain in the 3rd channel)


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## Force235

Got my LE about a year ago, let me not assume people know what the LE is. It is the "Limited Edition" all brass version that came out during the first year of production, only 800 made, hand signed COA, numbered chassis, sounds like heaven.


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## Force235

Oh, by the way, in the spirit of excess, I have two...


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## Tonton

Here is my humble blue 6101 stack






Some recent pre-amp tube experience:
I wanted to get more difference between channel 2c and 3.
When I bought I replaced all with standard JJs.

So i ordered some JJ high gain selected and Tung Sol high gain selected for position V3 to V5 to spice up more Ch3. I have already a JJ V1 and Tung Sol V1 selected low noise for V2 which is first tube for Ch2 and Ch3.

First the high gain JJ's, not that much sound difference but definitely a lot more sustain.
Then the Tung Sol, these blew me away, what a difference! didn't expect this.
So much richer, dynamic and harmonic sound, not too bright at all (which i read) and nice full deep and also nice highs. Ch3 really opened up for me.
Maybe just personal taste but putting back the JJs is to me a bit dull more boring sound suddenly.
In V1 is already a nice Mullard, maybe i should also find a nice Tungsol for V6 to maximize my Ch2 experience also


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## HOT TUBES 70

IMO , the greatest amp Marshall has ever made !!


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## Force235

Nice rig, I wasn't aware that they made an extension cab for the 6101. Thanks for the info on the tubes, I was thinking of getting some TungSols, now I will for sure.


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## Masteresgt

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> IMO , the greatest amp Marshall has ever made !!


 
But probably the ugliest footswitch ever made... !


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## Tonton

Force235 said:


> Nice rig, I wasn't aware that they made an extension cab for the 6101. Thanks for the info on the tubes, I was thinking of getting some TungSols, now I will for sure.



Thanks, yes the blue cab is called 6912
It also has the 200W Celestion G12 Gold S303 in it, the combination is nice.
More open back combo with a closed back cab with 2 bass-reflex pipes in it.
It is a little stacked monster: 100W with 400W of speakers 

due to quite separated tubes it is nice to play with.
A dedicated clean, and i put tested low noise tubes in V2 position which is most important tube.
and as i just described some high gain tested ones in the follow stages of Ch3 (V3,V4,V5)
CH1: V1
CH2: V2, V6
CH3: V2, V3, V4, V5
(V7 just phase inverter)

If i see brass logo one, i always get bit greedy and want to collect also one


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## Force235

Hot Tubes, do you own 4 of them?


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## Force235

Masteresgt said:


> But probably the ugliest footswitch ever made... !


 
Not when you upgrade the LEDs to match the channel colors... lol


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## Masteresgt

Force235 said:


> Not when you upgrade the LEDs to match the channel colors... lol



Yep !! In reverse order of the amp front panel  But footswitch look like "cheap", why they didn't put Marshall logo on top instead of the back ? Really look like a replacement footswitch !

When I found my 6100, I asked to the guy if this footswitch is original lol... The only weird thing is that my footswitch has a date code of 2001 but 6100 was available from 1992 through 1993-94 ?! This is why I though this was a replacement footswitch


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## Jethro Rocker

What I like about the logo on the back is that on a stage, the audience can see it.... will get pics shortly of my rig. Tonton, will try a Tung Sol in V3 as well, have nice NOS Marty tubes in it currently (Mullard in v2, Raytheon, RFT etc) but can always try one of my TS to see. Thx for that!


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## Harlequin tusk

I have 2, a Le and a LM, was expensive to retube both..... Great amps,esp channel 2, "B" mode!

Sigi M has 2 FULL LE STACKS!!!!! in his museum in Germany!


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## Force235

Hey guys, which Tung Sol tubes did you throw in preamp?


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## keennay

Could anyone explain or give a detailed rundown on the different versions of 6100's (Limited Editions, etc)?


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## HOT TUBES 70

Force235 said:


> Hot Tubes, do you own 4 of them?



NO !!! 
I wish brother !!

I have a 1996 6100LM 

I run a quad of TAD 6L6GC RCA Black Plates , or for fun and a change i have a four pack of Gold Lion KT66 output tubes ! 

These are killer amps , so many guys over the years have discovered these amps and have been blown away at how good they sound !!!


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## HOT TUBES 70

Force235 said:


> Hey guys, which Tung Sol tubes did you throw in preamp?



I have 4 of these in my Pre section as we speak , it took a bit of getting used to , but i really like them after they soften up a bit !! 

These are the old version :
www.thetubestore.com - Tung-Sol 12AX7 Audio Tubes


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## HOT TUBES 70

Masteresgt said:


> Yep !! In reverse order of the amp front panel  But footswitch look like "cheap", why they didn't put Marshall logo on top instead of the back ? Really look like a replacement footswitch !
> 
> When I found my 6100, I asked to the guy if this footswitch is original lol... The only weird thing is that my footswitch has a date code of 2001 but 6100 was available from 1992 through 1993-94 ?! This is why I though this was a replacement footswitch



The 6100LM was made all the way up into 1998 iirc ....


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## HOT TUBES 70

Masteresgt said:


> Yep !! In reverse order of the amp front panel  But footswitch look like "cheap", why they didn't put Marshall logo on top instead of the back ? Really look like a replacement footswitch !
> 
> When I found my 6100, I asked to the guy if this footswitch is original lol... The only weird thing is that my footswitch has a date code of 2001 but 6100 was available from 1992 through 1993-94 ?! This is why I though this was a replacement footswitch



You can use any midi type foot controller to switch channels if you don't like the standard Marshall footswitch .

Or any midi multi F/X unit can be programed to do the same thing as well , as i do with my TC Nova System .


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## HOT TUBES 70

Force235 said:


> Not when you upgrade the LEDs to match the channel colors... lol



I upgraded the LEDs in my head to 5mm super bright water clears !!


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## HOT TUBES 70

And i bet none of you Fvckers have one of these ....












Marshall 30th Anniversary winter jacket !!


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## DSMer

My LE and LM


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## Harlequin tusk

dsmer said:


> my le and lm



nice!!!


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## freakout

From the darkside


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## Harlequin tusk

Awesome rig!!!!^^^^^^


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## MonstersOfTheMidway

Tonton said:


> *All new owners of 6100's...welcome to the dark side!*
> 
> I noted the bulky thread was deleted.
> So let's start from here again and show your beautiful 6100's.
> A central thread to share tips, settings and mods and discuss about *the best Marshall ever made!*


There is a reason that the "bulky thread" got deleted-it was filled with ridiculous bullshit. 

Granted, it started off with a good focus, but then it quickly became filled with bullshit posts. People started treating that thread like it was their little corner of the forum (even one of the mods criticized not only the size, but the irrelevant content and the arrogant attitudes that persisted by a lot of the fool in that thread. The author of that ridiculous thread got banned partly for issues pertaining to his thread. 

From memory, most of the same fools that frequently posted in that thread are also appearing in this one now, so I expect that this thread will also become ridiculously irrelevant after a few weeks. 

I love the 6100LE and LM and all the models issued, both heads, combos, and cabs. I love seeing the most of the pictures posted in the old thread as well as the ones posted here so far. It was also interesting reading about the circuit and all the little setups people were using in the old thread. 

While I don't agree with the OP statement that any 6100 amp is "the best Marshall ever made," they are most certainly in my top 5 best Marshall amp list, and in my top 10 best amp *EVER* list. I love them because I have played them many times in the past (though I never owned one, admittedly) and love the sound tremendously (as well as the features).

I don't think I'll post in here again, but that's because I kinda sense this thread will go to shit soon. But hey, it's not "my" thread, so do what you all will with it.


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## HOT TUBES 70

"From memory, most of the same fools that frequently posted in that thread are also appearing in this one now, so I expect that this thread will also become ridiculously irrelevant after a few weeks. "

Quote by Monstersofthemidway





I take particular offence to being called a fool !! 
If you don't like this thread or any other on this forum ..... Don't stop on that thread !!! pft !!!


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## Jethro Rocker

It MAY become irrelevant at some point much like many of the threads here that digress quickly but for now, I appreciate the pre tube recommendation to spice up channel 3. The old thread was a hundred years old and had a million pages, pretty hard to find anything. Will see where it goes, as long as us 6100 fans enjoy it, what's the dif?


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## HOT TUBES 70

I can't deny that the old 6100 thread got way off the beaten path at times , but to call everyone who posted on that thread on a regular basis a bunch " Fools " is way out of line !!!!!!



Back to regular Programming !!



On my hit list for heads in the Future are a JCM900SLX and a EL34 6100 like this one below ...


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## Masteresgt

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> On my hit list for heads in the Future are a JCM900SLX and a EL34 6100 like this one below ...



I have these two! Blue edition 6100 and JCM900 SLX (50 watts) !


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## dptone5

My 6100 (1994 - Black - EL34 version) is a monster and tone beast! As Harlequin Tusk said, Channel 2, "B" is really special! 

I recently had 6 Marshall heads and I can honestly say, none were louder than the mighty 6100. Was louder than my 2203X, 1987XL and 2555.

With its amazing versatility, it's one Marshall I won't ever part ways with!

DP


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## HOT TUBES 70

Masteresgt said:


> I have these two! Blue edition 6100 and JCM900 SLX (50 watts) !


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## Ghostman

I want one of these amps so bad, I'm eyeing my kids and deciding which one isn't going to make the cut....


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## RickyLee

I have to admit that I used to read some of the hype on this amp and was not a believer. I played through a 6100 Blue half stack at Guitar Center way back in 2005, and was not impressed at all. But of course, this amp does have quite a bit of features and tweaks that need to be fiddled with a bit. I am sure that is partly to blame for me not digging it that day. Plus, who knows what the bias and valve condition was in that amp that day.

Fast forward to 2014, and I was fortunate to score a '94 6100 for very cheap. This is the 6L6/5881 no LM mod. The amp is a keeper for sure. Total night and day from what I experienced all those years ago in GC.

I am very curious to hear my amp against an LM version. Not really for the EL34's, as I dig the 6L6's in this amp. But of course I want to hear CH 3 with those LM specs. My CH 3 has plenty of gain and crunch with a very defined midrange voicing. It has a very sweet singing lead tone on CH 3 with the gain set at 4. So seeing the LM component changes makes me think it would change my CH 3 to where I would not like it as much. Add more low end and lose the tightness it has now.


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## Petri358

Anybody heard about Printz Amps Custom Mod for these 6100's?


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## Tonton

Wow lot of collectors here with dozen of amps 
How you place the 6100 to the others soundwise?

Tsl dsl jcm800 jvm

For me also the 2B is special, both with strat (very hendrix) and les paul (very zeppelin)

Never heard much about this amp before i bought, only remember afterwards that as a youngster i was amazed by my local ampshop was suddenly full of blue amps that looked complicated


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## TwinACStacks

*HELL NO.* I'm not losing another 5000 posts over an old Marshall that was *MADE OBSOLETE*, (Like all the other old Marshalls except for the KT66 ones), by the mighty *JMD1*.

You have to be crazy.

 TWIN


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## anitoli

TwinACStacks said:


> *HELL NO.* I'm not losing another 5000 posts over an old Marshall that was *MADE OBSOLETE*, (Like all the other old Marshalls except for the KT66 ones), by the mighty *JMD1*.
> 
> You have to be crazy.
> 
> TWIN


 
But the JMD1 is obsolete too.................

And it didnt stay in production as long........

Twin, you need a 6100.......


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## Tonton

Twin seems to be the person open to a new amp and sell his PC


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## Jethro Rocker

Tonton said:


> Wow lot of collectors here with dozen of amps ��
> How you place the 6100 to the others soundwise?
> 
> Tsl dsl jcm800 jvm
> 
> For me also the 2B is special, both with strat (very hendrix) and les paul (very zeppelin)
> 
> Never heard much about this amp before i bought, only remember afterwards that as a youngster i was amazed by my local ampshop was suddenly full of blue amps that looked complicated



Tonton, as a stand alone unit, that is, ready to play with no external cabs, playing each with their respective speakers rather than running all through the same cab:

6101 has more usable gain on tap than DSL, TSL or Jube especially channel 2 C - what a killer!
More high end as well almost to a fault - on 2C I have to really reduce treble, it still cits through mix but very modern, not quite as thick.
DSL40C has a V30 speaker and C19 clip - more midrangy, I would say low to mid mids, wouldnt cut through mix as well without adding highs, Imlive in lead 1 or boost crunch channel, very nice tone, obviously less versatile.
TSL is also 3 channel with 2x12, has a touch better bottom end, a bit darker, again, a bit less useful gain but still plenty on tap. I may prefer the overall sound of the TSL but have to gig next week with 6101 with the different tubes on ch 2B to compare properly. 
Add the 6912 cab though, and there's some bottom end! Completely competes with the TSL but I find easier transport with the 2 separate enclosures. 
Jube is a different beast, darker, tons of smooth thick gain but less versatile, I personally dont care for the rhythm clip feature on channel one but admittedly dont try it much and have never gigged with that mode. 
They each sound good in different ways, it's weird, they all sound slighly different but still great.
Thats my 2 cents worth, I have AB'd the TSL, DSL and 6101 and thats my opinion. 

Force235, I am just trying standard TungSol 12AX7 as thats all I have handy. Tonton, which version did you use? Will find results later this week.


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## TwinACStacks

anitoli said:


> But the JMD1 is obsolete too.................
> 
> And it didnt stay in production as long........
> 
> Twin, you need a 6100.......




 Sorry Ani, but I'm waiting for Round #2 of the new colaboration of Marshall/Soft Tube.

 TWIN


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## Tonton

Yeah just put tung sol 12ax7 (ecc83) in it
Only difference was i selected some high gain tested ones for v3 v4 v5, and a tested low noise in v2
With JJ comparison regular and high gain didnt affect tone much, but sustain yes

Also had a TSL122 for long
Enough gain on ch3, bit tighter than the 6101
With 6101 i sometimes feel i have to use a maxon od808 to tighten the lows
Ch2 didnt use much on tsl, while 6101 2B has me addicted, in tsl ch2 was literally a lower gain ch3
Clean both ok, maybe 6101 bit deeper


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## TwinACStacks

anitoli said:


> But the JMD1 is obsolete too.................
> 
> And it didnt stay in production as long........
> 
> Twin, you need a 6100.......



 The 6100 was also not named "Amp of the Year" it's first year of production.

 TWIN


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## HOT TUBES 70

TwinACStacks said:


> The 6100 was also not named "Amp of the Year" it's first year of production.
> 
> TWIN



That's because everyone was in shock at it's heavenly tones , that they could not find words to describe what they just heard ! 




The 6100 , still kick'n ass and takin names after 22 years !!


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## TwinACStacks

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> That's because everyone was in shock at it's heavenly tones , that they could not find words to describe what they just heard !
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The 6100 , still kick'n ass and takin names after 22 years !!



 "and there are still 4 or 5 people saying this same thing to this Very Day..... The End"

I just LOVE me a good Fairy Tale.

Do Hansel and Gretel next HT....

 TWIN


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## Jethro Rocker

Here is the little mini stack, no guitars here..


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## Seventh Son

How different are the 6100LE and the 6100LM sound-wise?


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## HOT TUBES 70

Seventh Son said:


> How different are the 6100LE and the 6100LM sound-wise?



From my experience , the LM sounds like it has a bit more " hair " if you will , and the LE being EL34 based sounds pure classic Marshall , both a great amps , if you don't have one ...... get one NOW !!!

Some say the clean channel on the LM is a bit better than the LE .
The LM has a touch more gain on tap for the 3rd channel 


Both are Kick ass amps !!
I want a EL34 based 6100 just to say i have one .... i love these amps !


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## Force235

Just played my LE half stack at a Christmas party, did a bunch of classic rock stuff, I was actually surprised that a lot of people were coming up to me after the set saying how great my amp sounded, especially compared to the other guitarist who was using a Line 6 amp; even today, the Marshall tone is noticeable to people.


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## Tonton

Sounds almost you are surprised
Mighty Marshall against a line6... ain't a fair fight


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## sullimd

This amp was really WAYYYY ahead of its time.


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## HOT TUBES 70

Yep , if you compare many other amps of the time 91-92 when the 6100 was designed and released , they was nothing like it on the market ( as far as i know ?? ) 

That's why today it still kicks ass on alot of other amps ....... Ha , i love it !!


The Marshall 6100 Rules the tube amp jungle !!


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## TwinACStacks

I for one can believe a 6100 *could* possibly sound better than a Line6.....

Unless it was a Line6 Velveeta....

Ummmmm. Now I'm hungry.

 TWIN


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## TwinACStacks

Jethro Rocker said:


> Here is the little mini stack, no guitars here..



 I actually like this. How hard are these mini stacks to find nowdays?

 TWIN


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## plexilespaul

TwinACStacks said:


> I actually like this. How hard are these mini stacks to find nowdays?
> 
> TWIN


 
actually there is one at the place where my band practices...it's not working . i asked the guy who ownes the amp why not take to a tech? he said the tech wouldn't touch it...too complicated..well some tech


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## TwinACStacks

plexilespaul said:


> actually there is one at the place where my band practices...it's not working . i asked the guy who ownes the amp why not take to a tech? he said the tech wouldn't touch it...too complicated..well some tech



 I've done mods on DSL's etc. I've seen Pics of the Inside of one of those 6100's I'd be afraid of it too...

It's just plain scary inside.

 TWIN


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## anitoli

plexilespaul said:


> actually there is one at the place where my band practices...it's not working . i asked the guy who ownes the amp why not take to a tech? he said the tech wouldn't touch it...too complicated..well some tech


 
This is a serious offer, if you want that 6101 fixed talk to me.


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## HOT TUBES 70

You don't see them very often in music video's but check it out .... a 6100 in the background behind the one guitar player !



[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOr_fMznk6E[/ame]


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## HOT TUBES 70

6101 is about as good as it gets for a single 12 combo tube amp !!!


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## RickyLee

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> You don't see them very often in music video's but check it out .... a 6100 in the background behind the one guitar player !
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOr_fMznk6E



That was badasss.

Awesome guitar tone. Awesome guitar solo as well. The right amount of shred mixed mixed with good melodic content.

Looked like the lead guitarist had an SL-X, and the singer had the 6100.

I used my 6100 for a gig last night and I was impressed with the amp once again.



Off that topic, I have a thread in the Workbench section asking about the 6100/6101 "Low Volume Compensation" feature or circuit. I am wondering how this circuit works basically.


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## HOT TUBES 70

RickyLee said:


> That was badasss.
> 
> Awesome guitar tone. Awesome guitar solo as well. The right amount of shred mixed mixed with good melodic content.
> 
> Looked like the lead guitarist had an SL-X, and the singer had the 6100.
> 
> I used my 6100 for a gig last night and I was impressed with the amp once again.
> 
> 
> 
> Off that topic, I have a thread in the Workbench section asking about the 6100/6101 "Low Volume Compensation" feature or circuit. I am wondering how this circuit works basically.





Some of the best melodic rock/metal that i have heard over the last few years has come from Sweden , Finland , these guys rock !!!


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## Force235

Tonton said:


> Sounds almost you are surprised
> Mighty Marshall against a line6... ain't a fair fight


 
Not surprised the amp sounded better, I know the 6100 is awesome, I was surprised strangers, people who don't understand the equipment, also noticed how much better the Marshall sounded, that's what surprised me - people went out of their way to tell me so...


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## shredless

Picked up a 6960A cab, not mint, but pretty nice...no brass though
G12T75s


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## HOT TUBES 70

shredless said:


> Picked up a 6960A cab, not mint, but pretty nice...no brass though
> G12T75s



Blue cab or black ?


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## anitoli

Force235 said:


> Not surprised the amp sounded better, I know the 6100 is awesome, I was surprised strangers, people who don't understand the equipment, also noticed how much better the Marshall sounded, that's what surprised me - people went out of their way to tell me so...


 
Thats because it didnt destroy their eardrums or become so annoying they buckled under tone dismay anxiety/nausea disorder.


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## shredless

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> Blue cab or black ?



blue, it doesnt look bad at all...was a shitty pic, no grille tears some minor tolex tears....rusty rivits....200 bucks and came with a extra G12T75


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## Jethro Rocker

Here's a shot of the 6101 in action, sort of. The bass player stands over it as the tubes heat up before the last show. I put it in front of me angled on the Standback stand, I can catch the full brunt of it while keeping it away from the singer. Chicks, right...?


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## geddyleefan

I don't have a 6100 but I sure do want one though, I remember seeing Alex Lifeson with one during most of the 90s up until Rush went on hiatus for several years


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## Tonton

Jethro Rocker said:


> Here's a shot of the 6101 in action, sort of. The bass player stands over it as the tubes heat up before the last show. I put it in front of me angled on the Standback stand, I can catch the full brunt of it while keeping it away from the singer. Chicks, right...?



you put the 6912 on the other side of stage for some sound spread?
or just go with the 6101 by itself


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## Jethro Rocker

By itself, no room to pack the 6912 
Ran the DI for FOH sounded awesome onstage.


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## MartyStrat54




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## HOT TUBES 70




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## Tonton

someone bumped against your mids and presence knobs


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## RickyLee

I was very surprised when I looked at the 6100 schematic for the Master Volume and Low Volume Compensation circuit. This amp uses a 22K value pot for the MV.



You usually see 1MEG there. I have seen a few 250K values, but how is the 22K giving such a wide range of volume? Even more surprising as brutally loud as this amp is.



Anitoli, you out there?

Maybe its due to having a higher audio signal than you would see in the other Marshall models, and a higher value pot did not give a good varied range throughout its travel?


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## dptone5

RickyLee said:


> I was very surprised when I looked at the 6100 schematic for the Master Volume and Low Volume Compensation circuit. This amp uses a 22K value pot for the MV.
> 
> 
> 
> You usually see 1MEG there. I have seen a few 250K values, but how is the 22K giving such a wide range of volume? Even more surprising as brutally loud as this amp is.
> 
> 
> 
> Anitoli, you out there?
> 
> Maybe its due to having a higher audio signal than you would see in the other Marshall models, and a higher value pot did not give a good varied range throughout its travel?



You're right RickyLee - my 6100 is the loudest of all the Marshalls I have ever owned. It's brutal.

DP


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## Force235

Is anyone aware of a running list of where the 800 LE 6100s might be? I'd love to know what's out there, probably a lot of interesting stories. I wonder if any have been destroyed.


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## anitoli

RickyLee said:


> I was very surprised when I looked at the 6100 schematic for the Master Volume and Low Volume Compensation circuit. This amp uses a 22K value pot for the MV.
> 
> 
> 
> You usually see 1MEG there. I have seen a few 250K values, but how is the 22K giving such a wide range of volume? Even more surprising as brutally loud as this amp is.
> 
> 
> 
> Anitoli, you out there?
> 
> Maybe its due to having a higher audio signal than you would see in the other Marshall models, and a higher value pot did not give a good varied range throughout its travel?


 
Ricky, i think the value of the 22k pot might have to do with the fact that it's being driven by an op-amp rather than a tube and could have something to do with the impedance. It could also have to do with the LVC circuit to make it operate properly. I do know that the pot is not an audio taper but a linear. This pot type prevents stacking and the it doesnt do anything until the very end scenario. It stacks the resistance evenly.


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## HOT TUBES 70

All i know is that i just came home from my local music store where i played a modified JVM410H , and it was pretty damn nice i have to say !! Trace from VooDoo did a shit pile of mods to this head , Mercury Magnetics Trans , Choke , and some other tweaks with caps & resistors , and a new quad of Mullard power tubes !! 

Make no mistake , i still love the 6100 !!


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## Jethro Rocker

Tubes, I noticed in another thread you use a fancy pants Midi controller. Me being Midi illiterate, can you use any footswitch Midi controller -ie- a simple 3 button footswotch Midi? Dont know how it works.


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## HOT TUBES 70

Jethro Rocker said:


> Tubes, I noticed in another thread you use a fancy pants Midi controller. Me being Midi illiterate, can you use any footswitch Midi controller -ie- a simple 3 button footswotch Midi? Dont know how it works.




Sorry for the late reply , I over looked this ....

You can use almost any multi effect unit that has MIDI to switch the channels on your 6101 / 6100 amps , and there is a plethora of companies who make midi type switchers that can do the job as well , another one that comes to mind that has a very small footprint , and a low cost is the Tech 21 Midi mouse !!


TECH 21 - Midi Mouse


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## Jethro Rocker

Thanks Mike! I'll pop by with some fancy beer for that pedal build. Will show the MFrs the pedal shortly!


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## HOT TUBES 70

Jethro Rocker said:


> Thanks Mike! I'll pop by with some fancy beer for that pedal build. Will show the MFrs the pedal shortly!



Sounds like a plan !!! :yes way:


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## Tonton

Hot Tubes, tell us more about your JVM experience
is it as good at low volume?

high gain more compressed, tighter i think
and what about the cleans and crunchy tones, I love the crunchy tones in Ch2A (6101)

in which they stand out to the other?


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## RickyLee

I was at a jam a few years back at a buddys house where a guitarist showed up with a JVM410H half stack. Sad to say, that my Vox AD120VTH kicked that JVM's ass for tone that day. I am sure the guy did not have that JVM dialed in to my or my drummers liking, but I was very underwhelmed. I have never played through a JVM myself, but of course it is on my GAS list. If I can ever get myself to sell my second '88 2205 or flip this second 6100LM I just got, maybe I can get one. 



I wanted to just chime in, that I was comparing this 6100LM I just got to my '94 6100 non LM. I will eventually do a proper comparison by loading the same valves/tubes into both amps. I want to hear the difference mainly in the LM circuit. But tonight I was playing both amps in my bedroom at a decent volume. I actually tinkered a bit more with CH2 mode C (basically just backed the Gain WAY DOWN) and I was floored how good this mode sounds. It actually was almost spot on to CH3. I do have identical Chinese 12AX7B's in V1 - V7 of this '97 6100LM, where my first '94 6100 has a mix of NOS (Mullard/GE/Tungsram) and new production in the preamp. Maybe having the same tubes on each channel contributed. 

Anyway, I am digging CH2 C big time.c2C seems to sound slightly better in the '97 LM than the '94. I am really thinking hard on adding a switching circuit to one of these 6100 amps now. At first, I was just thinking I would like to either have footswitch access between CH 2 A B. Then I was thinking I would like to be able to footswitch the Boost on CH3. Now, I am really thinking hard on two relay circuits and being able to footswitch to CH2 B C.

Anyone else here considered doing this?

Anitoli, I know you must have given it some thought . . . .


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Channel 2C kicks! It is pretty much a channel 3. It would be awesome to footswitch modes. Wondered why with MIDI they wouldn't have built in that feature.


----------



## RickyLee

Might have the house to myself for awhile. We will see how these cheap Chinese 6L6's I just got sound in my 6100LM against the JJ 6L6GC's that are in there now.


----------



## RickyLee

Got a little bit of Loud time in before people got back to the house. I am leaning towards the non LM circuit for CH3 as my preference. I also am preferring the Ruby 6L6GC MSTR's over the JJ 6L6GC's for the LM amp. That might have to do with my bridge pickup in my guitar which is high output and has a beefy low end as well. The JJ's seemed to be chunkier on the bottom end than the Ruby's.

The cheap Chinese 6L6's I got had one bad one that immediately blew my tube fuse. So I did not get to try those. You get what you pay for I guess. 

I was able to coax a better tone out of the LM CH3 by not using the boost and backing off the Gain and Bass a bit. I prefer the .68uF bypass cap of the non LM to that huge 2.2uF bypass cap on the LM.


----------



## RickyLee

I just checked and my KT66's will not fit the 6100. So maybe I need to try EL34's in the LM amp.


----------



## Username2

I have one of the Brass heads


----------



## anitoli

nuke said:


> I have one of the Brass heads


 
That's a wall of hardon.


----------



## RickyLee

I was stumped when activating the BOOST on CH3 on the LM amp. I was barely hearing a gain increase. Well, not as much of a change in frequency and boost as I heard doing this on the non LM circuit. Then I remembered that the LM circuit has increased gain besides that bigger bypass cap. That has to be what is happening there. If not playing/muting the guitar, I hear a big increase in noise or hiss engaging CH3 BOOST on the LM. Just not a big difference in frequency response. I like the enhanced mid voicing increase on the non LM much better with that .68uF bypass cap.


----------



## anitoli

RickyLee said:


> I was at a jam a few years back at a buddys house where a guitarist showed up with a JVM410H half stack. Sad to say, that my Vox AD120VTH kicked that JVM's ass for tone that day. I am sure the guy did not have that JVM dialed in to my or my drummers liking, but I was very underwhelmed. I have never played through a JVM myself, but of course it is on my GAS list. If I can ever get myself to sell my second '88 2205 or flip this second 6100LM I just got, maybe I can get one.
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted to just chime in, that I was comparing this 6100LM I just got to my '94 6100 non LM. I will eventually do a proper comparison by loading the same valves/tubes into both amps. I want to hear the difference mainly in the LM circuit. But tonight I was playing both amps in my bedroom at a decent volume. I actually tinkered a bit more with CH2 mode C (basically just backed the Gain WAY DOWN) and I was floored how good this mode sounds. It actually was almost spot on to CH3. I do have identical Chinese 12AX7B's in V1 - V7 of this '97 6100LM, where my first '94 6100 has a mix of NOS (Mullard/GE/Tungsram) and new production in the preamp. Maybe having the same tubes on each channel contributed.
> 
> Anyway, I am digging CH2 C big time.c2C seems to sound slightly better in the '97 LM than the '94. I am really thinking hard on adding a switching circuit to one of these 6100 amps now. At first, I was just thinking I would like to either have footswitch access between CH 2 A B. Then I was thinking I would like to be able to footswitch the Boost on CH3. Now, I am really thinking hard on two relay circuits and being able to footswitch to CH2 B C.
> 
> Anyone else here considered doing this?
> 
> Anitoli, I know you must have given it some thought . . . .


 
Actually no. In the whole time i've had a 6100 i might have put maybe 3 hours on the mode A-B on channel 2. It is always on mode C.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

anitoli said:


> Actually no. In the whole time i've had a 6100 i might have put maybe 3 hours on the mode A-B on channel 2. It is always on mode C.




Good , I'm hoping you can make my 3rd channel sound like it should !!


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

RickyLee said:


> I was at a jam a few years back at a buddys house where a guitarist showed up with a JVM410H half stack. Sad to say, that my Vox AD120VTH kicked that JVM's ass for tone that day. I am sure the guy did not have that JVM dialed in to my or my drummers liking, but I was very underwhelmed. I have never played through a JVM myself, but of course it is on my GAS list. If I can ever get myself to sell my second '88 2205 or flip this second 6100LM I just got, maybe I can get one.
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted to just chime in, that I was comparing this 6100LM I just got to my '94 6100 non LM. I will eventually do a proper comparison by loading the same valves/tubes into both amps. I want to hear the difference mainly in the LM circuit. But tonight I was playing both amps in my bedroom at a decent volume. I actually tinkered a bit more with CH2 mode C (basically just backed the Gain WAY DOWN) and I was floored how good this mode sounds. It actually was almost spot on to CH3. I do have identical Chinese 12AX7B's in V1 - V7 of this '97 6100LM, where my first '94 6100 has a mix of NOS (Mullard/GE/Tungsram) and new production in the preamp. Maybe having the same tubes on each channel contributed.
> 
> Anyway, I am digging CH2 C big time.c2C seems to sound slightly better in the '97 LM than the '94. I am really thinking hard on adding a switching circuit to one of these 6100 amps now. At first, I was just thinking I would like to either have footswitch access between CH 2 A B. Then I was thinking I would like to be able to footswitch the Boost on CH3. Now, I am really thinking hard on two relay circuits and being able to footswitch to CH2 B C.
> 
> Anyone else here considered doing this?
> 
> Anitoli, I know you must have given it some thought . . . .



I've often wondered about this very thing too ... 
It would have been nice to have foot switchable access to all modes on Channel 2 of the 6100 , but with that said , the 6100 has a ton of great options and features making it a killer amp !


----------



## RickyLee

Yeah, when it comes down to it during gigging, I find myself staying on one channel of my mult-channel amps most of the time anyway. 

I am going to try using 2C as a heavy lead boost when I am doing material that requires heavy grind that CH3 provides. I can set CH2 on C mode and that will be a lead boost. Then I can put CH2 back on mode B for that in between tone that I use quite a bit. The amp has many options as is.

@Hot Tubes: Is Anitoli doing repairs on your 6100?

I was just listening to the early '91 Tool Demos as well as a live show from around the Undertow period. Adam Jones is another one of my favorites. I could not put my finger on the tone that CH2 C was reminding me of until today. It has that grind of the early Tool stuff. The low mid grind and breakup plus the snarl in the mids/upper mids, that reminds me of Cantrell Facelift stuff as well.

I have not been doing anything with my AFD35 project as well as the 4104 Facelift amp project since I got these 6100's LOL.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

I had a good long chat with Anitoli tonight about me sending him my 6100 for a complete overhaul / recap , and fix a few other issues .... its time !! it shit the bed the other night again blew all the fuses , popped at least one output tube , maybe more ... but its down for the count until its fixed !!


----------



## dreyn77

This ^ is why I've totally avoided the 6100. 

the brass looks totally unique. what a great thing to have. 

I thought I'd better read this thread before it went nuts. I just didn't bother with the other thread after some tiny amount of reading. I also don't need to read about mods to this amp, I think it's modded enough at the factory.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

dreyn77 said:


> This ^ is why I've totally avoided the 6100.
> 
> the brass looks totally unique. what a great thing to have.
> 
> I thought I'd better read this thread before it went nuts. I just didn't bother with the other thread after some tiny amount of reading. I also don't need to read about mods to this amp, I think it's modded enough at the factory.



The amp was built in 1995/96 , its due for an overhaul , this common and expected service for any tube amp , this can happen to any tube amp , the max life expectancy for filter caps is 8-10 years ...

Hell , i'd say get one , have it totally redone as i'm going to do , and you'd have yourself a killer Marshall worth talking about ...


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Since my 6100 is down for a restoration , i rented a Marshall DSL100 just so i would have something to play on for the time being ..... well let me say , my old worn out , on it's deathbed 6100 has more tone left in its dried out caps & blown tubes than this like new DSL , i don't know how guys like these amps so much , i really don't get it ...


Sorry rant over ...


----------



## Tonton

Some interesting new stuff
I changed also all caps, it is 20Y old 
My 2nd 6101 wasn't played a lot, but doesn't matter for caps...

interesting this channel 2c love, i only use 1, 2B and 3
with les paul i sometimes switch to 2A due to hotter pickups.
with a strat 2A is too thin, then 1 and some OCD in front is a lot warmer for some light crunch.
(would also be nice all 2ABC channels were leveled, now 2A is quite lower volume)
3 really improved when i changed from JJ to Tungsol as if blanket removed, much more harmonics and less dark.
So i'm bit puzzled why use 2C, still too close to 3 and my 3 sounds better now 
As a boost for 2B would be nice, but as you said it needs to be switchable then.


----------



## dreyn77

Looks like the sales guys forgot to give out the advice to the buyers. 

I nolonger listen for TONE cause it's there at all volume levels. 

I was just playing along to malmstein, garry moore, rhoads, and i was using the same guitar and only slightly changed the amp settings to make a brighter or darker tone to match the recording sound from out of the stereo speakers at really low volume settings. I was using the vol setting down low cause I didn't want to annoy anyone in the location I was playing. 
yep, marshall has marshall tone at low levels. 
I had the best time playing the notes matched good enough, I was supprised. 
I'm convinced this is the best way to set the amps dials. 

I was using a flying V with 80's hot humbuckers. I still was able to make the perfect high treble notes to match malmstein's sound. the problem was with the middle and lower notes across the fingerboard, malmstein's notes were thinner when compared to mine. 
I didn't notice any difference between gary's sound and mine.  
I had to take away some bass sound to get real close to Mr Rhoads's sound. his solo's had more scorch to the sound. 

It's more important to have a great time playin, than to spend years stuffing around with trying to make 1 setting get a fictional 'tone'. 

The 6100 is an amp that's going to make you focus on 'tone' for too long and forget about havin a good time playin music. 

I think if you're changing valve brands to make one amp setting have a different sound, you're at a level of 'not needed' and it's way more worry than marshall ever intended to impose on their buying public. 

the guitar is a bit of bendy wood. the amp never needs huge thought levels spent on thinking about it. these channels the 6100 has, must have a simple way to set the dials for great sound. 

so you only need to find a volume were people can hear the sound and then the modes/whatever, needs to be adjusted in balance with the overall level. that's all you need. 

I was just at a street party and they had a band playing. the sound was SO F iNG LOUD most of the people just walked away and didn't come back. it was louder than malmstein. JUST bloody rediculous. 
I mean seriously Jumbo jet plane engines are quieter that that stupid band in the street on sunday. 
80's radio top 40, at db levels louder than a 747. 
Mad b steads.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Tonton said:


> Some interesting new stuff
> I changed also all caps, it is 20Y old
> My 2nd 6101 wasn't played a lot, but doesn't matter for caps...
> 
> interesting this channel 2c love, i only use 1, 2B and 3
> with les paul i sometimes switch to 2A due to hotter pickups.
> with a strat 2A is too thin, then 1 and some OCD in front is a lot warmer for some light crunch.
> (would also be nice all 2ABC channels were leveled, now 2A is quite lower volume)
> 3 really improved when i changed from JJ to Tungsol as if blanket removed, much more harmonics and less dark.
> So i'm bit puzzled why use 2C, still too close to 3 and my 3 sounds better now
> As a boost for 2B would be nice, but as you said it needs to be switchable then.



Ch 2C really cooks if you like 80's hard rock to old metal tones. My channel 3 has a bit more bite, some clarity yet lots of gain and set the volume higher for solos. If you loke ch 3 now and ch 2B would be nice for a boost, try playing on ch 3 and using 2c for boosts.


----------



## RickyLee

@dreyn77: I think you just need to give in and get a 6100 as well. Ch2C is where you would reside from the looks of your tastes.

I can say that since I have been gigging with my 6100, I have had a much warmer and less ear fatiguing tone (frequency response balanced in the highs) projecting out while playing at lower volume settings.


----------



## RickyLee

@Tonton: It is normal for those modes to have varied volume levels between them. They are switching in/out gain stages and/or gain boost circuits as well.

To use Ch2 C, try backing the Gain down to 2 or so, then bring it up from there until it levels out the mid to low frequency clarity and gives the amount of gain you want. I think you will be very surprised. I sure was. I was not that impressed with mode C at first, due to having CH2 dialed in for mode B.


----------



## anitoli

dreyn77 said:


> This ^ is why I've totally avoided the 6100.
> 
> the brass looks totally unique. what a great thing to have.
> 
> I thought I'd better read this thread before it went nuts. I just didn't bother with the other thread after some tiny amount of reading. I also don't need to read about mods to this amp, I think it's modded enough at the factory.


 
Dude, 6100's didnt have anywhere near the rejects as the 2000 series did. 
They were built with better materials and design integrity and the guy who designed it had a clue about tone.


----------



## anitoli

dreyn77 said:


> It's more important to have a great time playin, than to spend years stuffing around with trying to make 1 setting get a fictional 'tone'.
> 
> The 6100 is an amp that's going to make you focus on 'tone' for too long and forget about havin a good time playin music.
> 
> 
> 
> the guitar is a bit of bendy wood. the amp never needs huge thought levels spent on thinking about it. these channels the 6100 has, must have a simple way to set the dials for great sound.


 
Thing is with a 6100 you DO have a great time playing because you dont have to spend six weeks ****ing around to get it sound right. It takes about 30 seconds to get it up and running and then it's just a matter of tweaking the EQ for the room, other instruments, ect. If you are familiar with Marshall tone stacks, you use a general setting and then adjust as nessesary. If anyone cant get a decant usable tone out of this head then they are either deaf, too picky, or deserve to have Peavy's for the rest of their existance.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Pretty common type comments for people who have never played a 6100 !!

There was many like that back when the old 6100 thread was still active etc etc , and now many of those very guys are owners of 6100's , and still post here , and love these amps to pieces , funny how that goes ?? lol


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

In honour of the old Dark side 6100 thread , i give you this !!


----------



## Tonton

yeah want to make that also clear.
I hate too much functions and internal dipswitches, they only make me doubt and being busy setting instead of enjoy the playing.
To be clear that is totally not the case with 6100 even though it has more functions than a JTM.

You can kick in the channel, leave the EQ alone and get 3 very useful enjoyable sounds.
With much wider scope than a single channel amp (e.g. the loved JCM800) which can only do crunch to heavy crunch (no clean and no metal without pedals) which is very limited.

And the 6100 is also enjoyable at all volumes (JCM thin at low volume)
So yes it is indeed an amazing amp with great tone, which I don't see as good on other Marshall amps as with this one. great simplicity also: just 3 channels next to each other with some flavor option.

my search for tone ended there 



for now


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Tonton said:


> yeah want to make that also clear.
> I hate too much functions and internal dipswitches, they only make me doubt and being busy setting instead of enjoy the playing.
> To be clear that is totally not the case with 6100 even though it has more functions than a JTM.
> 
> You can kick in the channel, leave the EQ alone and get 3 very useful enjoyable sounds.
> With much wider scope than a single channel amp (e.g. the loved JCM800) which can only do crunch to heavy crunch (no clean and no metal without pedals) which is very limited.
> 
> And the 6100 is also enjoyable at all volumes (JCM thin at low volume)
> So yes it is indeed an amazing amp with great tone, which I don't see as good on other Marshall amps as with this one. great simplicity also: just 3 channels next to each other with some flavor option.
> 
> my search for tone ended there
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well said Tonton !!
> Your in the same boat as me , when i got my 6100 my days of tone/amp hunting ended ....


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

I spent some time getting my amp ready to ship out tonight .... 
I hope Anitoli finds a crap load of things wrong inside !!!!


Let the good times roll !


----------



## anitoli

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> I spent some time getting my amp ready to ship out tonight ....
> I hope Anitoli finds a crap load of things wrong inside !!!!
> 
> 
> Let the good times roll !


 
Everything wrong will be fixed.


----------



## RickyLee

Just curious to where you 6100/6101 users set your CH 3 and with what speakers/cab(s)? Oh yeah, LM or no LM as well?

I played out yesterday with the '94 6100 at a bar that we usually get our volume up a bit higher with all the hot bodies absorbing the sound pressure level. I had to turn off the Low Volume Compensation circuit as it got too boomy and actually was not needed. 

This amp is indeed loud as the MV was not past 9 O'Clock. CH 3 was the kicker and used it a bit more than I have been. Had BOOST mode on and used that channel for songs such as Thin Lizzy "Jailbreak" and Bush "Comedown". The mid voicing definition of this channel puts the Wood in the Shack for sure.


----------



## anitoli

My channel 3 is like this with slight adjusments made for the situation:

Bass 10
Mid 5-7
Treb 5-7
Gain 10 Boost on, contour off.
Presence 5-8
Channel Vol 5-7
Low comp on
Celestion Gt12-75's JCM 900A cab


----------



## RickyLee

Thanks Anitoli. I am trying to remember, as you have the LM circuit?

I have found my sweet spots to have those channel volumes close to max. I have my CH 3:

Bass 6; Mid 7; Treble 7; Volume 8 1/2; Gain 6.

I am using AUTO damping, so I am also trying to remember if Presence is active for CH 3 then?


----------



## anitoli

RickyLee said:


> Thanks Anitoli. I am trying to remember, as you have the LM circuit?
> 
> I have found my sweet spots to have those channel volumes close to max. I have my CH 3:
> 
> Bass 6; Mid 7; Treble 7; Volume 8 1/2; Gain 6.
> 
> I am using AUTO damping, so I am also trying to remember if Presence is active for CH 3 then?


 
Yup i have the LM Ricky. In auto damping presence is active for channel 2-3 and off for channel 1.


----------



## RickyLee

I had my Presence at 5 or Noon then.



I had one other close tonal bliss moment at this bar and we have been playing this place for many many years. That other memorable tonal experience was when I just got my '98 TSL100 and we had a romping one going that night. I had the TSL100 on VPR/low output mode. Then the Volumes were maxed on 10. Short time later I had to take VPR off and adjust MV but the amp was cranked with MV 7'ish (Crunch/Lead). Crunch channel was just amazing and gave me that similar grind and mid crunch you hear on Green Day "When I Come Around". Lead channel was blooming sweet harmonic overtones. The EL34's were the ones that came with the amp, and were Svetlana's. Those EL34's were deliverin' the goods big time.

Next day, I am checking out the amp and discover that one of the Svet EL34's had sacrificed itself to the tonal bliss experience. Somewhere in the 3rd or 4th set is where it had to let go. I somewhat remembered having to get the Volumes higher in there somewhere.

So for that venue, my TSL100 and this 6100 were the big winners. And speaking of my TSL100, I did some tweaks to it last year as well as some experiments with altering the gain voicing on the Lead channel. Never went back and did anything else. So I might have to look at implementing a bit of the 6100 CH 3 into the TSL100 Lead channel. I have the TSL Crunch channel exactly where it needs to be. The Lead channel just needs to be refined a bit more for clarity as it has way too much gain than needed.

The channel switching latency on the TSL was always my big gripe with that amp for doing the cover band stuff, and partly why I quit using it awhile back in time. The channel switching on the 6100 is seemless. No glitches or swelling in/out of the sound.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Different cab, obviously, my 6101 - LM? It's a blue 92, EL34
ch3 gain 7-8, boost on, 
treble5 -6, 
mid 5-7,
bass about 7-8, 
low comp on, master presence only about 3, I find the ch 2 to be very bright on this combo. Damn, I wish I could get to a venue where I could run things that high, Ricky! This year should get an outside show, might take the 6101 w 6912 cab and run it up good and proper. Or the 2558.


----------



## medicjg

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> Since my 6100 is down for a restoration , i rented a Marshall DSL100 just so i would have something to play on for the time being ..... well let me say , my old worn out , on it's deathbed 6100 has more tone left in its dried out caps & blown tubes than this like new DSL , i don't know how guys like these amps so much , i really don't get it ...
> 
> 
> Sorry rant over ...



I completely agree with you on this. I could not bond with the DSL no matter what I did with it mods and all. I fail to see the love for this amp either. I think maybe that most of the DSL lovers have never played a 6100. I love the 6100 and it really can cover just about any style of Marshall amp out there.


----------



## RickyLee

What speakers come with those 6100 combo cabs including the blue 4X12's? Did all blue 4X12's have the same exact speakers, or did Marshall offer other speaker choices back in '92 for those? I ask because of that time I plugged into a blue 6100 half stack and it was extremely odd sounding to me that day. I am thinking it was a bad mid scoop thing going on. It might have partly been the amp but I think I somewhat ballparked all controls noon'ish that day. That was along time ago, 10 years ago, and the memory is faded.


----------



## Nik73

I fired up my 6100LM for the first time in a few weeks and good lord this thing is incredible. I've said it before and I'lll say it again.......... Best amp I've ever heard.
I was thinking about getting one of the silver jubilee issues, but that GAS has been passed. The 6100 might not do a silver jubilee tone, but it does everything else I want. SO versatile and so far ahead of it's time. Marshall should do a reissue of this bad boy instead. Every time I just hit a G chord on any channel I get _that_ face.... 






The £1k I had bookmarked for the Jubillee is now in the Gibson R8 fund!


----------



## RickyLee

medicjg said:


> I completely agree with you on this. I could not bond with the DSL no matter what I did with it mods and all. I fail to see the love for this amp either. I think maybe that most of the DSL lovers have never played a 6100. I love the 6100 and it really can cover just about any style of Marshall amp out there.



This is a great statement, as it is coming from someone with an awesome collection of Marshall amp models.

It is very odd to me, that the UK DSL100 amps seem to have a big variance of tone from amp to amp right out of the factory.

My first one is from '05. I had traded my '99 TSL122 for it to a guy that plays metal. He bonded with my TSL122 instantly and just did not get on with the DSL100. I had just scored that '98 TSL100, so the trade was good for me. He even gave me a whole extra new retube set as well as $100.

But that DSL100 I got there was not too bad, except for this strange plasticy fizz overtone it had. Was on both channels and somewhat cleared up if the amp was cranked. But could not always play it that loud for gigs. Amp was basically still new as he was the first owner as well. So I ended up going beserk on the DSL mods as that was that period of time around here everyone was doing Joey's DSL mods. I did not do all of those DSL mods. as I did a few of my own tweaks as well. But in the end, I got that DSL to sound very impressive.

So to get back to factory stock DSL's sounding a bit different from each other, I later picked up a non working '98 DSL100 for dirt cheap. Got the amp working and was blown away how good this was tonally being all stock. Did not have the fizz character that my '05 had. Even with the Red channel a bit brighter than the Green, it was not that much of a difference there like the '05 was. This DSL's Red channel was the highlight of the amp.


----------



## RickyLee

Nik73 said:


> I fired up my 6100LM for the first time in a few weeks and good lord this thing is incredible. I've said it before and I'lll say it again.......... Best amp I've ever heard.
> I was thinking about getting one of the silver jubilee issues, but that GAS has been passed. The 6100 might not do a silver jubilee tone, but it does everything else I want . . . .



Try CH 3 with the CONTOUR on and roll back the Treble to get a somewhat darker top end. Dial in for slightly less mids and a sizzling gain setting and you will be in the Jubilee ballpark. Yeah, there's no solid state clipping circuit in the 6100, but there are plenty of Boost pedals that can give you that clipping flavor as well.


----------



## RickyLee

Jethro Rocker said:


> Different cab, obviously, my 6101 - LM? It's a blue 92, EL34
> ch3 gain 7-8, boost on,
> treble5 -6,
> mid 5-7,
> bass about 7-8,
> low comp on, master presence only about 3, I find the ch 2 to be very bright on this combo. Damn, I wish I could get to a venue where I could run things that high, Ricky! This year should get an outside show, might take the 6101 w 6912 cab and run it up good and proper. Or the 2558.



What speaker model is in your combo and ext cab?

Man, getting some volume up with this amp yields an incredible midrange enhanced distortion voicing. When I was playing "Jailbreak", I was getting goosebumps. No it did not sound like the original as I had a much meaner distortion voicing with CH3 Gain 6 Boost on and Mid at 7.

My TSL100 Crunch channel does that too when you can get the volume up a bit. I did do a few minor tweaks to my TSL though. Actually, those tweaks were only on the Lead channel tone shaping circuit and treble peaker and bright cap.


----------



## dreyn77

I got that bad mid scoop thing happening with the 1959RR when it was brand new. 
the only way I could describe the sound of a mahogany SG was 'blue'. 
after a little burning time the amps sound radically changed. I think it was about 3 days of 'blue' tone and after that the marshall sound came out of the speakers.
the speakers were 'new' but they were old stock on the shop floor or returns. so THey'd been used before. My amp could have been a return as well, and the shop sales guys (6 of them) were all telling lies about the amp being 
'new'. I wouldn't be supprised if it was returned because of the NON marshall sound. 
If you keeped playing that blue 6100 it would have changed tone. 

I don't doubt that the 6100 was made for an awesome sound.  
made in the 'good ol way' too. 

I don't like to 'compare' to other marshalls cause they're made with different ideas in mind. 

maybe its time i plonked down the cash on one of these amps. 

just to enjoy some thing which was okay'd by the man himself. 

I have found that with most things that the latest generation is actually more suited to heavy metal playing techniques. 

maybe the latest guitar and this amp is an incredible thrash metal setup. who knows?


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

dreyn77 said:


> I got that bad mid scoop thing happening with the 1959RR when it was brand new.
> the only way I could describe the sound of a mahogany SG was 'blue'.
> after a little burning time the amps sound radically changed. I think it was about 3 days of 'blue' tone and after that the marshall sound came out of the speakers.
> the speakers were 'new' but they were old stock on the shop floor or returns. so THey'd been used before. My amp could have been a return as well, and the shop sales guys (6 of them) were all telling lies about the amp being
> 'new'. I wouldn't be supprised if it was returned because of the NON marshall sound.
> If you keeped playing that blue 6100 it would have changed tone.
> 
> I don't doubt that the 6100 was made for an awesome sound .
> 
> I don't like to 'compare' to other marshalls cause they're made with different ideas in mind.
> 
> maybe its time i plonked down the cash on one of these amps.
> 
> just to enjoy some thing which was okay'd by the man himself.
> 
> I have found that with most things that the latest generation is actually more suited to heavy metal playing techniques.
> 
> maybe the latest guitar and this amp is an incredible thrash metal setup. who knows?









I wish i had kept an accurate count of how many guys that the 6100 Darkside thread chased away from the standard DSL , TSL , VM , 900 , and even the mighty 800 players over to the 6100 , and in the end a lot of them admitted that the 6100 blew their mind , and was indeed the best Marshall they have heard !! 

Again , i came from a long line of owning some of the best & legendary amps that Marshall ever made , until i heard a 6100 , and it was over but the crying .... and i've never looked back !!!


----------



## Jethro Rocker

RickyLee said:


> What speaker model is in your combo and ext cab?
> 
> Man, getting some volume up with this amp yields an incredible midrange enhanced distortion voicing. When I was playing "Jailbreak", I was getting goosebumps. No it did not sound like the original as I had a much meaner distortion voicing with CH3 Gain 6 Boost on and Mid at 7.
> 
> My TSL100 Crunch channel does that too when you can get the volume up a bit. I did do a few minor tweaks to my TSL though. Actually, those tweaks were only on the Lead channel tone shaping circuit and treble peaker and bright cap.



I guess it's different from the US version, both have Celestion S303 200 w (!) In each! I want to try running the outout to the Mesa V30 closed back and listen to the difference. I believe the US models use a 150W Eminince if I recall. Such a cool little mini stack!!


----------



## RickyLee

Jethro Rocker said:


> I guess it's different from the US version, both have Celestion S303 200 w (!) In each! I want to try running the outout to the Mesa V30 closed back and listen to the difference. I believe the US models use a 150W Eminince if I recall. Such a cool little mini stack!!



Do you think those speakers are in the blue 4x12 cabs as well?


----------



## RickyLee

Dreyn's idea of an amp being broken in when new I can see. But regarding that blue 6100 halfstack, I can not verify if that amp was new. That experience was back in '05 and the amp was from '92. That means the amp was 13 years old at that point. Had it been sitting in Guitar Center for most of its life? Was it traded in? I can't answer that one.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

RickyLee said:


> Dreyn's idea of an amp being broken in when new I can see. But regarding that blue 6100 halfstack, I can not verify if that amp was new. That experience was back in '05 and the amp was from '92. That means the amp was 13 years old at that point. Had it been sitting in Guitar Center for most of its life? Was it traded in? I can't answer that one.



The Blue LE EL34 head was the first 6100 i heard .... it changed the way i have looked , listened and bought amps ever since !


----------



## Tonton

was thinking something weird today.
instead of the half power switch disabling two tubes, it should split the tubes to two output channels. The loop should also be stereo return of course 
with my 6101 and 6912 a nice spread of stereo sounds would be possible


----------



## Jethro Rocker

RickyLee said:


> Do you think those speakers are in the blue 4x12 cabs as well?



I cannot imagine they would put 800w of speakers in a 4c12. They're heavy buggers, too. Makes sense in a 1x12 with 100 watts if not a bit overkill. Will try my experiment tomorrow when the boss is at work!


----------



## RickyLee

Tonton said:


> was thinking something weird today.
> instead of the half power switch disabling two tubes, it should split the tubes to two output channels. The loop should also be stereo return of course
> with my 6101 and 6912 a nice spread of stereo sounds would be possible



A stereo head has been on my to do list. Would not be all that tough to do. Two output transformers of course.

But I have also thought about the switching ON/OFF of two power tubes as a boost. That switching of the power section stuff that some Mesa amps do is actually very impressive in my book. Being able to assign EL34 to one channel and 6L6 to another, or even mix in 6V6 in there.


----------



## tazzboy

I had a 6100 regrettably I trade it along with DSL 100 For a Fender American Stratocaster.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

tazzboy said:


> I had a 6100 regrettably I trade it along with DSL 100 For a Fender American Stratocaster.



say it's not so ...


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

My 6100 is now in the care of Anitoli ... 
It's like sending your 1970 Hemi Cuda to Chip Foose for restoration ...


----------



## rjohns1

HotTubes, what are you getting done to it? Some days I miss mine, but I am done with big stacks. My back just can't take it anymore. I would love to come across a 6101 combo, but for now, the DSL40C I got fills the need for Marshall goodness. Gasp, I know, a former 6100 player now runs a DSL.


----------



## RickyLee

rjohns1 said:


> HotTubes, what are you getting done to it? Some days I miss mine, but I am done with big stacks. My back just can't take it anymore. I would love to come across a 6101 combo, but for now, the DSL40C I got fills the need for Marshall goodness. Gasp, I know, a former 6100 player now runs a DSL.




Ahh, nothing wrong with that at all. Just that you are missing some features that the 6100 had, But the DSL is a fine amp.

Did you do any mods on that DSL40C? My bud called me the other day asking about the 40C as he had a trade offer to pick one up. I told him to google and he should find anything he needs to know about them. 

Is the 40C the same basically as the old DSL100/50 heads on the channel switching and modes options? That is what I told him to check into.


----------



## rjohns1

I just picked up the amp about 6 hours ago today. I ended up swapping the speaker for a greenback I had. The original is decent, but a little too bright. I've owned several DSL's in the past. I had jcm 2000 100 watt head, and 2 DSL 401's. The new one is great, I love that they replaced the deep switch with a resonance knob. On the combo, you can dial it in nicely. And the cabinet is big, and it is perfect for the 12. Does not sound like a small 1 12 combo at all. Big and full sounding. I like that the combo runs el34 tubes, the old 401's had el84s. This has that magic Marshall sound.


----------



## RickyLee

rjohns1 said:


> I just picked up the amp about 6 hours ago today. I ended up swapping the speaker for a greenback I had. The original is decent, but a little too bright. I've owned several DSL's in the past. I had jcm 2000 100 watt head, and 2 DSL 401's. The new one is great, I love that they replaced the deep switch with a resonance knob. On the combo, you can dial it in nicely. And the cabinet is big, and it is perfect for the 12. Does not sound like a small 1 12 combo at all. Big and full sounding. I like that the combo runs el34 tubes, the old 401's had el84s. This has that magic Marshall sound.



That is awesome. I am trying to remember all those threads ago when we were having all the DSL conversations. I am remembering you had done some sweet mods on your DSL100, am I correct?


----------



## stock_hippie

the gold lettering looks weird..


----------



## rjohns1

Yeah, that was me. I tinkered with mine, and started a thread, and it just exploded. I do miss that amp. should have kept it.


----------



## RickyLee

I still have my modified '05 DSL100. Then about a year or more ago I picked up a damaged '98 DSL100. I repaired that '98 and was blown away how good it was tonally all stock. Big difference from my '05 when it was stock.

My modified one I really need to dig out and run it up against the 6100 and a few project amps I have going. The modded DSL is able to footswitch between Clean Crunch and I have a relay kit to allow foot control of Lead 1 & 2. But I did not install the latter as I still might use it for the stock DSL. The stock DSL has a very sweet Red channel for some reason where most DSL's shine on the Green side. Being able to footswitch between Lead 1 & 2 would be very sweet on that amp.


----------



## Hamer95USA

Hey people,

Does anyone know where I can find amp feet for the Marshall 6101 combo amp? I have the blue 6101 combo stack like Jethro Rocker.  The amp feet on my combo amp are road worn and I'd like to install a new set of amp feet.

Guitar George


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Hamer95USA said:


> Hey people,
> 
> Does anyone know where I can find amp feet for the Marshall 6101 combo amp? I have the blue 6101 combo stack like Jethro Rocker.  The amp feet on my combo amp are road worn and I'd like to install a new set of amp feet.
> 
> Guitar George



Direct from Marshall might be your best bet , other than that i can't be much help , sorry !!


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

They say a picture is worth a thousand words ...









To me this says it all !


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Hamer95USA said:


> Hey people,
> 
> Does anyone know where I can find amp feet for the Marshall 6101 combo amp? I have the blue 6101 combo stack like Jethro Rocker.  The amp feet on my combo amp are road worn and I'd like to install a new set of amp feet.
> 
> Guitar George


I wonder if a generic hardware store might have something similar? I put casters on mine, it's a heavy bugger!!


----------



## Nik73

I picked up a 1958 reissue Les Paul today and just tried it with the 6100LM................... That's it. No more searching, no more guitars and no more amps. I don't need anything else.

Good job really as I won't be able to afford it!


----------



## Hamer95USA

Jethro Rocker said:


> I wonder if a generic hardware store might have something similar? I put casters on mine, it's a heavy bugger!!



I don't think so. I used to be able to buy the Marshall amp feet from Parts Is Parts, but they no longer carry that part:

Vox Amplifier Feet | Parts Is Parts - Guitar Parts, Amplifier Parts, Korg Keyboard Parts

I've tried looked around on the Internet and had a hard time locating an original Marshall amp foot for my 6101 combo amp. The dimensions of the amp foot is 1 1/8" (diameter) x 5/8" (height) or 28.58mm x 15.88mm. None of the generic amp feet would be the proper fit except for the amp feet made for Vox amps, but those are still too tall and would have to be cut to lower the height to 5/8".

I contacted Kevin Drury from Marshall Amps. The Marshall part number is:

M-FEET-00005

He directed me to the Antique Electronics Supply website:

https://www.tubesandmore.com/

They can special order the Marshall amp feet for you with a 50% deposit and was told to expect my shipment within 4 to 6 weeks from Marshall. The Antique Electronics Supply part number is: P-MM FEET 00005

Guitar George


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Nik73 said:


> I picked up a 1958 reissue Les Paul today and just tried it with the 6100LM................... That's it. No more searching, no more guitars and no more amps. I don't need anything else.
> 
> Good job really as I won't be able to afford it!





NIK73 I know how you feel !!!

It's a great feeling to finally have that sound you have been chasing etc etc , and for me the 6100 was the amp that did it for me .


----------



## Plasticos

Anyone willing to trade their 6100 for my JVM210 head? Mint, foot switch, box, extra tubes, yada yada yada. I'm willing to add/substract cash from the deal depending on what you have. I'm in Atlanta. Thanks.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Hamer95USA said:


> I don't think so. I used to be able to buy the Marshall amp feet from Parts Is Parts, but they no longer carry that part:
> 
> Vox Amplifier Feet | Parts Is Parts - Guitar Parts, Amplifier Parts, Korg Keyboard Parts
> 
> I've tried looked around on the Internet and had a hard time locating an original Marshall amp foot for my 6101 combo amp. The dimensions of the amp foot is 1 1/8" (diameter) x 5/8" (height) or 28.58mm x 15.88mm. None of the generic amp feet would be the proper fit except for the amp feet made for Vox amps, but those are still too tall and would have to be cut to lower the height to 5/8".
> 
> I contacted Kevin Drury from Marshall Amps. The Marshall part number is:
> 
> M-FEET-00005
> 
> He directed me to the Antique Electronics Supply website:
> 
> https://www.tubesandmore.com/
> 
> They can special order the Marshall amp feet for you with a 50% deposit and was told to expect my shipment within 4 to 6 weeks from Marshall. The Antique Electronics Supply part number is: P-MM FEET 00005
> 
> Guitar George



Good to know, thanks! Wasn't sure if a slightly longer or shorter foot would suffice. Put casters on!


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Plasticos said:


> Anyone willing to trade their 6100 for my JVM210 head? Mint, foot switch, box, extra tubes, yada yada yada. I'm willing to add/substract cash from the deal depending on what you have. I'm in Atlanta. Thanks.
> 
> View attachment 21630




Welcome to the Forum !!

May i ask what has prompted you to want to trade your JVM for one of our humble 6100's ??


----------



## Plasticos

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> Welcome to the Forum !!
> 
> May i ask what has prompted you to want to trade your JVM for one of our humble 6100's ??



Thank you. Aside from the killer tone and versatility this amp has, the power damping functions really appeal to me. My JVM is a great amp - very versatile, too - but I gotta really crank it to get the tone I want out of it. Tried out the 205 and had the same problem. Seems like the 6100 gets great tone at reasonable decibels without having to use a hot plate.


----------



## RickyLee

Plasticos said:


> Thank you. Aside from the killer tone and versatility this amp has, the power damping functions really appeal to me. My JVM is a great amp - very versatile, too - but I gotta really crank it to get the tone I want out of it. Tried out the 205 and had the same problem. Seems like the 6100 gets great tone at reasonable decibels without having to use a hot plate.




Have you auditioned a 6100? Or are you just trusting all of us biased 6100/6101 braggers?


----------



## anitoli

Plasticos said:


> Anyone willing to trade their 6100 for my JVM210 head? Mint, foot switch, box, extra tubes, yada yada yada. I'm willing to add/substract cash from the deal depending on what you have. I'm in Atlanta. Thanks.
> 
> View attachment 21630


 
Not trying to be rude but, NO!!!!.


----------



## Plasticos

RickyLee said:


> Have you auditioned a 6100? Or are you just trusting all of us biased 6100/6101 braggers?



I played a 6L6/5881 version a few years ago and it really made an impression on me. I remember I got a great tone and I was in the middle of a music store, so I wasn't allowed to have it turned up. I think the amp was set to 25 watts and the low voltage compensation was turned on. But, yes, I've definitely been sipping from the 6100 forum kool-aid.


----------



## Plasticos

Also, does anyone have a opinion whether the lead mod is worth it? I have an opportunity to buy a 6100 with EL34s versus a 6100LM with a 6L6/5881 set-up. Sorry if this has been asked/answered before.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Plasticos said:


> Also, does anyone have a opinion whether the lead mod is worth it? I have an opportunity to buy a 6100 with EL34s versus a 6100LM with a 6L6/5881 set-up. Sorry if this has been asked/answered before.





No worries , I could talk 6100's all day long !!! 

They are going to be pretty close tone wise , with the LM having more gain on the 3rd channel only . The EL34 versions have a bit more of that classic Marshall sound imo , the LM version has a killer clean channel , some say better than the EL34 versions , but over all they are both awesome amps !!


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Plasticos said:


> Also, does anyone have a opinion whether the lead mod is worth it? I have an opportunity to buy a 6100 with EL34s versus a 6100LM with a 6L6/5881 set-up. Sorry if this has been asked/answered before.




EL34 6100 is a great amp !! 
If you have a chance to buy it , I'd do it !! 
You won't regret it for a moment ...


----------



## Caloss

Oh the old thread vanished then ? never mind.

Hi again all, I don't post often but I do love to read when I get the time.

Anyhow I picked up one of these a 6101 with matching extension cab in 2012, having stumbled upon a vid of one and then a few 100 more (vanishing down that youtube rabbit hole again) Anyhow I remembered them from the time of the Marshall 30th and knew I had to have one.

So here's a couple of vids.


Me at the office.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiqxwzvS_P4[/ame]

Day one testing it after getting it home running in the man-cave(it was a tip that week we where decorating, not that it get's that much tidier) and shoving everything out of the way to have blast through it. 
Recorded wit a zoom q3hd
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej-_w26HEpY[/ame]

Some more recent vids, mostly testing a new setup for making videos.
This one is using the DI out from the amp blended with some of the camera sound.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_aff0KeLsQ[/ame]

Following two with an SM57 right in front of the lower speaker.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDi07NA0UMk[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5ZSxB94QoM[/ame]

Still think it's best sounding Marshall I've ever heard.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Caloss said:


> Oh the old thread vanished then ? never mind.
> 
> Hi again all, I don't post often but I do love to read when I get the time.
> 
> Anyhow I picked up one of these a 6101 with matching extension cab in 2012, having stumbled upon a vid of one and then a few 100 more (vanishing down that youtube rabbit hole again) Anyhow I remembered them from the time of the Marshall 30th and knew I had to have one.
> 
> So here's a couple of vids.
> 
> 
> Me at the office.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiqxwzvS_P4
> 
> Day one testing it after getting it home running in the man-cave(it was a tip that week we where decorating, not that it get's that much tidier) and shoving everything out of the way to have blast through it.
> Recorded wit a zoom q3hd
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej-_w26HEpY
> 
> Some more recent vids, mostly testing a new setup for making videos.
> This one is using the DI out from the amp blended with some of the camera sound.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_aff0KeLsQ
> 
> Following two with an SM57 right in front of the lower speaker.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDi07NA0UMk
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5ZSxB94QoM
> 
> Still think it's best sounding Marshall I've ever heard.





Welcome to the 6100 Thread !!
Awesome videos !!


----------



## anitoli

Caloss said:


> Still think it's best sounding Marshall I've ever heard.


 
I'll never argue that point with you, it is the best Marshall.


----------



## Tonton

Caloss I remember your clips.
When i won bid for my first 6101 i had to kill time before pickup with listening your man-cave clip! haha

since i picked it up i'm hooked myself


----------



## Nik73

I really want to record my new R8 Les Paul with the 6100, but haven't got a decent mic and I've tried it before with my camera, iPhone, etc and it just doesn't do it justice by a mile. Some people seem to getting some cracking tones from a digital camera in the room. Need to put a bit more time into it.


----------



## Hasse-Angerfist

LPC
Marshall 6100
Marshall JCM900MKIII
Marshall JCM2000TSL
Marshall 1960A&B


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Hasse-Angerfist said:


> LPC
> Marshall 6100
> Marshall JCM900MKIII
> Marshall JCM2000TSL
> Marshall 1960A&B







Fvck yeah !!!!! That's the shit right there baby !!! 
Nice rig !!!


----------



## zachman

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> I can't deny that the old 6100 thread got way off the beaten path at times , but to call everyone who posted on that thread on a regular basis a bunch " Fools " is way out of line !!!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> Back to regular Programming !!
> 
> 
> 
> On my hit list for heads in the Future are a JCM900SLX and a EL34 6100 like this one below ...



I have one that I got off the original owner, I could work something out for you.

Send me a PM


----------



## Hasse-Angerfist

Masteresgt said:


> But probably the ugliest footswitch ever made... !



Who cares about the look of the footswitch? You stomp on it, not dating it.


----------



## Nik73

Nik73 said:


> I really want to record my new R8 Les Paul with the 6100, but haven't got a decent mic and I've tried it before with my camera, iPhone, etc and it just doesn't do it justice by a mile. Some people seem to getting some cracking tones from a digital camera in the room. Need to put a bit more time into it.



As soon as I got in from work today I fired up the 6100LM with the R8 and have been playing it non-stop ever since with a huge grin on my face the whole time. Proper musical joy.

I'm sure we all have go to songs that we love to play, I know have quite a few. 'Lil Devil by The Cult is one for me as it was one of the first songs I learned to play way back in the day. I tried to get a good recording and managed something half decent, but imagine it sounding ten times better and that's what I'm hearing.
Anyway, like I say, a quick, rough recording just using garageband on an iMac using a backing track with no editing or proper mixing. Hope you like it.


[SC]https://soundcloud.com/nik73-2/the-cult-r8-les-paul-marshall[/SC]


----------



## RickyLee

Nik73 said:


> As soon as I got in from work today I fired up the 6100LM with the R8 and have been playing it non-stop ever since with a huge grin on my face the whole time. Proper musical joy.
> 
> I'm sure we all have go to songs that we love to play, I know have quite a few. 'Lil Devil by The Cult is one for me as it was one of the first songs I learned to play way back in the day. I tried to get a good recording and managed something half decent, but imagine it sounding ten times better and that's what I'm hearing.
> Anyway, like I say, a quick, rough recording just using garageband on an iMac using a backing track with no editing or proper mixing. Hope you like it.
> 
> 
> [SC]https://soundcloud.com/nik73-2/the-cult-r8-les-paul-marshall[/SC]



Sounds great. What channel/mode did you use on the 6100?


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Is this reordered with he 6100's Di output or a Mic into iMac ?? 

Inquiring minds want to know ??


----------



## RickyLee

I just finished up making my '97 6100LM switchable between 6L6 and EL34. I prefer this LM amp with the EL34's as it improved the CH3 upper mids and top end.

My '94 6100 non LM is staying with the 6L6's as the CH3 tone is better on that one than my LM.

BUT, I do need to go in and put some good preamp valves in the LM amp now like I did in the non LM.

Stay tuned . . . .

ADD: Anitoli, if you are reading this, please see the thread I have in the Workbench as I had some questions for you.


----------



## RickyLee

I checked the preamp and phase inverter in my 6100LM. V1 - V6 has the cheap Chinese 12AX7B and V7 has an EH 12AX7. So I will do some similar tube experimenting like I did with the '94 6100. The finicky channel seems to be CH3.


----------



## booger007

Well I saw a fairly rough one on ebay today but went ahead and bought it. Really never heard of these heads before. Never could afford Marshall stuff when I was younger. It will be interesting to see what I think of it. I have liked all the Marshalls I have tried but really the first one I have loved is the DSL50 I just got a cpl of months ago. Thing just has some serious mojo to it. Like my JVM and hoping to like it more when the mods are finished, like the Satriani but not enough to justify the investment I have in it. Really buying it based on what I have read, and it was a fair price. Most people seem to speak very positive about these tone wise. I am aware of the reliability questions and may just fix that up front. Now I have to wait....for it to arrive


----------



## RickyLee

@booger007: I would say some of my GAS for the Satch JVM is subsiding. And that is due to seeing that you are getting rid of one. 

I am very eager to hear what you think of your 6100 against all those other amps you have. But mainly that JVM Satch.

I only heard a JVM410H at a jam at a friends. This guy shows up with a JVM half stack. I had my Vox AD120VTH into my 1936 2X12 with G12-65's. I was very underwhelmed by the dudes JVM that day. Oddly my Vox solid state was much better sounding even on higher gain stuff (I was hitting the front of the Vox with my Plexi-Tone pedal at times). I figured the guy might not have had it dialed in very well to boot.


----------



## medicjg

Even at low volumes I find the lower power mode does not sound as good. My current favorite is boosting channel 2B. It sounds phenomenal. Great low end complex midrange. The clean channel is great but I picked up an SP compressor and set to a slight boost with very subtle compression it makes the clean channel just beautiful. I highly recommend it.


----------



## Longgone

I know the purist will probably have something to say about this but I recently found a 6100LM with a bullet hole through the amp box. I was able to purchase it for a song along with a 4 x 12 cabinet. They both needed a lot of help cosmetically so I sent them out to Mojotone for a recover and new cloth. I chose a white tolex with a brown/black cloth and changed the knobs to mini chicken head and color coded them for volume, gain, and EQ. They turned out great and the transformation should help me to see and operate everything much easier in dark nightclubs. Here's a picture of the finished product.


----------



## RickyLee

I have been wanting a white head cab for at least one amp for a long time now. I keep looking for bargain Plexi style white cabs for my 2555 Clone. But no luck there. I don't have the $ now to just buy one. Should have done it quite some time ago before the Gal was laid off from her job LOL.


----------



## Harlequin tusk

Longgone said:


> I know the purist will probably have something to say about this but I recently found a 6100LM with a bullet hole through the amp box. I was able to purchase it for a song along with a 4 x 12 cabinet. They both needed a lot of help cosmetically so I sent them out to Mojotone for a recover and new cloth. I chose a white tolex with a brown/black cloth and changed the knobs to mini chicken head and color coded them for volume, gain, and EQ. They turned out great and the transformation should help me to see and operate everything much easier in dark nightclubs. Here's a picture of the finished product.



Very Cool!


----------



## belleswell

del


----------



## anitoli

Well # 177 is now accounted for.


----------



## dptone5

#177 is a BEAUTIFUL amp!!! Wow!

That SoundCloud Clip is amazing too Belleswell!! Great job man! Want to hear more. Do you have a YouTube channel?


----------



## booger007

So tell me if I am screwed or not. The 6100 I just got says 230V on the back but a standard core would plug into it. Whats up? Dont even want to plug it in


----------



## belleswell

del


----------



## dptone5

I took some time to listen to a number of your clips Belleswell! Wow, excellent work!! Will check out your YouTube stuff too.

Do you do most of your recordings using backing tracks? I'm 49 years old, have 3 kids and work 55 - 60 hours/week. It took me 5 years and I finished two songs (both on my SoundCloud page). Recording rhythm, bass, programming drums, etc, while satisfying, takes a lot of time.

You're stuff sounds amazing! What amps have you used on some of these recordings if you don't mind me asking?

BTW - I too am a huge Satch fan! And yes, that is why I have a 6100 too!!

DP


----------



## medicjg

I have been cramped for space so I'm using my 2x12 that has G12H30s in it. They are my favorite speaker. 2B with a boost is just monstrous. I have not played with Channel 3 that much but I'm gonna give your guys settings a try. However 2B boosted has all the gain anyone could want.


----------



## RickyLee

booger007 said:


> So tell me if I am screwed or not. The 6100 I just got says 230V on the back but a standard core would plug into it. Whats up? Dont even want to plug it in



Did you figure it out?

Amp came from the U.S.?

Turn it on in standby just long enough for a voltage reading on the heater filaments. See if you have the proper 6.3V or half that.


----------



## anitoli

6100 transformers are region specific as noted on the power supply schem:

http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze1u14s/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/6100powersupply.pdf

There is also a tag on the side of the chassis that states the builds model and the region it was intended for voltage wise. 

If you have one from a different region youll need to use a power converter or change to the proper transformer.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

And not to mention they are a tube laden , fire breathing guitar amp sent from the gods !!!


6100


----------



## booger007

Have not figured it out but the guy I got it from(ebay) responded and said they had indeed tested the amp. It does have the standard 110 plug on the back, are the 220 power cords the same?

I will pull the chassis out today and see what I can find. It is just the first time I have seen a 230 Volt label on the rear hence my concern. Bought off ebay so didn't want to plug it in and fry it.

Its a black tolex and date code indicates 1994 and it did come with 5881's although it now has some vintage Jan CHS 5932 power tubes in it with a bunch of Groove tubes in the preamp. I have not looked at the splitter tube yet.

It has a cpl dings but if it sounds like I hope it does I(The Wife) will probably go ahead and retolex it. 

Have heard about the EL34 conversion and will consider that but for now I ordered a matched quad of Svetlanas and a matched quad of the Ruby 6L6GCMSTR tubes I have used in former 6l6 amps I had and were great.

Have a host of current prod preamp tubes on hand

I shall report back

Thanks eveyone! Kick ass forum! Just wish I had more knowledge myself to help others.


----------



## anitoli

The 5932 or 6l6WGA is not the correct tube for a 6100, it should be a 6L6gc or better. Compare the data shetts for both tubes under class a/b and you will see there is a large voltage difference. The WGA is rated for 360v push pull and the GC is rated for 500. A 6100 with the proper power transformer will produce around 460 with tubes installed and over 500v without.

http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/frank/sheets/137/5/5932.pdf

http://www.tubebooks.org/tubedata/hb-3/receiving_tubes_part_2/6L6-GC.pdf

Your question as to whether yours has the right PT is interesting. If you are comfortable checking voltages you can remove all the tubes and fire it up, take it off standby and measure the B+ voltage. If it is around 500v give or take that should be a US X-former. Also there sshould be a sticker on it that has T5826 on it. If not that isnt a US voltage x-former.


----------



## belleswell

del


----------



## booger007

Anitoli, thanks for the info on the tubes. I am not going to plug it in with tubes until I get the new ones I ordered. 

Is the T5826 sticker supposed to actually be on the transformer?


----------



## anitoli

These are what the stickers look like:












the "U" in this case means US. I have a 6100 from Canada and it states "Canada" on 
the sticker.


----------



## belleswell

del


----------



## RickyLee

@booger007: I also have a '94 model 6100. I put in the the Ruby 6L6GC MSTR's and that thing came alive in a huge way. I have no intentions on changing that amp to EL34. It has plenty of midrange grind that EL34's bring but the 6L6's give it a kick in the low mids and lows. Also, I prefer this '94 over the '97 6100LM I have as well. I converted the LM to EL34's because it did not have the same midrange clarity and top end spank that the '94 has.

I am trying to make some time to experiment with different 12AX7's in the '97. Hoping to get it closer to the '94's clarity and harmonic overtones. But then I am hoping it will have its own slight distinct character and sound somewhat different still being the LM version and with the Tung Sol EL34B's in it.


----------



## booger007

@ belleswell- Its a nice amp. I really just had to sell something as I had way too much money invested in amps at the current time and it would bring me the most money. I scored my regular JVM as a demo model for 1000.00 and invested in some mods which were like 20 in parts. The JS is a lot better than my JVM in many ways but not in others but not enough better to justify the amount of difference in coin I could get if I keep it and sold my regular JVM. And as far as tone shoot me if you will but my DSL 50 I prefer over all of them tone wise. It is very Schenkeresque. If I could afford to have them all no way I would sell it. 

@ Ricky Lee- those really are some good tubes in the Ruby's. Doug over at Dougs tubes really said the Svetlanas are extremely close to the SED tubes tone wise so thats why I ordered a set of those.

@ Anitoli Thanks!!! At some point today I will take that chassis out and see what I have.


----------



## RickyLee

@booger007: Which mods did you do on your DSL50? Did you do the Joey DSL Mods? What year is your DSL50 as well? 

I like the Svetlana EL34's myself. They are tonally close to Wing C's but at a fraction of the cost. Only thing I will have to see down the road is how long the Svets hold up.


----------



## booger007

Ok Whew, USA sticker and correct sticker on trans so we are good there. Thought it had all Grove tubes but only one preamp tube was one, all the others are some older tubes. Everything looks good inside, the Svetlana tubes arrive tomorrow so I'll clean and tighten the tube sockets as they feel a little loose in prep for their arrival.

What should I set the bias too? I use one of the bias pro meters that plugs in to the tube socket.

@ Ricky, no Joey mods yet. Gonna do the clean\crunch channel mod but not sure I want to change anything. Thought about a choke as well.I bought it used cheap. Dude thought it was fried just had some bad 6ca7 tubes in it. Fresh tubes, bias and voila. The mod is a MM output trans.

Did these 6100's have a choke? This one has a classic tone choke, 

thanks again everyone. Pretty anxious to fire it up tomorrow


----------



## RickyLee

booger007 said:


> Ok Whew, USA sticker and correct sticker on trans so we are good there. Thought it had all Grove tubes but only one preamp tube was one, all the others are some older tubes. Everything looks good inside, the Svetlana tubes arrive tomorrow so I'll clean and tighten the tube sockets as they feel a little loose in prep for their arrival.
> 
> What should I set the bias too? I use one of the bias pro meters that plugs in to the tube socket.
> 
> @ Ricky, no Joey mods yet. Gonna do the clean\crunch channel mod but not sure I want to change anything. Thought about a choke as well.I bought it used cheap. Dude thought it was fried just had some bad 6ca7 tubes in it. Fresh tubes, bias and voila. The mod is a MM output trans.
> 
> Did these 6100's have a choke? This one has a classic tone choke,
> 
> thanks again everyone. Pretty anxious to fire it up tomorrow



Your 6100 had a choke added to it by a previous owner as they did not come with them. You will have to set your bias accordingly to what the plate voltage is and the tube wattage.

I have a modified DSL100 and a bone stock one. The stock one was a damaged one that I revived and it has that something that the other did not have when it was stock. My modified one has Classic Tone iron in it including a 3H choke.

I played with 12AX7 selection earlier on my 6100LM. I went with primarily old GE's all through it. Put one Mullard I61 in V2 though. I am not as thrilled with CH3 on this LM amp like I am with my non LM. I am figuring I prefer that .68uF cathode bypass cap over the huge 2.2uF.

ADD: What is the year of your DSL50?


----------



## booger007

@ Ricky sticker on the DSL indicates 2005.DSL has all tung sol pre-s and has MUllard EL34 new prod power tubes. 

I have always just used my bias tool and have never measured plate voltage to determine bias. I am pretty savvy electronic tech wise so I guess I may have to learn and start doing this.

Here is a link to the tool I use, had it for years

Quadstage Biaspro MQ13 Asharpfretworks R Metered Tube Bias Probe Tester Tool | eBay


----------



## booger007

Which pin do I measure plate voltage on?


----------



## booger007

OK figured that out. Tubes are in. plate voltage was 492V at pin 3. adjusted bias to 38ma and now plate voltage is at 475.

Svetlanas are in there now and spec at 500V

Does this sound right?


----------



## RickyLee

booger007 said:


> OK figured that out. Tubes are in. plate voltage was 492V at pin 3. adjusted bias to 38ma and now plate voltage is at 475.
> 
> Svetlanas are in there now and spec at 500V
> 
> Does this sound right?



With that plate voltage, 38mA is fine. Your probe tester is also showing the screen current that is 3mA - 5mA aprox. 

25W EL34 / 475V = 53mA

60% of 53mA = 32mA + 5mA screens = 37mA

As long as you stay under 70% idle dissipation, you should be fine. If you set slightly colder and do not hear a bad difference, go with the slightly colder setting. I usually just use 65% and that is also factoring my screen current. Close enough for me.


----------



## anitoli

booger007 said:


> OK figured that out. Tubes are in. plate voltage was 492V at pin 3. adjusted bias to 38ma and now plate voltage is at 475.
> 
> Svetlanas are in there now and spec at 500V
> 
> Does this sound right?


 
475 x .038ma = 18.05 watts. Thats close to max. 70% of an EL34's max dissipation is 20 watts.


----------



## booger007

Anitoli, mine has the 6L6 Svetlanas in it. I am new to all the plate voltage stuff but my thoughts were as follows.

Svetlana 6L6GC 30 watt tube so 21 watts would be 70%. So I set it around 60% for a conservative approach. 

If I am right I may go ahead and bias it a little hotter?


----------



## booger007

Well she is plugged into the Greenback cab now and so far all is well. No one was home today so I turned it up and put a little time with it. Definitely pleased and don't have it dialed in yet. No scratchy pots and everything seems to work fine. Have not tried the loop yet. 

Tone on both 2B and 2C are awesome. Channel three is ok, channel one is indeed very similar to my HJS I just sold and I describe that as sterile. but a cpl pedals shoould fix that right up. I actually prefer my JVM(Blackface mod) clean over this head.

This 6100 seems to be easier to use compared to the JVM series. My HJS seemed to be very sensitive to pickups, and this amp does not seem to have that trait and I am certainly happy about that. I currently have over 25 electrics with different pickups so this is pretty important.

Currently have Svetlana 6L6 for power tubes, and a mix of Ruby AC7HG and HG+ as well as a cpl EH golds, and 1 tung sol(V2)and one mullard ri cv4004

Best 700.00 amp I have ever heard for sure.


----------



## RickyLee

anitoli said:


> 475 x .038ma = 18.05 watts. Thats close to max. 70% of an EL34's max dissipation is 20 watts.



I guess we were both off on his setting. I figured he had EL34's and was allowing 3mA - 5mA screen current in his reading.

But regardless, he has 6L6's so he is fine.


----------



## booger007

So the Ruby tubes arrived, re-biased the amp. 477 V set bias at 42 which should be 20.03 watts if I am correct. Definitely a difference in tone for the better. Clean channel sounds a lot better as well. Not sure if it was the increase in bias or the tubes themselves.


----------



## anitoli

booger007 said:


> Anitoli, mine has the 6L6 Svetlanas in it. I am new to all the plate voltage stuff but my thoughts were as follows.
> 
> Svetlana 6L6GC 30 watt tube so 21 watts would be 70%. So I set it around 60% for a conservative approach.
> 
> If I am right I may go ahead and bias it a little hotter?


 
That would be your call. Just keep in mind the hotter you run the shorter they last. Also take into consideration what you would expect to see for the high side of your line voltage. For example if you set the 6l6 bias at 21 watts when the line is 115, when it rises later after the load drops off to 121 your bias will rise accordingly. ALWAYS try to bias at the lines high side.


----------



## booger007

Anitoli, I never thought of the line voltage so thanks for that info. I dont mind losing a little tube life if the tone is what I want.


----------



## Force235

anitoli said:


> That would be your call. Just keep in mind the hotter you run the shorter they last. Also take into consideration what you would expect to see for the high side of your line voltage. For example if you set the 6l6 bias at 21 watts when the line is 115, when it rises later after the load drops off to 121 your bias will rise accordingly. ALWAYS try to bias at the lines high side.


 
So can we then assume a line conditioner would be a good thing to use?


----------



## booger007

I am using a Furman PL-PLUS C power conditioner all the time. Its in my road case


----------



## RickyLee

This is mostly for Anitoli as he works on the 6100 quite a bit. But might interest other 6100/6101 owners.

I experimented with a .47uF cathode bypass cap in place of the huge 2.2uF C21 for CH3 second gain stage on my 6100LM. I preferred the .47uF for my tastes. I have been trying to get the LM to sound closer to my '94 non LM on CH3. I also put identical preamp tubes in each as well as swapped preamp tubes between amps experimenting. The LM circuit obviously has more gain and the bigger bypass cap for CH3.

Keep in mind that my bridge pickup on my main guitar is the culprit as it is very high output and has heavy bass response as well. This makes it a bit tougher to get that mid crunch spank on my LM where the non LM amp is more mid crunch defined.


----------



## booger007

Well Scored a 93 EL34 model. Pretty good condition! Black Tolex. Obviously I like the 6L6 one enough to pick this up. Really wasn't looking but it was a really good deal lol


----------



## RickyLee

booger007 said:


> Well Scored a 93 EL34 model. Pretty good condition! Black Tolex. Obviously I like the 6L6 one enough to pick this up. Really wasn't looking but it was a really good deal lol



Yeah, that is why I grabbed my second 6100 as it was very cheap and needed work. I liked my first one so much I wanted to have the later 6100LM as well LOL.

But it seems that I am preferring the '94 6100 without the LM circuit. My '94 has 6L6 and so did this '97 LM. But I converted the '97 LM to EL34 so as to have a different flavor. But the '94 has a superior tone on CH3.


----------



## Caloss

I'm currently working on a in-depth vid of my 6101 a look inside, my own valve choices etc.
But in the meantime here's a taster.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fA9RDK0m8w[/ame]


----------



## aruspl

Good sound. I'm waiting for the full review. I'm also getting my 6101 next week. CAN'T WAIT.


----------



## Caloss

More Vids, long version of the valves, back panel, inside and speakers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxxVThDabAs


----------



## aruspl

Great video about technical aspects of 6101. Now I'm waiting for sonical all channels walkthrough. I'll try to make a vid as i got mine. Do You have any problems with overheating?


----------



## Caloss

aruspl said:


> Great video about technical aspects of 6101. Now I'm waiting for sonical all channels walkthrough. I'll try to make a vid as i got mine. Do You have any problems with overheating?



With temps ? None at all, though I will be added at 240v fan to the combo soon, and yup making a vid of that too hehe Tone walk-through is in progress about another 3 or so days depending how my free time goes for the editing (that part takes the longest) Cheers anyhow


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

I got word from Anitoli that my amp is nearing completion !!!!
I can't friggin wait .... !!


----------



## aruspl

AND I FINALLY GOT MINE!
I LOVE IT!!!
Perfect rock sound! I'll try to make a vid soon. This Amp is kickass! @Carloss I've installed a fan. Just "in case".  Cheers


----------



## Bear R.

Dang it TUBES..i gotta have one..i would love to have a JVM but, wanted one of these even more but didn't have the extra cash, or I woulda had one 2 yrs ago..So...I settled for the TSL60..and it's nice..the transformer and an added choke are from Classic Tone..but im gonna sell and get the 6100..i love a great lead channel and this sounds like it hits the spot..dead on..!!!.3 lead channels right?..and a clean?..


----------



## Jethro Rocker

2 lead channels and a clean. 3 modes on channel 2. Gain boost on ch 3.


----------



## RickyLee

Bear R. said:


> Dang it TUBES..i gotta have one..i would love to have a JVM but, wanted one of these even more but didn't have the extra cash, or I woulda had one 2 yrs ago..So...I settled for the TSL60..and it's nice..the transformer and an added choke are from Classic Tone..but im gonna sell and get the 6100..i love a great lead channel and this sounds like it hits the spot..dead on..!!!.3 lead channels right?..and a clean?..



How do you like the Crunch and Lead channels on that TSL60? I compared my TSL100 up against my buds TSL60 once at a jam. I ran the TSL60 through my cab the first half of the jam, then swapped in my TSL100 for the last half. I have to say that I was very impressed with the TSL60 Clean. But it ended there. The Crunch on the TSL60 was not too bad, but the Lead channel on that TSL60 was very tubby and unrefined in the mids. To be fair, it has to do mostly with the design. The TSL60 and TSL100 are not the same circuits with more options thrown in on the TSL100. Very different topology and layout between them. The TSL60 has a HUGE value cathode bypass cap on the very first gain stage that is used by all channels. It is good for the Clean channel but adds to much loose bottom end on the Crunch and Lead channels.

Yeah, if you can get some decent cash outta that TSL60 you should be able to grab a decent shape 6100 for not that much more on the price.

The perfect amp for me would be the 6100 PLUS having the extra Clean channel and reverb of that TSL60.



That is the only thing I miss when I run my 6100 is a built in reverb. But of course, that is what the FX loop is for. And if they had built in a tube driven reverb circuit on the 6100, for me it would be the amp of all amps. You would be able to dial in a Fender Reverb (insert Blackface model here) tone on that channel 1 and then be able to kick in those awesome other two channels for the Dirt.

So you actually could have two lead channels as pointed out by Jethro. You can set CH 2 on C mode and it has a similar close tone to CH 3. Voicing is just a touch different which is good. CH 2A is a close Plexi, CH2B is a close 2203 and CH2C is a hot rodded 2203. 

CH3 is its own Animal with a very different gain stage topology used not only by Marshall, but any other amp maker that I have seen the internals of.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Bear R. said:


> Dang it TUBES..i gotta have one..i would love to have a JVM but, wanted one of these even more but didn't have the extra cash, or I woulda had one 2 yrs ago..So...I settled for the TSL60..and it's nice..the transformer and an added choke are from Classic Tone..but im gonna sell and get the 6100..i love a great lead channel and this sounds like it hits the spot..dead on..!!!.3 lead channels right?..and a clean?..





I don't care what you have to do to get one , but DO IT !!! 
You will never look at another Marshall ever again ...

My search for tone & other amps stopped once i owned a 6100 !

and yes , clean . crunch ( 2 modes ) , and Lead ( High gain !! )
and the list of other features is as long as the line at a gang bang !!!!

A " Full Tilt " Rock machine with no equal !


----------



## Bear R.

RICKYLEE.....you asked if I like the gain on 2 and 3..well NO..i do not...ha,ha..it just aint there man..i remember you had a 60 for awhile..or maybe still do..but I just don't like it for some reason..it isn't bad.but it isn't my cup of Marshall tea..ha,ha...i had a TSL100 once and sold it like a fool so I tried to get it back by getting a TSL60 and it isn't it...i like the TSL100 but not to much with the 60..Anyways, all in all.it might be one of the better 60's out there because of the upgrades..and everything looks and works excellent and it does sound great..im sure anyone else would think it had plenty of everything..but Im looking for a certain sound.and from what you Rickylee and TUBES said about the 6100..that sounds like it will fit the bill...

the TSL 60 does have a Classic tone tranny and Choke...maybe I can get a little more out of it for that reason..maybe not..don't know..(but hey, you know what, it's mine and it's paid for..and it does rock)..just not enough..I like Metal..!!...and im searchin for an amp where I wont need a distortion pedal ...Anything else I don't care, but ive always thought, (there's gotta be a Marshall out there that has all the GAIN I need on TAP..and besides the JVM410..the 6100 seems to hit the spot perfectly)..so...Thanks "Rickylee"..thanks a bunch..


----------



## Bear R.

Ok TUBES...All out Rock Machine..total freakin Tone Monster..SOLD..!!...to the guy w/the TSL60..ha,ha...

I cant wait..i just hope that, when this sells, there's a good one out there like the one on this forum right now..

Any specific year I should try to look for.?..anyways,

Thanks you guys.. Tubes..thanks man........cant wait buddies..cant wait...


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Bear R. said:


> Ok TUBES...All out Rock Machine..total freakin Tone Monster..SOLD..!!...to the guy w/the TSL60..ha,ha...
> 
> I cant wait..i just hope that, when this sells, there's a good one out there like the one on this forum right now..
> 
> Any specific year I should try to look for.?..anyways,
> 
> Thanks you guys.. Tubes..thanks man........cant wait buddies..cant wait...





In terms of year ... 

The early ones had EL 34 output tubes , the later models came with 5881/6L6 due to a world shortage of EL34's , but don't let that stop you , a 6L6 equipped 6100LM have killer tone for days !!! 

It's going to take some looking around as they have not made these amps since late 1998/1999 . You see them on Ebay once in awhile as well ....


I can't stress enough how killer these amps are , so many Marshall lover's really miss the diamond in the rough with this amp . A lot of long time marshall players don't even know about these amps as they were not built in huge numbers like some of the other models .

You would just be another forum member i can add to the list that came to the " Darkside " and now rocks a 6100 !!!!  There is many who have made the switch and now know the killer tone lurking inside the 6100 !


----------



## Tonton

About overheating.
I think i shared before at the deleted topic:
The 6101 does get hot, especially because the tubes are downwards in a small box where the 6100 they are on top.

I first installed big fan but didn't like, so ordered a silent 240V fan and a dimmer. With some elastic band around feet i can remove in a sec...
and great results: even the minimum air movement makes the front panel from hot to cold. Great for some extra electrics lifespan


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Not trying to be a dick, just something I noticed. You have an extra speaker cable attached but impedance is set to 8 ohms. I presume those cables are speaker wire as well? They just looked thick. Sorry if it seems condescending, not trying to be!


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Jethro Rocker said:


> Not trying to be a dick, just something I noticed. You have an extra speaker cable attached but impedance is set to 8 ohms. I presume those cables are speaker wire as well? They just looked thick. Sorry if it seems condescending, not trying to be!



Oh come on man ..... you were trying to be a dick , and i know it !!!!


----------



## aruspl

Good solution. Mine is less permanent and I don't have to drill in the wood. I bought a fan with a clamp. Easy to remove, doesn't left any marks, efficient and doesn't cause any kind of noise or hum in speaker. Could be black, but it's behind the amp, so nobody can see it. And the most important.. It keeps the amp cool.


----------



## medicjg

I have been loving channel 2B lately. Boosting it with an overdrive it sounds spot on like a cranked super lead. However with out having to worry about the neighbors calling the police. I'm also running an SP compressor on the clean channel set very subtle with a little bit of boost and it sounds phenomenal. I just love this amp to pieces so many great tones in one box. I have also been playing with Channel 3. I have found that I do not like the tone with contour switch out. Am I missing something on channel 3 does anyone like the switch in?


----------



## RickyLee

I think that CH 3 Contour circuit is good. But honestly I have not used it much at all. I prefer CH 3 set up to enhance the mids I have coming from the CH 2 setting. I like CH 3 to provide a nice boost with a snappy and crisp singing lead tone.


----------



## medicjg

Ricky do you like the switch in or out. My post was a little misleading. I like the switch in. If I run it out or off I can't stand the character it takes on.


----------



## Snake_j

I just picked up what appears to be a truly minty blue 92'

Marshall 6100 30th Anniversary Series Amp Head 1992 Blue Vinyl 3 Switch Pedal | eBay


----------



## RickyLee

medicjg said:


> Ricky do you like the switch in or out. My post was a little misleading. I like the switch in. If I run it out or off I can't stand the character it takes on.



I set my CH3 up with that Contour OFF or OUT. I should ask if yours is the LM or non LM? Where are you running the CH3 Volume at? All my channel Volumes are close to max at about 3 O'Clock or a bit past that. I use just a touch of the channel volume pots grid resistance. Seems to give me more clarity that way.

I also like CH3 Boost on the non LM, not so much on the LM.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Same here. I run Contour OFF and boost on for ch3. Whatever works, there's certainly some options!!


----------



## Tonton

Jethro Rocker said:


> Not trying to be a dick, just something I noticed. You have an extra speaker cable attached but impedance is set to 8 ohms. I presume those cables are speaker wire as well? They just looked thick. Sorry if it seems condescending, not trying to be!



speaker cable not instrument.
cheapest available but yes

hmm thought it was both 8 but if parallel it should be 8/2 = 4
why i never thought about this 

so set a lower speaker impedance stresses output transformer?
hmm


----------



## Tonton

Jethro Rocker said:


> Same here. I run Contour OFF and boost on for ch3. Whatever works, there's certainly some options!!



sorry repeating myself:
my ch3 was bit dul but Tungsols in v3 v4 v5 made it alive! (was new JJs before)
now really like it but really full power: boost on gain 10 

contour just is for scooped not really like or dislike it is just scooped


----------



## Caloss

aruspl said:


> Good sound. I'm waiting for the full review. I'm also getting my 6101 next week. CAN'T WAIT.


So the channels and knob settings vid is done. Enjoy the tones 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md_66breS0Q[/ame]


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Tonton said:


> speaker cable not instrument.
> cheapest available but yes
> 
> hmm thought it was both 8 but if parallel it should be 8/2 = 4
> why i never thought about this
> 
> so set a lower speaker impedance stresses output transformer?
> hmm


Yep. Set it to 4 ohms,or it does stress the OT. I have the 6912 with mine as well and always try to check that switch before hooking it up! Cheers, mate.


----------



## medicjg

RickyLee said:


> I set my CH3 up with that Contour OFF or OUT. I should ask if yours is the LM or non LM? Where are you running the CH3 Volume at? All my channel Volumes are close to max at about 3 O'Clock or a bit past that. I use just a touch of the channel volume pots grid resistance. Seems to give me more clarity that way.
> 
> I also like CH3 Boost on the non LM, not so much on the LM.



Mine is a LM with el34s. I run my channel volume at about 3oclock. What are your EQ settings with the contour out? I do use the gain boost in but with the gain at about 1030 to 1100.


----------



## RickyLee

medicjg said:


> Mine is a LM with el34s. I run my channel volume at about 3oclock. What are your EQ settings with the contour out? I do use the gain boost in but with the gain at about 1030 to 1100.



Sounds like we have a similar CH 3 tone going on. I set the Gain for that channel anywhere from 4 to just past 5 or half/12 O'Clock. 

I run Bass about 4 and Mid at 7 to 8 (out of 10/MAX) and Treble 6 to 7. I have Damping on AUTO and set Presence about 5 or 12 O'Clock.

The CH3 Boost on the LM amp adds in a huge 2.2uF cathode bypass cap on that channels 2nd gain stage. On the non LM amp that cap is a more midrange enhanced .68uF.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I'm finding something interesting with my 6101. It sounds great and all, ther's just a kind of buzz to the distortion. Not a bag o' bees or anything, just more buzzy than anything else I have, especially channel 2. Can't recall the bias, I believe 32mV, I have an NOS Mullard in V2 and RFT in V6. EQ doesn't seem to help, it gets a bit flubby if the bass gets too high even at lower volumes. Low volume comp on. 
Now, I know Hot Tubes 70 cracks a boner everytime you mention 6100, even gets a semi if you say the number 6... - kidding, tubes - but my little combo though good sounding and SO versatile, isn't really any different than the TSL except it's much more top endy. Anyone else (Tonton?) with the combo find this or have another option to A/B with? 
I'm almost preferring - dare I say it - the 40C with a boost in front tonally to the 6101. Certainly less finicky where I set it. Ch2B, must watch the bass for fear of flubby (yes, I dime the gain on ch2B), still has buzzy overtones and 2C is gain heaven (on 4) but again, a bit buzzy sounding. Would the old caps present in this manner? Hmmm...
Thanks lads.


----------



## medicjg

Have you tried plugging it into a speaker cabinet to see if it had the same issue? Personally I have not experienced the same issue. Maybe a closed back cab would help. In my experience I don't like dimeing the gain on any channels the sweet spot seems to be between 3 to 6. I run my 2B with the gain about 6. Then boost it with an overdrive. Plenty of gain on tap like this.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

medicjg said:


> Have you tried plugging it into a speaker cabinet to see if it had the same issue? Personally I have not experienced the same issue. Maybe a closed back cab would help. In my experience I don't like dimeing the gain on any channels the sweet spot seems to be between 3 to 6. I run my 2B with the gain about 6. Then boost it with an overdrive. Plenty of gain on tap like this.



That might work. Hate to have to run a boost on an amp like that. I have the 6912 but never tried it by itself. I'll give it a shot.


----------



## RickyLee

I have no buzzy distortion on either my '94 6100 or the '97 6100LM. Plenty of bottom end on all channels running into my 1936 2X12 G12-65/Creamback M65.

I would not blame a filter cap for that but then it is not out of the question either.

When you use or activate the Low Comp, it adds in a 100K grid load resistor just before or in parallel with both CH2 & CH3 Gain pots. That should reduce the drive quite a bit. I do not use it and can't remember trying it much now that I am thinking on it. Low Comp also adds in a 470K grid load resistor to the Clean channel just after its second gain stage and just before its voltage divider.

http://www.drtube.com/schematics/marshall/6100-61-04 iss9.pdf

I love this amp circuit. Looking at that schematic was the final GAS Attack that got me buying these amps.


----------



## Nik73

I mentioned in another thread that I'd bought an attenuator as it was bugging me that I could only use the 6100 when the neighbours were out. I know they suck a bit of tone, but figured the 6100 has enough to spare! 
Even at the lower volumes, I've also said that it's the best amp I've ever heard and I still stand by that, more than ever. Being able to get the MV up to about 4-5 on full 100w high power and getting the power tubes cooking a bit makes ch 2A and 2B just absolutely roar. I've preferred 2C up to now (which I shouldn't on paper), but now it's 2B all the way. It also makes ch 3 a lot more useable for me, but it's still a good way behind any of the modes of ch2. Really wish you could setup the footswitch to switch between them rather than the channels.

This and my R8 Les Paul have cured a good few patches of GAS now. For me and with the guitars I have, just no need for anything else, though I can't seem to stop playing the intro of "Calling Dr Love" and grinning like an idiot while I'm doing it!


----------



## RickyLee

Nik73 said:


> I mentioned in another thread that I'd bought an attenuator as it was bugging me that I could only use the 6100 when the neighbours were out. I know they suck a bit of tone, but figured the 6100 has enough to spare!
> Even at the lower volumes, I've also said that it's the best amp I've ever heard and I still stand by that, more than ever. Being able to get the MV up to about 4-5 on full 100w high power and getting the power tubes cooking a bit makes ch 2A and 2B just absolutely roar. I've preferred 2C up to now (which I shouldn't on paper), but now it's 2B all the way. It also makes ch 3 a lot more useable for me, but it's still a good way behind any of the modes of ch2. Really wish you could setup the footswitch to switch between them rather than the channels.
> 
> This and my R8 Les Paul have cured a good few patches of GAS now. For me and with the guitars I have, just no need for anything else, though I can't seem to stop playing the intro of "Calling Dr Love" and grinning like an idiot while I'm doing it!



Check this version out of Calling Dr Love. What is the story as this is a different version? The guitars have much more bite and prominent in the mix, Awesome snarl on those rhythm guitars.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I'll get a chance to play again tomorrow. Will try some stuff. Seems like I'm getting more of a "zzz" sound instead of a "vvvv" with hard "shhh" if that makws any sense. Might have to record it but will try some stuff first.


----------



## Nik73

RickyLee said:


> Check this version out of Calling Dr Love. What is the story as this is a different version? The guitars have much more bite and prominent in the mix, Awesome snarl on those rhythm guitars.



Can't see a link Ricky?
I play it with open chords like the live version and they really shine on 2B with the gain on about 3/4. Sounds more Tommy than Ace, but bloody good either way!


----------



## RickyLee

Nik73 said:


> Can't see a link Ricky?
> I play it with open chords like the live version and they really shine on 2B with the gain on about 3/4. Sounds more Tommy than Ace, but bloody good either way!




OOOPS. LOL

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDTE8DpkKE4[/ame]


----------



## Jethro Rocker

RickyLee said:


> Check this version out of Calling Dr Love. What is the story as this is a different version? The guitars have much more bite and prominent in the mix, Awesome snarl on those rhythm guitars.


First song I ever learned. Well, the chord sequences anyways. Twas the fall of 1978. Cool.
I will change up some pre tubes and see, played more today and the distortion just seems a bit buzzy. Farted a bit with EQ to try and tame it. Hmm. Tube change tryouts I guess. Great amp though!!


----------



## Nik73

RickyLee said:


> Check this version out of Calling Dr Love. What is the story as this is a different version? The guitars have much more bite and prominent in the mix, Awesome snarl on those rhythm guitars.





RickyLee said:


> OOOPS. LOL
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDTE8DpkKE4



Hmmm, very interesting. Thanks for that Ricky, I've not heard that version before. I think it's from the re-recorded greatest hits compilation (with Eric and Tommy) that was a bonus disc on Sonic Boom. I know Tommy uses H&K amps, which is also interesting as I've got a Grandmeister 36, which is the only amp I've played that sounds like a Marshall, but isn't one! The sound I was getting from 2B was more like that version than the original.
Last piece of (to me at least) interesting info is that I had a go on a friends Jet City JCA100 tonight and was really impressed. Didn't like the higher gain stuff, but lower down it had a lovely bark with a touch of honk that I really liked. Only £333 in the UK at the minute as well..................... Oh dear, so much for no more amps. Still say I don't _need_ it though!


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

The Undisputed heavy weight champ of tube amps !!!


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Seem to have solved my buzzy problem. Rolled some tubes, no change, changed out the old RCA long grey I had as PI and installed a '63 Lowrey (Sylvania, I believe) and seems much better, has that mid honk instead of buzz. Hmph!


----------



## RickyLee

I was having a great relationship with my two 6100 heads up until last week. I took the '97 6100LM to practice to try it out with this new band I am in (Robin Trower tribute band). The amp just seemed OK to me and nothing more. We were at the practice studio in the live and brighter room. The practice before we were in the dull and dark room but I used my home build amp which actually pulled off the Trower tone quite well. So I had figured the 6100LM would be a good option to try on that second practice.

On this night with the 6100LM, at the end of the night we jammed around on some Zep. That is when I was noticing the 6100 was just not sounding like I was expecting. Now this is the first time I had taken this 6100LM out since acquiring it. I have used my first 6100, which is a non LM '94, at quite a few gigs with my old band and it was one of the best and enjoyable amps I have played live with.

So now I am stumped. This '97 6100LM has very similar NOS 12AX7 placed to copy close to how I have the '94 6100 set up. But the '97 LM has new Tung Sol EL34B where the '94 has 6L6's in it. Last night I practiced with my home built amp and we were back in the dull room. I am now wishing I would have taken the '94 6100 to see how it sounds at this rehearsal studio. Could it be that my home built amp sounds that good? LOL I do not think it is all that but it could be that I am just used to that amp now.

I will update this when I can get the '94 6100 out with this new band. I am hoping it is just 12AX7 selection in the amp, as in needing to try some other 12AX7's.


----------



## coony

Apart from the obvious sound differences between EL34 vs 6L6, are both amps identical in the power section? PI values, negative feedback resistor etc? Filtering in the power amp: 220µF vs 47µF? HT resistors 6k8 vs 2k2? There are probably some more differences?


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

RickyLee said:


> I was having a great relationship with my two 6100 heads up until last week. I took the '97 6100LM to practice to try it out with this new band I am in (Robin Trower tribute band). The amp just seemed OK to me and nothing more. We were at the practice studio in the live and brighter room. The practice before we were in the dull and dark room but I used my home build amp which actually pulled off the Trower tone quite well. So I had figured the 6100LM would be a good option to try on that second practice.
> 
> On this night with the 6100LM, at the end of the night we jammed around on some Zep. That is when I was noticing the 6100 was just not sounding like I was expecting. Now this is the first time I had taken this 6100LM out since acquiring it. I have used my first 6100, which is a non LM '94, at quite a few gigs with my old band and it was one of the best and enjoyable amps I have played live with.
> 
> So now I am stumped. This '97 6100LM has very similar NOS 12AX7 placed to copy close to how I have the '94 6100 set up. But the '97 LM has new Tung Sol EL34B where the '94 has 6L6's in it. Last night I practiced with my home built amp and we were back in the dull room. I am now wishing I would have taken the '94 6100 to see how it sounds at this rehearsal studio. Could it be that my home built amp sounds that good? LOL I do not think it is all that but it could be that I am just used to that amp now.
> 
> I will update this when I can get the '94 6100 out with this new band. I am hoping it is just 12AX7 selection in the amp, as in needing to try some other 12AX7's.



It may need an overhaul inside aside from glass ? 
Just a thought ... , i know my 6100LM was sucking the hind tit pretty bad , it was blowing tubes at the end until i got right pissed off an sent it to Anitoli for a complete !!


----------



## RickyLee

coony said:


> Apart from the obvious sound differences between EL34 vs 6L6, are both amps identical in the power section? PI values, negative feedback resistor etc? Filtering in the power amp: 220µF vs 47µF? HT resistors 6k8 vs 2k2? There are probably some more differences?



The amps are both somewhat stock. Except for the '97, as I changed it from 6L6 to EL34 and changed the screen grid resistors to 1K on it. The filtering is still original and the same between these two models as far as I can remember and the phase inverter values should be identical. 

There was a couple of component value differences if my memory recalls, like the bias feed resistors might be 220K in the '97 and 150K in the '94. But that should not be a big tone difference. Plus, I had been comparing the amps at the house and noticed the '97 LM being much more aggressive on CH3 due to the LM values, the bigger cathode bypass cap basically. But regardless to all that, the LM was sounding excellent here at my house. Just that I preferred the tone of the non LM '94 CH3.

The Tung Sol EL34B's in this '97 LM were brand new. Maybe they need a few more hours on them to sound a bit better? But then I have brand new Ruby EL34 BSTR's in my home build amp and it was an immediate improvement. Did not notice any sound change with some hours or a burn in change I should say.





HOT TUBES 70 said:


> It may need an overhaul inside aside from glass ?
> Just a thought ... , i know my 6100LM was sucking the hind tit pretty bad , it was blowing tubes at the end until i got right pissed off an sent it to Anitoli for a complete !!



So you have your amp back at home now? If so, are you hearing a big improvement?

I am considering talking to my friend that has the rehearsal studio business where we practice, and see about buying some hours just for myself to take a load of my amps in and do some sound testing there. I can't do that type of thing here at my house these days with the relatives staying here. Plus, everything always sounds great cranked up here at my house and then sounds quite a bit different at this rehearsal studio.


----------



## RickyLee

Jethro Rocker said:


> I'm finding something interesting with my 6101. It sounds great and all, ther's just a kind of buzz to the distortion. Not a bag o' bees or anything, just more buzzy than anything else I have, especially channel 2. Can't recall the bias, I believe 32mV, I have an NOS Mullard in V2 and RFT in V6. EQ doesn't seem to help, it gets a bit flubby if the bass gets too high even at lower volumes. Low volume comp on.
> Now, I know Hot Tubes 70 cracks a boner everytime you mention 6100, even gets a semi if you say the number 6... - kidding, tubes - but my little combo though good sounding and SO versatile, isn't really any different than the TSL except it's much more top endy. Anyone else (Tonton?) with the combo find this or have another option to A/B with?
> I'm almost preferring - dare I say it - the 40C with a boost in front tonally to the 6101. Certainly less finicky where I set it. Ch2B, must watch the bass for fear of flubby (yes, I dime the gain on ch2B), still has buzzy overtones and 2C is gain heaven (on 4) but again, a bit buzzy sounding. Would the old caps present in this manner? Hmmm...
> Thanks lads.



I do not know WTF has happened to my 6100's, primarily the '97 6100LM. I am not digging the tone the last couple times I played them.




RickyLee said:


> I have no buzzy distortion on either my '94 6100 or the '97 6100LM. Plenty of bottom end on all channels running into my 1936 2X12 G12-65/Creamback M65.
> 
> I would not blame a filter cap for that but then it is not out of the question either.
> 
> When you use or activate the Low Comp, it adds in a 100K grid load resistor just before or in parallel with both CH2 & CH3 Gain pots. That should reduce the drive quite a bit. I do not use it and can't remember trying it much now that I am thinking on it. Low Comp also adds in a 470K grid load resistor to the Clean channel just after its second gain stage and just before its voltage divider.
> 
> http://www.drtube.com/schematics/marshall/6100-61-04 iss9.pdf
> 
> I love this amp circuit. Looking at that schematic was the final GAS Attack that got me buying these amps.



I was loving these amps a good many weeks ago. Well mainly my '94 6100. That amp was amazing at the gigs I played with it. So now there is a new King of the Mountain out of nowhere: My stock '98 DSL100. Something is amiss here for sure. The main issue is CH3 does not have the same clarity I remember it having.



So I am going to open up the '97 LM first and swap some 12AX7's around. I did notice a slight microphonic thing going on in there somewhere. Bummer as I had loaded that amp up with good old NOS stuff too.


----------



## anitoli

Try a set of these:

https://www.tubedepot.com/products/sino-12ax7a-preamp-vacuum-tube

It's what these amps originally shipped with.


----------



## RickyLee

anitoli said:


> Try a set of these:
> 
> https://www.tubedepot.com/products/sino-12ax7a-preamp-vacuum-tube
> 
> It's what these amps originally shipped with.



I started a thread asking about the new production Chinese 12AX7's. My DSL100 has Chinese 12AX7's as well as a few other amps, as I have always liked them. Well, I really love those old 80's/90's Chinese 12AX7's.

So are these Sino's the only model that comes out of China, but gets re-branded? Or are there different models or variances of the 12AX7 out of China?

Would they be the same thing as the 12AX7B from China, as I still have some of those left. Someone told me those 12AX7B's were not that good.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

They look a lot like the National branded Chinese ones that were in mine when i bought it used. Hmmm I left 1 in V1 and removed the rest, maybe put 1 in here and there for ch2 and 3 and see.


----------



## anitoli

Not really sure about the potential differences in the manufacture time or the a/b difference, but i can say the last set i plugged into a 6100 less than six months ago was absolutely smokin. Worth a look and the price is decent.


----------



## RickyLee

As far as I can remember (and I am far from an expert) all the Chinese 12AX7's I have encountered looked the same except for the very top getter. The older ones from the late 80's/early 90's that I have on hand have a square getter on top. Apart from that, I can't tell the difference. But I have also never looked at and compared them that closely. I am wanting to learn about the variances (12AX7B, 12AX7C ect) on these as I do like them a lot. For some reason, my DSL100 just sounds fantastic with them and the Svetlana EL34's. I need to see if the China 12AX7's in that DSL are those new junker 12AX7B's or older ones possibly. I am also thinking I should pull that quad of Svetlana EL34's from that DSL100 and try them in the 6100. But that DSL sounds so freakin' awesome right now, that I am afraid to yank the tubes out much less put my fingers on the glass.



I did see last night that my DSL100 is slightly modded. I forgot that I lowered the B+ power supply slightly by increasing one of the B+ dropping resistors to 10K. That made it to where my V3 cathode follower voltages are quite a bit lower. The DSL and TSL run well over 400V (mine was up around 440V) on the plate of V3AA and that also makes the heater to cathode spec way over the max rating as well. Right now, I have my V3 pin 1 down to about 360V.

I am getting ready to check out this 6100LM. First, I am going to check the bias on those new Tung Sol EL34B's. Wondering if possibly these Tung Sols do not jive with this 6100?



I do see I have some sweet glass in the preamp of this 6100, as in old GE and Mullard I61.


----------



## RickyLee

I put those junker 12AX7B Chinese all into CH3 slots and I have a bit of improvement. Then the other aspect I experimented with was the bias. I have tried colder/hotter settings on different amp models in the past and never heard much change. But I did notice on this 6100LM with the Tung Sol EL34B's, I have a bit less fizz and more defined crunch on CH3 with the bias set at 29mA to 30mA (BiasRite probe reading plate voltage at 472V) from 36mA I had before.

But I should not hype another amp model in our 6100 thread, but I am stumped on this one - in a good way. My DSL100 is blowing my mind. It sounds incredible on all channels/modes, but primarily OD1. I have this chewy midrange crunch and sizzle that has amazing clarity and definition. The low mids are also tight but in your face. I was able to get the 6100 CH3 closer to this, but the DSL also has more gain that stays focused. I am noticing my 6100 is a bit noiser than the DSL as well. The Stars were aligned when this DSL was being assembled at the Marshall factory, is all I can say. My '05 DSL100 could not touch this one. I will dig out my modified '05 down the road to see where its at.

I am going to try and get the '94 6100 out and plug it in to see how it sounds while I still have this opportunity to crank up here in the house.

@Anitoli: I am considering doing a re-cap on my two 6100's. Do you source your caps from Mouser, or somewhere else?


----------



## RickyLee

Went with a different approach dialing in the LM. Used more of Anitoli's approach of higher master volume settings with lower channel volume settings. I have all Chinese 12AX7's in CH3 and the amp responds well to them. Odd as I yanked out an old British Mullard, GE and Sylvania. There is a good improvement.

The band is practicing tomorrow evening on an outdoor stage that has rugs draped on the back wall. I hate my guitar tone every time I play at this place, which usually I have had some type of open back small cabinet. So I will go with the closed back 2X12 tomorrow. The '97 6100LM and the '98 DSL100 will split duties half and half.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Hmmmm I may try the National in ch 3 and drop bias a bit, too. Weird. Ditching a Mullard, RFT, etc. Just to try...


----------



## RickyLee

I was hearing some static on the decaying notes on CH2 CH3 after strumming an F# major chord on 2nd fret, but leaving bottom two strings open. CH1 is pure with no static. But then as I was thinking on it, you are going to probably hear that with any amp with some distortion in your signal. When I fretted the bottom two strings to make a full bar chord I did not notice it.

I plugged in the '94 non LM that I have dialed in and heard the same thing basically. These amps do seem to be a bit noisy. A bit more hum than my '98 DSL100. My '94 does seem to have a better sounding CH3 than the '97 LM, but that is my tastes in tone. The '94 has a more percussive crunch, that is chewy with a more elastic feel LOL. The OD1 channel on that DSL has that big time and has that breathing, pumping 3D thing. Think Mathias Jabs lead tracks on the Blackout album.

As for yanking the Mullards and GE, that is more my tastes again just trying to get more midrange detail outta this amp. In my '94 6100 CH3, I have: I61 Mullard, RFT, Chinese and I63 Mullard and have no intention on changing those.


----------



## eenaoo

Hi all 6100 owners.

I’ve been lurking here for too long now.
Here is a pic of mine, serial 681. I’ve had mine since I bought it new and I’ll bring it to my grave too!

I’m now in the processing of refurnishing my amps. This one has everything stock, even the tubes so it is high time for new caps and tubes. Any preference on caps or tubes? 

I’ve bought a few tubes to get a figure of what to go for:
Preamp tubes I have at home are:

-Shuguang 12AX7B
-Shuguang 7025
-JJ ECC83S
-Sovtek 12AX7 LPS
-Tung-Sol 12AX7 reissue

I even got a few Brimars ECC83s from late 60s. I have an old 1967 Plexi PA that still had these stock Brimars tubes. Just did a recap, installed a bias potentiometer, disabled 2 out of the 4 channels and cleaned the tolex with transmission fluid. Looks brand new!

I’m considering either Shuguang EL34Bs or Shuguang EL34Ms which I bought for my plexi for the poweramp tubes.

I have so far done a few experiments with preamp tubes for the clean channel (V1), Channel 2 (V2, V6) and the PI (V7). Very difficult to be objective and to compare each tube after reading all recommendations. They all sound bad ass. I felt the Tung-Sol was fresh both for V1 and V3. The 7025 worked very well for V1 too. 

I’ll probably go for 7025 in V1, TT in V3, LPS for V7 and Shuguangs for the rest.

What are your take on preamp tubes?

One more thing. I read the horror stories about a potential MIDI board failure due to power tubes failure. Have anyone done any mods to increase the resistance for this potential MIDI board failure? Options could be a varistor across the heater, a new 7805 regulator with protection for voltage spikes like the Micrel 29150, or to tap the power to the MIDI board from a separate transformer or from the 15V board.

Arne


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

eenaoo said:


> Hi all 6100 owners.
> 
> I’ve been lurking here for too long now.
> Here is a pic of mine, serial 681. I’ve had mine since I bought it new and I’ll bring it to my grave too!
> 
> I’m now in the processing of refurnishing my amps. This one has everything stock, even the tubes so it is high time for new caps and tubes. Any preference on caps or tubes?
> 
> I’ve bought a few tubes to get a figure of what to go for:
> Preamp tubes I have at home are:
> 
> -Shuguang 12AX7B
> -Shuguang 7025
> -JJ ECC83S
> -Sovtek 12AX7 LPS
> -Tung-Sol 12AX7 reissue
> 
> I even got a few Brimars ECC83s from late 60s. I have an old 1967 Plexi PA that still had these stock Brimars tubes. Just did a recap, installed a bias potentiometer, disabled 2 out of the 4 channels and cleaned the tolex with transmission fluid. Looks brand new!
> 
> I’m considering either Shuguang EL34Bs or Shuguang EL34Ms which I bought for my plexi for the poweramp tubes.
> 
> I have so far done a few experiments with preamp tubes for the clean channel (V1), Channel 2 (V2, V6) and the PI (V7). Very difficult to be objective and to compare each tube after reading all recommendations. They all sound bad ass. I felt the Tung-Sol was fresh both for V1 and V3. The 7025 worked very well for V1 too.
> 
> I’ll probably go for 7025 in V1, TT in V3, LPS for V7 and Shuguangs for the rest.
> 
> What are your take on preamp tubes?
> 
> One more thing. I read the horror stories about a potential MIDI board failure due to power tubes failure. Have anyone done any mods to increase the resistance for this potential MIDI board failure? Options could be a varistor across the heater, a new 7805 regulator with protection for voltage spikes like the Micrel 29150, or to tap the power to the MIDI board from a separate transformer or from the 15V board.
> 
> Arne





Beautiful amp !!! 

Welcome to the forum !


For all your 6100 needs an info , contact Anitoli here on the forum , here's his web site :Pete's 6100 MIDI Support Service


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Sounds like a reasonable way to tube it. Ch 2 (V2,V6)I have RFT and Mullard, Ch 3 is TungSol and a Raytheon BP. Might try some older Chinese ones in Ch3 and possibly put some in ch 2 and swap around. 7025 might work in V2 for you as well, depending how often you use clean channel V1 - for me, virtually never! Nice score!!


----------



## Force235

eenaoo said:


> Hi all 6100 owners.
> 
> I’ve been lurking here for too long now.
> Here is a pic of mine, serial 681. I’ve had mine since I bought it new and I’ll bring it to my grave too!
> 
> I’m now in the processing of refurnishing my amps. This one has everything stock, even the tubes so it is high time for new caps and tubes. Any preference on caps or tubes?
> 
> I’ve bought a few tubes to get a figure of what to go for:
> Preamp tubes I have at home are:
> 
> -Shuguang 12AX7B
> -Shuguang 7025
> -JJ ECC83S
> -Sovtek 12AX7 LPS
> -Tung-Sol 12AX7 reissue
> 
> I even got a few Brimars ECC83s from late 60s. I have an old 1967 Plexi PA that still had these stock Brimars tubes. Just did a recap, installed a bias potentiometer, disabled 2 out of the 4 channels and cleaned the tolex with transmission fluid. Looks brand new!
> 
> I’m considering either Shuguang EL34Bs or Shuguang EL34Ms which I bought for my plexi for the poweramp tubes.
> 
> I have so far done a few experiments with preamp tubes for the clean channel (V1), Channel 2 (V2, V6) and the PI (V7). Very difficult to be objective and to compare each tube after reading all recommendations. They all sound bad ass. I felt the Tung-Sol was fresh both for V1 and V3. The 7025 worked very well for V1 too.
> 
> I’ll probably go for 7025 in V1, TT in V3, LPS for V7 and Shuguangs for the rest.
> 
> What are your take on preamp tubes?
> 
> One more thing. I read the horror stories about a potential MIDI board failure due to power tubes failure. Have anyone done any mods to increase the resistance for this potential MIDI board failure? Options could be a varistor across the heater, a new 7805 regulator with protection for voltage spikes like the Micrel 29150, or to tap the power to the MIDI board from a separate transformer or from the 15V board.
> 
> Arne



Anitoli is your 6100 expert and midi guy as well, send him a message, he can help you out.


----------



## eenaoo

Thanks for the tips. 
I got a few tubes of each so I'll try out the 7025 in several positions. I mainly uses the 2B mode too. So the rest are not critical

PS! there is a 6100 LE top for sale not to far from me too (Norway). See link if anyone is interested. 10000 NOK is about 1200 Euros.

FINN.no - Mulighetenes marked

Arne


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

eenaoo said:


> Thanks for the tips.
> I got a few tubes of each so I'll try out the 7025 in several positions. I mainly uses the 2B mode too. So the rest are not critical
> 
> PS! there is a 6100 LE top for sale not to far from me too (Norway). See link if anyone is interested. 10000 NOK is about 1200 Euros.
> 
> FINN.no - Mulighetenes marked
> 
> Arne





Ya better go snap that up fast !!!


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

If you don't have one of these amps .... you need to get one FAST !!


----------



## pcozby

Just picked up a 6100LM from a friend.

It has a weird issue that sounds like there is a harmonizer inside when you hit the strings ... sometimes..


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

pcozby said:


> Just picked up a 6100LM from a friend.
> 
> It has a weird issue that sounds like there is a harmonizer inside when you hit the strings ... sometimes..



That's very strange ??
You might want to take it in and have an amp Tech look into it ...

Good luck !


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

I just had my 6100 cranked up pretty loud !!

She's sounding pretty damn good i might add ... and totally stock too , no mods !!
The 6100 still has what it takes to make great Marshall tone ...


----------



## Seventh Son

I've decided to have the 5881 to EL34 conversion done on my 6100LM soon. After having done some extensive research on the differences between the 6L6 and the EL34, I've come to the conclusion that, holding all else constant, there is a very noticeable difference between the two tube types. I prefer more pronounced mids and a smooth top end, and find my current setup with the 1960A a bit too harsh sounding, to my ears, at least. Rather than remedying the problem by switching to the Vintage 30 speakers, which might be too much of a good thing, I think that pairing up the EL34 with the G12T-75s in the 1960A will be the perfect combination.

Here's a very good video where you can hear the difference between the 6L6 and the EL34 very clearly.
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrkhk7QgNDY[/ame]


----------



## JoeyZR1

I found a 1992 6100 with winged el34 tubes for $950. Does that sound reasonable?


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

JoeyZR1 said:


> I found a 1992 6100 with winged el34 tubes for $950. Does that sound reasonable?



I think so ...

Ask to see if this head has had a re cap in its , past cause you might need one soon if you buy it ... food for thought 

Awesome amp !!!


----------



## pcozby

Hi,

I just posted a new thread in The Workbench section about my 6100LM and the problem I am having with it.

If you get a chance please check out the videos and advise what may be wrong with it

Thank you

Paul


----------



## Nicobouds

In 1992 I bought a 6100 + cab, sold it in 1995

Few weeks ago I decided to try to find a 6101, the combo, as a kind of collector item

2 weeks ago I found a 6101 Limited Edition, for a ridiculous price, I think the seller was not really aware of what he really had !!
Excellent condition, just used for recording sessions...


Since an hour the amp is at home ;-)
I bought a 6101LE for the price of a 6101 !

Here is my new amp !

Serial 429 ;-)


----------



## belleswell

del


----------



## Force235

eenaoo said:


> Hi all 6100 owners.
> 
> I’ve been lurking here for too long now.
> Here is a pic of mine, serial 681. I’ve had mine since I bought it new and I’ll bring it to my grave too!
> 
> I’m now in the processing of refurnishing my amps. This one has everything stock, even the tubes so it is high time for new caps and tubes. Any preference on caps or tubes?
> 
> I’ve bought a few tubes to get a figure of what to go for:
> Preamp tubes I have at home are:
> 
> -Shuguang 12AX7B
> -Shuguang 7025
> -JJ ECC83S
> -Sovtek 12AX7 LPS
> -Tung-Sol 12AX7 reissue
> 
> I even got a few Brimars ECC83s from late 60s. I have an old 1967 Plexi PA that still had these stock Brimars tubes. Just did a recap, installed a bias potentiometer, disabled 2 out of the 4 channels and cleaned the tolex with transmission fluid. Looks brand new!
> 
> I’m considering either Shuguang EL34Bs or Shuguang EL34Ms which I bought for my plexi for the poweramp tubes.
> 
> I have so far done a few experiments with preamp tubes for the clean channel (V1), Channel 2 (V2, V6) and the PI (V7). Very difficult to be objective and to compare each tube after reading all recommendations. They all sound bad ass. I felt the Tung-Sol was fresh both for V1 and V3. The 7025 worked very well for V1 too.
> 
> I’ll probably go for 7025 in V1, TT in V3, LPS for V7 and Shuguangs for the rest.
> 
> What are your take on preamp tubes?
> 
> One more thing. I read the horror stories about a potential MIDI board failure due to power tubes failure. Have anyone done any mods to increase the resistance for this potential MIDI board failure? Options could be a varistor across the heater, a new 7805 regulator with protection for voltage spikes like the Micrel 29150, or to tap the power to the MIDI board from a separate transformer or from the 15V board.
> 
> Arne



I'll add number 681 to my list. I have the same exact setup, full stack, mint condition, all original, original tubes...


----------



## Nicobouds

Does anyone knows what was the street price in 1992 for those amps ?

what was the 6101 and the 6101 LE (blue and brass one)price in 1992 ?

today a 6101 LE costs about 3 times more than a 6101, was it the same in 1992 ?


----------



## dreyn77

no mister seventh son. you need the right speakers for the design. 

nice amp there nicobouds! there's alot of stuff fit into a small package.


----------



## dreyn77

Rickylee has held the fire in his hands!   he knows what it's all about now! 
chewy


----------



## Tonton

Just bought a JCM1C, great little practise amp for if I don't want to fire up the 6101 stack at home and heat up the room with 13 tubes...

Actually it showed me how good again the 610x serie is at low volume.
That the JCM800 people love this JCM1 I can understand, the full 100W stack doesn't sound good for home practise. Thin sounding at low volume and this 1W version of the JCM800 can be crancked at low output volume for better sounds.
The seperate pre-amp volume and boost option is nice, gives this small amp quite wide range of sounds.
Exactly what you need from a small practise amp

But so far (played only 15m on it) the JCM1C can't compete with the 6101 soundwise on low volume.
I also tried to run the JCM1 in the 6912 (blue 1912) cab, but sounded thin, guess the small 1W amp not made to drive a 150W speaker . I think it was on 0.1W maybe 1W will do better.
I do believe a more reasonable lower wattage 1x12 cab could sound great on the JCM1.

So conclusion the 6101 keeps being a great all can do amp!


----------



## Tonton

This whole small JCM1 use on 6912 cab made me starting to think about replacing the speakers. There seem to be not much love for the 150W Celestion Gold speakers.
So far the stack sounded great to me (especially the 6912 gave some more base end at low volume)

I was thinking of putting a G12H30 in the 6912 and a V30 in the 6101. Must sound great together on the 6101 in stack  and can use the 6912 cab seperate also for using it with the 1W amp(s).
**** did I just say more than 1???  these small amps make me greedy.

the closed cab 6912 has more bass by itself so V30 would fit there also, but prefer to have the 60W in the combo itself (higher wattage) and the G12H30 matches nice with a 1W amp. I don't play loud and in case i need to go loud i can connect to a 4x12 in practise room.

Any experience over here with other speakers vs. the 150W Gold?
Good upgrade for low volume playing?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Dunno. Mine has a 200 watt Gold. Are you sure yours is the Gold or is it an Eminence? I understood the US market units had a 150W Eminence loaded and the other option was the 2oow Gold?? I have contemplated the same, the open back really needs more low end, IMO. I may try a V30 out of one of my other cabs and see.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Just tried the 6912 by itsels next to a Mesa closed back V30. Didn't really hear any difference, not enough to justify it to me.
I am starting to use Ch 3 as my rhythm channel and 2C as lead. I liked 2B as but just found it kind of buzzy and bassy with the gain up. Back off gain and not enough distortion for 80s metal sound that I like. It sounded better with an OD up front but I thought why do that with a 3 channel killer amp with multiple modes? 2c is nice but hard to dial gain back.
So I just tried ch 3 and set it for rhythm, works great. 2c is plenty for leads. Nice. If I need an extra gain boost to rhythm sounds, I just push in gain boost button. Tried a variety of tubes. Gonna try it out proper on Thurs night's show.


----------



## Tonton

ah you're right! i have two times: Celestion G12 Gold (S303) 200 Watt
interesting not much difference with a v30 you say...

the 1912 has a Celestion® G12B-150, that confused me.


----------



## dreyn77

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FacWP7-lNbo[/ame]


----------



## dreyn77

even though the tones are wrong/custom for the setup he's using.  great try though.


----------



## Tonton

bit difficult to hear the amps between all the delay reverb and boost


----------



## marshallmellowed

Did any of the 6100LM's, say around 96, come with EL34's? I ask, because I'm looking at a 96 which is in pretty good condition, and it has EL34's.


----------



## Mike_LA

marshallmellowed said:


> Did any of the 6100LM's, say around 96, come with EL34's? I ask, because I'm looking at a 96 which is in pretty good condition, and it has EL34's.


From what research I have done it would seem that 1993 was the last year marshall used El34s and switched to 5881s after that.
I would not pass on the amp for that reason only, the change of components from 5881 s is small.
best of luck


----------



## dreyn77

what's up with the blue vinyl and the light gray cloth/weave? what model is that amp?

maybe they weren't factory issue, maybe some dude has customized the rig and then trashed the amp over the years. 

so, would you buy a trashed blue 6100 knowing you'd have to replace the missing parts or fully ripped blue vinyl? 

at what point, in the level of damage done to the 6100 amp, is it not worth restoring? 

lets say somebody left the amp in a horse barn for 2 years and it's chrome has all gone rusty and the cloth has had a few horse hooves stuck through it and a speaker is broken and all the vinyl is ripped, etc... 
is it still worth restoring?


----------



## marshallmellowed

Mike_LA said:


> From what research I have done it would seem that 1993 was the last year marshall used El34s and switched to 5881s after that.
> I would not pass on the amp for that reason only, the change of components from 5881 s is small.
> best of luck



Thanks, looks like I'm about to own a 6100LM. At this point in time, it's the last amp on my Marshall bucket list that I have wanted to try, but never come across a deal on. I'm especially curious to see how it will compare to my SLX and HJS. Tick, Tock...


----------



## Cam666Wade

looking for settings suggestions for my amp looking for classic rock type rhythm and lead


----------



## Jethro Rocker

dreyn77 said:


> what's up with the blue vinyl and the light gray cloth/weave? what model is that amp?
> 
> maybe they weren't factory issue, maybe some dude has customized the rig and then trashed the amp over the years.
> 
> so, would you buy a trashed blue 6100 knowing you'd have to replace the missing parts or fully ripped blue vinyl?
> 
> at what point, in the level of damage done to the 6100 amp, is it not worth restoring?
> 
> lets say somebody left the amp in a horse barn for 2 years and it's chrome has all gone rusty and the cloth has had a few horse hooves stuck through it and a speaker is broken and all the vinyl is ripped, etc...
> is it still worth restoring?



Depending on exactly what was done, yes, yes it is. The 6100 is a unique animal, such a fantastic amp!! Of course, if 3/4 of the guts were destroyed, buy a different one. There are used ones out there.


----------



## Trapland

I am so glad people are loving these amps! I still have the 1993 catalog featuring the original brass version.

I bought a black/el34 half stack brand new in 1993. I played it for about 2 years. I ended up falling out of love with it and selling it......I didn't know at the time that the Vintage 30s in my cab were my least favorite speaker of all time.

I really with I still had it.... But I ended up going through vintage 
Fenders and back again to vintage Marshalls. One night in the mid 90s I saw The Toadies play and they used a pair like mine. Sounded amazing. I think until the JVM series, there was never an equal in a master volume Marshall.

Not that anyone is selling, nor me buying, but what is the REAL sell value of the original blue/brass FULL stack these days? And also not that I'm selling...what is the original catalog worth? Lol.


----------



## Seventh Son

Cam666Wade said:


> looking for settings suggestions for my amp looking for classic rock type rhythm and lead



Ever since I bought mine, I've been playing it at bedroom volumes with the low volume compensation switch and the low power (half power) buttons engaged. If you want to use my current settings as a starting point, they are as follows.

*Clean Channel* (mid shift and bright button not engaged):
Bass: 3
Middle: 3
Treble: 6

*Crunch Channel* (Mode C):
Bass: 2
Middle: 8
Treble: 5
Gain: 4

*Lead Channel* (contour shift and gain boost not engaged):
Same settings as on the crunch channel, but with a half point more gain and volume for solos.

Presence: 6.5

Obviously, when the amp is played louder, it will sound different, and the settings may need to be further tweaked, but these values should be a good starting point. I play a lot of Iron Maiden, but prefer a fuller and more defined tone (think Thin Lizzy), so I try to back off the gain as much as possible. You may also want to try the B mode as a more direct road to the classic rock tone. For me, that mode is tonal bliss: very warm, even at bedroom volumes. However, since I need a sound with a somewhat more modern character, I usually spend most of my time in mode C, which is also great and, as I've found through experimenting, sounds best at lower gain settings (5 and below). I use a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge and a DiMarzio PAF in the neck. The Presence setting of 6.5 may be a little on the bright side, but I leave it there for playing at home. In a band setting, I I'll probably have to dial back the Presence knob a little.

Anyway, have fun with these, and let me know if you have any questions.


----------



## Seventh Son

I played my amp for the first time since I bought it in the band rehearsal room. With the room being tiled and still very empty, as opposed to my apartment, which has thick carpets and lots of soft furniture to absorb the echoes, the amp sounded quite different. However, contrary to what I expected, it didn't sound excessively bright when cranked up a little more than bedroom volume. So, since I'll have to continue tweaking the sound to suit the new room, and since I offered some of my current settings in the previous post, I thought I'd ask the 6100 experts on here for their suggestions for settings on the crunch channel. What I'm looking for is a somewhat dark and complex crunch sound that roars when a power chord is played, but is smooth and creamy on single notes, especially in the upper register, as I'm not a fan of a fizzy, ear-piercing guitar sound. In case it helps to know, I use the DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position and a DiMarzio PAF in the neck position. Thanks!


----------



## anitoli

My 2 cents:

Gain 10
Bass 10
Mid 11-1
Treb 11-1
Vol 11-1
Mode switch on C


----------



## Seventh Son

anitoli said:


> My 2 cents:
> 
> Gain 10
> Bass 10
> Mid 11-1
> Treb 11-1
> Vol 11-1
> Mode switch on C



Thanks, Pete. I can't wait to try your settings tomorrow at band practice. I assume you run these with the low volume compensation off and on full power. If anyone else would like to share his or her favorite settings for the crunch channel, feel free to do so.

Also, I would kill to be able to recreate Iron Maiden's guitar sound from the _Seventh Son of a Seventh Son_ album (for a good example of that, listen to the rhythm guitar sound on "Only The Good Die Young" during the solo). If anyone has any suggestions on how to approximate the sound, let me know.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I find mode C very gainy, I like but... gain 4 - 5 , 
Treb 4 
Mid 5
Bass 6
Remember, mine is a 6101, very bright and lacking some bass without the ext cab.

I wound up using ch 3 for rhythm, and ch 2C for leads!! I really liked it! Low volum comp on.


----------



## Seventh Son

It's interesting that we all seem to agree that the crunch channel sounds best with gain at 4–5 in mode C. I think the sweet spot for heavy rock and classic metal is at 4, and even that is still pretty distorted.

Upon closer inspection, my EQ settings are actually very similar to anitoli's, if one takes into account that my cab is virtually brand new and not broken in yet, and that my mid and treble settings are currently exaggerated to compensate for the fizziness of brand new speakers.

Jethro Rocker, your settings seem to run along the same lines as mine and anitoli's, except that you need a little more bass with the built-in speaker. By the way, I find your idea to use channel 3 for rhythm and channel 2 for solos very original.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Well, it lacks a tad of bass on 2C because the gain is lower. 2B is very bassy with gain pinned but just a tad less gain than I like. I realized the gain is over the top on 2C and I have gain about 6 or 7 on ch3 so it followed...
Got a good rhythm tone on ch 3 qnd set a searing lead tone on 2C with a bit more volume. It worked very well last show! This was with the 6912 cab added. Compact but heavy little mini stack!


----------



## Force235

anitoli said:


> My 2 cents:
> 
> Gain 10
> Bass 10
> Mid 11-1
> Treb 11-1
> Vol 11-1
> Mode switch on C



Pete, are you joking around? Are you saying dime everything for that channel, is that really how you run yours?


----------



## Seventh Son

Force235 said:


> Pete, are you joking around? Are you saying dime everything for that channel, is that really how you run yours?



That's what I thought at first, as well, but then I realized he was referring to positions on the clock.


----------



## anitoli

Force235 said:


> Pete, are you joking around? Are you saying dime everything for that channel, is that really how you run yours?




Whoops a slight typo there. The gain and bass are dimed but the mid and treble are in a clock position or on a 1 to 10 range between 5 and 7.


----------



## Seventh Son

anitoli said:


> Whoops a slight typo there. The gain and bass are dimed but the mid and treble are in a clock position or on a 1 to 10 range between 5 and 7.



Could it be that you meant, between 4 and 6? Sorry, couldn't resist the opportunity to be a smartie pants. 

But on to the more substantive question. Although I'll yet have to try your settings before I can give a fully informed opinion, I'm sure you can see why I, and others, would think of maxing out the gain and bass on tap as somewhat unorthodox for the obvious reasons, them being that the prevailing school of thought on the topic advocates that the guitar should be placed in the middle of the frequency spectrum, so as to not compete with the bass and the drums and keyboards, and that one should be conservative with the use of gain. Any comments as to why you prefer setting both your bass and gain on 10, and mid and treble about halfway?


----------



## Force235

anitoli said:


> Whoops a slight typo there. The gain and bass are dimed but the mid and treble are in a clock position or on a 1 to 10 range between 5 and 7.



Mixing units, funny , kinda like the specs on a car tire, it's inches and millimeters...

I'll try that setting.


----------



## anitoli

Seventh Son said:


> Could it be that you meant, between 4 and 6? Sorry, couldn't resist the opportunity to be a smartie pants.
> 
> But on to the more substantive question. Although I'll yet have to try your settings before I can give a fully informed opinion, I'm sure you can see why I, and others, would think of maxing out the gain and bass on tap as somewhat unorthodox for the obvious reasons, them being that the prevailing school of thought on the topic advocates that the guitar should be placed in the middle of the frequency spectrum, so as to not compete with the bass and the drums and keyboards, and that one should be conservative with the use of gain. Any comments as to why you prefer setting both your bass and gain on 10, and mid and treble about halfway?



The reason for that particular setting ( BTW its almost identical on all three channels, all i am really doing is varying the gain structure ) is i play alot and i mean alot on the neck pup and i want that tone to be as thick as possible especially on the high notes. Blackmore relentlessly switched to the neck pup for upper register notes and i find for much of my lead playing i do the same so the setting is there to maximise that effect.


----------



## Seventh Son

anitoli said:


> The reason for that particular setting ( BTW its almost identical on all three channels, all i am really doing is varying the gain structure ) is i play alot and i mean alot on the neck pup and i want that tone to be as thick as possible especially on the high notes. Blackmore relentlessly switched to the neck pup for upper register notes and i find for much of my lead playing i do the same so the setting is there to maximise that effect.



I also use the neck pickup a lot for playing in the upper register. Learned it from Mr. Dave Murray, who, as I understand, is a big Deep Purple fan. I spent some time today dissecting the _Seventh Son of a Seventh Son_ sound some more, and was really surprised by the large amount of bass in the guitar sound. Although I can't see myself maxing out the bass on the EQ, I'll definitely take your advice and add more bass than what I'm currently using to see what effect it'll have on the sound, and then go from there.


----------



## anitoli

Seventh Son said:


> I also use the neck pickup a lot for playing in the upper register. Learned it from Mr. Dave Murray, who, as I understand, is a big Deep Purple fan. I spent some time today dissecting the _Seventh Son of a Seventh Son_ sound some more, and was really surprised by the large amount of bass in the guitar sound. Although I can't see myself maxing out the bass on the EQ, I'll definitely take your advice and add more bass than what I'm currently using to see what effect it'll have on the sound, and then go from there.



Yes, Murray was another one of my hero's that used the neck for leads allot. Loved so much of his tones.


----------



## Force235

Hendrix used the neck pup all the time it seems, I've been playing around with my settings a lot myself, as I have been playing a bunch lately...


----------



## Seventh Son

I did some further experimenting with the EQ settings on the crunch channel today, and here is what I've learned.

I've always been a fan of mode B on the crunch channel, but never knew exactly why that mode sounded so warm. Today I realized that switching from mode C to mode B sounds just like going from the bridge pickup to the neck pickup. Notes in the lower and mid register sound musical and warm in mode B, which is especially noticeable with lightly palm-muted notes on the bottom three strings, which have this incredible girth and resonance to them. Then I switched to mode C and asked myself, How could I tweak the EQ to make mode C sound more like mode B. I pretty much did this by emphasizing the bass (7) and the mids (8), lowering the Presence setting to about 5 (noon), and keeping treble (4) close to the middle of the road, so as to not lose all the top end and make the amp sound too honky. I also further reduced the gain from 4 to 3.5, which might be a little too low, but I'll be reevaluating that in the future, as I get to play the amp under different circumstances.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

How can i pull back some low end on my 6100 in mode C , channel 2 ?


----------



## Seventh Son

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> How can i pull back some low end on my 6100 in mode C , channel 2 ?



I'm not sure whether this answers your question directly, but what I've experienced playing at bedroom levels, is that the amp gives me a serious head and ear ache if I play it with more realistic EQ settings on the crunch channel. Last time I did this was three days ago, when I was experimenting with the sound, and the head and ear ache didn't disappear until today. The only way my aging ears can enjoy the amp at all for any amount of time at bedroom volumes, is if I turn the bass down to 2, mids to 8, and treble to 4, with presence around 6 and the low volume compensation button engaged. Although this may describe a slightly different problem than you're having, it does suggest that the amp might have a lot of bass on tap. Now, whether it's so much that the average person would want to pull back some low end, as you put it, I don't know. I'm sure you must have tried EQ-ing your sound, and haven't obtained any satisfactory results. If that's the case, then what you're saying is, that the amp has inherently too much bottom end. Although I find mode C to be voiced quite bright, and don't suspect it as a likely problem child in the bass department, that is not to say that other people, like you, might not find it to have too much bottom end. Since you've probably tried to remedy the problem with different settings, and still have the issue, this sounds more like a question for Pete. Maybe he'll read this and can offer some ideas as to how you might be able to remedy the issue.

P.S.: If you think mode C has a lot of bass, try mode B, if that's any consolation to you. I was messing around with the crunch channel settings a few days ago, and realized just how much bottom end each individual note has on that channel in mode B, even with the settings all at noon. It really sounded like I was playing through a single coil in the neck position, but in a very, very good way, the kind that is the sonic equivalent of creaming your pants. Apparently, modes B and C differ not only in their gain structures, but they also appear to have very different voicing.


----------



## marshallmellowed

I personally like mode B, and rarely touch mode C. I did find that I wanted just a touch more gain in mode B, so I did a minor mod to my amp. I also wanted less gain in the lead channel, so I put a lower gain tube in the V3 position. Now, my rythm channel B with gain at noon sounds nearly identical to my lead channel with gain at 9 o'clock. As for bass, I don't find that the amp has an usually high level of bass, especially with the bass turned down.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I would like more gain in mode B as well. C is nice but with the combo, very bright and lacking bass without the ext cab. So as mentioned, I now use ch 3 for rhythm and ch 2C for leads. Works very well for me!!


----------



## Seventh Son

It seems to me that mode B was destined to be the classic rock mode on the amp. My hope, however, is that with gain on 10 and volume cranked up, the gain reserve in mode B will be useable for more than just classic rock, and that the mode might be a good way to record distorted sounds, where too much distortion can often produce a very unnatural sound on recordings.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

That's exactly my thoughts!! Would be nice if mode B went PAST classic rock territory without a pedal. With the gain up, naturally, you get more low end. Was hoping for that from Mode C with lower gain but not in the combo.


----------



## marshallmellowed

Jethro Rocker said:


> I would like more gain in mode B as well. C is nice but with the combo, very bright and lacking bass without the ext cab. So as mentioned, I now use ch 3 for rhythm and ch 2C for leads. Works very well for me!!



Just an FYI, increasing the gain of mode B, up to and including the same level as mode C (which would be redundant), is a 1 resistor mod. Alternatively, the gain of mode C could be reduced to be somewhere between that of the stock mode B and stock mode C, but would take a little more work (inserting a reistor).


----------



## Force235

Which resistor?


----------



## marshallmellowed

Force235 said:


> Which resistor?


 Decrease the value of R9. This can be done by placing a resistor in parallel with R9.


----------



## Force235

Got it, what values seem to work well?


----------



## marshallmellowed

Force235 said:


> Got it, what values seem to work well?



Depends on the output of your pickups and what you're after. I used a 2.2K, which gives me a good "Back in Black" with my SG (57 Classics) and gain at noon.


----------



## anitoli

Tubes, have you tried any different tubes in the preamp? Just to rule out it being an issue with tubes.


----------



## ProfChaos

Force235 said:


> Not surprised the amp sounded better, I know the 6100 is awesome, I was surprised strangers, people who don't understand the equipment, also noticed how much better the Marshall sounded, that's what surprised me--people went out of their way to tell me so...




I have a 1992 EL34-version of the 6100 (black Tolex), and people consistently comment on the rich character of the amplifier's sound: The correlations are in, and this has happened too consistently through the years for it to be mere flattery; there is something in the voicing of the 6100 that grabs people's attention--even those who aren't pro-audio-savvy.

I recently purchased a JVM410HJS, Satch Head, and it is a fine piece of gear--without a doubt one of the nicer, more versatile Marshall heads ever. Even so, I prefer the sound of my EL34 6100 on the Red channel, loaded with Svetlana Mullards, front-to-back. (I bought the JVMJS so that I don't have to drag the 6100 into smoky venues or eventually risk having it stolen while on the road. There is no way that I could replace this particular 6100: Not only is it the "rare-bird" EL34-version, but it also has a mica capacitor mod that Bird Dog Bobby performed back in 1994, and neither of us can remember quite which ceramic capacitor was replaced with a military spec. mica capacitor to--in his words--"open things up a bit." It worked, whichever capacitor it was. He also put in military-spec., wire-wound grid resistors [+/- 5%, measured to be dead-nuts at time of installation], and he upgraded the plate resistors by 10 watts [again, wire-wound, +/- 5%], to lower the chances of them getting eaten when the amp was cranked--as had happened to one of the original plate resistors.)

On a less technical note, recently, I was jamming with some younger blokes, and the other guitarist got all jealous after taking a test-spin and playing my guitar through the 6100 for a few minutes. When he switched back to playing his guitar through _his_ amplifier--a nice setup in its own right--, he went all "Ziggy Stardust" and told me to turn the 6100 down. (It was set at the same volume-setting that I had used on two previous occasions without complaint.) He then got all distant and was avoidant about showing me chord-changes to songs they had worked-out. For obvious reasons, I don't jam with those guys anymore...You might even say that the 6100 worked effectively on that day as an "arsehole filter."  ...The bottom line is that people love the way that the 6100 sounds, whether they are jealous or not.

Rock on!, 
--Professor Chaos


----------



## Jethro Rocker

^^^ Nice post!!


----------



## Force235

ProfChaos said:


> I have a 1992 EL34-version of the 6100 (black Tolex), and people consistently comment on the rich character of the amplifier's sound: The correlations are in, and this has happened too consistently through the years for it to be mere flattery; there is something in the voicing of the 6100 that grabs people's attention--even those who aren't pro-audio-savvy.
> 
> I recently purchased a JVM410HJS, Satch Head, and it is a fine piece of gear--without a doubt one of the nicer, more versatile Marshall heads ever. Even so, I prefer the sound of my EL34 6100 on the Red channel, loaded with Svetlana Mullards, front-to-back. (I bought the JVMJS so that I don't have to drag the 6100 into smoky venues or eventually risk having it stolen while on the road. There is no way that I could replace this particular 6100: Not only is it the "rare-bird" EL34-version, but it also has a mica capacitor mod that Bird Dog Bobby performed back in 1994, and neither of us can remember quite which ceramic capacitor was replaced with a military spec. mica capacitor to--in his words--"open things up a bit." It worked, whichever capacitor it was. He also put in military-spec., wire-wound grid resistors [+/- 5%, measured to be dead-nuts at time of installation], and he upgraded the plate resistors by 10 watts [again, wire-wound, +/- 5%], to lower the chances of them getting eaten when the amp was cranked--as had happened to one of the original plate resistors.)
> 
> On a less technical note, recently, I was jamming with some younger blokes, and the other guitarist got all jealous after taking a test-spin and playing my guitar through the 6100 for a few minutes. When he switched back to playing his guitar through _his_ amplifier--a nice setup in its own right--, he went all "Ziggy Stardust" and told me to turn the 6100 down. (It was set at the same volume-setting that I had used on two previous occasions without complaint.) He then got all distant and was avoidant about showing me chord-changes to songs they had worked-out. For obvious reasons, I don't jam with those guys anymore...You might even say that the 6100 worked effectively on that day as an "arsehole filter."  ...The bottom line is that people love the way that the 6100 sounds, whether they are jealous or not.
> 
> Rock on!,
> --Professor Chaos



At most of my gigs, people give me compliments on my 6100 LE, I don't use it often, but when I do, I always get compliments - I totally agree with your comments above...


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

anitoli said:


> Tubes, have you tried any different tubes in the preamp? Just to rule out it being an issue with tubes.



No i have not ...
But that was going to be on my list of things to try before anything else.


----------



## medicjg

I had set my 6100 aside for a few months picked up a jub reissue and basically just trying some different gear. I finally plugged the 6100 back in last night and realized how much I missed it. The Jub reissue was a nice sounding amp but I ended up letting it go and got a nice Maz 18 in trade for it. To me the 6100 is just one of the finest amplifiers that I have ever played through. It's just so versatile and is a Swiss army knife of Marshalls best tones.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

medicjg said:


> I had set my 6100 aside for a few months picked up a jub reissue and basically just trying some different gear. I finally plugged the 6100 back in last night and realized how much I missed it. The Jub reissue was a nice sounding amp but I ended up letting it go and got a nice Maz 18 in trade for it. To me the 6100 is just one of the finest amplifiers that I have ever played through. It's just so versatile and is a Swiss army knife of Marshalls best tones.





Oh yeah !!!


----------



## marshallmellowed

medicjg said:


> I had set my 6100 aside for a few months picked up a jub reissue and basically just trying some different gear. I finally plugged the 6100 back in last night and realized how much I missed it. The Jub reissue was a nice sounding amp but I ended up letting it go and got a nice Maz 18 in trade for it. To me the 6100 is just one of the finest amplifiers that I have ever played through. It's just so versatile and is a Swiss army knife of Marshalls best tones.



Going to be trying out a 2555x myself over the next several weeks, just want to see what the fuss is about and how it compares to my 6100 LM. I don't plan on keeping it, but I have to satisfy my curiosity.


----------



## Seventh Son

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> Oh yeah !!!



I couldn't agree more.


----------



## marshalled

This a preview of sound of my 6100 30th LE brass logo, follow camera video as possible...

https://youtu.be/HYpMtX0st1I


----------



## marshallmellowed

medicjg said:


> I had set my 6100 aside for a few months picked up a jub reissue and basically just trying some different gear. I finally plugged the 6100 back in last night and realized how much I missed it. The Jub reissue was a nice sounding amp but I ended up letting it go and got a nice Maz 18 in trade for it. To me the 6100 is just one of the finest amplifiers that I have ever played through. It's just so versatile and is a Swiss army knife of Marshalls best tones.



Just tried out a 2555x myself. I agree, nice sounding amp, but not nicer than my other amps. Fun little test drive, but had to send it back, still liking my 6100LM.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

I love my 6100 rig !!!


----------



## dreyn77

I've no doubt that these things have complex tones. 

if we all know that the bright cap on other models adds an extra complexity to the sounds of those amps, then the 6100 must have some more things added in there. 

That's so true about other guitarists hearing this stuff. sad but true. 
have you ever had the 'walk off' experience? 
where guitarists hear you have an amp and they ask you what you use and you say, "just a marshall" and they hear you say it and walk off and never speak to you for the rest of the day. 

I've known many marshall haters out there. 
even marshall owners who've played their marshall amp to some famous celebrity and they've dissed the amp and so that means they'll never get the marshall amp fixed and use it again. 

sad people.


----------



## Force235

Here is my 6100 LE, museum quality, all original tubes (Marshall branded Tesla el34) and National 12ax7s, I demo all three channels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXG63XUcaMo


----------



## eenaoo

Hi,

I'm finally doing a recap of my 6100LE. Any perference of cap brands? partlist etc. to share?

Arne


----------



## Force235

eenaoo said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm finally doing a recap of my 6100LE. Any perference of cap brands? partlist etc. to share?
> 
> Arne



Arne, check with Anitoli, he knows best on these amps... He posted in this thread.


----------



## aruspl

I've recently put all together my W/D/W rig and I totally love it! I have a Youtube channel where we test some guitar gear and after all these expensive amps we've tested I still love my 6101 the most! It's awesome amp for a Gibson LP! For example Ibanez guitars don't go with it as well. I prefer them with Orange RV MKII. But for my LP with a Maxon OD-9 in front! OMG!

6101 for unprocessed sound, Kemper for effects, Mesa 20/20 for amplifying wet signal in stereo and feeding two MLC 1x12 Cabs loaded with WGS Retro 30 !


----------



## ginek

Though I play JCM800KK as well, I love my 6101 (the bonus is monstrous speaker it has), one of most versatile Marshalls. Don't want to spoil its sound, maybe a touch of analogue delay into the parallel loop. The only drawback I found, it's heavy like a black hole to be really carried around.


----------



## Tonton

Replaced the 6101/6912 speakers with a heritage g12m (greenback) and a g12-65. Also tried a v30 (way to harsh) and a g12h anni
Really enjoying the speaker sound of this stack, made a serial 8+8 16ohm cable and use all my amps on these speakers
It became lot quieter also with lower sensitvity of 96db and 97db

Now selling my 1w amps and stacking more 50cm wide amps.. Jvm1h tattoo i have and want to add a class5 and a 2525h. But the 6101 won't leave, loving it!!


----------



## Mickrich

Hi everyone.
Love my 6100 I have in the studio.
It's an EL34 model.
Here is some 80s style metal.
Tube screamer into channel 2 mode c.
425b greenback 4x12 cab.


----------



## Beccaio

Hi guys. Reluctantly sold my 6100. Still have the like new footswitch if any have interest. 

Bec


----------



## marshallmellowed

Mickrich said:


> Hi everyone.
> Love my 6100 I have in the studio.
> It's an EL34 model.
> Here is some 80s style metal.
> Tube screamer into channel 2 mode c.
> 425b greenback 4x12 cab.




Sounds good man


----------



## RickyLee

marshallmellowed said:


> Decrease the value of R9. This can be done by placing a resistor in parallel with R9.



Last year I was considering doing a few mods to my '97 LM while keeping the non LM still stock. I looked at a few spots in the circuit to do something similar to what you did. 

So then I just seen your post on R9. Are you 100% sure that is the resistor you changed? Unless I am looking at a different schematic revision, as R9 is a 100K resistor that keeps Mode C's cathode bypass cap above ground, there also to remove pops when switching. BUT, lowering it will add in that C8 somewhat. So that is what you did basically then?


----------



## marshallmellowed

RickyLee said:


> Last year I was considering doing a few mods to my '97 LM while keeping the non LM still stock. I looked at a few spots in the circuit to do something similar to what you did.
> 
> So then I just seen your post on R9. Are you 100% sure that is the resistor you changed? Unless I am looking at a different schematic revision, as R9 is a 100K resistor that keeps Mode C's cathode bypass cap above ground, there also to remove pops when switching. BUT, lowering it will add in that C8 somewhat. So that is what you did basically then?


Yes


----------



## RickyLee

I dug out my '94 6100 earlier today and ran it good and hard for awhile. I did some comparing with it up against my DSL100 and TSL100. Being this is a dedicated 6100 thread, that is about all I will say on the comparisons of the three amps. I can say that the 6100 is a loud beast for sure.

I do need to find the time to replace all the caps in it as I bought them all quite some time ago. Just can't get the ball rolling on it. I know that one is going to be a tough one and also do not have a dedicated work space to leave the amp out and away from the kids we have living with us right now.


----------



## anitoli

Ricky, here are a few tips to make getting the boards out easier. The preamp board is virtually impossible to remove without removing the MIDI board first. 

Once that's out there is a lot more room to maneuver the preamp. The control board _can _be removed without removing the power amp board but you will need to remove the chassis bolt down nuts and remove all the plastic nuts from the back so you can lift the side of the board facing the control board and then slide the control board under the power amp and out.

Third, you will not be able to just unscrew the metal plate that the tube sockets are on as this covers 4 or 5 solder points for the filter caps. The tube sockets HAVE to be un-soldered from the power amp board and left in the chassis.
This can be very confusing for reassembly. Use tape or some kind of adhesive label that wont come undone and fall off and label every wires position. Don't rely on memory or you might be pissed off later on.


----------



## marshallmellowed

anitoli said:


> Third, you will not be able to just unscrew the metal plate that the tube sockets are on as this covers 4 or 5 solder points for the filter caps. The tube sockets HAVE to be un-soldered from the power amp board and left in the chassis.


Anatoli, I respect your opinion and all your advice on the 6100, but I just had to mention this. I just replaced all of the electrolytics in my 6100, and in doing so, I _did_ remove the metal plate with all the output tube sockets still attached, so I'm a bit confused.


----------



## anitoli

Ok, when you removed the power amp board you unsoldered all the connections to the tube sockets, and left the sockets still attached to the metal plate in the chassis, is this correct?


----------



## marshallmellowed

anitoli said:


> Ok, when you removed the power amp board you unsoldered all the connections to the tube sockets, and left the sockets still attached to the metal plate in the chassis, is this correct?



No, I removed the screws from the metal plate, and removed the plate (with sockets still attached), along with the main board, from the inside. I did not un-solder the tube sockets.


----------



## chiliphil1

anitoli said:


> Ok, when you removed the power amp board you unsoldered all the connections to the tube sockets, and left the sockets still attached to the metal plate in the chassis, is this correct?



Way off topic but I like your avitar. I had one of those YZF600R's for a while until I got my Harley. Awesome bikes, quick enough, drag a knee no problem, and feel like you're riding your living room couch the whole time! Love em' the best street sport bike in the world.


----------



## RickyLee

Great info on working on the 6100 guys. I do want to get going on this here soon. How much estimated time is needed to not only do the filter caps but all the e'lytics in this amp?


----------



## anitoli

marshallmellowed said:


> No, I removed the screws from the metal plate, and removed the plate (with sockets still attached), along with the main board, from the inside. I did not un-solder the tube sockets.



Ok, i made a small discrepancy in my post. I wasn't referring to an LM but an LE board. The LE has one additional 47uF 450v cap that connects to the triode/pentode switch, and the solder points are under the metal plate. Also one of the coupling caps solder points are under the plate as well. On an LM the 47uf cap is removed. Sorry for my brain fart.


----------



## anitoli

RickyLee said:


> Great info on working on the 6100 guys. I do want to get going on this here soon. How much estimated time is needed to not only do the filter caps but all the e'lytics in this amp?



If you plug away at like a job around 8 to 16 hours for all the electrolytics.


----------



## anitoli

chiliphil1 said:


> Way off topic but I like your avitar. I had one of those YZF600R's for a while until I got my Harley. Awesome bikes, quick enough, drag a knee no problem, and feel like you're riding your living room couch the whole time! Love em' the best street sport bike in the world.



Yes i agree with you. This bike was worth quitting smoking for ( needed to find the money for the payment)
Stone cold reliable. This thing just works. Yamaha really put out a good product with this one.


----------



## marshallmellowed

anitoli said:


> Ok, i made a small discrepancy in my post. I wasn't referring to an LM but an LE board. The LE has one additional 47uF 450v cap that connects to the triode/pentode switch, and the solder points are under the metal plate. Also one of the coupling caps solder points are under the plate as well. On an LM the 47uf cap is removed. Sorry for my brain fart.



Good to know, I didn't realize they were different, thanks for clarifying.


----------



## anitoli

Here is a pic showing the third cap that was on the screen grid supply that has been removed on the LM's:


----------



## marshallmellowed

anitoli said:


> Third, you will not be able to just unscrew the metal plate that the tube sockets are on as this covers 4 or 5 solder points for the filter caps. The tube sockets HAVE to be un-soldered from the power amp board and left in the chassis.





anitoli said:


> Here is a pic showing the third cap that was on the screen grid supply that has been removed on the LM's:
> 
> View attachment 36419


So, this is an LE board, and it still has the tube sockets attached? I'm confused


----------



## RickyLee

I have two 6100's. A stock '94 non LM 6L6/5881 that has the 30th Anniv. on the faceplate. And a '97 LM that was 6L6 that I converted to EL34.

I want to start out re-capping the '97 first and feel it out. Then do a comparison between them to see if the cap job helped in anyway tonally.


----------



## anitoli

marshallmellowed said:


> So, this is an LE board, and it still has the tube sockets attached? I'm confused



This was a reference photo taken before i removed the tube sockets. The board was sent to me by a customer. It was cheaper to just ship the board and i swapped them into an LM chassis for trouble shooting. To replace the cap the tube sockets/plate came off.


----------



## John D

Thought I'd add my newly-acquired 6100LM to the thread..along with the rest of my collection. Many of you already know the story from my first post.
I paid $250 for this 6100LM. It wasn't working when I brought it home. After an hour or two of poking around, I got it working. In the pic, it's sitting on a JCM900 4100 Dual Reverb that I got a few days before for $400. It was a great week, what can I say?? 













20160925_232613_resized



__ John D
__ Sep 26, 2016






_Edit: Looks like I'll be deleting most of that sig... that's just out of control... _


----------



## bigyinuk

@John D Can't see your pictures "You do not have permission to view media within this album"


----------



## John D

Thanks. I think I fixed it.


----------



## bigyinuk

Poor wee thing, it does badly need some tlc, knobs, Marshall logo....

Good buy for $250 though


----------



## John D

bigyinuk said:


> Poor wee thing, it does badly need some tlc, knobs, Marshall logo....
> 
> Good buy for $250 though


Definitely the deal of the year for me. I pulled the chassis out of it this weekend and cleaned the pots, tubes and tube sockets. The tubes were all solid black. I could barely make out the Marshall and Sovtek logos on them. 
The front and back brass face plates were very dirty and faded, but some Windex and a light coat of wax took care of that. 
I'm ordering new knobs and the face plate this week. 
A trip to the shop may still be in order, if this thing has been this badly neglected. It probably needs new tubes and there's some noise and an occasional pop when it's on.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I suspect but don't know that that is tube related as well. I would hope a good new set all around including pre tubes would fix that!


----------



## John D

Jethro Rocker said:


> I suspect but don't know that that is tube related as well. I would hope a good new set all around including pre tubes would fix that!


I warmed it up and played on it for about an hour the other day, then left it on for a while with the input unplugged and there was a bit of noise and some popping going on; not rhythmic but random. Could tubes do that?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Yep, I've had a PI tube do that. When in doubt, start with the weakest link.


----------



## Tonton

Guys I just bought a Kemper, to be honest it amazes me.
Never liked digital, but a Kemper is pretty special! great toy! 
great pedals also and understandable interface for a guitarist: like an amp

So i'm going to reduce a little on the amps and sell most of my pedalboard
sold the 5x 50th ani 1Watts, class5, ENGL Ironball, Peavey victory sheriff, marshall 2525h, H&K 20 deluxe all have to go... 
the white JVM1 does hurt to sell, looks so Randy

Haven't played the 6101 for a while because so many new amps, but when i decided to play them all and decide which one to sell and which not ... there was a clear winner

Do I like the 6101, what an amp, a beast!
After listening the other amps, 6101 last actually ... the first G chord on a Les Paul.... heaven!
the bassy cleans... crunch .. plexi crunch.. rock.. love it. Couldn't stop smiling haha
It has it all and haven't fired up for months!

what an amp!!
message to self: stop buying all these other amps, this one is amazing!

I keep the 6101 / 6912 stack, no other amp can compete and for other sounds I play with the Kemper

btw: i changed the speakers to heritage G12M and G12-65. Did make a difference with that silly 200W Celestion Gold speakers.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

What kind of difference Tonton? I have the Gold 200s in mine as well. Couldn't hear a diff between 6912 and V30 loaded closed 1x12.


----------



## Tonton

I also tested V30. that is another speaker that needs some volume to go.
The heritage ones are only 97/96dB so they can handle little more drive from the amp before becoming loud.

I recorded 4 speakers: heritage g12M. g12-65, v30 and the gold
not just bedroom just nice @home volume
the v30 was too much high end and not getting it, the gold was very small sounding: really needs volume i think. I think these two are also amazing speakers, but just need more volume than i can handle at home 
the two heritage were sounding great just different flavor on sound and when together great sound.
anyway 2 speakers so nice, guess has to do with especially low frequencies easier in sync and support each other.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

So the G12M-65 Creamback? Which Heritage G12M? The greenie? It's only like 20 watts...Thanks for this!


----------



## Tonton

Jethro Rocker said:


> So the G12M-65 Creamback? Which Heritage G12M? The greenie? It's only like 20 watts...Thanks for this!


yeah that one little watts, quickly happy. anyway it is in series with the 65W
So if you don't play ear blistering loud it shouldn't be a problem

I don't think the other one is the creamback, both are heritage versions. the g12M-65 has a clear white back
So if you filter on 12" guitarspeaker on celestion page I use the top two

Oh and another benefit: the amp and cabinet become much lighter!
that 200W speaker is a back killer


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Thanks! The lightness is one reason I wanted to switch.
I see them now, the grrenback at 20watts concerns me but I could try the G12-65.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I pulled the Gold S303 from the combo and put in a GT75. I like it better, a bit less buzzy sounding.
I researched the Gold S303 speaker some more and it is claimed to be an EV 12L speaker relabelled and painted gold. It does indeed look exactly like one. 200 watts. 
I'm gonna put both those Golds in my 2x12 and see what it's like with the JVM. It will be heavy but hopefully sounds good. Anyone with ideas if that S303 really is an EV12L?


----------



## Jaguarguy

New Amp Day #179


----------



## Buzzard

congrats! nad is a great day.From what I hear those are great sounding amps.Some have a computer type problem with a chip that is supposedly not available anymore that needs to be programmed that renders the amp useless if it goes bad..However I now of 2 guys that have access and specialize in that type of amp.Let me know if you need a name.


----------



## Jaguarguy

Buzzard said:


> congrats! nad is a great day.From what I hear those are great sounding amps.Some have a computer type problem with a chip that is supposedly not available anymore that needs to be programmed that renders the amp useless if it goes bad..However I now of 2 guys that have access and specialize in that type of amp.Let me know if you need a name.


Thanks for the offer - hopefully I won't need to take you up on it!


----------



## marshallmellowed

Jaguarguy said:


> Thanks for the offer - hopefully I won't need to take you up on it!


http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze1u14s/petes6100midisupportservice/


----------



## Tonton

Johan Segeborn is taking a shot at the blue 6101!


----------



## Jaguarguy

I like Johan's videos. I just wish he would have shown his settings rather than cycle through some stock photos.


----------



## chard

Please excuse my ignorance on these models but what is the difference between the heads with EL34s and 5881s in terms of sound and reliability? Is one better than another?


----------



## Antmax

One of these combos with extension speaker on my craigslist today. #152 out of 500 made. Very cool. https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/msg/6182170281.html


----------



## Silverburst

guys, I might be able to grab a 6101 for 400€...

Original owner, he had some scratchy pots replaced by a tech.

Should I go for it? I'm questioning liability due to heat. so much stuff and tubes going in on in such a little package. Do you guys install a fan?

thx!


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Do it! I can't attest to the price as I don't know your market there and how many are around. I have a small fan I have run on mine once, I ran it in 50 wayt 2 tube mode last month for a 2 nighter so about 5 hours of run time. No issues whatsoever. Run a fan on it if the heat bugs you. I've used mine for quite a few shows, like 6 or 8, on 100 watt mode and have seen no issues.
They're dense but awesome little amps.
Do it!


----------



## plexilespaul

Silverburst said:


> guys, I might be able to grab a 6101 for 400€...
> 
> Original owner, he had some scratchy pots replaced by a tech.
> 
> Should I go for it? I'm questioning liability due to heat. so much stuff and tubes going in on in such a little package. Do you guys install a fan?
> 
> thx!



replied in another post


----------



## RickyLee

Tonton said:


> Johan Segeborn is taking a shot at the blue 6101!




I sure would like to know what channel/mode he is on for this clip. Do you know? I was on the youtube page and he does not say. And usually he gives good details on that type of stuff.

I have a early black non LM 6100 with 6L6 and a later LM with EL34. I have to say that mine do not sound as open as the one in this clip. But then I am not able to crank mine up like that as well. I am also wondering if this amp in the clip has all original caps/filter caps still.

I should add, I have many many amps, besides numerous Marshall models. And my 6100 amps might just be the loudest of all them. And amazingly, the 6100 has only a 22K pot for its master volume control, instead of the more common 1MEG pot . . . .


----------



## Silverburst

Jethro Rocker said:


> Do it! I can't attest to the price as I don't know your market there and how many are around. I have a small fan I have run on mine once, I ran it in 50 wayt 2 tube mode last month for a 2 nighter so about 5 hours of run time. No issues whatsoever. Run a fan on it if the heat bugs you. I've used mine for quite a few shows, like 6 or 8, on 100 watt mode and have seen no issues.
> They're dense but awesome little amps.
> Do it!



Thx. i came accros posts that even mention pcb track damage and typically some switch part (not midi, i believe then pentode/triode thing) that literally fry due to heat.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I may run the fan in mine from here on out. I seldom get to push it far so perhaps that's keeping it a bit cooler.


----------



## Mikesator

Hey all Marshall fans. I got offered to buy this stack, it's said to be from 1992, the Marshall logos are all in Brass and the cabinets and head are covered in blue. it's said to be in near mint condition, what is it worth? Thank you//Mike


----------



## EKIN

Hi Mike, 

This the 1992 limited edition ( 6100 LE ) of, imo, the best Marshall amp. The last amp designed by Jim Marshall himself for the 30th anniversary of the brand. 
This version is a very rare amp, especially in mint condition as it seems to be and may cost 3 thousands of dollars or more.

Ekin


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Get it! You won't regret it...


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Jaguarguy said:


> New Amp Day #179





Thats about as sexy as they come !!
Congratulations on your new amp !


----------



## Mikesator

Jethro Rocker said:


> Get it! You won't regret it...


It's a beast...but it's my beast, sounds soo freakin' good!!


----------



## Seventh Son

Mikesator said:


> It's a beast...but it's my beast, sounds soo freakin' good!!
> View attachment 42471



I'd love to have one of those one day. But for now, my 6100LM will suffice.

The 6100 must be the most beautiful Marshall ever designed. Even though it came out way back in early '90s, it was so far ahead of its time. No amp that I can think of has such cool features as a high quality built-in speaker emulation, three completely separate channels, input selectors for pickup type, MIDI, power amp off-switch for quiet recording, effects loop with series/parallel selector, pentode/triode switch, power reduction to 50/25 watts, multiple modes per channel, and the list goes on. I know that may not sound that impressive today, and that some amps probably had _some_ of the listed features back in the '90s, as well, but this amp had them all and at a time when this wasn't the norm. The quality of the speaker emulation alone is impressive enough, given that we're talking early '90s here.


----------



## Seventh Son

So, I've got a question that relates to the 6100, but is also one of those big-picture questions, and it concerns amount of gain.

I was messing around with my 6100's EQ and gain settings today and noticed how when you turn the gain knob over one half, the signal gets very compressed, and there's also a significant boost in the bass, which could be described as a warming up and mellowing out of the tone. This is especially useful for something like the intro melody to "Infinite Dreams" (Iron Maiden) where you want a singing, sustaining tone, rather than a dynamic tone that would up sounding a little uneven and amateurish. Now, this revelation may be nothing new to you, but it was to me, since I always kept my gain button somewhere around noon on both gain channels. I also always assumed that more gain would make the sound thinner, tinnier, and fizzier, but exactly the opposite is true.

So, my question is twofold:


Since sustain and compression are not only pleasing to the ear and good for tone, but also beneficial in recording, where you can use gain both to improve sound and to minimize the amount of compression needed in post production, why not just max out the gain reserves on an amp, or at least always be close to the maximum in order to take advantage of these benefits, while still retaining some of the growl that power chords have with more conservative gain settings?
Since all gain appears to do is smooth out the sound by compressing it and boosting bass frequencies, which we perceive as sweeter or warmer sounding, is there any way of telling how much gain a particular guitar tone has? For example, if I pick up my favorite record with my favorite sound (I'll let you guess what that is), how do I go about determining how much gain there is in the sound if I want to approximate the sound?


----------



## RickyLee

Seventh Son said:


> So, I've got a question that relates to the 6100, but is also one of those big-picture questions, and it concerns amount of gain.
> 
> I was messing around with my 6100's EQ and gain settings today and noticed how when you turn the gain knob over one half, the signal gets very compressed, and there's also a significant boost in the bass, which could be described as a warming up and mellowing out of the tone. This is especially useful for something like the intro melody to "Infinite Dreams" (Iron Maiden) where you want a singing, sustaining tone, rather than a dynamic tone that would up sounding a little uneven and amateurish. Now, this revelation may be nothing new to you, but it was to me, since I always kept my knob button somewhere around noon on both gain channels. I also always assumed that more gain would make the sound thinner, tinnier, and fizzier, but exactly the opposite is true.
> 
> So, my question is twofold:
> 
> 
> Since sustain and compression are not only pleasing to the ear and good for tone, but also beneficial in recording, where you can use gain both to improve sound and to minimize the amount of compression needed in post production, why not just max out the gain reserves on an amp, or at least always be close to the maximum in order to take advantage of these benefits, while still retaining some of the growl that power chords have with more conservative gain settings?
> Since all gain appears to do is smooth out the sound by compressing it and boosting bass frequencies, which we perceive as sweeter or warmer sounding, is there any way of telling how much gain a particular guitar tone has? For example, if I pick up my favorite record with my favorite sound (I'll let you guess what that is), how do I go about determining how much gain there is in the sound if I want to approximate the sound?



Wow. Tough questions for sure.

Some model amp designs you can max out the gain controls. Most Marshall amps I have played and own, running the gain at max overloads the audio signal to where it does not sound very good. It depends on the amp design as well as the signal you are applying at the input. If you max the gain then try to control it at the guitar volume, you might end up fighting noise and hiss issues. Let your ears decide.

As for the second question, I do not know how to figure out a recorded amps tone gain level. If you can obtain isolated tracks from the master multi-tracks, you might be able to figure it out somewhat. But then can you decipher how much sound pressure level they were using at recording - is there any push from the power amp section and such. Is it a line in recording or mixture of different guitar tracks blended together ect. Tough one for sure.

But I do think most of the classic recorded tones we know and love are not using as much preamp gain as we think.


----------



## Seventh Son

I wonder whether pushing the power amp produces the same nice compression that results from maxing out the preamp gain. I never had the opportunity to really push my 6100 that hard, since I always played at bedroom or at band rehearsal, and the few gigs that we had were in venues too small to require pushing the amp very hard, although I do remember fondly that the sound was very enjoyable. Ever since I replaced my first 6100, I've been playing it at bedroom levels.

What's really cool with having three modes in channel 2 is that there are so many different tones that can be achieved, since, for example, mode B with gain on max is not the same as mode C with very low gain. The sound may be similar or the same, but the amount of compression is very different. Now I understand better why I always liked mode B. If I had to describe it, I've always compared the sound of mode B to a neck pickup or that sound that you get by rolling off the tone knob on the bridge pickup. However, I never knew it was the compression that creates the pleasant tone. This just gives me another level of appreciation for the 6100. What a cool, timeless amp!


----------



## RickyLee

I had one of my best tones ever and feel from an amp, using my '94 6100 at a gig a few years ago. I was stoked with that amp big time, and I have many many other Marshalls as well as other makes too. But something happened at a rehearsal hall when we were just getting that Trower band going. My CH 3 just lost its magic big time. CH 2B was still not bad, but the higher gain tones just lost their depth. 

I have only plugged into my 6100's a few times since. But I do need to get them out again and see if there is an issue. I bought all replacement caps but just have not had the motivation to undertake that - it is a very big and detailed job for sure with these amps.


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## anitoli

Ricky, what do you mean by "lost it's magic"? Has the gain level changed?


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## anitoli

When you get the MV up high enough the power amp will start to clip in a very hard square wave. Also when the channel volumes start getting up higher the 2-3 oclock the op-amps in the switching/fx loop area will also start hard square wave clipping. Not sure if your amp is getting to this point but it will definitely compress any signal.


----------



## RickyLee

anitoli said:


> Ricky, what do you mean by "lost it's magic"? Has the gain level changed?



I just noticed your question to me.

Hard for me to explain into words exactly how I was feeling and what I was hearing from my 6100. But it was either the first or second get together back when we started that Trower cover band, CH3 has always been my favorite on the 6100. That was my early non LM head. But that night in the rehearsal studio the amp was just very flat sounding with no depth. The mids were not complex like I always heard them in this amp. It still had plenty of gain on tap, as that was not the problem. I usually ran the Gain around 5 to 6. And I think I would usually run the channel Volumes 7 to 8 on both CH3 and CH2.

So I am also concerned about that issue with these amps that you touched on, that running the channel volumes high causes the solid state circuity in the FX loop branch to clip. Can you elaborate a bit more on this? I am wondering if I had those controls too high now.

I need to get these amps back out (I also have a '97 6100LM) and re-visit them. And then I am bugging that I have not started the 'elytic cap jobs on these amps yet as well.


----------



## anitoli

Ricky i took a few pics while varying the channel 3 volume and MV. The first two are channel vol 10, MV 8 oclock. Pic two MV 9 oclock. See how fast it's run out of headroom.

Third pic is MV dimed, channel 3 vol 1 oclock- fourth is MV dimed channel vol dimed. 

The sweet spot seems to be MV dimed channel vol just below 12 oclock.


----------



## RickyLee

anitoli said:


> Ricky i took a few pics while varying the channel 3 volume and MV. The first two are channel vol 10, MV 8 oclock. Pic two MV 9 oclock. See how fast it's run out of headroom.
> 
> Third pic is MV dimed, channel 3 vol 1 oclock- fourth is MV dimed channel vol dimed.
> 
> The sweet spot seems to be MV dimed channel vol just below 12 oclock.



Where was the CH3 Gain at when you performed that test? Was that a non LM? CH3 boost off as well?

Dam that River, I really really really need to get an O'scope. And now you just sent me over the edge on GAS'ing for one LOL.

How long have you known about that FX clipping? And what were your amp settings before you discovered that info?


----------



## anitoli

3 gain was dimed and the boost was on using an LM. I have known about this for quite some time. I started noticing long ago that if the channel volume was past a certain point and you started turning up the MV it became too compressed and the distortion started losing clarity. I find with these amps a higher channel volume is ok when not pushing the power amp too hard, but if you are going to use the power turning down the channel helps allot.


----------



## RickyLee

anitoli said:


> 3 gain was dimed and the boost was on using an LM. I have known about this for quite some time. I started noticing long ago that if the channel volume was past a certain point and you started turning up the MV it became too compressed and the distortion started losing clarity. I find with these amps a higher channel volume is ok when not pushing the power amp too hard, but if you are going to use the power turning down the channel helps allot.



Do you think there would be much difference with Gain about 5 and Boost off?


----------



## anitoli

Ok, lets actually look at it.
Set to your specs, channel 3 volume dimed, MV 9 oclock:





Notice how it's already clipping. Next pic MV 12 oclock:






You can easily see that with the channel vol dimed anything past 9 oclock clips into the stratosphere.

Now this is MV dimed, channel vol 9 oclock, notice the clean wave:






Channel vol 12 oclock:






Channel vol past 12 oclock:






See how the nasty clipping comes back. Conclusion for best sound reproduction keep the channel vol below 12.


----------



## RickyLee

Wow. Great info. Thanks for posting that.

I am going to drag out the 6100 here soon to get re-aquainted.


----------



## Seventh Son

I've been experimenting with the 6100's speaker emulation feature for a while now, and here are some of my observations that current owners of the amp may find useful.

When connecting the speaker emulated output to a mixer or an audio interface, make sure you're using a balanced XLR/TRS cable and are plugging the TRS plug into a line input on your mixer or interface. I've also tried XLR/XLR cables, and found the sound to be pretty much the same, but technically speaking, the XLR/TRS cable into a line input is how the amp should be connected and that's the approach I would recommend.
I initially thought that the speaker emulation sounded very unnatural and unpleasant, but have since then learned to love it. It actually sounds almost exactly like what you hear in the room, but much more direct, which often leads to it being perceived as harsh sounding. Once you get used to the tonal quality of it, you will love the sound for its uniqueness. The best results are obtained by keeping bass between 10 o'clock and noon, and both mids and highs somewhere around 1–2 o'clock. The distorted sound sits really well in a mix.
I've also compared 6100's built-in speaker emulation to a Hughes & Kettner Red Box Classic. The Red Box Classic sounds more lush and is more mid scooped. It's definitely got more bass and overall it sounds silkier, but also less aggressive and less forward. I really like its sound, and think it really complements 6100's speaker emulation very well. By using both, you essentially have two amps, a Marshall and an H&K that you could use either for double tracking or for recording two guitars (one on the left channel and one on the right). The Red Box can be connected between the amp and the speaker or to the amp's uncompensated line output. Even though connecting the Red Box between the amp and the speaker is supposed to lead to a better sound, I could not hear any difference listening to both sounds on high-quality studio monitors. If there is a subtle difference, it's literally that: subtle. The great thing about the 6100 is that by running the Line Out in the Red Box, you could turn off the power amp and also record silently, which is a great feature thing to have, as many amps don't allow silent recording without a speaker load or some kind of load box.
Addendum: I just wanted to add that after using the H&K Red Box Classic for a while and trying the two different ways to connect it, I've noticed that connecting it to the Line Out results in considerable noise that's noticeable when you're not playing. It's not a really big deal, as the noise is only noticeable when there's no playing, but it's just something to keep in mind. Connecting the Red Box between the amp and the speaker cabinet works great, however, with no noticeable noise.


----------



## wiorys

Hi guys, I think I'm going to replace all eletrolytic caps, my amp is from 1992 

I have some question though - did any of you use non-audio caps in the amp? I am talking about big ones, like 220uF 400V.
These seem to be Nichicon LK series, well it seems that all new audio series have 1000 hours of life at some high temperature.

I was thinking about using Nichicon LGX series instead which can last 5000 hours, also their size looks ok 22x45mm.


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## Fender

Hi !
New here, but old owner (12 years !) of a beloved 6101 blue tolex white logo.
I recently had a hard time with a diode bridge failure which made clear to me the hard fact that this combo is frickin' hard to service.
But i still love this sound so much that I'm considering adding a 6100 head to my rig.

I emailed anatoli on sunday to congratulate him on keeping alive the midi part too and glad to see he's on this forum.

See ya


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## Fender

Pic added :


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## Jethro Rocker

Nice rig! Welcome to the forum. The 6100 series is well loved here and for good reason. I have yet to have any problems with my 92.


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## Fender

the diode bridge may or may not have failed due to dried solderings on one of the 220µF/400V cap (dunno if it's really related but one cap had very bad contacts with the PCB)


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## Seventh Son

A Guitar Center salesman recently recommended me the Fulltone OCD to use as a clean boost in front of my 6100 to get closer to the Maiden sounds that I love. He also said that most bands boost their amps like that. I'm totally new to this whole clean boost thing. To be honest, the whole idea of boosting what's already a hi-gain amp, sounds kind of strange. What does a clean boost do to an amp, and if I were to clean boost my 6100, what enhancements can I expect from the sound?


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## Jethro Rocker

I only ever used an OD with level up, gain at zero with my 6101. On Ch 2 mode B to goose it more. Tightens it up some to be sure. Same with the TSL. Doesn't need it but does tighten up. I don't use it with Ch2 Mode C, really doesn't need it.


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## Seventh Son

Jethro Rocker said:


> I only ever used an OD with level up, gain at zero with my 6101. On Ch 2 mode B to goose it more. Tightens it up some to be sure. Same with the TSL. Doesn't need it but does tighten up. I don't use it with Ch2 Mode C, really doesn't need it.



It's interesting that you say that. I, too, thought that if anything needed tightening, it'd be probably be mode B, which adds compression and sustain but also gets looser in the bass response as gain is dialed up. I'd be curious to know what benefit there would be from clean boosting mode C and whether the difference is perceptible. Since I have never tried a clean boost in front of the distorted amp, I don't know what that would do, but I have been told that it would further tighten up the bottom end, as well as enhance other desirable frequencies and overtones. I'll have to try it out.


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## Jethro Rocker

It's just that 2C is so gainy to begin with, to push that even more is over the top. I should play with that too soon!!


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## Fender

clean boost basically adds volume AND compression to the whole channel and saves some bass with it. I find it interesting in 2A for 70's and 80's rock/low gain metal (AC/DC, Kiss, Maiden, Aerosmith...). But I'd say it's interesting especially for rythm guitar, for lead, I always go with a treble booster.


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## Fender

has anyone installed a fan in a 6101 and if yes, do you have any photo of the fitting/result ?


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## Fender

for some reason, I initially couldn't see your 6101 photo Jethro : I'm impressed how brand new it still looks !

have some ever considered changing the speaker in this ? I sometime Wonder if it wouldn't sound better with a pair of greenbacks...


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## Jethro Rocker

I hated the 200W Celestion gold that were in it. In Canada that's what they shipped with. It's basically an ElectoVoice EM12L I think was the number. Kinda harsh with the little 1x12 combo, open back. Overkill.
I put a GT-75 in the combo for a bit better low end and found a G12H-30 for the ext cab. I never pish the bolume high in 100W mode so the speaker is safe. I like it much better. Sold the pair of Golds to a dude I boight amps from, including this one!

I've heard of people mounting computer cooling fans in the combo. I have used a small 120V electric fan and just placed it back there to blow heat away. Never used it at last gig I used this amp for, ran on 50 watts for 2 nights, it was fine. It does get hot!!


----------



## Fender

I have a GT-75 in the 1912 below, I think there's a 70w version of the greenback that has been available that i could try too but yes, the gold one (i still have it) is harsh

I may try first to put the G12T in the amp and the gold in the closed cab, maybe it's a bit better this way...


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## Fender

does anyone know if the famous "blue-levant" tolex can be found anywhere ?


----------



## Tonton

Fender said:


> has anyone installed a fan in a 6101 and if yes, do you have any photo of the fitting/result ?















I installed a silent 220v fan with a dimmer, it is not audible.
1 elastic in mid top and other two around both feet.
so i remove it in a second.

results is great!
the front panel went from hot to cool.


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## Tonton

Fender said:


> have some ever considered changing the speaker in this ? I sometime Wonder if it wouldn't sound better with a pair of greenbacks...



I also removed the Golds and only play low volumes
put a heritage greenback G12M and a heritage G12 65 in there, also because they are only 96/ 97dB so i can set the amp bit louder  they sound great together!


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## Tonton

updated the first post with a nice picture from the Marshall site!


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## Jethro Rocker

Try Imgur instead of PhotoFucket.


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## Fender

yeah sorry tonton but can't see your picture there :/
I suggest using this : http://reho.st


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## HOT TUBES 70




----------



## Ned B

Did many of the 6100s come with Vintage 30s? Seems like a good pairing...even over the 75s.


----------



## Fender

I put the G12 GOLD 200 in a 1912 cab and it sounds much better than in the open back combo...
But the G12B-150 (I don't know why in my mind it was a G12T-75) is worse in the open back combo...
Are there any speakers that really sound good in a combo ?


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## Jethro Rocker

I have a 6912 cab that had the Gold 200 in and still didn't care for it. I like the T-75 in the open back.


----------



## Fender

Is there a cap kit available somewhere or did you have to select'em all one by one last recap time ?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Ned B said:


> Did many of the 6100s come with Vintage 30s? Seems like a good pairing...even over the 75s.


Not sure about the 4x12s. The 6101's did not. Either a 150W EV in the US or the 200 W Gold (EV anyways) in Canada and UK.


----------



## Seventh Son

As a rock musician, I never really used the clean channel on my 6100LM much. Lately, however, I've been getting into some blues and surf music, just for fun. Last week, I played a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a Deluxe Reverb at GC and was amazed by the beautiful glassy cleans, especially from the Hot Rod Deluxe, where the glassy cleans seemed to come so easy to that amp. The 6100's clean channel has a very good reputation, and the user manual states that the Mid Shift button and the Bright switch add top end glassiness and sparkle to the channel. Since I live in an apartment and never have the chance to play the amp at ideal volumes, does anyone on here have any real experience with the clean channel, and is it possible to coax some nice Fender-esque, glassy clean tones from that channel? If yes, are there any particular settings that you recommend?


----------



## Fender

Yes, quite easy. No particular settings apart from the bright switch and a strat/tele style single coil guitar
i'd put the clean channel volume at 6, treble and mid at 5 and bass at 6 or 7 but just for a start, adjust to your tastes after...
reverb in the loop recommanded


----------



## Seventh Son

Fender said:


> Yes, quite easy. No particular settings apart from the bright switch and a strat/tele style single coil guitar
> i'd put the clean channel volume at 6, treble and mid at 5 and bass at 6 or 7 but just for a start, adjust to your tastes after...
> reverb in the loop recommanded



Thank you. I used your suggested settings as a starting point and was able to dial in a nice glassy clean tone in a matter of seconds. I played the amp at bedroom volume and at 50W (triode setting), with the Low Volume Compensation button engaged. I ended with the following settings: Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 6. Volume was at 4. I imagine that if I added a reverb and spent more time tweaking the EQ, I could get even better results. I even found that with different (higher) bass settings, I was able to conjure up a very tweedy tone.

I discovered today that my Marshall amp can do so much more than I ever thought. How cool is it to be able to press a button and change the channel A's character from Marshall to Fender! Such a versatile amp!


----------



## Seventh Son

I mostly use my DSL15C for practice at home. Today I fired up the 6100LM and was blown away by just how much sustain it had on the C mode with gain at 4. The amp sounds so much more musical than the DSL15C. Even at bedroom volume and with the bass set fairly conservatively around 4, there was so much warmth to the tone, and the tone was nice and full (Low Volume Compensation switch engaged). Slides sounded nice and warm, without the accompanying brittleness that I hear and feel on the DSL15C. It's almost like I couldn't hear the noise of my fingers sliding along the strings, and the slides from one note to the next sounded very fluid. I am really amazed. Sometimes I forget just how incredibly professional this amp sounds. Overall, it's very warm and refined sounding, as one would expect at that price level, and this quality comes across even at bedroom volumes.


----------



## Seventh Son

This might sound like a noob question, but I just recently started using some effects in the effects loop and am not quite sure how the Effects knob on the front panel is intended to be used, especially since almost every effects pedal already has a Mix knob. To make things more confusing, there's also a trim level adjuster on the back that adjusts the effects level of channels 1 and 2 against channel 3. What I don't get, among other things, is, why would you need a Mix knob to _reduce_ the effects mix, if your whole intention of placing effects in the effects loop is to enhance the sound by _adding_ special effects? I get that turning the Effects knob down adds more of the amp's own sound, but if you want that, why not just dispense with special effects altogether and solve the problem that way? Since the Effects knob _is_ there and not going anywhere, I guess the only way that it would make sense to use it, is to have it right in the middle, so that you have the maximum range possible to either increase or decrease the overall intensity of the effects. Can someone on here enlighten me on all this?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

With parallel effects, the idea is that you set your effects for wet rather than wet/dry. Then the mix knob on amp adjusts how much effect comes through vs dry. I personally find my effects work better set to series and the knob is irrelevant. I find a ronal difference when using parallel and the mix knob so I don't use it.
The trims are exactly that - adjust levels so channel 3 matches ch 1 and 2.
Incidentally, the mix knob becomes another master volume when no effects are inserted in loop.


----------



## Seventh Son

Jethro Rocker said:


> With parallel effects, the idea is that you set your effects for wet rather than wet/dry. Then the mix knob on amp adjusts how much effect comes through vs dry. I personally find my effects work better set to series and the knob is irrelevant. I find a ronal difference when using parallel and the mix knob so I don't use it.
> The trims are exactly that - adjust levels so channel 3 matches ch 1 and 2.
> Incidentally, the mix knob becomes another master volume when no effects are inserted in loop.



So, if I understood you correctly, one way to do this with parallel effects would be to max out the Mix controls on the pedals, set the effect intensity using the Intensity control (or some equivalent thereof) on the pedal, and use the Effects knob on the amp to control how much of the effects is added to the dry signal.

As for the trim level adjusters on the back, you're saying they are used to adjust the _volumes_ of channel 1 and 2 with effects against the _volume_ of channel 3. I thought the adjusters were to set the relative _mix_ of effects between channels 1 and 2 and channel 3.

Also, I wasn't aware that the Effects knob could act as another master volume knob when no effects are in the loop. I'll have to try that to see what happens.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Mix I meant yeah sorry. Level of effects I should have said between channels. I found the mix never worked well that way with effects set totally Wet. Series seems to work better for me. 
This is from manual

Operational Note F: Effects Loop
The main effects loop on this amplifier can be configured either as a series or a parallel loop by using the
series/parallel selection switch (item 43). The parallel loop (switch out) splits the pre-amp signal into two, retaining the
direct signal within the amplifier itself, whilst sending a parallel signal out to the effects processor. By turning the direct
signal within the processor to zero only an effects signal is returned to the amplifier where it will be mixed back in with
the direct signal. This leaves the original direct signal uncoloured by any circuitry within the processor. By using the
effects level control (item 28) your ideal mix of dry and effects signal can be easily set up.
The series loop (switch in) diverts the whole pre-amp signal through the effects loop and switches off the internal direct
signal. The effects level control (28) now acts as an overall master level control.
In terms of application, units that are time based (eg Chorus, Delay, Reverb etc) are best suited to the parallel loop.
Real time effects (eg. Graphic or Parametric EQ, Compressors etc.) suit series loop operation.
It is worth noting that the line in (40) and line out (38) circuit could be used as a series effects loop at 0 dBm, giving
you the ability to use both types of loop simultaneously


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

I was also reminded how fussy the 6100 LM is with tubes , i'd been having some tonal issues with my head , and was really getting grumpy about it lol lol !! So i put in a fresh set of TAD 6L6GC i had on hand , and after biasing them , i was instantly rewarded with the awesome tone that we have all be used to hearing from these amps !! NEW TUBES = KILLER MARSHALL TONE PEOPLE ! No Marshall i've owned acts this way as much as the 6100 LM ... Food for thought .


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

My humble rig ...


----------



## Fender

changed channel led to blue ones ?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I think it's just flare from using cell phone.


----------



## SpHj

What would you guys feel a fair price for a 5881 equipped 6100LM? I have a lead on one...never played through one though.


----------



## Fender

in Europe, is goes from 600 to 900€


----------



## Fender

do some of you use it exclusively in 50W pentode mode and do you keep V8 and V11 removed, then ?


----------



## Fender

I'm currently thinking about converting my 6101 combo to a head.
Would it fit a JTM45/JMP cabinet like the one you can grab on mojotone ?


----------



## Gtarzan81

Interesting that the original big thread was deleted. 

That said, my 6100 is still going strong,


----------



## Gtarzan81

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> I was also reminded how fussy the 6100 LM is with tubes , i'd been having some tonal issues with my head , and was really getting grumpy about it lol lol !! So i put in a fresh set of TAD 6L6GC i had on hand , and after biasing them , i was instantly rewarded with the awesome tone that we have all be used to hearing from these amps !! NEW TUBES = KILLER MARSHALL TONE PEOPLE ! No Marshall i've owned acts this way as much as the 6100 LM ... Food for thought .


Thats what I have in mine as well. Good choice.


----------



## Fender

new speaker for my 6101 : big improvement in tone AND weight


----------



## Fender

It does sound awesome in the combo, I really love it.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I put a G12T -75 in mine. Much nicer in the little open back.


----------



## beeflin

I've had to replace the S303 in my blue 1993 6101 because playing bass through it has caused the speaker cone to start scraping. Yes I know I shouldn't have just crossed my fingers but it only needs reconing  Anyway, the replacement - a Celestion BN12-300S - sounds just fine for guitar too AND has taken a whopping 17lb off the weight.


I'm getting too old to lift an S303 on its own, never mind when it's in a 6101. Now I'm saving up to make the same mod to my black 1994 6101LM.


----------



## dafxtone

Hi,

do you know why the presence control is only active on the low damp setting only ?


----------



## beeflin

Just a guess - because high damping suppresses the same frequencies that high presence settings allow?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

It is active on the auto setting as well.


----------



## dafxtone

From the handbook, it's not really that :

Presence : Boosts the upper frequencies to give extra crispness to the amplifiers output. Operates on low damp settings of power amp only

Damping (the way that the amplifier drives the speaker)
high => Tight speaker movement and is ideal for clean sounds, where a precise and defined response gives sweet clear picked notes and chords.
low => greater speaker movement, suits breathing heavy overdrive and full distortion
auto => automatically selects high damping for clean selections and low damping for crunch and lead


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## HOT TUBES 70

Just think of this as thread decoration !!


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## HOT TUBES 70




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## HOT TUBES 70




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## Fender

not blue


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## Seventh Son

I have a question that is related to the 6100LM, but could easily apply to any Marshall amp, and it is regarding EQ-ing. Now, this may sound like a stupid question, but bear with me.

Is there any difference, other than an increase in volume, between setting the channel EQ at, say, bass, middle, and treble on 5, and bass, middle, and treble on 7, for example? In other words, is there any interaction between absolute settings and relative settings, and if yes, what is it and how can it be used to one's advantage?

Marshall mentions that the EQ buttons on the 6100LM are interactive. What does that mean?


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## Fender

Logically and usually, although it depends on the preferences of the designer of the preamp circuit, flat response is when all three pots are at ten.
in this case any other setting, even when the three are at the same position will result in a response having a non flat response (hollows and bumps)
when they say it's interactive, it means that when modifying the middle pot, even treble and bass "bands" can be affected which is usually true.

There are some amps designed to have a flat response at five on all eq pots resulting in noticeable bumps when set above, but I don't think it's the case here, although i'm not 100% sure having not studied closer the eq circuit.


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## Seventh Son

When the Emulated Out is used on the 6100, does it also pick up on any effects plugged into the effects loop, or is it just a dry preamp sound?


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## Jethro Rocker

Out uses the fx loop as well, yes.


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## Seventh Son

Hey guys! I just wanted to share with you an important discovery I've made with the 6100LM. So, for years the Emulated Out has been frustrating me with not being able to get the Emulated Out to sound like on professional recordings. In short, it always sounded cold, unnatural, and fizzy. Well, what I've discovered through hours of experimentation, is that the EQ works differently on the Emulated Out. You have to think of the EQ almost as a microphone moving from the center, which would be all three EQ knobs on 10, to the edge of the cone, which would be all EQ knobs on 0. To get rid of the fizz, you pretty much have to let the EQ knobs live somewhere in the neighborhood of 0. I used Adrian Smith's sound on _Maiden England_ as a reference, as I like that sound a lot, and was able to dial it in with the following settings.

Bass 2
Middle 0
Treble 0
Gain 5

Note that even the smallest tweaks in any of the knobs can have a drastic effect on the sound, so trust your ears (and use good studio headphones to eliminate room acoustics from the equation as you are chasing your favorite sound). Also, the Bass knob works almost like a proximity effect dial. The more bass, the more low end rumble and the bigger the spikes in the amplitude of the sound wave on palm-muted notes, as well as any other noise, such as pick noise and finger slides, so use the bass reserves on tap sparingly. Lastly, the Emulated Out is very transparent, and you have to play very clean and precise, as if you don't, it will expose any mistakes you make.


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## Kelia

Seventh Son said:


> Hey guys! I just wanted to share with you an important discovery I've made with the 6100LM. So, for years the Emulated Out has been frustrating me with not being able to get the Emulated Out to sound like on professional recordings. In short, it always sounded unnatural and fizzy. Well, what I've discovered through hours of experimentation, is that the EQ works differently on the Emulated Out. You have to think of the EQ almost as a microphone moving from the center, which would be all three EQ knobs on 10, to the edge of the cone, which would be all EQ knobs on 0. To get rid of the fizz, you pretty much have to let the EQ knobs live somewhere in the neighborhood of 0. I used Adrian Smith's sound on _Maiden England_ as a reference, as I like that sound a lot, and was able to dial it in with the following settings.
> 
> Bass 2
> Middle 0
> Treble 0
> Gain 5
> 
> Note that even the smallest tweaks in any of the knobs can have a drastic effect on the sound, so trust your ears (and use good studio headphones to eliminate room acoustics from the equation as you are chasing your favorite sound). Also, the Bass knob works almost like a proximity effect dial. The more bass, the more low end rumble and the bigger the spikes in the amplitude of the sound wave on palm-muted notes. Lastly, the Emulated Out is very transparent, and you have to play very clean and precise, as if you don't, it will expose any mistakes you make.


Good to know !!

Thank’s for sharing !!


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## funky3l

Fender said:


> new speaker for my 6101 : big improvement in tone AND weight



I am going your way twice - I have a blue 6101 and a black 6101LM.
I have a Celestion NeoCreamback 8 Ohm for each of them .
The black one has already been upgraded, the blue one gets a surgery once it comes back from my colleague's home.
Thanks for the idea!


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## Fender

Yeah, we should claim it to all 6101 users : the neo creamback is excellent in this beast.
I put the amp in low/pentode and removed V8 and V11 to downscale the power to 50W permanently now. I keep the 2 unconnected tube in a pouch in the amp If i need backup or 100W with another speaker (i kept the S303 in a 1912 cab as with a closed back, it's way better than in the open back combo).


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## Hamer95USA

Ned B said:


> Did many of the 6100s come with Vintage 30s? Seems like a good pairing...even over the 75s.



No. The blue 30th Anniversary 6960A & B cabs came stock with the Celestion G12T-75 speakers. 

Guitar George


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## Seventh Son

I used to think that V30s are the ideal speaker for classic and prog metal, but have come to dislike the coloration I hear in all demos. My SM-57 already adds a great deal of coloration to recordings, and I think any more than that would be too much. I like the transparent and slightly scooped sound of the G12T-75s.


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## anitoli

IMO i always felt the GT12-75's were the right choice for 900 series Marshall's including the 6100. V30's are better suited to 800's.


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## Fender

Hamer95USA said:


> No. The blue 30th Anniversary 6960A & B cabs came stock with the Celestion G12T-75 speakers.
> 
> Guitar George


even the gold logo ones ?


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## Seventh Son

Kelia said:


> Good to know !!
> 
> Thank’s for sharing !!



You're welcome. Just remember, even with all the clever tweaking of the knobs, the Emulated Out will never sound as natural as one would want it to sound. I think putting an SM-57 in front of the speaker is much simpler and far less frustrating.


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## Seventh Son

For as long as I can remember, I always plugged in straight into the 6100. Only since recently have I started amassing a small collection of must-have pedals and am in the process of learning how to set it all up with the 6100. I'm only using reverb, chorus, delay, phaser, and flanger in the effects loop. I believe all those are best run parallel. Where I am a little lost, is the plethora of buttons and how they all should be set. For example, the Effects knob on the front is supposed to somehow let you mix in the wet signal with the amp's dry signal, but to my ear, turning the knob up just seems to increase the volume. Also, there's not only a Level push button on the back, but also two more -4dB/10dB trim pets for Ch. 1. and Ch.2. And if that's not already confusing enough, some of my pedals also have a Mix knob, which supposedly lets you adjust between dry and wet signal. Can someone explain to me how this all works in layman's terms and what I need to do to set my effects up? Incase this is of any relevance, these are the pedals I am currently using as my permanent rig.

mxr Phase 90
mxr Micro Flanger
mxr Analog Chorus
Dunlop Echoplex Delay
mxr Reverb


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## anitoli

I hear your pain about the FX loop. For many years i thought the parallel way was the best but it is finicky and hard to adjust especially with pedals made from different companies. After i started messing around with a Fender dual Showman Red Knobber that only has a series loop i realized that i need to try the series loop on the 6100 and i like it way better than parallel. The pedals i have in my loop are an MXR Carbon Copy,MXR analog Chorus, Ibanez FL9 flanger, TC Shaker, EH Ravish Sitar, and a Guyatone FR3000v Tube Drive spring reverb. This setup sounds better in series.


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## Seventh Son

anitoli said:


> I hear your pain about the FX loop. For many years i thought the parallel way was the best but it is finicky and hard to adjust especially with pedals made from different companies. After i started messing around with a Fender dual Showman Red Knobber that only has a series loop i realized that i need to try the series loop on the 6100 and i like it way better than parallel. The pedals i have in my loop are an MXR Carbon Copy,MXR analog Chorus, Ibanez FL9 flanger, TC Shaker, EH Ravish Sitar, and a Guyatone FR3000v Tube Drive spring reverb. This setup sounds better in series.



Since almost all of my pedals are MXR, with the exception of the Dunlop Echoplex (but Dunlop owns MXR), it sounds like I'm at least eliminating one potential headache there. I wish I had your problem of pondering series vs. parallel, but I'm far more of a beginner here. I did a search and found a few posts from 2014 where you, RickyLee, and Jethro Rocker discussed the effects loop setup, as well, so I'm going to use that thread for now to get me started on the project. I also just discovered that, unbeknownst to me, I was using the effects loop in series yesterday, as the pushing the button in actually selects series (wish the manual was clear on that, rather than letting us figure it out by trial and error). This explains why I was seeing just a volume increase by turning up the Effects knob on the front panel. I also gather that for pedals, the +4dB button should be in for some reason. Now I just need to figure out what all the business with "level matching" and "wet vs. dry" is about. I'll check back in with you guys if I get stuck and need your help again.


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## Jethro Rocker

I didn't wet / dry mine as they recommend. I set the W/D ratio on each pedal and crank up the mix knob till it sounds like I want. IN THEORY, you can set all pedals to full wet, no dry signal and as you turn the mix knob up, you are adding that signal to the dry one. Stop when happy. I found it always colored the tone quite dramatically, I set mine to series and it sounds like an un affected amp for the most part. Likely because i have a digital multi effects.

Level matching with the trim pots is so that each channel gets the same amount of effects. This si done by ear.


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## Fender

I also use it only in series now not parallel anymore
keep also in mind that the trim pots are also there to adapt to some pedals out there that may not support the highest output level but sometimes the lowest.


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## Seventh Son

Fender said:


> I also use it only in series now not parallel anymore
> keep also in mind that the trim pots are also there to adapt to some pedals out there that may not support the highest output level but sometimes the lowest.



That's very interesting. I'm not very conversant on the technical aspects of how serial vs parallel lops work, but in theory, and from what I can gather from the amp's documentation and other sources, using the loop in parallel should preserve the tone of the amp better than in series, and yet, several of you are saying you are running it in series.


----------



## Seventh Son

Jethro Rocker said:


> I didn't wet / dry mine as they recommend. I set the W/D ratio on each pedal and crank up the mix knob till it sounds like I want. IN THEORY, you can set all pedals to full wet, no dry signal and as you turn the mix knob up, you are adding that signal to the dry one. Stop when happy. I found it always colored the tone quite dramatically, I set mine to series and it sounds like an un affected amp for the most part. Likely because i have a digital multi effects.
> 
> Level matching with the trim pots is so that each channel gets the same amount of effects. This si done by ear.



Regarding the trim pots, somewhere else on this forum someone wrote that the trim pots can be used to assign different amounts of the effect(s) to different channel. The example used was that you could drown the clean channel in chorus, but add only a small amount to the other two channels using the same pedal. Is that possible or even what the trim pots are designed for?


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## anitoli

The trim pots affect channel 1 and 2 and channel 3 is set at the default level. The pots allow you to adjust how much signal is going through the loop independently on channel 1 and 2. Just set them to your desired sound and you're good to go.


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## Seventh Son

anitoli said:


> The trim pots affect channel 1 and 2 and channel 3 is set at the default level. The pots allow you to adjust how much signal is going through the loop independently on channel 1 and 2. Just set them to your desired sound and you're good to go.



Does that mean that the trim pots are there to set the _amount_ of effect assigned to channels 1 and 2, and have nothing to do with _volume_? This is confusing, since the trim pots are labeled as ranging from -10dB to +4dB, which makes it sound like they adjust volume. If this sounds stupid, bear with me. As I said, I'm not very knowledgable on the effects side of things and how to set them up with a loop. I'm just starting to learn more about effects and setting them up in a loop, but it's a very exciting topic, as I never knew how much this will help me expand my sound and get closer to my ideal sound. Also, if I understand this correctly, the Effects knob in the front is then sort of like a global trim pot for all three channels when the loop is used in parallel mode, right?


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## anitoli

The trim pots adjust the level (volume) of the signal for each channel. 
The FX knob adjusts the mix between wet and dry signal through the loop in parallel. Completely counterclockwise no signal flows through the effects. Completely clockwise all of the signal goes through the effects. In the middle it is roughly 50-50.


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## Seventh Son

Just a quick question for those of you who have had an opportunity to play both the 6100 and 6101. I never thought of it that way before, but it occurred to me today that the 6101 seemed like the perfect all-around amp for practice, recording (both at home and in a professional studio), jamming, and gigging. The reason I am thinking this is because the 6101 has only one speaker, which would have to make it a lot more bedroom friendly, at least on the surface, than the 6100 paired with a 4x12". What do you guys think?


----------



## anitoli

Seventh Son said:


> Just a quick question for those of you who have had an opportunity to play both the 6100 and 6101. I never thought of it that way before, but it occurred to me today that the 6101 seemed like the perfect all-around amp for practice, recording (both at home and in a professional studio), jamming, and gigging. The reason I am thinking this is because the 6101 has only one speaker, which would have to make it a lot more bedroom friendly, at least on the surface, than the 6100. What do you guys think?



All 6100's regardless of speaker combinations are bedroom friendly if you use the low volume compensation switch.


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## Seventh Son

anitoli said:


> All 6100's regardless of speaker combinations are bedroom friendly if you use the low volume compensation switch.



True, but I sometimes find the amount of air pushed by a 4x12" in a small bedroom too much, especially with me no longer having the ears that I had as a teenager. I also have a DSL15C that I use for practice and home recording, but I can't shake the thought that the 6101 would be so much better, especially considering it is probably not much bigger than the DSL, and it comes with everything that its bigger brother 6100 has.


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## Jethro Rocker

My 6101 is often a go to as we do tend to habe smaller venues here. Takes up less real estate but still kicks it. Easy to control volume and sounds good with Low Volume Comp on.
I ditched the S303 Gold in favor of a T75 I like much better. Liggter too. Combine with the 6912 cab and it's a light little baby stack. Byt still 100 w of fun if need be. I usually run it at half power.


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## Seventh Son

I just read somewhere that it is not possible to connect more than one effects pedal to a parallel effects loop. Is that true? The pedals I am using are as follows.

MXR Phase 90
MXR Micro Flanger
MXR Analog Chorus
MXR Carbon Copy
Dunlop Echoplex Delay
MXR Reverb

Most of the pedals on the list will be on all the time, but the phaser, flanger, and the Echoplex Delay will be used only for specific applications.


----------



## Fender

Where could you read something about limiting a loop to ONE effect ? Strange place...

What makes a little bit of sense is the fact than in a parallel loop, if you have more than one effect, the effect control serves the whole chain which is not very userful as you certainly want to control the effect level for each pedal. That's another reason why most of us run it in series and that's why most new amps only have a series loop.

BTW in series, the effect level control on the front serves as some kind of second master volume and it's much more progressive than the master volume, so when you have a hard time getting to the right volume, a very slight effect knob movement can do the trick.


----------



## Seventh Son

Fender said:


> Where could you read something about limiting a loop to ONE effect ? Strange place...
> 
> What makes a little bit of sense is the fact than in a parallel loop, if you have more than one effect, the effect control serves the whole chain which is not very userful as you certainly want to control the effect level for each pedal. That's another reason why most of us run it in series and that's why most new amps only have a series loop.
> 
> BTW in series, the effect level control on the front serves as some kind of second master volume and it's much more progressive than the master volume, so when you have a hard time getting to the right volume, a very slight effect knob movement can do the trick.



Believe it or not, the claim that you can't connect more than one pedal to a parallel loop, came from a website that appears to be run by TC Electronic. I've come across other sources claiming the same, but this is one of the more prominent examples.

Now, to the defense of what is being claimed on those websites, there is some truth to that, but I, too, did not think that it would be absolutely impossible to connect more than one pedal to a parallel loop. Like you said, the downside of doing that, if you can call it a downside, is that you can't regulate the amount of individual effect via the Effects knob on the front, which in this application becomes a global mix knob, adding more or less of all the effects linked together. But than again, this is not an insurmountable end, I would think, as you can still do that via the mix, level, or intensity knob on each individual pedal, if the pedal has one. So, I am glad that you confirmed what also seemed logical to me. Now, whether that means that one should just hook up all effects to a serial loop, I do not know. If would seem to me that being able to regulate the amount of all effects simultaneously via the Effects knob still offers some advantages that are good to have, just in case.

Last time I was messing around with the loop, I also noticed that when the loop is set to "serial," the Effects knob becomes something like a second master volume. I can't think of any good use for it, as the master volume knob is very linear, as well, and has a nice, wide range, where it can go anywhere from bedroom level to arena volumes with very little tweaking.


----------



## anitoli

I think that only applies to TC pedals. I ran multiple pedals in the parallel loop for years and it worked ok. I just think the overall sound quality is better through the series loop.


----------



## santiall

you can connect as many pedals as you want probably but it won't work quite well. In a parallel loop the signal goes through the amp as if there were no effects, then you tap the signal at the FX loop location , send it outside to your effect and then MIX is back with the original signal inside the amp. The amp signal flows inside the amp unprocessed, then in PARALLEL we process it and add it back.

To make this work properly you need to mix the effected signal only by killing the direct signal through the loop, otherwise you will run into phasing issues due the direct signal inside the amp mixing itself with the processed signal arriving from the loop.

Now imagine you put a delay and a chorus in the parallel loop. The delayed will send the delayed signal ONLY into the the chorus. Then the chorus will only process the delayed signal and send the 'chorused delay' to the amp . It may work or not for what you want or not be useful but definitely nothing will break. You can connect many pedals to the parallel loop


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## Seventh Son

santiall said:


> you can connect as many pedals as you want probably but it won't work quite well. In a parallel loop the signal goes through the amp as if there were no effects, then you tap the signal at the FX loop location , send it outside to your effect and then MIX is back with the original signal inside the amp. The amp signal flows inside the amp unprocessed, then in PARALLEL we process it and add it back.
> 
> To make this work properly you need to mix the effected signal only by killing the direct signal through the loop, otherwise you will run into phasing issues due the direct signal inside the amp mixing itself with the processed signal arriving from the loop.
> 
> Now imagine you put a delay and a chorus in the parallel loop. The delayed will send the delayed signal ONLY into the the chorus. Then the chorus will only process the delayed signal and send the 'chorused delay' to the amp . It may work or not for what you want or not be useful but definitely nothing will break. You can connect many pedals to the parallel loop



When you say "To make this work properly you need to mix the effected signal only by killing the direct signal through the loop," do you mean that this should be done by turning the Effects knob in the front to the max, or are you essentially saying, "Stay away from using the loop in 'parallel' and select the 'serial' option"?

Also, if putting the loop on "parallel" can result in phasing issues (I assume this potential issue is independent of the number of pedals used), then what is actually the purpose of a parallel loop? How should it be used correctly? Lastly, from what I've gathered, the Line In/Line Out can also be used as an extra serial loop, which would be neat, so that the main loop could be potentially used in parallel. Other than the lack of trim pots and a few other bells and whistles, are there any other practical downsides to using the Line In/Line Out as a serial loop for effects pedals?

By the way, I understand that you are somewhat of an expert on the 6100. It would be of tremendous value, to settle the speculation once and for all, if you could tell us a little more about the Emulated Out on the 6100—how to hook it up correctly, what its intended purpose/uses are, how to get the best sound out of it, and anything else that comes to your mind, as much has been discussed about it here on the board and elsewhere, and I, like many other people, have run into frustrations trying to make the Emulated Out sound more natural and less fizzy and clipped sounding on anything above 1 on all EQ knob settings on the Crunch Channel, just to give you one example.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I get phase issues with my Zoom G3 likely since it is digital. There is always a very slight delay with digutal fx and apparently they try to compensate for this in the circuitry.
Given this, I find my 6101 sounds better and more natural using a serial loop. So this is what I do. Pin the Mix level to full. Then I play. 
Would be nice to get the parallel loop to work the way it's designed but doesn't seem to for me so I use Serial.


----------



## Seventh Son

anitoli said:


> I think that only applies to TC pedals. I ran multiple pedals in the parallel loop for years and it worked ok. I just think the overall sound quality is better through the series loop.



I tried the pedals with serial loop today and it did sound better. The effects sounded fuller and more pronounced. Also, I noticed last night that I was having a volume drop whenever I engaged my MXR Micro Phaser with the loop set to "parallel." Switching the loop to "serial" solved the volume issue. So, as it turns out, phase issues _are_ a real concern when using the loop in "parallel."


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Pretend it doesn't have that choice!! My TSL runs series once the mix knob is maxed. I always run it that way.


----------



## Seventh Son

Jethro Rocker said:


> I get phase issues with my Zoom G3 likely since it is digital. There is always a very slight delay with digutal fx and apparently they try to compensate for this in the circuitry.
> Given this, I find my 6101 sounds better and more natural using a serial loop. So this is what I do. Pin the Mix level to full. Then I play.
> Would be nice to get the parallel loop to work the way it's designed but doesn't seem to for me so I use Serial.



My MXR Micro Flanger is fully analog, so the phase issue is probably simply coming from the amp's dry signal and the wet signal being out of phase, but by switching the loop to "serial," that issue is easily taken care of, and there are a host of other tonal benefits from doing so, as mentioned in my previous post.

I'm just wondering, since you recommend pinning the Effects knob to max on the 6100, while leaving the loop on "parallel," wouldn't it be much more straightforward to just select the "serial" option for the loop? It seems to me that setting Effects on 10 while keeping the loop mode selector on "Parallel" is kind of a roundabout way of doing something that could be done by simply selecting "serial" with a push of a button. Or is there a method to your madness?


----------



## santiall

Seventh Son said:


> When you say "To make this work properly you need to mix the effected signal only by killing the direct signal through the loop," do you mean that this should be done by turning the Effects knob in the front to the max, or are you essentially saying, "Stay away from using the loop in 'parallel' and select the 'serial' option"?
> 
> Also, if putting the loop on "parallel" can result in phasing issues (I assume this potential issue is independent of the number of pedals used), then what is actually the purpose of a parallel loop? How should it be used correctly? Lastly, from what I've gathered, the Line In/Line Out can also be used as an extra serial loop, which would be neat, so that the main loop could be potentially used in parallel. Other than the lack of trim pots and a few other bells and whistles, are there any other practical downsides to using the Line In/Line Out as a serial loop for effects pedals?
> 
> By the way, I understand that you are somewhat of an expert on the 6100. It would be of tremendous value, to settle the speculation once and for all, if you could tell us a little more about the Emulated Out on the 6100—how to hook it up correctly, what its intended purpose/uses are, how to get the best sound out of it, and anything else that comes to your mind, as much has been discussed about it here on the board and elsewhere, and I, like many other people, have run into frustrations trying to make the Emulated Out sound more natural and less fizzy and clipped sounding on anything above 1 on all EQ knob settings on the Crunch Channel, just to give you one example.



the 'kill dry' is done in the effect, not in the amplifier. Many pedals don't have that option so in that case the way to go is serial. On the other hand some pedals, like delays, have the option of 100% effect signal output, that'd be the same as kill dry.

The main reason of a parallel loop is because when that amplifier was designed, in the early 90s, the processors weren't as transparent as they are now so having the chance to keep the signal 'pure' inside the amp and then blending-in the effects only was quite useful. Nowadays, there is no significant difference so the parallel loops are becoming less and less popular. They are still used by some people and it could be a nice feature to have but I wouldn't sweat much on making it work in your particular case. Set the loop in serial mode, plug you pedals and enjoy.

I'm not really an expert although I made a clone of it long ago which was always being modified with my experiments. Anyway, the 6100 emulated out is pretty much the same as many other emulated outputs. That particular one is an old one and can't be compared to much more modern digital cabinet emulators but it helps to send a filtered signal from the amplifier to the mixing desk or recorder.

Just remember that the word 'LINE' usually means a high level signal so don't plug it into a microphone preamp, plug it into the LINE in or set the preamp to accept line signals. Then you can add some additional filtering with an EQ or just add a cabinet emulator in the DAW


----------



## Fender

anitoli said:


> I think that only applies to TC pedals. I ran multiple pedals in the parallel loop for years and it worked ok. I just think the overall sound quality is better through the series loop.


Reading the article, they mention a special case of a parallel loop where you want to have only the wet signal in the loop at the effect output which obviously makes the second pedal in the loop having no dry signal to work on, so this makes sense but only in a very particular case (note : TC pedals have a kill-dry switch for this case. But they also have analog-dry-through so you can use the with any configuration you want)


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Seventh Son said:


> I'm just wondering, since you recommend pinning the Effects knob to max on the 6100, while leaving the loop on "parallel," wouldn't it be much more straightforward to just select the "serial" option for the loop? It seems to me that setting Effects on 10 while keeping the loop mode selector on "Parallel" is kind of a roundabout way of doing something that could be done by simply selecting "serial" with a push of a button. Or is there a method to your madness?


Unless I'm remembering wrong, when the loop is set to Series, which I do, I think the overall volume is then also adjusted by the Mix knob. If you want to also attenuate the volume some more, leave it lower but full up simply gives you full signal. If I remember...


----------



## anitoli

Yup when set to series if you turn the effects knob counterclockwise the signal diminishes.


----------



## Hexenhammer

Hello dudes...
i just created my account to get some answers about my 6101 Combo. btw...sorry for some grammar mistakes...i´m german.
I would like to run a Starfield VPA 1 Tube Pre- Amp via the Power Amp of the 6101. I tried it already and it worked out for about 6 minutes. then Volume turned down. I know there is a way to connect this two beasts, but im not sure, if something could get damaged etc. Have somebody ever tried something like this...? looking forward for some ideas.cheers


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## Fender

what do you mean by "the volume turned down" ?


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## anitoli

Use the line input to run external units. It disconnects the preamp and the power amp is used as a slave.


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## Fender

yup but i hope you didn't fry anything down the loop.
This line input is a blessing too as you can use your amp to amplify boutique preamps as well... most versatile amp ever, maybe...


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## anitoli

An easy way to check the loop is to insert a jumper cable and try the amp. It will pass signal even with the poweramp mute button pushed in.


----------



## fyfsle

Hey folks! I'm trying to join the 6100 club. And actually my 6100 LM just arrived today... but the seller didn't remove the tubes before shipping, so I've got a shattered 5881. Lesson learned for me, I guess. I'm filing a claim w/ UPS but I hear that anyways I can replace w/ 6L6GCs? Thinking of grabbing a matched quad of 6L6GCs instead of replacing w/ 5881s. No idea how it sounds either way, I haven't gotten to turn it on yet since the tube's gone. Is there anything special I'd need to do w.r.t. replacing the 5881s w/ 6L6GCs? Sorry if this question's been answered already, first time posting on this forum and I couldn't figure out how to search the thread. Thanks in advance, I'm really looking forward to playing this thing!


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Nice!! You will have to re bias it. It's a killer amp!! You should get additional output with the 6L6.


----------



## fyfsle

Jethro Rocker said:


> Nice!! You will have to re bias it. It's a killer amp!! You should get additional output with the 6L6.



Thanks! I did actually get to turn it on today - checking the schematic I realized that if I ran it in "low power" I could safely rip out V8, move V11 into V10 (where the broken tube was) and then let it rip. This thing is killer! I can't wait to retube it and get it back to full health, got a friend who can help me do the rebiasing. There's really nothing more to be done than rebiasing? I thought they were different enough you might have to replace a resistor somewhere or something. Anyhow, I'm in love with this amp - it sounds great even when you're playing something other than a guitar through it.


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## Jethro Rocker

Yeah you could run it at 50 watts with 2 tubes. I'm not sure o the reisitor part in terms of a 6100. Just that 6L6 are a direct replacement 5881.
Have to get used to all the modes and effects loops and settings!!


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## anitoli

The 5881 and the 6L6GC both use a 470 ohm Screen grid resistor, the same grid stopper resistors and bias circuit and are completely interchangeable. The half power switch not to be confused with the pentode triode switch lifts the cathode of two tubes. It affects the amp in the same manner as pulling two tubes out.


----------



## fyfsle

anitoli said:


> The 5881 and the 6L6GC both use a 470 ohm Screen grid resistor, the same grid stopper resistors and bias circuit and are completely interchangeable. The half power switch not to be confused with the pentode triode switch lifts the cathode of two tubes. It affects the amp in the same manner as pulling two tubes out.



Interesting, so there was no reason for me to flip the (high/low power, not the triode/pentode) switch after pulling two tubes? Good to know. I also flipped the impedance to 8 ohms while running into a 16 ohm cab because I read in another thread that with two tubes pulled the amplifier is expecting them to pick up extra load each and something something something something, I think I saw your reply in there as well anitoli. I'm curious to confirm whether that was the right/necessary decision as well. Hopefully a moot point as I should have a matched quad of 6L6GCs in a day or two, and then I get to learn how to bias an amplifier!


----------



## Kinkless Tetrode

Commenting on if to use 5881s or 6L6GC,

5881 is the military part number for 6L6GB. The confusion comes from the 5881 part number being used on Russian sourced 6L6GC equivalents during the 90s.

A true 5881 has lower voltage handling capabilities than a 6L6GC. A true 5881 is okay in a JTM45, but a 6100LM series probably needs 6L6GC or 7581 spec tubes, regardless of the actual part number printed on the glass.


----------



## anitoli

Kinkless Tetrode said:


> Commenting on if to use 5881s or 6L6GC,
> 
> 5881 is the military part number for 6L6GB. The confusion comes from the 5881 part number being used on Russian sourced 6L6GC equivalents during the 90s.
> 
> A true 5881 has lower voltage handling capabilities than a 6L6GC. A true 5881 is okay in a JTM45, but a 6100LM series probably needs 6L6GC or 7581 spec tubes, regardless of the actual part number printed on the glass.


Yes this is correct. The Russian 5881's can handle the voltage whereas the US version may not do too well.


----------



## anitoli

fyfsle said:


> Interesting, so there was no reason for me to flip the (high/low power, not the triode/pentode) switch after pulling two tubes? Good to know. I also flipped the impedance to 8 ohms while running into a 16 ohm cab because I read in another thread that with two tubes pulled the amplifier is expecting them to pick up extra load each and something something something something, I think I saw your reply in there as well anitoli. I'm curious to confirm whether that was the right/necessary decision as well. Hopefully a moot point as I should have a matched quad of 6L6GCs in a day or two, and then I get to learn how to bias an amplifier!



As far as changing the impedance when running with two tubes out the first thing is if this was critical to the amps performance why wasn't it included in the manual? Secondly i have run a 6100 with two tubes out, DID NOT change the impedance to 8 ohm ( left it on 16) and cranked the livin piss out of this thing for 6 months and nothing failed. I think with the output fail circuit the OT's were designed to be able to take the mismatch.


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## Jethro Rocker

That's what I wonder as well. I've played about 5 shows on half power but never changed the impedance as NO WHERE does Marshall ever state this. Lower volume mind you but still.


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## anitoli

Jethro Rocker said:


> That's what I wonder as well. I've played about 5 shows on half power but never changed the impedance as NO WHERE does Marshall ever state this. Lower volume mind you but still.


I compared the amps voltages when on half power and with two tubes out and they are virtually identical. The bias only increases 2-3 watts so it really isn't hammering the tubes that hard with them out.


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## marshallmellowed

You guys are making me want to fire up my LM, I've been neglecting it too long.


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## anitoli

marshallmellowed said:


> You guys are making want to fire up my LM, I've been neglecting it too long.




DO IT!!!!!!!!


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## fyfsle

My audio repairman friend helped me do the bias point mod and then we rebiased my amp w/ 6L6GCs in exchange for curry. A good deal, I think, considering it took a good two and a half hours... and now it thunders. Just finished the rebiasing job this morning as I had to stop yesterday before letting the tubes cook and testing for drift. They drifted quite a bit - had it biased at about 22 watts idle dissipation yesterday, this morning the tube I measured drifted to about 19 watts. Tipped it up a little to 20 and called it good enough for me. Having poked my hands inside it I can say I love this thing to bits now - it's the first Marshall I've ever owned, did my research before deciding to pick it up. Many thanks to anitoli for your fantastic resource on biasing!


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## anitoli

You are welcome. Great choice for a first Marshall. You can't beat these amps.


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## Seventh Son

I was just wondering what you guys think of the pickup compensation switches on the 6100? Do you use them and what are your thoughts on them?


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## anitoli

I use the low all the time otherwise it sounds like too much gain in the bottom end. The high i don't notice any difference. It's supposed to be for removing patchiness from single coils but even with a strat i don't hear anything.


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## RickyLee

Seventh Son said:


> I was just wondering what you guys think of the pickup compensation switches on the 6100? Do you use them and what are your thoughts on them?



Next time I have my 6100 out, I will try to remember to experiment with those switches. Has been on my to do list for some time.

I sure would like to have another gig soon at this place I played last weekend. I used my JVM410H on that last one. But I want to take the 6100 along to possibly split the show between the 6100 and JVM.

I have no doubts they will both sound equally impressive. But the JVM has the advantage of having an FX loop that can be turned off/on by the foot controller. The TSL100 has that as well, but I get some volume differences as well as tone colring with the TSL loop. The JVM sounds the same with the loop being switched off/on.


----------



## Fender

I'm considering "converting" my 6101 combo to a head.
I want it to be able to revert back to its combo cabinet.
What I Intend to do :
- Making an upside/down panel using the manual pdf version and modifying it (is the scale of the panel images in mashall manuals accurate enough ?), it would be attachable/detachable
- Drilling a hole for a neutrik jack output to wire the 16 ohm output to keep the 8/4 Ohm usable without re-wiring
- Hardest part : designing some kind of light weight cabinet keeping the valves visible behind glass or something like that with a handle for transport. Was considering using metal sheets only for the bottom to attach the chassis with a big handle and a glass/plexi cover on top in the style of turntable ones (with little holes on the upper surface and in the back for ventilation) with a marshall logo on it.

If you have opinions/ideas, they're welcome (even if it's flaming the idea )


----------



## fyfsle

Fender said:


> I'm considering "converting" my 6101 combo to a head.
> I want it to be able to revert back to its combo cabinet.
> What I Intend to do :
> - Making an upside/down panel using the manual pdf version and modifying it (is the scale of the panel images in mashall manuals accurate enough ?), it would be attachable/detachable
> - Drilling a hole for a neutrik jack output to wire the 16 ohm output to keep the 8/4 Ohm usable without re-wiring
> - Hardest part : designing some kind of light weight cabinet keeping the valves visible behind glass or something like that with a handle for transport. Was considering using metal sheets only for the bottom to attach the chassis with a big handle and a glass/plexi cover on top in the style of turntable ones (with little holes on the upper surface and in the back for ventilation) with a marshall logo on it.
> 
> If you have opinions/ideas, they're welcome (even if it's flaming the idea )



I'm liking my head so much that I'm thinking about picking up a 6101 the next time I have some disposable cash. Why you wouldn't just grab a head instead? Seems like a lot of work to go to to do the head conversion when you could just have another 610x lying around.  Otherwise seems like a cool project, you could end up with a real tiny 6100 "head" to use!


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## Fender

yeah I thought about buying a 6100 head, but it's much more expensive than what I think my little conversion would cost and it kind of bothers me to buy the same amp I already own :/


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## Fender

pic


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## Fender

a sample from last january (LP neck then bridge) (mic'ed with a SM58 without its blowing protection)


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## Fender

A little photo shoot from the recap/upgrade I did this past month :


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## Force235

RickyLee said:


> I was at a jam a few years back at a buddys house where a guitarist showed up with a JVM410H half stack. Sad to say, that my Vox AD120VTH kicked that JVM's ass for tone that day. I am sure the guy did not have that JVM dialed in to my or my drummers liking, but I was very underwhelmed. I have never played through a JVM myself, but of course it is on my GAS list. If I can ever get myself to sell my second '88 2205 or flip this second 6100LM I just got, maybe I can get one.
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted to just chime in, that I was comparing this 6100LM I just got to my '94 6100 non LM. I will eventually do a proper comparison by loading the same valves/tubes into both amps. I want to hear the difference mainly in the LM circuit. But tonight I was playing both amps in my bedroom at a decent volume. I actually tinkered a bit more with CH2 mode C (basically just backed the Gain WAY DOWN) and I was floored how good this mode sounds. It actually was almost spot on to CH3. I do have identical Chinese 12AX7B's in V1 - V7 of this '97 6100LM, where my first '94 6100 has a mix of NOS (Mullard/GE/Tungsram) and new production in the preamp. Maybe having the same tubes on each channel contributed.
> 
> Anyway, I am digging CH2 C big time.c2C seems to sound slightly better in the '97 LM than the '94. I am really thinking hard on adding a switching circuit to one of these 6100 amps now. At first, I was just thinking I would like to either have footswitch access between CH 2 A B. Then I was thinking I would like to be able to footswitch the Boost on CH3. Now, I am really thinking hard on two relay circuits and being able to footswitch to CH2 B C.
> 
> Anyone else here considered doing this?
> 
> Anitoli, I know you must have given it some thought . . . .



No Vox beat a Marshall, ever, either your ears were full of crudge, or you don't know awesome sound, you choose.


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## RickyLee

Force235 said:


> No Vox beat a Marshall, ever, either your ears were full of crudge, or you don't know awesome sound, you choose.



So you must be that dude that showed up with the JVM 410H half stack at that jam, trying to outplay me on guitar.




I do not recall how long ago I posted that statement you dug up and quoted me on, but I just so happen to own a JVM 410H as of these last few months.

And I will tell you about another little small amp that can run circles around much bigger tube monsters . . . . that is my little Deluxe Reverb. You ever heard of a Fender amp showing up a Marshall amp as well?

But all knob twiddling aside, it all comes down to how you dial in an amp, as well as your guitar and speaker cab. And then I would think some guitar skills come into play as well, every time we hear a supposedly inferior sounding amp taking down an amp like a Marshall, Soldano, Bogner, Splawn yadda yadda yadda. Not much of a contest when you go up against someone that does not know how to dial in their amp to get an ass kicking tone, but they sure can find a way to make their rig either squeal like a pig or kill your ears with fatiguing shrill highs.

And you may not like this one either, but my old Carvin rack setup made some dudes Soldano SLO100 sound quite inferior at a bar gig that my old band played at regularly many moons ago. I will not get into anything about the dudes guitar skills, or claim that I am some badass guitar player, because I am not that type of person. I respect everybody for their own individual skills and talent. Some people are just fortunate to be naturally blessed with superior musicals skills and a fine tuned set of ears , while some people have to work very hard at it.


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## funky3l

Hi Folks,
If anyone's looking for the original Celestion G12 (Gold) S303 speakers, I have two such speakers in perfect tchnical confition for sale - fresh from a blue 6101 LE and a black 6101 LM.
I replaced them with NeoCreambacks, mostly due to lower weight and more mids.


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## Fender

these aren't much popular these days (contrary to the amps themselves)
they don't sound great in open back position but I found that they are better than the G12B-150 in a 1912 closed back cab.


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## stratherb

Nice speakers, maybe I will get my dream speakers on friday: for my 2x12 cab, 2x Rola G12h 55h from 76....I think, that will be the right deal ;-)


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## HOT TUBES 70

I love my 6100 , it never fails to deliver the tone !


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## James Henderson

Tonton said:


> *All new owners of 6100's...welcome to the dark side!*
> 
> I noted the bulky thread was deleted.
> So let's start from here again and show your beautiful 6100's.
> A central thread to share tips, settings and mods and discuss about *the best Marshall ever made!*
> 
> 6100LE (blue with brass chassis- limited to 800, EL34s)
> 6100 (blue - no brass chassis, no limited batch but only build in 1992, EL34s)
> 6100 (black with EL34 build in 1993 - 1994/5)
> 6100 (black with 5881/6L6 from 1994/5)
> 6100 LM (black with 5881/6L6, LM=Lead Mod which means more gain in the 3rd channel)


Satriani LOVED this amp and toured with it. He ran a DS1 pedal intobthe clean channel.You never know! Of course Satch has the touch


----------



## Seventh Son

Another famous user of the amp is Adrian Smith. He used them a lot in the 2000s. Currently, he uses a JVM410H. He apparently likes channel switchers.


----------



## Seventh Son

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> I love my 6100 , it never fails to deliver the tone !
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 49207


I can only agree. It's a great amp that sounds great and has a ton of useful features. I don't like messing with pedals when I need a solo boost. This amp makes it so easy. There's a Clean channel for clean sounds, Crunch for rhythm work, and Lead for soloing. It just makes sense.

In non-true Marshall fashion, this amp has a great clean channel. With the Bright switch engaged, my 6L6-equipped 6100LM can do some serious Fender cleans.


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

I read somewhere once that Slash used one in the studio back in the day ...


----------



## Seventh Son

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> I read somewhere once that Slash used one in the studio back in the day ...


If Slash indeed used it, I could see why. The 6100 does the JCM800 thing very convincingly and has a great clean tone.

Alex Lifeson is another famous user.


----------



## cust22

Hi I'm new here. I have a Blue 6100 inbound...I'm totally stoked, I've always wanted one of these.


----------



## Seventh Son

cust22 said:


> Hi I'm new here. I have a Blue 6100 inbound...I'm totally stoked, I've always wanted one of these.


Welcome to the club! The 6100 is a great amp. It will really spoil you.


----------



## 67Mopar

I switched to an '87 Marshall SJ 50 watt, but there are times when I miss my 6100LM.


----------



## fyfsle

Hey friends! Wanted to share the results of some troubleshooting w/ my 6100LM. I've been having some issues with *massive* squealing when playing with high gain, especially if I use, say, a boosted fuzz pedal into the lead channel (just for laughs, and when debugging this issue.) It also happened when I did things like push the lead channel with a boost and then turn up the channel volume a bit: things seemed to form a feedback loop, maybe through a ground loop of some form, going back through all my pedals into the front of the amp and out through the FX send back to my pedalboard (I connect things w/ the "four cable method".) When I ran just the boosted fuzz, the squeal happened on all three channels of the amp.

Anyways, I hit the effects loop level switch on the back of the amp (to switch it to -10 dB instead of +4 dB, instrument instead of rack level) and the squealing is now gone, replaced with the hissing white-noise I would expect from very-high-gain operation! I suspect there still is a ground loop somewhere in my rig but I can now crank gain all I want and not have to worry about a horrible high-pitched ear-destroying banshee wail.


----------



## Seventh Son

I recently had some questions regarding using the effects loop. At that point, I was a total novice to the whole effects pedals thing. Since then, I have learned that, as most of you have recommended, the loop works best in series. When using the loop in parallel, I had volume drop issues whenever I engaged my MXR Micro Flanger. I contacted MXR's tech support and sent them a video and pictures of my setup. They were positive that it wasn't a phase issue, but rather either an impedance issue or an issue with the signal being too strong for the pedal. After testing the pedal by placing a buffered pedal in front and after it, I was able to rule out impedance as a possible issue. I am still not sure why the pedal is not cooperating, but when I switch the loop to series, the issue goes away. Similarly, a few of my other pedals, most notably my Phase 90, sounded weak in parallel, but normal in series.

Now my questions.

First, since I am using pedals and not rack stuff in the loop, it would seem that, in theory, I should leave the Loop Level button out (I think that's the -10dB setting), but when I push it in (and pin the Effects mix knob in the front at max), the overall volume with the loop engaged matches the overall volume with the loop deactivated. When the Loop Level button is in the "out" position, the overall volume is lower than with the loop disengaged. Am I doing this right by pressing the Loop Level button?

Second, when I compare the volume on Channel 3 to Channel 1 and Channel 2 volumes, I get an _almost_ perfect match in volume when the two level trim pots are set hard left to -10dB. I could get an even better match by turning the trim pots up just a little more, but I figured I'd keep it simple and just turn both hard left. Does this sound about right?

It doesn't surprise me that the two trim pots yield best results when set to -10dB, since I'm using stomp effects and that should be the correct level. However, what does seem counterintuitive, is that the overall volume with the pedals hooked up in the loop (series) matches the overall volume without anything in the loop when the Loop Level button is engaged and set to +4dB (engaging the button is significantly louder than leaving it out).

And, by the way, I didn't notice any coloration in sound with the loop in series. To my ears, the amp sounds just as good with pedals in series as when played totally dry, with no pedals in the loop.


----------



## fyfsle

Seventh Son said:


> I recently had some questions regarding using the effects loop. At that point, I was a total novice to the whole effects pedals thing. Since then, I have learned that, as most of you have recommended, the loop works best in series. When using the loop in parallel, I had volume drop issues whenever I engaged my MXR Micro Flanger. I contacted MXR's tech support and sent them a video and pictures of my setup. They were positive that it wasn't a phase issue, but rather either an impedance issue or an issue with the signal being too strong for the pedal. After testing the pedal by placing a buffered pedal in front and after it, I was able to rule out impedance as a possible issue. I am still not sure why the pedal is not cooperating, but when I switch the loop to series, the issue goes away. Similarly, a few of my other pedals, most notably my Phase 90, sounded weak in parallel, but normal in series.
> 
> Now my questions.
> 
> First, since I am using pedals and not rack stuff in the loop, it would seem that, in theory, I should leave the Loop Level button out (I think that's the -10dB setting), but when I push it in (and pin the Effects mix knob in the front at max), the overall volume with the loop engaged matches the overall volume with the loop deactivated. When the Loop Level button is in the "out" position, the overall volume is lower than with the loop disengaged. Am I doing this right by pressing the Loop Level button?
> 
> Second, when I compare the volume on Channel 3 to Channel 1 and Channel 2 volumes, I get an _almost_ perfect match in volume when the two level trim pots are set hard left to -10dB. I could get an even better match by turning the trim pots up just a little more, but I figured I'd keep it simple and just turn both hard left. Does this sound about right?
> 
> It doesn't surprise me that the two trim pots yield best results when set to -10dB, since I'm using stomp effects and that should be the correct level. However, what does seem counterintuitive, is that the overall volume with the pedals hooked up in the loop (series) matches the overall volume without anything in the loop when the Loop Level button is engaged and set to +4dB (engaging the button is significantly louder than leaving it out).
> 
> And, by the way, I didn't notice any coloration in sound with the loop in series. To my ears, the amp sounds just as good with pedals in series as when played totally dry, with no pedals in the loop.



Okay, so. This are my assumptions and inferences regarding my adventures. First off, I think you've got it backwards about the switch positions for -10dB and +4dB: in is "pedal level" and out is "rack level". I think this because the symptoms you're reporting make more sense if it's backwards, and also because the manual states that the series/parallel switch "selects series or parallel", and then states that the loop level selector switch "selects ... (-10 or +4dB)". Maybe that's reading too closely, but here's my explanation for the volume drops you're experiencing...

When the effects loop switches from -10dB to +4dB operation, that means two separate things must happen on the amplifier side:

The FX send must output a 14 dB louder signal.
The FX return must attenuate the incoming signal by 14 dB.
Suppose your equipment is putting out "pedal level" signal at -10dB regardless of input level. This means that now if you switch to "rack level" on the FX loop, the FX return would expect +4dB, and it would begin to overattenuate your signal: there's your volume drop with the line level switch out, and that's why it restores to full volume with the switch back in (-10dB mode.) Worth noting, I'm running with the switch in, assuming that this means it's at -10dB mode. The schematic seems to support this. Looking at this particular section, which shows the FX loop:


The "SW202A" and "SW202B", I believe, are two poles of the FX loop level switch. If I'm reading this right, this means that switch "off" (out, the default position) causes two things:

A louder signal coming out of the FX send. Note that SW202A and SW202B are both connected to ground, which means that 202A being a closed circuit causes some voltage to be dumped to ground, resulting in attenuation of the signal into the FX send.
202B being a closed circuit causes the op-amp buffering the FX return to amplify more, as it attenuates the signal in its negative feedback loop.
So I believe that SW202 being closed, switch pushed in, is "instrument level" in the FX loop.

Now, why would your equipment output -10dB no matter whether it's given +4dB or -10dB? +4dB could be driving things too hard and/or causing compression somewhere. With pedals like analog flangers (lookin' at you, Micro Flanger) I understand that analog delay chips can be overdriven fairly easily.

As for why would your equipment sound off when things are in parallel? My first suspicion would be that there's a phase issue in there, despite what the MXR people say. Flangers as far as I understand them are really not designed for use in a parallel FX loop. Their whole behavior is based off of the idea of intentional phasing and mixing a subtly delayed signal back in with the original. I'm pretty sure the Micro Flanger doesn't have a "direct" signal control, and mixing the clean signal back in for a second time may just not give the effect you expect.

I did not proofread this message. Sorry if it's incoherent... in a bit of a food coma at the moment. Cheers!


----------



## Seventh Son

fyfsle said:


> Okay, so. This are my assumptions and inferences regarding my adventures. First off, I think you've got it backwards about the switch positions for -10dB and +4dB: in is "pedal level" and out is "rack level". I think this because the symptoms you're reporting make more sense if it's backwards, and also because the manual states that the series/parallel switch "selects series or parallel", and then states that the loop level selector switch "selects ... (-10 or +4dB)". Maybe that's reading too closely, but here's my explanation for the volume drops you're experiencing...
> 
> When the effects loop switches from -10dB to +4dB operation, that means two separate things must happen on the amplifier side:
> 
> The FX send must output a 14 dB louder signal.
> The FX return must attenuate the incoming signal by 14 dB.
> Suppose your equipment is putting out "pedal level" signal at -10dB regardless of input level. This means that now if you switch to "rack level" on the FX loop, the FX return would expect +4dB, and it would begin to overattenuate your signal: there's your volume drop with the line level switch out, and that's why it restores to full volume with the switch back in (-10dB mode.) Worth noting, I'm running with the switch in, assuming that this means it's at -10dB mode. The schematic seems to support this. Looking at this particular section, which shows the FX loop:
> View attachment 51032
> 
> The "SW202A" and "SW202B", I believe, are two poles of the FX loop level switch. If I'm reading this right, this means that switch "off" (out, the default position) causes two things:
> 
> A louder signal coming out of the FX send. Note that SW202A and SW202B are both connected to ground, which means that 202A being a closed circuit causes some voltage to be dumped to ground, resulting in attenuation of the signal into the FX send.
> 202B being a closed circuit causes the op-amp buffering the FX return to amplify more, as it attenuates the signal in its negative feedback loop.
> So I believe that SW202 being closed, switch pushed in, is "instrument level" in the FX loop.
> 
> Now, why would your equipment output -10dB no matter whether it's given +4dB or -10dB? +4dB could be driving things too hard and/or causing compression somewhere. With pedals like analog flangers (lookin' at you, Micro Flanger) I understand that analog delay chips can be overdriven fairly easily.
> 
> As for why would your equipment sound off when things are in parallel? My first suspicion would be that there's a phase issue in there, despite what the MXR people say. Flangers as far as I understand them are really not designed for use in a parallel FX loop. Their whole behavior is based off of the idea of intentional phasing and mixing a subtly delayed signal back in with the original. I'm pretty sure the Micro Flanger doesn't have a "direct" signal control, and mixing the clean signal back in for a second time may just not give the effect you expect.
> 
> I did not proofread this message. Sorry if it's incoherent... in a bit of a food coma at the moment. Cheers!


No worries, mate. That was an excellent explanation. So detailed and informative, in fact, that I read it several times to digest the information. I really wish Marshall had provided better instructions in the manual, considering that the Parallel/Series and Loop Level are not labeled clearly on the back.

I would be curious as to what others have to say regarding the theory on parallel loops and time based effects. I absolutely share your conjecture that flanging and phasing effects, being based on delaying and otherwise transforming the original signal, might run into phasing issues when mixed in with the original signal. What is weird, is that many guides on how to use effects in the loop recommend that parallel loops are best suitable for time-based effects. Maybe by referring to time-based effects they are implicitly excluding modulation effects, such as flangers and phasers?


----------



## fyfsle

Seventh Son said:


> No worries, mate. That was an excellent explanation. So detailed and informative, in fact, that I read it several times to digest the information. I really wish Marshall had provided better instructions in the manual, considering that the Parallel/Series and Loop Level are not labeled clearly on the back.
> 
> I would be curious as to what others have to say regarding the theory on parallel loops and time based effects. I absolutely share your conjecture that flanging and phasing effects, being based on delaying and otherwise transforming the original signal, might run into phasing issues when mixed in with the original signal. What is weird, is that many guides on how to use effects in the loop recommend that parallel loops are best suitable for time-based effects. Maybe by referring to time-based effects they are implicitly excluding modulation effects, such as flangers and phasers?



I think not. I think that they're explicitly including them. I've been thinking back over this, and I think that just a phasing issue by itself doesn't actually make much sense. A parallel effects loop has to be designed not to have phasing issues, since if it did, that wouldn't be of much use. An interesting feature that Marshall could have added to the parallel loop to make phasing issues easier to debug would be an "invert phase" switch... Anyhow, the MXR tech support people did suggest that it could be because of the pedal being overdriven. Have you tried the Micro Flanger in parallel with the effects loop at -10dB? Does that still have the same problems?

Another thing is that running with "time-based" effects in a parallel loop usually involves cutting out the direct signal coming out of those effects. For example, a flanger, internally, consists of a short delay line (5-30 ms) which is then immediately mixed back in with the clean signal. Intentional phase issues at the mixing point cause a comb filter effect, the exact placement of which varies based on the length of the delay, which in a flanger is controlled by an LFO. So usually what needs to be done to run a pedal which has this clean/phase-varied signal mixing in a parallel effects loop, is to cut out the clean signal that gets mixed back in entirely; and let the amp's parallel FX loop do that mixing. So if you're running a delay in a parallel loop, you cut out the delay's dry-through, and make it only output the delayed sound, and let the amp do the delayed/dry mixing. Same for reverb. As a consequence of this, running multiple wet-only pedals in a parallel loop can start to sound weird: if you run a wet-only delay into a wet-only reverb, then only the echoes will be reverberated, for example. Or if you run a wet-only flanger into a wet-only delay, you won't really get flanging at all... you'll just get subtly extra-delayed delays. Anyways, the long story short of what my advice would be is, parallel effects loops are generally not very useful if you're running multiple pedals in them.

One potential explanation for the flanger having less volume in the parallel effects loop is a combination of both phasing "issues" and overdrive. Suppose that both the clean and delayed signals, in the flanger, get compressed due to drive, but the clean signal gets compressed more than the delayed signal. Then in the series mode, the flanger will likely sound louder than it would not being driven, because the clean signal isn't cancelling/phasing out as much of the delayed signal as expected. Going into parallel mode, the clean signal will start to be reinforced by the amp, phasing out more of the delayed signal. Or at least that's my hypothesis. This has some holes in it (it feels unlikely to me that the delayed signal would somehow be getting compressed less than the clean signal) and it doesn't necessarily work as well for explaining the same problem with the Phase 90, but the long story short is, if you haven't tried the flanger/phaser/whatnot in the parallel loop with the loop level set to -10dB, it might solve things!

Last but not least, a quick sanity check: at least with my experience, the "series" FX loop is engaged when the switch is in, and the parallel FX loop is when the switch is out. It would make more sense and be easier to explain that things are louder with the parallel FX loop on (since the amp signal would reinforce the clean signal in the flanger, drive problems notwithstanding.) I had some interesting issues a little while back with the parallel FX loop accidentally engaged... when I turned on my digital noise gate, suddenly the amp sounded like it had a stuck flanger in it! I've come to the conclusion that the noise gate puts out a little constant delay when it's on that causes flanger-style phasing issues when run in parallel, that the FX loop is in series when the button is pushed in, and that I'm an idiot.

Hope this helps!


----------



## simonholland

Tonton said:


> *All new owners of 6100's...welcome to the dark side!*
> 
> I noted the bulky thread was deleted.
> So let's start from here again and show your beautiful 6100's.
> A central thread to share tips, settings and mods and discuss about *the best Marshall ever made!*
> 
> 6100LE (blue with brass chassis- limited to 800, EL34s)
> 6100 (blue - no brass chassis, no limited batch but only build in 1992, EL34s)
> 6100 (black with EL34 build in 1993 - 1994/5)
> 6100 (black with 5881/6L6 from 1994/5)
> 6100 LM (black with 5881/6L6, LM=Lead Mod which means more gain in the 3rd channel)


Hi, i'm kinda new to this forum stuff but i have some questions about the Marshall 6100 series. How do i go about doing that?


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## anitoli

Just Ask.


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## fyfsle

I've been messing with trying to record some scratch tracks w/ my 6100LM and I've run into an issue: I hate how the compensated line out sounds. I've compared running the compensated XLR out into my audio interface with running a 1/4 inch cable from the uncompensated out into my interface and then into a cab sim in my daw (Mercuriall Cab v3.) I find that the compensated line out, while not nearly as terrible as the raw signal from the uncompensated, un-cabsim'd line out, is still extremely fizzy and scratchy. The uncompensated line out run through Mercuriall Cab sounded way better. I'm wondering why this might be. I'm thinking that the built-in recording out may be designed to sound like an SM-57 or other mic right on the dust cap, while I prefer the sound of a mic placed at the point where the dust cap meets the cone. Anyone know anything about this? I use the lead channel a lot for high gain stuff, which is where this fizziness really gets me the most.


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## Jethro Rocker

I agree with the series loop for time based. As long as it sounds good to you, it matters not.
The phase issues with digital fx in parallel means I run mine in series and it's fine.


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## Seventh Son

fyfsle said:


> I've been messing with trying to record some scratch tracks w/ my 6100LM and I've run into an issue: I hate how the compensated line out sounds. I've compared running the compensated XLR out into my audio interface with running a 1/4 inch cable from the uncompensated out into my interface and then into a cab sim in my daw (Mercuriall Cab v3.) I find that the compensated line out, while not nearly as terrible as the raw signal from the uncompensated, un-cabsim'd line out, is still extremely fizzy and scratchy. The uncompensated line out run through Mercuriall Cab sounded way better. I'm wondering why this might be. I'm thinking that the built-in recording out may be designed to sound like an SM-57 or other mic right on the dust cap, while I prefer the sound of a mic placed at the point where the dust cap meets the cone. Anyone know anything about this? I use the lead channel a lot for high gain stuff, which is where this fizziness really gets me the most.


I've experimented so much the the Balanced Compensated Output over the years that by now I should have a PhD in it. I do not know for sure why it sounds so bad when Marshall describes it as "of such high quality that miking an amp should no longer be necessary," but I do have a few possible theories.

One way to make it sound better (this is something I found through trial and error) is to set all your EQ knobs (Bass, Middle, Treble) somewhere between 0 and 2 at the most. You almost have to think of the 0–2 range as being your new 0–10. Small changes in any of the knobs will have a drastic impact on the final result. This approach will tame the fizz and the whole will sound much more natural, but still not perfect. Someone else on this thread once suggested that the issue with the BCO might be that it sends too hot of a signal to the line input (use TRS cable on the interface and only run it into a line input, or set your mic inputs to "line" if the option is available on your interface), where the signal doesn't show clipping on the interface, as it is already clipped in a sense. I am not an expert on this stuff, but the fact that lowering all EQ settings to 0–2 helps with the tone may support that theory, as the EQ tweaks should have an impact on output, and hence the signal "hotness." Maybe someone who is more knowledgeable can comment on this theory. The person who advanced this theory claimed that an inline pad was the solution to the problem.
Another theory I have is that the EQ buttons function more like microphone placement selectors, where EQ settings around noon would be more like an SM-57 pointed at the center of the speaker, resulting in the ungodly amount of fizz. This theory doesn't sound very plausible to me, but I thought I'd mentioned it for completeness's sake.
My next theory is that maybe the BCO is just plain low quality and that's why it sounds muddy and fizzy, and also somehow woody and super dry at the same time. Hard to explain, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
The last theory that someone on here had, is that the BCO simulates the speaker and not the cab and the room, and would need to be enhanced with a cab simulator and some room sim or just some reverb (the idea about the room sim/reverb in conjunction with a cab sim comes from me).
I really want the BCO to sound great. It's such as cool feature. I even emailed Marshall a while ago to see if they had any insight, but got nothing more useful out of them than what I already knew. If anyone knows how to make the BCO sound good without any software tricks, I would love to know.


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## Seventh Son

Jethro Rocker said:


> I agree with the series loop for time based. As long as it sounds good to you, it matters not.
> The phase issues with digital fx in parallel means I run mine in series and it's fine.


I agree. Running the pedals in series solves the issue, but in my case, the problems with the parallel loop are happening not with digital effects, but with analog effects (the MXR Phase 90 and the MXR Micro Flanger). Just saying, as you seem to hypothesize that the issues with effects in the parallel loop are only limited to digital effects, and I don't think that theory is correct.


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## fyfsle

Seventh Son said:


> I've experimented so much the the Balanced Compensated Output over the years that by now I should have a PhD in it. I do not know for sure why it sounds so bad when Marshall describes it as "of such high quality that miking an amp should no longer be necessary," but I do have a few possible theories.
> 
> One way to make it sound better (this is something I found through trial and error) is to set all your EQ knobs (Bass, Middle, Treble) somewhere between 0 and 2 at the most. You almost have to think of the 0–2 range as being your new 0–10. Small changes in any of the knobs will have a drastic impact on the final result. This approach will tame the fizz and the whole will sound much more natural, but still not perfect. Someone else on this thread once suggested that the issue with the BCO might be that it sends too hot of a signal to the line input (use TRS cable on the interface and only run it into a line input, or set your mic inputs to "line" if the option is available on your interface), where the signal doesn't show clipping on the interface, as it is already clipped in a sense. I am not an expert on this stuff, but the fact that lowering all EQ settings to 0–2 helps with the tone may support that theory, as the EQ tweaks should have an impact on output, and hence the signal "hotness." Maybe someone who is more knowledgeable can comment on this theory. The person who advanced this theory claimed that an inline pad was the solution to the problem.
> Another theory I have is that the EQ buttons function more like microphone placement selectors, where EQ settings around noon would be more like an SM-57 pointed at the center of the speaker, resulting in the ungodly amount of fizz. This theory doesn't sound very plausible to me, but I thought I'd mentioned it for completeness's sake.
> My next theory is that maybe the BCO is just plain low quality and that's why it sounds muddy and fizzy, and also somehow woody and super dry at the same time. Hard to explain, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
> The last theory that someone on here had, is that the BCO simulates the speaker and not the cab and the room, and would need to be enhanced with a cab simulator and some room sim or just some reverb (the idea about the room sim/reverb in conjunction with a cab sim comes from me).
> I really want the BCO to sound great. It's such as cool feature. I even emailed Marshall a while ago to see if they had any insight, but got nothing more useful out of them than what I already knew. If anyone knows how to make the BCO sound good without any software tricks, I would love to know.



That's great information! I actually do already have my audio interface set to take a line-level signal, so I don't think that's the case here. At some point in the next few days I'm going to try and take a look at the circuitry which forms the BCO's cab sim, since it's all analog, I believe. If I get adventurous enough I may even try modding it to remove the cab simulation: I'd love to have a balanced output without a cab sim so that I could run my amp's out straight to my interface without a DI box. Would be pretty cool to be able to use my 6100LM as a DI without the bad cabsim!

As for the EQ knobs affecting the tone that much, lowering them that far shouldn't do too much, I'd expect? I'd think you'd get the same effect just by really carefully lowering the channel volume. The possibility remains that something very, very strange is happening and perhaps circuitry in the BCO is being overdriven!? But I doubt that Marshall would make a mistake that bad and frankly amateur. I almost want to inspect my amp to see if there are bad caps in the cabsim section. Then again, analog cabsims aren't known for having the best tone, especially ones from this era.


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## Seventh Son

fyfsle said:


> That's great information! I actually do already have my audio interface set to take a line-level signal, so I don't think that's the case here. At some point in the next few days I'm going to try and take a look at the circuitry which forms the BCO's cab sim, since it's all analog, I believe. If I get adventurous enough I may even try modding it to remove the cab simulation: I'd love to have a balanced output without a cab sim so that I could run my amp's out straight to my interface without a DI box. Would be pretty cool to be able to use my 6100LM as a DI without the bad cabsim!
> 
> As for the EQ knobs affecting the tone that much, lowering them that far shouldn't do too much, I'd expect? I'd think you'd get the same effect just by really carefully lowering the channel volume. The possibility remains that something very, very strange is happening and perhaps circuitry in the BCO is being overdriven!? But I doubt that Marshall would make a mistake that bad and frankly amateur. I almost want to inspect my amp to see if there are bad caps in the cabsim section. Then again, analog cabsims aren't known for having the best tone, especially ones from this era.


I think the guy who came up with the "signal too hot" theory meant that even when you're using the right cables and plugging them into a line input, which is the correct way to do it, the signal is still too hot, requiring attenuation via an inline pad attenuating the signal somewhere between -10dB to -30dB.

Based on my interpretation of the original manual, the BCO is a speaker simulation, not a cabinet simulation, which may explain the unnatural character of the recorded sound using the BCO, as the speaker sim lacks the cabinet resonance and room ambience. _If_ it is a speaker sim, that would explain the inherent fizziness in the BCO's tone, as it would presumably simulate a lot of the super high and useless frequencies found at the center of the speaker.

I recently decided to compare the BCO with a simple SM-57 and the SM-57 sounded great. From that point of view, I really don't _need_ the BCO, except that it would be nice to be able to record silently late at night.


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## Jethro Rocker

Seventh Son said:


> I agree. Running the pedals in series solves the issue, but in my case, the problems with the parallel loop are happening not with digital effects, but with analog effects (the MXR Phase 90 and the MXR Micro Flanger). Just saying, as you seem to hypothesize that the issues with effects in the parallel loop are only limited to digital effects, and I don't think that theory is correct.


No you are right it works for all time based. Mine happen to be digital and there is always a slight delay in digital effects which makes the problem worse. I was stating why I run mine personally in series. Sorry for any confusion.


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## Seventh Son

Jethro Rocker said:


> No you are right it works for all time based. Mine happen to be digital and there is always a slight delay in digital effects which makes the problem worse. I was stating why I run mine personally in series. Sorry for any confusion.


Here are three very informative articles on the subject of series vs. parallel effects loops.
https://neunaber.net/blogs/neunaber-audio-blog/why-kill-dry
https://neunaber.net/blogs/neunaber-audio-blog/the-perilous-parallel-loop
https://coloradoguitar.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/all-about-effects-loops-parallel-vs-series/


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## Jethro Rocker

Thanks for that! Informative.


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## HOT TUBES 70

This needs to be posted ...


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## fyfsle

Friends! An interesting conundrum! I've heard again and again that with direct/recording outputs on amplifiers it's often the case that "you can just switch it to standby and record silently, no problem." But in my 6100LM's case, I've discovered that when I switch it to standby, the recording output's level drops almost completely, from -18dB at my audio interface down to -50dB! Anyone know why this might be? What exactly does the standby switch do in the 6100LM's circuitry? It appears that the standby switch cuts power to the power amp's bias rails, for the V7 phase inverter and V8-11 power tubes. I don't see how that could affect the uncompensated line out.

This isn't a problem as much of a curiosity. The "Mute Power Amp Input" switch does just fine in lieu of the standby switch for silent recording.


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## Seventh Son

fyfsle said:


> Friends! An interesting conundrum! I've heard again and again that with direct/recording outputs on amplifiers it's often the case that "you can just switch it to standby and record silently, no problem." But in my 6100LM's case, I've discovered that when I switch it to standby, the recording output's level drops almost completely, from -18dB at my audio interface down to -50dB! Anyone know why this might be? What exactly does the standby switch do in the 6100LM's circuitry? It appears that the standby switch cuts power to the power amp's bias rails, for the V7 phase inverter and V8-11 power tubes. I don't see how that could affect the uncompensated line out.
> 
> This isn't a problem as much of a curiosity. The "Mute Power Amp Input" switch does just fine in lieu of the standby switch for silent recording.


I think mine does that, too. I don't know the answer to your question, but I am almost sure Anitoli can help you. Hopefully, he is reading this. If not, I'd send him a message and see what he says.


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## Seventh Son

I was playing my different amps today and was reminded again of what a great amp the 6100LM is, not the least due to the brilliant Low Volume Compensation switch. Even at bedroom volumes, my half stack sounds amazing and records so well, with results sounding professional and natural, no matter what you do. Just stick an SM57 anywhere and it just works. Zero fizz, whereas with my DSL15C and DSL20CR, the amps are so fizzy, thin, and ice-picky sounding, that even with volume set to 2–3, it is a real pain getting acceptable results on record out of them. I almost feel inclined to recommend everyone to just get a 6101 and be done with the whole tone search thing. Heck, even I myself am considering getting one of those babies at some point, if I come across a reasonable deal. You can scale the power down to 25 Watts, and those things sound amazing at low volumes, where you can actually use the EQ as a serious tone shaping tool, including the Treble and Presence controls, which, rather than exacerbating fizz, add brilliance and sparkle.


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## Fender

Seventh Son said:


> I think mine does that, too. I don't know the answer to your question, but I am almost sure Anitoli can help you. Hopefully, he is reading this. If not, I'd send him a message and see what he says.


I checked the schematics : on standby, the board between the preamp and the PI (which supports the loop and sending/receiving signal from the DI input/output/uncompensated link) lacks the negative voltage from the DB202 bridge...
I think even the send output doesn't give a complete signal on standby


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## Fender

When i'm finished with my current project (a 2204 handwired build) I may get in the process of simplifying the design of the 6100/6101 to allow a handbuilding of the same amp but in a more reliable fashion.

It would have its 3 independant channels, with a switchable A-B-C mode, a series loop, a post-PI MV, 50w/25w only. no nonsense DI/uncompensated outputs.


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## Seventh Son

Fender said:


> When i'm finished with my current project (a 2204 handwired build) I may get in the process of simplifying the design of the 6100/6101 to allow a handbuilding of the same amp but in a more reliable fashion.
> 
> It would have its 3 independant channels, with a switchable A-B-C mode, a series loop, a post-PI MV, 50w/25w only. no nonsense DI/uncompensated outputs.


That sounds really interesting. Would you also be able to replicate the selectable modes on the clean channel, as well?

I personally don't have a big need for the Balanced Compensated Output on the 6100; an SM-57 on the speaker is simple and sounds great. However, I would definitely use the BCO more if it had better sound quality. It was a great idea of Marshall, but it either didn't get implemented well, or Marshall didn't provide enough information on how to get the most out of it.


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## Seventh Son

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> This needs to be posted ...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 51519


The best Marshall of all times. The clean channel on that amp is amazing, as is pretty much everything else about the amp.


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## Fender

yeah the different clean switches are very easy to keep but I don't think I would make them available to a footswitch though


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## HOT TUBES 70




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## dptone5

Any interest in my mint 1994 6100? Here is the ad. Please PM me. Thanks.

https://lancaster.craigslist.org/msg/d/marshallth-anniversary-100/6752192591.html

DP


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## Seventh Son

Does anyone know how the Low Volume Compensation switch works? Is it maybe some kind of variable low pass filter or EQ curve?


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## anitoli

fyfsle said:


> Friends! An interesting conundrum! I've heard again and again that with direct/recording outputs on amplifiers it's often the case that "you can just switch it to standby and record silently, no problem." But in my 6100LM's case, I've discovered that when I switch it to standby, the recording output's level drops almost completely, from -18dB at my audio interface down to -50dB! Anyone know why this might be? What exactly does the standby switch do in the 6100LM's circuitry? It appears that the standby switch cuts power to the power amp's bias rails, for the V7 phase inverter and V8-11 power tubes. I don't see how that could affect the uncompensated line out.
> 
> This isn't a problem as much of a curiosity. The "Mute Power Amp Input" switch does just fine in lieu of the standby switch for silent recording.


When the amp is on standby the B+ voltage to all the tubes is off, therefor no preamp operation. Use the power amp mute for silent recording.


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## fyfsle

Hey friends. Today I modded my 6100LM to completely remove the "cabsim" filtering on the compensated output. I did this because I want to record silently using the power amp mute switch and digital power amp simulation and cabinet IRs in my DAW, and for my setup it is more convenient to have a line output on the amp which does not require a mic preamp than to have a quiet line output which *does* have to go through a mic preamp (and has a very significant amount of noise in it!)

Previously, I split the signal before it went back to the FX return, and sent it into my audio interface's mic pre through a DI box. This worked great, but became inconvenient. Unfortunately, the uncompensated line output is far too quiet and noisy as I mentioned above. The compensated line out, however, is fantastic: it's at line level *and* it's balanced, and there's not much more I could ask for out of it. So I desoldered and lifted one leg of C317, which couples the filters that comprise the "cabsim" to the part of the balanced output which does the balancing and final amplification w/ the compensated-out volume control on the back of the amp. Then, I jumpered the lifted leg of C317 to the side of C314 which is connected to R311/R312. The attached picture should better describe the process.

The result is a line output with enough volume that it needs no mic preamp and can go straight into the preampless line input of my Focusrite Scarlett 6i6, freeing up the extra mic preamp spot for some other gear of mine. The filtering, while still connected to its input, is disconnected from the output and effectively out of the circuit. It works great for me, maybe it'll be useful for someone else sometime. Lifting C317 and jumpering is completely reversible, it's a pretty much riskless modification to undertake. I'm very happy with the results, and I feel like every output on the back of my 6100LM is useful now.


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## Seventh Son

fyfsle said:


> Hey friends. Today I modded my 6100LM to completely remove the "cabsim" filtering on the compensated output. I did this because I want to record silently using the power amp mute switch and digital power amp simulation and cabinet IRs in my DAW, and for my setup it is more convenient to have a line output on the amp which does not require a mic preamp than to have a quiet line output which *does* have to go through a mic preamp (and has a very significant amount of noise in it!)
> 
> Previously, I split the signal before it went back to the FX return, and sent it into my audio interface's mic pre through a DI box. This worked great, but became inconvenient. Unfortunately, the uncompensated line output is far too quiet and noisy as I mentioned above. The compensated line out, however, is fantastic: it's at line level *and* it's balanced, and there's not much more I could ask for out of it. So I desoldered and lifted one leg of C317, which couples the filters that comprise the "cabsim" to the part of the balanced output which does the balancing and final amplification w/ the compensated-out volume control on the back of the amp. Then, I jumpered the lifted leg of C317 to the side of C314 which is connected to R311/R312. The attached picture should better describe the process.
> 
> The result is a line output with enough volume that it needs no mic preamp and can go straight into the preampless line input of my Focusrite Scarlett 6i6, freeing up the extra mic preamp spot for some other gear of mine. The filtering, while still connected to its input, is disconnected from the output and effectively out of the circuit. It works great for me, maybe it'll be useful for someone else sometime. Lifting C317 and jumpering is completely reversible, it's a pretty much riskless modification to undertake. I'm very happy with the results, and I feel like every output on the back of my 6100LM is useful now.


I thought the balanced compensated output was not only line level, but didn't require a mic preamp. I've tried it with a mic preamp and with a line input in the past, and the differences were negligible, if noticed at all. However, the correct way to connect the BCO is to the line input on your audio interface. But if you want to use the sims in your DAW, I can see why you would want to do the mod. To my great disappointment, the built-in cab simulation in the 6100 never sounded good enough to be useable, no matter what I tried.


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## Seventh Son

I did a recording with my 6100 today and noticed that the amp sounds better without the Low Volume Compensation switch engaged. This is even more surprising, considering I did the recording at bedroom volume, where you'd normally expect some fizz and the switch to do a better job at removing it. However, that was not necessary; the amp sounded great both in the room and on the recording. What a beast the 6100 is! In the end, as with all things, it's, you get what you pay for.


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## Fender

well i never liked it without the volume compensation "on" (on low volume, as soon as you reach more than 4 on the master, it hasn't anymore effect...)


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## Hamer95USA

Jethro Rocker said:


> I get phase issues with my Zoom G3 likely since it is digital. There is always a very slight delay with digutal fx and apparently they try to compensate for this in the circuitry.
> Given this, I find my 6101 sounds better and more natural using a serial loop. So this is what I do. Pin the Mix level to full. Then I play.
> Would be nice to get the parallel loop to work the way it's designed but doesn't seem to for me so I use Serial.



Set the your chorus/delay/reverb to 100% wet and set your effects loop to parallel. It works best that way! You might also want to use 4 cable method with balanced cables so you can run your effects before amp input as well. I use a Zoom G9.2tt floor processor myself and that's how I sent mine. I hope this helps.

Guitar George


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## Hamer95USA

Fender said:


> even the gold logo ones ?



Yes, even on the 30th Anniversary 4x12 cabs with the brass Marshall logo.

Guitar George


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## BftGibson

Seventh Son said:


> I did a recording with my 6100 today and noticed that the amp sounds better without the Low Volume Compensation switch engaged. This is even more surprising, considering I did the recording at bedroom volume, where you'd normally expect some fizz and the switch to do a better job at removing it. However, that was not necessary; the amp sounded great both in the room and on the recording. What a beast the 6100 is! In the end, as with all things, it's, you get what you pay for.


great amp..i can not use the low compensation for anything..what a versatile amp,,been running it on half power/triode for a bit..total dif amp this way..very responding..tried using all the low settings for once instead of balls out.. am getting jtm clean vibe but at the edge of breakup when i dig.been a lot of fun with a nighthawk..got the master way up and at about 25ish watts still plenty loud


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## Hamer95USA

I run my 6101 combo amp at half power & triode on the switches. It's the best volume attenuator built into this amp and gives it a nice tonality. 25 watts can carry in a small club/low volume situation. It's what I run the 6101 combo amp for cover band gigs about 90% of the time due to low stage volume/singer's IEM scenario. 

Guitar George


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## Jethro Rocker

Hamer95USA said:


> Set the your chorus/delay/reverb to 100% wet and set your effects loop to parallel. It works best that way! You might also want to use 4 cable method with balanced cables so you can run your effects before amp input as well. I use a Zoom G9.2tt floor processor myself and that's how I sent mine. I hope this helps.
> 
> Guitar George


I've tried that, I cannot use 4 cable method with G3. Doesnt matter how fx are set, there is an obvious tone difference as soon as I set it parallel and start turning up Mix. It works very well in series though so it doesn't bother me. Thanks man!


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## Dizzyduck

I recently bought a blue 6101 EL34 combo, have been yearning for that for years!) So that’s really exciting, at least will be as soon as I fixed the massive noise that comes when switching to ch3! (I suspect there’s something wrong with the 520 opamps, and will deal with this as soon as I’ve taken care of a few fenders waiting on the workbench)

My question concerns the speaker, it has the original s303 speaker, and even though I understand many of you don’t care too much for that speaker, I intend to keep it. However, the voice coil has been damaged (probably an effect of the noise coming from ch3) and needs re-coning. Some claim the s303 is in fact a rebranded EVM12L, however they don’t look really the same to me (I have a EVM12L in a separate cabinet, admittedly newer than the s303, but still). Was it in fact only the US sold 6101s that came with EVM12L, and the s303 is actually a real Celestion speaker? Sort of need to figure this out in order to send the s303 for repair.
Hoping someone can clear this out!


----------



## Jethro Rocker

I believe the US models came stock with an EV 150 watt speaker. The s303 is supposedly an EVM12L 200 watt rebranded. The basket may be different with the same guts. It looks like the old 12Ls I've seen when researching. If you take the rubber cover off the magnet I think they should appear very similar. Depending on the vintage of EV


----------



## Fender

the Celestion S303 might be an attempt at an EV styled speaker but I strongly doubt it's a rebranded EVM12L. How could it happen ? Are there ties between EV and Celestion ?


----------



## Dizzyduck

Exactly my thought too - makes no sense that Celestion should have “manufactured” a speaker that wasn’t actually their own...


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Fender said:


> the Celestion S303 might be an attempt at an EV styled speaker but I strongly doubt it's a rebranded EVM12L. How could it happen ? Are there ties between EV and Celestion ?


I don't know. Going by what I've read. Note the 2 holes for the speaker jack lugs that aren't installed. Why put 'em there and not use them?? If the US market ones came with this perhaps the UK etc ones wanted to make it similar and branded an EV with Marshall by Celestion? Marshall had some ties to EV if the US market ones came with an EV
Or maybe it's all crap. Seems weird they'd do that, yeah. Mine said Made in England on it so...


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Popped some new preamp tubes in my 6100 today and was instantly rewarded with killer tone again . It had been sounding a bit lifeless an dead as of late . Fresh glass in the 6100 has all ways been a must for maximum tone .

Damn Preamp tubes are expensive these days ... i may have to sell another one of my kids to put tubes in the output section ...

lol


----------



## Phony iommi

HOT TUBES 70 said:


> Popped some new preamp tubes in my 6100 today and was instantly rewarded with killer tone again . It had been sounding a bit lifeless an dead as of late . Fresh glass in the 6100 has all ways been a must for maximum tone .
> 
> Damn Preamp tubes are expensive these days ... i may have to sell another one of my kids to put tubes in the output section ...
> 
> lol


What kind of tubes did you buy? How much were they? Mine are the originals and I’d like to replace them. Thanks.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Phony iommi said:


> What kind of tubes did you buy? How much were they? Mine are the originals and I’d like to replace them. Thanks.


If they don't need to be, I wouldn't. The originals worked very well with that amp. Mjne are National labelled Sino tubes.


----------



## Fender

wow after quite a while playing with a 2204 and a Friedman Runt, I got back to my 6101 this weekend, and that clean is mind blowing for a marshall.

Remember that side projet of recreating a 6100/6101 in simpler version ? Maybe I'll start with a mini 50W head based on channel 1 first 'cause I love it and I need it in a little head form factor...


----------



## Dukemcrae

Anyone in North America looking for one, I have a few stacks, heads and combos of the same - the solid brass chassis LE ones... email me at dukemcrae at yahoo com


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

Hasse-Angerfist said:


> LPC
> Marshall 6100
> Marshall JCM900MKIII
> Marshall JCM2000TSL
> Marshall 1960A&B


Man you rig looks so nice ?

If you would have to score those amps from 0-10?
How the 6100 vs the other would be


----------



## EKIN

The Dose of Harmony said:


> Man you rig looks so nice ?
> 
> If you would have to score those amps from 0-10?
> How the 6100 vs the other would be



First 6100 : great amp very versatile 
Second TSL100 : good amp sound Marshall 
Last 900 : Really bad amp


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

EKIN said:


> First 6100 : great amp very versatile
> Second TSL100 : good amp sound Marshall
> Last 900 : Really bad amp


I own a Tsl and i like it a lot 
But i been thinking of getting 6100 but i dont know what model yet!!


----------



## Drinkingdeath01

I picked up a used 6100LM for a good deal and I absolutely love it. Has a darker tone then the 800's. All three channels are great. Couldn't be happier.


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

Drinkingdeath01 said:


> I picked up a used 6100LM for a good deal and I absolutely love it. Has a darker tone then the 800's. All three channels are great. Couldn't be happier.


I just keep reading and watching videos and so far its a A+ amp


----------



## CraigP

I purchased a half stack a couple of months ago and was really excited when it arrived. Unfortunately, it had problems. All lights on the front remained lit, no sound and could not see anything change when pressing different switches so it went back to seller. There are a couple I see for sale online with blue tolex that I have been eyeballing for a while. Most everything I have experienced with the 6100 is that it can fill many if not all sounds I will ever need. If you can find one in good shape for a good price, jump on it


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

CraigP said:


> I purchased a half stack a couple of months ago and was really excited when it arrived. Unfortunately, it had problems. All lights on the front remained lit, no sound and could not see anything change when pressing different switches so it went back to seller. There are a couple I see for sale online with blue tolex that I have been eyeballing for a while. Most everything I have experienced with the 6100 is that it can fill many if not all sounds I will ever need. If you can find one in good shape for a good price, jump on it


Thanks for I might do it very soon!


----------



## EKIN

The Dose of Harmony said:


> Thanks for I might do it very soon!



The 6100 has 3 separate channels (quite ). This let you tweak your sound with different tubes. 
With the TSL100, sounds 2 & 3 share the same tubes, and, as for the JCM 900, even the eq is shared by the 2 channels so clean is usually unusable. 

So, as it is basically the same poweramp design , you have to compare preamps. 

The 6100 has a very nice clean, can crunch just a little or more and let you solo with far enough drive. It is the great winner of the preamp section.


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

EKIN said:


> The 6100 has 3 separate channels (quite ). This let you tweak your sound with different tubes.
> With the TSL100, sounds 2 & 3 share the same tubes, and, as for the JCM 900, even the eq is shared by the 2 channels so clean is usually unusable.
> 
> So, as it is basically the same poweramp design , you have to compare preamps.
> 
> The 6100 has a very nice clean, can crunch just a little or more and let you solo with far enough drive. It is the great winner of the preamp section.


Well i just ordered i hope everything come s good


----------



## CraigP

The Dose of Harmony said:


> Well i just ordered i hope everything come s good


Sweet! Post clips later....or send it back! LOL


----------



## Eduberto Palitroke

Just fooling around on the crunch channel.

Marshall 6100, 2A, no effects.


----------



## stephan_l

Hi all 
I bought my first 6100 back in 1992, just after they were anounced in germany. Serial Z00094.
In 2009 i had the "great" idea to sell the amp  Ich Trottel. The new owner was a lucky guy, since i really care for my stuff.
Well, some days ago a 1992 anniversary '"found me" and i had to buy it. Very good condition, just a little dust on the out- and inside and the pots were a little noisy as expected. The serial is very close to my old amp.....says nothing, but i like it 

After cleaning the pots and the outside, a quick check on the bias i just love this amp. It growl and screams like a Marshall should. Im so glad the 30th Anniversary is back here. The EL34 are old Mesa labeled "STR440", so my guess ist, they are finished, but still working good. Going to do a cap job and putting new tubes in.


----------



## Kelia

Eduberto Palitroke said:


> Just fooling around on the crunch channel.
> 
> Marshall 6100, 2A, no effects.



Man!!,... your favorite movie must be Austin Power !!.....haha!......nice job !


----------



## Kelia

Hey Ricky ,.....you still have yours !?......never tried one of those !


----------



## mdk

Hi!
I don't see much activity here. Is anyone still around?
I have 6100/6101 LEs I'm thinking about maybe getting rid of. Just checking to see if there is any real interest.


----------



## Dulli

mdk said:


> Hi!
> I don't see much activity here. Is anyone still around?
> I have 6100/6101 LEs I'm thinking about maybe getting rid of. Just checking to see if there is any real interest.


Ît´s just a working horse and never quits. Use it as an amateur musician Thought about selling it (weight!). In Germany €1.500 - 2.000 if in excellent condition. Borrowed it to a professional for a gig. He - user of Kemper an other new stuff: never sell it; you won´t get sound and quality in one box again (Rock, Blues, Country). So i´ll keep it, am still satisfied - and ther´s not much to say for me!


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

Yep , i'm still rock'n my 6100LM i've had since near new !! 

TAD 6L6GC STR Black plates in the output section .
Tung Sol and Mesa SPAX7A pre amp tubes .





DSC00338


----------



## HOT TUBES 70

More 6100 pics ... (Not mine)






$_57-73 by 





$_57-7 by


----------



## i3oosted

Can anyone tell me what the damping switch on the back does? Also what amp does each mode represent? Thanks.


----------



## mad5066

Thinking about pulling the trigger on a 6100 blue non LE, thoughts?


----------



## stephan_l

mad5066 said:


> Thinking about pulling the trigger on a 6100 blue non LE, thoughts?



I think, if the amp works, you like the sound and the price is fair.......buy it


----------



## mad5066

well happy NAD to me, blue version not the LE 1k with the footswitch and roadcase (mint condition)! was eyeing the studio series but figured this is a lot more bang for the buck.


----------



## stephan_l

Congrats


----------



## Jethro Rocker

i3oosted said:


> Can anyone tell me what the damping switch on the back does? Also what amp does each mode represent? Thanks.




Taken from maanual:

High damping gives tight speaker movement and is ideal for clean sounds, where a precise and defined response gives
sweet clear picked notes and chords.
Low damping, with greater speaker movement, suits breathing heavy overdrive and full distortion. In the auto position
the amp automatically selects high damping for clean selections and low damping for crunch and lead. It is probably
best to leave the amplifier in auto mode for normal use.


Three modes can be selected on Channel 2. Mode A is a 
low gain, natural valve overdrive reminiscent of an 
original JTM 45. Mode B is crunchier with the feel and 
drive of a 1959 Super Lead amp or early Master Volume. 
Mode C gives high gain drive similar to the JCM 900 
master volume amps.

I find Mode B to be more like an 800 since there is a gain control.


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

mad5066 said:


> well happy NAD to me, blue version not the LE 1k with the footswitch and roadcase (mint condition)! was eyeing the studio series but figured this is a lot more bang for the buck.


Fuckkkkkk yes Dude!

6100 rules!
Clean channel awesome !
Crunch channel awesome!
Lead channel awesome too!

that amp its good on everything !
From blues to metals
From Jazz to rock!
You just need to understand the amp get the manual !
Lot of options there!


----------



## Mitchell Pearrow

Thanks 


mad5066 said:


> well happy NAD to me, blue version not the LE 1k with the footswitch and roadcase (mint condition)! was eyeing the studio series but figured this is a lot more bang for the buck.


 Congratulations on your new amp.
Play it good health, I have never had the chance to test drive one of these babies.
Cheers to great tones that are waiting for ya.
Mitch


----------



## i3oosted

Jethro Rocker said:


> Taken from maanual:
> 
> High damping gives tight speaker movement and is ideal for clean sounds, where a precise and defined response gives
> sweet clear picked notes and chords.
> Low damping, with greater speaker movement, suits breathing heavy overdrive and full distortion. In the auto position
> the amp automatically selects high damping for clean selections and low damping for crunch and lead. It is probably
> best to leave the amplifier in auto mode for normal use.
> 
> 
> Three modes can be selected on Channel 2. Mode A is a
> low gain, natural valve overdrive reminiscent of an
> original JTM 45. Mode B is crunchier with the feel and
> drive of a 1959 Super Lead amp or early Master Volume.
> Mode C gives high gain drive similar to the JCM 900
> master volume amps.
> 
> I find Mode B to be more like an 800 since there is a gain control.


I thought channel 3 was the JCM 900 and mode C was the 800.

Is there any reason to take dampening off auto then?? Has anyone experimented with it here?


----------



## anitoli

i3oosted said:


> I thought channel 3 was the JCM 900 and mode C was the 800.
> 
> Is there any reason to take dampening off auto then?? Has anyone experimented with it here?


You can use it anyway you like. I prefer having the presence control functional on all three channels so i just leave it set to low. Channel 3 is supposed to be beyond the 900 voicing of mode C channel 2. Depending on when the head was made channel three had different components that affected the amount of gain the circuit had, so the early heads channel three actually sounds anemic compared to channel two. To fix this 3 resistors and a cap need to be changed and it becomes a fire breathing monster.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

i3oosted said:


> I thought channel 3 was the JCM 900 and mode C was the 800.
> 
> Is there any reason to take dampening off auto then?? Has anyone experimented with it here?


No, ch 2 A B C is like Plexi, 800, 900. Lead channel 3 on the early 92 models LE (not lead mod) has less gain than mode C on ch 2. But both are far more than an 800. Do you have one? Try it and compare. Way past an 800.

I leave the damping on Auto. No reason to change it for me.


----------



## anitoli

This is what has to be changed:


----------



## i3oosted

Jethro Rocker said:


> No, ch 2 A B C is like Plexi, 800, 900. Lead channel 3 on the early 92 models LE (not lead mod) has less gain than mode C on ch 2. But both are far more than an 800. Do you have one? Try it and compare. Way past an 800.
> 
> I leave the damping on Auto. No reason to change it for me.


Yup I have one, head with blue tolex with el34 non brass. Have had it for 5yrs. It plays so good at low volumes is why I originally purchased it along with it being able to give good cleans, crunch, distortion in a single head.


----------



## mad5066

Just picked it up, can't wait to give this baby a spin! I also have an attenuator to use but may not need it with the built in features. Biasing this thing correctly seems to be a pain just glancing at Pete's website. Fantastic info there. Mine has JJs, what are people running on theirs?


----------



## stephan_l

mad5066 said:


> Just picked it up, can't wait to give this baby a spin! I also have an attenuator to use but may not need it with the built in features. Biasing this thing correctly seems to be a pain just glancing at Pete's website. Fantastic info there. Mine has JJs, what are people running on theirs?




JJs are good choice.


----------



## anitoli

mad5066 said:


> Just picked it up, can't wait to give this baby a spin! I also have an attenuator to use but may not need it with the built in features. Biasing this thing correctly seems to be a pain just glancing at Pete's website. Fantastic info there. Mine has JJs, what are people running on theirs?


In my 6L6 heads Sovtek 5881's - cheap reliable sound good - preamp CP Tung Sol, EHX and Sino.
EL34 Anniversary head Tung Sol EL34B preamp CP Tung Sol, EHX, and Sino.


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

mad5066 said:


> Just picked it up, can't wait to give this baby a spin! I also have an attenuator to use but may not need it with the built in features. Biasing this thing correctly seems to be a pain just glancing at Pete's website. Fantastic info there. Mine has JJs, what are people running on theirs?


Anitoli its right with sovteks 5881 are bad ass , i have two 6100 and the other has JJ sometimes i feel the the jj have more bite but not sure, sometimes i put the 6100 with the speakers of a Jmp 2104 combo that i have and sound amazing (black backs)


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Mine is a 6101 EL34. I have Mesa STR441? in it. I thought Seimans. Whoever makes those now.


----------



## mad5066

Does anyone use a midi switch controller with theirs? if so what brand/model?


----------



## RickyLee

Kelia said:


> Hey Ricky ,.....you still have yours !?......never tried one of those !




I am late to the 6100 party lol. Yeah, I still have that '94 6100 6L6 and then a later 6100LM with EL34's. I am hoping to get them out real soon to run them up against my JVM 410H. I just recently pulled out out my old Mesa DC-10 and Nomad 100 and gave them a good pounding as well. 6100's are next.

I am wondering what the other guys here that have the 6100 and the JVM think of each one? Like Jethro Rocker?


----------



## stephan_l

I have the 410H. It`s an awesome amp. Some things, like the hugh volume jump from clean-orange to - red i don't understand, but all in all, fantastic amp, never sounds bad. 
The 6100 has it's own character. The sound is unique, great punch and growl, love it. I had the hjs for a while, which should have the 6100 clean channel, but......no, to my ears far away from the original. 

It is great fun to have both amps.


----------



## RickyLee

anitoli said:


> This is what has to be changed:



My memory is faint on these amps lol.

Is that to change the early models to the LM spec? Or is this a completely different modification?

I like the way my '94 sounds without the LM circuit. The crunch seemed a bit more refined. If my memory is somewhat there, I am thinking the later LM has a bigger value cathode bypass cap on one of those later stages. I do like the LM too, but it can get a bit woolly as well.

ADD: Is your C22 change supposed to be C21?


----------



## anitoli

Change it to LM spec. C22 goes from a .68 to a 2.2.


----------



## RickyLee

anitoli said:


> Change it to LM spec. C22 goes from a .68 to a 2.2.



I wasn't seeing C22 on your schematic.


----------



## anitoli

RickyLee said:


> I wasn't seeing C22 on your schematic.


It's C21 not 22.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

RickyLee said:


> I am late to the 6100 party lol. Yeah, I still have that '94 6100 6L6 and then a later 6100LM with EL34's. I am hoping to get them out real soon to run them up against my JVM 410H. I just recently pulled out out my old Mesa DC-10 and Nomad 100 and gave them a good pounding as well. 6100's are next.
> 
> I am wondering what the other guys here that have the 6100 and the JVM think of each one? Like Jethro Rocker?


Its odd for me because my 6100 is a 6101 open back with the matchung closed 6912 1x12 cab. So a little mixed mini stack. The 410H is run through a 4x12 or 2x12.

Off the hop, the ch 2 red JVM and ch 2 B on 6101 are quite similar, without A/Bing them. The JVM obviously has more on the go with 4 channels. I tend to use ch 3 orange JVM and ch 2 mode C on 6101 the most. That little amp is so easy to haul around though. Such a great sounding little bugger. I put a T75 in the combo as the Celestion Gold was really harsh IMO.


----------



## mad5066

Loving the 6100! Only got to play around with it for an hour so but it's definitely a keeper. I probably need to look into testing the electrolytic caps as I'm sure they are original and I'll probably just replace them myself. Can't believe this things aren't more popular or widely known, oh well, probably wouldn't have been able to afford one if that wasn't the case.


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

mad5066 said:


> Does anyone use a midi switch controller with theirs? if so what brand/model?


i use nectar foot controller!!


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

Jethro Rocker said:


> Its odd for me because my 6100 is a 6101 open back with the matchung closed 6912 1x12 cab. So a little mixed mini stack. The 410H is run through a 4x12 or 2x12.
> 
> Off the hop, the ch 2 red JVM and ch 2 B on 6101 are quite similar, without A/Bing them. The JVM obviously has more on the go with 4 channels. I tend to use ch 3 orange JVM and ch 2 mode C on 6101 the most. That little amp is so easy to haul around though. Such a great sounding little bugger. I put a T75 in the combo as the Celestion Gold was really harsh IMO.


do you haves any tracks recorded with the open back i would love to hear your tone i been recording my amps lately the 6100 its next after my mesa mark V i been getting the feeling that all my recordings have to much gain so i want to give another run on my songs with them besides i been in a audio recording intitute for 6 months so i have learn a few tricks here and there!


----------



## Seventh Son

The Dose of Harmony said:


> do you haves any tracks recorded with the open back i would love to hear your tone i been recording my amps lately the 6100 its next after my mesa mark V i been getting the feeling that all my recordings have to much gain so i want to give another run on my songs with them besides i been in a audio recording intitute for 6 months so i have learn a few tricks here and there!


I think the perception that you have too much gain on recordings is because you you are picking up a lot of low end and high end, which results in a flubby and fizzy tone. Basically, the first and best thing you can do for your room tone and recorded tone is, turn Bass off completely. Yes, down to zero. Maybe 1 or 2, at the most, if you're after some boomier tones, but generally, for just your average, midrange-y rock tones, you do not need much bass at all. I set my mids at 4, treble at 6, gain at 6, and presence at 3. With the mic placement, most people start with 1 inch off the grille, but I think that's still too much promimity effect. Try 2–4 inches off the grille. As far as placement, I think you can try anything from pointing at the center to pointing to halfway between center and edge of speaker and see what works best.

Either way, you will probably pick up too much high end, which will give off the impression of having too much gain. To fix that, I think the best way to go about it is through mic placement first, then in the DAW, you can finish off by attenuating some of the high end with a shelf cut. Cut everything above 1,000Hz by about 3–6 dB and you should be done.

Use headphones to check the bass and fizz. Headphones are very revealing of those issues. You want your low E string to sound real tight when you're playing palm muted notes on it. Once it's real tight, you can reintroduce some more bass if you need it for the tone you're after, but tight is where you want to start. That's when you'll know that your bass content is balanced. The excess gain that you hear is the result of not distortion, but high frequencies.


----------



## Seventh Son

Just wanted to let you guys know that I've finally figured out how to make the Balanced Compensated Output work on recordings.

First, my settings.
Bass 0
Middle 4
Treble 6
Presence 3
Gain 6 (C mode)

Next, record.

Then, apply an aggressive HPF at 220 to tighten the bass. Finally, a steep shelf _cut_ between 3-8dB and somewhere between 1000Hz and 1400Hz. You want the highs roll-off to start right after 1000Hz on the graph, but not before. That will give you something decent to start with that won't sound like you're playing through a kazoo.

Compare before and after, and you will realize just how much bass the BCO had. Way, way more than you would ever need. Use headphones to check, especially the bass. Getting the highs right with the shelf cut, by balancing cutting vs. presence, is a bit more time consuming, but not impossible. There, you will have to rely on both, soloing the track as well as hearing it in the mix.


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

Seventh Son said:


> I think the perception that you have too much gain on recordings is because you you are picking up a lot of low end and high end, which results in a flubby and fizzy tone. Basically, the first and best thing you can do for your room tone and recorded tone is, turn Bass off completely. Yes, down to zero. Maybe 1 or 2, at the most, if you're after some boomier tones, but generally, for just your average, midrange-y rock tones, you do not need much bass at all. I set my mids at 4, treble at 6, gain at 6, and presence at 3. With the mic placement, most people start with 1 inch off the grille, but I think that's still too much promimity effect. Try 2–4 inches off the grille. As far as placement, I think you can try anything from pointing at the center to pointing to halfway between center and edge of speaker and see what works best.
> 
> Either way, you will probably pick up too much high end, which will give off the impression of having too much gain. To fix that, I think the best way to go about it is through mic placement first, then in the DAW, you can finish off by attenuating some of the high end with a shelf cut. Cut everything above 1,000Hz by about 3–6 dB and you should be done.
> 
> Use headphones to check the bass and fizz. Headphones are very revealing of those issues. You want your low E string to sound real tight when you're playing palm muted notes on it. Once it's real tight, you can reintroduce some more bass if you need it for the tone you're after, but tight is where you want to start. That's when you'll know that your bass content is balanced. The excess gain that you hear is the result of not distortion, but high frequencies.


Thanks for the input but no dude !!!!

its just too much gain i already did all the ones you mention and actually i being doing a lot recordings at school and another friends studio for others bands i like the tone i been getting with less gain , besides i did not mention that i had eq and a booster plus double or tripple guitars too .

roll off the bass for me does not work i like my beefy tone maybe that works for you but not for me!
I want to able to keep the dynamics if i play soft a chord i hear the notes clearly king of opeth tone if i play hard i want to feel the punch!
Yes headphones help a lot but i use both monitors and headphones

mic placement you wouldn’t believe how many setups we have try!!! A loooootttt!
The room its very important the further you go from the grill the more resonance of your room you pick up !!!!
I usually go around 1 to two inches !sometimes more!
And i usually pickup the amp from the floor so no comb filtering!



A thanks for your input


----------



## mad5066

Couple questions, is the bright switch on the clean channel extremely subtle, granted I didn't try it with single coils yet but with bright humbuckers almost inaudible a difference. 

When biasing the amp, did anyone just leave the 1 Ohm biasing resistor in the amp so you don't have to repeat that step each time and for a little protection if the el34 fails catastrophically?


----------



## anitoli

mad5066 said:


> Couple questions, is the bright switch on the clean channel extremely subtle, granted I didn't try it with single coils yet but with bright humbuckers almost inaudible a difference.
> 
> When biasing the amp, did anyone just leave the 1 Ohm biasing resistor in the amp so you don't have to repeat that step each time and for a little protection if the el34 fails catastrophically?


Install and leave them there.


----------



## Seventh Son

The Dose of Harmony said:


> Thanks for the input but no dude !!!!
> 
> its just too much gain i already did all the ones you mention and actually i being doing a lot recordings at school and another friends studio for others bands i like the tone i been getting with less gain , besides i did not mention that i had eq and a booster plus double or tripple guitars too .
> 
> roll off the bass for me does not work i like my beefy tone maybe that works for you but not for me!
> I want to able to keep the dynamics if i play soft a chord i hear the notes clearly king of opeth tone if i play hard i want to feel the punch!
> Yes headphones help a lot but i use both monitors and headphones
> 
> mic placement you wouldn’t believe how many setups we have try!!! A loooootttt!
> The room its very important the further you go from the grill the more resonance of your room you pick up !!!!
> I usually go around 1 to two inches !sometimes more!
> And i usually pickup the amp from the floor so no comb filtering!
> 
> 
> 
> A thanks for your input


I considered what you said and tried a few things to see what would happen.
With regard to bass settings, I found what I previously said to be true: For me, Bass at 0 or just a touch above zero is where things sound best. I tried Bass at 2 and that was too muddy.
With regard with mic placement, I realized that I get the best and most accurate midrange with the mic on the grille, on-axis, just outside the dust cap, where the mic's left side is tangential to the dust cap edge. That sounded very much like the amp in the room. So, you were right on that account. I tried backing the mic off a couple inches, but found that by doing so, I was getting a thinner midrange for some reason.


----------



## Seventh Son

mad5066 said:


> Couple questions, is the bright switch on the clean channel extremely subtle, granted I didn't try it with single coils yet but with bright humbuckers almost inaudible a difference.
> 
> When biasing the amp, did anyone just leave the 1 Ohm biasing resistor in the amp so you don't have to repeat that step each time and for a little protection if the el34 fails catastrophically?


When person's "subtle" can be another person's "apparent." Personally, I find it noticeable, and have it on all the time. To me, it makes it sound like a Fender clean.


----------



## mad5066

Seventh Son said:


> When person's "subtle" can be another person's "apparent." Personally, I find it noticeable, and have it on all the time. To me, it makes it sound like a Fender clean.


fair point upon subtle vs apparent. I mean it made basically no difference. wonder if I need to replace the switch, sounds like something is wrong.


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

Seventh Son said:


> I considered what you said and tried a few things to see what would happen.
> With regard to bass settings, I found what I previously said to be true: For me, Bass at 0 or just a touch above zero is where things sound best. I tried Bass at 2 and that was too muddy.
> With regard with mic placement, I realized that I get the best and most accurate midrange with the mic on the grille, on-axis, just outside the dust cap, where the mic's left side is tangential to the dust cap edge. That sounded very much like the amp in the room. So, you were right on that account. I tried backing the mic off a couple inches, but found that by doing so, I was getting a thinner midrange for some reason.



what kind of mic you are using?

if it is dynamic you may count on the proximity effect !!

have you ever used the Fredman technic?


----------



## mad5066

Can anyone else comment on the birght switch on theirs basically not doing much? Thanks!


----------



## anitoli

mad5066 said:


> Can anyone else comment on the birght switch on theirs basically not doing much? Thanks!


It is very subtle but it does work. I think it really depends on how the pickups are in any particular guitar.


----------



## Fender

confimation here : bright switch is very subtle but it makes a tiny difference, mid shift is more noticeable, high/low comp work but are subtle too, I don't use them


----------



## mad5066

Can anyone who has already recapped theirs offer up some advice in the order to get the boards out? Or offer up any other tips. Also, I'm thinking I also have to remove the midi board in order to create enough room to remove the preamp board. I'm also trying to leave the board with the master volume pot in place, hopefully that's possible. Thanks in advance!


----------



## anitoli

MIDI board out first otherwise the pre amp board is almost impossible to remove.

Power amp board needs to be removed not flipped over and over again with all the wiring hooked up. This means you are going to need to label EVERY push on wire and EVERY wire unsoldered or you are gonna be in for a fun evening trying to remember where they all go. Remember the wiring color does not always match the schematic so label everything. If it's an LM and the mounting screws will come out you can leave the tube sockets attached, if it's an LE/Anniversary EL34 they have to come off because the mounting plate blocks the screen grid cap which is removed on the LM.

Label, take tons of pics, Take your time and you should be ok.

PS it does make it easier to remove the power amp board if you loosen the small MV board and drop it down.


----------



## Fender

yup labelling each cable is clearly not an option, without it you'll have a nightmare figuring out each cable route from the schematics whereas with correct labelling (check twice, though) it's a walk in the park rewiring all in the end


----------



## Fender

We all know the 6101 has a questionable speaker. Well after having replaced it for a while with a creamback neo which I love in the 6101, I had to use the speaker in another cabinet for another head, so I put back the S303 in the blue amp. This morning I figured that I should try it with my bass guitar (got a Rick 4003), after fiddling a bit with the eq, just DAMN ! This is SOOOOOO usable, even on channel 3, overdriven bass sounds damn good ! no mushiness in the bass, the channel 2 crunch is excellent with bass too and, as you would expect, clean channel is great too...
I think I got a free excellent 100W bass tube amp in the end too... only hassle is to have to change the speaker if I want to use it back to guitar...


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Fender said:


> We all know the 6101 has a questionable speaker. Well after having replaced it for a while with a creamback neo which I love in the 6101, I had to use the speaker in another cabinet for another head, so I put back the S303 in the blue amp. This morning I figured that I should try it with my bass guitar (got a Rick 4003), after fiddling a bit with the eq, just DAMN ! This is SOOOOOO usable, even on channel 3, overdriven bass sounds damn good ! no mushiness in the bass, the channel 2 crunch is excellent with bass too and, as you would expect, clean channel is great too...
> I think I got a free excellent 100W bass tube amp in the end too... only hassle is to have to change the speaker if I want to use it back to guitar...


I put a T75 in mine and I really like it. Ditched the S303 and never looked back. Way too harsh for me and exceptionally heavy.


----------



## Seventh Son

Jethro Rocker said:


> I put a T75 in mine and I really like it. Ditched the S303 and never looked back. Way too harsh for me and exceptionally heavy.


Isn't it unsafe to put a 75 Watt speaker in a 100 Watt amp?


----------



## Fender

I use it with a 60w speaker (creamback neo is rated at 60W). Thing is you never really use it above 6 on master volume, so 60/75W shoud be fine for a long time. But I keep it in mind and have placed a mark on my MV to remember it.

Bass is so good and full with the gold one that it really makes me think that this S303 is a bass speaker or some kind of wide range speaker... (which would also explain why it's not good with guitar except on clean tones)


----------



## mad5066

Thanks for the advice, all I have left to do is desolder the wires from the sockets which will be a pain in the ass but worth it in the end. I figured since I'm the 3rd owner and given the age of this amp I'd rather perform this maintenance before a catastrophic failure, plus I wanted to mod the 3rd channel with the LM mod. I'm tempted to replace the smaller 10uf and 2.2uf 25V axial caps too but may just leave them.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Seventh Son said:


> Isn't it unsafe to put a 75 Watt speaker in a 100 Watt amp?


I use mine in 50 watt mode mostly. Also I never get to turn it up. I also use a matching 6912 ext cab live.


----------



## mad5066

So I figured while I'm doing my cap job I would also do the LM mod to Ch 3 which involves changing the values of R32,R33,R34 and C21. I also noticed on my board R250 is only 100k and I saw a note and on the later schematics to have that 100k resistor in series with a paralleled 10nF cap and 56k resistor. I imagine this is the negative feedback loop resistor and adding that thickens up the tone a little bit? Or is this done soley if you're running 5881 tubes? I have the blue tolex model running el34s. 

Also, my C226 cap is 1uf not 22uf so I'm not sure why they also changed that.


----------



## i3oosted

Im sure its been said already but to save time from browsing 35pg's lol, on mode selection, Im confused.

On channel 2, there are 4 possible ways to have the 2 selectors but only 3 amp selections. Both pins out is what? With the right pin pushed in and left out, thats JTM45. With Right pin out and left pushed in, thats the "plexi" option. Both pins pushed that is JCM900+. So whats both pins left out? It sounds different to the other 3 and the clean channel 1.

Thanks


----------



## Jethro Rocker

i3oosted said:


> Im sure its been said already but to save time from browsing 35pg's lol, on mode selection, Im confused.
> 
> On channel 2, there are 4 possible ways to have the 2 selectors but only 3 amp selections. Both pins out is what? With the right pin pushed in and left out, thats JTM45. With Right pin out and left pushed in, thats the "plexi" option. Both pins pushed that is JCM900+. So whats both pins left out? It sounds different to the other 3 and the clean channel 1.
> 
> Thanks


I have the 6101 combo. It is opppsite from 6100 head
In simple terms. Mode A is both buttons out. Push the AB button you are now in mode B. 
Push the BC button in and its mode C. 

With both out is mode A. Lowest gain.
Left button( right for 6100 head) in is mode B which is 800 ish. Or right only as per 6100 face.
Both in is mode C. Highest gain. Thought it was laid out easily on amp face.

Right pin pushed in only (or left for 6100 head) is irrelevant as soon as Left (right for 6100 head) button is out is is Mode A.

From manual.

Three modes can be selected on Channel 2. Mode A is a
low gain, natural valve overdrive reminiscent of an
original JTM 45. Mode B is crunchier with the feel and
drive of a 1959 Super Lead amp or early Master Volume.
Mode C gives high gain drive similar to the JCM 900


----------



## i3oosted

Jethro Rocker said:


> View attachment 65984
> 
> 
> Right pin pushed in only (or left for 6100 head) is irrelevant as soon as Left (right for 6100 head) button is out is is Mode A.


This is what I'm trying to find out. What's irrelavent about it, does it revert back to being mode B? It has its own tone as compared to the other 3(Left pin in/Right pin out on head).

I have the manual as well and it doesnt explain it dumb enough I guess.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Its mode A. As soon as right button AB is out it is mode A. It doesnt matter then where the other butron is.
Mode A would override the other button because the other button is mode B when out and combined with first but5on pushed in. It cant be mode B or C if first button is in mode A.


----------



## RickyLee

Has anyone tried changing out V2A stage, which is first stage for CH2, 220K plate 1.5K/2.2uF cathode to more traditional Marshall spec 100K plate 2.7K/.68uF?

There is a 10nF coupling cap following V2A that somewhat offsets the values on that first stage somewhat. That 10nF will slightly reduce some low mids/lows where that the stage is putting out/passing. Marshall 2203/4 has bigger 22nF coupler, but then the 2203/4 first stage passes less low mids/lows.

So would the 6100 CH2 first stage have a bit more compression with this trade off vs 2203 first stage values? The frequency shaping is a bit different in theory/on paper, but seems like it would be very similar voiced to the ear. Maybe that is the design so that all three CH2 modes have a compromise to suit each.


That 2.2uF cathode bypass cap has always been the one that had my interest there. I have thought about trying a 1uF. But, the 2.2uF would be much better for mode A, where 1uF might help tighten up Mode B & C as well possibly remove a bit of fizz.


----------



## mad5066

I just finished up an entire recap of my amp even the small axial ones too. I haven't messed around with modifying any cathode resistor and bypass cap value. I would assume they choose those values to accommodate the 3 separate settings for CH2. I would say try it, wire them up on a switch to experiment. 

The only mods I did was change CH3 to LM values (R32,R33,R34 and C21) and socketed 1uF for C17 to see if I like it, if I don't I can just easily pull it or try a 22uf. I did 2.2 for C21 and if it's too much I may back it down to 1uF, we'll see. I decided on not adding a 56k and 10nF cap to the 100k NFB resistor at this time. Also, I removed the extra 5.6k resistor on V11 as it isn't needed. I powered it on and biased the tubes, my plate voltage was 472V and 33~36mA current. Will try to play it later tonight and report back. 

BTW here's the axial components I ordered from mouser that are direct drop in since the nichicon vx series is discontinued. 

MAL202128228E3
MAL202127229E3
MAL202128108E3
MAL202138109E3


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

mad5066 said:


> I just finished up an entire recap of my amp even the small axial ones too. I haven't messed around with modifying any cathode resistor and bypass cap value. I would assume they choose those values to accommodate the 3 separate settings for CH2. I would say try it, wire them up on a switch to experiment.
> 
> The only mods I did was change CH3 to LM values (R32,R33,R34 and C21) and socketed 1uF for C17 to see if I like it, if I don't I can just easily pull it or try a 22uf. I did 2.2 for C21 and if it's too much I may back it down to 1uF, we'll see. I decided on not adding a 56k and 10nF cap to the 100k NFB resistor at this time. Also, I removed the extra 5.6k resistor on V11 as it isn't needed. I powered it on and biased the tubes, my plate voltage was 472V and 33~36mA current. Will try to play it later tonight and report back.
> 
> BTW here's the axial components I ordered from mouser that are direct drop in since the nichicon vx series is discontinued.
> 
> MAL202128228E3
> MAL202127229E3
> MAL202128108E3
> MAL202138109E3


Bad Ass Dude !!

please keep us update as soon as you can!!!
How long did it take you to do it? Was hard to do it?


----------



## RickyLee

mad5066 said:


> I just finished up an entire recap of my amp even the small axial ones too. I haven't messed around with modifying any cathode resistor and bypass cap value. I would assume they choose those values to accommodate the 3 separate settings for CH2. I would say try it, wire them up on a switch to experiment.
> 
> The only mods I did was change CH3 to LM values (R32,R33,R34 and C21) and socketed 1uF for C17 to see if I like it, if I don't I can just easily pull it or try a 22uf. I did 2.2 for C21 and if it's too much I may back it down to 1uF, we'll see. I decided on not adding a 56k and 10nF cap to the 100k NFB resistor at this time. Also, I removed the extra 5.6k resistor on V11 as it isn't needed. I powered it on and biased the tubes, my plate voltage was 472V and 33~36mA current. Will try to play it later tonight and report back.
> 
> BTW here's the axial components I ordered from mouser that are direct drop in since the nichicon vx series is discontinued.
> 
> MAL202128228E3
> MAL202127229E3
> MAL202128108E3
> MAL202138109E3



I have an early non LM and then the later LM 6100. I can not say which CH3 version I prefer. The non LM has more of crunch voicing where the LM is a bit tubbier but that does work OK for single notes passages or lead work.

I ordered from Mouser (with Anitoli's guidance - thanks!) all the e'lytics for a full replace set for one of my 6100's. Never undertook that chore. But I might have the time now as I am stuck at home with some injuries that need healing.

How long did it take you to do the re-cap? And you did every e'lytic in the amp, or just filter caps?


----------



## mad5066

I liked the original non LM but I wanted CH3 strictly for lead hence why I changed my blue tolex el34 non brass version to the LM mod CH3. Yes I changed ALL the electrolytic caps filter and smaller 1 2.2 10 22uf variety on every pcb, regardless if they needed it or not. I figured it's a chore to pull everything apart why not do it in one shot the right way, you know? As far as time, it's difficult to say because I worked on it here and there when I had the time, so not in a single sitting. Probably what Pete said between 8 and 16 hours between the learning curve taking it apart and doing the work, but it was a labor of love and I didn't mind. Take pictures of every connection before disassembling to help put it back together. I just used a solder iron and a solder sucker to remove the parts but this wasn't the first amp or pcb I've worked on. 

I forgot to mention I also changed C2 to 180pf vice 120pF to give the bright button a more pronounced effect. Also the original switching opamps got replaced with njm2121D because I plan on using the fx loop and they're slightly better and because the 5201 are obsolete so I wanted spares on hand. Didn't bother with the TL71 72 variety.


----------



## mad5066

The Dose of Harmony said:


> Bad Ass Dude !!
> 
> please keep us update as soon as you can!!!
> How long did it take you to do it? Was hard to do it?



Wasn't too hard if you've worked on things before. I wouldn't recommend doing it if this is your first project or you don't have a lot of experience soldering. I'll post some pictures when I get around to it.

I really, I mean really like the clean channel now! Changing all the caps breathed fresh life into it. In a month or so I'm going to retube the whole thing as it came with JJs in v1-v11, still sounds great with them but I know I can improve that too. These are definitely an under rated hidden gem imo!


----------



## RickyLee

Quite a few years ago after getting my first non LM 6100, I thought I had finally found my ideal live tone as well as channel switching platform and options. I was having some issues with the loop initially, but am remembering I worked that out by using the insert loop instead. I preferred this amp over the TSL and DSL mainly because I was just absolutely stoked with CH3's tone and feel. I found myself many times live, just staying on CH3, Gain 4 to 5, and rolling my guitar volume down for cleaner stuff as needed. Ironically, I am pretty much doing the same thing with my 4 channel JVM 410H, just staying on OD1 Orange lol.

Anyway, it was around 2015 when I took my 6100 to the rehearsal studio when we started the Trower tribute band. I was hearing a very harsh midrange texture with the amp. The amp was stiff and lost that chewy midrange crunch. Ended up switching over to the other 6100 later with same results and then started checking swapping tubes and checking out the amps basically. Can not put my finger on what happened falling out of love with the 6100. I started thinking a full re-cap could help. Bought parts and still have not taken on the task . . . .

At this point, the JVM 410H is my main amp for everything.


----------



## mad5066

Sounds like your amp will definitely benefit from a cap change. Did you check the bias drift of the output tubes? How's the JVM410 compare to the 6100? 

They can also be had used for around 1k too. I liked the versatility of the 6100, that's what piqued my initial interest.


----------



## RickyLee

mad5066 said:


> Sounds like your amp will definitely benefit from a cap change. Did you check the bias drift of the output tubes? How's the JVM410 compare to the 6100?
> 
> They can also be had used for around 1k too. I liked the versatility of the 6100, that's what piqued my initial interest.



Yeah, there is a bit more versatility with the JVM 410H. I think the main things that I really dig with this JVM is having on board reverb and then the FX loop works great with no coloring of my sound. Big positives for sure. Having the switchable master volumes is great, but honestly, I do not really use that extra master volume. Having the four channel, I was setting up CH4 as my lead boost most of the time. the extra channel or CH4, having its own EQ section allowed me to set it up with the midrange turned up high. And then I add a bit more saturation as well because it has its own gain control. It would be like the 6100 having two CH3's . . . .


----------



## cwgatti

What would a MINT Marshall 30th Anniversary (Blue tolex) DEAD MINT condition be worth? I am looking to sell mine. Head and matching slant 4 x 12 cab.
Thanks so much!
Chris


----------



## Jethro Rocker

cwgatti said:


> What would a MINT Marshall 30th Anniversary (Blue tolex) DEAD MINT condition be worth? I am looking to sell mine. Head and matching slant 4 x 12 cab.
> Thanks so much!
> Chris


Location would be a huge factor.


----------



## cwgatti

Long Island/Rhode Island


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Ok maybe someone in that area can help out. Here in Canada its not too common. I would think one could get like $3k for the head or so. Another maybe 750 plus for cab?


----------



## mad5066

with the brass logo? THere's one on reverb in Cali that hasnt moved for awhile that's listed for 2.5k including the cab but they also aren't shipping either.


----------



## mad5066

Here's a couple photos I took illustrating all the caps I've changed out I didn't bother with the picture of the two on the master vol board. Also used metal film and a WIMA cap for the CH3 LM mod


----------



## Fender

Jethro Rocker said:


> Ok maybe someone in that area can help out. Here in Canada its not too common. I would think one could get like $3k for the head or so. Another maybe 750 plus for cab?


in europe, you can find some very good condition blue tolex white logo 6100s between 800 and 1200€


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

mad5066 said:


> View attachment 66133
> View attachment 66134
> 
> 
> Here's a couple photos I took illustrating all the caps I've changed out I didn't bother with the picture of the two on the master vol board. Also used metal film and a WIMA cap for the CH3 LM mod


How much do you think a good Tech would charge for recapping?


----------



## mad5066

Hard for me to say really, depends where you live as far as labor rate. If they never recapped one they might charge you a little more. Techs who refuse to work on these aren't good techs imo, because as Pete said once you understand the circuit it really isn't that complex. It's definitely more work (removing boards, writing down all the connections, etc.) than your typical amp but not overly complicated.


----------



## cwgatti

mad5066 said:


> with the brass logo? THere's one on reverb in Cali that hasnt moved for awhile that's listed for 2.5k including the cab but they also aren't shipping either.



No brass label. Just the standard version I guess....


----------



## mad5066

I think between 1.5-2k seems fair then.


----------



## cwgatti

ALERT! ALERT!

MINT Marshall 30th Anniversary Blue Tolex 1/2 stack for sale at Guitar Center Warwick, Rhode Island
$1499. Missing footswitch, otherwise it looks like new.
Pretty amazing!!!!!
Ask for David
Good luck.


----------



## allwheelz

cwgatti said:


> ALERT! ALERT!
> 
> MINT Marshall 30th Anniversary Blue Tolex 1/2 stack for sale at Guitar Center Warwick, Rhode Island
> $1499. Missing footswitch, otherwise it looks like new.
> Pretty amazing!!!!!
> Ask for David
> Good luck.


I'd say that's a smoking deal!


----------



## mad5066

Yeah I just paid 1k for my blue one, in very good/excellent condition, but it included the footswitch and a flight case.


----------



## i3oosted

What volume does the 6100 start getting power amp saturstion???


----------



## FracStrat

mad5066 said:


> Does anyone use a midi switch controller with theirs? if so what brand/model?


I’m using the ES-5 in my Small Pedal Board …… Works Wonderfully!!












ES-5 Jammer



__ FracStrat
__ Feb 15, 2020


----------



## Fender

i3oosted said:


> What volume does the 6100 start getting power amp saturstion???


well "none" might be the answer, but it's possible that on channel 2 / BC or channel 3 you could achieve a preamp output level that could add clipping in the PA section. it still is a preamp based guitar amp


----------



## Phony iommi

FracStrat said:


> I’m using the ES-5 in my Small Pedal Board …… Works Wonderfully!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ES-5 Jammer
> 
> 
> 
> __ FracStrat
> __ Feb 15, 2020


I know nothing about midi. Would a midi pedal allow you to switch between the b and c modes on the crunch channel hands free?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Phony iommi said:


> I know nothing about midi. Would a midi pedal allow you to switch between the b and c modes on the crunch channel hands free?


Sadly no. It simply allows channel switching. But it does allow the addition of digital effects with the channel switchjng.


----------



## Phony iommi

Jethro Rocker said:


> Sadly no. It simply allows channel switching. But it does allow the addition of digital effects with the channel switchjng.


Ah. I figured as much but thought I’d ask. If one could switch between crunch channel modes with a foot switch it would be epic. Oh well.
I guess I’ll just keep having my 9 year old son standing next to it with earplugs pressing buttons as I use my foot activated shock collar. One zap is b. Two zaps is c.


----------



## FracStrat

Phony iommi said:


> Ah. I figured as much but thought I’d ask. If one could switch between crunch channel modes with a foot switch it would be epic. Oh well.
> I guess I’ll just keep having my 9 year old son standing next to it with earplugs pressing buttons as I use my foot activated shock collar. One zap is b. Two zaps is c.


LOL !!! Start um young !!!


----------



## Fender




----------



## alexhenebury

Hi all , apologies if this has already been discussed in this huge thread. I have the blue tolex el34 head and love it , have had it for many years. My main gripe has always been channel 3 , lots of gain , maybe too much , but in reality its that it sounds quite thin , compressed. Ive tried the 5751 preamp valve route but its less to do with the gain but the compression.
Any channel 3 mods that can reduce the compression , and a bit of gain too. Open it up a bit?
also interested in what channel 2 mods are out there , overall its great but if there's something that improves it further.....


----------



## FracStrat

alexhenebury said:


> Hi all , apologies if this has already been discussed in this huge thread. I have the blue tolex el34 head and love it , have had it for many years. My main gripe has always been channel 3 , lots of gain , maybe too much , but in reality its that it sounds quite thin , compressed. Ive tried the 5751 preamp valve route but its less to do with the gain but the compression.
> Any channel 3 mods that can reduce the compression , and a bit of gain too. Open it up a bit?
> also interested in what channel 2 mods are out there , overall its great but if there's something that improves it further.....


@anitoli is one of the most knowledgeable 30th Anni guys out there if you can track him down..


----------



## Pavel125DV

Greetings! I bought a 6100 in Japan, but I can't determine how many volts the amplifier needs, 100 or 120?There are two signs, so I don't know which one to focus on.


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

Pavel125DV said:


> Greetings! I bought a 6100 in Japan, but I can't determine how many volts the amplifier needs, 100 or 120?There are two signs, so I don't know which one to focus on.


Thats a yamaha sticker ?
What the fuck its that shit doing over there?
where are you located?
If i were you i would follow the marshall plate 

besides i have never heard of 100 vs 120
I only have heard 110 or 120 vs 220


----------



## Kinkless Tetrode

Japan runs on a 100 volt grid. It looks like the sticker indicates that the amp was modified by Yamaha, the importer into Japan, so it would be compatible to a 100 volt wall power in Japan.

You should run it on the 100 volt setting if you are in Japan.


----------



## anitoli

According to the schematic Japan units use a T6057 PT. 

http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze1u14s/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/6100powersupply.pdf


----------



## Pavel125DV

The Dose of Harmony said:


> Thats a yamaha sticker ?
> What the fuck its that shit doing over there?
> where are you located?
> If i were you i would follow the marshall plate
> 
> besides i have never heard of 100 vs 120
> I only have heard 110 or 120 vs 220


Hi, I'm from Russia. In Japan, all amplifiers, at least Marshalls exactly, are converted to the local network voltage of 100 volts. Previously, this was done by the importer Nippon Gakki, later Yamaha corporation. So this sticker is not for nothing. I have 220 volts, exactly as in the country of the manufacturer in England. (230). If the transformer is native, it was simply switched in Japan from 230 (235) volts to 117.


----------



## Pavel125DV

The Dose of Harmony said:


> Thats a yamaha sticker ?
> What the fuck its that shit doing over there?
> where are you located?
> If i were you i would follow the marshall plate
> 
> besides i have never heard of 100 vs 120
> I only have heard 110 or 120 vs 220


Yes, you're right. So I decided to re-solder it to 230 volts. In Marshalls this provided.


----------



## i3oosted

6100/01 BRETHREN GATHER ROUND, I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE!! lol

OK, so I recently purchased a new reverb pedal and wanted to give it a go. I've used my loop before for delay/chorus/etc but never played with the options because the effects were a small part of what I liked playing but now I want to delve more into effects. Anyways... it had been in parallel in the loop the whole time I believe but never noticed out of phasing but again, just a studio rockstar here. I know its parallel cause if I unplug it, I still get dry guitar signal output. But when I put it in series, I get a pretty big volume drop, like I need to add +2 on the Master Volume or more to get back to the volume it was in parallel. Does this sound right? Also the tone sounds pretty thin and "not right" to my ears. 

Is this normal or does the loop need work? Thanks!


----------



## Jethro Rocker

i3oosted said:


> 6100/01 BRETHREN GATHER ROUND, I REQUIRE YOUR ASSISTANCE!! lol
> 
> OK, so I recently purchased a new reverb pedal and wanted to give it a go. I've used my loop before for delay/chorus/etc but never played with the options because the effects were a small part of what I liked playing but now I want to delve more into effects. Anyways... it had been in parallel in the loop the whole time I believe but never noticed out of phasing but again, just a studio rockstar here. I know its parallel cause if I unplug it, I still get dry guitar signal output. But when I put it in series, I get a pretty big volume drop, like I need to add +2 on the Master Volume or more to get back to the volume it was in parallel. Does this sound right? Also the tone sounds pretty thin and "not right" to my ears.
> 
> Is this normal or does the loop need work? Thanks!


Hmmm. I get a nasally out of phase sound in parallel because I have a digital multi pedal. Latency correction. You have screwdriver fine adjustments on the back for the loop levels. I use series all the time. No volume issues. There is a mix volume on front of course to adjust volume with parallel. If memory serves, it has to be set to max when using series mode? Cant recall.


----------



## i3oosted

Jethro Rocker said:


> Hmmm. I get a nasally out of phase sound in parallel because I have a digital multi pedal. Latency correction. You have screwdriver fine adjustments on the back for the loop levels. I use series all the time. No volume issues. There is a mix volume on front of course to adjust volume with parallel. If memory serves, it has to be set to max when using series mode? Cant recall.



I'll give it a try, but I'm pretty sure it was maxed out on the knob in front but Ill retest.


----------



## anitoli

Run it in the series setting with the fx knob fully clockwise. Now on the back there is a loop level switch ( i think +4 to -10 db) and also two loop level fine tuners for channel 1 and 2. Channel 3 is the default level setting. You need to play with these adjustments to get it right.


----------



## i3oosted

anitoli said:


> Run it in the series setting with the fx knob fully clockwise. Now on the back there is a loop level switch ( i think +4 to -10 db) and also two loop level fine tuners for channel 1 and 2. Channel 3 is the default level setting. You need to play with these adjustments to get it right.



Maxed the loop levels in the back, using loop level button on and off as well, front knob effects maxed out. Using all three channels(no change in volumes BETWEEN channels), still volume issues, like half if not more volume loss using my loop in series, in parallel its full volume. Front effects knob works cause I can hear the effects lessen and increase with use. By volume I mean the whole amp sound, not just the effects sound levels.

Just for an example, I can have it in 50w mode, use series effects, have MV on 6-7 and channel volume maxed on clean channel and sit in front of my 2x12 and its not crazy loud. Same for channel 2/3 but channel volume of 6/7 before it becomes uncomfortable. If I switch it to parallel and kept those volumes, I'd be dead.


----------



## Phony iommi

See if this helps:
Run the loop in series
Set both channels 1 and 2 trim pots on the back to noon.
On the front dime both the effects knob and channel 3 volume knobs.
Set channel 2 volume to 3 o’clock 
Set channel 1 volume to 3 o’clock 
Now turn your reverb pedal on and use the trim pots on the back to match up the levels of channels 1 and 2 with channel 3. 
Bear in mind the output level of your effects pedal will be a factor in the equation as well.
This thing is tricky, as anitoli stated it takes some tinkering.
Good luck and I hope it works out for you!


----------



## RickyLee

I am remembering I had some issues with my Boss RV-5 and delay pedal in the loop. It was many years ago, and I might have posted it here somewhere if you want to search.

But I know I ended up using the other loop with those two FX and it worked out much better. The line in/out is it?

I keep my channel volumes close to max as well. It would be a wise idea to take some audio signal levels at that 2nd line insert loop though. I know my JVM has that insert loop as well, and it puts out a very high signal level that could damage stomp pedals.


----------



## i3oosted

RickyLee said:


> I am remembering I had some issues with my Boss RV-5 and delay pedal in the loop. It was many years ago, and I might have posted it here somewhere if you want to search.
> 
> But I know I ended up using the other loop with those two FX and it worked out much better. The line in/out is it?
> 
> I keep my channel volumes close to max as well. It would be a wise idea to take some audio signal levels at that 2nd line insert loop though. I know my JVM has that insert loop as well, and it puts out a very high signal level that could damage stomp pedals.



Wait we have 2 loops? lol maybe I don’t understand.

I forgot to use a patch cord on the effects loop to see if it’s amp or the pedals, I’ll do that and get back.


----------



## i3oosted

i3oosted said:


> Wait we have 2 loops? lol maybe I don’t understand.
> 
> I forgot to use a patch cord on the effects loop to see if it’s amp or the pedals, I’ll do that and get back.


Looks like my volume drop was my small clone not fully plugged in. I just ran through all my pedals and made sure they were powered and reconnected. All is good in 6100 land which is blissfull.


----------



## SHREDNECK

I just love happy endings, congrats on killing the bug issue!

I've had issues in distant and recent times, not down to a 'lemon' level, just techs here in Denver whom I'd used which are simply in over their heads dealing with a 6100 LE in my case; some of you may recall the thread in regard to ambient heat within the amp head, what a run- around between the two techs.

Thanks to everyone chiming in with valued input -- I was able to rule out some suppositions of mine at the time, and narrowed down the likely causes of the malady.

[Edit: Many thanks as well to @ampmadscientist for selflessly compiling an extensive list of alternate tech shops in Colorado which is very valued, and of which I can avail myself if any other problems arise!] 

An update: the 6100 still runs hot, but only when stand by is on line.

Back when I posted the thread _"How much is too much...." chassis heat,_ I was getting all erroneous readings when using an HVAC thermometer. The heat was still there but the readings were not reflective of the amp's actual internal temps.

In speaking with @anitoli I received his own readings off of his 6100 while he played one night -- Thank You! Gave me great points of reference.

I am now using a very good Klein digital multi meter with a more dedicated therm probe inserted into the middle of the heat vent atop the amp. Much more accurate. Internal heat rises to 168f degrees and no higher, no matter how hard and how long I push it; my main guitars run active circuitry and of course this probably contributes to running hot.

Otherwise, the amp still produces AWESOME tones and overdrive.

Cut to the chase: I always run the 6100 in my 2 stack configuration and no tube damage, no buss fuse burn- ups to date. And yes, this is one _monster_ of an amplifier -- configured as Master / Slave, the JCM 800 2204 stack rises to the task and both compliment the other all day!

Thanks to all who contributed! I really learned a lot --

-- Bruce


----------



## beeflin

I've replaced the Celestion G12 Gold S303 200W speaker in one of my 6101s with a Celestion BN12-300S - which weighs an astonishing 17lb less - because I use that 6101 for bass. It's so much less dangerous to lift, but lacks the edge and clarity of the Gold.


----------



## shredless

I think l sold a 6100 to someone here


----------



## mad5066

So one of my power tubes gave up the ghost. I didn't even realize until I put it in stand by and went around the back to change a setting, thanks to the built in protection (gotta replace a fuse though). I have a quad set of tung sol's RI that I plan on putting in it. Which leads me to my question because I always like having spare back ups, what power tubes do you guys run in yours?


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

mad5066 said:


> So one of my power tubes gave up the ghost. I didn't even realize until I put it in stand by and went around the back to change a setting, thanks to the built in protection (gotta replace a fuse though). I have a quad set of tung sol's RI that I plan on putting in it. Which leads me to my question because I always like having spare back ups, what power tubes do you guys run in yours?


I been using JJ’s and Sovtek.


----------



## beeflin

The Dose of Harmony said:


> I been using JJ’s and Sovtek.


I have Electro Harmonix EL34s in my blue 6101 and Sovtek 6L6s in my black 6101LM.


----------



## mad5066

beeflin said:


> I have Electro Harmonix EL34s in my blue 6101 and Sovtek 6L6s in my black 6101LM.
> View attachment 82619
> View attachment 82620



How do you like the EHs? I've heard pretty good things about them.


----------



## RickyLee

i3oosted said:


> Wait we have 2 loops? lol maybe I don’t understand.
> 
> I forgot to use a patch cord on the effects loop to see if it’s amp or the pedals, I’ll do that and get back.



My bad for not noticing your reply. I actually was able to take readings on the audio signal levels for the FX loop as well as the line out.

With channel volumes max on 10 and loop in -10dB mode, the FX loop puts out a safe 800mVAC - 1VAC on CH2/CH3. This FX loop is before the master volume as well.

The LINE IN/OUT loop is after the master volume. I had my master volume up to 3.5 channel volumes at 10 and I got guitar signal levels of aprox 330mVAC. So no issues running or harming stomp pedals there. My JVM 410H line in/out loop has a much higher level at well over 3VAC.


----------



## RickyLee

mad5066 said:


> So one of my power tubes gave up the ghost. I didn't even realize until I put it in stand by and went around the back to change a setting, thanks to the built in protection (gotta replace a fuse though). I have a quad set of tung sol's RI that I plan on putting in it. Which leads me to my question because I always like having spare back ups, what power tubes do you guys run in yours?



I am running Ruby 6L6 MSTR in my '94 6100. My '97 6100LM has re-issue Tung Sol EL34B. Oddly, I just had an issue with those Tung Sols as I was playing the amp at a quiet level and started hearing a hum rising. Took a look in the back and one side V10/V11 started to red plate. Turns out one of those on that hot side went bad and was losing/eating the bias voltage and the partner tube was riding hot with it. The tubes are new from 2015 but did not have very many hours on them actually.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

RickyLee said:


> I am running Ruby 6L6 MSTR in my '94 6100. My '97 6100LM has re-issue Tung Sol EL34B. Oddly, I just had an issue with those Tung Sols as I was playing the amp at a quiet level and started hearing a hum rising. Took a look in the back and one side V10/V11 started to red plate. Turns out one of those on that hot side went bad and was losing/eating the bias voltage and the partner tube was riding hot with it. The tubes are new from 2015 but did not have very many hours on them actually.


Good to see you man. Where you been?

I currently have Mesa branded STR 441 I think they were Seimens??


----------



## RickyLee

Jethro Rocker said:


> Good to see you man. Where you been?
> 
> I currently have Mesa branded STR 441 I think they were Seimens??



Been a bad year for me, besides dealing with this virus bs. I got rear ended in an auto accident by a guy supposed fell asleep and been out of work dealing with this crap entire year. Lost my desire to even play guitar and part of that was the passing of my bass player last November. Then of course, this virus crap stopped jams and gigs anyway.

Trying to get myself back into some of my project builds that I can undertake without hurting myself any further lol. Then, both of my 6100's seem to not be sounding up to par as well. Now the '97 6100LM is having channel switching issues. I get inside of it and the problem clears up magically lol.

I had also built me a Boogie MKIIC+ and that sounds OK but just not what I was expecting. Judging the tone of our gear without being able to get it into a band situation is not ideal really.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

RickyLee said:


> Been a bad year for me, besides dealing with this virus bs. I got rear ended in an auto accident by a guy supposed fell asleep and been out of work dealing with this crap entire year. Lost my desire to even play guitar and part of that was the passing of my bass player last November. Then of course, this virus crap stopped jams and gigs anyway.
> 
> Trying to get myself back into some of my project builds that I can undertake without hurting myself any further lol. Then, both of my 6100's seem to not be sounding up to par as well. Now the '97 6100LM is having channel switching issues. I get inside of it and the problem clears up magically lol.
> 
> I had also built me a Boogie MKIIC+ and that sounds OK but just not what I was expecting. Judging the tone of our gear without being able to get it into a band situation is not ideal really.


Aw shit man that rreally sucks! Any damage, how are you feeling?


----------



## RickyLee

Jethro Rocker said:


> Aw shit man that rreally sucks! Any damage, how are you feeling?



Herniated discs in low back and issues upper spine and neck. Our bodies just do not recover well as we get old lol. Sitting here watching the football game and it feels like someone is twisting a knife in my right side low back. And in this day and age, getting any medication for pain is now a major ordeal. I feel more sorry for anyone dealing with major pain issues in the coming years, in this new world of bs regulations man.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

RickyLee said:


> Herniated discs in low back and issues upper spine and neck. Our bodies just do not recover well as we get old lol. Sitting here watching the football game and it feels like someone is twisting a knife in my right side low back. And in this day and age, getting any medication for pain is now a major ordeal. I feel more sorry for anyone dealing with major pain issues in the coming years, in this new world of bs regulations man.


Shit man sorry to hear that.


----------



## RickyLee

Jethro Rocker said:


> Shit man sorry to hear that.



Just hoping this planet gets on the road to recovery soon. I need to get myself back into music again.

I know I would like to attempt replacing all the e'lytic caps in at least one 6100 to see if it helps get the amp back to what I remember it being . . . .


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

RickyLee said:


> Just hoping this planet gets on the road to recovery soon. I need to get myself back into music again.
> 
> I know I would like to attempt replacing all the e'lytic caps in at least one 6100 to see if it helps get the amp back to what I remember it being . . . .


Man i Hope you recover soon man!
This year has hit us man !
But we will see the light at the end of the tunnel man!


----------



## RickyLee

The Dose of Harmony said:


> Man i Hope you recover soon man!
> This year has hit us man !
> But we will see the light at the end of the tunnel man!



Yeah, I think things will of course get better with this virus crap. But then might take a few years before we see the same behaviors and safety when it comes to our old ways of interaction and close contact between people. All those things we take for granted in this day and age, besides all the global travel of people and goods. Things such as crowd gatherings of music, sporting events, bar/pub socializing and such.


----------



## beeflin

mad5066 said:


> How do you like the EHs? I've heard pretty good things about them.


It's very hard to judge because I only change them very infrequently - I'm not a full-time professional - but to me they sound clean and clear.


----------



## Dukemcrae

absolutely love the 6100 series amps.....
I have two full stacks, and one head, and two combos, all in the limited edition model, solid brass chassis, and I have the three heads all personally signed by Jim Marshall.

I have two other of the combos and one extension cabinet but they aren’t the limited edition ones
I still even have the original shipping containers for I think both stacks
they’ve only ever left my basement once, along time ago when I was fortunate enough to be in a band that opened for rage against the machine at Maple leaf Gardens in Toronto. They are all basically dead mint, brand new.

A few years ago, I started to think about selling them, and I’m now on the fence about doing the same again, but I don’t even know where I would even start to try and come up with a price for them…

i’m located in Toronto, Canada, and I was debating on getting them down to LA, or New York because there’s probably a much bigger audience for them down there, especially ones that are in as good condition as this.https://imgur.com/5B3c90Y

https://imgur.com/5B3c90Y


----------



## beeflin

Dukemcrae said:


> absolutely love the 6100 series amps.....
> I have two full stacks, and one head, and two combos, all in the limited edition model, solid brass chassis, and I have the three heads all personally signed by Jim Marshall.



Wow, what a nice collection! you should make a deal with a studio to look after one or two and let people use them!


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

Dukemcrae said:


> absolutely love the 6100 series amps.....
> I have two full stacks, and one head, and two combos, all in the limited edition model, solid brass chassis, and I have the three heads all personally signed by Jim Marshall.
> 
> I have two other of the combos and one extension cabinet but they aren’t the limited edition ones
> I still even have the original shipping containers for I think both stacks
> they’ve only ever left my basement once, along time ago when I was fortunate enough to be in a band that opened for rage against the machine at Maple leaf Gardens in Toronto. They are all basically dead mint, brand new.
> 
> A few years ago, I started to think about selling them, and I’m now on the fence about doing the same again, but I don’t even know where I would even start to try and come up with a price for them…
> 
> i’m located in Toronto, Canada, and I was debating on getting them down to LA, or New York because there’s probably a much bigger audience for them down there, especially ones that are in as good condition as this.https://imgur.com/5B3c90Y
> 
> https://imgur.com/5B3c90Y


Thanks for posting that !
I thought that I was a Marshall Junkie beacuse I have three lm Heads!
Lol
Now that I see you , I kniw what Marshall Junkie is!
Lol


----------



## EKIN

Dukemcrae said:


> absolutely love the 6100 series amps.....
> I have two full stacks, and one head, and two combos, all in the limited edition model, solid brass chassis, and I have the three heads all personally signed by Jim Marshall.
> 
> I have two other of the combos and one extension cabinet but they aren’t the limited edition ones
> I still even have the original shipping containers for I think both stacks
> they’ve only ever left my basement once, along time ago when I was fortunate enough to be in a band that opened for rage against the machine at Maple leaf Gardens in Toronto. They are all basically dead mint, brand new.
> 
> A few years ago, I started to think about selling them, and I’m now on the fence about doing the same again, but I don’t even know where I would even start to try and come up with a price for them…
> 
> i’m located in Toronto, Canada, and I was debating on getting them down to LA, or New York because there’s probably a much bigger audience for them down there, especially ones that are in as good condition as this.https://imgur.com/5B3c90Y
> 
> https://imgur.com/5B3c90Y



Well... I bought last week a blue 6100 head ( sold 150€ for pieces ). I thought I was the craziest guy of the world because I already have 2 6100 LM head and 3 combos 6101... Thank you for posting


----------



## Jethro Rocker

My 6101 xombo gets used the most, partly because it takes up very little real estate, is easy to haul, can stack on the 6912 and is so versatile.


----------



## Markedman

$700.00 asking price LM model w/ foot switch

https://westernmass.craigslist.org/msg/d/florence-marshall-30th-anniversary-6100m/7241104144.html


----------



## anitoli

Markedman said:


> $700.00 asking price LM model w/ foot switch
> 
> https://westernmass.craigslist.org/msg/d/florence-marshall-30th-anniversary-6100m/7241104144.html


Won't ship...................


----------



## Chris Hathcock

I love this thread! I have played the 6100 for years. Fantastic amp in the studio as well. Here is my rig. 













Rig



__ Chris Hathcock
__ Feb 19, 2021


----------



## Markedman

Markedman said:


> $700.00 asking price LM model w/ foot switch
> 
> https://westernmass.craigslist.org/msg/d/florence-marshall-30th-anniversary-6100m/7241104144.html


So I called this guy up and we're meeting tomorrow. I will post up pictures and a video. I'm very curious how this amp matches or exceeds my Boogie rig, which frankly is sofa king great.


----------



## Drinkingdeath01

Scored this little monster yesterday. Amazing amp.



image ru


----------



## Markedman

Um, that there Boogie in the background, it is the same as my Boogie, the mighty Quad Preamp. I also use a Boogie 50/50 power amp, which to me, together, is the best Boogie product ever and I've owned many Boogies, Mark IIB, C+, C++, JP2C, Mark III's, IV's, V, studio pre, Rectifier, DC-5, Triaxis & Strategy 400. 



My rig by John Bazzano, on Flickr


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Drinkingdeath01 said:


> Scored this little monster yesterday. Amazing amp.
> 
> 
> 
> image ru


The gold lettering too! Well done! Amazing little amp, so much sound for such little space.


----------



## Drinkingdeath01

Jethro Rocker said:


> The gold lettering too! Well done! Amazing little amp, so much sound for such little space.


Thank you Sir. Can you post a pic of yours ? You have the matching cab too right ?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Drinkingdeath01 said:


> Thank you Sir. Can you post a pic of yours ? You have the matching cab too right ?


Yep. Mine has the white logo. LE 1992 with EL34.


----------



## Markedman

Ready to fire up.



Marshall 6100LM by John Bazzano, on Flickr


----------



## Phony iommi

That’s a beautiful rig sir.
Once you take it off standby and hit your first power chord, those glasses and the flashlight are going bye bye. Rock on!


----------



## Markedman

I think it needs new tubes, I'll pick up a quad tomorrow. It was converted to el34 tubes, I have a stash of 12ax7's that I'll be switching in and out.

Edit; All tubes tested strong. The one behind the power tubes tested off the chart!




Sovtek by John Bazzano, on Flickr

Marshall 6100LM by John Bazzano, on Flickr



12ax7 by John Bazzano, on Flickr


----------



## Markedman

Update - !Warning! I'm high gain only. No cleanliness here on this video. 6100LM Ch.3 & Boogie Quad Ch1 lead.


----------



## wholelottaburst

Hi!
I'm a new member here and have the 6101LM pictured in my avatar. I'm wondering if there's a thread for mods to these amps?
Thanks!


----------



## The Dose of Harmony

Markedman said:


> Update - !Warning! I'm high gain only. No cleanliness here on this video. 6100LM Ch.3 & Boogie Quad Ch1 lead.



Last time a put Rat pedal like a booster on channel 3 it kick ass!


----------



## beeflin

Could someone kindly remind me which 2 tubes are active - inner pair or outer pair - when the amp is in Low Power mode?


----------



## anitoli

beeflin said:


> Could someone kindly remind me which 2 tubes are active - inner pair or outer pair - when the amp is in Low Power mode?


The switch shuts off V8-11 so the inner pair V9-10 runs on half power.

http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze1u14s/si ... weramp.pdf


----------



## beeflin

anitoli said:


> The switch shuts off V8-11 so the inner pair V9-10 runs on half power.
> 
> http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze1u14s/si ... weramp.pdf


Cheers!


----------



## Bartrant

Owned one (black Tolex,5881's) that was stolen and of course never seen back by me.Saving money and almost ready to buy me a Mini Silver Jubilee....and THEN there is that builder/seller with a very nice 6100,same version as I still miss,for a more than nice price...Hmmm,no band or gigging anymore,so it is a very big/loud one (however I remember it to sound awesome at just 25 W at low volume) maybe I contact the selling guy,just to have a talk.I was SO in love with that 6100....and digging in this thread also makes my heart glowing....


----------



## fitz

Here's my new to me 6101 & 6912 from Ireland in my living room.
It's a 1993 EL34.
Had it for a day and dropped it off a Pittsburgh Guitars for conversion to 120v & a tube bias.
Home - Pittsburgh Guitars - local Marshall service center - lot's of Gretsch & Vox, more stock than GC.
I can't wait to let the neighbors know I got another amp.


----------



## anitoli

fitz288 said:


> Here's my new to me 6101 & 6912 from Ireland in my living room.
> It's a 1995 EL34.
> Had it for a day and dropped it off a Pittsburgh Guitars for conversion to 120v & a tube bias.
> Home - Pittsburgh Guitars - local Marshall service center - lot's of Gretsch & Vox, more stock than GC.
> I can't wait to let the neighbors know I got another amp.
> 
> View attachment 88717


Congrats looks gorgeous.


----------



## fitz

anitoli said:


> Congrats looks gorgeous.


Thanks Pete, and thanks for all your advice too.


----------



## Hamer95USA

wholelottaburst said:


> Hi!
> I'm a new member here and have the 6101LM pictured in my avatar. I'm wondering if there's a thread for mods to these amps?
> Thanks!



What exactly are you going to mod on your 6101LM combo amp?


----------



## Bartrant

Hell yes. by G.O. d&#x27;Verde, on Flickr
Here's it,with a brand new 1936 beneath it.My neighbours are goin' to love the attenuator-these things really work indeed \m/


----------



## Seventh Son

@Drinkingdeath01 What are your thoughts about the combo? How do you like the sound?


----------



## dejeroenbliek

anitoli said:


> My 2 cents:
> 
> Gain 10
> Bass 10
> Mid 11-1
> Treb 11-1
> Vol 11-1
> Mode switch on C


Yes each Marshall all the knobs at 10. On my tsl100 ch3. And on my 6100 ch 2c.


----------



## dejeroenbliek

dejeroenbliek said:


> Yes each Marshall all the knobs at 10. On my tsl100 ch3. And on my 6100 ch 2c.


Sorry I’ve to correct my quote. 
On my tsl100 channel 3:
every knob at 10, accept the gain knob. Its between the 2 and 3. And the volume on 6. 
On my 6100 channel 2c yes everything on the 10.


----------



## dejeroenbliek




----------



## Seventh Son

Lately, I've been using the Balanced Compensated Output to record again and am actually very happy with the sound this time around. Funny how time, experience, and perspective can shift our perception of something. I think the key is to not dial in too much bass, or it will sound woofy. Around 2 (9 o'clock) is perfect for me. I set mids and treble around 6, gain on 7, mode C. Sounds very nice.


----------



## freakout

In 2 weeks 30 years of the 
*Marshall 30th Anniversary*


----------



## JacksonCharvelAddict

They need to reissue these.


----------



## Seventh Son

Does the combo version have the same big iron as the head version?

People bring up heat-related issues a lot in conjunction with the combo version. I doubt that Marshall, a company that specializes in guitar amp building, would make an amp knowing that it would have _major_ issues due to the design. Do you guys think that the heat concerns are blown out of proportion?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Seventh Son said:


> Does the combo version have the same big iron as the head version?
> 
> People bring up heat-related issues a lot in conjunction with the combo version. I doubt that Marshall, a company that specializes in guitar amp building, would make an amp knowing that it would have _major_ issues due to the design. Do you guys think that the heat concerns are blown out of proportion?


Has big heavy iron, yup. Mostly on one side so it is side heavy!
I have had no problems with mine heat wise at all, but the plugs in back can get very hot. sometimes I run a little fan back there. I can see as heat rises it heats up the components inside but hasn't caused me issues. I used to use it a fair bit partly as such a great portable grab n go.


----------



## Seventh Son

The combo version and the matching extension cabinets come with some unique speakers. How do they sound and what standard speaker do they resemble most?


----------



## SkyMonkey

If you're in the UK (Sheffield specifically), my LGS has two of the 6101 combos in stock!

https://richtonemusic.co.uk/marshall-6101-anniversary-combo-matching-cab-2nd-hand-collection-only/

https://richtonemusic.co.uk/marshall-30th-anni-6101lm-valve-amp-footswitch-2nd-hand-collection-only/


----------



## fitz

Seventh Son said:


> The combo version and the matching extension cabinets come with some unique speakers. How do they sound and what standard speaker do they resemble most?


They were a Celestion labeled Electro-Voice 200w (S200?).
I think there were some different versions for US & UK, but basically the same speaker.
No clue what the equivalent "sounding" speaker would be, but I would guess the EVM12L 200w might be close


----------



## Seventh Son

fitz288 said:


> They were a Celestion labeled Electro-Voice 200w (S200?).
> I think there were some different versions for US & UK, but basically the same speaker.
> No clue what the equivalent "sounding" speaker would be, but I would guess the EVM12L 200w might be close


That is interesting in more than one way. We tend to think that Marshall designs the amps with a particular speaker in mind, but the 6100 and 6101, which are identical, came with different speakers.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

fitz288 said:


> They were a Celestion labeled Electro-Voice 200w (S200?).
> I think there were some different versions for US & UK, but basically the same speaker.
> No clue what the equivalent "sounding" speaker would be, but I would guess the EVM12L 200w might be close


Yup exactly this. The Celestion S303 gold was in my Cdn version, which essentially is the EVM12L. I think I read in US they used a 150 watt versiom.
I found them very harsh with that amp to the point where I sold them and put G12- T75s in. Very happy with that.


----------



## Seventh Son

SkyMonkey said:


> If you're in the UK (Sheffield specifically), my LGS has two of the 6101 combos in stock!
> 
> https://richtonemusic.co.uk/marshall-6101-anniversary-combo-matching-cab-2nd-hand-collection-only/
> 
> https://richtonemusic.co.uk/marshall-30th-anni-6101lm-valve-amp-footswitch-2nd-hand-collection-only/


The blue stack looks great and is very attractively priced. I'd jump on it in a heartbeat if it were here in the U.S.

Even the black version without the matching cab is very attractively priced.


----------



## Seventh Son

@Jethro How does the internal speaker sound compared to a 4x12? Would you say that it sounds beefier than something like an SC20?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Seventh Son said:


> @Jethro How does the internal speaker sound compared to a 4x12? Would you say that it sounds beefier than something like an SC20?


Well very open sounding compared to a 4x12 but the extension cab helps add some of that oomph. SC20 is such a different amp. My SC20 is a head with cab so will sound different from the 6101 open back.


----------



## SkyMonkey

So, I'm not going to read the whole thread.
Sorry.
But why are there two power tube versions?


----------



## anitoli

SkyMonkey said:


> So, I'm not going to read the whole thread.
> Sorry.
> But why are there two power tube versions?


Short answer, the supply of EL34's dried up.


----------



## SkyMonkey

anitoli said:


> Short answer, the supply of EL34's dried up.


Any tonal differences?


----------



## anitoli

SkyMonkey said:


> Any tonal differences?


Having two EL and two 6L6 heads not enough to go wow.


----------



## anitoli

The real difference is in the cabs. The brasser cabs have G12T75's in there but they have to be speced different. I can plug into a brasser then immediately plug into a 900 cab with G12's 75's using the same head and the tone shift is huge. Sort of like the Jube's and the V30's thing.


----------



## Seventh Son

anitoli said:


> The real difference is in the cabs. The brasser cabs have G12T75's in there but they have to be speced different. I can plug into a brasser then immediately plug into a 900 cab with G12's 75's using the same head and the tone shift is huge. Sort of like the Jube's and the V30's thing.


How is the brass-logo cab different sounding from its 1960 equivalent?


----------



## anitoli

Seventh Son said:


> How is the brass-logo cab different sounding from its 1960 equivalent?


Much more mellow in the upper mids, a smoother bass response. Very resonant.


----------



## Carcass29

* Im fairly new to the forum and a recent 6100 owner.
I purchased a used blue tolex 6100 several months ago. Its honestly never sounded so great. Its dull and lifeless. I recently installed a set of jj el34Ls and various preamp tubes including a sovtek in the pi. I was preparing to bias and I noticed this... I put the multimeter on and its reading about 10k. Did someone try to modify it? I did find searching on the forum about the 100ohm 10k r58 difference so I should probably remove it correct? *


----------



## anitoli

It's supposed to be a 10k 2watt. That looks like its getting a bit hot, even the board is discolored. Can you post a very detailed pic(s) of the preamp board? Something doesn't seem right.


----------



## Carcass29

Thanks for the input, I was thinking it was discolored because of a soldering iron. Here are a few pics. If you need any areas in particular I'll try my best to get a few closeups. Somebody worked on it in 2015, there are markings with initials on the inside of the chassis.


----------



## Carcass29

Pics


----------



## Carcass29

It's supposed to be a 10k 2watt. That looks like its getting a bit hot, even the board is discolored. Can you post a very detailed pic(s) of the preamp board? Something doesn't. 


I just soldered a 10k 2 watt resistor in its place and wow, This thing breaths fire! Thank you


----------



## Jeff Turley

Awhile back I thought I saw a couple posts about upgrading to better IC's in the 6101 (or 6100 head), but I cannot find it. Can anyone direct to those posts? Thanks very much.


----------



## Seventh Son

On an amp like the 6100, do the channel volumes have any impact on how much the power tubes are driven, or is it solely a function of the master volume knob?

@anitoli I think you did some experimenting a while back and found a channel volume range that hits a sweet spot. Do you remember what that was?


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Seventh Son said:


> On an amp like the 6100, do the channel volumes have any impact on how much the power tubes are driven, or is it solely a function of the master volume knob?
> 
> @anitoli I think you did some experimenting a while back and found a channel volume range that hits a sweet spot. Do you remember what that was?


If master is low it is irrelevant. Must have master up.


----------



## Jethro Rocker

Seventh Son said:


> On an amp like the 6100, do the channel volumes have any impact on how much the power tubes are driven, or is it solely a function of the master volume knob?
> 
> @anitoli I think you did some experimenting a while back and found a channel volume range that hits a sweet spot. Do you remember what that was?


If master is low it is irrelevant. Must have master up. Master is a volume control not an attenuator so if it is low then minimal signal to power section.


----------



## anitoli

Jethro Rocker said:


> If master is low it is irrelevant. Must have master up. Master is a volume control not an attenuator so if it is low then minimal signal to power section.


This is correct. There is a point on the individual channel volumes that after a certain range the op-amps before the fx loop will clip giving you a nice ugly square wave. You need to balance the channel level with the master and find where the channel level gives the best drive.


----------



## mad5066

Seventh Son said:


> On an amp like the 6100, do the channel volumes have any impact on how much the power tubes are driven, or is it solely a function of the master volume knob?
> 
> @anitoli I think you did some experimenting a while back and found a channel volume range that hits a sweet spot. Do you remember what that was?



SS the info you're asking for is on this thread page 21, I remember reading it and q quick google I was able to track it down, unfortunately the scope images are broken but it still gets the point across. Hope that helps!


----------



## Seventh Son

mad5066 said:


> SS the info you're asking for is on this thread page 21, I remember reading it and q quick google I was able to track it down, unfortunately the scope images are broken but it still gets the point across. Hope that helps!


Found it. Thanks.


----------



## Carcass29

Deleted


----------



## Force235

MY 1 OF 800 EVER MADE, LE













20150710 063932



__ Force235
__ Jul 10, 2015


















20150710 064030



__ Force235
__ Jul 10, 2015


----------



## Force235

20150710 064214



__ Force235
__ Jul 10, 2015


















20150710 064154



__ Force235
__ Jul 10, 2015


----------



## Seventh Son

Force235 said:


> MY 1 OF 800 EVER MADE, LE
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20150710 063932
> 
> 
> 
> __ Force235
> __ Jul 10, 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20150710 064030
> 
> 
> 
> __ Force235
> __ Jul 10, 2015


I feel privileged to see this.


----------



## Seventh Son

Force235 said:


> 20150710 064214
> 
> 
> 
> __ Force235
> __ Jul 10, 2015
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 20150710 064154
> 
> 
> 
> __ Force235
> __ Jul 10, 2015


Do you play it often, or are you more of a collector?


----------



## anitoli

Seventh Son said:


> I feel privileged to see this.


It's big brother:


----------



## Seventh Son

anitoli said:


> It's big brother:


These amps are the Holy Grail of Marshall.


----------



## fitz

Mini-grail


----------



## Seventh Son

One day I would love to own a standard blue 6101 with the matching extension cab.


----------



## Seventh Son

After a long time of not having played it, I fired up my 6100LM today and had some fun with it. A few interesting things that I noticed are as follows.

1. It sounds very open. No hint of compression, except for just a small amount on the Lead channel with the Gain Boost engaged.
2. It has a ton of mids and bass. A very classic sound, especially through the standard 1960A cab with G12T-75. Very honky, like the tones on the classic Priest records. I really missed the DSL upper frequency bite. The DSL sounds like it is already clean boosted and treble boosted. The 6100LM sounds like it needs a boost to get there.
3. The amount of gain is very low. Even on the Lead channel with the Gain Boost in, this is far, far from the gain I am used to on my DSLs. Would it be correct to say that the 6100 is a very vintage sounding amp? The closest it can get to a DSL is on the Lead channel with the Gain Boost and Midshift engaged.

What do you guys think?


----------



## Hamer95USA

Seventh Son said:


> One day I would love to own a standard blue 6101 with the matching extension cab


Here's my 1992 Marshall 6101 combo amp & matching blue 1912 1x12 closed back cab. It's on the right in the 2nd picture. I haven't used it in awhile. Time to bust out with it again!

Guitar George


----------



## Hamer95USA

Seventh Son said:


> After a long time of not having played it, I fired up my 6100LM today and had some fun with it. A few interesting things that I noticed are as follows.
> 
> 1. It sounds very open. No hint of compression, except for just a small amount on the Lead channel with the Gain Boost engaged.
> 2. It has a ton of mids and bass. A very classic sound, especially through the standard 1960A cab with G12T-75. Very honky, like the tones on the classic Priest records. I really missed the DSL upper frequency bite. The DSL sounds like it is already clean boosted and treble boosted. The 6100LM sounds like it needs a boost to get there.
> 3. The amount of gain is very low. Even on the Lead channel with the Gain Boost in, this is far, far from the gain I am used to on my DSLs. Would it be correct to say that the 6100 is a very vintage sounding amp? The closest it can get to a DSL is on the Lead channel with the Gain Boost and Midshift engaged.
> 
> What do you guys think?


 I would check out the condition of your preamp tubes! It sounds like you have some worn out 12AX7 preamp tubes that need replacement. There should be lots of overdrive gain in the crunch A/B/C channels and the lead channel. I'm not a fan of the Celestion G12T-75 speakers in the 30th Anniversary cabs. I think it sounds very scooped and doesn't compliment the amp's sound. I took all of the Celestion G12T-75 speakers out of my JCM 900 1960A cab and installed a set of used Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. It sounds much better to my ears and the sound that I'm going for. I've also customized my 1960A 4x12 cab with a 5 input jack plate that can do the wet/dry/wet guitar sound with a rack delay & power amp. 

Guitar George


----------



## matt3310

Got all 3!


----------



## mad5066

matt3310 said:


> Got all 3!


ridiculous! I love it! I've got the middle one.


----------



## Seventh Son

Hamer95USA said:


> I would check out the condition of your preamp tubes! It sounds like you have some worn out 12AX7 preamp tubes that need replacement. There should be lots of overdrive gain in the crunch A/B/C channels and the lead channel. I'm not a fan of the Celestion G12T-75 speakers in the 30th Anniversary cabs. I think it sounds very scooped and doesn't compliment the amp's sound. I took all of the Celestion G12T-75 speakers out of my JCM 900 1960A cab and installed a set of used Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. It sounds much better to my ears and the sound that I'm going for. I've also customized my 1960A 4x12 cab with a 5 input jack plate that can do the wet/dry/wet guitar sound with a rack delay & power amp.
> 
> Guitar George


I don't think there is anything wrong with the preamp tubes. My amp was almost new when I bought it and has been barely played, as I live in an apartment. What I meant by saying that the amp sounds low-gain, is that it has a very dry sound compared to the new DSLs. The DSLs sound more exciting, but also fizz a lot, unless they're driven really, really hard. Compared to the DSLs, the 6100 sounds very classic overall.

Your comments on G1T-75s are valuable. Those speakers really seem to polarize players. Some love them, some hate them. Personally, I think Marshall made a huge mistake when it switched from the G12-65s to G12T-75s. The G12-65s had such a nice high frequency roll-off. The G12T-75s have too unique of a voice to work well as a general purpose speaker.


----------



## Seventh Son

matt3310 said:


> Got all 3!


This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen.


----------



## Seventh Son

Hamer95USA said:


> Here's my 1992 Marshall 6101 combo amp & matching blue 1912 1x12 closed back cab. It's on the right in the 2nd picture. I haven't used it in awhile. Time to bust out with it again!
> 
> Guitar George
> View attachment 107084


Do you think you might sell the combo stack someday? I don't have the spare cash right now, but it's something I'd consider buying in a couple years.


----------



## fitz

Seventh Son said:


> Do you think you might sell the combo stack someday? I don't have the spare cash right now, but it's something I'd consider buying in a couple years.


Not trying to torture you, but full set on reverb popped up a few days ago...








Marshall 6101 30th Anniversary Series 3-Channel 100-Watt 1x12" Guitar Combo | Reverb


Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.




reverb.com


----------



## Seventh Son

I have a question for all 6100/6101 users. So, when we think of JCM800, for example, we think classic rock and classic metal; DSL, modern metal. JVM, also modern metal. When I think of the 6100/6101, no immediate purpose comes to mind. What style/genre of music do you think the 6100/6101 is inherently best suited for?


----------



## Moony

Again, crazy prices in the US.

Here in Germany the 6101 combos are around 600 euros used, they don't sell for more than that.
The 6100 heads are a bit cheaper, around 500 euros.

Since the JVMs were released there are not many people who want to buy the 6100/6101 amps anyways.


----------



## Seventh Son

fitz288 said:


> Not trying to torture you, but full set on reverb popped up a few days ago...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Marshall 6101 30th Anniversary Series 3-Channel 100-Watt 1x12" Guitar Combo | Reverb
> 
> 
> Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> reverb.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 107125


Wow, this is only about an hour from where I live. Too bad I don't have the spare cash right now.


----------



## Hamer95USA

Seventh Son said:


> Do you think you might sell the combo stack someday? I don't have the spare cash right now, but it's something I'd consider buying in a couple years.


@Seventh Son: This is basically my forever Marshall combo amp stack! It's not for sale, mang! Sorry! I'm the original owner & have been using since 1993 for my cover band gigs. I think the sound is far better than any of the Mesa Boogie combo amps that's on the market.. It took Marshall awhile to come up with a better amp until they came out with the JVM series combo amps. You can look on Reverb or E-bay and find either a blue vinyl first year 6101 combo amp, a limited edtion blue vinyl with brass Marshall logo 6101 combo amp, or the black vinyl 6101 combo amp. They're out there. The European version of the 6101 combo amp came with a Celestion Gold S-303 G12 Gold speaker which was a relabeled Electrovoice EV-12L speaker with a gold frame and with a rear rubber cover with Celestion on the label. Make sure you get the footswitch & read the owners manual. 

Guitar George


----------



## Hamer95USA

Seventh Son said:


> I have a question for all 6100/6101 users. So, when we think of JCM800, for example, we think classic rock and classic metal; DSL, modern metal. JVM, also modern metal. When I think of the 6100/6101, no immediate purpose comes to mind. What style/genre of music do you think the 6100/6101 is inherently best suited for?


 I use my 6101 combo amp with a Fractal Audio FX-8 floor effects processor, have presets with the different amp channels, control the amp channel switching via MIDI, and run the delays/chorus/reverb in parallel in the effect loop using 4 cable method. I use my 6101 combo amp for my Top 40 gigs and it covers everything that I need for the different genres that I have to play onstage. It's one of the most versatile combo amps that I've ever owned, but the EV-12L speaker in it weighs almost 20 lbs.

Guitar George


----------



## God of Thunder

I guess I never posted pics of my 6100 in this thread! HOW DARE I?!?

#666


----------



## Seventh Son

God of Thunder said:


> I guess I never posted pics of my 6100 in this thread! HOW DARE I?!?
> 
> #666


Wow! That's such a classy amp collection. A 6100, JCM800, and DSL2000.


----------



## tarznamps

Several versions of the 30th. I found a LM full stack a few years ago.


----------



## Thoma




----------



## 72Jazzmaster

Greetings from Berlin! This is my first posting in this forum, in which I have been reading for quite some time.

I happily joined the 6100 Club eleven days ago. After a two year search - submitting recently, I don't need new equipment at the moment - I couldn't resist an offer for an 92' 6100 with El34s for 450 Euros (with the foodswitch). This has been the best price I've seen in two years. In Germany the price for the 6100's vary from 600 to 900 Euros.

The head is in full working order, but will need some servicing, because it hasn't seen a workbench for quite some time and I'm afraid the room in which it has been standing in the last years was not too clean (dust).

When I brought it home I put it on the Orange 2 x 12 Orange cab, which is the home of my Vox AC 15 Head. To me, admitting I have no experience of the 6100 with any other cab, it sounds glorious with the Celestion Vintage speakers. But I'm gassing for a Marshall 1936 cab, mainly because the Orange cab is a little too small for the 6100. Not to forget, where should the Vox sit, when the Marshall head is occupying his home cab? First world Problems ... .

Actually I'm more than happy with the cleans from chanel 1 and the JCM 800 roar of channel 2 B. My sonic exspectations were nutured by what I read about the 6100 head in this Forum, so thanks for helping me finding the Marshall head, that fullfils all of my Marshall needs!


----------



## fitz

72Jazzmaster said:


> Greetings from Berlin! This is my first posting in this forum, in which I have been reading for quite some time.
> 
> I happily joined the 6100 Club eleven days ago. After a two year search - submitting recently, I don't need new equipment at the moment - I couldn't resist an offer for an 92' 6100 with El34s for 450 Euros (with the foodswitch). This has been the best price I've seen in two years. In Germany the price for the 6100's vary from 600 to 900 Euros.
> 
> The head is in full working order, but will need some servicing, because it hasn't seen a workbench for quite some time and I'm afraid the room in which it has been standing in the last years was not too clean (dust).
> 
> When I brought it home I put it on the Orange 2 x 12 Orange cab, which is the home of my Vox AC 15 Head. To me, admitting I have no experience of the 6100 with any other cab, it sounds glorious with the Celestion Vintage speakers. But I'm gassing for a Marshall 1936 cab, mainly because the Orange cab is a little too small for the 6100. Not to forget, where should the Vox sit, when the Marshall head is occupying his home cab? First world Problems ... .
> 
> Actually I'm more than happy with the cleans from chanel 1 and the JCM 800 roar of channel 2 B. My sonic exspectations were nutured by what I read about the 6100 head in this Forum, so thanks for helping me finding the Marshall head, that fullfils all of my Marshall needs!


 to the forum & congrats on the new to you Marshall.


----------



## Thoma

72Jazzmaster said:


> Greetings from Berlin!


Greetings from Kiel!
Nice find indeed. 
Does it have black Tolex?

When I picked up my '95 6100LM back in the day, it came with a 1936. A great fit.

Have loads of fun with your new Amp!


----------



## BlueX

72Jazzmaster said:


> Greetings from Berlin! This is my first posting in this forum, in which I have been reading for quite some time.
> 
> I happily joined the 6100 Club eleven days ago. After a two year search - submitting recently, I don't need new equipment at the moment - I couldn't resist an offer for an 92' 6100 with El34s for 450 Euros (with the foodswitch). This has been the best price I've seen in two years. In Germany the price for the 6100's vary from 600 to 900 Euros.
> 
> The head is in full working order, but will need some servicing, because it hasn't seen a workbench for quite some time and I'm afraid the room in which it has been standing in the last years was not too clean (dust).
> 
> When I brought it home I put it on the Orange 2 x 12 Orange cab, which is the home of my Vox AC 15 Head. To me, admitting I have no experience of the 6100 with any other cab, it sounds glorious with the Celestion Vintage speakers. But I'm gassing for a Marshall 1936 cab, mainly because the Orange cab is a little too small for the 6100. Not to forget, where should the Vox sit, when the Marshall head is occupying his home cab? First world Problems ... .
> 
> Actually I'm more than happy with the cleans from chanel 1 and the JCM 800 roar of channel 2 B. My sonic exspectations were nutured by what I read about the 6100 head in this Forum, so thanks for helping me finding the Marshall head, that fullfils all of my Marshall needs!


Welcome to the forum, and HNAD! We would like to see pictures.


----------



## 72Jazzmaster

Thanks, fitz288, Thoma and BlueX for the nice Welcome!

@ Thoma My head has the black tolex covering. Being not much of a musician, I avoid fancy tools - blue tolex for example. 
Today I had a day of and tried a bit of piano, acoustic and electric guitar playing, comming to the conclusion I should practise a bit more, before thinking about buying new equipment - I was really embarrased by my poor performance. Well there are days like this ... .


----------



## fitz

72Jazzmaster said:


> Thanks, fitz288, Thoma and BlueX for the nice Welcome!
> 
> @ Thoma My head has the black tolex covering. Being not much of a musician, I avoid fancy tools - blue tolex for example.
> Today I had a day of and tried a bit of piano, acoustic and electric guitar playing, comming to the conclusion I should practise a bit more, before thinking about buying new equipment - I was really embarrased by my poor performance. Well there are days like this ... .


If musical aptitude were a requirement here, I'd have been gone a loooong time ago. 
Play because you love it, or it's just another chore that needs done.


----------



## Seventh Son

Congrats! The 6100 sounds great through G12T-75s. Not the most adventurous speaker, but they just work great with Marshalls, since Marshalls tend to be spiky in the high frequencies and need a speaker that can handle the treble and harmonic content.


----------



## 72Jazzmaster

@ fitz288
Usually I'm quite happy with my musical abilities, but after two months of nearly no playing at all I really suck at the piano. Reason I only started with pian playing as a grown up, so differently to guitar which I took up 40 years ago, I get the feeling of not knowing what to do with my fingers, after a long break. And having fucked up with one thing I took out my frustration to the next ... .

@Sevenbth Son I haven't bought a 1936 cab jet. Buying too many things at the same time, for me, takes the fun out of it. I'm much more happy, when I buy something once in a while. I think I can appreciate things more this way. But yeah I'm really looking forward to the simple style of the G12T-75. In the 90ies I used to have a 1960 cab together with my JCM 900 and always liked it a lot.


----------



## Terrence Healy

Moony said:


> Again, crazy prices in the US.
> 
> Here in Germany the 6101 combos are around 600 euros used, they don't sell for more than that.
> The 6100 heads are a bit cheaper, around 500 euros.
> 
> Since the JVMs were released there are not many people who want to buy the 6100/6101 amps anyways.


My amp Tech Told me DO NOT BUY THE COMBOS, they mount the head upside down and it overheats, if you going to use a 6100 buy the head. Just repeating what a 30 year AMP Tech told me. HE had the purple combo with the cab and a 100 watt head and sold me the head.


----------



## fitz

Terrence Healy said:


> My amp Tech Told me DO NOT BUY THE COMBOS, they mount the head upside down and it overheats, if you going to use a 6100 buy the head. Just repeating what a 30 year AMP Tech told me. HE had the purple combo with the cab and a 100 watt head and sold me the head.


How noble of him to keep the amp he doesn't want, and sell you the "good" one...


----------



## Thoma

Years ago I read a wild forum comment about heat issues with the combos.
As to my experience, that's nonsense.
But perhaps he obstructed airflow by putting the combo close to a wall or backdrop fabric?
In that case there might well be overheating issues.
I have seen, played and owned a couple of these combos. If air can escape freely, there's no problem.

If one plans a Sahara Tour, there's still the option to put a little 15$ fan in for ventilation.


----------



## Sir Don

Yeah, the overheating stuff is nonsense for the 6101. Mine gets hot but far from overheating.


----------



## Reer

Hi, I just a bought a cheap 6101 (EL34).
It has many scratchy pots and one lead from the filament supply (black to con418) had burned insulation and the wire broke when I touched it. Looks like it also had contact with the chassis because there is rust where the bare wire touched it.
I renewed both the black and red/orange leads (from PT to con418 and con411).
I think the lead burned because the previous owner had put a power tube in wrong orientation since I found a broken off keyway on the tube socket.
Anyway, the amp is working but all gain and volume pots are scratchy as hell.
The pots are now soaked in Teslanol and tomorrow I will do another test.

I am also preparing an order for a complete pot overhaul and when I compared the read pot values with the schematic, I noticed that the presence pot in my amp is a A100K, but according to the schematic it should be a B10K?!
Did they change that at some time?


----------



## mad5066

I'll check next time I open up mine. @anitoli works on these all the time, maybe he can shed some light on it for you but I'd guess the wrong value pot was accidentally installed.

I checked my schematic and it is indeed 10kB.


----------



## tully

I just grabbed a 6100LM from Reverb for just under $1000 delivered
It looked very clean and the seller had 5 star feedback
I'm thinking of running a TC G-Major through the loop and doing channel & effects switching with a Behringer 1010 MIDI controller
When it arrives and I try it out, I will post again

Do these amps sound good through a 4X12 with (Mesa) UK-made Vintage 30s?


----------



## mad5066

I would imagine so, I run min e through a H&K 2x12 with V30s and it sounds great. Obviously yours will sounds bigger because physics among other things but same ballpark. 


tully said:


> I just grabbed a 6100LM from Reverb for just under $1000 delivered
> It looked very clean and the seller had 5 star feedback
> I'm thinking of running a TC G-Major through the loop and doing channel & effects switching with a Behringer 1010 MIDI controller
> When it arrives and I try it out, I will post again
> 
> Do these amps sound good through a 4X12 with (Mesa) UK-made Vintage 3I


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## 72Jazzmaster

I 


mad5066 said:


> I would imagine so, I run min e through a H&K 2x12 with V30s and it sounds great. Obviously yours will sounds bigger because physics among other things but same ballpark.


I run mine through a Orange 2 x12 cab with celestion vintage 30s and I really love the sounds.
But I'm quite new to the 6100 game and my taste may not be yours.


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## Techdeth

My favorite album thus amp is on is Carcass Heartwork . Masterpiece


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## tully

I just got a 6100LM from Reverb today, it looks to be very clean and well taken care of.

I plugged it into a 4X12 Laney cab with UK made G12T75s and WGS Veteran 30s in an X pattern (A 4X12 with UK made Vintage 30s sits where my band rehearses, can't wait to try it on that)

The clean sounds good. I used to own a JVM 410HJS which supposedly has the same clean circuit as this. It seems very similar to my ears. A bit on the thin side, but definitely good for dirt pedals.

But I didn't buy it for that. I had played one of these amps at a band practice once, but I didn't really know how to dial amps in back then. 

So far, I really like CRUNCH B & C best with a SD-1 out front. 

I was also able to dial in a nice lead tone with the LEAD channel in about 20 seconds regardless of all the LEAD channel bashing I hear about this particular amp.

The first thing I notice is how open the high gain tones are compared to the JVM 410HJS. 

Don't get me wrong, the JVM is a magnificent amp, especially in a one guitar band. 

The JVMJS also records well and has the best built-in noise gate, ever.

I was in a band using a JVMJS with a guy who was using a Budda Superdrive 30 combo (pre-Peavey) and was getting buried in the mix!

That was the reason I flipped the JVM, that and the over-the-top compression.

But the 6100LM is not an amp you want to move around much, it has a reputation of being very fragile which is too bad.

I may just use it for band practice or at home


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## Jethro Rocker

tully said:


> I just got a 6100LM from Reverb today, it looks to be very clean and well taken care of.
> 
> I plugged it into a 4X12 Laney cab with UK made G12T75s and WGS Veteran 30s in an X pattern (A 4X12 with UK made Vintage 30s sits where my band rehearses, can't wait to try it on that)
> 
> The clean sounds good. I used to own a JVM 410HJS which supposedly has the same clean circuit as this. It seems very similar to my ears. A bit on the thin side, but definitely good for dirt pedals.
> 
> But I didn't buy it for that. I had played one of these amps at a band practice once, but I didn't really know how to dial amps in back then.
> 
> So far, I really like CRUNCH B & C best with a SD-1 out front.
> 
> I was also able to dial in a nice lead tone with the LEAD channel in about 20 seconds regardless of all the LEAD channel bashing I hear about this particular amp.
> 
> The first thing I notice is how open the high gain tones are compared to the JVM 410HJS.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, the JVM is a magnificent amp, especially in a one guitar band.
> 
> The JVMJS also records well and has the best built-in noise gate, ever.
> 
> I was in a band using a JVMJS with a guy who was using a Budda Superdrive 30 combo (pre-Peavey) and was getting buried in the mix!
> 
> That was the reason I flipped the JVM, that and the over-the-top compression.
> 
> But the 6100LM is not an amp you want to move around much, it has a reputation of being very fragile which is too bad.
> 
> I may just use it for band practice or at home


Sounds great! Move it around carefully. It doesn't need to be carelessly tossed in the back of a truck but can easy hold up to SUV or back seat moving.


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## tully

My 6100LM died Saturday morning 
I got it Friday
It looked to be in incredible shape and sounded great when it worked
I tested out the effects loop and then the volume just dropped out and now the amp won't work at all
It powers up, but no sound
Changed a couple of preamp tubes and it didn't help
Now to find a tech...


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## rtcook

Check the series/parallel switch in the back. Needs to be in parallel (out) to work without a loop.


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## Sir Don

Did you try changing the phase inverter tube? Mine died some time ago and it was that tube that failed.

I replaced it with a sovtek 12ax7lps, has worked fine ever since.


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## Jethro Rocker

tully said:


> My 6100LM died Saturday morning
> I got it Friday
> It looked to be in incredible shape and sounded great when it worked
> I tested out the effects loop and then the volume just dropped out and now the amp won't work at all
> It powers up, but no sound
> Changed a couple of preamp tubes and it didn't help
> Now to find a tech...


See above plus try power tubes.


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## Terrence Healy

Terrence Healy said:


> My amp Tech Told me DO NOT BUY THE COMBOS, they mount the head upside down and it overheats, if you going to use a 6100 buy the head. Just repeating what a 30 year AMP Tech told me. HE had the purple combo with the cab and a 100 watt head and sold me the head.


Do not buy the combos, the head goes in upside down and overheats, problems with midi channel. I would Go with 6100 head and 1936 Cab and put EVM12L Zack wylde speakers. Hands down best speakers ever. I use Octonaut Hyperdrive through Clean channel. I dont even use the lead channels because for my playing they are way to screachy harsh. To fix that would involve, losing the brite Caps and possibly, putting way to much money into it. This was the only Marshall with a Fender circuit in it.


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## Mike_LA

Terrence Healy said:


> Do not buy the combos, the head goes in upside down and overheats, problems with midi channel.


Ok, maybe.
Have you actually owned one of these amps?
I have owned (2) 6101s for over 15 years now and have NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH HEAT ISSUES. Since the internet is forever I feel a need to state that. One is an EL34 the other 5881, no heat issues.


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## Mike_LA

He also posted this same in august and never responded.






Marshall 30th Anniversary Series thread (6100 / 6101)


I guess I never posted pics of my 6100 in this thread! HOW DARE I?!? #666




www.marshallforum.com


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## Markooo99

Fender said:


> the Celestion S303 might be an attempt at an EV styled speaker but I strongly doubt it's a rebranded EVM12L. How could it happen ? Are there ties between EV and Celestion ?


Just picked up a Marshall S303 Celestion G12 Gold speaker. Have been reading everything I could find so it’s all pretty fresh in my mind. Many think or even claim it’s just an EV 12L but having several of those and seeing this Marshall side by side I can say it’s definitely not just a 12L painted gold. Different frame totally and magnet actually thicker. 
Some mention the two holes that could be used for wire connection that are not used … probably realized it was cheaper to use the other inferior tab type which they did use. 
A similar speaker but a different animal for sure.


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## Sir Don

Terrence Healy said:


> Do not buy the combos, the head goes in upside down and overheats, problems with midi channel. I would Go with 6100 head and 1936 Cab and put EVM12L Zack wylde speakers. Hands down best speakers ever. I use Octonaut Hyperdrive through Clean channel. I dont even use the lead channels because for my playing they are way to screachy harsh. To fix that would involve, losing the brite Caps and possibly, putting way to much money into it. This was the only Marshall with a Fender circuit in it.


What?


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## Mike_LA

Sir Don said:


> What?


Yah, he keeps showing up on various forums, posting that BS and never responding to actual owners responses.


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## Anders Bak

Hello all,
I am an avid 6100/6101 lover.

I am now searching for some knowledge about making channel 2's a-b-c modes switchable by footswitch/midi.
I remember years ago seeing it described somewhere on the net, but cant find it again - and i guess someone else must have been into doing that.
And i havent been able to find anything usefull here or in the net.

I am using my 6100/6101's with the TC electronic G-major, witch have 2 midiswitchable outputs - so i figure they would be able to be used for controlling the abc-mode switching.
I am thinking i "just" have to replace the 2 switches with some relay switches and connect them so they are controlled by some input/the G-major controller/a foot controller.
I also consider making it switchable from the front too - it would need some kind of logic circuit to control the relays.
So if anyone have any information on how to do some or all of this - or some circuits - or know about some kits for it - i would be gratefull.

Btw. i have good experiences with tube rolling in the preamp of the 6100. I like having a very clear sounding tube in ch 1 - like the telefunken smooth plate ecc83 - and find it also works great for an acoustic guitar.
I have been using the 5751 for chan 2 and 3 to make the sound a bit darker and less fuzzy.
And basically i find the stock chino ecc83's plain crap... so just replacing them with some sovteks helps a lot.

I got a couple of 6101's, and can relate to what people say about the heat problems. Actually i consider to do the mod now because i have to repair one - and i am quite sure the problems is faulty solderings due to the heat.
I consider to make some vent holes and a fan too.
yet the 6101 is a really great sounding combo!

Best regards,
Anders


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## Reer

I just finished renewing my 6101; all new electrolytic caps, front panel pots, 4-5W resistors, bridge rectifiers and output tubes.

Now I want to rewire to get the 16Ohm tap.
And I noticed that in every thread I read about this, they did it wrong.
Most people just swapped spade connectors on the pcb and thought that will get them the 16 Ohm setting, but that does nothing because the 16 Ohm tap on the OT isn’t even connected, and the black and green wire are tied together at the other end. You have to separate the green from the black wire on the 4Ohm tap at the OT and the solder the green wire to the unpopulated 16 Ohm tap at the OT! Black wire stays at the 4Ohm tap since it’s the source for NFB.


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## Mike_LA

Reer said:


> I just finished renewing my 6101; all new electrolytic caps, front panel pots, 4-5W resistors, bridge rectifiers and output tubes.
> 
> Now I want to rewire to get the 16Ohm tap.
> And I noticed that in every thread I read about this, they did it wrong.
> Most people just swapped spade connectors on the pcb and thought that will get them the 16 Ohm setting, but that does nothing because the 16 Ohm tap on the OT isn’t even connected, and the black and green wire are tied together at the other end. You have to separate the green from the black wire on the 4Ohm tap at the OT and the solder the green wire to the unpopulated 16 Ohm tap at the OT! Black wire stays at the 4Ohm tap since it’s the source for NFB.


Ok, I never heard of that before.
I switch the wires on one of my amps years ago, never blew up.
I guess we need more corroboratory evidence, and I've got to open up one of my 6101s . . . .


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## Reer

On the heads, the 6100s, the spade connector swap works, since it has another OT than the 6101 (standing vs laying version), where are all taps populated with wires. But doing the swap there gets you 4 Ohm on the output switch, but the NFB is now taken from the 16Ohm tap.


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## tully

What tubes would be good for a 6100LM?

5881s or 6L6?

Brands?

Best preamp tubes

Thanks...


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## Mike_LA

Reer said:


> but that does nothing because the 16 Ohm tap on the OT isn’t even connected, and the black and green wire are tied together at the other end. You have to separate the green from the black wire on the 4Ohm tap at the OT


Yah, don't see it.
Black and green wires come off of the transformer straight to the switch on both my 6101s


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## Reer

Yours is already swapped for 16Ohm. 
Stock it looks like on this photo:


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## Mike_LA

Reer said:


> Yours is already swapped for 16Ohm.
> Stock it looks like on this photo:


No, both of mine are completely stock.
Can you point to one more case of what you have found?


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## Reer

Perhaps the USA ones came with 8 / 16 Ohm switching stock and the European ones with 4 / 8 Ohm.
When I do a google picture search of 6101 gut shots, I only found photos with wiring like mine.


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## Mike_LA

Reer said:


> Perhaps the USA ones came with 8 / 16 Ohm switching stock and the European ones with 4 / 8 Ohm.
> When I do a google picture search of 6101 gut shots, I only found photos with wiring like mine.


Ok, well then you have to check your amp before making the change.
Are you referencing Euro 220V models?
That may be where the difference occurs.
Both of my US 110V models were factory wired for 4/8 ohms and I switched both sets to 8/16.


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## MarshallLaws

fyfsle said:


> Hey friends! Wanted to share the results of some troubleshooting w/ my 6100LM. I've been having some issues with *massive* squealing when playing with high gain, especially if I use, say, a boosted fuzz pedal into the lead channel (just for laughs, and when debugging this issue.) It also happened when I did things like push the lead channel with a boost and then turn up the channel volume a bit: things seemed to form a feedback loop, maybe through a ground loop of some form, going back through all my pedals into the front of the amp and out through the FX send back to my pedalboard (I connect things w/ the "four cable method".) When I ran just the boosted fuzz, the squeal happened on all three channels of the amp.
> 
> Anyways, I hit the effects loop level switch on the back of the amp (to switch it to -10 dB instead of +4 dB, instrument instead of rack level) and the squealing is now gone, replaced with the hissing white-noise I would expect from very-high-gain operation! I suspect there still is a ground loop somewhere in my rig but I can now crank gain all I want and not have to worry about a horrible high-pitched ear-destroying banshee wail.


I had a squealing issue with one of my 6100 heads. It was a simple fix, but not so simple to troubleshoot. The fix was to re-cable some wires where a "tech" had cut the zip ties, failed to retie the wires, and left them dangling. They were cross talking and causing an internal feedback loop that would become very pronounced as the volume increased.


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## Mike_LA

Reer said:


> Yours is already swapped for 16Ohm.
> Stock it looks like on this photo:




Ok, so I was totally wrong.
6101 Impedance switch
Found the same thing on one today.
Got to check each amp.







6100 schematic


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## Reer

After all this years, has someone found a reliable solution to shield the output transformer against the power transformer hum on the combos? 
I think the problem is more due to the open side of the transformers, where the terminals are exposed and also that the end caps aren’t earthed due to silicone washers.


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## Mike_LA

Reer said:


> After all this years, has someone found a reliable solution to shield the output transformer against the power transformer hum on the combos?


Hmmm, my 6101 is dead quiet.
My other 6101 had a humm until I redressed the cables inside and changed preamp tubes.
Both pretty quiet now.


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## Reer

Redressing the cables is a good hint. I see the most cables towards the OT are in proximity to the PT. If I guide them other routes perhaps it will solve the hum.
The PT on my combo is already physically humming very loud, but I don’t get speaker hum on standby like some owners reported. But on play it hums even when no guitar cable is attached, on the other hand this hum is only half as loud as a single coil guitar.


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## Reer

I think I discovered another questionable design choice on the 6101 and it is kinda related to hum problems.
The input jack is grounded to chassis via a tag on the pot mounting plate. But there is also a star ground with hum blocking network on the psu pcb which also grounds to chassis. The input jack grounding is bypassing the hum blocking network, rendering it useless and eventually forming a ground loop.
On the schematics there is also no chassis ground at the input jack, so why were they producing it like this?
(Nut removed on the photo)


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## Mike_LA

Reer said:


> I think I discovered another questionable design choice on the 6101 and it is kinda related to hum problems.
> The input jack is grounded to chassis via a tag on the pot mounting plate.


Hummm, I will look at mine when I get home later this week.


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## Reer

I just tried it with and without the chassis ground tag at the input jack - did not make a difference in hum. 
I guess I have to settle now with that remaining bit of hum; just put the combo a bit farther away so it isn’t noticeable in the first place.
The problem with mine seems that the PT is already physically loud and vibrating, so that’s the limiting factor in all my measures.
In comparison, the PT in my Orange Rocker 30 is so quiet, if there were no pilot light you wouldn’t notice that it’s on (standby).


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