# Jcm 900 vs Silver Jubilee



## glina

I finally got a chance to get them in the same room.
I found out that they are very close in tone. Yet Jub is darker and fatter.
I prefer 900 for neck pickup and Jub for bridge humbucker.
What do you guys think?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wgZB5nCp7Y]YouTube - JCM 900 vs JCM 25/50 Silver Jubilee[/ame]


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## jcmjmp

The jube seems to have a little something extra in the mids in the 2nd clip. Both sound good to me though. Hard to judge from just that youtube clip tho.


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## Codyjohns

I think the 900 MKIII sounds better because it will cut through the mix in a live situation much better then the Jub. will by the sounds of it.


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## glina

Michael RT said:


> I think the 900 MKIII sounds better because it will cut through the mix in a live situation much better then the Jub. will by the sounds of it.



Good point MichaelRT. 900 is perfect for soloing in a 4-5 piece band.
Jub is better for rock trios. Therefore I use jub more in my trio.

Both sound extremely good when cranked


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## Purgasound

Jube!


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## Lespaulnmarshall

Jube!!!!


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## Adwex

You all know my choice.


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## diesect20022000

are you using a voodoo labs sparkle drive or some other one that layer overdrive and clean? they both sound great and i would take the Jubilee over the MKIII but,i LIKED the sound in this vid of the MKIII a little more...not by much at all though just a tad.


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## glina

no boosting. straight into the amp.
all knobs set to middle (jube rhythm/channel pots both pushed in).
I am thinking about setting them to their sweet spots to see what they can do with the same speaker.
maybe even some band arrangement if i have time


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## diesect20022000

yeah they both sound great. the Jub is worth a LOT more though monetarily. the MKIII goes for $400 to $450 max here. a jub will cast at least double that here.


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## Adrian R

If you preformed that simple, connect the FX jacks together with a patch cord mod it would be every bit as fat sounding as the Jube. Especially with the *right* tubes, and *biased* correctly. 

All 900s need this simple mod if you are not using the FX loop. The difference with and without the mod is very significant.

Jubes are worth WAY MORE..for several reasons, but primarily because of the 900s poorly designed FX loop bypass circuit.

The MK3s are my all time favorite 900 model. Every bit as good as any Jube that I have heard...and in some ways better due to the cascading preamp circuit and footswitchable master volume control. This feature alone imo makes them extremely useful amps in a live band scenario..and you are one that likes to solo over the band. Hit the front end with a clean boost pedal and their amazing..incredible, naturally harmonic feedback and balls.


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## Madaxeman

glina said:


> Good point MichaelRT. 900 is perfect for soloing in a 4-5 piece band.
> Jub is better for rock trios. Therefore I use jub more in my trio.
> 
> Both sound extremely good when cranked



Very true. My other guitarist uses a Twin Reverb and the contrast in tones means I can cut through easier. If he had a 900, I would probably need another power amp to cut through the mix effectively. Once played in a blues rock trio and the Jube always sounded totally in its element, like early Black Crowes - Nice thick bluesy tones, lots of open G tuning. A few years before I was in a metal/Thrash band and the Jube still suited it very well, quite a versatile amp really due to highly responsive preamp. 
Not at all interested in AFD amp, when I got my first 2553, I had no idea about the Slash association. Not that it would have made a difference either way if I had.


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## ddaxe

I've had my 2555 Jub since 88 and love it!! when coupled up with my other Marshall they sound killer together. mind you the Jub on it's own has wicked tone..


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## Wycked Lester

glina said:


> no boosting. straight into the amp.
> all knobs set to middle (jube rhythm/channel pots both pushed in).
> I am thinking about setting them to their sweet spots to see what they can do with the same speaker.
> maybe even some band arrangement if i have time



thats not anything like what my Jub sounds like.

Of course, who would run one with all the knobs in the middle.

The KEY to making the jube scream is runnin the MV on 10 and controlling the vol with the lead master. That plus the treb and prec need boosted as well as a lil more bass


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## jcmjmp

Adrian R said:


> If you preformed that simple, connect the FX jacks together with a patch cord mod it would be every bit as fat sounding as the Jube. Especially with the *right* tubes, and *biased* correctly.
> 
> All 900s need this simple mod if you are not using the FX loop. The difference with and without the mod is very significant.
> 
> Jubes are worth WAY MORE..for several reasons, but primarily because of the 900s poorly designed FX loop bypass circuit.
> 
> The MK3s are my all time favorite 900 model. Every bit as good as any Jube that I have heard...and in some ways better due to the cascading preamp circuit and footswitchable master volume control. This feature alone imo makes them extremely useful amps in a live band scenario..and you are one that likes to solo over the band. Hit the front end with a clean boost pedal and their amazing..incredible, naturally harmonic feedback and balls.



Adrian - The jubilee isn't voiced the same way as the 900 series. The tone stack is completely different, as is the clipping scheme. 

They're really two completely different amps. That youtube clip doesn't do justice to neither one of those amps but you can still hear the general voicing difference between the two. 

Of all the Marshall I've owned and played through, the Jubilee has to be the most unique/different sounding one, in terms of Marshalls.


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## Madaxeman

Wycked Lester said:


> thats not anything like what my Jub sounds like.
> 
> Of course, who would run one with all the knobs in the middle.
> 
> The KEY to making the jube scream is runnin the MV on 10 and controlling the vol with the lead master. That plus the treb and prec need boosted as well as a lil more bass[/QUOTE
> 
> Damn right. MV on 10. I prefer a little less treble on mine and a tad more bass than most. Very responsive preamp on Jubes, and if you've owned a few you'll know too well that they all sound slightly different, you have to dial in accordingly.


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## ddaxe

a little off topic.. but does anyone still have the calendar they gave with it when new..??


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## Adwex

Since I occasionally switch to the rhythm channel on my Jub....occasionally....I need to keep the lead master on 10 to keep the relative volumes similar, and control overall volume with the output master. Of course, the input gain is on 10.

I've tried to crank the output master and control volume with the input gain, but it sounded very thin with no low end. IMHO, the input gain must be cranked to get the goods.


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## glina

Wycked Lester said:


> thats not anything like what my Jub sounds like.
> 
> Of course, who would run one with all the knobs in the middle.



I could not think of any other way of comparing two amps of same brand than setting them the same. Different setup yields different sound of course.
But that would not show the similarities and differences between the tones they produce in the way I expect these should be shown.

This approach might be questionable of course


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## Wycked Lester

Adwex said:


> Since I occasionally switch to the rhythm channel on my Jub....occasionally....I need to keep the lead master on 10 to keep the relative volumes similar, and control overall volume with the output master. Of course, the input gain is on 10.



In my experience with it, it definately sounds better, and is worth it to treat the jub as a ONE channel amp, like a 2203



Adwex said:


> I've tried to crank the output master and control volume with the input gain, but it sounded very thin with no low end. IMHO, the input gain must be cranked to get the goods.



yea, i bet, try this,...

output master 10
lead master 3-4 [this is now your volume]
input gain 8-10

now, you can roll your guit vol back for clean, THEN if ya want cleaner, click the FS over to clean. Just click back over to dirty befor you crank your guit. back up.


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## glina

So this another part of comparison shows how I use these amps in 'real' situation.
MK3 is for dirtier tones and Jube is for slightly cleaner and brighter things.
You can hear that Jube is easier to listen to, more classis rock plexi style tone in these recordings.
Finally when both are combined - sound is something to die for. Or at least something to pay a lot for 
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_HVZo6qAHY]YouTube - Marshall JCM 900 vs Silver Jubilee part 2[/ame]


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## diesect20022000

glina said:


> So this another part of comparison shows how I use these amps in 'real' situation.
> MK3 is for dirtier tones and Jube is for slightly cleaner and brighter things.
> You can hear that Jube is easier to listen to, more classis rock plexi style tone in these recordings.
> Finally when both are combined - sound is something to die for. Or at least something to pay a lot for
> YouTube - Marshall JCM 900 vs Silver Jubilee part 2



well for this clip and your style i like the jubilee better hands down but, by this clip and for my style the MKIII is still the one i'd go for purely in tone. I know it's blasphemy here but, in this instance for what i do i think the MKIII is best but, for what you do i think the jub is very nice, less modern gain oddly even though the jub's got more diode in it i think it sounds better for your style in both clips and the MKIII sounds better for my playing. flat out i would go jub either way just for it's collectability though. man i want an MKIII!


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## Roadburn

diesect20022000 said:


> well for this clip and your style i like the jubilee better hands down but, by this clip and for my style the MKIII is still the one i'd go for purely in tone. I know it's blasphemy here but, in this instance for what i do i think the MKIII is best but, for what you do i think the jub is very nice, less modern gain oddly even though the jub's got more diode in it i think it sounds better for your style in both clips and the MKIII sounds better for my playing. flat out i would go jub either way just for it's collectability though. man i want an MKIII!




Waddaya mean, blasphemy????

MkIII's are great amps.


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## diesect20022000

Roadburn said:


> Waddaya mean, blasphemy????
> 
> MkIII's are great amps.



with regaurd to choosing a $400 amp over a $1000 amp i mean. most people here would choose the jub over the MKIII from what i've read but, i like the MKIII better personaly. i think that's an unsung hero in the more recent line personaly. it's hi gain but, can be dialed in for many great tones and reacts to your picking dynamics and guitar knobs well. it's a jem but, jubilee's are the popular choice. MKIII for me though,lol. actualy if i had a jubilee i'd sell it and get an MKIII and a nice strat or something and use the rest for my kid. Not knocking the Jubilee at all it's just not going to get me anything special other than pats on the back where compared to some others at least for the tones i go for anyway...an MKII that's in the same ballpark tone for a 3rd the price is the winner for me basicaly,lol.


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## diesect20022000

anyway, yeah i personaly like the MKIII better than the jubilee all around but, the price point is not the least of my reasons.


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## Australian

I liked how you recorded the Jube better. If you get a chance to do another test but this time soloing, it would be a better test. The 900 is very good in that area.


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## Wycked Lester

Australian said:


> The 900 is very good in that area.



yea, and the Jub is the best!!


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## Codyjohns

Wycked Lester said:


> yea, and the Jub is the best!!



Wycked I think you should try a MKIII ....I think you will be surprised.........there are a lot of people on this forum that say the 900's are garbage because they jump on the bandwagon with a bunch of retards that can't even play guitar to save their life but yet they tell everyone the 900's are shit.......take it from me when I say they are great sounding amps like the rest of the Marshall's and a MKIII is just as good as a JUB.....it's just not painted silver.


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## Wycked Lester

Michael RT said:


> Wycked I think you should try a MKIII ....I think you will be surprised.........there are a lot of people on this forum that say the 900's are garbage because they jump on the bandwagon with a bunch of retards that can't even play guitar to save their life but yet they tell everyone the 900's are shit.......take it from me when I say they are great sounding amps like the rest of the Marshall's and a MKIII is just as good as a JUB.....it's just not painted silver.



You'll never hear me bash a mkIII, i had one for a couple years back in like '99.....I thought it was a killer amp. At that time i had my 2203 and that mk, shit came up and one had to go, .... the 2203 has been my baby since the early 80's, so the MKII had got the shortest straw.

I've heard some people on here blow you shit before because you said that the mkII and the 2203 sound very similar,....well i gotta tell ya, when i was making the decision on which one to keep, i was really amazed by how similar they sounded when i was a/b'ing them back and fourth.

the mk definately had more avail gain, but the 2203 had more "body"? and was a little more defined sounding so i kept it. 

Then a couple years ago i picked up the Jub (actually a slash head) and while i still prefer the 2203 for everything from clean, hendrix, and vanhalen type sounds, i have found this jub to be an absoulte Fire Breathing Dragon when it comes to Metal. I mean this fucker is just amazing for that tone, i cant believe more metal heads arent into them, ....i got a 5150 also and the Jub eats its fucking skull. ....The 5150 sounds more metal by itself but in a band situation the jub is just as heavy and cuts like a knife.....

......but not a REALLL REALLY SHARP knife,.....more like a red hot butter knife....

....the jub is definately the darkest and most scooped marshall ive ever heard, believe it or not i run the pres, and treb on like 8 1/2 or 9......then bass on 6-7 and mids on 4,,,,those settings would pierce your eyeballs with the 2203, but the jub is just a completely different animal. The lead tone is really sweet and singy,...very "creamy" in comparison. I think you would LOVE the lead tone on one. All the notes sound real "round" and kinda "pop" out at ya.....i dunno.....

But yea, I loved my MK and would definately have another if the right deal came up.....If i didn't have the jub, the mk is probably what i'd use in my metal band (as opposed to my classic rock band, 800 all the way there)..

I think ALOT of people are selling themselves short by thinking that 900 suk, they are awesome marshalls and compared to what else is out there, for me, its a no brainer. I mean shit, the heads are going for like 450-550 these days, but i see people all day spending many times that much money for something that is not even in the ball park.


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## Adwex

Wycked,

It's interesting....I love my Jub as much as you do, but I set mine almost completely different than you...probably because I'm not really into "metal" anymore. My bass is on 9, mids on 7-8, treble on 6 or so, and presence is down to around 3. For my Jub at least, the presence HAS to be down low to warm it up, and since I'm not a fan of the scooped thing, my mids are relatively high.

I've gotten comments about how good the rig sounds from people at almost every gig.


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## Codyjohns

Wycked,

I did play through a Jub once a long time ago and I loved the lead sound but I was thinking I would have to sacrifice rhythm because its a little dark and hard to dial in.......however I would love to use a Jub in a studio and use the 900's as a work horse live if I had the choice.


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## Wycked Lester

Adwex said:


> Wycked,
> 
> It's interesting....I love my Jub as much as you do, but I set mine almost completely different than you...probably because I'm not really into "metal" anymore. My bass is on 9, mids on 7-8, treble on 6 or so, and presence is down to around 3. For my Jub at least, the presence HAS to be down low to warm it up, and since I'm not a fan of the scooped thing, my mids are relatively high.
> 
> I've gotten comments about how good the rig sounds from people at almost every gig.



Thats probably it, were going for 2 completely tones,....with the jub for metal i run the input gain on 9 or 10 and the master on 10 and controll vol with the lead master,...that way its stays dirty, and cranked sounding, but i can still controll the vol. Now if i hit my fs for clean, its cranked to 10,...so i wait till i bring my guit vol down...if thats not clean enough then i click it over ,.....

if i ran by bass on 9 my cab would blow up, ...or at least it sounds like it. (1960av) thats a TON of low end on mine,.....likewise if i ran the pres down on 3 it would be way too dark. 

Im not a big fan of scoop tone unles you can do it in such way that you still have plenty of mids to cut,....thats how mine sounds w/ mids on 4,......on my 2203 i usually hav em at 5-6.

.....anyhoo, i've been thinking about retubing it to se if it brightens it up any but I really don't have a problem with the way it sounds to my "ears" its just the controlls look odd to my "eyes" ....you know, ...a marshal with the treb/presc cranked....wtf


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## Adwex

Michael RT said:


> Wycked,
> 
> I did play through a Jub once a long time ago and I loved the lead sound but I was thinking I would have to sacrifice rhythm because its a little dark and hard to dial in.......however I would love to use a Jub in a studio and use the 900's as a work horse live if I had the choice.



The lead sound is where the Jub really shines, and really why alot of people (myself included) say it could be the best amp Marshall ever made. But for rhythm, it is a little different than other Marshalls, and may not appeal to some. I admit, I'm still trying to dial in the sound I hear in my head, but the guitar and pickups play a big role in that too.


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## Codyjohns

Adwex said:


> The lead sound is where the Jub really shines, and really why alot of people (myself included) say it could be the best amp Marshall ever made. But for rhythm, it is a little different than other Marshalls, and may not appeal to some. I admit, I'm still trying to dial in the sound I hear in my head, but the guitar and pickups play a big role in that too.



I think if I had that beautiful LP that you have and plugged it into the Jub I would have both...... rhythm and lead ......but if I remember it was a Ibanez with stock pickups so that's probably why I had a hard time dialing the rhythm sound.......I got the lead sound (one of the best lead sounds I have heard) but the guitar I used kill the rhythm on me.....couldn't get both.


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## Adrian R

Michael RT said:


> Wycked I think you should try a MKIII ....I think you will be surprised.........there are a lot of people on this forum that say the 900's are garbage because they jump on the bandwagon with a bunch of retards that can't even play guitar to save their life but yet they tell everyone the 900's are shit.......take it from me when I say they are great sounding amps like the rest of the Marshall's and a MKIII is just as good as a JUB.....it's just not painted silver.



Hey Mike,
You know I could write a damn book on the insensibilities of people in general with respect to their 'lynch mob' mentality and learned idealism...shit look what happened to 1933 Germany??? It never fucking ends...people simply CANNOT think independently and make decisions for themselves...this is one of the reasons why history ALWAYS repeats itself over, and over, and over again..

There has been thread after thread about the poorly treated 900 tradition..It seems whenever a 900 is mentioned it always melts down to those fiercely defending them..Sooner or later the 900 camp has got to learn to drink a strong cup of 'shut the fuck up'..as who cares what others think eh? Let the blind sheep's herding mentality continually pay $1500< for Jubes and 30 year old amps..while you can laugh all the way to the bank with your lowly $500 900 and kick some serious sonic ass in the process!


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## Codyjohns

Adrian R said:


> Hey Mike,
> You know I could write a damn book on the insensibilities of people in general with respect to their 'lynch mob' mentality and learned idealism...shit look what happened to 1933 Germany??? It never fucking ends...people simply CANNOT think independently and make decisions for themselves...this is one of the reasons why history ALWAYS repeats itself over, and over, and over again..
> 
> There has been thread after thread about the poorly treated 900 tradition..It seems whenever a 900 is mentioned it always melts down to those fiercely defending them..Sooner or later the 900 camp has got to learn to drink a strong cup of 'shut the fuck up'..as who cares what others think eh? Let the blind sheep's herding mentality continually pay $1500< for Jubes and 30 year old amps..while you can laugh all the way to the bank with your lowly $500 900 and kick some serious sonic ass in the process!



Yah I agree.... your right....no one wins those fights......in all fights their is really no winner.


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## ddaxe

the way I figure it.. it has alot to do with 1/availability of what your looking for 2/the willingness to spend to get it 3/personal preference it's like.. we'd all like a corvette.. but a new camaro has just as much HP... does that make it less a Chevy.. no.. same goes for the Marshall... is it any less a Marshall.. NO I have a 50w AVT and it sounds pretty darn good to me... is it any less a Marshall.. NO... through messing with it.. I've got it to match up with my Jub pretty darn good... the same would hold true if I had a 900 (I considered it when new) would I buy one or almost any Marshall if a good deal came about.. probably...


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## jcmjmp

I prefer the jube in the 2nd clip. The mids are what do it for me. Its just a sweeter sound but both sound good. In the hands of a good player, most amps can sound good, really. 

What kind of cab are you running the Jube through?

That's real nice playing in that clip too, and well recorded. Good job, mate!


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## jcmjmp

Michael RT said:


> Yah I agree.... your right....no one wins those fights......in all fights their is really no winner.



You see it as a fight... that's the problem. Why can't someone prefer something that's not a JCM900 without having you come after them?

Look at elJeff - he's got perfect tone for what he does and he's happy with his gear and doesn't become all defensive about it if someone prefers something else for whatever reason.

No one has to like your sound - YOU have to like your sound. That's the bottom line. 

These days, I don't even care what I plug into. I just want to play and improve my playing skills. No amp will ever do that.


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## jcmjmp

Adwex said:


> Wycked,
> 
> It's interesting....I love my Jub as much as you do, but I set mine almost completely different than you...probably because I'm not really into "metal" anymore. My bass is on 9, mids on 7-8, treble on 6 or so, and presence is down to around 3. For my Jub at least, the presence HAS to be down low to warm it up, and since I'm not a fan of the scooped thing, my mids are relatively high.
> 
> I've gotten comments about how good the rig sounds from people at almost every gig.



What kind of speakers do you use? I find that I always need to add treble on the Jube compared to ll my other Marshalls.


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## ddaxe

jcmjmp said:


> You see it as a fight... that's the problem. Why can't someone prefer something that's not a JCM900 without having you come after them?
> 
> Look at elJeff - he's got perfect tone for what he does and he's happy with his gear and doesn't become all defensive about it if someone prefers something else for whatever reason.
> 
> No one has to like your sound - YOU have to like your sound. That's the bottom line.
> 
> These days, I don't even care what I plug into. I just want to play and improve my playing skills. No amp will ever do that.



Well Said... !!


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## jcmjmp

Adwex said:


> The lead sound is where the Jub really shines, and really why alot of people (myself included) say it could be the best amp Marshall ever made. But for rhythm, it is a little different than other Marshalls, and may not appeal to some. I admit, I'm still trying to dial in the sound I hear in my head, but the guitar and pickups play a big role in that too.



For rhythm, I tend to roll back the guitar volume a little or use a low output pickup guitar and switch on a boost for solos.

I've been using the clean channel a little more lately. For hard rock / metal style cleans, I think it works well.


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## Adrian R

jcmjmp said:


> You see it as a fight... that's the problem. Why can't someone prefer something that's not a JCM900 without having you come after them?
> 
> Look at elJeff - he's got perfect tone for what he does and he's happy with his gear and doesn't become all defensive about it if someone prefers something else for whatever reason.
> 
> No one has to like your sound - YOU have to like your sound. That's the bottom line.
> 
> These days, I don't even care what I plug into. I just want to play and improve my playing skills. No amp will ever do that.



Actually for me, and this may be a detriment, the tone or sound of my amp has a GREAT deal to do with my playing ability. A good amp/guitar tone inspires me to play better..in fact, the 'sound' of a Marshall amp was the very thing that made me decide to play guitar instead of the drums!

We are all different..for all different reasons....as long as we stay true to our own thoughts and desires, with zero plagerance..it all will be cool.


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## glina

jcmjmp said:


> I prefer the jube in the 2nd clip. The mids are what do it for me. Its just a sweeter sound but both sound good. In the hands of a good player, most amps can sound good, really.
> 
> What kind of cab are you running the Jube through?
> 
> That's real nice playing in that clip too, and well recorded. Good job, mate!



Thanks jcmjmp. 
Both were run through a Jube combo's speaker put in an iso cab.
presence is at 0 on both. treble is on the low side and bass/middle are set pretty high. that is how I like my Marshalls set 
I find Jube darker but I still set it similar to MKIII. Its darkness translates into creamy highs instead of piercing highs, so I like that.


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## Codyjohns

jcmjmp said:


> You see it as a fight... that's the problem. Why can't someone prefer something that's not a JCM900 without having you come after them?
> 
> Look at elJeff - he's got perfect tone for what he does and he's happy with his gear and doesn't become all defensive about it if someone prefers something else for whatever reason.
> 
> No one has to like your sound - YOU have to like your sound. That's the bottom line.
> 
> These days, I don't even care what I plug into. I just want to play and improve my playing skills. No amp will ever do that.



Wrong dickhead .......I'm talking about people coming to the 900 thread and telling us all to fuck off and making fun of us for no reason........I'm not coming after no one and you know that ASSHOLE .....you are a lair and the asshole twisting the truth and I'm sick of your bullshit.


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## jcmjmp

Michael RT said:


> Wrong dickhead .......I'm talking about people coming to the 900 thread and telling us all to fuck off and making fun of us for no reason........I'm not coming after no one and you know that ASSHOLE .....you are a lair and the asshole twisting the truth and I'm sick of your bullshit.



Wow!


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## Codyjohns

jcmjmp said:


> Wow!



I'm watching you ...... trouble maker.


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## jcmjmp

glina said:


> Thanks jcmjmp.
> Both were run through a Jube combo's speaker put in an iso cab.
> presence is at 0 on both. treble is on the low side and bass/middle are set pretty high. that is how I like my Marshalls set
> I find Jube darker but I still set it similar to MKIII. Its darkness translates into creamy highs instead of piercing highs, so I like that.



Yeah, I know what you mean. Going back to playing other Marshalls after having been on the jube for a while always takes a bit of getting used to again because of the highs... not in a bad way though. Same thing goes when coming back to the Jubilee. 

I find that the ear gets used to a certain sound and when you switch amps, you have to get accustomed so to speak with the other amp.


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