Marshall 1987 vs. 2204 for vintage AC/DC (Angus) tone?

[blues_n_cues]

Well I got this sort of cleared up in my head. A JMP can be a 2 hole master volume like the 2203 and 2204, (as in JCM's) AND it can also came in a 4 hole non-master vol. 1959 and 1987 (as in plexis) << that's what confused me - I thought those model numbers were for plexi heads only .

and then there is the plexi story.
The Marshall Shopper's Guide - Part I: Marshall's "Plexi" Era

 

[JayCM800]

Love returning to this thread, and focusing on AC/DC. I remember my peers at the time giving me crap for liking them because "their stuff is so basic", and I would snap back saying maybe it is, but it sounds so fucking good, it's catchy and you don't grow tired of it! 40 years or more and it still sounds great and better than a lot of stuff out there.

...i wanna go drinkin' and smokin' with Malcolm, Angus, Lemmy, Keith, Eddie and Jimmy....The F.R.C.!!! "F.u ck Rehab Club"

 

[JCM900MkIII]

If you are going to play AC/DC in small to medium clubs, I would buy a 1978-1980 JMP 2204 Master Volume with 6550 power tubes or 1981-1983 JCM800 2204 vertical input amp. Everyone is so stage volume conscious these days, you can't crank up a Super Lead 100 or 1987X to get that saturated power tube tone. At low volumes they just don't sound right.

 

[core]

Not to mention for most of the mid to late seventies, AC/DC used 2203 MV Marshall's primarily live and in the studio with a 4 holer in the mix here and there.

This link alone, a compilation of AC/DC amps over the year, with all the photo evidence will show this trend in their career. Once they hit the late seventies and into Back in Black they seemed to have gone back to mainly 1959's. You'll have to register but it's worth it.

High Wattage – AC/DC’s Marshall amps through the years (Work in Progress – UPDATED: Back in Black era uncovered)

 

[LpPepper]

Mr Scary, dont be confused with JMP Master Volume, 2 holer, (2203-2204) and Non master volume amps, 4 holer, (1959-1987). There are not the same amps. As I said I have an JMP 2104 for 3 weeks now and I am very very pleased. To answer your question about decent gain without rattling the windows, I will tell you this, I have a HO attenuator (Ultimate) that I use for the non master volume 2061x, now believe it or not I dont need it for the JMP. My settings are MV on 1,2 - Presence on 1,5 - Bass, mids, treble on 4-6, and gain on 6. With these settings I can have a decent sound for bedroom practise.

I've a 1980 2104 myself. I've read that (On this forum too) Angus used a 2104 for solos on the Back in Black album.. Don't know how true it is but the tone is there with my SG .
Good Acdc settings would be Pre 7 , Master (High as possible) Treble 5 , Middle 7 , Bass 5 and Presence 2 .. I didn't buy it for ACDC but as it turns out it does acdc easily!

 

[core]

If that's a combo there is pics of it in their backline in that link I posted. Take a look.

 

[AlvisX]

Great documentary of pictures

One thing to consider guys is ,a band like AC/DC once the steady money started to come in,say late 70s , you can almost bet they started to build up a stash of amps in strategic locations around the world. And maybe that meant on a certain day in Copenhagen or LA or wherever,they bought a couple 2 holers because that's what was available ,that they knew would get the job done

It may not have necessarily been a conscious decision to go to 2203s from 1959s and vice-versa

BTW, Benji Lee from the band Supagroup gets some great AC/DC tones from a Mode Four ...so there ya go
ITs in the way that ya use ....

I said it before ,I'll say it again , the sh*t on the album we Americans know as High Voltage is some of the best pure Marshall amp tone ever recorded

 

[kentgrill]

Never saw 'em with Bon... seen them twice with Brian though, Ballbreaker and Black Ice tours.

Another excellent live band in the same vein (and they openly admit that AC/DC are their biggest influence) are Airborne, another rock band from Australia, and some of their tracks could quite easily be AC/DC numbers.

If you get the chance to see them live it is well worth it.

cheers
Doc Z

I saw Airbourne last year in Copenhagen and they were great! By the way speakers do play a big part in getting the Angus young tone. Greenbacks or even better, g12-65's with either a 1959/2203 or 1987/2204 will get you there!

Cheers
Kent

 

[79 2203]

Sorry for the zombie thread, but this subject is really interesting to me.
To my ear, BIB sounds like a Superlead/Super Bass and 12-65 speakers.
I go for earlier AC/DC tones(High Voltage, Dirty Deeds) and the closest ive got is…..
Stock 71 1987 straight into the top left input, vol on 6, Pres 1, BMT 3(Angus’s recent settings apparently)
Hotplate -12db(bright and deep off)
68 straight with Pulsonic 25 watters.

Yes I understand they might have used Blackbacks or whatever else they had available in 75/76, but I’ve got Blackbacks(admittedly 55hz 30 watters) and both of my 68 t1221 cabs sound more authentic.

By 77 I’m hearing more Blackbacks and by 78 2203’s(Powerage, If You Want Blood live album) but who knows how much the Schaefer preamp changed Angus’s attack. All I know is my stock 79 2203 is a worthy option for that era, though I reckon it also sounds more authentic through the Greenbacks.
For Highway To Hell I hear them back to NMV Lead/Bass spec and different speakers depending on the song…..that darker, sort of wooly midrange on Angus’s HTH intro is IMO 12-65’s while Malcolm’s opening chords on Night Prowler have the kerrang and clang I hear in Greenbacks.

Of course I could be completely wrong but it’s fun to ponder 🤷

 

[gtarman59]

There’s a common misconception about Angus’s amps in the ‘70s. He actually used a JTM50. When he mentioned using 50w Marshalls, people assumed it was the 1987, but it was, in fact, a JTM50—a different animal altogether.

 

[fuzz1222]

Hi. I'm looking for a Marshall amp but haven't decided which one yet and was hoping to get some feedback from the good folks here in the Forum. Currently I have a 1959 SLP (RI), a couple of SG's, and a Marshall 1960ax cab with Celestion 25w Greenback speakers.

I'm trying to nail the Angus Young Tone from the Back In Black and For Those About to Rock (1980-81) era. I know Angus has used several Marshalls over the years, more recently the 1959 SLP (reissue), but that amp doesn't quite get the tone I'm looking for. Thus, I'm looking for a vintage JMP. I've read that he used a 50w JMP (which one???) to record BiB along with a JTM 45. I'm not sure which speakers his cab had in it at the time - I'm guessing G12H or Greenbacks since Vintage 30s came out in the mid-80's, I think.

I've played a 1used 1987x at a local shop and was surprised at how much gain it has! The tone was certainly close but I didn't spend a lot of time trying to dial in the Back in Black tone. Also, this amp was a reissue so I'm not sure how it would compare to an original. Then again, I don't know what years the 1987 was actually made.

I haven't played a 2204 (50w JMP). Does it have more gain than the 1959? How does it compare to the 1987x? I see that this amp was rebadged to the JCM 800 around 1984 so I'm more interested in the late 70s or early 80s version of this amp - if it indeed can nail the tone I'm looking for.

Well, that's my dilemma - the 1987 or the 2204? Any input you can provide will certainly be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

The 1987 breaks up faster than the 1959. I have the 1959HW and it does those AC/DC tones very well, but speakers make all the difference. I have several cabs and the only cab that nails the Back in Black cab is my buddies 1978 Marshall with the Black Label G12-65’s. The Greenbacks do a decent job too, but newer ones aren’t the same as those older pre-Rola ones they used.

I’d say try speakers too.. the 1987 is a great amp, but the 100W should be able to hit those tones all day long. Maybe try an Echoplex type or Solo Dallas boost pedal if you need more gain.. Angus used to use that wireless pack which gained up the amp.

 

[Mad Jack]

Hi. I'm looking for a Marshall amp but haven't decided which one yet and was hoping to get some feedback from the good folks here in the Forum. Currently I have a 1959 SLP (RI), a couple of SG's, and a Marshall 1960ax cab with Celestion 25w Greenback speakers.

I'm trying to nail the Angus Young Tone from the Back In Black and For Those About to Rock (1980-81) era. I know Angus has used several Marshalls over the years, more recently the 1959 SLP (reissue), but that amp doesn't quite get the tone I'm looking for. Thus, I'm looking for a vintage JMP. I've read that he used a 50w JMP (which one???) to record BiB along with a JTM 45. I'm not sure which speakers his cab had in it at the time - I'm guessing G12H or Greenbacks since Vintage 30s came out in the mid-80's, I think.

I've played a 1used 1987x at a local shop and was surprised at how much gain it has! The tone was certainly close but I didn't spend a lot of time trying to dial in the Back in Black tone. Also, this amp was a reissue so I'm not sure how it would compare to an original. Then again, I don't know what years the 1987 was actually made.

I haven't played a 2204 (50w JMP). Does it have more gain than the 1959? How does it compare to the 1987x? I see that this amp was rebadged to the JCM 800 around 1984 so I'm more interested in the late 70s or early 80s version of this amp - if it indeed can nail the tone I'm looking for.

Well, that's my dilemma - the 1987 or the 2204? Any input you can provide will certainly be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Have you tried the solodallas Schaffer Replica storm pedal?
Angus had a boost with his old wireless system.

 

[paul-e-mann]

Have you tried the solodallas Schaffer Replica storm pedal?
Angus had a boost with his old wireless system.

I was just gonna say this. But with that said, I have a 1959 and it nails ACDC tone strait in!

 

[GeeStrat]

Have you tried the solodallas Schaffer Replica storm pedal?
Angus had a boost with his old wireless system.

He's had 12 years to find out.....

 

[Rodical]

Great quote, Such a small place and still using 100w eardrum-blowers... Thanks Core... Great info...