I don't know... What'd y'all think? Sell/trade my JCM 900 DR for Origin 50?

[Whatizitman]

I traded into a 900 dual reverb 50 watt head last year, and am on the fence about it. I knew what I was getting into when I got it, tubeless front end and all. I don't hate it. Just don't love it. It's more marshally than what I traded it for. But IMO the lack of pre amp tube compression I sometimes can't ignore enough to keep playing without that little GAS voice in the back of my head.

I've liked the Origins from the... uh... origin. I bought a DSL20CR right before the origins came out, and ultimately regretted it. The DSL is long gone. I'm now butt deep in a 2203-ish mod project to scratch the higher gain itch. But I need to have a stable amp to play on while that's benched. So.... Origin 50 head? As much as I'd love to have my old 1987 back, that ain't gonna happen. Cost way too freakin' much now. The Origins are close enough IMO, for hundreds (thousands?) less.

I'm mainly a home noodler on guitar. So road worthiness is not an absolute necessity..

But......

Why the hesitation? As middle of the road the 900 tone is, the amp itself is a rock solid beast that has clearly lived through many road years with grace. It looks like it's beat up, but it keeps ticking. It does have some vintage value, despite being generally despised by marshall fans LOL. Getting rid of it is like getting rid of an old fridge or washer that has worked well the vast majority of its 40 years, knowing that it's expensive new replacement with all the electronic bells and whistles will give you maybe 5 years max. That said, the 900 is still a modernish PC build that I wouldn't feel comfortable soldering on for repairs. So, I'm not married it to it in that respect.

Value-wise it's a toss up. Current market value for a 900 DR is all over the place. Reverb sales have been above $750 last few years (with some spikes and lows). But I recently put mine up for local sale, and got nuthin'. Best offer I got was $500, and zero decent trade offers. I was close to taking it too, but the looky-loo went MIA. I know the guy I traded for it had up for $700 for quite a while. Our trade was close enough to that. I knew I was probably taking a little hit trading a beat up AD30 head. But I was ok with it. I well than made up for that by trading up for the Orange. All circular, amirite. The few listed on GC online are all over the map pricewise, too. If I decide to take it there, it's with the expectation that $500 will be around the max I'll get. Which just happens to be the low side of what GC is charging for used Origin 50 heads. One in particular about three hours from me. So, there's that.

So, I'm just worried I'd take a bath on the 900, as used Origin 50s range from $400-650 tops, don't have the road history, and will likely have even less vintage value in the future than 900s do or ever will again.

OTOH, nothing is forever, and these are just things. I just like my things to motivate me to play them. What'd y'all think?

 

[1 21 gigawatts]

Sounds to me like you have put a lot of thought into this, so you already know the answer. You want what you want and don't want what you have. You may lose money on the transaction, but if you wind up with something that you love, it won't matter.

I guess that the biggest risk is that you regret selling/trading the 900 somewhere down the line.

 

[Whatizitman]

Sounds to me like you have put a lot of thought into this, so you already know the answer. You want what you want and don't want what you have. You may lose money on the transaction, but if you wind up with something that you love, it won't matter.

I guess that the biggest risk is that you regret selling/trading the 900 somewhere down the line.

Regret would be if I don't like the Origin. Or really if the origin is not better. And hence I blew any potential cash or trade value on an amp that I don't like any more than the amp I traded, with even less market value. I did play an origin 20C at a store, and really liked it. Better than my DSL20cr green channel. But I have not played a 20 or 50 head through a cab. I find myself using drive pedals with the 900, though, so loss of low volume crunch with the Origin is not really an issue. I'm just looking for sweeter overall marshall tone. Pedals to me are icing on a cake. Not a meal replacement LOL.

 

[blowtorch]

I have and love an Origin 50.
Just yeah, keep in mind, it doesn't really sing or crunch without help
I get there via

 

[Whatizitman]

Hmmmm.. Now I'm thinking about DSLs again. Either a 40CR or 100HR. No DSL20. No way. I want the proper classic crunch channel. It's where I would live. That and a SD1 or Ratt. Argggghhhh. Curse you, GAS!

I'm not against turning up. I just would rather not have to turn way up all the time LOL. And really I've never tried a built in attenuator/lo/hi/pentode circuit I've liked. So probably will stay full power, regardless. For that a standard master volume and cascaded triodes are good for mannish cave rocking. I just want it to sound better than a JCM900 under such conditions.

Decisions, decisions. Or just stay with what I have. It's... ok...

 

[Whatizitman]

I have and love an Origin 50.
Just yeah, keep in mind, it doesn't really sing or crunch without help

Head or combo?

 

[blowtorch]

Head or combo?

Got the combo.
Never been much one for amp heads, outside of the Sovtek Mig that I really do miss

 

[BryMelvin]

As I'm still using an 82 JCM 800 and a long discontinued Guild Thunderbird amp (64). I have the question; Why?

 

[Jakedog]

The 900 series dual reverbs are my favorite modern Marshalls. I consider “modern” anything 800 or newer. I know people don’t like them, and claim that they don’t sound as good, but those people are nuts and are listening with their eyes. Or have never had the opportunity to use one properly.

The 4000 series 900’s have about the only dirt channel I’ve ever heard in any two channel amp that I consider even remotely useable. There are others, of course. But they’ll cost you many times over what a used 900 will.

The secret is turning them up. Duh, they’re Marshalls. Unless a player can get the masters past 2 o’clock, and preferably up to 4 or 5 o’clock, a player won’t ever know how these amps actually sound.

Grab an Origin if you want one. I absolutely love them for early JTM style tones. They’re killer. But if modern Marshall is your thing, the 900 will do any and all of it. And then some. You just gotta get it loud. Or use a quality attenuator.

 

[Whatizitman]

As I'm still using an 82 JCM 800 and a long discontinued Guild Thunderbird amp (64). I have the question; Why?

Because I don't have an '82 JCM 800. And since sometime in the early 2000s, I will never be able to afford one. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this discussion.

 

[Whatizitman]

The 900 series dual reverbs are my favorite modern Marshalls. I consider “modern” anything 800 or newer. I know people don’t like them, and claim that they don’t sound as good, but those people are nuts and are listening with their eyes. Or have never had the opportunity to use one properly.

The 4000 series 900’s have about the only dirt channel I’ve ever heard in any two channel amp that I consider even remotely useable. There are others, of course. But they’ll cost you many times over what a used 900 will.

The secret is turning them up. Duh, they’re Marshalls. Unless a player can get the masters past 2 o’clock, and preferably up to 4 or 5 o’clock, a player won’t ever know how these amps actually sound.

Grab an Origin if you want one. I absolutely love them for early JTM style tones. They’re killer. But if modern Marshall is your thing, the 900 will do any and all of it. And then some. You just gotta get it loud. Or use a quality attenuator.

Yeah, I'm not really a modern marshaller. 2203/4s and earlier are what I like. But I will put up with a modern amp that can get me close enough for a reasonable price. Like I said, the 900s are good amps. I really don't have anything against them. But they are not as inspiring to me as a plexi or 2204. If origins can get closer, I'm willing to try.

 

[artdecade]

Terrible trade. Keep the 900 and save for the Origin. You can find them for next to nothing on the used market. Also, I would take a 40CR over either.

 

[Esquire Jones]

Thread is making me want to get another JCM800!

I regretted selling mine immediately after pocketing that cool $350. Yup. Sold it for tree fitty.

I’d go with the Origin. My two cents.

 

[Whatizitman]

Thread is making me want to get another JCM800!

I regretted selling mine immediately after pocketing that cool $350. Yup. Sold it for tree fitty.

I’d go with the Origin. My two cents.

I know the pain. I sold an early 70s JMP 1987, with 70s cab with original greenbacks. All for around $600 in 2001 or so.

Still kick myself. But my amazingly beautiful and wonderful infant daughter pooped on it, which pretty much exemplified what my life was like at the time, both literally and figuratively. She won that battle without even trying.

 

[Esquire Jones]

I know the pain. I sold an early 70s JMP 1987, with 70s cab with original greenbacks. All for around $600 in 2001 or so.

Still kick myself. But my amazingly beautiful and wonderful infant daughter pooped on it, which pretty much exemplified what my life was like at the time, both literally and figuratively. She won that battle without even trying.

That’s a song right there my man!

 

[BSG1]

I traded into a 900 dual reverb 50 watt head last year, and am on the fence about it. I knew what I was getting into when I got it, tubeless front end and all. I don't hate it. Just don't love it. It's more marshally than what I traded it for. But IMO the lack of pre amp tube compression I sometimes can't ignore enough to keep playing without that little GAS voice in the back of my head.

I've liked the Origins from the... uh... origin. I bought a DSL20CR right before the origins came out, and ultimately regretted it. The DSL is long gone. I'm now butt deep in a 2203-ish mod project to scratch the higher gain itch. But I need to have a stable amp to play on while that's benched. So.... Origin 50 head? As much as I'd love to have my old 1987 back, that ain't gonna happen. Cost way too freakin' much now. The Origins are close enough IMO, for hundreds (thousands?) less.

I'm mainly a home noodler on guitar. So road worthiness is not an absolute necessity..

But......

Why the hesitation? As middle of the road the 900 tone is, the amp itself is a rock solid beast that has clearly lived through many road years with grace. It looks like it's beat up, but it keeps ticking. It does have some vintage value, despite being generally despised by marshall fans LOL. Getting rid of it is like getting rid of an old fridge or washer that has worked well the vast majority of its 40 years, knowing that it's expensive new replacement with all the electronic bells and whistles will give you maybe 5 years max. That said, the 900 is still a modernish PC build that I wouldn't feel comfortable soldering on for repairs. So, I'm not married it to it in that respect.

Value-wise it's a toss up. Current market value for a 900 DR is all over the place. Reverb sales have been above $750 last few years (with some spikes and lows). But I recently put mine up for local sale, and got nuthin'. Best offer I got was $500, and zero decent trade offers. I was close to taking it too, but the looky-loo went MIA. I know the guy I traded for it had up for $700 for quite a while. Our trade was close enough to that. I knew I was probably taking a little hit trading a beat up AD30 head. But I was ok with it. I well than made up for that by trading up for the Orange. All circular, amirite. The few listed on GC online are all over the map pricewise, too. If I decide to take it there, it's with the expectation that $500 will be around the max I'll get. Which just happens to be the low side of what GC is charging for used Origin 50 heads. One in particular about three hours from me. So, there's that.

So, I'm just worried I'd take a bath on the 900, as used Origin 50s range from $400-650 tops, don't have the road history, and will likely have even less vintage value in the future than 900s do or ever will again.

OTOH, nothing is forever, and these are just things. I just like my things to motivate me to play them. What'd y'all think?

WELL NOW, I own one of these too and I like you are mostly a home "noodler" with a bad case of GAS! I bought mine from a good local brick and motor store, it had been sitting there quite a while seems everyone wants the JCM 800 not the 900. And, like you I knew full well what I was getting into. I don't play mine much as it's loud and it's Marshally, the issue as I hear it is that it can't sound Marshally if it's not loud. Cool.

But, here's why I still have mine:
1) I have a JCM 800 slant 412 cab and I am waiting to trade the 900 head on an 800 head
2) Every piece of gear that I have sold or traded regardless how much I used it or didn't use it...I regretted to this day.

If you have the space and don't need the money, never sell anything - that's my philosophy.

 

[Jakedog]

Yeah, I'm not really a modern marshaller. 2203/4s and earlier are what I like. But I will put up with a modern amp that can get me close enough for a reasonable price. Like I said, the 900s are good amps. I really don't have anything against them. But they are not as inspiring to me as a plexi or 2204. If origins can get closer, I'm willing to try.

I like early stuff as well. My first Marshall was a 76 JMP 50 watt head and a 4x12. I liked that amp, and my 900s, far more than any of the 800’s I owned. You open that 900 up for real and you’d be surprised how much of the character you’re after will come out of that clean channel. It’s a highly misunderstood and underrated amp.

 

[Whatizitman]

Maybe I should just bite the bullet and get an attenuator, so I can engage the 5881s.

 

[Tim S]

If you decide to go the DSL40CR route (the CR corrects the issues the C had - no speaker swap or cap clipping required), throw a JJ ECC823 into v2 and the resulting gain reduction to the Ultra channel makes it much more usable. The gain increase across the 4 voices becomes steadily progressive instead of “What the heck is THIS?” when you hop from Classic 2 Crunch to Ultra OD1.

 

[Jakedog]

Maybe I should just bite the bullet and get an attenuator, so I can engage the 5881s.

I still have my original 4102. It’s the 100 watt 2x12 combo. It’s still probably my all time favorite amp. I bought it new. But it’s pretty much un-useable for my gigs these days. I got to use it for one gig last year. Big outdoor show. Big enough that I could tell the stage crew and FOH guy to just deal with it. And the steel player was throwing eye daggers at me the whole show. It was glorious. But yeah, it’s not a club amp.

Truthfully I don’t even wanna carry it anymore. It’s 10lbs heavier than a TRRI. It’s just a beast, and not necessary for todays stages and PA’s. But holy crap, I cannot tell a lie, it’s just so much fun once in a while.