Marshall Review: JTM 60

History:

Purchase: In terms of true Valve Amps, it is extremelty difficult to find one for less than $1000.00 (Australian Dolllars). I managed to finally find the JTM 60 second hand at a local guitar shop for $900 and had no hesitation in scooping it up. I was using a 60W Valvestate before hand but needed my sound to bring out more clarity in the high end where I was losing my fills in a whur of muffled tinny distortion. Although its the same wattage, the JTM has smoothed and rounded my sound to a more professional quality with absolute clarity at any volume.

What I Like About This Marshall JTM 60: Not only do I love the classic tweed coloured speaker cover and dark grey speckled cabinet, (This amp is a re-issue from the 60's and is a nice alternative to the typical completely black marshalls) I can get enough variety in the tone to suit any mood of song. Above all, as the only guitar in my band, I was super impressed by the clarity of lead fills that come out in front of the sound instead of getting lost in the rythmn as the valvestate did. The gain channel is diverse enough for heavy chunky songs and light soft rock tones. I use the footswitch which in conjunction with my Boss MT-2 pedal provides me a perfect clean, mild and super heavy combination.

What I Do NOT Like About The Marshall JTM 60: The tubes on this amp do tend to get super-hot after 20 minutes of playing. Although I havn't had any problems even in 2 hour sets, I do intend to get a small clip-on fan for cooling as prevention is far better than the cure when it comes to overworked/overheated tubes. The clean channel tends to start distorting a little at higher volumes which if anything would be my only small gripe.

Marshall JTM 60 Quality Rating: The JTM 60 has a very sturdy construction as a 1 x 12 inch combo amp. There is an external speaker jack for those bigger venues where a 4 x 12 box can be driven

Review Summary: Overall, I think the JTM-60 is a flexible high quality amp perfect for bluesy rock and modern rock as well. It will thump as loud as you want it without sacrificing the clarity of individual notes which is a high priority for me in my sound. Suitable for bedroom guitarists and working bands. A great affordable alternative to large rigs with a noticably higher quality sound in warmth and richness than the valvestates.

Rating of this Marshall product: 4

This Marshall JTM 60 Guitar Amplifiers Review Submitted By: Crawford-Flett

Review Date: 2001-11-06