Dead-simple amps like the venerable 1959 Superlead ‘Plexi’ notwithstanding, Marshall has been known to explore a ‘more than meets the eye’ philosophy with its amps from time to time. The popular DSL50/DSL100 offers four channels under the guise of two, thanks Lead 1/Lead 2 and Clean/Crunch buttons. The JVM series takes this idea light years further with a multi-channel, multi-mode design with a few additional tricks up its sleeve.

On the surface, the 100 watt JVM410C combo looks like tricked-out four channel amp. Each channel (Clean, Crunch, OD1 and OD2) features a full layout of Gain, Treble, Middle, Bass and Volume controls, and each channel also has a dedicated digital Reverb control. The reverb is routed in parallel and mixed in with the direct signal via a tube and has been designed to avoid abrupt cut-offs when switching channels. There’s a Master section with Presence and Resonance controls as well as two switchable Master Volumes, plus an FX Loop button and a foot switch/MIDI Program button. The Standby switch doubles as a silent recording switch. The valve layout includes five 12AX7s and a quartet of EL34s for classic Marshall tone. The power stage is based on the JCM800 2203 and 1959 Superlead amps.

Around the back you’ll see a whopping five speaker outputs (for various cabinet configurations including 1 X 4ohm, 1 X 8ohm, 2 X 8ohm, 2 X 16ohm and 1 X 16ohm); A serial/Parallel FX loop with a Wet/Dry mix control and a +4dB/-10db switch); Power Amp Insert/Serial Loop ins and outs  with Bypass/Active switch; a cabinet emulated XLR Line Out, TRS foot switch jack (the amp comes with a 6-button foot switch), and MIDI in/thru jacks. The speakers are actually two different 12″ Celestion models: a Vintage and a Heritage.

But wait, there’s an extra feature that’s not immediately obvious on firing up the amp: the select buttons next to each channel each have three modes: green, orange and red, each with an associated jump in gain. The Crunch channel in particular is voiced after a trio of classic Marshall amps: the ‘Plexi’ (green), JCM800 2203 (orange) and a hot-rotted JCM800 (red). With the exception of OD1′s green mode being very similar to Crunch’s red mode, Marshall doesn’t indicate if the other channels and their respective variations are based on any particular amps. The foot switch can be used to store presets or to act as any one of the front panel switches (Channel/Mode, Reverb on/off, Master Volume 1/2) and FX Loop on/off). The foot switch itself stores the presets, so you can plug your switch into any other JVM and your presets are right there.

If you wanted you could even use the green Clean channel and the three different Crunch modes and have a very usable amp right there, with clean, crunch, chunk and lead sounds, but the JVM offers a lot more. Because it has, in effect, 12 channels, you can use it as a completely different amp in completely different situations. With my Strat (and inspired by a Richie Kotzen CD I was jamming along to) I set up a sparkling Clean orange channel sound, a warm orange Crunch rhythm tone with reduced treble, a chunky green OD1 rock rhythm tone and a screaming orange OD2 lead tone. Each tone sounded like it was ‘mean to be,’ and the ability to set separate reverb levels for each mode was greatly appreciated. Next I plugged in a 7-string guitar with very high-output passive pickups and dialled in a few Dream Theater-influenced tones – hi-fi chorus-ready sparkle on green Clean, a Falling Into Infinity-like rock rhythm on red Crunch, a more metallic and jagged scooped rhythm tone on OD1, and a compressed, saturated but articulate lead tone on red OD2 (with the FX loop kicking in to provide a little external delay courtesy of a Vox Time Machine). Just between those examples you can imagine the potential of this amp: classic rock (and it does great T-Rex-style vintage tones), blues, hard rock, metal (both traditional and extreme)… it’s all there.

I’ve always found Marshalls to have particularly strong midrange character, even when attempting scooped-out death tones, and the JVM410C is no exception. There’s always a healthy midrange roar, and while it can definitely be tamed, it can’t be eliminated. Don’t expect Dimebag tone from this amp. Also, the low end is a little loose (but it tightened up noticeably when I ran the amp through my Marshall 1960A cab), which is a characteristic of EL34-based power amps. Even when pushing out extreme metal tones, it leans more towards the warmer side rather than abrasive fizz. That’s part of what makes Marshalls cool, and why they work so well in a live situation.

The JVM410C is a stunningly versatile amp, with more gain that you’ll ever need but a more sensitive clean range than most other Marshalls display. Unless you’re into mega-scooped power metal tones, there’s something lurking in this amp for every player.

This review was originally published in Australian Guitar magazine. Head over to their website and show them some love!

Wanna buy one? Click the pics!