Marshall JMP 2204 MKII Lead

The Marshall 2204 JMP MKII Master Volume Lead is a very simple, yet very loud 50-watt all-tube amp that gives the highly sought after “Marshall tone”. The 2204 is set up with three pre-amp tubes (12ax7), and two power tubes, normally 6550s or el34s. Most people prefer the British sound of the el34. The only knobs found on this amp are for Presence, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master Volume, and Pre-Amp Volume.

It only has a single channel, but inputs for High and Low Sensitivity allow you to play anything from super clean to super raunchy with just the turn of a volume knob. As far as volume, this thing is LOUD, basically like any Marshall. Get the thing above a four or five and your ears will be ringing for days! If you can pick one of these beauties up, do it. They are becoming more rare and are some of the best sounding amps ever made.

Leave your comments and reviews on the Marshall JMP 2204 MKII 50 watt amp below!

Marshall JMP 2204 MKII Lead Demo

Marshall JMP 2204 MKII Lead Reviews

  1. Donnie on 02.04.2010

    Sweet tone man!

  2. admin on 02.05.2010

    I love these amps, classic Marshall crunch. Some of the best amps Marshall has ever made in my opinion. I especially love the clarity of the chords and the pick attack, the g chord sounds so full and growls.

  3. shawn on 02.14.2010

    I was wondering….I have this amp, I just inherited it from my Stepdad who had this amp for YEARS. I plugged it in and tuned it to my liking (presence:5, bass:2, treble:7, preamp:6.5) and let it rip. Even without any distortion, the amp sounds great, but I run my pedalboard through it, which consists of a Crybaby Wah to an MXR Distortion Plus to an MXR 10 Band EQ set to heavy mid boost, then to an MXR Flanger and MXR Stereo Chorus. My guitars I use are a Gibson Les Paul Studio and a Jackson Rhoads JR-20.

    Now I was curious and I havent been able to find the info on any sites. Does this amp head come factory cascade modded? I heard somewhere that the 1959s and the 1987s with 4 inputs are not cascaded, where Randy Rhoads had to have them cascaded, but the 2203s and the 2204s are factory cascaded. Is this true? If the amp isnt then I would want to look into cascade modding it (the famous “one wire mod”) to get closer to the Randy Rhoads tone. But if its already cascade modded, then I’m good to go 🙂

  4. Gary Wells on 09.03.2010

    The Marshall JMP Master MkII 2203/2204, Marshall JCM800 2203/2204, and the JCM900 Hi-Gain MkIII 2100/2500 all have cascade preamp gain. As you turn up the Preamp knob you are running more current through the (3) 12ax7 preamp tubes for more preamp tube distortion. The JCM900 Hi-Gain MkIII 2100/2500 goes one step further and has a Preamp Knob that goes from 1 to 10 and a Gain Knob that goes from 11 to 20. The Preamp Knob engages the preamp tubes just like on a JMP Master or JCM800, the Gain Knob then engages diodes into overdirve territory that the JMP Master and JCM800 cannot go. Basically a JMP Master MkII is a 1 channel, one trick pony, late 70’s/early 80’s Classic Rock amp. (Why else would you have one?)

    I use a JCM900 MkIII 2500 with the Master set at 7 to 10, Preamp set at 10 (12ax7 preamp tubes fully engaged) and the Gain set at 15 to 16 (1/2 way) for a really nice tight overdriven tone. Then for extra volume and sustain, I slam the front end with a Barber Direct Drive with bass boosted (JRC4558D opamp based Overdrive) to saturate the EL-34 power tubes.

  5. Gary Wells on 09.03.2010

    Basically, if the Angus and Malcolm AC/DC 70’s crunch Rock is the tone you are after, buy a Marshall JMP Master MkII. If you are looking to play the br00talz, look for another amp like a Splawn Nitro, VHT / Fryette Ultra Lead. ENGL Savage, Mesa Boogie Rectifier, etc…..

  6. Michael on 05.20.2011

    Played with a 78 2204 from 81 to 88. It had 6550 tubes and was a total beast with a million personalities depending on how you used your guitars volume knobs. I could play anything from Judas Priest and Scorpions to the Clash, Stray Cats and any new wave or rockabilly. It was one of the most versatile amps I have used besides my Carvin combo which is a tone monster.
    The Marshal was like a Fender if you wanted to play clean due to the 6550s which give you tons of headroom. Crank the master up to 5-6 and wham – it would sing forever. Feedback was controllable to the point of perfection. I used a 1960B cab which yields more bass.

  7. Seedomang on 06.25.2011

    I own one and it is the jewel of my amps!

  8. Jack on 08.19.2011

    Hi, I just got one! It’s a JMP 2204 from 1980. Replaced the 3 filtercaps and swapped the EL34 old tubes for JJ KT77’s. I have yet not been able to play it at higher volumes at gigs (later this year) but on lower levels with an OD in front it already rips! It only needs a little push in the front to get a smooth but powerful hard rock distortion.

    The KT77 gives it lots of balls and real deep bottom end…..makes me wonder how that will sound at higer volumes (master 2 or higher…) Brutal I guess!

    Very fine tone machine. The DSL 50 in the rehearsal room sounds nice too but the feel, punch and balls of the JMP is very different.

    BTW nice playing in the vid!

  9. Gary Wells on 02.17.2012

    I bought my 1978 Marshall JMP 2204 50 watt about 1 year ago. It has (2) SED Winged =C= 6550 power tubes and (3) JJ 12ax7 preamp tubes. My JMP also has several VooDoo Amps mods that really improve the tone of the amp. It seems to dial in the best for AC/DC Malcolm chord crunch with Gain=7, Master Vol=5 to 7, Presence=2, Bass=8, Mids=5, Treble=9. The Gain Knob when pulled out adds a fatter, thicker gain, but I usually leave it pushed in and disengaged for medium gain. There is a Bass Boost knob on the back panel which engages when pulled out. Bass Boost=10. The Bass Boost really helps to add more bottom end when the Gain is set at lower settings. There is another VooDoo knob mod in the low input jack. When you have the Gain turned way up JMP’s will get fizzy, have more preamp hiss, and get annoying feedback. This VooDoo Mod engages when the knob is pulled out. As you turn it counter clockwise it engages some Sprague bright caps on the circuit board to clean up the gain for a brighter tone and get rid of some hiss. There is also a port on the back panel to allow access to the bias adjustment, so the bias can be set for new power tubes without having to pay a $50 bench fee for an amp tech to remove and replace the chasis. There is another knob on the back panel to adjust the filter for the heater current and clean up some buzz.

    I play my Marshall JMP 2204 through a Marshall 1960B straight cab with Celestion G12T-75’s and for chords it has more punch and balls than any amp I have ever used. Palm mute chugs you can feel in your chest. This amp has the best tone and more growl than any Marshall I have ever played.

  10. electraman92 on 06.14.2015

    I know this site is a number of years old, but thought I’d reply anyhow. I recently picked up a ’79 JMP 2204. I was so absolutely blown away by one I heard one night at a club, that I had to have one. I have been through the JCM900 MKIII’s and the SL-X’s straight and modded, EL34’s and 5881’s, and none of them come close to touching this! It’s just simply THAT amazing! The ’79 doesn’t have this pull out Gain knob like Gary’s describing on his ’78. All I can say is I’m glad I took the plunge and decided to splurge and buy one. The other guitarist in my band has a JCM800 2204 and I think this one sounds better than his. It’s just had a complete recap, power supply as well. That only runs about $425 these days…ughhh. But it’s so worth it!!! My other guitarist has a JCM-800 and he’s not very happy with the fact that mine sounds better than his. You want AC/DC Tone or Mid 70’s – Late 80’s Rock sound??? This is the stuff dreams are made of!! My quest is finally over for that Hallowed Marshall tone I’ve long heard. Now I can die peacefully…. 8^)

  11. Thorn on 03.08.2016

    I have a jmp mkII 50 watt from 1980. Let me tell you, it has been to hell and back. I think because it has the printed circuit board it was able to withstand some major road use. I just had it serviced and it still had one of the original 12ax7 tubes in it from 1980. I recently shopped for a 1 channel amp and was not impressed with anything new except for maybe a Friedman pink taco 20. I am so glad I picked mine up out of the classifieds back then. I use mine with a line 6 pod and use the low input going into the Marshall. That way it runs much quieter. If your thinking of getting one of these amps be prepared to pay the price. I was going to sell it but I thought I might keep it considering the rave reviews this amp gets.

  12. Anonymous on 02.27.2020

    I had a ‘77 2204 in the early 90s and sold it like a dumb ass. Then got a ‘79 in 2000 and never looked back. Just about 6 mos ago got a ‘78. As long as these amps are selling under $2000 I’ll keep buying them. The price is gonna go up so right now they are still a steal. Most reliant amp I’ve ever owned

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