Marshall Soldano Modded JCM800 1985 Black Rare!

This amp was owned and used by one of the guitarists in the band "Another Day Late" Here is some links of it in action.

 



This is a super rare 1985 Marshall JCM800 modded by Michael Soldano and Bill Sundt of Soldano amps.This head started off as a 1985 Marshall JCM 800 2203. In 1985, Marshall made a few changes to the JCM 800 series. First, they switched the inputs from vertical to horizontal, and mounted them directly onto the circuit board. Marshall also decided to reduce the amount of filter capacitors from 5, down to 3, in order to cut costs. Of course, this is why Marshall snobs will say "forget JCM 800s made after 1984".

Fortunately, this amp was spared and was one of the last heads to be made with the full 5 filter capacitors. This adds to the hugeness of the low end and really adds to the overall tone of the amp, making it thicker and warmer. Now, what REALLY makes this amp special:

Years ago, Bill Sundt and Mike Soldano decided to gut the amp and re-voice the preamp circuit to what would later become the Soldano SLO (super lead overdrive) specs. You can see in one of the photos below, the extra hand wired parts that Soldano fabricated. They also changed the values of most of the caps. A tube buffered effects loop was added and an extra tube gain stage was added as well. (FX loop is line level and pre phase inverter similar to the loops that are in the SLO).  External bias points were added so you can plug in a multimeter and easily bias the tubes without having to take the amp apart. SLO Knobs. Tubes are Ruby EL34B STR's and a mix of GT, JJ, and old school preamp tubes. There is no back panel but easy enough to find one on Ebay. Power cord included.

There is an email confirmation from Bill Sudnt at Soldano, verifying that it is indeed their work (see pic). The guys at Soldano are the best and would verify it as well personally if you so desire.

The amp has a Drake Choke with sticker on top and the Power and Output transformers  are Dagnalls  fom what I've been told (PT+  DE T4165F  and OT +DE62668) are the red stamps on top of them. The amp sounds huge and the low end is amazing. I have never had the Bass control past 3 with Greenbacks.

This amp sounds fantastic and must be played loud to appreciate it's wonder. This is not a bedroom amp so please know this before deciding to buy. Due to the age and delicate nature of vintage amps, this amp is
being sold as is with no returns or refunds.