dialing in a slightly scooped
EQ setting—Treble and Bass
both around 2 o’clock, Mids
at noon—and setting Drive
at 1 o’clock, I felt like I was
ready to join an Iron Maiden
cover band; rolling back the
Mids a bit more put me in,
say, LA in the mid-to-late
‘80s. In addition to providing
the rich and brash gain of a
JCM 800, the Jubilee Silver’s
articulation was strong, and
touch sensitivity was good,
although the pedal likes
to see a full load from the
guitar, so rolling back the
volume isn’t a great way to
expand your palette.
While my efforts to get lowgain tones with humbuckers
were unrewarding, single
coils—particularly P90s—
managed to make the
most of the Jubilee Silver’s
charms. I was able to cop
Hendrix-esque tones (JTMs),
Clapton-with-Mayall dirt
(Bluesbreakers), and gnarly
Ron Wood-like scuzz (Tweed
amps, the precursors to
Marshall’s amps)—not a bad
selection there! At 18 volts,
the Jubilee Silver was livelier
and more open, and offered
additional low end. These
features worked to the
advantage of single coils,
but humbuckers loved the
extra squish at nine volts.
I’m usually skeptical when
people claim their favorite
pedal has to be used
at gig volumes, but the
Jubilee Silver really was
at its best when my amp
started approaching stage
volume. Perhaps this was
in part because the pedal’s
output is pretty modest;
those hoping for a boost
to their front end may be
disappointed. However,
those who want to nail a
variety of Marshall tones
but don’t want to give up a
lot of pedalboard landscape
should be pleased.
WHAT WE LIKE
There are a nice variety of
Marshall tones available in a
single stomp box.
CONCERNS
The EQ is sensitive, so
there’s more dialing in by
“feel” than ear. Also, there’s
not a lot of output on tap.
ToneReport.com
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