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Fire-Breathing JCM800 Preamp With 50w & 100w Modes
The Formula B Eighty Master is Marco Bovelli's take on the Marshall-in-a-box formula - an addition to the existing Super Plexi which is based on the JTM45.
The Eighty Master moves things forward by a couple of decades to focus on the Marshall JCM800 series of amps, which was all over rock tracks in the '80s. You can even switch between "50w"and "100w" modes, recalling the 50w JCM800 2204 and the 100w JCM800 2203 respectively.
"This is a really killer all-rounder MIAB full-flavour monster - and is heartily recommended to all tone-chasers. There’s definitely some magic going on inside this circuit." - Guitar Pedal X
The Eighty Master is an all-in-one preamp, featuring 3-band EQ, on-board 3-mode compression, and a presence ("Modeling") control, as well as the two Power modes and the Volume and Gain controls.
The three-way Compression toggle switch allows you to choose from "bypass" in the middle position, "light" in the left position, and "heavy"when set to the right position. The heavy compression setting results in a big volume drop, but luckily there's plenty of headroom to turn it back up using the Volume control, and you end up with a brilliant sound that polishes your chord work and sprinkles magic dust on your solos.
The automatic optical compressor works really nicely to juice up your sound, and is particularly responsive when the Mids control is set between 9 and 11 o'clock and you have the pedal set to "100w".
The "50w"and "100w" Power modes give you two different responses:
The 50w mode emulates the JCM800 2204 and has a little less gain but great dynamics and is perfect for crunchy rhythm.
The 100w mode is based on the JCM800 2203, offering more gain and a thicker sound, able to get you into full-fat saturation for '80s-style shredding!
You can run the Eighty Master at either the standard 9V, or use an 18V supply for even more headroom.
