The Ceriatone JTM45 MkII is a Ceriatone amplifier. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp. It pairs well with the Colorsound Overdriver and the JHS Angry Charlie.
Ceriatone JTM45 MkII
Ceriatone · amplifier
The Ceriatone JTM45 MkII is a point-to-point hand-wired reproduction of the Marshall JTM45, the amplifier that started the company and was itself closely derived from the Fender 5F6-A Bassman circuit. That heritage gives it a warmer, rounder character than later Marshalls, with a thick midrange and a softer, more gradual breakup that sits between American and British voicings. It uses GZ34 tube rectification, which contributes a degree of sag and compression under hard picking that the later solid-state-rectified Marshalls do not have. It suits blues, blues rock and classic rock players who want the earliest Marshall voice rather than the brighter, more aggressive Plexi and JCM800 sounds that followed.
What stands out
“That heritage gives it a warmer, rounder character than later Marshalls, with a thick midrange and a softer, more gradual breakup that sits between American and British voicings”
— from the listing
“It uses GZ34 tube rectification, which contributes a degree of sag and compression under hard picking that the later solid-state-rectified Marshalls do”
— from the listing
“blues rock and classic rock players who want the earliest marshall voice”
— from the listing
“more aggressive plexi and jcm800 sounds that followed”
— from the listing
“Chosen by players who want the original Marshall sound before the circuit brightened into Plexi territory, and often by those who find later Marshalls too aggressive”
— from the community notes
- thick
- midrange
- sag
- classic rock
- aggressive
- breakup
- original marshall sound
- tube
Genres the Ceriatone JTM45 MkII is commonly used in
- Blues Rock
- Blues
- Classic Rock
Pedals that stack with the Ceriatone JTM45 MkII
Colorsound Overdriver
pedal
29% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → fuzzy)
Run mid-forward into Colorsound Overdriver for more fuzzy on top
Goes in front of the amp
JHS Angry Charlie
JHS Pedals
25% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → high gain)
JHS Angry Charlie is voiced for Marshall-style amps — Ceriatone JTM45 MkII gives it exactly that
Goes in front of the amp
Analog Man King of Tone
Analog Man
25% matchpushes an amp at the edge of breakupPushes an amp already sitting at the edge of breakup over the line. (edge of breakup → clean boost)
Analog Man King of Tone pushes a edge of breakup tone toward clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive
Origin Effects
15% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Into Ceriatone JTM45 MkII, Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive is right at home: it's built around Marshall-style amps
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe
Catalinbread
11% matchCatalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe's own voicing points at Marshall-style amps, and Ceriatone JTM45 MkII delivers it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Jackson Audio Bloom EQ Boost Compression
Jackson Audio
8% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Ceriatone JTM45 MkII's own full character is the real reason this is worth trying
Goes in front of the amp
Meris Polymoon
Meris
8% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Ceriatone JTM45 MkII's full voice out front: Meris Polymoon goes in Ceriatone JTM45 MkII's effects loop so its modulated voice doesn't muddy it — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Tone City Golden Plexi V3 Mini Distortion
Tone City
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Ceriatone JTM45 MkII leans into Marshall-style amps, precisely the platform Tone City Golden Plexi V3 Mini Distortion wants
Alternatives
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Soldano SLO
Soldano
72% similaritySoldano SLO recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Friedman IR-D
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-D recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Orange Crush Pro CR120
Orange
51% similarityShared character: sag, high gain settings, solid state
Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi
Marshall
47% similarityShared character: warm, classic rock, overdrive
Ceriatone Chupacabra 50
Ceriatone
45% similarityShared character: high gain settings, aggressive playing
Orange Micro Terror
Orange
44% similarityShared character: high gain settings, solid state, thickness
1970s Mesa/Boogie Mark I 'Snake King'
Mesa Boogie
44% similarityShared character: high gain settings, thickness
Ceriatone 2202H
Ceriatone
42% similarityShared character: high gain settings, aggressive playing, classic rock
Bogner Ecstasy Mini 30W
Bogner
42% similarityShared character: sag, high gain settings, solid state
Randall Warhead
Randall
41% similarityShared character: solid state, aggressive playing
See all alternatives to the Ceriatone JTM45 MkII (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Ceriatone JTM45 MkII?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp, the Soldano SLO.
What pairs well with the Ceriatone JTM45 MkII?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Colorsound Overdriver, JHS Angry Charlie, Analog Man King of Tone — Run mid-forward into Colorsound Overdriver for more fuzzy on top.