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Massive flexibility and clever switching tricks aren't enough. Do those four tri-mode channels rock like we want? Oh yes they do! The clean channel is one of the best you'll find on any guitar amp, let alone a Marshall. In green mode, this channel's volume control is bypassed, so the gain takes over as a single volume control, giving you a very pleasant, high-headroom clean sound that can be either fat and juicy or crystalline, depending on how you set the EQ.

Switch to orange or red modes, and the gain stages are added post-EQ, which is unusual for a Marshall, giving a wide range of highly interactive mild break-up effects. The crunch channel takes you from JTM45 or 'Plexi' tonality into JCM800 territory as you switch through the three modes, while OD1 and OD2 cover just about every player's wish for a great Marshall lead sound. It's all there - JCM900, DSL, TSL and a lot more besides.

The full-on power of OD2 with the gain control maxed out will be more than enough for any distortion blend. Mind-blowing overdrive capability is matched by impressively low background noise - in fact, with the clean channel selected, it's hard to tell the amp is actually on until you hit the strings.

There are many amps that cost considerably more, which are sadly lacking in this area. It's good to see Marshall leading by example, with a low-noise design that will work just as well in studios as it will on stage.

The digital plate reverb used on the JVM is nicely EQ'd and very flattering, with the added extra that the reverb tail isn't chopped off when you change channels, it's left to decay naturally. All of the switching functions operate virtually seamlessly, with almost no clicks or pops, even at very high gain. It's great to have all this functionality but the abiding impression here is that the JVM sounds utterly superb - far better than its immediate predecessors.

For the first time in quite a while, this is a modern Marshall that boasts an almost pure all-valve path from input jack to speaker socket. We say almost, but if you discount the digital reverb (which still uses a valve in the recovery circuit) and a single MOSFET in the resonance circuit, it is all valve, and the result is a more organic and flexible tonality than you'd previously expect from this kind of amp. That's not to say the JVM can't rock hard if you want it to - the sheer power and aggression is typical Marshall - but you can do a lot more besides and that is this amp's strong point. It's a multi-channel, multi-mode monster that really works.Try as we have, we can't find a single weak point in the JVM's tonal palette.