The TC Electronic JIMS 800 is a twin-channel guitar preamp pedal that puts a legendary British high gain amp from the 1980s on your pedalboard. TC Electronic describes it as a faithful take on that amp's sound, with independent controls for each channel and a built-in cabinet simulation drawn from an official Celestion impulse response1.
The amp it models is the Marshall JCM800. MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley called the JCM800 "the quintessential '80s hard-rock and metal guitar amp"2, and Pedal of the Day's review described the pedal as "a beast that faithfully recreates a modified Marshall JCM800 tube amp, and pays gorgeous tribute to classic, guitar-driven rock"3.
A JCM800-style preamp in a pedal
The JIMS 800 is an amp-in-a-box pedal: instead of shaping an existing amp's tone, it replaces the front end of your rig with its own modeled preamp, cabinet simulation and outputs. Delicious Audio grouped it with TC Electronic's other preamp pedals of the same series when the line was announced in August 20235.
TC Electronic built the pedal around a custom tonestack. The maker says it adjusted the center frequencies of the original amp's tone controls for greater versatility while preserving the original sound and feel1. The company also addressed a well-known mod among JCM800 players: rather than removing the amp's treble bleed entirely, TC Electronic reduced its intensity, which the maker says adds warmth while staying true to the original amp. MusicRadar's Rob Laing reported the same detail, noting TC Electronic acknowledged the treble bleed mod some JCM800 users added and reduced theirs to warm the overall sound6.
Controls
Pedal of the Day counted 7 parameters, including Resonance and Presence controls along with a 3-band EQ section3. The Presence control is a global knob on the rear panel rather than a front-panel control, which TC Electronic says lets the pedal adapt to any musical context by setting the overall direction of the sound's presence1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| 3-band EQ | Bass, middle and treble, part of the custom tonestack with adjusted center frequencies13 |
| Resonance | Low-end shaping, one of the 7 parameters3 |
| Presence (rear panel) | Global control setting the overall direction of the sound's presence1 |
Two channels and how they switch
The JIMS 800 is a twin-channel preamp with independent controls per channel1. In Dual Channel mode the pedal is always on, and you switch between the two channels and their distinct sounds1.
The second channel is not a different amp. MusicRadar reported that it adds a "tad of gain", enough to give a push without alienating fans of the original6. For players who want a clean-ish rhythm sound and a pushed lead sound from one pedal, that is the division of labor the two channels offer.
Cab simulation and outputs
The pedal includes a built-in simulation of a 4x12 cabinet loaded with Celestion G12-65 speakers4. TC Electronic says it worked with Celestion and incorporated the official Celestion impulse response of that cab, using convolution-based IR technology1.
The three outputs handle different jobs15:
- Headphones: private monitoring, with the cabinet IR integrated15
- DI: for DAWs, studio setups and PA systems, with the cabinet IR integrated15
- Line OUT: bypasses the built-in cabinet simulation, for feeding a real amp or your own speaker simulation1
All three outputs can be used at the same time1, so a player could record into a DAW, monitor on headphones and feed a stage amp from one unit.
The Ampworx version and the amp it models
"a beast that faithfully recreates a modified Marshall JCM800 tube amp, and pays gorgeous tribute to classic, guitar-driven rock"
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Questions
What amp is the TC Electronic JIMS 800 based on?
It is based on the Marshall JCM800, the tube amp MusicRadar's Jonathan Horsley called the quintessential '80s hard-rock and metal guitar amp. TC Electronic describes the pedal as faithfully bringing a legendary British high gain amp from the '80s to a pedal format, and Pedal of the Day called it a faithful recreation of a modified JCM800 tube amp.
Does the TC Electronic JIMS 800 have a cab simulation?
Yes. The pedal includes a built-in simulation of a 4x12 cabinet loaded with Celestion G12-65 speakers, using the official Celestion impulse response with convolution-based IR technology. The headphone and DI outputs have the cabinet IR integrated, while the Line OUT bypasses the built-in cabinet simulation.
Can the JIMS 800 go straight into headphones or a DAW?
Yes. It has a headphone output for private monitoring and a dedicated DI output for DAWs, studio setups and PA systems. The cabinet IR is integrated on both the headphone and DI outputs, so the tone is complete without an external speaker simulation. All outputs can be used simultaneously.
What is the Presence knob on the JIMS 800 for?
The global PRESENCE knob sits on the rear panel and sets the overall direction of the sound's presence, letting the pedal adapt to different musical contexts. It works alongside the front-panel controls, which include Resonance and a 3-band EQ section.
Does the JIMS 800 have two channels?
Yes. TC Electronic describes it as a twin-channel preamp with independent channel controls. In Dual Channel mode the pedal is always on and you switch between the two channels. MusicRadar reports the second channel adds a tad of gain, enough to give a push without alienating fans of the original amp.
Sources (6)
- JIMS 800 PREAMP, TC Electronic
- NAMM 2025: “These pedals bring the sounds of the great Marshall amps of history onto the pedalboard”, MusicRadar, 2025-01-23
- TC Electronic Ampworx JIMS 800 Preamp, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2023-09-14
- TC Electronic AmpWorx Series, Guitar World, 2024-11-18
- TC Electronic Ampworx 550, Jims 800, And Dual Wreck, Delicious Audio, 2023-08-09
- TC Electronic already has three more Ampworx preamp pedals ready: and they're based on the JCM800, 5150 and Dual Rectifier, MusicRadar, 2023-08-09
