Taking a break from Islam, Death, and Censorship for a few minutes....

Looking for opinions... I can scoop up a Used JCM900 50watt head for $400
Sounds like a good deal to me but I am a Mesa guy, so I dont really know Marshall all that well.
No idea what kind of resale value they hold. I will probably need new tubes for it since I was told these were several years old.

Opinions?

If I recall correctly, that head sold for about a grand when new. If it's in good shape, I'd go for it. I would'nt worry about the tubes unless they aren't functioning properly. If in doubt have a local tech check them for voltage/bias.

Quoted: If I recall correctly, that head sold for about a grand when new. If it's in good shape, I'd go for it. I would'nt worry about the tubes unless they aren't functioning properly. If in doubt have a local tech check them for voltage/bias.

What he said.    Been out of playing for a long time, but I'm pretty sure $400 is a pretty good deal.  You could get new tubes if needed for not much more.  

never played one, but they're not usually spoken of favorably around the marshall crowd.  i play through a jcm2000 dsl 50- which is fantastic.  if it sounds good, get it.  check harmonycentral.com for reviews.

Quoted: never played one, but they're not usually spoken of favorably around the marshall crowd.  i play through a jcm2000 dsl 50- which is fantastic.  if it sounds good, get it.  check harmonycentral.com for reviews.

Just keep in mind the majority of them come from little spazes that have no clue what a good tone is , and play with two fingers in drop D because that is all they can do .

Not bad for the head.
Try it out before you buy it... What speakers?
One of my customers gave me this cool Mesa Boogie studio amp, it was buzzing.
Pushed the tubes in tight, sounds great.

I'm mostly a bassist, but my guitarist uses an old Peavey Mace series 160 watt tube combo with twin 12" Black Widows... it sounds so cool, and I have not played a place yet that little anchor of an amp can't handle.  We had a guy come and audition with a Marshall, but I think that old Peavey just rocks.

Just like guitars, you can have 2 identical, but they sound different.
I try them out first.

I'd buy it, I have a JCM 2000 DSL 50 and love it, I've never played a JCM 900, but have played alot of JCM 800s and other JCM 2000s and have never heard one that sounds bad. 400 bucks is a good deal for an all tube Marshall head.  If it needs new tubes, change them, you'll be amazed at how much better new tubes will make an amp sound.