Hello:
I have recently gotten back into guitar playing after about a 3 year break....this time I 'm hitting hard and intend on starting a garage band maybe within 6 months. I have priced amps and seen them all over the board when it comes to price.
The amp im considering is the Marshall MG100fx. It's a solid state amp and have seen demo videos on you tube. Can anybody give me some advise on what are the best amps? Is tube style better than solid state? will the Mg100fx be loud enough for a garage type gig?
thanks,
jcs3006
jcs3006
Hi and Welcome to Guitar Noise. :D
I am not familiar with this particular amp, but I owned a 50 watt solid-state Marshall once and it was plently loud for gigging, I used it many times and it had plenty of volume. And while some put down the Marshall solid-states, I liked the way it sounded. It did have some quality issues, I had to tighten up all the screws and the speaker about once a month, they would work loose and I would get rattles. The Gain control quit working, so I couldn't adjust the amount of gain. But all in all, it was a pretty good amp, I got a lot of use out of it.
As for tube versus solid-state, it really depends on the type of sounds you are after. Today's solid-state amps sound very tube like. Many have excellent modeling, so you can get many various tones from Rock, Jazz, Country, Metal, etc... So if you want a versatile amp this is probably the way to go.
Most who prefer tube amps are after one good sound. I guess I fall into this catagory. I really don't care for or need dozens of sounds. I am pretty much looking for a good clean guitar sound, and a really good overdriven tone. I use effects very sparingly. I am just after that elusive killer tone. :twisted:
But if you want advice, I would look into something like the Peavey ValveKing.
This 50 watt tube amp is very popular and gets great reviews. It has plenty of power to play almost any gig. Now, you won't get any effects with this, but with the money you save you could get a few pedals like a chorus or phase. Most players prefer pedals for effects, built-in effects are usually not quite as good, and also not as tweakable.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
hey thanks man,
i have read lots of reviews and 65% say this is not a good amp because it tends to breakdown, much like your response.
I have recently came across this amp for as little as $250.00 used. I think I will wait cause i dont want something that is going to be a repair issue.
The marshall MG series is notorious among guitarists as being problematic. If you want a really good solid state, try a Roland Cube 30x or 60x, I have a 30x and it's great. They get great reviews as well.
If you want the Marshall sound on a budget ,see if you can find a second hand marshall VS100R.They are are about as close to a Marshall tube/valve sound as you can get and well made so don't worry about the age.
cheers
bob
My Band: http://www.myspace.com/thelanterns2010
playing whilst drunk is only permitted if all band members are in a similar state!
Get one of these on ebay, if you can! They're not available anymore, but they are the best solid state amps ever made.
