Well, I did it again, I had to pick up one of the new Marshall Haze amps.
You might see a review I posted there in a few days, couldn't resist the chance to be the first reviewer. :D
I debated on whether to get the 40 watt combo or this 15 watt head. I already have several combo amps, and quite a few speaker cabs, so I decided to save $100 and get the head. Plus, they had the free Marshall stool, got that too. The amp arrived about a week ago and I really like it. I was worried that this amp might not have the power and volume to gig with, especially the clean channel, but this amp is plenty loud for the small venues I play. And I could always mic it if need be.
The clean channel on this amp is outstanding, I was really surpised. It competes with my Fender's easily. And it has a lot of life and sparkle to it, not a dead sounding clean like many other amps in this price range. The EQs on this amp work well and it really produces a lot of low end if needed. The bright switch is very important, as this amp tends to sound dark with humbuckers like my LP and SG. So I use the bright switch on with these guitars. However, when using my Strat or Tele I turn the bright off, they sound too thin with the bright on, but sound very good with bright off. So, this switch is important and makes a dramatic difference in the tone.
I really was't interested in the effects on this amp, but they are much better than I thought. You get Echo, Vibe, and Chorus. I especially like the Echo and Vibe. You can get Steve Ray Vaughan tones with the Vibe. The Chorus is good, but not as good as the other two effects in my opinion. The Reverb is seperate and is very good in my opinion, I am totally pleased with that.
A nice feature is that you can set the effect levels on one channel, change channels and use entirely different settings and the amp remembers them. So you could use Vibe and Reverb on your clean channel, then switch to the overdrive channel and use Echo and Reverb for a nice lead guitar tone. So, I am really happy with this feature.
The overdirve on this amp is all Marshall, but it is not brutal at all. You can get those Classic Rock type tones I really love, but you would need a pedal to get Metal type tones. But it has plenty of gain for my purposes.
If I had to say one negative about this amp is that it has a shared EQ. The clean channel is much brighter than the overdrive channel. So, if you dial in a warm tone on the clean channel the overdrive channel sounds a little muddy. And just the opposite, if you dial in a nice crunch on the overdrive channel, then the clean channel is a little too bright. This is not as noticable at higher volumes however. What I do is set up the overdrive channel to the sound I want, and then when I go to the clean channel dial out a little highs with my guitar, or use a different pickup. So this works for me.
The amp is light (about 20 lbs. ) and very easy to carry around. It has both 16 and 8 ohm Speaker Outs on the back.
Anyway, I am very pleased so far with this amp, it's gets that great Marshall tone I love and seems very versatile. I plan to use it for an outdoor gig July 4th, we'll see how it goes.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Good for you Wes! :mrgreen: Sounds like it's a keeper. 8)
Nice review too. :D
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
maybe the subtle difference in sound between the Fender and your Marshall is that one is open backed and the other closed.
Fender combo=open
Marshall=closed
I have read that a closed back amp focuses the mids and highs for that classic driven tone.
cool amps Wes. you could A/B them for gigs. one crunchy one clean.
Well, we had practice today for an outdoor gig on the 4th, and I was able to really crank this amp. I played it through my Avatar 2 X 12 cab with Celestion Vintage 30s and the amp sounded great. Even my bandmates remarked about how great it sounded several times. I am pretty stoked. The difference in tone between the clean channels and overdrive is much less pronounced at higher volumes, which is exactly what the manual said. So, at bedroom volumes there is a big difference between the channels, especially with the bright switch on, but that goes away at volume. It is almost unnoticeable.
The clean channel stays clean up until about 10 o'clock on the Volume dial, which was plenty of volume even with a drummer. At one point I maxed out the clean channel and it gets a great Marshall overdrive sound of it's own. The nice thing about this amp is that it overdrives at gig volumes without making everybody deaf, which has always been a complaint of the more powerful Marshall amps.
The overdrive channel gets a little brighter at higher volumes. This amp gets a great crunch at about 9-10 o'clock on the Gain dial. At max it's gets a very overdriven sound with lots of sustain. Not quite Metal, but close.
I also used the effects quite a bit, in fact, I didn't use my pedalboard at all today. The echo is really good and I used it to get a nice delay for the solo to Feel Like Makin' Love by Bad Company. Sounded just like the recording. I also used this same setting on Comfortably Numb and Evil Ways, made me sound like a much better player than I am. :D
I used my Les Paul Studio today and this makes for a great combination. It is that classic tone of the 70's that I love. I was a little worried this head wouldn't get the true Marshall tone with 6V6 power tubes (EL34s are used in the larger heads), but it sounded as good as any Marshall I have ever heard. And the other guys thought so too.
So, unless these amps have some sort of quality issue which I have had a little bad luck with Marshall in the past, they are going to be real winners and I predict they will be very popular. It is about time Marshall made an affordable tube amp.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
You're giving me gas Wes! Fortunately I can not afford that right now so I will just drool over the one you have.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
Another one with terrible GAS after reading this. I'm also lucky enough not to havethe cash to satiate the urge.
Cool .. you're giving me GAS as well. Does it do OK for low volume practicing? (Does it become too loud very quick?)
--vink
"Life is either an adventure or nothing" -- Helen Keller
Wes,
Hmm that looks very interesting something I might want to pursue. That might help thicken up my sound a bit. I could then try using the wife's Jackson instead of my Strat.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Chris
I know the sound you like, you would absolutely love the tone of this amp. But I don't know if the 15 watter could keep up with your other guitarist with the Marshall full stack (is he still with you?). Trust me, it is plenty LOUD for my purposes, it would handle any small or medium sized club un-mic'd easily. But it can't keep up with a Marshall 100 watt amp (what can??). You might look at the 40 watt combo however, that would would be plenty of power and volume. Myself, I do not have to compete with a super loud drummer or another guitar player, so this amp is just right. In fact, what I really love about this amp is that you have to push it for gig volumes and the amp really comes alive. Like all tube amps, it sounds best when cranked. So 15 watts is excellent for this.
This amp sounds great with my Strat and Tele, but it does seem to sound best with my LP and SG. It is that old classic sound. It will absolutely thicken your tone, especially the overdrive channel. The clean channel gets an awesome distortion too, but it is not as thick sounding. However, this is good, sometimes you want that thinner type of overdrive. Lots of grind and bite.
With the 40w combo you can also buy one of the 1 x 12 cabs Marshall made for the 15w. Then you would have a pretty awesome stack. These amps do get that huge Marshall tone I know you love.
Here is the video that convinced me to get this amp. This is an excellent representation of how it sounds, and some of the effects as well. You can hear that it has plenty of volume for a large room.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7nJ7X8NeeU&feature=player_embedded
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Congrats, Wes! Sounds like you're really digging it. 8)
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
+1 on the GAS AND on being broke!!! :(
Anyway, congrats, Wes, and thanks for your views on the Haze. I'd been wondering about that little bugger. :wink:
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D
Love and Peace or Else,
CC
Well, a little update, my band played an outdoor gig this Saturday the 4th and this amp performed flawlessly. For once we got good weather, we have been plagued with rain our last 4 shows. But the weather was great, in fact, I was a little worried because it was very hot. My old Marshall DSL 401 cut out on me at an outdoor show 2 years ago from heat. So, I was a little worried. But we set a tent up over the band and it was not bad at all.
The amp had plenty of volume, I think I had both the overdrive and clean channels set at around 12 o'clock position. The amp was loud and clear and had plenty of bite. Scott Whittlesey, who played guitar with the band for many years was there and complimented the amp many times, he was amazed it was only 15 watts.
We had about 60 folks there spread over a large back yard, the Haze was more than enough. So I am really pleased. Mark, our bass player videoed our show, so I might have a video to post in a week or so, if so I will post it so you can hear how the amp performed.
So, so far I am more than pleased with this amp, one of the best buys I've ever made.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Well, well, well...I was just browsing GC online, clicked on the Haze and read a magnificent review from our own Wes Inman! Now I know those reviews are for real! Thanks, Wes. Well done. But now I've got some seriously painful GAS. :?
Love and Peace or Else,
CC
Oh! The GAS is killing me!! :mrgreen:
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
Wes, sorry to revive an old thread. I just picked up a Haze 40. Really like the cleans (better than my BDRI) and the gain is also really what I was looking for as I'm playing mostly classic rock at this point. Not giving up the BDRI (one day I would like to play Blues exclusivly and it has major mojo).
Did you get the 4 button footswitch? It really looks like it will let you use the Haze to it's fullest potential.
You mentioned earlier that you could use one of the 12 inch cabs to make a stack with the Combo. My understanding was that was NOT possible as it was either the internal speaker or external only?
By the way....Now that almost a year has gone by, how are you feeling about your Haze.
Thanks in advance.
Trey
