Marshall Amps (sub 100 watts)

Tottenham Court Road used to be the place for guitar shops in London - if it still is, get yourself down there and try some out for yourself. The only person that can decide on the sound of an amp is you. :)

I can confirm that it still is. :D Much time spent there.

However, where I disagree with you, is that 99% of the people listening to my playing- aren't me!

My ears haven't developed enough yet to pick up nuances in the sound/tone, where as others might have. As such I know that alot of amps sound fine to me, that others have strongly criticised (rightly or pretentiously) and so I wanted a few more in tune players' opinions on the cheaper Marshall range.

IMO, they aren't the "same" Marshall sound as the "real" Marshalls, which are tube amps. That is not to say they aren't good amps, they are pretty good, for what they do. But they are much different than the big Marshall tube amps. They are not tube amps, they cabinets have different speakers, etc. If you are looking for that "classic" Marshall sound, the lower end Marshalls will not give it to you.

My advice is to learn about the different models available and the features each has. Then get down to the shop and hear them for yourself. Then, listen to other brands and decide which one sounds best - in your budget. Don't worry about the name on the amp.

Sorry to stray OT for a moment but..

I'm not too familiar with the smoke.

I thought Denmark Street was the place to go for guitar related merchandise. Or is that in the same area?

Pardon my ignorance. :oops:

I'm hoping to go to Big City in the new year with cash on the hip and an itchy trigger finger.

8)

Denmark Street comes off of Tottenham Court Road. :)

Basically if you're into really big stores with a huge range of new goods for all types of instrument (but mainly guitars) check out Soundcontrol in the basement of the big Virgin there.

If you want a more intimate feel, then go to Denmark Street and try out Andy's and Rockers in particularly, although all the little stores around there between them can be very useful/interesting, I particularly like the guys at Andy's and Rockers. SO kind and knowledgable they helped me prevent one of my £100+ pedals which I ireceived from a cousin when I first started off going for £30! :shock:

So yes. Have fun. I have spent many an hour there and I don't think I've ever returned without buying something.

Many thanks for the info Clazon.

It's embarrasing that I know Rome and Washington DC better than I know my own capital city. Apart from a couple of trips to Wembley back in the days when we had a national stadium I've hardly ever been to London. :oops:

Hope the search for your tone goes well. I know where you are coming from with the ears not being dialled in yet. I'm getting there but I guess it takes time. Let us know how you get on with the amp.

8)

If your ears aren't developed enough too hear subtle differences in amps, then have you though about maybe waiting a little bit before you buy a new amp. When I started guitar, I had a little solid state amp(like everybody), and eventually I played a few tube amps in music stores, and realized how much better they are. If I had gone out and bought a big solid state amp before that, I would have ended up buying a big amp twice...
Just my 2 cents...and i'm probably all wrong...

Fair enough comment, I suppose.

But I can tell a difference between the 2 amps I have at the moment and a few more expensive ones.

Maybe I will sit on it. Even still, I'd like to gain as much of an opinion as to whether it really is worth saving up and buying an old school amp or not. :)

First things first: in my humble opinion the idea that you need to develop your ears to judge an amp is incorrect. If it were i wouldn't matter, 99% of your audience won't be an experienced guitarist. The only thing 'beginners' can't really judge is how an amp responds to their playing as their technique and dynamics aren't as refined as can be. But if you can let someone else play while you listen I'm 100% sure you can tell which amp has a good sound.

As for marshall: it's not about age or wattage but type. The cheaper marshalls will be either MG or AVT, and neither will have the sound people associate with Marshall. More expensive models are all tube amps (with the exception of the nasty Mode Four), and, while all different, are all part of the Marshall sound. They can be old or new, 100W or 22W, that hardly matters. In my opinion the MG and AVT lines aren't worth the pricetag, you can get nicer solidstates for less. The tube amps are a matter of choice, there are tons and tons of options in those priceranges.

Clazon

Living in the UK, Marshall amps should probably be cheaper than they are over here in the States. Marshall's, especially the valve (tube) models are very expensive here.

There are a few old Marshall models that are really sought out. The Plexi is a great model. The Super Lead 100 is another. Many seek out the JCM800 series amp (made in the 80's). The 90's models (JCM900s) were not as popular. The current models (JCM2000) are very good.

Here is a page from Wikipedia with lots of good history on Marshall amps.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Amplification

I personally think the JCM2000 series sound great. They absolutely have that famous Marshall tone you are after.

In this series they have several small combos. They have the DSL201 20 watt amp. DSL means Dual Super Lead as these amps have two channels, one clean the other overdrive.

Next step up is the DSL401 (I own this amp). It is 40 watts and has a few extra features.

These two models have different power tubes than the more powerful models. They have EL84s in the power section. This tube was very popular with smaller amps and produces great clean tones. This tube was used in the Vox amps. But they have a great overdrive channel as well with the classic Marshall crunch.

The more powerful models (50w, 100w) use the EL34 power tubes.

There is also the TSL (Triple Super Lead) models. These are 3 channel, basically, clean, crunch, and distortion.

If you want a smaller, less expensive version, look at the DSL201 or DSL401. You can pick these up used for about 1/2 the new price. This is how I got mine and it is a fabulous sounding amp, although it had some problems. The early models 2000-2002 were prone to overheat which caused solders to fail over time. My amp had a very common problem of the volume cutting in and out. This problem was corrected in 2003. So look for newer models, the date of manufacture is on the serial # plate on the rear of the amp.

I had mine serviced and it is great now. I had all the solders gone over and reinforced.

The 20 watt model is probably best for playing at home or perhaps an open mic. But the 40 watt model has plenty of volume and can be used for gigging easily.

If you can find a DSL50 or DSL100 watt head, you can go with a 1936 cab or 1960 cab. The 1936 is 2 X 12 with two Celestion G12T75 speakers, the 1960 is 4 X 12 with four G12T75 speakers. This Celestion speaker in a closed back cab are also much responsible for that huge Marshall tone with big bass, scooped mids, and bright highs.

Those were the tube (valve) amps.

I personally think the hybrid amps sound pretty good. I have heard the AVT models and they sound Marshall to me. I owned one of the MG models years ago and liked the tone very much.

My complaint with Marshalls has never been the tone, but the reliability. Marshalls seem to break down more than other amps. But to be fair, Marshall amps are usually pushed much harder than other amps.

But their tone is the best. :twisted: