So I have never owned a Marshall. For years I used a Fender HRD with pedals, then in 2008 I switched to a VoxAC15H1TV which is still here. I really love it, it sounds like a good Vox, and if I hit the front end hard with my CMAT Signa Drive goosed by a Juansolo Klone and maybe a touch of Fuzz Face it will grind. Until now I have been quite satisfied with this when something of a Marshall flavour was required, but I have a new live project coming up that demands I plug in to the real thing. The tones I need the amp to cover are along the lines of Hendrix/Trower/Page/Moore. I need it to work equally well with single coils and humbuckers and I would prefer it to have a master volume. I have a budget of around £600 for a head/combo. So far candidates include:
50w MkIII Dual Master Volume
50w JMP Mk2 2x12 combo and early JCM 800 equivalents
6100 Anniversary
50w DSL Head
Vintage Modern
Thoughts?
Comments
This.
Easily the best sound, and reliable too.
You would think so, but in practice it had far too many compromises in design and build quality.
Second choice would be the JCM900 MV MkIII, out of the ones listed. (*Not* the Dual Reverb model.) If you keep the gain low it does a passable older-Marshall sound, although it's not perfect.
The 6100 can sound good but is very complicated and has reliability issues, and the DSL is just best avoided really.
A possibly surprising late addition would be the JVM 50W model, that sounds quite good and seems quite reliable.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
There is a slight reason for this in that it's also extremely heavy and awkward to carry…
The earlier models also have a tendency to blow the original 25W speakers, so it's not uncommon to find replacements fitted, often not the right ones. The last ones came stock with G12-65s and don't blow those.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Seriously, just no. That's the worst modern valve amp they've made - completely gutless, thin and buzzy even by the standards of what they do now.
Mostly just the usual issues with a forty-year-old amp (yes, the mid-1970s is that long ago now… ) -
Servicing needed (mostly filter caps - including the bias caps which are often overlooked).
Bad servicing having been done (poor workmanship, recycled components - fairly common on well-used ones).
Any mods/de-mods.
And on Marshalls of this age, the voltage and impedance selectors. These were never reliable to begin with, and should always be replaced or hardwired for safety and reliability.
Likewise if it has the earlier round Bulgin mains connector - replace with a TAD 'kettle lead' IEC one.
In the worst case you would need to budget about £150 to £200 to have all of this sorted out, if it needs it - but you can still pick up tatty examples for around £400, so even that doesn't make it a non-starter.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Or or add a 1x12 cab to match and have something easier to carry for small gigs and rehearsals with the extra cab when you need it.
What's the best Marshall valve combo option for less than £400?
I used one last year on a studio session (it was the studio's go-to amp, and you could hear why) and bloody loved it. The sound I got was clean and cutting with single notes, but crunched beautifully with chords. I didn't check which speakers it had, as it had been dismantled to use as a head in the control room with the cab safely behind several soundproof doors. I could still hear it. Such a great sound though.
FWIW, we did a second session at the producer's home studio with his 100W JMP head and it didn't sound the same at all.
Don't talk politics and don't throw stones. Your royal highnesses.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
The high input is less versatile but great fun. With the gain up at 7 or more (sounded a bit too bright lower) it just OWNS anything from AC/DC through to RATM, Tool, great lively and punchy overdrive. And it doesn't need to be loud to sound good, though it does sound better and better until you hit the sweet spot around 5 on the master volume. The only limitation for me is that it being a single channel amp with no solo boost or effects loop, I couldn't do a whole set with that one sound.
Bandcamp
Spotify, Apple et al
If someone were to offer me a free one I'd have his arm off.
Don't talk politics and don't throw stones. Your royal highnesses.