Marshall MG100DFX user reviews ( 5/10) - 99 user reviews

• 11/24/11

  ericthegreat's review "not a very good sound"

  Characteristics

  The Marshall MG 100DFX amp does not have that great of a sound. I bought when I was younger and on a budget, and into much worse music than I am now (metal, nu-metal, the like.) The amp definitely sounded better when I bought it, too. I used a Fender Strat and a Les Paul with it. It sounded better with the Les Paul because it didn't feed back as badly as it did with the Strat, but it still didn't sound too great. Over the years, as I would push it to try and get good sounds, the sound started to deteriorate. By now, almost 7 years later, the amp is almost unusable.

  Utilization

  The clean channel gets little to no volume, and the distorted channel is incredibly muddy (in fact, it was always pretty muddy, it's just gotten worse). I can't say any of the sounds are my favorite. I don't really like any of them. I recently tried playing a new model in a store, expecting that it would sound better than my amp does since it hadn't gone through the wear and tear.

  Sounds

  While there was more volume, it still didn't sound that great, and wouldn't make me change my rating. The sounds that you can get out of it are a mild, tame clean sound (basically no natural distortion, which I like and can get out of my Fender amps), as well as a muddy distorted sound that might be good for someone trying to emulate Queens of the Stone Age, but not much else. Turing up the low end on the distorted channel makes it really murky and unclear.

  Overall Opinion

  The amp is pretty easy to use and setup. It's pretty much ready to go, just plug it in. The sounds aren't too difficult to get out of it at all. The manual explains how to use everything pretty well, though if you aren't used to using effects loops you probably won't get what the effects loops are all about.
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• 06/22/11

  iamqman's review "Trash!"

  Characteristics

  They are able to tap a good market with this amp with the price point they start at and the availability of them in the guitar stores. However, this amp is such garbage that it is actually an embarrassment to the Jim Marshall.
  
  
  
  This amp sound like what you would want a Marshall to sound like only it doesn't. This amp is tinty and thin sounding as most solid state amps lend themselves to be. The Eq's are very harsh and dialing out that fuzzy buzzy distortion tone will keep you twisting knobs more than playing time.
  
  
  
  Features
  
  
  
  A compact gig rig with big Marshall tone
  
  Delivers a dynamic yet toneful punch
  
  100W
  
  12" speaker
  
  2 channels (footswitchable)
  
  Digital effects including reverb, delay, chorus, and flange
  
  FDD (Frequency Dependent Dampening)
  
  CD ins, plus emulated line out, and emulated headphone jacks
  
  Clean/Crunch switch
  
  OD1/OD2 switch
  
  FX loop level & mix control

  Utilization

  Output (RMS): 100W
  
  2 channels
  
  Separate EQ per channel
  
  Clean/crunch Switch
  
  OD1/OD2 switch
  
  Contour control
  
  Footswitchable channels
  
  CD inputs
  
  Emulated line out
  
  Emulated headphone
  
  Digital effects
  
  Digital reverb
  
  FX loop: yes
  
  FX loop level & mix control
  
  Speaker: 1x12 in.
  
  Dimensions: 590 x 556 x 275 mm
  
  Weight: 23.6 kg
  
  
  
  Footswitch included

  Sounds

  The best thing you can do with an amp like this is throw it off the roof. If you don't have a roof try lighting it on fire. In all seriousness though the amp can get you a good practice or jamming tone. Don't try to go out and gig with this amp though because the sound man will laugh you right off the stage.
  
  
  
  Use a good Gibson Les Paul with this amp or another guitar with a humbucker style pickup in it. You need that extra coil to try and tame some of the harsh frequencies inherent to this amp.

  Overall Opinion

  I would not recommend this amp to anyone. If you need a decent two channel amp then try a Peavey or a Roland cube. I know it doesn't say Marshall on the side of those amps but this my friends is not what a Marshall sounds like.
  
  
  
  They do not make these amps anymore so you will have to go on the used market to scout one out. I have seen them a lot for under $200. Which isn't a bad price for an amp that has multi channels and effects. But the ridiculous wattage this thing has makes me wonder why you would need that loud of bad tone.
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• 12/22/08

  MGR/Harrigan's review "Marshall MG100DFX"

  Characteristics

  Utilization

  Sounds

  Overall Opinion

  This is the 100 watt combo amp with a 12 inch speaker. There are 2 primary channels that include clean and overdrive one and two. There are also tone controls, and a contour control that Marshall is famous for. There is also a line out and headphone jack. There are also some built in effects such as chorus, delay, flange and reverb.
  
  
  
  I paid a little over $450 on zzounds.com for this amp. I had gotten a new Ibanez electric guitar for my birthday and some extra bucks from other relatives that I decided to put towards an amp. A buddy of mine told me that a Marshall solid state amp would be a nice pairing for the Ibanez for the type of music I like to play, so I spent some time playing the Marshall combo amps in local guitar stores, before settling on the MG100DFX. I then went online to find the best price and ordered it.
  
  
  
  Love the power and that Marshall tone. Even though this is only a 100 watt amp with a 12 inch speaker (Eminence) - it cranks! I could definitely use this amp for garage band jams and small gigs. I also like the fact that it comes with a footswitch so you don\'t have to go out and buy one and spend additional dough. It\'s pretty cool that they included onboard effects into the package. The amp just looks sweet too. That familiar Marshall logo is emblazoned across the front of the black speaker cover and it just reeks of heavy metal and hard rock. If you\'re into these genres of music, there\'s nothing other than a real Marshall amp for getting that tone you love.
  
  
  
  The effects are a little generic. While it\'s nice that they are included, you will definitely want more flexibility and will probably want to get your own pedalboard anyway or multi-effects processor. I wish these amp manufacturers would just focus on producing great amps and skip the onboard effects. On some models it\'s nice, but I would have rather them gone with a better speaker or a few more watts before spending the money to build in onboard effects that I probably won\'t use that much anyway. Other than that, I really don\'t have any other gripes.
  
  
  
  I\'ve owned two Marshall amps in the past and have to say that I keep coming back to them for a reason - top quality, great sound, and built like a brick $hithouse. No complaints in the construction and quality section is what I\'m saying if you haven\'t figured it out by now. :)
  
  
  
  Overall, for about 450 bones I\'m pretty darn pleased. Some folks may think that\'s expensive, especially considering you can almost get a Crate amp and stack seperates or some other brands for just a little more. Why not save up the extra and go for that? Well, I wanted Marshall and it was worth it to me to spend the extra dough. Plus, this amp cranks like a half stack, seriously, you won\'t believe it. I rarely take it over 3 or 4, unless of course I\'m showing it off to some friends and then I jack it up. Overall, very pleased. Not the cheapest, but money doesn\'t factor in that much when you know exactly what you want.
  
  
  
  This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
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• 12/14/08

  Audiofanzine FR's review

  Characteristics

  (Originally written by metallicam/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
  
  100-watt solid-state amp with instrument and CD inputs, headphone output and footswitch connector.
  
  
  
  The settings are quite simple: 2 channels with independent EQ and gain control, common reverb plus digital FX (flanger, delay, chorus and chorus/delay).

  Utilization

  The configuration is very simple and you can easily find the sound you need (within the amp's possibilities) if you use an EQ.
  
  
  
  If you are looking for a good tone you can try as long as you want, but you won't get it!
  
  
  
  The user's manual is very short but it does include some settings examples.

  Sounds

  This amp doesn't match any music style because it sounds awful.
  
  
  
  The amp is reliable and easy to use but it sounds very bad. This becomes very clear when you compare it with a real amp (even in the same price range... although the MG100 is still better than the MG10).

  Overall Opinion

  I've been using this amp for nearly one year. I bought it to have enough output power.
  
  
  
  I didn't test anything before buying it (that's the only reason I bought it).
  
  
  
  The value for money is very bad! I think, Marshall uses its good reputation to sell lousy amps to beginners who want to play famous brand amps.
  
  
  
  If I had known, I would have never buy it.
  
  
  
  The best tip I can give you is to test several amps before buying one. And do the same with guitars.
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• 12/06/08

  Audiofanzine FR's review

  Characteristics

  (Originally written by BlackTrust/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
  
  100-watt solid-state amp with tube simulation. Two channels: clean with crunch and overdrive with boost (OD2). Four integrated effects (chorus/delay, chorus, delay, flanger) plus reverb. FX loop, headphone output and line output with speaker simulation.
  
  
  
  In short, comprehensive features...

  Utilization

  The clean tone is quite average and doesn't really sound like a Marshall. With maximum gain and very heavy pick attacks the clean sound sort of crunches. On the contrary, the crunch function is useless because it has too much gain and the sound loses its fullness...
  
  
  
  The overdrive channel is easy to set: max. OD1 for rock and max. OD2 for a sounds ranging from ACDC to heavy metal. Even with my Jackson the sound isn't very good, the tube simulation does a good job though. My previous Ibanez Tone Blaster gave better results... This amp is clearly a budget product...
  
  
  
  The user's manual can be helpful in the beginning to set the amp.

  Sounds

  I play mainly heavy metal and this amp has not the best sound for that sort of music. The Peavy Bandit 112 is the best choice in this price range.
  
  
  
  The amp sounds good for blues with maximum gain in the clean channel. It's also ok for rock but no hard rock.
  
  
  
  To get a good metal sound I use Zakk Wylde's MXR distortion pedal because it has a good gain level. Surprisingly enough the sound becomes flat and loses punch with a POD.
  
  
  
  In short, the sound is only average...

  Overall Opinion

  I've been using it for almost one year and I already want to change it. I've been playing guitar for over one year and I wanted a cheap Marshall but I won't buy their products anymore...
  
  
  
  You get a much better sound with a Peavey, a Randall or an Orange. I wouldn't buy it again.
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• 01/02/05

  MGR/Natonial Contravis's review "Marshall 100 DFX Combo"

  Characteristics

  Utilization

  Sounds

  Overall Opinion

  I bought this amp off www.merchantcitymusic.co.uk for 225 pounds (plus 6 pounds delivery). I bought it because i needed a more powerful amp than my fender 15 watt frontman beginner amp as i was progressing past beginner level. I thought this was a great price as i knew the rrp price was 300.
  
  
  
  I like how many different sounds you can pull out of this amplifier, how you can change from clean/crunch to OD1/OD2 with a tap of the button that comes on the free foot pedal. It sounds pretty cool to have an intro on crunch then crank up the distortion after the inro, that is what im doing most. I am really enjoying the digital effects (DFX), they sound really good so i have no need to buy any effects pedals. You can also switch these on or off with the footpedal.
  
  
  
  I think the OD1 and OD2 distortions are overrated, people say OD2 is insane and very modern, but i found it to be nothing exeptionally special. It is quite hard to get the DFX exactly how you want it as there is only one button that controls most of them, and they are rather squashed together so it takes some fine \'tuning\' to get the sound you want.
  
  
  
  Generally the construction of this amp is very solid. The body is made of tough molded plastic, i was rather disapointed to find this out, i thought it would be wood with a plastic coating. Even my 15 watt amp is made of wood. The corner gaurds are plastic, i think it would be better if they were metal. The handle feels secure and doesnt feel like it will break when i lift it (unlike my back!). The knobs feel very good quality and would not come off unless you gave them some serious tugging. The back of the amp is wooden, but it is rough and i would of thought Marshall, with such a high reputation, would of put a finish on it.
  
  
  
  Overall i would say the the amp combines style, great sound, quality and build which makes it a very good amp for amateur players. It is in the price range of an amateur player as well. It is perfect for pracacing and definitely good enough for gigging as well.
  
  
  
  This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
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• 09/26/04

  MGR/Richard de Llano's review "Marshall MG100DFX"

  Characteristics

  Utilization

  Sounds

  Overall Opinion

  I purchased this amp for $395 at Guitar Center. (Whenever you go to a dealer, always haggle! You will defintely get a lower price!) I purchased it to practice with my band and to play shows (which is not going to happen any time soon).
  
  
  
  The unit is small, not so heavy, and very versatile! The tone is incredible, especially with distortion pedals. You can hear every note clearly with the OD2 on. And it can get loud! Although it can generate an onslaught of feedback; it\'s nothing that a good noise limiter can\'t handle (like the Boss NS-2 Noise Limiter). And when you hook it up to a 4x12 cab, prepare to melt! The tone becomes even sweeter! The amp actually gets louder! It\'s perfect for nu-metal, metal, hardcore, punk, blues, jazz, etc. You can get just about any sound out of this great little amp.
  
  
  
  Now, there are a lot of great things about this amp, but there are also quite a few bad things... For one, if you put the volume knobs too high, you can already start to hear the sound quality deteriorate (which can be fixed with a 4x12 cab, and a noise limiter). Secondly, the reverb channel cannot be switched via the foot switcher, which is kind of a pain. Also, you can only hook it up to one cab... The MGHDFX head has outputs for 2 cabs. Last but not least... It can be very unreliable. Read on...
  
  
  
  Like you may have already read, the amp will give out on you eventually. For me, it was about 4 months in when the fan started to make a \"buzzing\" sound. It faded out after a while, but it got worse as the next 2 months progressed. Eventually, the fan would completely stop (it wouldn\'t spin any more), and the sound on the amp would constantly die out. I haven\'t had a chance to take it back to the store yet, but I\'m sure that the next fan I get will die out, too. I wouldn\'t recommend using this amp for shows (unless it\'s new, or has been recently fixed).
  
  
  
  Bottom line: This amp is great. It sounds amazing for the price you would pay, and hooking it up to a 4x12 cab is pure extacy. It might eventually break a few months after you purchased it... But that\'s okay. Just get it fixed. It\'ll be worth it. If you want to use it for shows, I\'d recommend getting the half-stack (MG100HDFX head and MG Series 4x12 Cab). I\'m giving it a 4 because of the problems this amp is givin\' me. Oh, and it sounds a LOT better than the Line 6 Spider II :)
  
  
  
  This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
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• 09/15/04

  MGR/Jared's review "Marshall MG100DFX"

  Characteristics

  Utilization

  Sounds

  Overall Opinion

  I bought this amp new at musiciansfriend.com, and paid $425.
  
  
  
  Ok, Marshall amps are no doubt the best amplifiers for rock music. I like that this amp has a solid 100 watts, and that great marhsall sound. It\'s got built in effects like reverb, delay, chorus, and flange, which elimintes the need to buy expensive guitar pedals.
  
  
  
  There\'s a little bit of feedback at very high volumes.
  
  
  
  This amp weighs 65 pounds, and is rock solid and extremely durable. I\'ve gigged with this amp and it still plays like new. Some of the features include:
  
  
  
  * 100W
  
  * 12\" speaker
  
  * 2 channels (footswitchable)
  
  * Digital effects including reverb, delay, chorus, and flange
  
  * FDD (Frequency Dependent Dampening)
  
  * CD ins, plus emulated line out, and emulated headphone jacks
  
  * 22-1/2\"W x 18\"H x 11\"D
  
  
  
  You don\'t need me to tell you to go and buy this amp, it\'s the top of the line and the best you\'re gonna get for your money. With all the different settings, this is the amp for all types of musicians.
  
  
  
  This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
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• 08/08/04

  MGR/samuel hendrix's review "Marshall MG100DFX"

  Characteristics

  Utilization

  Sounds

  Overall Opinion

  I bought this at a local music store, Hyde Music (MIddletown, RI), I traded my MG30DFX in exchange for this with a 300 dollar difference. Basically, I payed 300 dollars. I debated whether I should've gotten the 50 watt or 100 watt, so I tried both and the 50 watt barely made a difference for 100 bucks more than the 30 watt. The 100 watt is much louder, works like it should and I can hear myself playing when drums play with me, when the 50 watt has to work harder than it should to become louder, as well as put up on a chair or something to make it easier to hear, when the 100 watt does not need that.
  
  
  
  My favorite part is the price. There is a 100 dollar difference between the MG30DFX and the MG50DFX, but only a 20 watt difference, but there is only a 75 dollar difference between the MG50DFX and the MG100DFX, with an amazing 50 watt difference! 100 watts from a marshall with many effects and only 425 bucks is a deal. I like how this amp is so loud, I barely have to turn up the master volume to 2 when I\'m practicing. When I\'m jamming with drums and other guitars and bass, I won\'t go past 8 on the master volume to hear myself! When on the 50 watt I have to crank it to 10 and there\'s all that buzz and I\'ve gotta use a chair to stand it and all. This amp has great channel features. I can go from clean to distortion with the click of the footswitch, or go from slightly crunched to distortion with the crunch on the clean channel feature. Then there is also OD1/OD2, which is basically regular amp distortion to heavy metal distortion, which you cannot use the footswitch on, but you don\'t need that anyways. This amp has a seperate reverb level from the effects loop control, which is handy because I always have at reverb up to about 1 for anything I play, and I leave it that way, then I can seperately put, say, chorus on with the footswitch, which is handy. The master volume is also nice, because I can set the gain of the clean to whatever I want, then I can set the volume of OD channel, which is basically just setting the difference between the volume of the the OD and clean. Then I can set the master volume to about 2 when im practicing, or crank up to 8 when I\'m gigging without moving any knobs and changing settings of the clean or OD, which is awesome. This is a very nice amp, and I love every feature on it, but the best part is how loud it can get and stay so clean!
  
  
  
  Really, there is nothing I don\'t like about the amp, but I would change some things on my guitar if I could. My guitar is only a Squire Affinity, which, if you didn\'t already know, sucks. The pickups buzz like hell, and they aren\'t that loud, so i use the bridge pickup and the middle pickup together to elimate the buzz, which gives me a nice, very clean sound, but not exactly the best sound, because it doesn\'t really sound like a real strat, which I\'m aiming for. But the Marshall makes a huge difference, which is why I don\'t really even need a new guitar. I\'m just going to save up for a Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB, and put that in the bridge, about 70 bucks for that. Those pickups are very clean, trebly, and loud, without the buzz. That will make me have to practice under the master volume of 1! I would say one thing about the amp that I don\'t exactly like is the fan, which can be kind of annoying when practicing under low volumes at night or something. But you wouldn\'t hear it when jamming or gigging at all, but without it the damn amp would probly light on fire! So I can\'t exactly complain.
  
  
  
  This is very nicely built, in the U.S. of course. Marshall is the best, no question, but the prices can be high, thats why I always wonder why the MG100DFX is so low priced, but I\'m grateful anyways. I don\'t have anything against the construction, it\'s very well built and the wood is nice and hard and everything and the knobs are nice and simple, good looking too. I would say that it\'s pretty heavy, but thats ok, big amps are always heavy. Very nicely built though, but I hear about people whose amps of this model have broken down on them repeatidly, but that will not happen often, you can trust me.
  
  
  
  This amp is really just an improvement amp of the MG30DFX or MG50DFX, but if you have a 30 and are debating whether you should get a 100 watt or 50 watt, get the 100 watt. If you got the 50, you would upgrade to 100 very quickly. It\'s the best decision, no question. Also, the MG250DFX and MG100DFX, barely have a difference, 2 speakers does not make it louder, it just makes it bigger, and the clean channel is cleaner, but I\'ve tried one and it\'s very buzzy on the OD channel, and there are only the features of the MG50DFX on that amp, when the 100 has many more than any other Marshall amp made. This is a very, very nice amp, very clean and loud. I suggest it to anyone who wants a fully giggable amp. The 100 watts can be fitted into a 12 inch speaker (MG100DFX) just as well as 50 watts into two seperate 12 inch speakers, which is in the MG250DFX. By the way, 250 doesn\'t mean it has 250 watts, it only has 100. Email me if you have questions please. Thanks
  
  
  
  This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
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• 07/17/04

  MGR/Matt Jarvis- Guitarist and lead singer from Th's review "Marshall MG 100DFX"

  Characteristics

  Utilization

  Sounds

  Overall Opinion

  I came across this amp on the internet after searching for months for a new amp. I bought it from a my local store nevada for £239 on sale.
  
  
  
  For under £300 this is a great amp alround. I play rock/indie music and this amp delivers everything from light distortion heavy distortion to a warm clean tone. It comes with a 2 channel marshall footswitch which is great for gigging when needing to change from clean to distortion and for turning effects on and off. That is also another great thing about the amp, the built in effects. These include chorus, chorus/delay, Delay and Flanger. It also has a seperate Reverb effect with its own volume control. 100W of power.
  
  
  
  Well being only 15, its quite a heavy amp to carry to band practices and gigs. Nothing else is bad about this amp and ive had no problems so far. Also I would realy like to be able to put an extension cabinet for more power but you cannot put one of these into this amp.
  
  
  
  The amp is briliantly put together and as i said above ive had no problems so far. Nothing is lose on it.
  
  
  
  Great amp for an affordable price, great tones and effects. Get one of these if you have this price range.
  
  
  
  This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
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