Marshall MB15

I have 20 years of bass playing under my belt. I have played from small empty clubs to huge crowded dancefloors and festivals. I can guarantee this little amp is a very good practice amp. If you don't expect to gig with it you will be satisfied.

This one is a winner for me in the 10~20watt amp category simply for the fact that it can sustain credible bass frequencies.

This is obviously a practice amp and it won't hold against a drummer or in a club but at home it will do the job and give you the feeling that you are playing bass, not that you accidently plugged your bass through anemic speakers.

The compression is a nice touch but use it at low settings because it is very squashy.

It has 2 channels, modern and vintage.
Modern is brighter and has more definition, a bit more scooped.
Vintage boosts the low mids and adds more grain while rolling the tone down.
You will be able to dial in a sound you like.

Mainly being a guitarist, I decided two years ago to explore the Bass guitar and maybe even improve my guitar rhythm playing by doing so, therefore I got myself a bass guitar, did research for a bass amp for practicing in my apartment and I found this little guy.

The MB15 is a versatile solid state amp, well worth the money. When looking at this product, don't try to look at it by comparing it to tube amps, or larger solid state amps. This amp is made for practicing alone at home, without making the neighbors call the police.
If you want to practice with your band or be able to play at small gigs, the MB15 isn't powerful enough, the drums will drown your sound and you won't be able to make yourself heard. If band practice is what you are looking for, then maybe a slightly more powerful amp would suit you such as the MB30.

Features

The MB15 is a 15 Watt amp with a switch for two distinct styles Modern and Classic.
The modern channel has its own control knobs for volume and compression, giving you the ability to get a better low-end sound, while the classic channel has knobs to control gain and volume.
The bass is equipped with 3 band equalizer (bass, voice, treble) to further adjust your tone for every music style.
Personally I prefer the modern channel, you can get a better overall sound for every music style, I find the classic channel rather bad because the low end of sound is somewhat... lacking, or not pronounced enough. For this reason alone I gave it a 4 star rating.
A bonus with this amp is that it has an auxiliary jack so you can plug in a CD-player (do these still exist?) MP3 player or any laptop or PC so you can play along with your favorite songs.

Sound

You can shape the sound pretty well, I had no need to use any pedals, nor did I try to use any effect pedals with it. The settings it comes with, gives you the possibility to play bass for any kind of music style, anywhere from Jazz to Metal.
It is worth mentioning that the amp is terrible at close to maximum volume. The sound becomes heavily distorted, making the speaker rattle and create very unpleasant sounds. This didn't affect my rating however, because I used it at bellow medium volumes since I live in an apartment, so I had no use for max volume.

Overall Impression

The MB15 is a practice amp and nothing more. It offers you plenty of options for its price and its a great start when going on a venture to learn to play the bass.
The issues it has shouldn't affect you, unless you want to play at maximum volume, in which case the amp is pretty bad. At low volume it sounds clean with a highly customizable tone.

I recommend this amp ONLY for practicing alone. It is not enough for full band practice or gigs.

(Originally written by salvador-jè²µs/translated from Audiofanzine FR)

Small 15-watt solid-state amp with 3-band EQ, two channels (the modern channel has a compression control and the classic a gain control), line output and CD input... It's amazing for a compact, low-budget amp.

UTILIZATION

Very easy setting allowing you to quickly find the right sound. Comprehensive user's manual with settings examples!

SOUNDS

I play every music style and I use this amp for low output level practice and rehearsals. It does provide 15 watts but with high output volumes you get a bit of distortion resulting in an awful sound (this occurs with every amp in this price range). The two channels produce a quite comprehensive sound range considering the amp's price. It's easy to get the right sound and the compressor slightly enhances the sound... In short, the amp sounds good in spite of the unwanted distortion with high volume settings. But the amp isn't conceived for this purpose.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been playing it for about 6 months and I'm satisfied. Easy to carry, robust... I like this small Marshall. I've been playing bass guitar for 4 years and I have tested other compact combos (Behringer, Drive) and they are quite identical in price but I had a slight preference for Marshall... The value for money is excellent. With my experience I don't need an amp with such a size and an output power anymore

A small 15 watt transistors, with a 3-band EQ, two-channel switchable (modern, classic) possesses the modern and the classic compression gain, an output line out and CD input ... all is said, for an amp of this size and this price, it's thunder

UTILIZATION

Very simple configuration, low power despite that we can get the desired fast enough, the sound is good, with full manual tuning tips, fun!

SOUNDS

I play a little bit of everything, I use to work and repeat at low volume, 15 watts are not invented, they feel good, even though the amplifier saturates when you put too much you get sound disgusting ( Like all amps in this category) you can get a pannel sound which is quite high given the price will appreciate the craft, two switchable channels are obtained quite easily the desired sound (tuning tips in the manual) the compression may not be useful given the power of the amp, but still will enjoy ... in brief as good for the sound, despite the saturation of the amplifier at high volume, but it's not made for that in all cases

OVERALL OPINION

All right, I've had six months or so, transportable, solid ... I like the less I really know I like it that little marshall, I have 4-year low in the legs and I tried a couple of the other models before that, it is worth a virtually anywhere in that price, I prefer the marshall from the Berhinger or drive but ... value for money is exellent and with the experience I will not need an amp of this power and this size