Marshall 8240 ValveState S80 Stereo Chorus

I have used this amp for all kind of styles. Even clean channel which is pure solid state is good sounding and much better than some regular solid state amps. It is classic MArshall sound and you can barely notice the absence of tubes. But Overdrive channel is simply great ! To this day I have not find so beautiful, powerful, smooth, deep, consistent etc overdrive sounds ! Overdrive 1 is excellent for all types of hard rock, including ACDC, Led Zeppelin, 60s old rock, Black Sabbath / total rip off of Black Sabbath with overdrive 1 to max and use of contour. Contour is magical. It create such Eq that cannot be matched with any Eq pedal, racks etc. You can only find such powerful Eq as contour with some tube powered Eq racks ! This contour is magical. It can shape sound amazingly, even more so than expensive eq pedals. Together with overdrive channel and contour you can get all kind of sounds. With overdrive 2 you can get very close sound to Metallica Black album and also Master of PUppets and ..And Justice for All, if contour + eq is precisely set. For Metallica overdrive 2 is enough to be set to noon position and for sound of Chuck Schuldiner Death the contour must go towards 3 afternoon and overdrive as well more than noon position. Then you get quite precise sound of Death and Chuck use Valvestates exclusively throughout his career at the suggestion death metal Florida studio wizard Scott Burns who endorsed metal sound of Marshall Valvestate. No pedal and no amps could get me same power and beauty as overdrive 2 together with contour, stereo chorus and reverb of Marshall Valvestate S80 ! And yes reverb is spring reverb and stereo chorus is simply magical. Oh, yes I forgot to mention that overdrive 1 can get you very precise sound of Eric Clapton Cream era with overdrive set around 2PM and with Overdrive still higher you can get Led Zepp sounds very well, but do experiment with eq and contour as Led Zepp require quite precise settings due to many versatile sounds of Jimmy Page ! And to get sound of Jimi Hendrix you need some vintage sounding fuzz pedal in front like fuzz face and overdrive 1 will get you very close to all kinds of Jimi Hendrix sounds. But it must be overdrive 1. Of course for wah wah you also need some vintage sounding pedal. If you are still not satisfied with sounds for classic rock and hard rock use the Boss Sd-1 with vol at max and gain very little less than 9 Am. This will do the job for most of classic rock sounds. But for Metallica or death metal, trash metal, you dont need no pedals. Just overdrive 2 and contour will do the magic. Overdrive channel of MArshall Valvestate, both head and combo version (of course those must be 50w and louder versions) is magical and cna get you all kinds of Marshall sounds.

Not much to add (solid-state, pseudo hybrid ....clean channel 100% solid-state, OD channel with a marshall 12Ax7 tube).
It's a pity it doesn't feature a headphone out or a speaker out to connect it to external cabs, with hindsight I would've really appreciated it. For the rest, it's really comprehensive and versatile.

USE

I used it live and for rehearsals from 1995 until 2006 (when I switched to a Jcm 900 MK III 2100 model...read my review).
Since 2006 I use it for my home studio or to do other jobs.
I've played with alternative, pop, rock, and metal bands...and it has always fit well.
It sounds all right at low volumes, especially the OD channel.
I used it again several years ago for a gig in a small venue...and it was catastrophic!! I'll never do it again!


SOUND

As soon as you crank it up a bit, it turns shrill and lacks warmth...a 5-watt tube amp sounds better.
It doesn't make me feel anything ever since I've been playing tubes...
Back in the day, tube amps were inaccessible, they were really expensive, that's why I chose it...there were not many options!!

OVERALL OPINION

It's okay to start out with and not go broke, but you'll quickly need to move on to something else. Avoid using it for gigs, unless you play at low volumes and are amplified via the PA.
Go for a tube amp as soon as you can.

+ Connections
+ Reverb
+ Nice speaker
+ OD channel

- Solid-state sound
- Sound is degraded at high volumes
- Weight

Solid-state amp with one 12AX7 preamp tube
Standard connections.
2x40 watts with two 12" Celestion G12T speakers
Stereo chorus and reverb
Open back


USE

You plug in, turn the knobs and play...

SOUND

To me, this amp is a must for death metal, I have never heard an amp that can put up so well with low frequencies.
It's incredible. I tune to A, with 13/64 strings, and have no muddle, no trembling speakers, nothing, it behaves impeccable.
In terms of distortion, I use the OD2 channel, which is really mind-blowing. It's powerful and relatively light at the same time.
I use Seymour SH-6 SH-8 X2N at the neck and don't have the slightest need to connect a single pedal to have a additional gain.
To give you an idea, when I connect a Metal Muff, I can hear no gain difference whatsoever, except for some extra gain in the high end.
Do note that, like with many Marshalls, the mids and treble controls aren't as good as the bass one.
The pots crackle when you turn them, but that's quite normal for a Marshall.


OVERALL OPINION

I've been using it for about 3 years and I had several amps before, including a peavey bandit 112 and a marshall amphead with an 8100 cab.
The bandit 112's speaker vibrates at loud volumes with a standard gauge and the 8100 lacks punch, I had to play with a pedal, but I used EMG 81 and 85 with this amp, it was way less powerful than with the SH8, which may skew my judgment.
I love its punch and its particularly metal sound. The amp responds perfectly to low frequencies and thick string gauges (I use 13/64).
What annoys me a bit is that the reverb sets off at 10 on mine.
I have never really cranked the volume all the way up. The most "extreme" settings I've used have been with both the boost and the master volume at 4, and it already kicks ass.
Then again, it's only 80 watts, so it's not the best to play with a band.
It maybe okay to play soft music, but to play death metal you'll need at least twice that to be heard over a drummer who plays like a real death metal drummer.

Metalheads should go for it, you won't find anything better for the price.
I would eventually like to compare it with a LINE 6 Spider, but I don't think its speakers are of such good quality, even if I know that the latter has a more modern and cleaner distortion than the Marshall.

Do note that my reverb only works when set to 10, which means it sets off at full throttle at 10.

Marshall..

I bought my 8240 from a friend of mine who runs a studio. I needed a bigger amp to cope with gigs and regular studio runs and this marshall was ideal. I payed £200 for it which, for what you get is pretty damn good. I have seen cheaper ones around but i managed to find one in good exceptionaly condition, although it may need a good service.

It's an amazingly heavy duty, its from an older marshall range which means it would be built well. The stereo chorus gives such a warm rotating feel. The reverb is responsive and not too OTT. It has two channels (footswitchable), both channels, clean and overdrive really do give ya a kick in the back when ur standin in front of em. 2 X 12 Eminence speakers which are very versatile, producing everythin from a warm flowing sound to hard hitting roars and screams. They handle all gains/volumes on 10, even most celestions dont manage that.

erm...well when i first got the amp i was concerned about a slight electronic hum (i mean so quiet you had to stick head inside the cab), the amp has been through a few years and needs a service which probly would help quieten it down, its probly nothing, im picky lol. The inputs could have been metal and not plastic, it could have been set on casters (its a bitch the keep picking up and moving with one handle at the top), could have had a few more AUX outputs ect. finally the effects loop in it seems to cut out half the volume of the effects when you put any pedals through it. craazy, didnt bother me as i just run into the input.

As far as quality and construction goes, its a Marshall! not really much else to be said. 98% in my opinion

Great sound, great build, great features great amp! Just find one thats not too old, naturally they become more of a liabilty without servicing.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com