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syl2412 « If you don't like metal, look elsewhere »
Published on 09/23/11 at 06:48"Small" solid-state Marshall with hybrid preamp: One 12AX7 tube. Only for the OD channel, as far as I can tell.
Power: 80w (2x40) (incomparable to the 80w of a tube amp)
2 channels (clean/crunch, OD1/OD2)
Chorus
Spring reverb.
2 Celestion G12T speakers
Effects loop (parallel)
Speakers out: Left+right
2-button footswitch (clean/OD - chorus on/off).
USE
It's as easy to dial in as any combo.
Channel 1 can be used for clean or crunch sounds (a light crunch). There's 1 pot for the gain + 1 one clean/crunch selection button + EQ bass-mid-treble. Enough for the clean section.
Channel 2 can be used as OD1 or OD2. There's 1 pot for the gain + 1 OD1/OD2 selection button + EQ (bass-mid-treble+presence) + 1 channel volume pot. A good point is that the OD channel can be perfectly in balance with the clean channel thanks to the channel's volume pot.
I don't use the effects loop, since its "parallel" design will always let "through" part of the unprocessed sound. So you end up with a "wet/dry" mix.
The Chorus can be adjusted in terms of speed and depth..
The reverb has one control. A small drawback is that you can't activate or deactivate the reverb with the footswitch. Which means you have to do it by hand in the middle of the song. Not the best option live.
Its power is enough for gigs in small clubs and venues, but compared to my 50-watt Hughes & Kettner tube combo, it's not really that powerful.
SOUND
I have used it with an Ibanez JEM555 and an Epiphone Les Paul equipped with Seymour Duncan (SH1&SH2). Not too bad guitars, I'd say.
The sound of the clean channel has no personality, no life. That's not the main asset of this sort of amp. It starts to crunch slightly when you crank the gain beyond 13. That's about the only sound I like about this channel. I have never used the crunch mode, which doesn't crunch that much and lacks lots of warmth.
The OD section is much more interesting thanks to the preamp tube. OD1 is a rock OD, nothing exceptional, but quite usable. OD2 has a much more metal sound, with significantly more gain. The latter is much better (for metal). I've tried several pedals with it and always keep coming back to Marshall's OD. But it's impossible to give it some warmth. Even with the lows and presence all the way up, it remains shrill.
The chorus is simple but it doesn't sound bad at all.
The reverb sounds fine, too, but it's not easy to use live (no footswitch).
The two Celestions reproduce sound fine. Especially when the Chorus is engaged with rate+depth at 0.
OVERALL OPINION
I've had it for 15 years. It still works fine, despite the multiple travels, which makes me think it's sturdy. I haven't used it since I bought an all-tube amp. The difference is huge.
I bought it when I began playing electric guitar, without trying out any other amps. I was young, starting out and wanted a Marshall... With hindsight, I can now tell its limitations. It has a typical metal sound and it isn't great for other styles. It is too shrill.
Given my evolution, I wouldn't buy an amp like this now, but back then it was of great use to me (when I was a metalhead). Right now you can find all-tube amps with much more warmth and a better dynamic response, a better overall sound, for the same price.
Power: 80w (2x40) (incomparable to the 80w of a tube amp)
2 channels (clean/crunch, OD1/OD2)
Chorus
Spring reverb.
2 Celestion G12T speakers
Effects loop (parallel)
Speakers out: Left+right
2-button footswitch (clean/OD - chorus on/off).
USE
It's as easy to dial in as any combo.
Channel 1 can be used for clean or crunch sounds (a light crunch). There's 1 pot for the gain + 1 one clean/crunch selection button + EQ bass-mid-treble. Enough for the clean section.
Channel 2 can be used as OD1 or OD2. There's 1 pot for the gain + 1 OD1/OD2 selection button + EQ (bass-mid-treble+presence) + 1 channel volume pot. A good point is that the OD channel can be perfectly in balance with the clean channel thanks to the channel's volume pot.
I don't use the effects loop, since its "parallel" design will always let "through" part of the unprocessed sound. So you end up with a "wet/dry" mix.
The Chorus can be adjusted in terms of speed and depth..
The reverb has one control. A small drawback is that you can't activate or deactivate the reverb with the footswitch. Which means you have to do it by hand in the middle of the song. Not the best option live.
Its power is enough for gigs in small clubs and venues, but compared to my 50-watt Hughes & Kettner tube combo, it's not really that powerful.
SOUND
I have used it with an Ibanez JEM555 and an Epiphone Les Paul equipped with Seymour Duncan (SH1&SH2). Not too bad guitars, I'd say.
The sound of the clean channel has no personality, no life. That's not the main asset of this sort of amp. It starts to crunch slightly when you crank the gain beyond 13. That's about the only sound I like about this channel. I have never used the crunch mode, which doesn't crunch that much and lacks lots of warmth.
The OD section is much more interesting thanks to the preamp tube. OD1 is a rock OD, nothing exceptional, but quite usable. OD2 has a much more metal sound, with significantly more gain. The latter is much better (for metal). I've tried several pedals with it and always keep coming back to Marshall's OD. But it's impossible to give it some warmth. Even with the lows and presence all the way up, it remains shrill.
The chorus is simple but it doesn't sound bad at all.
The reverb sounds fine, too, but it's not easy to use live (no footswitch).
The two Celestions reproduce sound fine. Especially when the Chorus is engaged with rate+depth at 0.
OVERALL OPINION
I've had it for 15 years. It still works fine, despite the multiple travels, which makes me think it's sturdy. I haven't used it since I bought an all-tube amp. The difference is huge.
I bought it when I began playing electric guitar, without trying out any other amps. I was young, starting out and wanted a Marshall... With hindsight, I can now tell its limitations. It has a typical metal sound and it isn't great for other styles. It is too shrill.
Given my evolution, I wouldn't buy an amp like this now, but back then it was of great use to me (when I was a metalhead). Right now you can find all-tube amps with much more warmth and a better dynamic response, a better overall sound, for the same price.