Marshall VS65R

2 Channel Valvestate Marshall Amp. Tube in the preamp with a solid state power amp, and a 12' Speaker. Looks like a classic Marshall in combo form. Volume and Bass/Mid/Treb on the clean side with a 'Tone Shift' that notches the treble EQ to a higher frequency for a more glassy tone. Then Gain Bass/Contour/Treble on the Overdrive Channel. Rounded out by Master Volume, FX Mix, and a Reverb knob. Comes with footswitch and power cord. I dig the gold front panel too. Kinda looks professional. As a musician I've been largely a bassist and a keyboard player, but I've also played a fair amount of guitar in my day for sure.

I got it for $150 in a package deal with an Ibanez RG570 from Chris, the owner of Music Gear Review. I got it because I was getting into guitar pretty heavily (it was my first fretted instrument) and I really wanted to get an electric setup, mostly because I longed for that distorted sound that I just couldn't get playing my acoustic or the nylon jobs at the Convent where I took lessons (don't dock it...those Nuns were really good players).

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I like the smoothness of the reverb that isn't overbearing. It's a spring reverb that doesn't ring out too much or sound like somebody dropped the amplifier like some other tube amps can get, I think. I also like the clean tones I can get. I think Marshall picked the frequency centers well for the EQ, so your guitar sounds warm, but just a little punchy. The distortion sound is VERY traditional JCM Marshall tone, too, and I'm still very impressed with it after almost 10 years of using it. I played a Les Paul and the Ibanez through it for a long time, and both felt very present when playing solo.

...but when I wasn't playing solo, the amp didn't seem to have much presence to it, and like Chris has said about it before, it really didn't have much underlying bass to it's sound, either. It just doesn't feel like a full 65 watts. And the tone shift on the clean channel makes your guitar shimmer...but it can also make your guitar sound like it's being sampled through a cat clawing a chalkboard as a scratching post. Not that great at all. It just needs more balls, more presence, more punch, and it'd be a great amp. Maybe it needs tubes in the power section, too, but this is just...kind of a downer in the long run.

No complaints here. I take care of my equipment. And this Marshall has stayed perfectly in one piece in return.

I'm really disappointed in the overall sound of it. Sure, it sounds great in a practice room, and it can feel awesome just jamming in your room, but take it out on stage, and it just gets lost in a mix that you can't dig yourself out of. It's kind of a disappointment overall, although it has redeeming qualities as a practice amp. So I give it a 2.

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

Trade for my behringer gx 100 ultrarock combo and pay 75 euro.GX 110 is great for home practise but Marshall is much better for reharsal.Plus my idea was to sold the GX,and nobody even call me for about 4 months,so i deside that i easily sell a brand as Marshall.I think i sell it for a week,it took 3 weeks.

Theres a big improvment on the clean chanell- there is a mid shift ,which make this combo to sounds as a Fender /as my Fender Pro 185/.Better clean sound then old Velvastate.Drive is the same/i had 8080/
The speker is Gold Mershall/as my investigetion goes, i find that this speakers are make by austian U.Rath/rath amps/.They sound diferent from celestino g 75.Golds are more modern sounding/think new metal/ i prefer celestion.it a matter of taste.


For home practise ,Behringer is better- it sounds more hifi.but it is useess even in a rehersal sitaution.No dinamicks and big delay when u switch the channels.


Constuctions is great - it is marshall made in england,not park made in India!.i like the adition of fx loop and pix pot,di out,headphoneout.This amp is for rehaersal or small gig.It deserve it money

If u r on budget and want Marshall sound this my be your choise.

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

Bought this amp at a music store in Wexford, PA for $450.

This is the Valvestate line so the amp is designed to be a solid state hybrid with a tube in the preamp section that is supposed to give it a tube sound. I like the cleans and the channel 2 overdrives are very sweet and Marshall-like.

The amp starts to crap out around 4 or 5 on the master volume. It just doesn't sound like 65 Watts if you ask me. It also doesn't have a lot of bass presence, even with the bass eq turned up.

The unit is built like a tank. It's obviously very high quality and wears the Marshall logo with pride.

I think this amp is a little pricey for what it delivers. I'm aware you can find it cheaper on the net, but I shouldn't have paid more than $350 for it. In any case it does sound great, even if it isn't a true tube amlifier.

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

It's a hybrid amp, which means you get a tube preamp which then goes into a solid-state circuit.

It delivers 65 watts, which isn't bad.

One jack input on the front panel and an effects loop on the back (directly related to the FX button on the front), as well as a line output, which might prove useful to record or to send it directly to the PA.

The clean channel has classic controls: volume, treble, mid, bass, plus a control to attenuate the mids for crystal-clear sounds lol. The lead channel features gain, volume, treble, contour, and bass controls, plus an FX mix knob and reverb (a nice old-school spring reverb)

USE

Good sound...although it depends on what you're looking for. Generally speaking, it has a twangy, biting and precise clean sound. Driving the gain you get good results, but if you want to play vegetarian super metal grindcore, you'd better use a pedal. It's ideal for jazz or heavy metal.
User's manual?? There's no need for one, the few controls are simple and intuitive.

SOUND

It suits me fine, I play almost everything, from System of a down to Dylan, reggae,ska, and punk rock.
I play a Les Paul standard plus, a Jagmaster (I can't afford a jaguar :'( for the time being, but one day I'll have one) and an ES 335, and sometimes even my Takamine acoustic-electric. Everything connected to my Boss me 50.
I love all the sounds I get from this amp even if the trebles can be really sharp (and you have controls to lessen them).

OVERALL OPINION

I've had it for 5 years, I love its sober but easily identifiable look. It has been more than enough to play in all sorts of rehearsal rooms and venues...For large venues there's PA (f**k 300-watt amps!).
I bought it secondhand and got a very good deal. It's still going strong despite its age and when it starts to give up on me,I know I just need to change the tube, which won't cost me more than 20 bucks (for a preamp tube), so I plan to keep it for quite some time.
If I could, I would've surely gotten a 100W one to be more relaxed during rehearsals, but hey, you only need to gift your drummer some sticks for Christmas and everything will be okay...keep rocking!