Marshall 5205 Reverb 12 [1984-1991]

Transistor amplifier, input, line out and headphone jack.
Power 12w rms (note that even when decanted).
Adjusting bass / middle / treble, volume, gain, and reverb.

UTILIZATION

Ultra simple setup, you plug it on and go!
No need for manual equalization is ultra-efficient, as well as reverb, which is a spring.

SOUNDS

Is it your style of music?
Widely fan hard rock, blues, I'm thrilled.
What kind of sound you get and with what settings ("crystalline", "bold", ....)?
Anything goes, from clean, crunch distortion, I play with a Gibson equipped slash alnico 2.
I have personally never heard a jcm 800 (set apart on yout ...) says it is part of this legendary series, however, I want to believe, there are easily Grain this time.
I do not pedal arm, the sound is there!
I have tried to connected to the 12 "(original with 8", unlike the lead 12 which makes it 10 ") is too strong a quarter of the volume.
8 hp "marshall s300 model is really good, tried it with a greenback 10 or 12" for those who are pushing the beast, because it definitely reserve, not played in a room of 10 m² has half the volume, ruined without ears!

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a few months now, I went through a few before power amp has low lights, for home use it is largely over, this is the first time I hear such a grain, we look for lamps, because it is warm, creamy, dynamic ...
I looked at the origin a lead 12, it does not have the reverb, but input 2 hig / low, I came across it by chance for 80 euros, since I seek a second in case it is found.
With experience, you do again this choice?
Yes, I look for another meme!

If you find one to date has less than 100 euros, run because you will not have two opportunities, and because of its rarity and the sound quality of the device, its price risk installed!

Combo of the early 80's in line with JCM800 master volume
config even so ... a master, bass / mid / treble, gain and ... reverb
is not simple and intuitive ... Having had a really JCM800 4010 found the family spirit!

UTILIZATION

very simple, turn the pots that's all ... equalizer with a good range the mid is very efficient (old Marshall!)
the gain is not very progressive but the dynamics of the amp compensates!

For many people accustomed to having 2 / 3 channels it will be very limited on the other hand

SOUNDS

So here we enter the strong point this little combo (Lead and 12 in general)

MARSHALL SOUND!

And I've had marshall .. of the Valvestate JCM800 (first series and AVT)

This little combo is a miracle, something you see only once ... no other marshall
transistor (and even the Valvestate with their 12AX7) does not sound like that.

It's the grain of the Series 800, stunning clean crunch is even before I had a 12 Reverb Lead 12 that I could compare side by side with my JCM800:
- With clean dynamics is here! slap it exactly like the 800, was strong by attacking the same record
- In crunch we are in the playground of the Lead / Reverb 12 graouu it at will, even if one module as easily as on a real JCM800
- In full, it has as much gain as the JCM (ie not much ... but enough)
and here it sounds REALLY Marshall ... absolutely nothing to do with the amps lately

The most amazing thing with this little transistort is that it reacts very well when the boost!
Paste him a booster or OD with little gain and level with a little background you Aurre nice compression
and the gain goes up really staying very warm (never seen it on a transo!)

OVERALL OPINION

Lead is my second 12, the one I keep for life, I did some mods on it (HP Output, Op Amp TS, ...)
overall it's what you can find more "organic" and warm outside a true light ..
And yet, it is well above the small 5W tube that bloom for some time ...
and I'm not talking about models (I had Tonelab, Pod, Vamp, Vypyr, Flextone, DGstomp nothing ... nor did it!)

Marshall is incredible that I lost the recipe!

You plug it sounds ... point bar

Reference 5205 on the back, 12 reverb Crane (lead 12 not marked, although he is the brother).
HP celestion g10d25 16ohms, a real shit (like all except the greenback Celestions) I changed a little trouble with the impedance seen.

gain bass mid treble reverb master input line out phones, basta.

Attention, the impedance is 16 ohms minimum, because it is not just any amp with transistors of the chip stereo amplifier which still sounds pretty horrible, this is a power stage coupled Mosfets H and changes everything.

For info ring lamp among the mosfets transistors, and larger. Google hit on the subject is always interesting.

UTILIZATION

Very simple, clean and up to 4 donf good overdrive, as shown in tests of the lead 12 is acdc zztop battery inside, but then pile in!

The reverb is useful because not too long and has a pile of nice clean treble in clean.

The summit is the line out which does not cut the hp (3.5 to 6.3 in connection with the phones were out of line out without hp) as it is well calibrated, ie they can link it to the power amp input of a tube amp.

The series was lead12 reverb12 also often used rack for a driver stage large caliber by most pros say it's the quality of the product.

SOUNDS

Very usable gain back that I can not pass guitar volume of earth wind fire to zztop (hsh to split with my ibanez style automatic), it is rather rare.

Gain at 4 it's clean and a nice sound, flat but not cutesy, very usable with jazz by example, and gets along very well with a distortion pedal. In short it is not kicking Rican competitor's impossible to marry ...

I used it at least four years only 412 16ohms (its type-randall mesa, rather hoarse and angry, nothing to do with the 1960 briton) hénaurme with pleasure! It's incredible sound quality that emerges from the whole, we can measure the scope of Mosfet beauty is in the class saturax.
The volume reached hello leaf is hairy! In pub or small room is top if it has to lug the 412 biscottos ... The trick

OVERALL OPINION

Mosfet is not bullshit, even very strong no trace of the typical metal grating transistor.
It's more expensive to produce, of course, but back then there were even sent to walk counters peas ... (among us: the plague of modern times)

This amplifier is manufactured in England at Marshall, which is becoming increasingly rare now (pipes or not).
It was also not good but we have given something for nothing.

Reliability issue bin apart from a shot in the spray control knobs Scritch nothing to declare, and the device displays a good quarter of a century on the clock.

Conclusion you have understood, buy if you find one! Hurry!

Coutant at the time in the 300 euros, for info

Compared to the last version I used mg15fxnew a moment I prefer reverb12 bin, not pests in the long run.
12 watts and are much more sturdy than the 15's again, let alone the heat / sound quality.
And frankly, reverb suitable for electric guitar (the digital I do not miss a tad) on the effects programs and all I had bin sick and pif fast enough, ditto for distos presets that do not grain of the real thing reverb12.