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VINCEB77 « One of the best solid-state Marshalls »
Published on 01/20/11 at 16:26Solid-state, 50 watts, everything has been said already....
On the back panel there's a sticker where the connection scheme is explained. Otherwise, from left to right: headphone, return (loop), send (loop), footswitch .
A good old spring reverb, a must.
Speaker: Celestion G12M-70, very nice.
Looks like a tube JCM 800 from the good days.
UTILIZATION
Easy setup, since it only has two channels.
You can only switch from the clean to the boost channel with the footswitch, the same applies if you want to control the reverb, so you're stuck with the small plastic box (which fortunately is sturdier than it seems...)
No need to pull your hair to get a good sound with this type of classic amp.
SOUNDS
I love it!!!
I simply love its clean sound (a paradox for a Marshall?), which the spring reverb embellishes superbly.... To be honest, I have tried 2 or 3 Fender tube amps (including some of the most emblematic models) and my good old solid-state Marshall was never eclipsed by them. I would even say that, being used to the excellence of transistors, the tube amps were not up to my expectations.
Now the boost channel: Depending on the position of the gain pot, you go from a warm-colored clean sound, to a crunch (better than the chocolate bar), a very British overdrive, and a classic-rock distortion with the classic Marshall grit. The cherry on the cake: If you connect a Marshall bluesbreaker pedal (first generation) to the effects loop. you can make the sound warmer, which is awesome!!!
From my three guitars, the LAG Roxanne is the one that suits it better.
Do note that it's an amp that sounds decisively classic rock and it is excellent in that domain. To sound more modern, you can add to it a multi-effects, but in that case you'd better use another amp. With a Gibson-type guitar (humbucker, mahogany, set neck), it is a real treat to play blues-rock, without the hassle of the tubes.
OVERALL OPINION
I bought my 1984 model secondhand in the early '90s.
I renovated it last year (changed all pots, 2 diodes, 3 transistors) to restore its youth, for $230. Given the repair quote I hesitated replacing it with a modern equivalent, but everything I tested was rubbish against it, so I don't regret anything and will never part with it.
It is excellent in its domain, but if you want more modern sounds, you'd better get a modeling amp, which is what I did, complementing it with a small Roland Cube 20-X .
Not the slightest regret, but rather pure happiness for not having missed this great amp. It's a solid-state Marshall from the great days, not like the current made-in-India ones, which aren't comparable. If you see one, don't let it go!
On the back panel there's a sticker where the connection scheme is explained. Otherwise, from left to right: headphone, return (loop), send (loop), footswitch .
A good old spring reverb, a must.
Speaker: Celestion G12M-70, very nice.
Looks like a tube JCM 800 from the good days.
UTILIZATION
Easy setup, since it only has two channels.
You can only switch from the clean to the boost channel with the footswitch, the same applies if you want to control the reverb, so you're stuck with the small plastic box (which fortunately is sturdier than it seems...)
No need to pull your hair to get a good sound with this type of classic amp.
SOUNDS
I love it!!!
I simply love its clean sound (a paradox for a Marshall?), which the spring reverb embellishes superbly.... To be honest, I have tried 2 or 3 Fender tube amps (including some of the most emblematic models) and my good old solid-state Marshall was never eclipsed by them. I would even say that, being used to the excellence of transistors, the tube amps were not up to my expectations.
Now the boost channel: Depending on the position of the gain pot, you go from a warm-colored clean sound, to a crunch (better than the chocolate bar), a very British overdrive, and a classic-rock distortion with the classic Marshall grit. The cherry on the cake: If you connect a Marshall bluesbreaker pedal (first generation) to the effects loop. you can make the sound warmer, which is awesome!!!
From my three guitars, the LAG Roxanne is the one that suits it better.
Do note that it's an amp that sounds decisively classic rock and it is excellent in that domain. To sound more modern, you can add to it a multi-effects, but in that case you'd better use another amp. With a Gibson-type guitar (humbucker, mahogany, set neck), it is a real treat to play blues-rock, without the hassle of the tubes.
OVERALL OPINION
I bought my 1984 model secondhand in the early '90s.
I renovated it last year (changed all pots, 2 diodes, 3 transistors) to restore its youth, for $230. Given the repair quote I hesitated replacing it with a modern equivalent, but everything I tested was rubbish against it, so I don't regret anything and will never part with it.
It is excellent in its domain, but if you want more modern sounds, you'd better get a modeling amp, which is what I did, complementing it with a small Roland Cube 20-X .
Not the slightest regret, but rather pure happiness for not having missed this great amp. It's a solid-state Marshall from the great days, not like the current made-in-India ones, which aren't comparable. If you see one, don't let it go!