MGR/Derek Mok « Marshall MG15CDR »
Published on 01/30/05 at 15:00I bought this amp at Guitar Center last year for about $90. My previous Marshall amp had been stolen.
It's small and portable. The reverb function is useful.
My previous amp had also been a Marshall 15W (I remember it was called a "VT15", though I've since searched for the name and never found it), and it had sounded good whether it's just clean or with the Drive controls up. I was able to get a substantial amount of crunch by just turning it up, and my favourite way to use it became just natural distortion, especially for rhythm work. This MG15 doesn't even come close. It sounds "artificial", somewhat dead, without the dynamics and complexity of the previous amp. I'm pretty sure the difference is that the old amp was a valve amp (it had cost at least $170 in New York), and solid state just doesn't crank it, especially at this wattage.
Typical Marshall quality -- build quality is not the problem here.
I suppose the double whammy of "solid-state technology" and the 15-watt output just means that this is not a good-sounding amp. I love Marshall amps, but this ain't a winner. If you're gonna get an amp, get a better one (the AVT series looks far more promising). I've had this MG15CDR replacement for about six months and only played it maybe 10 times -- its poor sound just doesn't cut it. I'd rather deal with an extra cable and headphones and plug into my Line 6 Pod instead.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
It's small and portable. The reverb function is useful.
My previous amp had also been a Marshall 15W (I remember it was called a "VT15", though I've since searched for the name and never found it), and it had sounded good whether it's just clean or with the Drive controls up. I was able to get a substantial amount of crunch by just turning it up, and my favourite way to use it became just natural distortion, especially for rhythm work. This MG15 doesn't even come close. It sounds "artificial", somewhat dead, without the dynamics and complexity of the previous amp. I'm pretty sure the difference is that the old amp was a valve amp (it had cost at least $170 in New York), and solid state just doesn't crank it, especially at this wattage.
Typical Marshall quality -- build quality is not the problem here.
I suppose the double whammy of "solid-state technology" and the 15-watt output just means that this is not a good-sounding amp. I love Marshall amps, but this ain't a winner. If you're gonna get an amp, get a better one (the AVT series looks far more promising). I've had this MG15CDR replacement for about six months and only played it maybe 10 times -- its poor sound just doesn't cut it. I'd rather deal with an extra cable and headphones and plug into my Line 6 Pod instead.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com