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crankyrayhanky « In the shop all the time »
Published on 07/30/12 at 10:25Here's a tube monster that I was totally psyched to acquire. I was able to get a great deal through my local shop, so I ordered a brand new one, right from the factory to the store and I was there to open the shipment. This is a 3 channel 100 watt beast that has plenty of power for almost any playing situation. Plenty of switches including fx loops, deep, Virtual Power Reduction, Separate Reverb for Clean and Crunch/Lead channels, Mid Boost Switch for tonal options on the Clean channel plus Tone Shift on the Crunch and Lead channels
UTILIZATION
Yes, this amp will sound decent almost right away. Throw the dials to noon and crank it up and the sounds will be workable. The controls are intuitive, so I never even looked at the manual.
SOUNDS
I have lots of guitars at my disposal, but I mainly used my Gibson Les Paul. I typically dialed in a clean tone that was mainly crystal, with a smidge of dirt. I would also dial in a high gain sound, and use the guitar's volume controls to create alternate lo/mid gain tones. Typically went with the DEEP switch engaged and often used the VPR (Virtual Power Reduction). The VPR knocks the wattage down; I'm not sure how, but it's clearly better than any attenuator I've used...perhaps it turns a couple power tubes off? I don't know, but it's effective for taming what is otherwise a super loud amp.
OVERALL OPINION
I had a dsl combo before this head, so i knew what i was getting into. Unlike many scathing reviews, I actually like this amp for the pop/punk/hard rock applications I used it for in my band. Super hi clarity and slices right through. Critics will say that the amp is a bit sterile and lacks the organic feel of the older famous Marshalls- but I enjoyed this modern take and the plathera of options the amp offers. But here's the issue that makes this amp a total ZERO- the transformer went out countless times. I kept going back to the shop, and even though it was covered on warranty, it was beyond annoying. One show it went out 30 seconds into the first song, making me turn to the next band and borrow his Line6 for the gig (ugggh). I shouldn't bag on the line6, at least that amp worked. I had the same issues with my combo. A quick look around the web says that this is a known issue that keeps happening, meaning that marshall just doesn't seem to care about improving it's product. I guess you could get a transformer upgrade, but at that price point I would recommend looking at the countless other "marshallesque" options that are out there. i would have liked this amp- even though others say it is a bee buzzy disgrace. Crank up the volume and the quality drastically increases, if it works... Thumbs down!
UTILIZATION
Yes, this amp will sound decent almost right away. Throw the dials to noon and crank it up and the sounds will be workable. The controls are intuitive, so I never even looked at the manual.
SOUNDS
I have lots of guitars at my disposal, but I mainly used my Gibson Les Paul. I typically dialed in a clean tone that was mainly crystal, with a smidge of dirt. I would also dial in a high gain sound, and use the guitar's volume controls to create alternate lo/mid gain tones. Typically went with the DEEP switch engaged and often used the VPR (Virtual Power Reduction). The VPR knocks the wattage down; I'm not sure how, but it's clearly better than any attenuator I've used...perhaps it turns a couple power tubes off? I don't know, but it's effective for taming what is otherwise a super loud amp.
OVERALL OPINION
I had a dsl combo before this head, so i knew what i was getting into. Unlike many scathing reviews, I actually like this amp for the pop/punk/hard rock applications I used it for in my band. Super hi clarity and slices right through. Critics will say that the amp is a bit sterile and lacks the organic feel of the older famous Marshalls- but I enjoyed this modern take and the plathera of options the amp offers. But here's the issue that makes this amp a total ZERO- the transformer went out countless times. I kept going back to the shop, and even though it was covered on warranty, it was beyond annoying. One show it went out 30 seconds into the first song, making me turn to the next band and borrow his Line6 for the gig (ugggh). I shouldn't bag on the line6, at least that amp worked. I had the same issues with my combo. A quick look around the web says that this is a known issue that keeps happening, meaning that marshall just doesn't seem to care about improving it's product. I guess you could get a transformer upgrade, but at that price point I would recommend looking at the countless other "marshallesque" options that are out there. i would have liked this amp- even though others say it is a bee buzzy disgrace. Crank up the volume and the quality drastically increases, if it works... Thumbs down!