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Published on 08/17/11 at 00:14The Splawn Competition is the 50 watt single channel version of Splawns fabled Quickrod. it's an all tube amp that sports EL34's and 12AX7s. Splawn delivers hot rodded Marshall tone like no other. The Comp is tight, clear, and super aggressive.
UTILIZATION
The Comp has footswitchable gears, that allow you to choose from 3 gears, as well as solo boost, and additional overdrive.
Gear 1 is a hot rodded plexi tone, and it's great for 80s metal tones. It's bright and chewy, with a not too tight low end, perfect for saggy VH tones.
Gear 2 takes you into hot rodded JCM 800 land, and the tones are beefed up with more low mids and bass, but you'll need to dial in more treble for the reduced cut.
Gear 3 is high gain bliss, pretty much a saturated, gainier version of Gear 2.
SOUNDS
Clean tones are not spectacular, but then again, who buys a Splawn for the clean tone? Plexi crunch to high gain can be had in this huge sounding amp. For a price and tone that beats anything Marshall has to offer, it's a no brainer for people searching for a hot rodded Marshall tone, and any price range. The Competition is one pissed off amp!
I tend to stay in Gear 1, because I like the clarity and overall voicing of this gear the best. I do switch to Gear 2 for heavier riffs, when I need the fatter voicing. I only use Gear 3 on rare occasions. It sounds great, dont' get me wrong, but most of the time, I don't' need that much gain. It's cool for more extreme metal though, the saturation makes it really easy to solo.
You need to EQ this amp with your ears, and not you eyes. Some settings can be a bit weird visually, just keep that in mind.
OVERALL OPINION
I would buy this amp again in a heartbeat if I had to. It's simply the best sounding Marshall voiced amp I've ever heard. The range of voicings of classic Marshall tones is tremendous, but it alwasy brings that super aggressive Splawn tonality to the forefront. I alwasy hear people say that this amp is too bright, but I've actually gotten some very dark tones out of it using a volume pedal. It works great for taming this amp to bedroom levels as well.
If you are a Marshall fan. BUY THIS AMP!
UTILIZATION
The Comp has footswitchable gears, that allow you to choose from 3 gears, as well as solo boost, and additional overdrive.
Gear 1 is a hot rodded plexi tone, and it's great for 80s metal tones. It's bright and chewy, with a not too tight low end, perfect for saggy VH tones.
Gear 2 takes you into hot rodded JCM 800 land, and the tones are beefed up with more low mids and bass, but you'll need to dial in more treble for the reduced cut.
Gear 3 is high gain bliss, pretty much a saturated, gainier version of Gear 2.
SOUNDS
Clean tones are not spectacular, but then again, who buys a Splawn for the clean tone? Plexi crunch to high gain can be had in this huge sounding amp. For a price and tone that beats anything Marshall has to offer, it's a no brainer for people searching for a hot rodded Marshall tone, and any price range. The Competition is one pissed off amp!
I tend to stay in Gear 1, because I like the clarity and overall voicing of this gear the best. I do switch to Gear 2 for heavier riffs, when I need the fatter voicing. I only use Gear 3 on rare occasions. It sounds great, dont' get me wrong, but most of the time, I don't' need that much gain. It's cool for more extreme metal though, the saturation makes it really easy to solo.
You need to EQ this amp with your ears, and not you eyes. Some settings can be a bit weird visually, just keep that in mind.
OVERALL OPINION
I would buy this amp again in a heartbeat if I had to. It's simply the best sounding Marshall voiced amp I've ever heard. The range of voicings of classic Marshall tones is tremendous, but it alwasy brings that super aggressive Splawn tonality to the forefront. I alwasy hear people say that this amp is too bright, but I've actually gotten some very dark tones out of it using a volume pedal. It works great for taming this amp to bedroom levels as well.
If you are a Marshall fan. BUY THIS AMP!