15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

Prozrenie

Prozrenie

New member
As noted in another thread, we are currently playing right into the Yamaha 32channel soundboard which has effects, and from there out to PA, i.e., using no individual guitar amps.

Most of you good persons felt I needed either an amp or amp modelling system. In amps, one of you thought a good 15 watt would be fine, since it is going out to a big PA anyway. Is there agreement on that? There is this Marshall Zak Wylde micro-stack available for around $400 (plus very expensive shipping). http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Marshall---MG15-MSZW~ID~5927.aspv Supposedly the solid state features accurately mimic tube sound, yaddah-yaddah. Anyhow, might that be okay?

Thanks!
 
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Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

No man, really not.

15 watts tube is totally different to 15 watts solid state, a 15 watt solid state amp is VERY much just a practice amp.

Plus i can't help but thinking playing on stage with a micro stack would look just plain rediculous....
 
Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

In fact the previous version of this microstack (a 10 watt one) has been used by Carcass while recording their Heartwork or Swansong album (I don't remember well which one of the two) to add texture to the sound. The main part of the sound were Marshall SL-X stacks. Those two albums are among my favorite metal albums.

Last year I also saw Alice In Chains performing in Madrid, and the singer (a new one, from Comes With The Fall) used a guitar connected to the microstack live during a couple of songs and noone laughed at him! I couldn't hear what he was playing, but you have to consider that I was just in front of Jerry Cantrell's 4 stacks :D

This proves that the microstack is not a toy, it is a versatile professional tool. It can't substitute a good tube stack or combo, but it sounds good for a solid state and it can serve as a backup. And as a cheap first amp it'd be awesome.
 
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Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

pstarove said:
In fact the previous version of this microstack (a 10 watt one) has been used by Carcass while recording their Heartwork or Swansong album (I don't remember well which one of the two) to add texture to the sound. The main part of the sound were Marshall SL-X stacks. Those two albums are among my favorite metal albums.
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well, when your name is colin richardson and you have parametric EQs that cost $5,000 a piece, you could probably get killer tones out of a baked potato.
 
Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

DUDE NO!!! Like Forbes said, big difference in volume between 15W tube and 15W SS. There's a 15W Crate that's under $500 that would probably satisfy you quite well.
 
Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

pstarove said:
And as a cheap first amp it'd be awesome.
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It would do the job as a first cheap amp, but he specified a gigging amp, as a gigging amp a 15watt micro-stack is a very strange choice....
 
Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

yes, as a gigging amp it's a no-go. better buy a used 30-40W tube combo like Peavey Classic 30 and a couple of pedals.
 
Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

VOX AC15 or Crate V1512 or V15 or laney VC15 are all good 15W tube amps. I like EL84's (and they pump out volume for wattage) so they are what I would get. Or a second hand tube amp.
 
Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

*shamless plug* I've got a Vox Valvetronix head for sale. It's a sort of tube/solid state hybrid. It's 60 watts but you can change it to 1, 15, 30, or 60 watts. It has all sorts of onboard effects. There are quite a few guys who use them and swear by them. They are great amps IMO. I've got two so I'm selling one. It's a much better choice than a micro stack. If your looking for true tube tone then you might want to look at some of the other amps.
 
Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

An Ampeg Jet 12 will do you MUCH more good than a Marshall Micro Stack. You mic it with a SM57, set the volume on around 7 or 8, and roll the volume on the guitar to around 7 for the cleans, and 10 for leads. Now watch how fast the other guitarist in your band goes out and gets a tube amp!;) Push it with a good OD pedal and it'll breathe fire (into the SM57) for under $500.
 
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Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

If you're gonna mic it out thru a PA the wattage wouldn't matter that much. You should go by tone, if you like it, it's good.
 
Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

If you're gonna mic it out thru a PA the wattage wouldn't matter that much. You should go by tone, if you like it, it's good.
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Yeh but is has to be loud enough to be picked up without the mic needing to be so sensitive it picks up alot of other things and for monitoring purposes you should be able to hear it straight from the amp.
 
Re: 15 watt Marshall micro-stack okay to mic my guitar?

Dude, have you heard the micro stack? I haven't tried the ZW version, but the regular micro stack amp didn't sound that great, to say the least. I don't imagine that running it thru a PA would make it sound any better - most likely it will sound worse.

Follow the advice of the wise forum brothers here and save up for a good tube amp. A good tube amp is always a wise investment. It will pretty much determine how good all your other gear sounds.

If the micro stack is approx $400, I'm sure you can find a good tube amp around that same price, or a better one for a few dollars more.

Get a HRD. A good piece of gear for not much $$$...
 
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