Are there any good solid state Marshalls

smauk43

smauk43

New member
I love the classic Marshall crunch. But being an at home player only, tubes don't do very well for me. I can get up to more than TV volume, as I live in a house, not an apt, but I can never seem to hit the sweet spot with tubes. I know Marshall SS will not be the same as Marshall tube, but maybe it would be close. I tried the MG and AVT, just as soon keep my Valvetronix, I think the Marshall models on it sound as good. Am I just as well off to keep the modeler? Or maybe there's an older Marshall SS that is decent and I could have both?
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

smauk43 said:
I love the classic Marshall crunch. But being an at home player only, tubes don't do very well for me. I can get up to more than TV volume, as I live in a house, not an apt, but I can never seem to hit the sweet spot with tubes. I know Marshall SS will not be the same as Marshall tube, but maybe it would be close. I tried the MG and AVT, just as soon keep my Valvetronix, I think the Marshall models on it sound as good. Am I just as well off to keep the modeler? Or maybe there's an older Marshall SS that is decent and I could have both?
Click to expand...

POD XTL does better Marshall tones (well at least the 800s and JTM45) than the VOX or the Marshall MG/AVT series (I just put up a new clip of the ATOMIC/POD XTL ..poor recording, but you'll get the jist of it..and the volume is low)

As for good SS amps...hell yeah...pretty much any of the 80s Marshall amps...Lead 12/Master Lead 30 and it's ilk. I don't know model numbers off hand...but 5XXX was one series. MOSFET Heads...and there were some tube power amp/ss preamp ones that were excellent too.

Any of the old 80s british made models with real celestions were dang good SS amps.

Also old Randall RGs from the 1980s and the newer B-52 heads tey sell at GC.
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

Thanks Jeff,
guess the best place is to start perusing Ebay and keep an eye out for those models because I don't recall seeing of those in local shops.

The B 52's have a Marshally tone huh? How was the quality, never played one of them. How about the current Randalls, not the same I guess?
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

Thats the exact one I had! Good amp. Sounds better through a closed back cab. In fact, if you don't need want/a footswitchable clean channel, just seek out a lead 12 and run it through a 1/2/4 x12. they have about as much gain as a 800 channel switcher in the lead mode. A TS on top sounds pretty good for a boost. GREAT bedroom amp.

B52s will do a decent Marshall type tone as well as heavier. But it's pretty much higher gain or nothing. Think 800 series and beyond as opposed to JTM45/PLexi crunch.

Newer Randalls and the B-52 are more buzzy than those old Marshalls.
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

saw a couple lead 12's on there. Look a little boxy, guess that's a cab would be for though huh? I don't play a lot of clean, just when I'm playing around on the Valvetronix, I think it does a good enough impression of the Fender models and the Boutique clean is decent as well. So that should satisfy what little cleans I play around with. I'm just an old hair metal leftover trying to learn everything from AC/DC early era up to all the hair metal glory days (poison, cinderella, etc.....) Most of which was Marshall, unless my memory has been "fogged" since the 80's were kind of a blur (hey I was young and able then!!!)
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

smauk43 said:
saw a couple lead 12's on there. Look a little boxy, guess that's a cab would be for though huh? I don't play a lot of clean, just when I'm playing around on the Valvetronix, I think it does a good enough impression of the Fender models and the Boutique clean is decent as well. So that should satisfy what little cleans I play around with. I'm just an old hair metal leftover trying to learn everything from AC/DC early era up to all the hair metal glory days (poison, cinderella, etc.....) Most of which was Marshall, unless my memory has been "fogged" since the 80's were kind of a blur (hey I was young and able then!!!)
Click to expand...

Sorry, I meant to say look for the heads (lead 12)..people sometimes sell just the head...

or get the whole mini-stack

It will do exactly what you want :)
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

JeffB said:
Sorry, I meant to say look for the heads (lead 12)..people sometimes sell just the head...

or get the whole mini-stack

It will do exactly what you want :)
Click to expand...

Yeah I figured that out looking on Ebay again, there are a couple mini stacks on there, they just look so small. But I guess it's tone, not size, that matters, right.
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

I had a SS Marshall combo in the 80's that was kind of cool.... wish i never sold it...

I remember liking the early 90's Valvestate stuff... the 2x12 Chorus amp i thought was good! I do not like the new MG Marshall stuff!

WHOFAN
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

+100 for the 80's SS stuff.

those with the real celestions. to me they sound better than some of the tube stuff that Marshall makes now. the new AVT is pretty darn good it has the punch and size but when you turn it up a bit it getts fizzy REAL fast. so it isnt worth it.

my friend had one of those 80's SS marshall 30 watters and it totally rocked!

you should be able to find one of those pretty cheap.

notice that almost NOTHING made today from batch production is good??

they used to use original celestions now they use what they call ?custom' speakers. makes me laugh....and cry.
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

An old Lead 12 ! but do yank out that dry and stiff 10" speaker and stick a nice 12" in there. That and a reasoable mic will get you home-recordings that will blow away anything digital.
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

I just sold my 86 Marshall Master Lead 30 1-12 combo yesterday for $200.
It's really a great sounding SS combo, that nails the sound of a JCM 800 halfstack, at home volumes. When the guy came to check it out and buy it, he brought his Fulltone OCD pedal, and I was starting to wonder if I should even be letting go of that amp. It sounds great on it's own, but with that OCD pedal, it sounded amazing.
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

Tech 21 amps do great Marshall tones at low volumes. I have a Trademark 60 because I want it to be loud enough for gigs too, but I hear the Trademark 10 is awesome for home use. See www.tech21nyc.com .
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

I have played a Tech 21 TM60 and they are very nice. I considered selling my Valvetronix to get one, and I may do that someday, but honestly I like the Fender and Vox models on the Valvetronix better. Like the higher gain of the Tech 21. So I figured I would just get a Marshall, and still have the better Fender/Vox models. Actually it's called GAS isn't it?:rolleyes:
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

fenderiarhs said:
the first valvestate series wasn't bad at all.........
Click to expand...

Exactly, if you can get your hands on a first generation valvestate, they were pretty ace. Far better than the current ones.
 
Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

I sold a Marshal reverb 30 recently and it was a wonderful amp. It wasn't a high gain monster and it didn't have an effects loop but it was a very solid amp. Just like an old CMOS Randall with a jaguar speaker. The preamp stage sounds exactly like my old Marshall Guvnor pedal. It was modified with an effects loop and I ran a DOD eq pedal and a Boss enhancer pedal through it and it had a beautiful tone. I have tried some valvestate stacks and combos and they sound thin and buzzy in comparison. CMOS sounds warmer. Although CMOS is a little noisy in comparison.

Snowdog
 
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Re: Are there any good solid state Marshalls

+1 on the 52XX series. I had a 5213 212 combo which had blackback Marshall-labeled Celestions. You can see my review over at harmony central. The dirty channel had a bright dirty side and an gainier darker palm-muty dirty side. The clean channel was a bright Marshall dry clean. It's not a tube amp but it is a decent amp, and sounds better as you crank it more. I prefer tube, but as solid state amps go it was better than others I've heard.
 
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