is marshall overrated?

[Rich_T]

Re: is marshall overrated?

Heck no, they're not overrated. I hear so many people saying they want a Marshall tone but look at other amps for it, not just here but in stores too. There's only one amp that sounds like a Marshall, and that is a Marshall. I don't care how many clones there are. Nothing sounds like a Marshall.

The key is cranking them up. My MkIII sounds great with the MV around 4-5. Granted, that's not cranked, but those power tubes are getting hit pretty good at that point. It even sounds pretty nice with the MV around 3. The sweet spot with a single 4x12 is around 4 on the MV though. It's also a 100 watt model so I can't push it too hard without getting calls from the next zip code.

Exactly man, everyone looking for the 'holy grail' of Marshall tone in all these crazy mega bucks amps, just pick up a decent JCM 800 or JMP or Superlead or JTM 45, whatever your flavour, and it will be there. Just don't forget to turn it up.

 

[noth]

Re: is marshall overrated?

Okay, here come the bedroom guitarists again...

Don't want to change the thread's topic, but it's a great quesiton to ask here. So, what small tube amp (1-15 Watts) would get closest to a cranked Marshall sound, without getting evicted? I know you guys know!

Thanks,
Noth

 

[C-Martin]

Re: is marshall overrated?

cranking them up is how you will get them to open up.. ill never forget how i discovered the marshalls.. i was like you and tried many marshall people recommended (DLS, TSL and JCM 900's) and i didnt like the sounds and in some cases hated it even... problem is i wasnt cranking it up.. and theres so many models you gotta select one with a tone flavour of your liking.. then again you might not like the Marshall sound at all. I had just made a downpayment for a new mesa boogie amp and was ready to finish the payment and take it home when i noticed a interesting looking marshall in the back, a JTM-45, i asked if i could try it and some guy steped up and said "oh you gotta try it.. ill show you how to set it up" he cranked it up and dialed it in just right and gave me the guitar and said "try this!" and i went :eek2:

... conclusion.. i never did get the boogie, but i left with that JTM-45 and that thing has been my main workhorse amp ever since. Its my only one actualy lol.. i sold my other one cuz i only use the marshall now

 

[Maggot]

Re: is marshall overrated?

They're not overrated, but they are a little particular. A the EQ section of a classic Marshall will get you all kinds of sounds, but isn't really flexible. For the most part, the mids will always be a little cranky or "Marshally" clean. They don't have a ton of low end unless cranked through a 4x12. The high end will never sparkle like a Fender.

But that's the Marshall sound...nearly all the greats have found the way to make it work for them. I love Marshalls myself, but they sound a bit funkier than all those ultra-smooth recorded sounds would suggest.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: is marshall overrated?

Old Marshalls are great amps IMO but the newer they get the less I liek them to be completely honest...the other truth is that Marshall amps have never been very consistant from one to the next.

 

[marvar]

Re: is marshall overrated?

IMHO Marshall are like most of the gear we know and love- narrow focus type stuff- it's not considered a do-all amp. Just like Rickenbackers, Strats, LP's Fender twins, etc, they do what they do, and they do it well, you can't make chicken salad out of bacon, and expect it to taste like chicken-
It all boils down to personal preference, and the tones and styles you are trying to get. Personally, I love my Marshall, but as stated above, its not just the amp- you have to have some sort of Celestion speaker s, the right tubes, and the right bias settings to complete the classic Marshall sound.
Nothing sounds like a cranked Marshall amp thru a celestion loaded 4x12, except- a cranked Marshall amp thru a celestion loaded 4x12!

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: is marshall overrated?

Okay, here come the bedroom guitarists again...

Don't want to change the thread's topic, but it's a great quesiton to ask here. So, what small tube amp (1-15 Watts) would get closest to a cranked Marshall sound, without getting evicted? I know you guys know!

Thanks,
Noth

If the amp being all tube is absolutely critical, I have a Marshall Studio 15 that would fit the bill. Sounds really nice. It's kind of a fendery sound when run clean and pretty marshally when cranking the gain. It runs on 6V6 tubes. I'll even include a brand new set of matched JJ 6v6 tubes to go with it though the old ones sound great as is. This amp is so nice that it's hard to let go of it. I have the Vox AD120VTH with the blue front end and it covers the marshally sounds at lower volumes for me now. The vox is not all tube (modelling amp), so I'm not sure if that's what you want or not. I have to sell the Marshall though. If you want it, look it up on the trading post here in the SD forums. That's the only all tube 15 watt or less amp I can think of that can be quiet and still sound marshally.

 

[daemon barbeque]

Re: is marshall overrated?

Well i think Marshalls are overrated as "good" amps ,since the reliability is not the strenght of Marshalls.But Tone can't be overrated.It's something emotional.I am not a Marshall lover.It sounds not bad but it does not inspire me.But there are great tones that i heard ,mostly from a 2203 with TS or Overdrive infront of it (drucifers clips where ripping!)
But the Lead tone of a plexi in right hands is face melting.
I love the Malmsteen Rising Force tone alot.
But there are so many good amp builders ,with better parts in their amps and as good sounding (different but good) as the Marshalls but for better price.
So before buying a MArshall ,i would go an try so many others.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: is marshall overrated?

Well i think Marshalls are overrated as "good" amps ,since the reliability is not the strenght of Marshalls.But Tone can't be overrated.It's something emotional.I am not a Marshall lover.It sounds not bad but it does not inspire me.But there are great tones that i heard ,mostly from a 2203 with TS or Overdrive infront of it (drucifers clips where ripping!)
But the Lead tone of a plexi in right hands is face melting.
I love the Malmsteen Rising Force tone alot.
But there are so many good amp builders ,with better parts in their amps and as good sounding (different but good) as the Marshalls but for better price.
So before buying a MArshall ,i would go an try so many others.

Reliability issues are more common with the early Orange amps actually and the Vox amps were worse and would catch fire!....Marshalls got a bad rap over the years because they would take out output transformers,but it was because of impedence mis-matching of speaker cabinets and not the fault of the circuit...Also the Marshall is a british amp and guys would have problems when they'd use the early Marshalls here in the states...I've been using a 50 watt NMV Marshall head for alot of years and I've never even blown a fuse in mine! Probably because I take such good care of it...

 

[daemon barbeque]

Re: is marshall overrated?

Reliability issues are more common with the early Orange amps actually....Marshalls got a bad rap over the years because they would take out output transformers,but it was because of impedence mis-matching of speaker cabinets and not the fault of the circuit...Also the Marshall is a british amp and guys would have problems when they'd use the early Marshalls here in the states...I've been using a 50 watt NMV Marshall head for alot of years and I've never even blown a fuse in mine! Probably because I take such good care of it...

Yeah ,but if i really check the repair files of my friends Shop ,it shows clearly how many Marshalls and Engls have problem ,and he says "we don't sell so much Marshalls at all ,but most of them comes back to this shop in 2 years!"
I dunno.I am not technically talented and have Knowlege as you have John!And i know how some numbers can mislead to a conclusion.
But even my bandmates JCM 900 had problems.And he has the original cab!Even he accepts it and says "that's the price of a good sounding amp with a reasonable price!".Maybe he is right!

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: is marshall overrated?

Yeah ,but if i really check the repair files of my friends Shop ,it shows clearly how many Marshalls and Engls have problem ,and he says "we don't sell so much Marshalls at all ,but most of them comes back to this shop in 2 years!"
I dunno.I am not technically talented and have Knowlege as you have John!And i know how some numbers can mislead to a conclusion.
But even my bandmates JCM 900 had problems.And he has the original cab!Even he accepts it and says "that's the price of a good sounding amp with a reasonable price!".Maybe he is right!

I guess we need to narrow it down to what Marshalls,as I'm talking the earliest ones...The 900 series has always been my least favorite and it has always been my opinion that the 800 series and earlier,were "the ones'....I do like the DSL series though also.

I also feel that less is more with a Marshall,in that the less switches and crap you have in the circuit,the less problems and better the tone! Just my opinion of course.

 

[ErikH]

Re: is marshall overrated?

The Dual Reverb 900's where always the problem child in that series. Yes, they had some problems. The SL-X and MkIII however were the workhorses of them and unfortunately, were overshadowed by the problems of their brothers. If you can get an early Dual Reverb, you have a better chance of getting a solid amp, I'm talking 1990-1993.

However, of the techs I know and knew out in CA, they had more 800 split channels break down than 900's at the time. Seems the single channel amps have been the workhorses throughout.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: is Marshall overrated?

Re: is Marshall overrated?

Old Marshall's are great amps IMO but the newer they get the less I liek them to be completely honest...the other truth is that Marshall amps have never been very consistant from one to the next.

Very True. I've play though Marshall's that made me wanna creme my shorts,Others where just average,While some where horrible. (I'm talking just within the 2204/03 series) A big part of it is maintenance and tweaking.
Most of the awful Marshall's I've encountered where in rehearsal halls owned by drummers who didn't give a flying what the amps sound like.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: is marshall overrated?

I've had the same 1978 Marshall since 1993 with no issues other than I was playing outside and it blew over- the chassis bent and the output jack broke, the input jack may have been replaced too... No actual electrical problems.

I don't often crank the amp- I let the MV do it's job- in all reality, playing a club with the master above 2 is not advisable, from an audience or soundman's point of view. When you get the opportunities to drop the preamp gain and open up the master, that thing shines.

In this day and age, with CNC machining, modern manufacturing techniques and online ordering, the individual character of individual instruments and amps is overlooked. I've played amps like mine that sucked, I don't recall playing any that ruled any more than mine. I still believe it's best to get your hands on THE piece you're looking at. An amp that sucks to me, may be PERFECT for someone else.

 

[Texas Swamp]

Re: is marshall overrated?

I don't think there overrated at all. They sound great, I just hate how everyone is like "just get a JCM 800 and you will sound great". They forget each Marshall vintage and new has its own personality. I mean I have heard an '81 JCM 800 2204 and it sounded Godly. Then I went to the next music store a few months later and heard another '81 JCM 800 2204 and it sounded like crap.

 

[Mephis]

Re: is marshall overrated?

I think they're largely over rated based on the fact that most everyone (especially outside of this forum) thinks something is a good amp as long as it has the marshall logo on it.


Do they make Great amps? Of course. That doesn't mean they can't be over rated. I'm not much of a marshall guy.

Also you can preach all you want about angus young's tone, I don't like it. Hell alot of people think the 80s were nothing but JCM800s, but most of my favorite tones from the 80s came from an ADAMP-1.

 

[Axl H]

Re: is marshall overrated?

Heck no, they're not overrated. I hear so many people saying they want a Marshall tone but look at other amps for it, not just here but in stores too. There's only one amp that sounds like a Marshall, and that is a Marshall. I don't care how many clones there are. Nothing sounds like a Marshall.

Excactly.

I have my ENGL, and when I am finished with my school period I am aswell thinking of selling it, and getting a 1987X or a JCM800 2203 and cranking the living hell out of them

 

[Imp]

Re: is marshall overrated?

honestly, i never "cranked" one before.

i just think their distortions are fuzzy and kind of weak.

er... crank one. 95% chance it won't sound kind of weak, or fuzzy :bigok:

i'll never forget my favourite tone of mine on record of all time - i found a JTM45 head in the rehearsal studio, put all the knobs to 7 (angus young AFAIK likes this) - and one of SD97's modded DS-1s. i was playing a strat with a lil'59 in the bridge.

holy mother of god. if i'd been playing with a decent band, i would have died happy right there. i've been looking for a JTM45 of my own ever since

 

[ksmith63]

Re: is marshall overrated?

i think they are overrated mainly because of the name. it makes me mad that everyone overlooks great products by smaller companies because those products dont have the marshall logo. they do make good stuff but the gear isnt nearly up to par with their reputation. i'd rather save up a few more $ and get something that puts mainstream amps to shame. :smack: oh wait, i did that when i bought the budda.....

 

[Mike M.]

Re: is marshall overrated?

You've got to turn those amps up, that's what they were desingend for. Marshalls don't come alive unless you've got those power tubes cooking. Listen to some of the great recordings by various people throughout the years use who've used Marshalls. You can feel the air hitting the microphone. You can hear that cabinet resonating and you can hear the depth of the cabinet. Can't get that effect without waking up the beast!