Marshall overhyped?

[DLT]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

I once read that more Marshall Valvestates are used in the recording studio than any other amp.
What bugs me about Marshall is all the cheap materials they use for the amp shell, cabinets, corners and logo. The price they ask is outrageous.
I am a Carvin amp lover, even if I do not own one at the present time. Take a Belair or a Nomad and put an EV speaker in it, you have an amp that will scream.
Dang...I wish my brain was working correctly a few weeks ago, when I bought my Custom Vibrolux Reverb. I totally forgot about Carvin at the time.

 

[Mephis]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

You can easily tell the old schoolers who didn't wear ear plugs. They're diming their Plexis, and guess what? They're also the same guys who don't think the JB is bright!:laugh2:

I guess that pretty much sums it up lol.

Then again the JB is actually leaning towards dark but it has a massive high mid spike that drives a hot needle into your ear drum.

 

[Kommerzbassist]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

While I see what you're saying, it doesn't have anything to do with the thread except for the title of the thread. I was simply asking "if marshall is so good, why can't this guy manage to get one to sound good?" It wasn't his chops, that's for sure. Something had to be wrong with the other amps, so harsh and rough... ugh.

I don't know, maybe his chops just didn't fit the amp... I've once seen a video of promotional event where a guy played through an 800, a TSL, a Valvestate and a Mode 4 and basically the 800 and the TSL sounded surprisingly close... well not 100% but more than I had expected... so you all know how an 800 can sound and the TSL can get close and even more... the Mode 4 and Valvestates basically sounded like the stereotypical hybrid... thin.

 

[y2stevo]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

I once read that more Marshall Valvestates are used in the recording studio than any other amp.
What bugs me about Marshall is all the cheap materials they use for the amp shell, cabinets, corners and logo. The price they ask is outrageous.
I am a Carvin amp lover, even if I do not own one at the present time. Take a Belair or a Nomad and put an EV speaker in it, you have an amp that will scream.
Dang...I wish my brain was working correctly a few weeks ago, when I bought my Custom Vibrolux Reverb. I totally forgot about Carvin at the time.

I'm assuming your in the States.I've seen what prices marshalls go for over there but over here they're some of the cheaper amps you can get. especially compared to Fender Mesa or any of the US companys. I just pity the aussie guys, they have neither of the big US and European Amps without Imrort taxes and duties

 

[JeffB]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

I don't know, maybe his chops just didn't fit the amp... I've once seen a video of promotional event where a guy played through an 800, a TSL, a Valvestate and a Mode 4 and basically the 800 and the TSL sounded surprisingly close... well not 100% but more than I had expected... so you all know how an 800 can sound and the TSL can get close and even more... the Mode 4 and Valvestates basically sounded like the stereotypical hybrid... thin.

That would be the Marshall demo by Chris George.

I wouldn't say the DSL (was a DSL, not TSL) sounded that close to the 800, but it def sounded good. And the Mode4 sounded great too when he wasn't doing the scoopy drop tune stuff with it.

here is the streaming Windows Media PLayer clip of that demo. (worth a download, George is a GREAT player)

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

Some people just don't get along with some amps. I really think it's that simple.

That said this guy sounds like the typical "I got chops" guy. You know the type. He can can shred, play jazz and funk, pull out chords you've never heard of. The whole he goes from amp to amp, venue to venue, the pup tones are both on 10 and he never touches the amp EQ...normally it's all set to 10. So no matter how he tries he can't sound fat or thick, or non-icepicky.

Luke

 

[ErikH]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

Wow. Chris makes that DSL sound great. Reminds me of my MkIII getting slammed with the Wylde Overdrive in a way. I dig his jam of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return). That rocks. Looks like an AVT he's plugged in to on that one.

 

[daemon barbeque]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

Yes they are overhyped!And getting still overhyped on this forum!
I belive taht every player has his/her own tone on his/her fingers.You can hear it from Rid or Strangesound too.They change the instruments and equipment ,but sound unique!
But there is still something changes with the equipment.it's like being the same person but having different effect on people with different outfits!
The Marshall sound is really"stamped" in our brains since the 70's ,and many people are looking for that "natural" tone for them.
I am not a guy who really likes Marshall sound ,it does not work for me well (at least for the Rythm sound).And the technical side of the amps are not good at all.There are many other amp brands ,and they are way better for the same price!
There are many brands/models wixh are overhyped and we can't change that!
I just don't let me get under influence and pump my head with Marshall commercials.
Cornford/Diezel/Bogner/Brunetti/Soldano/Engl/VHT/Laney/Orange/Peavey/Splawn.....
Many good brands with more bang for the buck!

 

[ErikH]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

Nah, no argument here. On the contrary, it's more a statement of preference than anything else, not an assertion of one being better than the other. That's why I said "I'd rather..." I've just always found it laughable that Marshall chose to address the "hot rodded Marshall" lust of the 80's/90's "guitar hero" era by building in clipping diodes. I'd rather have an 800, and control my SS grit from outside the amp. In reality if I had an 800, I'd probably run it with the SD-1 too. I'd rather pick my own front end poison.

The thing is, they were putting in clipping diodes before the JCM900's came out. Now the Dual Reverbs with 5881's I will say were overhyped. They weren't the best thing out there. Change them to EL34's and then you've got something. They were much better with EL34's in their first few years of production.

:beerchug:

It correlates to the "hype" argument, which is what this thread is about, because there's a wide gap between the perception of what a Marshall is and should be, vs. what they actually are today. And I repeat, this does not go for their expensive products, moreso the way they themselves hype their midlevel and down products. I'm not even saying their mid-level and below products are bad, either. They're overhyped, because people inappropriately attach the history of the company to today's big box retailer specials. Most brand names are overhyped anyway. And when it came to the 900, they launched it with the "hype" of a hot rodded tube amp. No one knew there were clipping diodes, and if they could've kept it secret forever, they would have. 1990's ads that claim the solid state 9000 series preamp captured the tone of a Marshall because it IS a Marshall is hype. Fender's SRV Strat is hype. There are even rumors that encased in black epoxy, Dumble has a TS-9 style circuit inside his amps. That's hype. I define hype as a basic gap between perception and reality, and I think since the 900 era, Marshall can indeed be accused of over hyping.

Everybody over hyped their stuff. It's what they had to do to generate sales. The 90's where a weird decade for gear. What was once cool in the previous decade suddenly wasn't anymore so they had to do what they could to get players and young kids learning to play to buy them. I'll admit, when I worked in a music store in the 90's, it was not easy selling Marshall amps. The way I did was by being straight up blunt honest with those checking them out and went from there.

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

I'll admit, when I worked in a music store in the 90's, it was not easy selling Marshall amps. The way I did was by being straight up blunt honest with those checking them out and went from there.

Do tell

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

Strikes me, that if you buy their stuff and it does exactly want you expect and want, it's worth the hype. If their sound is not for you, or you don't get want you expect or want, then they're overhyped!

 

[MikeS]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

I clearly don't have "it" because I don't sound anything like that through my DSL50. Next time I fire it up, though, I'm gonna have to play a little Losfer Words just to compare.

Wow. Chris makes that DSL sound great. Reminds me of my MkIII getting slammed with the Wylde Overdrive in a way. I dig his jam of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return). That rocks. Looks like an AVT he's plugged in to on that one.

Sure the DSL sounded great, but the first demo of the 2203 just made it unwise for me to stand up for the next couple minutes. Delicious!

 

[ErikH]

Re: Marshall overhyped?

Do tell

Didn't I just do that? :laugh2:

Seriously. The kids just wanted to sound like Kirk Hammet or Cobain and that was it. More tire kickers than anything from them. The serious guys who came in that could play would sometimes ask about the circuitry in them and I wouldn't lie. I'd tell 'em about it, diodes, opamps and all. Then it was just a matter of dialing in the amp to what they like based on what style they play and I would actually listen to what they were playing beforehand while they tinkered with it. I sold more 4100/4500 heads doing that.

In that shop we sold primarily Marshall, Fender and Crate when it came to guitar amps.