The Marshall Sound?

astrozombie

astrozombie

KatyPerryologist
I ask because every model I try out on my POD X3 Live makes Marshalls sound like medium-high gain amplifiers with almost no lows, icky highs and nasal mids. How close is this really? Maybe it's just a ****ty emulation, or I'm using the wrong speakers? there's models for the JCM 800 and 900, Plexi, and something called a "Silver" which is supposed to be a jubilee or something.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

The Classic Marshall tone is mid heavy bright edgie and less gain than say a Boogie Rec.
It's about clarity and how it sits in the mix with a full band. My 2501 JCM 900 Dual Master doesn't have a clean channel it doesn't have reverb but it does have that classic Marshall tone in spades.
That classic bright airy cutting Marshall tone is at the heart of more classic recording that I could even begin to count.
 
Last edited:
Re: The Marshall Sound?

Some things you just have to experience to understand.

Fortunately, Marshalls are available pretty much anywhere.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

I've never found a modeling amp that sounds like a real Marshall. But which real Marshall? There are several Marshall sounds and responses. A Marshall generally passes on the voicing of the guitar being used and the tone thats in the players hands, rather than heavilly overiding the guitar's natural voice with its own.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

What are you playing your X3 through? Could be the amp or headphones that you're using. Marshalls do not have the low end of a boogie, but they sit perfectly in the mix once everything is said and done.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

Its the POD- they are in no way, shape or form a decent simulation of a real plexi or metalface amp. They suck. period. Roland/Boss' are horrid too and Vox's is not all that great either. The EQ is all messed up.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

Most of the 'classic' marshalls are indeed medium/high gain amps with a lot of mids, top & not a lot of low-end. On the flip side, the L6 stuff really is icky & nasal... not at all like the real deal.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

Super Bass? Superlead? Jtm 45? Bluesbreaker? Cream, Halen, AC/DC, Jeff Beck, Jimi Zepp, Allman Bros, and endlessly on an on, all had that horrible icky thing that defined the voice of rock... Perhaps plugging into the real deal might offer some better clarity on the situation.

To say a POD is the voice of a Marshall is kind of like saying Forza Motorsport 2 for the Xbox 360 is like driving a Ferrari. It just ain't. See if you can find a way to plug one in, the sound can be kinda nice!
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

^ yup. Played a bunch of modelers, software, and that stuff, some of them DO do a good job of sounding like "insert famous recording here"... but then I bought this Marshall DSL50 sight-unseen without having ever played a "real" marshall before (besides the Haze40). The DSL blew me away when I got it. It's like I'd been eating Kraft mac n cheese all my life and I suddenly tried fresh pasta with aged cheddar and jack cheeses in heavy cream with parmesan-crusted chicken on it.
The DSL is in a different league. If you completely leave out sound "quality", none of those modelers or software feel anything like as touch-sensitive as this amp. None of them can be boosted into a whole new level of awesomeness using a $40 overdrive pedal. It feels very convenient to just have a row of knobs in my face that I can reach over and tweak.
If all you care about is Sound ONLY, you don't care about the feel and experience of playing the amp as if it were an instrument itself, the best modeling stuff may be great for you. But if you want the real deal it's obvious that a line 6 modeling amp or some $100 windows software isn't gonna satisfy you.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

Laughing Kookaburra said:
Modeling amps don't get it.

Play an actual Marshall tube amp. Different sounds from different models.
Click to expand...

+1
Although their are many different Marshalls, they all do seem to have certain characteristics that are strangely familiar to the line.
IMO a Marshall sounds best through some sort of Celestion(s) to get the real Marshall vibe.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

here's what i think

i think Line 6's modelling is decent but kind of off and wrong intentionally

that way you never think any of the "real" brands of amps are all that special
and keep buying digitized crap cuz you're hypnotized

by LIME SIX

i like their effects tho; that M13 is ****ing monsterous and awesomely epic.

as for Marshalls

and the kind of music you like

they're designed for eachother.

Les Paul + Marshall = rock. Period.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

astrozombie said:
I ask because every model I try out on my POD X3 Live makes Marshalls sound like medium-high gain amplifiers with almost no lows, icky highs and nasal mids. How close is this really? Maybe it's just a ****ty emulation, or I'm using the wrong speakers? there's models for the JCM 800 and 900, Plexi, and something called a "Silver" which is supposed to be a jubilee or something.
Click to expand...

I use the Brown sound or whatever they call it on the POD XT to write and rehearse with. With much tweaking its ok. Biggest trick is to turn down the gain. Over all though the POD emulations of Marshalls are not that great.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

AudioWonderland said:
I use the Brown sound or whatever they call it on the POD XT to write and rehearse with. With much tweaking its ok. Biggest trick is to turn down the gain. Over all though the POD emulations of Marshalls are not that great.
Click to expand...

This Late Breaking news just in;

ANY MARSHALL IS A NMV MARSHALL..turnthe main volume up and turnm the Master Volume down!
I once talked witjh one of Jim Marshalls original techs about 6-7 years ago. He told me something to the effect of that he couldnt understand why anyone would want a Plexi or a Superlead- he thought they were stadium amps only, and dinosauers.
He said you could always get a btetr sound at any practical volume level short of Wembley stadium or something like that with just mixing your Master volume with the main volume.
You can always do a Post master Volume Phase inverter for a more organic Master volume tone I have heard.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

MetalManiac said:
This Late Breaking news just in;

ANY MARSHALL IS A NMV MARSHALL..turnthe main volume up and turnm the Master Volume down!
I once talked witjh one of Jim Marshalls original techs about 6-7 years ago. He told me something to the effect of that he couldnt understand why anyone would want a Plexi or a Superlead- he thought they were stadium amps only, and dinosauers.
He said you could always get a btetr sound at any practical volume level short of Wembley stadium or something like that with just mixing your Master volume with the main volume.
You can always do a Post master Volume Phase inverter for a more organic Master volume tone I have heard.
Click to expand...

And why are you quoting me for this? I was talking about a POD.
 
Re: The Marshall Sound?

MetalManiac said:
This Late Breaking news just in;

ANY MARSHALL IS A NMV MARSHALL..turnthe main volume up and turnm the Master Volume down!

You can always do a Post master Volume Phase inverter for a more organic Master volume tone I have heard.
Click to expand...

I don't quite understand what you are talking about.
There is just one master volume on the amp. That's the volume of the preamp stage.
Master volume decides what portion of the signal you will send from preamp into power amp.
If you turn this volume down, you don't get power tube saturation.
If you want 'em to sound good you just have to crank it up.

Plexi / Superlead (or other before 2203/2204) are even more worse for not having this master volume knob,
so when you get get close to saturate your preamp stage, your power stage is already raging.

That would probably be the reason why old bands based their music more on power amp tube sound.
Today you can get a high gain preamp saturation with no impact on the power amp stage, but if you want it to be groovy, you still have to crank it up beyond senseless :)

People who don't need much preamp saturation are thereby in desire for that old Marshall heads, because they sound good, they don't have any circuits, are made point to point, and can never break :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

belensky
The Humbucker Archive: DiMarzio, EMG, BKP, Suhr & Duncan Tested – My Notes & Comparison Samples (Long Read)
2
Replies
35
Views
2K
Artie
Artie
I
Bridge pickup to pair with Custom Custom and 59 Custom in neck
Replies
10
Views
819
Mincer
Mincer
dotsdad
Took the back off my DSL-40CR. PROBLEM SOLVED!!!
Replies
16
Views
2K
Aceman
Aceman
G
Marshall SV20H vs SC20H vs DSL20HR vs 2525H
Replies
16
Views
4K
Ronnie_Snow
Ronnie_Snow
G
Marshall JCM 800 vs 14 guitar amp modelers!
Replies
6
Views
685
Guitarjon
G
Back
Top