Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

[Bones]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

I loved the crunch of the DSL but even though it sounded badass, it sucked. One eq and the bass boost was shared on both channels? No thanks. I got rid of it anyways, it was too loud.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

eq pedal, there, fixed

and i'd never get rid of an amp cuz it was too loud

 

[Bones]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

doesn't excuse them for not making 2 channels, I think thats a must like you think that processors are crap, each to their own.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

Ya, I'd have to agree that the DSL and TSL amps have some killer sound, however, i can honestly say that I have never cared for the JCM 800's and 900's. The JCM amps just dont have enough gain and distortion in my opinion. I'd have to add a boss metal zone distortion pedal or something to get the crunch id want.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

Quencho,

One thing that you have to consider if you were to buy a DSL is that everytime your tubes go out your lookin at spending 150-200 bucks to get yourself some new tubes to keep the amp playable. With Line 6 you really cant go wrong. It is solid state which will allow you to save money on tubes, and at the same time you get a killer sounding tube modeling amp. I don't know if anyone else has noticed but it doesn't seem like Line 6 gets the kind of credit it deserves. If you want a good quality amp for the money, and don't want an amp tube bill, check out the Line 6 amps. I was truely amazed at the kind of sound the Line 6 Flextone III's put out. The lower end Line 6 Spiders are also pretty killer for the money also.

 

[GuitarGuy503]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

The lower end Marshall stuff is mostly garbage these days. You have to fork over a load of cash for their higher end stuff to get quality. Their solid state amps are garbage. Line 6 is the way to go for solidstate amps.

 

[JammerMatt]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

I would agree. I'm jonesin' for a JCM 800, just because my life wouldn't be complete without owning one for once in my life. But in the meanwhile, my Line6 has been a tremendous bang for the buck. It doesn't have the "blink" factor that a toob amp has. However, it's very versatile, and it's a breeze to record with... no mikes!

 

[sanrafael]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

In my experience the factors most affecting the sound of a tube amp are:
1. The output transformer (lots of iron and copper, very tempting to cut corners; also the particular limitations of a transformer can contribute to the characteristic sound of the amp. A "better" transformer might not be what you want.)
2. The power supply (You can cut corners on the power transformer, filter capacitors, etc. Sometimes available new components are better than the old ones in an engineering sense, but might change the overdriven sound in subtle ways.)
3. The tubes themselves. (Are you comparing old tubes made in the US to new tubes made in the FSU? When you compare amps, do you try interchanging tubes to see what the effect is?)

I would put wiring at the bottom. A well designed PCB probably has less capacitance than some hand wiring jobs. And also, guitars are mid-range devices; problems with capacitances in layout are usually a high frequency problem.

 

[Closed Eye]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

The lower end Marshall stuff is mostly garbage these days. You have to fork over a load of cash for their higher end stuff to get quality. Their solid state amps are garbage. Line 6 is the way to go for solidstate amps.

Not to be needlessly nitpicky, but aren't Line6 products digital, whereas "lower end Marshall stuff" is solid-state. There's a difference between solid-state and digital, right?
My main problem with Line6 though, especially their "cheaper" pieces of gear like the Spider II series, is that they don't interact well with external non-Line6 effects...and this seems to be the widespread complaint...as in, it's a HUGE problem...
I'm thinking though, that because of the need to make tube technology readily available to all players, companies like Fender, Traynor, and Crate are putting out affordable tube amps (Hot Rod, YCV, V-Series) to combat this rising tide of tube-emulation technology...and you know, I'm just about sold on buying one of these smaller more bang for the buck tube combos...
Double that, it's also combating the downgrade in more respectable companies like Marshall (of course, I wouldn't know the difference, I'm just theorizing...)

 

[JammerMatt]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

I like my Line 6, but I don't think it will ever take the place of a valve amp. I'm looking at a Blues Jr. also.

 

[BornToShred]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

...i can honestly say that I have never cared for the JCM 800's and 900's. The JCM amps just dont have enough gain and distortion in my opinion. I'd have to add a boss metal zone distortion pedal or something to get the crunch id want.

Not enough gain?!? You've got to be kidding?

JCM800 + any regular overdrive pedal = metal massacre.
And the JCM900 has even more gain.

 

[flank]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

i think alot of it is the output trannies.... i think the last marshall amp to have the big output transformers were the JCM800s if im not mistaken? those big output trannies give alot of the fullness and push of the amp....and make it sweeter when its turned up... i notice alot of the amps today get a bit weird when turned up, cause they dont have big output transformers

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Whats up with the new Marshall Lineup? Do they make good amps anymore?

Before I'd buy a solid state Marshall or Fender amp, I'd definitely buy a Line 6 or Vox modeling amp. But, when you're at a band rehearsal or gig, there's no denying that a good tube amp with quality pedals on the floor will sound better. Just as your tube halfstack will be worthless in your house or apartment. They all have their place.
It's arguable whether a Vetta halfstack sounds better than a Marshall, Fender, Bogner, Vox when turned up, but I've heard the difference. The modeler will give you a wide variety of sounds, but the overall tone coming at you is narrower sounding.
In a small venue, miced up, it becomes less of an issue, but nonetheless, a good tube amp is worth the money, even for tubes, if it makes your guitar sound as good as possible at gigging volume.