Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

JeffB

JeffB

Let it B
Saw one yesterday in very good condition along with the matching 1965A 4x10. Price seemed reasonable considering condition. These were the SS preamps with a 12ax7 PI and two EL34s. 30watts.

I have not played one since 1987 or so. Wondering if I should make some time to bring my Les Paul over and give it a whirl?
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

I once played a gig with another band whose guitar player had two of the combo versions of that amp stacked up, with a Les Paul. He had a great sound, and I was really surprised when I found out they were "hybrid" designs. Definitely had the Marshall vibe.

Al
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

Thanks ZW. I am hearing it's more like a 2205/2210, but I may go give it a whirl anyway.
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

One word: No. I've heard from owners in the past and they're "meh" compared to the famous Marshall models (1987,1959, etc) that everyone craves/craved.

As someone whose main Marshall head was a 2210 from the 80's to 2ks, I seriously doubt it's anything like one.

If you want an old school "real" Marshall, just save up and get the real thing.
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

I dig em quite a bit. A buddy has one so I have played with it a decent amount . Some very nice tones in those amps.
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

JeffB said:
Saw one yesterday in very good condition along with the matching 1965A 4x10. Price seemed reasonable considering condition. These were the SS preamps with a 12ax7 PI and two EL34s. 30watts.

I have not played one since 1987 or so. Wondering if I should make some time to bring my Les Paul over and give it a whirl?
Click to expand...

I think it would be worth a shot. A friend of mine used one for quite awhile and the tones are pretty sweet. They dont have to be cranked to sound good and are a bargain to buy. I do remember about 10 years ago the tranny conked out on his and so he replaced/upgraded and we were both suprised at how much of a difference it made in the sound. Not huge but noticeable. The amp became less compressed and more open sounding. But even stock are a fun amp.
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

I own one (the head version). It's a pretty decent amp. It may be a little underpowered if the other guys are all playing cranked 50 watt half stacks.

I find Marshalls to be a bit bright, this one is no exception. The dirt channel can come across as harsh, or muddy, at times. But by most accounts, if you can get one for around $400 or so, they are a pretty good deal.
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

It does. Although I am not sure where it inserts in the signal chain (i.e. whether it is in front of the tone stack or after).

The head is rated at 30W but most amps running two EL34s are rated higher. I want to say someone suggested that the output transformer was smaller in the amp and that may account for the lower rating.

Looks like there are several mods out there for the amp too.
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

Thanks everyone. It is definitely similar to other SS marshall offerings of the time. It sounds like a 2205 with a SS pre amp instead of glass. A bit warmer than the 5xxx series amps. 4x10 cab definitely too midrangey for my tastes, but I don't like 10" speakers except in a few select Fender amps. I was not unhappy, but not impressed enough to pull out the plastic.
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

Currently I run mine (which is actually used by the other guitar player in one of my bands) through an Avatar open back 1x12, Eminence Swamp Thing. It sounds pretty good. For some reason when I bought the amp it had a 4x12 cab with it, which I later sold to a friend. So yeah if it was a cab + head deal only, then it might not be worth it, whereas the head alone would be cool cause you can do whatever you want with it then.
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

With the solid state preamp and lower wattage power amp section were they trying to get an amp which distorted more easily at lower volumes?
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

idsnowdog said:
With the solid state preamp and lower wattage power amp section were they trying to get an amp which distorted more easily at lower volumes?
Click to expand...

I dont know if it was so much that but i always took it that it was a cheaper tube option than the full size models
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

Edgecrusher said:
I think it would be worth a shot. A friend of mine used one for quite awhile and the tones are pretty sweet. They dont have to be cranked to sound good and are a bargain to buy. I do remember about 10 years ago the tranny conked out on his and so he replaced/upgraded and we were both suprised at how much of a difference it made in the sound. Not huge but noticeable. The amp became less compressed and more open sounding. But even stock are a fun amp.
Click to expand...

Yeah I have a 1974x clone that I recently had a similar experience with. I bet your friend's amp was quite the sleeper when he had it.
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

Worth a shot from my research. Found one in a record shop in Sydney...did a boatload of research before going back with a guitar (including here), sounded like a decent amp for the price. Never did go back with a guitar, though, as it became clear that I was moving again...
 
Re: Who knows the Marshall 3203 Artist?

It's unfortunately a package deal. I am only interested in the amp. I could probably move the cab, but I don't wanna take the chance of sitting on it unless I practically give it away.
 
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