Amps: to Marshall or not to Marshall

[Rock]

I know I may be in the minority here, but I do not think Marshalls are the ultimate in guitar amplification, having owned1

IMO it depends what Marshall u have owned, I am not a fan of the newer ones, anything after JCM 800's dont really do it for me.

What Marshall did u have mate.

[MetalHead]

I'd like to try Marhsall Majors

[Richard]

TRY A PEAVEY 5150 OR THE NEW 6505 OR TRY A KRANK AMP .

[Bengal65]

Randall has some neat new amps with those modules. I know an amp builder who is experimenting with a bunch of those modules. I believe that amp is a MT100. It's sorta like modelling in tube technology without going digital.

Metalhead, have you been on Holiday!

[Rock]

TRY A PEAVEY 5150 OR THE NEW 6505 OR TRY A KRANK AMP .

I havnt played one, but have heard them, and they seem a bit plastic to me, not much warmth, thats what alot of amps seem to lack is warmth in their sound, just my opinion, I like the fat old marshall sound.

[MetalHead]

Metalhead, have you been on Holiday!

3 weeks ago

[frethead]

You're gonna get the big, fat, and warm sound out of any decent tube driven amp, when set-up properly; however, I believe you've got to have a base to build on and the Marshall's tone is pretty much THE place, over-all, to start when developing or "rounding out" your sound. I've owned more than one, and that did it for me. I play with Genz-Benz, now ya'll, it just hurts me because sounds so damn good, and the response is so consistent it makes me want to cry!

[RGN11]

I've used Genz-Benz cabs but never their heads. It is hard to beat a Bogner 101B. I love mine. I am lucky enough to also own some Diezel and VHT gear- great also.

I think the JCM800 and DSL50 are both very good heads. I played a ton of shows using a DSL50 before I started buying heads that cost 3X as much. You can buy used DSL50s for under $700 and VHT Pitbulls for under $1200. I'd go that route myself.

[Fedaykin]

I would rather have a Fender Tonemaster over a Soldano any day. Soldanos are fine amps, but I like the fender sound more.

[mrmetal]

I have been playing a 6505+ lately. It sounds pretty good, but it is a bit trebley which is something that I was totally not expecting. Not sure what I am going to do with it. I like it, but I am wondering if a Krank or JCM 800 is more my style.

I have never owned a Marshall, thinking strongly about making a change.

[skezza]

Well, in the late 70s early 80s, there weren't many amps that did what Marshall do. Nowadays, 100s of amps do that sound and others try to emulate the heavy distorted sound that came to be in the late 80s and early 90s.

I own a JCM800 1959 Reissue MKII and a Mesa Boogie F100. It's not that one is better, they're just different.
JCM800 have EL34's which don't reproduce clean sounds faithfully. You always get that crunchyness sort of like ACDC.
Mesa's are usually built to sound like Fenders while clean using 6V6/6L6. Their distortion is obviously a very pure and harsh late 80s sound.

[tedeeoo]

I have played Peavey's my entire career, and to me the 5150/6505 have almost too much gain, some of the guys at Peavey have told me they almost didn't release the 5150 II because it was just too much. At the time of its development Ed was on tour and apparently not hearing too well, once he got a break they finished the amp in its final form or so I've been told. Not to say that they aren't great amps to some people but to me they were very touchy to dial in. I love their JSX and Classic series amps, to me those are the best amps Peavey has ever built although I would like to hear the "new" Butcher. I know that amp is built right, it was originally going to be the JSX 50, which was modeled after some of Joe's (Satriani) vintage Marshalls.

Gotta say though, I heard Doug Aldrich twice in May and his old modded Marshall JMP sounded incredible, one of the best live tones I've ever heard. He told me that was actually his number 2 Marshall (his #1 had been sent ahead to Europe for that leg of the tour). If I were going to play Marshall it would probably be an older one with the Aldrich mod. Amp tones are so subjective, I won't knock anything to much, most all of your established companies build something worthwhile. Marshall set the benchmark for everyone to follow, gotta give credit where credit is due.

[Fedaykin]

Randall is teh shit too

I agree with you on Randalls. They are very underrated amps. I am not into solid state, but they make the best sounding chip amps I've ever heard. Their tube amps have gotten better and better over the years. I am primarily a combo user, and I would consider getting a Randall tube combo for my next amp. I like the boutique amps as well, but Randalls are great. Also, I have always liked Laneys, with the exception of one of the amps they made in the mid 80s that was prone to tweaking transformer and pull-push pot issues. Ratt used them for their first two albums and tours, and Lynch used them on the Under Lock and Key album and tour, not for every song but some. Laneys sound the way all Marshalls should sound. One thing about modded Marshalls is they turn an unreliable amp into an extremely unreliable amp. Most players I knew who toured had trouble with Marshalls so they switched to Soldanos, Boogies, Randalls, and other more road-worthy amps. Marshalls do fall apart. I also knew players who would removed the tubes when transporting the amps, and pack the tubes very carefully with shammy cloths and popcorn foam. That is just the reality of tubes. But if you follow all the procedures to protect them, a good tube amp can last for years. And yes, there are some very special sounding Marshalls out there with tone from the gods, but I would not want to take one on tour. Boogies are built like tanks.

[Fedaykin]

I have played Peavey's my entire career, and to me the 5150/6505 have almost too much gain, some of the guys at Peavey have told me they almost didn't release the 5150 II because it was just too much. At the time of its development Ed was on tour and apparently not hearing too well, once he got a break they finished the amp in its final form or so I've been told. Not to say that they aren't great amps to some people but to me they were very touchy to dial in. I love their JSX and Classic series amps, to me those are the best amps Peavey has ever built although I would like to hear the "new" Butcher. I know that amp is built right, it was originally going to be the JSX 50, which was modeled after some of Joe's (Satriani) vintage Marshalls.

Gotta say though, I heard Doug Aldrich twice in May and his old modded Marshall JMP sounded incredible, one of the best live tones I've ever heard. He told me that was actually his number 2 Marshall (his #1 had been sent ahead to Europe for that leg of the tour). If I were going to play Marshall it would probably be an older one with the Aldrich mod. Amp tones are so subjective, I won't knock anything to much, most all of your established companies build something worthwhile. Marshall set the benchmark for everyone to follow, gotta give credit where credit is due.

Peavey make some great stuff at great prices. I remember how hard it was for them to gain respect in the rock world, yet many country players had been using them for years. Steve Morse did. They really had a breakthrough with the VMT (I think it was called) in 87. Then when Eddie began to use them they sold through the roof. They are terrific amps.
And so far as Doug Aldrich, I have been a fan of his since his days with Lion. He's a tremendous all around player and I respect him greatly. What a player. Not just the technique but the feel, and his knowledge of the instrument. Like Jake, he is one of the gods. I would also like to recommend Ronnie Le Tekro to anyone not familiar. He played with TNT and is a blast to listen to.

[tedeeoo]

Wholeheartedly agree on the Randall solid-state stuff, great amps. The biggest reason EVH went to Peavey was because his Marshalls at that time were really unreliable. One thing about Peavey amps is that they have, much like Mesa (in many ways), always been built like tanks. The VTM's were really a step up for Peavey as far as a true rock-n-roll amp.

As far a Doug Aldrich goes, he is just a first class guy all the way, he took so much time with us at both shows, really went out of his way I thought. My son (and me) will never forget the expierience. He is definately my favorite guitar player right now, great tone, great chops, great stage presence, he's got it all. Doug, apparently has 2 of the best Marshalls on the planet, both for tone and reliability, although I know he has gone through several output transformers. I know that Doug is real big on taking care of his stuff, and you have to be, even with amps that are more road-worthy a little attention to detail goes along way in making sure they last.

100 percent with you on Ronnie Le Tekro, monster player, some of the most bad-ass riffs of all time were written by this man. And, he played probably my all-time favorite solo in "10,000 Lovers".