entropy Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Anyone here familiar with Marshall Combo amps? I'm looking for something small (due to my lack of money) but I want that ridiculous fat Marshall crunch. I've got my old Tweed overdrive down pat, and it's time for me to embrace my inner So-Cal punk I buried back when I was 15. Suggestions anyone? Cheers! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted August 1, 2007 Share Posted August 1, 2007 Anyone here familiar with Marshall Combo amps? I'm looking for something small (due to my lack of money) but I want that ridiculous fat Marshall crunch. I've got my old Tweed overdrive down pat, and it's time for me to embrace my inner So-Cal punk I buried back when I was 15. Suggestions anyone? Cheers!I used to have a 50 watt Marshall AVT head/half stack. It was a pretty nice rig. It wasn't too costly as it only had a preamp tube, as opposed to being chucked full of them. I would have held onto it, but it was too damn big, so I got a Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue. Now that has been a good amp. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
beenthere Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Your best option is probably an AVT combo, similar to what abuharabi described. Maybe you can find a used all-tube combo for a decent price. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anodyne Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 i really don't like solid state amps, so personally i'd avoid the AVTs. but i do love the jcm 800 combo amp. that's all tube and all rad. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
danelectro Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 The cheapy Marshall solid state and hybrid combos really don't get classic Marshall crunch, I would look elsewhere. It's not really a small combo at 50W but the Traynor YCV 50 Blue has EL-34's, and that's really what gets that tone. You may want to look into a decent pedal, the MI Audio Crunchbox is described as 'Marshall in a box' it nails the Marshall tonality. I know you are looking to save money but you may want to look into the Ceriatone clones. For around $500 you can buy a complete working chassis with tubes, you'd have to build or buy a cab. That guy builds awesome hand wired clones. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
entropy Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 Thanks a ton everyone, this has been really helpful. That pedal sounds pretty close to what I'm looking for to be honest, without the strain of the extra gear to lug around. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FourStrongWinds Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Do Marshall still make Tube Combos? small onesThe practice rooms that our band uses have a really nice old marshall 2x12 combo dunno what its called but its all tube and easily the nicest amp ive ever used but it seems to me its all Solid State now Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Do Marshall still make Tube Combos? small onesThe practice rooms that our band uses have a really nice old marshall 2x12 combo dunno what its called but its all tube and easily the nicest amp ive ever used but it seems to me its all Solid State nowI agree. I thought they used to make all their higher-end heads in combo models. Seems I remember a friend had a JCM-2000 (??) 2x12 combo and it awesome. Not to mention, it beat the hell out of hauling a half stack. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
danelectro Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Marshall still makes some decent affordable mid powered combo's, the DSL series is okay for the money. You can find used DSL201's in the $500-600 range, at 20W it's a pretty cool amp. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FourStrongWinds Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 it seems odd that such a big name in amps would want to put so much into Solid state amps, surely they relise it sucks too? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
danelectro Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 it seems odd that such a big name in amps would want to put so much into Solid state amps, surely they relise it sucks too? I doubt their venture into SS amps has anything to do with quality but is a smart way to build profits by selling budget priced amps using the Marshall name. But yeah you're right the SS Marshall stuff is junk. However I'm not a fan of their newer tube amps either the only new Marshall I would consider buying is the hand wired 1974X. I only have one tube amp that uses PCB's, the rest are hand wired and I can't see myself ever going back to mass production PCB amps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
be my demon Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 I love my AVT50 Combo. Best bang for the buck, IMO. It has been discontinued, but maybe you can find a used one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anodyne Posted August 17, 2007 Share Posted August 17, 2007 I doubt their venture into SS amps has anything to do with quality but is a smart way to build profits by selling budget priced amps using the Marshall name. But yeah you're right the SS Marshall stuff is junk. However I'm not a fan of their newer tube amps either the only new Marshall I would consider buying is the hand wired 1974X. I only have one tube amp that uses PCB's, the rest are hand wired and I can't see myself ever going back to mass production PCB amps.the peavey 5150 is a PCB one trick pony that can't be beaten for what it is. if you ever wanted to have a high gain mule of an amp, you could get this for $500 or a soldano slo-100 for $1800. i'm totally with you on the merits of hand-wired amps, but PCB amps definitely have their place. my main amp is a PCB combo and it's okay for what it is, and given how often i play it, it's a good deal. my absolute favorite rack setup was PCB (the carvin quad-x and t-100 power amp). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
danelectro Posted August 18, 2007 Share Posted August 18, 2007 the peavey 5150 is a PCB one trick pony that can't be beaten for what it is. if you ever wanted to have a high gain mule of an amp, you could get this for $500 or a soldano slo-100 for $1800. i'm totally with you on the merits of hand-wired amps, but PCB amps definitely have their place. my main amp is a PCB combo and it's okay for what it is, and given how often i play it, it's a good deal. my absolute favorite rack setup was PCB (the carvin quad-x and t-100 power amp). I don't think PCB amps necessarily sound bad just that the construction can be shoddy or repairs can be difficult, it's the horror stories of tube sockets mounted on the PCB and shoddy circuitry that gets me freaked out. But yeah I think nothing beats hand wired, the way the tone can be dialed in, even the lead dress makes a difference. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.