Personal for many years, ive been using a Marshall MG15MSII, which works amazing, great tone, and has withstood a 900 people gig i played at caird hall in dundee a couple years back
I grabbed a used SoCal for $299 and a used Marshall 4×12 (with Vintage 30s) for $499. $800 and I’m loving it.
I tried the 1960A, a 2×12 (with Vintage 30s), a Peavy Winsdor 4×12, and a B52 4×12 before settling on the Marshall Vintage.
BTW, the 8 ohm Vintage 30s break-up much earlier than the 16 ohm ones and I think that has a lot to do with the tone I’m getting (very “old school” IMHO).
I run a Radial Plexitube, EH Metal Muff, Line 6 MM4, and BBE Sonic Stomp in front of this and a Marshall Vintage 30 4×12 behind it and can get pretty much any sound I want.
I play everything from Classic Brit rock to Black Sabbath to yes, even Green Day and Blink 182.
I’ve found that using Channel 2 (with the Gain almost off and the Contour around 10-11 O’Clock) and the Interactive EQ — rather than Channel 1 — as my “Clean” channel sounds much better for the sound I’m after.
ok, I have a question for anyone who has this amp.
A) What type of tubes are the preamp tubes? I know the power tubes are EL34’s.
B) What happens if I take the reverb chamber out/unplug the two cords from it? Frankly I cant stand the reverb on this thing and it rattles like a sonofabitch when I take it to gigs.
i agree with likkamatt, i mean ive played gibson guitars, and theyre awesome. but i play epiphone and for the price difference, epiphone is worth it and soon ppl will realize it even though you hear a lot of, just buy gibson!!
ohh and i used this amp to play blues and nothing more and maybe calssic staff but if you want to play like greenday or others dont get this amp better marshall.
ermmm i used this head man this head is how can i say i dont want use bad words ….. but save up money for a marshall JCM 2000 i can say or to something else or laney man or there is much more expensive amp like mesa and others BUT DONT GET SOLID STATE GET TUBE AMP , epiphone have bad electronic and cheap quality
yeh man … i would advise getting a distortion pedal though, maybe a boss ds-2 or if you want the marshall sound (both tom delonge and billie joe armstrong use marshalls) get a marshall jackhammer pedal
Don’t worry about a Solid State rectifier.
It’s still an all-tube class A circuit with one, and Fenders been putting them in their amps since the silverface days (67-73ish).
oh ya i know the difference between a tube AMP and a solid state. i used to have a MG series marshall which as you probably know is solid state. now i have a valve king. i always knew tube amps rocked i just couldnt afford em. i still cant! haha
I believe it is a device that convert AC(alternating current) to DC(direct current).
Now regarding solid state rectifiers, they aren’t bad or anything and honestly there’s not much of a difference performance or tone wise between tube or solid state rectifiers. It’s just that tube rectifiers converts the current differently.
Now don’t get these confused when it comes to amps. Tube amps and solid-state amps are completely different when it comes to tone.
Adding tungsols 12ax7’s in the preamp will turn this amp into a brighter hard rock amp. Especially with a high gain version in the PI.
Adding JJEc803S will give you smoother top end and more mids.
Adding a lower gain type 12at7 in V1 and the amp will clean op more. 2×12at7 and 1 high gain 12ax7 with 2kt88 in the power section (circuit mod required) wil make it a good clean amp more of like a plexi sound
Adding a choke is also an upgrade that’s well worth the investment, that doesn’t cost much. There’s a lot to be done to fit your taste, but the basic principle of this amp is very good.
April 18th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
Personal for many years, ive been using a Marshall MG15MSII, which works amazing, great tone, and has withstood a 900 people gig i played at caird hall in dundee a couple years back
but this, this sounds so fresh
April 20th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I grabbed a used SoCal for $299 and a used Marshall 4×12 (with Vintage 30s) for $499. $800 and I’m loving it.
I tried the 1960A, a 2×12 (with Vintage 30s), a Peavy Winsdor 4×12, and a B52 4×12 before settling on the Marshall Vintage.
BTW, the 8 ohm Vintage 30s break-up much earlier than the 16 ohm ones and I think that has a lot to do with the tone I’m getting (very “old school” IMHO).
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:07 am
I run a Radial Plexitube, EH Metal Muff, Line 6 MM4, and BBE Sonic Stomp in front of this and a Marshall Vintage 30 4×12 behind it and can get pretty much any sound I want.
I play everything from Classic Brit rock to Black Sabbath to yes, even Green Day and Blink 182.
I’ve found that using Channel 2 (with the Gain almost off and the Contour around 10-11 O’Clock) and the Interactive EQ — rather than Channel 1 — as my “Clean” channel sounds much better for the sound I’m after.
April 25th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
this amp isnt one of those high gain ones. completely different. And WAY less expensive.
April 28th, 2009 at 7:56 am
ok, I have a question for anyone who has this amp.
A) What type of tubes are the preamp tubes? I know the power tubes are EL34’s.
B) What happens if I take the reverb chamber out/unplug the two cords from it? Frankly I cant stand the reverb on this thing and it rattles like a sonofabitch when I take it to gigs.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:39 am
This is just a Grainger Hammerhead with a new badge.
May 4th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
JUST UNDER A GRAND!! you can get these in the uk for £393 (about $510) head and cab!!
May 5th, 2009 at 6:22 am
I think you’ll find Tom uses a mesa.
May 5th, 2009 at 6:51 am
i agree with likkamatt, i mean ive played gibson guitars, and theyre awesome. but i play epiphone and for the price difference, epiphone is worth it and soon ppl will realize it even though you hear a lot of, just buy gibson!!
May 8th, 2009 at 2:45 am
is this amp worth it’s price?
does it have a good eq that really changes the sound?
May 9th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
or get BUGERA or get peavey 6505
May 12th, 2009 at 1:52 am
ohh and i used this amp to play blues and nothing more and maybe calssic staff but if you want to play like greenday or others dont get this amp better marshall.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
ermmm i used this head man this head is how can i say i dont want use bad words ….. but save up money for a marshall JCM 2000 i can say or to something else or laney man or there is much more expensive amp like mesa and others BUT DONT GET SOLID STATE GET TUBE AMP , epiphone have bad electronic and cheap quality
May 16th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Line 6 Half Stack or this?
May 18th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
yeh man … i would advise getting a distortion pedal though, maybe a boss ds-2 or if you want the marshall sound (both tom delonge and billie joe armstrong use marshalls) get a marshall jackhammer pedal
May 21st, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Yes it’s suits your style, not 100% though but hey, it’s a lot cheaper..
May 23rd, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Is this good for Blink 182 and Green Day covers? Anyone please? I gotta know before i buy it next week.
May 25th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Epiphone are gonna pass Gibson soon… lol
May 26th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Are you talking about the valveking? The Valveking is Class A and Class A/B. There’s a knob on it called “texture” that lets you swap.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Don’t worry about a Solid State rectifier.
It’s still an all-tube class A circuit with one, and Fenders been putting them in their amps since the silverface days (67-73ish).
May 30th, 2009 at 11:36 am
oh ya i know the difference between a tube AMP and a solid state. i used to have a MG series marshall which as you probably know is solid state. now i have a valve king. i always knew tube amps rocked i just couldnt afford em. i still cant! haha
May 31st, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I believe it is a device that convert AC(alternating current) to DC(direct current).
Now regarding solid state rectifiers, they aren’t bad or anything and honestly there’s not much of a difference performance or tone wise between tube or solid state rectifiers. It’s just that tube rectifiers converts the current differently.
Now don’t get these confused when it comes to amps. Tube amps and solid-state amps are completely different when it comes to tone.
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:14 am
hey can someone explain to me what a rectifier is? i have no idea? is a solid state rectifier bad?
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Yea, it has a setting on the clean channel that says “Crunch” that does vintage tones quite well.
June 3rd, 2009 at 5:33 am
Would this be good for using just the clean and putting it through stomp boxes?
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 am
Understanding tube amps.
Adding tungsols 12ax7’s in the preamp will turn this amp into a brighter hard rock amp. Especially with a high gain version in the PI.
Adding JJEc803S will give you smoother top end and more mids.
Adding a lower gain type 12at7 in V1 and the amp will clean op more. 2×12at7 and 1 high gain 12ax7 with 2kt88 in the power section (circuit mod required) wil make it a good clean amp more of like a plexi sound
Adding a choke is also an upgrade that’s well worth the investment, that doesn’t cost much. There’s a lot to be done to fit your taste, but the basic principle of this amp is very good.