solid state marshalls

[frisco]

hello
i will like to get a marshall head but for now all tube heads are out of my price range. i have read about the lead 100 MOSFET so i wonder how are these compared with the valve state or MG series.

Which is more close to a valve marshall

thanxs

 

[guitarbob123]

hello
i will like to get a marshall head but for now all tube heads are out of my price range. i have read about the lead 100 MOSFET so i wonder how are these compared with the valve state or MG series.

Which is more close to a valve marshall

thanxs

MGs aren't actually Marshalls. They are simply standard crappy solid-state amps produced in China that have a Marshall logo on and get sold to stupid consumers who see the Marshall name and automatically think it'll be amazing.

 

[ext1jdh]

I have a small MG15. Got it from a pawn shop a few years back when I was needing a practice amp. It's terribly unimpressive. It does not sound like tube tone at all. Remember that tone is subjective and what I like may not be what you like. There are several members here who use SS, even MG series, and get excellent sounds from them.

That being said, it handles pedals quite well. If you put a Line6 POD in front of it, you can get some nice sounds out of it. It does cleans pretty well.

 

[MCSteeler]

MGs aren't actually Marshalls. They are simply standard crappy solid-state amps produced in China that have a Marshall logo on and get sold to stupid consumers who see the Marshall name and automatically think it'll be amazing.

That's your opinion and you're a moron. If it says Marshall on it, it's a Marshall. It may not be the same beast as one of their tube brethren, but it's still a Marshall amp.

So, to your convoluted way of thinking, a Honda or Toyota built in the States isn't a "real" Honda or Toyota. Or a Ford or GM that is built overseas isn't a "real" Ford or GM.

Marshall builds and sells fine solid state amps to go along with their high end tube amps. Get over it!

 

[Drew224]

That's your opinion and you're a moron. If it says Marshall on it, it's a Marshall. It may not be the same beast as one of their tube brethren, but it's still a Marshall amp.

So, to your convoluted way of thinking, a Honda or Toyota built in the States isn't a "real" Honda or Toyota. Or a Ford or GM that is built overseas isn't a "real" Ford or GM.

Marshall builds and sells fine solid state amps to go along with their high end tube amps. Get over it!

Lies. I've used both the MG and G series amps, as well as most of the newer tube amps, and the newer solid states sound nothing alike. Try and get ahold of one from the '80s... I forget the model name. They were MOSFET amps, and a lot closer to the tube amps in tone.

And the MG is NOT a real Marshall. It's contracted out to another company in China. It just has Marshall's name on it. Kinda like how some Korean Epiphones were made by Samick.

 

[blamo]

i hate to say it, but MG30 was my first amp...and i honestly had no issues with its tone....having said that, i couldn't tell the difference between a strat and LP back then

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

 

[>Photi G<]

And the MG is NOT a real Marshall. It's contracted out to another company in China. It just has Marshall's name on it. Kinda like how some Korean Epiphones were made by Samick.

Yeah, except Samick Epi's were actually good instruments.

Many people give good reviews to the Lead MOSFETs from the 80's. Many first-year players give good reviews to the MG's, and most of us more experienced types tried them and they are crap. Hell, when I went to buy my first amp, I plugged into an MG first, and my dad listened. Then, I plugged into a Peavey SS amp, and my dad said "That other one sounded like shit!" (referring to the MG). I later went back to buy a pedal, and I stuck it in front of one to try it out, and it still sounded like shit. This one was an MG250, the Peavey was a Vypyr 15. It absolutely blew these away.

 

[blamo]

MG + pedals = bees in a can.

my friend who started at the same time as me has a vox valvetronix...he preferred my MG the first time he heard it as well...

I'm actually kind of curious how i would feel plugging into one now that i am a tube snob.

 

[ext1jdh]

Compared to my Blackheart, the MG15 sounds pretty bad. The crunch side never sounded good. It's very buzzy. Replacing the speaker might help, but there's only so much you can do with one of these things. Opening the back would take some of the boominess out of it a bit. I never had problems with the cleans, but it colors the sound quite fiercely.

I ran my Korg ax3000 in front of it and never had the "bees in a can" sound

 

[Smedley Smorganoff]

Mosfet 100 is good. I've always liked the small Lead 12 and Reverb 12 combos too.

Although, if I was gonna go for a solid state head, I'd try to find an Acoustic 260 bass amp head. Very round and smooth sound for guitar (and there's a fuzz channel on it too). Albert King and Frank Zappa used it.

Fender silverface heads and Music Mans don't go for too much these days. With the right setup, they sound great too.

 

[SteveGangi]

For a sit at home practice amp, the MG is good enough. I have a MG30DFX. Before you ask, I can probably have about any amp I want. But, I don't play professionally, I don't gig, I don't have to please or impress anyone. So why would I need a full stack tube amp? To impress some faceless kids on the internet? I don't think so.

I've played plenty of good classic amps, and they were new at the time (such as the blackface Super Reverbs and Twin Reverbs and the Dual Showmans, and the old classic 60s Guilds, Vox and Ampegs and Marshalls - before they were "classics"). I still have the big Carvin, and it's more than loud enough. So, for a smaller fart around amp and for a very good price, I snagged the Marshall MG30DFX. Clean, it sounds good enough. On the gain channel, the trick is to keep the gain down around 9 or 10 O'clock and adjust the contour. Would I tour the world with it or play a noisy bar with it? No. Do I use it here at the house? Yes.

Besides, who the f*ck cares if I can attain Hendrix tone or Slash tone anyway?

Added on edit: For the OP... Get a Valvestate head and call it a day.

 

[slapshot]

Marshall Lead 100 1974 Model #2048 100w all solid state
I had this mothertrucker for 15 years live,studio,toured with it amazing dirty rocknroll amp.

SAM_1423 by elvisidaltendencies, on Flickr

I came to find out about 10 years after I got it however mine was heavily modified with a 300w power amp from a PA put in it.
From reading it was meant to sound like a JMP but well yeah kinda what it was really good for was a pedal base though.Much like a fender twin is but more a dirty british sound.

the sound of white noise as they use to say ....

 

[Deftone]

I have an 80's Marshall Lead 100 Mosfet head. It actually sounds decent, especially with pedals. It likes my Celestion G12T-75's and lots of pedals. It's no where near my good tube amps (obviously) but it really does sound pretty good and I got it cheap.

I also have a Marshall Lead 12 I converted to a tube amp, but it sounded pretty good before the conversion too.

I recently picked up an 80's Marshall 3203 Artist 30. It's got an SS pre amp and a tube power amp so I guess you could call it a "Hybrid." It took a bit of tweaking, but I'm pretty happy with the tone.

 

[Smedley Smorganoff]

If this amp is just to hold you over until you can afford a tube head, then maybe you want to think about getting a tube combo instead. Sure, it doesn't look as cool as a halfstack, but it would probably sound better (and louder).

I use my Music Man 1x12 65 watt combo at band practice and the other guy uses a 100 watt Marshall AVT halfstack. For both cleans and distortions, my amp absolutely slays the half stack. I had my master volume on "1" and the other guy turned his up to "8" just to match. And he sounded like sh*t too. A cranked solid state amp is not pleasent. He's lucky I don't haul my Orange OR50 and 1960 cab to practice!

Plus, most combos have an external speaker output so it can act like a head if you do get a cabinet. I'm not anti solid state or anything. But I can't help but suspect you want the half stack for the cool factor instead of actual sound.

Edit: Peavey tube heads "Classic 50" and "Classic 100" are pretty Marshally. If it really matters, you could take the "Peavey" logo off and stick a "Marshall" one on. I've seen pristine conditions go for $300.

 

[guitarbob123]

That's your opinion and you're a moron. If it says Marshall on it, it's a Marshall. It may not be the same beast as one of their tube brethren, but it's still a Marshall amp.

So, to your convoluted way of thinking, a Honda or Toyota built in the States isn't a "real" Honda or Toyota. Or a Ford or GM that is built overseas isn't a "real" Ford or GM.

Marshall builds and sells fine solid state amps to go along with their high end tube amps. Get over it!

I noticed you've wasted your money on an MG Half Stack and now don't like people saying it isn't a Marshall!

In that case Epiphones are Gibsons because Gibson owns them

 

[blues_n_cues]

hello
i will like to get a marshall head but for now all tube heads are out of my price range. i have read about the lead 100 MOSFET so i wonder how are these compared with the valve state or MG series.

Which is more close to a valve marshall

thanxs

for the budget you describe you can get a Marshall class 5 & add an extension cab later if you wish. dime that puppy & enjoy the tubes on the cheap.

 

[guysmiley]

There was a good solid state Marshall from the 70's. What was called, like a "Bass Lead" or something. Real thin heads that were loud as hell! Anyone know what I'm talking about?

Edit:
this kicks butt

2195 Bass and Lead

 

[>Photi G<]

for the budget you describe you can get a Marshall class 5 & add an extension cab later if you wish. dime that puppy & enjoy the tubes on the cheap.

C5's need some modding to sound up to snuff. Definitely miles ahead of the MG, considering its all tube, but like Lyle said in a previous thread, it sounds like ass out of the box. If you're into modding, follow Lyle's advice and swap some caps in that thing. It'll improve the tone a lot. That's around $359+parts, and a bit of time on your bench, and that thing'll be sounding like a cranked JMP in no time.

 

[xXxGhotimanxXx]

I've had an MG for about 13 years. It's done everything I need it to do...I don't gig and just play for my own entertainment. One of the hardest tones to nail is Adam Jones from Tool....and my MG does pretty good. I also own a Diezel VH4....and still like my solid state MG. In fact I run them together with an AB/Y and it sounds amazing...to my ears anyway. By running a solid state and a tube amp, I've got the best of both worlds, IMO.

J