Guitarists - Comment on This Amplifier v. (Updated with Purchase)

[kirksnosehair]

I'm looking for something with a little bit harder crunch than my Carvin MTS 3200 (all tube 100 watt combo) but since I'm saving for a bigger house, I promised the wife I'd keep it as close to $1000 as possible.  I've always wanted a Marshall and this one caught my eye and seems to be getting a lot of good reviews.

Anyone own this or have a different suggestion in a similar price range?  I don't play gigs, this is purely for my home studio.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Marshall-MA-Series-MA100C-100W-2x12-Tube-Guitar-Combo-Amp-105774376-i1476782.gc

[7StringedBeast]

To be honest I've never really been a fan of Marshall amps.  I would suggest you look into Mesa's, Peavey, or Orange. 

[kirksnosehair]

Don't like Peavey (I've owned a few and never cared for the sound) although Mesa might be a good choice if I can find something affordable.  Never heard of Orange so that disqualifies it.

You got any suggestions on a Mesa 100 watt combo - it *must* have an effects loop. 

[7StringedBeast]

Dude do not disqualify orange.  I've been playing for 12 years and have heard a bunch of amps.  Orange make FANTASTIC sounding amps.  I mean, seriously they are fucking awesome.

Hmm I didn't realize how expensive Mesa combos are.  You might have to look for used.  The Mark !V is really nice.

[kirksnosehair]

Dude do not disqualify orange.  I've been playing for 12 years and have heard a bunch of amps.  Orange make FANTASTIC sounding amps.  I mean, seriously they are fucking awesome.

Hmm I didn't realize how expensive Mesa combos are.  You might have to look for used.  The Mark !V is really nice.

Yeah, the Mesa's are nice and they sound great, but they're ridiculously expensive.  And I'm not buying used.  I don't buy used gear.  I prefer new stuff, with the full warranty and all that jazz.

 I've wanted another Marshall for a while now.  Bought my first one in '82 and ended up selling it when I quit playing live.  I almost bought another one about 10 years ago, but then I had a chance to play through the Carvin and fell in love with it.  The Carvin has been very reliable, but the overdrive channel just doesn't quite deliver the kind of crunch I'm looking for on our next album.  Mesa is nice, but too expensive.  I've got a $1000 budget.

Guess I'll have to take a ride down the Guitar Center this weekend and play a few amps.  They threw me out of there two weeks ago 
 
 

[7StringedBeast]

I mean, my feeling on Marshall is you are paying most of the money for the name and not necessarily the quality.  But that's just my opinion on them.  It's a personal thing really.  If Marshall gives you the sound you want, you should obviously buy one.

I used to be dead set on buying a Mesa Duo Rectifier.  I was all about it.  Then my friend told me to look into the Peavey XXX and a few others.  I tried the XXX and loved it.  Saved me some cash too.  So looking at alternatives is a good idea.

Honestly, see if you can at least try orange amps or watch some demo videos on youtube of them.  See if you like their sound.  I personally think they have some of the best crunch out there. 

Do they make Randall amps anymore?  I think their tube amps were kinda decent.

Definitely go to guitar center to try some stuff out.  However, they usually have a limited selection of amps, and most of them are shit.

[rumborak]

Do they make Randall amps anymore?  I think their tube amps were kinda decent.

I used to own one, the rack unit where you can plug in different modules that emulate classic amps. Thing is, as cool as it was, it always struck me as a recording studio kind of amp. The thing is chock full of tubes, and it never struck me as a good idea to go gigging with it. I sold it in the end.

I personally own a FractalAudio Axe-Fx (Standard), and I love it to death. You can get all the sounds you want out of it, and if you can get your hands on one (it's discontinued) I would think you can get it for around $1k. Problem is of course that you still need a separate power amp.

rumborak

[Basekick]

It's really too bad that you don't go Used, as I'd think you could certainly get yourself a 2x12 cab + A sweet Marshall or Splawn Pro Stock head for roughly $1000 total.

If you really want the Marshall Tube sound for under $1000 Combo new....that might be a bit tough, I'm afraid to say.  Marshall's get their quintessential sound from their prime heads, such as the JCM 800 series or more recently JVM models.  I don't think you'd be satisfied with that MA100C.

[Kornflake]

If you've got your heart set on a Marshall then go for it, but I'd suggest checking out Egnater amps.  I have their Renegade 212 model and LOVE it.  They also make one called the Tourmaster that's real cool.
The Renegade has two 6L6s and 2 EL34s and has a "Tube Mix" knob on the clean and gain channels that let you select any combination of tubes that you want... like 40% 6L6 and 60% EL34...any combination you like.
The Tourmaster has 4 channels.  2 clean and 2 gain so you can really get a lot out of it just through the footswitch without having to adjust your settings too much. Don't quote me on this because I could be wrong, but I believe that Ty Tabor uses an Egnater Tourmaster.

[kirksnosehair]

Well, I spent three hours in Guitar Center on Saturday.  Played an Orange.  It was....OK.  Nothing special, but that might have just been the model they had there, which I think was only 60watts.   The didn't have the Marshall that I'm interested in available on the floor to check out, but I did play a nice Mesa Boogie used amp.  Great sound, for sure, but I'm just not plunking down $2300 for a three year old amp and head that comes with a 90 day warranty.  I asked them about an extended warranty on it and they pulled out a thing about as thick as a Gideon bible     Doesn't matter because I might be able to tweak the budget a little bit, but not that much. 

It's really too bad that you don't go Used, as I'd think you could certainly get yourself a 2x12 cab + A sweet Marshall or Splawn Pro Stock head for roughly $1000 total.

If you really want the Marshall Tube sound for under $1000 Combo new....that might be a bit tough, I'm afraid to say.  Marshall's get their quintessential sound from their prime heads, such as the JCM 800 series or more recently JVM models.  I don't think you'd be satisfied with that MA100C.

You could be right about the sound and it may just be a matter of caving in a little bit on the budget.  The problem is, I don't really have the room for a big amp, not until I can buy a bigger house, and that's not going to be for another couple of years.....It's too bad they didn't have that MA100 on the floor, I really wanted to hear it.  I don't think I'll buy one without having a chance to play one. 

If you've got your heart set on a Marshall then go for it, but I'd suggest checking out Egnater amps.  I have their Renegade 212 model and LOVE it.  They also make one called the Tourmaster that's real cool.
The Renegade has two 6L6s and 2 EL34s and has a "Tube Mix" knob on the clean and gain channels that let you select any combination of tubes that you want... like 40% 6L6 and 60% EL34...any combination you like.
The Tourmaster has 4 channels.  2 clean and 2 gain so you can really get a lot out of it just through the footswitch without having to adjust your settings too much. Don't quote me on this because I could be wrong, but I believe that Ty Tabor uses an Egnater Tourmaster.

I didn't see this until this morning.  I don't recall seeing anything with that brand name on it, but I'm going to the Guitar Center in Boston tomorrow because it's way bigger than the one I went to on Saturday and I was told they have more amps on the floor to try out.  Keep in mind too that I don't need a lot of flexibility in terms of footswitch capabilities because this amp will be 100% studio use.

As far as the Marshall "name vs quality" value proposition, well, generally, I love the sound of Marshall amps.  Always have.  The MA100C is extremely comparable in terms of configuration to my Carvin MTS3200 Combo and the price is.....identical.  Besides, I'm not really a value shopper. 

I'm definitely not stuck on Marshall, and I plan on trying some other stuff when I go into town tomorrow.

[7StringedBeast]

Keep in mind that no tube amp in the store is going to sound good if you don't take it into an isolated room and get the volume up a bit.  Those amps need to hit a sweet spot.  The orange is 60watts because it lets you get saturated crunch at quieter volumes.

[kirksnosehair]

Keep in mind that no tube amp in the store is going to sound good if you don't take it into an isolated room and get the volume up a bit.  Those amps need to hit a sweet spot.  The orange is 60watts because it lets you get saturated crunch at quieter volumes.

Believe me, I play them.  I take them into a room, and I crank them up.  For quite a while too.  In fact, the guitar center I went to on Saturday, in North Attleboro, MA has actually pressured me to make a decision a couple of times in the past because I am known to play a dozen guitars for up to 4 hours at a time when shopping in that store.  Of course, now that I've dumped about $20k in their store equipping my home studio, they kiss my ass when I walk in that place. 

As far as wattage goes, one thing I've noticed over the years in my recordings is I seem to get a better result in the 100watt and over range than I do in the lower wattage amps.  I asked my engineer about that and he told me about the science of moving air from your speaker to your mic.  The fact is, higher output amps move more air at a higher velocity and the texture of the sound they produce (given the correct use of the volume knob, of course) is different than that of lower output amps. 

That's probably the main reason that my wife cannot be in the house when I'm recording  because it's pretty damned loud running a 100watt tube amp on the overdrive channel in a 12 x 12 room with the volume on 8 

[rumborak]

I can only reiterate, don't completely discount digital either. You get a lot more bang for your buck with them.

rumborak

[kirksnosehair]

I can only reiterate, don't completely discount digital either. You get a lot more bang for your buck with them.

rumborak

I don't like how they sound, and as I mentioned already, I'm not really a "value" shopper.   Plus, I already own a modeling amplifier with solid state and tube technology in the same unit.  It makes a nice holder for my coffee while I'm recording 

[kirksnosehair]

So, anyway, I got a few gift cards to Guitar Center for Christmas this year, so next week the amp hunting will commence in earnest.

[Kornflake]

You should sign up for e-mails from Guitar Center if don't already get them.  They send coupons pretty much every week.  They're usually always the same - Save 15% or whatever, but 15% on a new amp is a big savings.  Even if you remove yourself from the e-mail list the next day, it would be well worth it to check for coupons before you go.
A lot of the coupons will have brand restrictions...and the good brands are usually the ones that you can't use it with, but SOMETIMES you'll get a cool sales person who won't care and will give you the deal anyways. That's how I got 15% off a brand spanking new Les Paul Traditional back in the summer.

Good luck on your search.  Come back when you make the purchase and let us know what you decided on.

[kirksnosehair]

Cheers, Kornflake - funny you mentioned that because I've been on guitar center's spam list for ages......I'm probably going to end up taking the plunge sometime around my birthday, which is February 14th.....unless a deal I can't pass up comes before then.

I'll definitely post in this thread when I make a move.

[MondayMorningLunatic]

I checked out an MA at Guitar Center recently and liked it a lot. However, I had a really bad experience owning a Marshall MGsomethingoranother. I think that the company's quality control has tanked in recent years. Check out Blackstar. They're run by disgruntled ex-Marshall employees, and I'm a disgruntled ex-Marshall user, so they're my favorite amp company. The HT Studio seems like a good match for you.

[deadtotheworld]

Kirknosehair... If you still love your Carvin, have you considered putting a tubescreamer in front of it to give it a bit of extra bite, rather than going down the new amp route?

[kirksnosehair]

I checked out an MA at Guitar Center recently and liked it a lot. However, I had a really bad experience owning a Marshall MGsomethingoranother. I think that the company's quality control has tanked in recent years. Check out Blackstar. They're run by disgruntled ex-Marshall employees, and I'm a disgruntled ex-Marshall user, so they're my favorite amp company. The HT Studio seems like a good match for you.

My engineer/producer suggested the same thing.  I'm going to have to give them some consideration.

Kirknosehair... If you still love your Carvin, have you considered putting a tubescreamer in front of it to give it a bit of extra bite, rather than going down the new amp route?

 Yeah, I already have one.   


 
 

[aurorablind]

I checked out an MA at Guitar Center recently and liked it a lot. However, I had a really bad experience owning a Marshall MGsomethingoranother. I think that the company's quality control has tanked in recent years. Check out Blackstar. They're run by disgruntled ex-Marshall employees, and I'm a disgruntled ex-Marshall user, so they're my favorite amp company. The HT Studio seems like a good match for you.

Remember, the Marshall M-series are budget amplifiers (crap IMO). Marshall still make great tube-amps, like the classic JCM-800 which i can highly recommend.
Blackstar amps are great though!
Personally, i've used an ENGL Screamer 50 for more or less 10 years now, and it's awesome! The clean channel is perfect, the reverb rocks and the drive channels = 

[Felix]

the marshall amp have a great crunch distortion ....... pure analog ..... im a fan of the boggie and the peavey amps ... but the marshall have everything are u looking for!!

[unklejman]

You probably already got an amp, and I know you said you don't buy used, but the discontinued Mesa f-50 has a really nice tone for cheap. I've seen them go from between $500-$800.

https://tonefinder.com/index.php?section=amp&value=Mesa+F-50+Combo


Also I think they made a f-100 as well.

[kirksnosehair]

You probably already got an amp, and I know you said you don't buy used, but the discontinued Mesa f-50 has a really nice tone for cheap. I've seen them go from between $500-$800.

https://tonefinder.com/index.php?section=amp&value=Mesa+F-50+Combo


Also I think they made a f-100 as well.

Yeah, I think my budget may be going up a bit.  I'm finding that I can't really get what I want in that lower price range.  I may end up forking over more like $1200 to $1500 I think.

[kirksnosehair]

So, in the end, after playing about 6 or 7 different amps, including some high-end Vox, Marshall, Orange and others, I kept coming back to the Peavey 6505+ 112 tube combo.  It's 60 watts, which is more than enough power for what I do, but most importantly, the tone of this amplifier is exactly what I was looking for.

So, I traded in the Fender Cyber Twin, which really never got any use and they gave me half of what I paid for it, which was what I asked for.  I walked out of the Guitar center store with what I wanted for less than $300 out of pocket cost.

Can't find it on the Guitar Center website, but here's the specs on it at Musician's Friend

I'll post a couple of pics in a second...

[kirksnosehair]

So, here it is sitting on the floor in my home studio:



I'll be pissing off the neighbors tonight as I dial in the tone controls and get it connected up to my rack system FX loop.

I'll post some audio samples after I get some good sound dialed in.

[7StringedBeast]

woah so you went with a Peavey after all?  I thought you didn't like them.  Very cool though.  Peavey's get some great crunch imo.

[kirksnosehair]

woah so you went with a Peavey after all?  I thought you didn't like them.  Very cool though.  Peavey's get some great crunch imo.

Well, you know, generally, I thought the tone with the Peavey's was not quite what I was after, but I decided to bring my 7 string with me to Guitar Center so that I could make sure that I was truly getting the sound I wanted from the amp I purchased.  Money was really not a deciding factor at all, but it definitely was cool that I got out of there with something less expensive.  Now the money I saved can be put into my new studio computer and rack system which is next on my "to get" list.

I played a bunch of amps. I got to guitar center right at noon when they open and I didn't walk out to the parking lot with my purchase until almost 3:30pm.   I played a Marshall half-stack first.  I was really unimpressed with how it sounded.   I thought the Orange sounded very good and the Vox sounded pretty good as well.  I played a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier and that one had the best sound of all, but the head and cabinet would have cost me close to 4 grand, and my wife would have killed me  .  Right after I played the Mesa I checked out the Peavey and was really surprised at how good it sounded.  The guy helping me pointed out that the Peavey doesn't have as good a clean tone as some amps, but since I still have the Carvin MTS 3200 (which has awesome clean sound) that didn't really matter to me.

So, yeah, I ended up with a Peavey. 

This is why I never say "never" 

[7StringedBeast]

I hear ya man.  Peavey isn't the best clean sound, but its still a pretty damn good one if you can dial it in.  I love my XXX.  Seriously love it, and I think the XXX is just a higher gain version of what you got.  I usually keep the gain dialed real low on my XXX and the crunch and rock sounds I get out of it are fantastic and it can handle playing stuff like Dream Theater like cake.

Congrats on the purchase.

[kirksnosehair]

Thanks, man.  I'm pretty excited to start recording some demos with it.   

My seven string sounds positively crushing on it.

[Basekick]

woah so you went with a Peavey after all?  I thought you didn't like them.  Very cool though.  Peavey's get some great crunch imo.

Well, you know, generally, I thought the tone with the Peavey's was not quite what I was after, but I decided to bring my 7 string with me to Guitar Center so that I could make sure that I was truly getting the sound I wanted from the amp I purchased.  Money was really not a deciding factor at all, but it definitely was cool that I got out of there with something less expensive.  Now the money I saved can be put into my new studio computer and rack system which is next on my "to get" list.

I played a bunch of amps. I got to guitar center right at noon when they open and I didn't walk out to the parking lot with my purchase until almost 3:30pm.   I played a Marshall half-stack first.  I was really unimpressed with how it sounded.   I thought the Orange sounded very good and the Vox sounded pretty good as well. I played a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier and that one had the best sound of all, but the head and cabinet would have cost me close to 4 grand, and my wife would have killed me .  Right after I played the Mesa I checked out the Peavey and was really surprised at how good it sounded.  The guy helping me pointed out that the Peavey doesn't have as good a clean tone as some amps, but since I still have the Carvin MTS 3200 (which has awesome clean sound) that didn't really matter to me.

So, yeah, I ended up with a Peavey. 

This is why I never say "never" 

Four Grand?!?!  Jesus, I used to work at GC and know that you can get a spanking new Dual Rec + a Used 2x12 Mes Cab for $2000 including tax.  Even with a new cab that's $2500.

[kirksnosehair]

Right, I don't buy used equipment.   The Mesa amp they had there was either a dual or a triple rectifier and it was around $2000 and the cabinet was a 2x12 and that was around $1500 so after taxes and all that jazz it would have been about $3700.  Some day....I could be wrong on the models here, but I'm not wrong on the price tag.

[unklejman]

Have you had a bad experience with used equipment, or you just want the warranty?

[kirksnosehair]

Have you had a bad experience with used equipment, or you just want the warranty?

Both, actually.  I purchased a used amp about 10 years ago that turned out to be a disaster.  I said never again.

Also, I was wrong about the Mesa in one respect - the speaker cabinet I was looking at was a 4x12 not a 2x12

[unklejman]

I'm actually in the market for an amp myself. I've currently just been using Revalver mkII up to this point. I just started a practice regimen in order to actually learn how to play and quit fiddling around. I'm still rather beginner at this point.

I've narrowed down my search to either a used Mesa DC-5 or Mark IV.   I really like the sound of the Mark IV and the versatility. The DC-5 is quite a bit cheaper though, and has can get a similar sound but not quite the depth, but I could buy a head and cab with the price point, where as with the Mark IV I'm stuck buying a combo.