Does anyone else use this amp? I love it but it doesn't seem to be quack friendly. If I plug my Strat into a my multitrack, or my pedal with headphones on, I have plenty of jangle. Plugging it into the Marshall it's gone.
I even tried bypassing the pre-amp and plugging my pedal into the insert. No joy.

-Dino

Hi winter7: I have a Marshall TSL122 and after several years that remains my dream amp. Far too monstrous for home use however, so I've tried several options for a practice amp.

First I bought an MG10 and an MG100DFX but didn't get on with them too well. So then I picked up an AVT100 and that is still my practice rig. Not ideal but...

Strangely, to my ear the clean channels on all those amps are the least disappointing bit. Though that may be because when you know true Marshall valve/tube drive the solid state version is such a let-down.

I don't mind the clean sounds of either the MGs or the AVT - but nobody would pretend they give vintage Fender chime. If you want a Fender sound you buy a Fender.

One more thing though. Headphones always sound different to real air moving in the room around you. I'm not out to defend the MG, but you are not comparing like with like...

Anyway. If it is headroom and chime you are after maybe a small Fender tube amp is for you?

Cheers - C

Let this thread serve as a reminder and a caution to those multitudes out there who invest huge quantities of cash on guitars, pickups and stomp boxes and labor over trivial issues like brass vs. steel jacks on instrument cables but think an amp is just an amp and not really worthy of much concern or effort. The amp is as much an instrument as the guitar ... if not more. It has a profound influence on you tone and strongly affects the fundamental properties of a given type of guitar. This is an example of that profound influence. With one amp the Strat has traditional Strat quack. With another amp it does not. The amp is as much an instrument as the guitar ... if not more.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Hi Winter7 and welcome,I am not very familiar with the Marshall MG series but I figure they must be solid state.I have found that a lot of solid state amps(even Marshalls)lacking in bringing out the warmth and definition that a tube amp can.I have a Vox Pathfinder 15R and even though it's solid state and very cheap it brings out the quack and clearness of a Strat quite well.The Vox AD series is also good for bringing out the best of a Strat's tone,it's a hybred amp with a tube (12AX7)in the preamp that gives it the warmth and the rest of it is solid state.There also tube driven pedals that you could put in your signal path that could bring out the true tone of your Strat.Tech 21 makes the SansAmp Character Series pedals that are getting good reviews for sound enhancement they come voiced like a tube Marshall,Vox,Fender Blonde etc. certainly a cheaper alternative to a new amp.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

+1 - I couldn't agree more.

It is a solid state amp with a valve emulation. I don't think this is a solid state/tube issue though, since the multitrack (also solid state) has insane amounts of that bell like tone. A close second to that is the effects pedal which is a digitech rp7 with a 12ax7 pre-amp, and I tried that on the insert bypassing the Marshall's pre-amp. But it still kills the brightness. It seems to be coloring the sound in the power stage. Mind you, it sounds nice, but it takes away the Strat like quality.

I think for my next experiment I might try eq-ing the sound going into the insert to brighten it up more

You can get most cheaper guitars to sound like a million bucks thru a good amp, but you can never get a good guitar to sound great thru a cheap amp.A guitar you can mod the crap out of , but a cheap amp, not so much.

What is Quack?

Quack is difficult to describe in words but it is largely centered around the midrange frequencies and occurs in pickup selector positions 2 and 4. It is similar in nature (but not in sound) to the spank of a Telecaster. IMO these are the defining aspects of both guitars. In both guitars the sound gets less noticeable the more gain you use in the drive stage.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Okay, so if the amp plays such an important part in the sound (a point I don't disagree with), what would be a good amp if you're a hobbyist whose guitar-playing pretty much consists of playing along with backing tracks, etc.? I've read a lot of reviews and they're pretty much all over the place so its hard to figure out what is considered a really decent amp for someone who doesn't play in a band or play outside the home...

winter7 wrote



I have the Marshall 100HDFX….overall I think it’s a good amp (not great but good)…Your right there is no quack with it…for me at least that is a good thing I like my tone smoother and more scooped. There is definitely some good tomes to be had from this MG amp….there is no secret that electrical signals travel different through silicon resisters that they do through a vacuum tube; that’s just the nature of the beast…even Marshall tube amps I have had don’t quack much at all with the EL34’s in them..that seems to come across better in the 6L6’s Tubes….if you want more jangle I would look at a VOX, Fender, type amps…the MGhdfx is not a bad amp for metal and blues…cleans are good but does have that solid state sterile feel to it…Good for jazz or rock clean but the country twang/quack will never be there….

Bill

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(80’s Hair Metal) = A snapshot in time before Grunge ruined Rock & Roll forever!!!!

I would suggest you try out the Superchamp XD. It's great for bedroom level playing and playing with backing tracks.

You really have to go and try different amps to find the one or ones that please you but there are amps that define a certain kind of tone so you might want to try them first to use for comparison. For example, if you are looking for traditional Fender bell tones and a great overdrive as well the Vibro King pretty much defines that category when used with a Strat or Tele. It's quite pricey and out of many players budgets but it will define a baseline for comparison. If you like metal or the Seattle grunge sound you will want to try a humbucker equipped guitar with a Mesa Dual Rectifier first and compare the other amps to it. I personally really like the Mesa Dual Rectifier Roadster as I find it to be the one of the most versatile amps in the Rectfier series. Once you've tried these expensive amps and have played them enough to get a feel for them you'll be better able to judge what is best in your own price point. The amps I mentioned are not for the bedroom use but they do represent an example of great tone.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Yep - but bear in mind Oldguy is asking for something to use pretty much exclusively at home.

Oldguy, you need first to decide whether you want tubes/valves or not. Most of us would feel we get the best sounds from tubes - but they need to run hot (loud) to really do their thang, and what most people won't tell you at time of purchase is that there is also a cost to maintaining a tube amp.

Every so often those tubes blow, just like incandescent light bulbs, and when that happens they sometimes take others out with them. The cost of a revalve/retube is not tiny, especially if you take the amp to a tech to have them do it for you (I still do).

All of that is fine if you know what you are in for. And if so, I'd strongly recommend you look at one of the many excellent low wattage amps that have become available in recent years. The Orange Tiny Terror has an amazing range of tone from pretty good clean through classic crunch to a goodly level of drive. Or Vox do their NightTrain, Hayden their Mofo, Marshall their new Class Five, Blackstar their HT-5 and of course if the Fender sound is your thing then the Champion 600 puts a lot into a small box.

But if you don't want the down sides of tubes then a modelling amp may be ideal for you. Then you are looking at offerings from Line 6 and Vox in particular. Many others of that sort too.

Or there are hybrid amps, ones that have a single tube in them to help things feel "tubesome", but with less of the bother of the full-on animal. Again, Vox's Valvetronix is well liked by many here, and there is also the Marshall AVT series, amongst many others.

Or there's full solid state amps. Hmmm....

Cheers - C

Thanks, Ceri. Right now, I'm using a Johnson JT-50 that I've had for a long time. Its got way too much power (50w) for my needs and its a solid state amp. So, I figure I should look for a tube amp or a hybrid for a contrast to the JT-50. One I've considered is the Super Champ XD, which I believe is a hybrid amp, but then I think I should go to all all-tube amp since I don't plan to get rid of the JT-50.... Someone else suggested a Champ 600 but I've read some reviews and posts that kinda steer me away from it -- sounds like they're prone to some problems... too many choices, too many reviews... Best idea is to go try some out...