Marshall Practice Amplifiers

kimi · #1 January 3rd, 2008

Hi guys, im currently playing with a bass amp and really need to pick up a new amp more suitable for my requirements, it doesn't have to be mega or anything but i need a little gain to get some dirty sounds...

Im thinking about picking up a Marshall MG15CDR 15 Watt Guitar Practice Amplifier which is priced at £59.99 on Amazon, and with a little searching im sure i could find it cheaper.

Does anyone have an amp from the Marshall practice range? and is this particular one any good?

krissovo · #2 January 3rd, 2008

Marshall Solid state amps are very poor in my opinion.

Everyone here raves about the Micro Cube (me included, great tone from this baby....trust me!)
ROLAND MICRO CUBE BLACK - U.K. International Cyberstore

Its a bit more expensive but worth every penny!

felixdcat · #3 January 3rd, 2008

I've got the Marshall 10W KK. Pretty OK in my opinion.

Stratrat · #4 January 5th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by krissovo

Marshall Solid state amps are very poor in my opinion.

Everyone here raves about the Micro Cube (me included, great tone from this baby....trust me!)
ROLAND MICRO CUBE BLACK - U.K. International Cyberstore

I agree with Kriss on both counts.

PepticDust · #5 January 6th, 2008

I wasn't impressed with the Microcube. It had sparkling crisp cleans sounds which would be good until I realized I wasn't on the clean channel..........turned the gain up..........still just as clean.

I recommend a Crate 15W amp. Good sounding amp, some of them have effects you can play with. Distortion channel could be a little better but that was my only beef with it.

No experience with Marshalls but did find this clip of someone using one . YouTube - My Ibanez RG Type, Marshall MG 15 CDR

Stratrat · #6 January 6th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by PepticDust

I wasn't impressed with the Microcube. It had sparkling crisp cleans sounds which would be good until I realized I wasn't on the clean channel..........turned the gain up..........still just as clean.

If you got "sparkling crisp cleans" out of the triple rectifier (R-Fier) emulation with the gain turned up, we either have a grossly different definition of "sparkling crisp cleans" or you were playing a broken Micro Cube. I can get varying degrees of hair/crunch/fuzz from the "Brit Combo", "Classic Stack" and "R-Fier" emulations, and that's playing a Tele with single-coil pickups.....hardly your standard "chugga chugga, wheedlywheedly" guitar.

Noodler · #7 January 6th, 2008

I had the same experience as PepticDust with the MicroCube. I didn't like it, which is disappointing because I really wanted a physically small amp. I found it to be "hollow" (no mids), and I don't know why, but sometimes the RFier and Stack would sound like they should and other times they just wouldn't (they'd sound clean, independent of gain or guitar vol). The store guy was with me when I demo'd it, so it should not have been broken. Maybe they are hit and miss?

One time I'd use the RFier and get a great metal tone and get the vintage Marshall sound out of the Stack. Then I'd go back and they would sound completely different. Can any owners explain that?

The other thing with the one I tried is that it seemed to amplify harsh harmonics, so if you were the tiniest bit out of tune it would sound absolutely horrid!

Annoying in a store where all the strings are new and you're constantly retuning.

As for Marshalls, I started out on an MS-2 (they toy-like half stack). They are not a serious amp, but are great for practice. I'd recommend trying the MS-4. You might like it. Mine got stolen, but I loved it when I had it. Cheap, quiet, portable, battery operated. Much like the Micro-cube without all the bells and whistles to distract you from what your fingers should be doing, which is playing.

I went for a Vox Pathfinder 15R. Not as small but sounds great and cheaper.

Stratrat · #8 January 6th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodler

...The store guy was with me when I demo'd it, so it should not have been broken. Maybe they are hit and miss?

One time I'd use the RFier and get a great metal tone and get the vintage Marshall sound out of the Stack. Then I'd go back and they would sound completely different. Can any owners explain that?.

I'd have to go back to "it must have been broken", or else I just got lucky - because I've never had any such experiences with mine.

Good choice on the Vox, though - they make nice amps. My AD30VT blows the Micro Cube out of the water, but it's about 5 times the size and almost twice the price of the Micro Cube.

kimi · #9 January 7th, 2008

Thanks for all the advice guys, i went to the guitar shop at the weekend listened to the micro cube and a Marshall, to me there was not much difference so i opted for the Marshall MG15DFX, based purely on personal preference. I ordered off the net and picked it up for £90

Noodler · #10 January 8th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimi

Thanks for all the advice guys, i went to the guitar shop at the weekend listened to the micro cube and a Marshall, to me there was not much difference so i opted for the Marshall MG15DFX, based purely on personal preference. I ordered off the net and picked it up for £90

The Marshall has to be bigger, right? What effects has it got? Does it do a Marshall tone to your liking?

coldethyl · #11 January 8th, 2008

I myself have a Marshall MG 15 DFX and find it a great little practise amp. It's got quite a bit of grunt for it's size and as I said, an overall great little amp.

Put it this way, if you wanna dial it, it will certainly rattle the window panes a bit if that's what you want.

Of course, if your intending to gig sometime, then by all means step up to a bigger amp. (preferably a tube)

kimi · #12 January 11th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodler

The Marshall has to be bigger, right? What effects has it got? Does it do a Marshall tone to your liking?

After playing with this for a few days, learning the sweet child o mine solo, i have to say im very happy with my choice, see i get in late about 9pm and have to have the volume really low so i don't wake the whole street up! this amp performs awesomely at a low setting, and the sound quality is excellent, you can hear everything on the minimal volume setting, but when you crank it up, you really do get some great sounds, ive not played around to much with the fx yet, but i did have a quick go with the echo, sounds cool on sweet child o mine

The amp is indeed quite large, but its doesn't take up much really,

Im happy with the purchase, but ill report back in a few weeks to see how its going

Noodler · #13 January 11th, 2008

The big solo, with the wah wah and everything, or just the first solo? If you can learn that big solo in a few days, let alone ever, you are a legend. That's a bichin solo.

Yeah, that's the good thing with solid state amps. They don't have to be loud to distort. Except for the GDEC, I find amps which model and have effects built in are disappointing. It seems the best effects come from pedals, then multi effects and then finally built in ones. But it's such a great way to get lots of effects for little outlay (ie you don't have to buy pedals). It'll be interesting to see what the Marshall's are like, though.

kimi · #14 January 11th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Noodler

The big solo, with the wah wah and everything, or just the first solo? If you can learn that big solo in a few days, let alone ever, you are a legend. That's a bichin solo.

.

lol i wish it was the big solo!

i mean the intro the power chords/chords and outro into the big solo.. its my aim to be able to play the whole song, but i think that will take a while!

Noodler · #15 January 11th, 2008

I can see why you went for a Marshall, then.

If you've got a fixed wah effect on your amp, try that. It'll put you into Slash tone territory. It's the effect you get by holding a wah halfway down and keeping it there. Slash uses that sound to get that throaty sound we both obviously love. Offhand Paradise City and Mr Brownstone use it a lot.