Boutique Marshall opinions, please

[dirtyguitar]

I've been playing Matchless and BC 4el84 amps for so long, I forgot what got me goin in the first place, I love them but I just bought a copy of How the West Was Won on CD and the guitar tone's page was getting on "Since I've Been Loving You" gav e me a serious Marshall woodie!

I'm not a true vintage guy cause I need reliability so...Mojave, Blockhead, Germino, Roccaforte? Which one do you guys like and why and>>> Is there a lower power version that nails that 'Page' tone?

Your input is greatly appreciated....

Thanks

Chris

 

[esw]

Check out the demo video for the 20/22 watt handwired Marshall that just came out. Sounds VERY Pagey.

I used to come very close with a 1987x and an old 4x12 with greenbacks.

 

[TheAmpNerd]

Originally posted by dirtyguitar
I'm not a true vintage guy cause I need reliability so...Mojave, Blockhead, Germino, Roccaforte? Which one do you guys like and why and>>> Is there a lower power version that nails that 'Page' tone?

Your input is greatly appreciated....

Thanks

Chris

I'd check out some of Doug's mid power ranged amps, if you are looking for that tone. Doug
is a great guy and makes great amps.

Plus, his build quality is excellent!

Doug's a huge fan of Page--nuff said?

 

[mailman]

Originally posted by dirtyguitar
...I'm not a true vintage guy cause I need reliability so...Mojave, Blockhead, Germino, Roccaforte? Which one do you guys like...
Chris [/B]

Vintage...reliability...hmmmm...I smell THD.

 

[JWR]

I have a Mojave Peacemaker. However, for the J Page stuff I have a '72 Marshall Super Lead that is classic tone defined. The Super lead has less gain but has more high end than the Mojave which aggressive and is voiced slightly darker.

 

[908SSP]

In my opinion for a plexi sound from 1watt to 100 you can't beat the Maven Peal Ganesha. It just sounds real and I have a near mint 69 Marshall to compare it to. The Ganesha is better in many ways not the least being the adjustable wattage. Check out their website for all the details because there is a lot of them.

 

[wichita]

Why don't you just buy an early 70's metal panel 50 watt Marshall and play through that?

I really don't get all this copying Marshall business that goes on these days. There are well serviced affordable Marshalls out there that sound great.
Page played a Marshall, you can too.

 

[wichita]

Well,
That all sounds reasonable but a Marshall still gets that sound, biasing has been something that has been done on amps for years...no biggie, the noise level is not all that bad on a properly serviced Marshall, and why pay boutique prices to get a tone that is available from the source at a reasonable amount of money?

That whole thing of guys going through a dozen boutique Marshalls looking for Jimmy Page's tone is just goofy. Buy a freakin' Marshall...

 

[kannibul]

Originally posted by Maven Peal
Well, Marshalls do present a few problems:

(1) The only volume Marshalls sound great at is blasting (IMO), which gets old, not only for you but everyone else, as well as eventually causing hearing loss, not only for you but everyone else

(2) You have to pay your tech has to bias the tubes every time you need a new one (unless you want to--or even know how to--open the chassis and expose yourself to high voltages)

(3) Your tech is limited to biasing the tubes as a group instead of biasing each tube individually, which means you have to buy expensive matched pairs

(4) Your stuck using one type of tube (whether EL34s or 6550s--either way you're stuck)

(5) You have to put all your time-based effects in front of the Marshall

(6) You have to live with and accept a TON of that Marshall hum (which costs you more during recording filtering this out)

(7) You sound different every time the wall voltage changes

As for Mr. Page, he just didn't have access to any solutions back then.

Dave

#1 Attenuator, or a Post Phase Inverter master, or both!
#2 you have to do that anyway
#3 what kind of expense? Tubes are sold in matched sets more often than not, and when you blow one, you *should* replace the set anyway.
#4 You can have it modded to allow for either, just need a rebias.
#5 When those Marshalls were built, they didn't have FX Loops. You could always have one put in...
#6 Hum? Ok, sure - whatever...
#7 Every amp has this "problem"

 

[kannibul]

Originally posted by Maven Peal
Yes, biasing has been around for years, but you have always had to pay your tech money to bias your Marshall (until most recently with the 18/20 models if I'm correct... have to admit I don't know how that works). But at $50 to $200 or more a pop, safely and accurately biasing without a tech *is* a biggie. So is the cost savings of not having to buy matched tubes.

And all this doesn't even take into account the amout of time you spend dragging your amp to and fro to the tech.

More importantly above 20 watts gets pretty tiring pretty quick, even with earplugs, IMO. So that's not only bad for practicing, its bad for your hearing, which is ultimately bad for your playing cause when you do practice, you can't hear it anyway.

I'd rather spend a few more bucks up front to save time and money down, along with my hearing... but then again, I *am* biased... in about 30 seconds, almost daily!


Dave

www.webervst.com - buy a Bias Rite.

Pull the chassis, plug one of the power tubes into the bias-rite, plug it into the chassis, look for the trim pot on the inside, and adjust as needed.

I've got a Marshall TSL - which has external bias controls. Soudns great at low volumes, and better as I turn up.

I've also got an Orange Rockerverb 100. I have to pull the chassis even if I want to change a preamp tube (because of where they are located).

And $50-$200? Wow. I wish I was your tech - I'd be making a killing off you....they should be charging no more than $30, provided that you supply the tubes.

 

[wichita]

So....what Marshall sounding amp are you for people buying that solves all of these horrible problems that we should not have to deal with pray tell?

 

[wichita]

This thread is getting really weird

Is there a seperate section for dealers advertising themselves?

 

[GuitarNorton]

Ganesha or Tuskadaro all the Marshall tone you could ever ask for. At any volume and an idiot like me can set the bias in no time without lighting myself up. Sounds way better than an attenuated amp or a master volume amp, no comparision, best low volume and high volume Marshall amp!!Maven Peal

 

[wichita]

Well I think that it was all too obvious that you were getting around to some shameless self promotion, I just figured I would help you pull the trigger on that.

 

[dirtyguitar]

From what Iv'e been able to gather so far (thank you ALL for your .02) is that Germino(allman), Rocca(page) and Blockhead(?) are the vintage deal and Mojave(VH) and Maven Peal(VH) are the High Gain deal.

I know that is a can of worms but for the sake of simplification ,....

The sites that have clips are so treated that it is impossible to get any real feel for the differences,

Also , there seems to be a huge bias towards strat/teles,... in the clips, feel free to tell me IFOS

I'm looking for the cleaner/blusier sounds of page with the 100 watt super with the kt88s (yes they were) in an amp that either has a convincing master volume or built in variac or is otherwise able to sound the part in a 200 seat hall of drunkards,...you know the drill.


ALL of your opinions are appreciated,

DG

 

[dirtyguitar]

Dave,

Thanks for expounding. The point is that to play an amp alone in an old empty church does not leave one with an objective sense of what it sounds like, no matter how cool the player or clip. But ,.. others have even more processed signals on their sites so I am not pointing a finger at you per se. I'm sure your amps rip.

 

[kannibul]

Originally posted by Maven Peal
I'm in Vermont, so $30 would work here, but not in LA, where I haven't had an amp biased, but been told it can go past $200 for a simple bias job.

Even at $30 a pop, plus my time lugging my amp somewhere that I'm not going to play it at, and my gas (in Vermont, this is signficant), paying to bias your amp adds up pretty quickly, especially with new tubes.

Weber's Bias Rite kit is cool if you want to take the time to pull the chassis, expose yourself to high voltage, and continue paying premium prices for matched tubes because you have to. Of courrse, you still have no flavor choice being stuck with either EL34s or 6550s.

I personally prefer, and am having fun, biasing each tube (from a healthy list of possible flavors) individually, directly from the back panel, without taking the amp apart, in about 30 seconds. AFAIK, no Marshall amp does that with *any* kit.

BTW, what is the street price on a new Marshall reissue these days?

Dave

My God, it's as if the volts are just waiting to JUMP OUT AT YA!

Better use wireless, you never know...

Fear = ignorance

 

[kannibul]

Originally posted by Maven Peal
I'm am very sorry to offend you with this information. This, after all, is the "Amp Technical Info" section. You asked why anyone would want to buy a boutique Marshall style amp when you can buy a Marshall.

I have several technical, concrete reasons why people would not want to buy a Marshall. The solutions Maven Peal amps offer have been documented here and elsewhere. The questions you asked after I listed the problems Marshalls posed I don't believe could be addressed by any other amp company other than Maven Peal.

Moderators, please remove my answers if they are inappropriate. Otherwise, I really appreciate the questions, keep 'em coming.

Dave

Who are you - Fab Amps?

 

[kannibul]

Originally posted by Maven Peal
I'm am very sorry to offend you with this information. This, after all, is the "Amp Technical Info" section. You asked why anyone would want to buy a boutique Marshall style amp when you can buy a Marshall.

I have several technical, concrete reasons why people would not want to buy a Marshall. The solutions Maven Peal amps offer have been documented here and elsewhere. The questions you asked after I listed the problems Marshalls posed I don't believe could be addressed by any other amp company other than Maven Peal.

Moderators, please remove my answers if they are inappropriate. Otherwise, I really appreciate the questions, keep 'em coming.

Dave

Those were not concrete answers. My responses to your "problem" with Marshall were the REAL answers. Everything beyond that is your sad attempt at marketing.

 

[GuitarNorton]

kannibul You need to lighten up brother, we're all here to help each other out around here