Marshall heads question

[kadrocker]

I'm looking to buy a Marshall head. I don't need anything spectacular but I'd like a Marshall. All my favorite bands/tones come from Marshall amps.

 

I play in a band that is starting to play shows. My current amp is a Fender Super Champ 1x10. Loud little guy but I've always got it almost on full blast. (It's a 15 watt tube). We are a punk rock/alternative band. So I don't need super high gain- no metal. I can use a pedal if I ever need that kinda sound.

 

I'm looking at a Marshall dsl15h, dsl100h, and a ma50h. I have the opportunity to play all three before I buy anything.

 

Questions:

 

Should I go with the dsl15h so I can dime it out? (will be played through a 4x12)

 

Or should I go with at least 50 watts? That way I have extra sound to push if I'd need it. I'm afraid 50 watts will be overkill for what I need. (The dsl100h can be used at half power, 50 watts) I'm afraid how loud 50 watts dimed would be.

 

Whatcha think? Wish Marshall made a 25 watt tube head.

[Mikeo]

go with the 50 watter.

 

 

[WRGKMC]

A 50W plexi is my all time favorite but your choice will depend on weather you use pedals to get your sound.

 

Ant time based effect like Reverb echo and even chorus will sound best after drive. When placed before drive you get nasty string beating which can drive you nuts, especially tuning. If you're going to get a lower wattage head and drive the preamp into saturation then you need an effects loop to place your time based effects after the driven preamp and before the power amp.

 

If you go with a higher wattage amp and use pedals to get drive, then you can place your echo and reverb effects before the preamp and still sound good. You can also turn the amp down to lower wattages and still get any drive saturation levels you want.

 

Cant tell you which is best. Both have their plusses and minuses. I used a Plexi 50 for about 10 years. I liked it over the Bassman and even the Ampeg V2 I had. The V2 was real close and because it had midrange tone bands you could get tones like a Marshal Fender and Ampeg, so it was pretty versatile. Vintage Marshall tube amps are their own breed however.

 

I'm not as big a fan with modern Marshall drive tones however. I have a Valvestate which has the crunch and lead channels. They nail the modern Marshall drive tones to a T but are limited beyond that. The EQ doesn't have allot of range like other amps, especially fenders. I can run the clean channel and use a Governor pedal and get the exact same tone and drive as the amps drive channels so I essentially run my amp clean and use pedals for those tones. I don't have to be bothered running extra cords to the loop connections. I also run dual amps and the second amp doesn't have a loop so it just makes things simpler for me.

[Chris Loeffler]

I couldn't imagine how a Fender Super Champ with 10" speaker would achieve the sound most punk/alternative bands get, so that's hard for me to imagine.

 

I'd say "buy with your ears", but it sounds like you're pretty set on Marshall (if not, at least look into the Jet City and Blackstar lines for a bit more bang for your buck). That said, I love Marshall tones.

 

With VERY limited hands on time with both amps, I'd say answer this question... how important are cleans?

 

Here's the deal... 15 watts isn't too much quieter 50, believe it or not. If anything other than "warm clean" is required to keep up with the drummer, I'd step up to the 50. If you don't intend to do much clean at live performance volumes (without miking), I'd say the DSL15 will give you a bit more complex and round distortion you may dig.

 

As WRGKMC stated, neither of these will get you a "vintage" Marshall tone, if that's what you're chasing.

[SteinbergerHack]

You might want to try to find an old 3203 Artist head. 30W with 2 EL34s. They were mid-80s and based on the JCM800 design, tend to have a very british sound (surprise), and do the mid-gain thing very well. IMO, they are just about perfect for club gigs with a moderately heavy drummer. YMMV.

[kadrocker]

I didn't forget about this thread. I'll post my thoughts and such when I get chance.

 

I have a 16 month old and she's......keeping me busy!

[kadrocker]

Thanks for the replies.

 

I'm not chasing an particular sound really. I just want a head with a clean and drive channel. Doesn't have to be sparklng clean- I truly am not picky.

 

I've always wanted a Marshall. I've wanted a jcm800 for as long as I can remember. (That being said, I know they're only a single channel).

 

I've been doing some casual research the last couple weeks and the jcm900 is very intriguing to me.

 

I wouldn't buy any amp unless I could test it out first.

 

I'm pretty much set on a Marshall but I have looked into Blsckstar, which are very interesting to me! Would love to play one in person sometime)

 

Marshall heads I'm honestly considering are jcm900, Artist 3203 (still researching that one a bit), ma50h, Mosfet Lead 100 (I realize this one is solid state), jcm2000, and a dsl100h.

 

Kinda throwing the jcm800 idea out because, well, they're twice as much as any of the other amps in the used market.

 

Nothing is set in stone on which I'd purchase. I have access to all of these amps before I'd buy anything and will try them l out.

 

Any other oddball Marshall amps out there? Didn't know about the Artist 3203.

 

 

I don't use any pedals really. I have a metal zone and a ds1. Only really use them for recording leads. My Fender Super Champ is a cool little amp! Sounds good to my ears. Just doesn't have enough kick to it with it being a 1x10. I'm keeping it forever. My wife bought it for me 5 years ago for my birthday and I honestly do love it.

 

I have two cabs. A Marshal MG412 and a Crate 4x12. Not the best things in the world but I'm selling off some extra gear, eventually I'll be grabbing a 1960 straight cab for myself. I have access to use one for live performances if I need.

 

 

If I could give a ballpark sound I'm looking for- I'd say Bad Religion and the Ramones meet the alternative goodness of the 90s.....if that makes any sense.

 

We few bands we cover are The Ramones, Circle Jerks, Ramones and Nirvana (and I know Cobain didn't use Marshalls) stuff like that. However- it's originals that we are more into- which is why I'm not sound chasing. I wanna create my own sound. (Preferable from a Marshall amp!)

 

 

I know this is all random thoughts. Sorry if I sound confusing but.....I guess that's whatcha get.