Marshall's Big Problem ...?

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[RobertBakerGuitar]

What do you think the future of Marshall amps is?

[LittleC]

The problem with the Friedmans imo is that it's too broad in tone. A Marshall is made to be used in a band setting, and it's making sure it's not crouching in on bass territory.

Music still is a team event, although with the internet guitarist age a lot of people tend to forget that.

[realRonPetersen]

The award goes to
Marshal Super Lead.

[utubehound]

I preferred the Marshalls over the Freidman

[mmrseed]

If guitarists would rediscover that E standard and Eb are great tunings they would rediscover that Marshalls provide great tone

[chrisboller]

I have a Marshall JCM 800 2203 from the early 80s and have bought and returned several new Marshalls over the years because they simply didn't sound as good, but Marshall's biggest problem isn't whether they are better/worse than they used to be, it's that not enough people use real amps anymore. I saw an interview yesterday with Zakk Wylde asking when his Wylde Audio amps (basically JCM 800s) would finally go on sale to the general public and he outright said that they don't think there's a sustainable market for them.

[johniedarko]

I preferred the actual JCM800 over the Friedman actually...

[tremdoctor]

My first tube Marshall’s are the DSL100H, DSL100HR and DSL20HR. Great amps, especially the 20 which can do no wrong. The 100’s are 2 channels but 4 modes, the newest having 6 new features over its predecessor that are quite good. Both have 50/100 watt modes, but the HR has master volumes so you can dime it and not make your ears bleed 🩸 in a bedroom, small home studio or club. I love them. I think Marshall is on the right track with these 20 watt versions. SC20 (JCM800), SV20 (Plexi) and DSL20HR. People love these 20’s you can actually crank.

[billmarchant]

Hey Robert. I enjoy watching your channel. Keep up the great shows.

I’m a guitar player from the 80s. Paul Rivera modded my 1971 Marshalls back in the day. I had the first Marshalls JCM 800s when they came out and dumped them within weeks of owning them. I’ve also had player endorsements with Rivera amps, Kitty Hawk amps and lastly BedRock amps. Bedrock would take my #1 amp, bring me a replacement and try new preamps in my amp to try live. It was a lot of fun back then. More recently I played Voodoo V-plexi amps from Trace Davis, a fantastic amp guy and person.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, Marshall had the right idea, but never took the amps to the next level. They didn’t listen to guitarist, which is why we all had ours modded.

The best sounding Marshalls I own and use today are my Voodoo V-plex amps and Bogner Helios amps. With the Helios amps, I run them in the Plexi mode. They have a better mid range, tighter bottom, and the highs aren’t harsh. They are what Marshall should have made. Friedman amps sound good too, better than Marshall, but they are too distorted for me. For my taste, the Voodoos and Bogners are what we were all after in the 80s, when we were getting our Marshalls modded.

Marshall should have listened to the musicians but they never did. It’s why Reinhold, Dave, Paul and Trace all modded amps. To make up for the shortcomings of Marshall.

[MrScrofulous]

I tried to sell my SV20 recently. After I demoed it to one guy, I kicked him out and took the ad down.

[kristofdevlamynck]

That Friedman sounded muddy and not defined, give me that Plexi everyday

[DennDoMuffinCompany]

The first thing that pops into my head when I think of Marshall amps is the 100 watt head and two 412 cabinets. The 100 watt double stack is a relic of a bygone era. There are very few opportunities to play two 4x12 speaker cabinets and a 100 watt tube amp. Between advancements in PAs, PA speakers, and the trend toward silent stages it makes it difficult to hit the sweet spot with a 100 watt tube amp. Even a 50 watter is only three decibels "quieter". So it seems Marshall, and others, has to adapt to this new environment with lower wattage amps while attempting to retain the tone & mystique of 100 watts and two 412 cabinets. That being said, if you ever get the opportunity to crank a Marshall 100 watt head driving two 412 cabinets up to eleven it's a bucket list experience for a guitar player.

[skullheadwater]

I like the Marshall's better than the Friedman they seem smoother and have more clarity and the Freidman was doing this slight staticy thing on the top end. Nothing is wrong with the Friedman it is just a slight difference, but the difference is there for someone with the skill level to tell the difference. I build, mod and convert old tube gear into amps I have been wanting to build a Marshall style for myself but don't know what to build. I have toyed with building an 18w with the EL84's, a 6V6 JCM800, a 50-watt late 60's plexi, an OG JTM45 or even a tweed bassman because I have beaucoup killer vintage 6L6's. Probably should build them all.

[chriscollier]

They need to bring back the jcm800 2204 with an efx loop!

[KyleSG]

800 Marshall sounds tighter and less fuzzy. Tubes used in them could also affect that a touch. Overall Marshall sounded better in these clips for sure.

[ScottfromBaltimore]

My five watt is too loud for my room.
I need a big room to care about real amps.

[marshall]

The Friedman and the 800s always sound muddy/buzzy to me....the Plexi all day long but hit the front with some good sauce aka boost pedals like an Exotic EP Booster and a Klon and it is the holy grail tone.
I think what Marshall could do for a modern take would be a foot switchable 2 ch version of a 4 holer (4 channels) so you could switch between clean and dirty and have two Master volumes plus add in a switchable Modern/Vintage power amp section. In other words, one 4 holer with it's own master volume for the cleaner settings and then switch over to the other 4 holer preamp for the dirty settings with it's own MV. All midi switchable and with FX loops per channel. They could name it the "Double Plexi".

[JoelDucote]

What I hear is that the Friedman sounds bigger. Which is great when you sitting alone in a room. The Marshall sounds like it will take less post EQ to actually sit in a band mix or recording.

[kudtarkarsandroid]

For the 800 comparison, the Friedman seemed to have more gain/distortion, but the marshall had Miele saturation and less gain

[JHSmithmusic]

The Friedman outdid the jcm800 just slightly imo. I felt that it had more of a blend of JCM and plexi chirp that I really liked.

The Plexi however well outdid the Friedman in this case. I think it’s probably the extra headroom, but the clarity and sparkle was much better too