Marshall MG Series Amps

eg · #1 07-05-2003, 02:11 PM

Hi guys,

I was looking thru some Marshall combos. Any of you have any experiences or comments on the MG series combos?
Thanks.

eg · #2 07-07-2003, 01:35 AM

Anyone?

Drew · #3 07-07-2003, 11:53 AM

I haven't played one in ages, but I heard a guy messing around in one at whisper-quiet volumes in my local guitar store the other day...

It's not bad for what it is. Unlike the VS and AVT series, it makes no pretense of being a "hybrid" amp, so there's no marketing push about "tube-like distortion" or anything (which is, IMO, BS, since so much of what makes a tube amp so magical is the power amp, and with just a single preamp tube, it's impossible to do a high gain, multi channel amp with cascading gain stages, so most of the OD is still transistor in origin). That said, it wasn't a half-bad sounding amp- Very "edgy" and agressive without sounding overly buzzy. The guy was playing with a medium-ish gain level that handled EVH material quite well, although with a bit more snarl in the high end. And while it's tough to speak for the dynamic response when you'r not plugged into the thing yourself, the sounds coming out of the speaker were certianly good enough. It's more of a modern distortion voice, although you can probably approximate something a little smoother and more vintage with the right EQ settings, but once again, that's all in the power-amp distoriton which you're just not going to get here, so don't expect it to be hitting that "woman tone." However, for modern marshall crunch, this thing can definately hold its own. I was definately pleasantly suprised.

As for the clean channel, i didn't get to hear it, but my experience with marshalls is that their solid-state clean channels are generally pretty lifeless. Flat, thin, and uninspiring with none of that warmth or breathy shimmer you get from a good tube amp. Then again, most people don't buy marshalls looking for their clean tone, now do they? (That said, the cleams on my TSL are actually quite lush, especially with singlecoils, and the old JTM-30 combo i used to own WAY back in the day had a quite cool clean channel- bright and VERY focused with little bass response, but great for bluesy leads- think maybe Buddy Guy).

Only real qualm here? If you go for the MG, make sure it's one of the ones with a 12" speaker, or at the VERY least a 10. An 8" just won't give you proper bass response.

If you want to go slightly more upscale, pass on the VS's and AVT's and go straight for a DSL-401. (or the 201 if you can still find it). If you're goint to pay any kind of an upcharge for tubes from marshall, it's pointless to only go halfway, and the DSL series are GREAT sounding amps (a friend's 401 into my recto 2x12 sounded nearly as good as my TSL).

Oh, and DON'T scoop out all the mids.

-D

mike777 · #4 07-07-2003, 01:41 PM

The latest MG-series seems to be selling very well but I haven't actually sat down and checked one out yet. I heard one guy say that the clean channel was excellent and said it was one of the best amps he's heard for playing country music. Now, you don't hear that everyday.

AVT is great, also. The DSL401 is also very popular. My favorite Marshall combo is the TSL601 but that's a bit more.

I'd say if you can afford an amp that costs 60% or more of a significant upgrade and you don't need to get it immediately, take the time you need to afford and purchase the upgrade.

Mike 777 Haug

**jemaholic** · #5 07-07-2003, 05:26 PM

Yup, I'm a tube snob too.

But I've got a tiny Marshall MG15 somthing-or-other with digital effects and an 8" speaker. I get the greatest sounds at low volume with this thing - it's a gas! I think I paid $150.00. You can't go wrong with one of these.............

eg · #6 07-08-2003, 12:55 AM

I'm looking at the either the 30W or the 50W model. Difference is that the 50W has Celestions (12") while the 30W does not. And the 50W version has build in reverb .... man.. difficult decisions.

But one thing that attracted me to these amps were their clean tones. Sounds pretty damn good to me.

Any other advice guys?

DLHelfand · #7 07-22-2003, 05:14 PM

Very cool little practice amps.

AARRGGHHH · #8 07-22-2003, 06:48 PM

my cousin(sp?) left his little mg15 at my house for a week or so, so i got the chance to have a go on it. Yes the cleans are very good, i was quite impressed by those, and it seemed to work well with pedals, giving an even voicing, my AVT 275 is VERY bassy and pedals dont sound that good unless you tweak them quite a bit.
I would say the distortion is something good for practicing with. the low end was tight enough and theres gain on tap but i found that it had a bit of harshness to the high end and on low gain settings it sounded quite thin.

i would have to have a go on one of the larger 12" equiped ones to see if it would be gig worthy. Personally id go with a valve amp, i also had some good experiences with the tsl601 at some guitar shops, and i had a dsl401 for a while which was good until it broke. But if your on a really tight budget id say go for it, but yeah get the 50watt

eg · #9 07-22-2003, 09:48 PM

Thanks

50 Watts it is then. How much are they going for at your place?

AARRGGHHH · #10 07-23-2003, 07:24 PM

i think you can get them for around 200 pounds over here. Probably about 100 or so on ****

SuperJemBoy · #11 08-31-2003, 03:32 PM

wow, this must be the only guitar forum on the net where i don't get ripped for having a SS amp! Cool!
I actually quite like the disto on my MG30, but go for the 50, the speaker will make a difference.
It can definitely do rock and metal and hard blues tones but the clean channel scream I WANT TUBES!
I'm actually looking at tube combos and half stacks to last me a while but my MG30 is ok for the moment.

Joe

Oh, btw, the MG30 also has reverb.

Drew · #12 08-31-2003, 05:34 PM

Yeah, we (almost) all prefer tube amps, but I've noticed that people who generaly know what they're talking about (i.e- here as opposed to, say, tabcrawler, another forum i read occasionally) don't feel the need to be abusive to get their point across.

That and there's never a hard rule on this stuff- the closest I ever got to the SRV sound was, ironically enough, through a Tech-21 Trademark 60. And I've even OWNED some nice Fender amps, and driven them pretty hard with a tube screamer in line.

-D

poet · #13 09-03-2003, 06:20 AM

I have mg30 and I don't like it much. (Bought it awhile ago. The only thing within my budget.) The distortion sounds very harsh and muffled. Yes clean channel is pretty flat and lifeless. My first amp is Peavey Rage 158 from the transtube series. Even though it costs less than half of the Marshall, it sounds way better to my ears. Clean sound is very nice and overdrive is a lot nicer than the marshall, if not as hi-gain.
I strongly recommend the Transtube series by Peavey (if you're looking for affordable solid state amps.).

just my 2cents.

Infinite · #14 09-03-2003, 05:08 PM

I think they are a good second amp. After you have decided you really want to play.... you get something like a MG30DFX, when you still dont want to spend loads..... I bought a MG and I quite liked it