Am I alone or do you think Marshall has declined? I'm sick of the lack of customer care, even in England, after sales care from Marshall is non-exsistant. Also the amps aren't as good as they used to be.

I agree that sound quality for some, but not all amps have gone down, but I also haven't played a Marshall that wasn't built like a tank. Another thing to point out is that I haven't played any low end Marshall's so I can't comment on thier quality or durabiliy. Keep in mind all companies put out products that aren't as good as thier previous, I just give it time before those lesser quality products will be phased out because of public response to them. Also it boils down to taste for the most part. I originally played a Mode Four, not expecting much because it's basically a glorified solid-state. My friend has one and I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me and I now think it's a very versatile amp. It's still too much though, a Mode Four would be much nicer if it weren't so overpriced. I can't comment on after sales care either, I've never had to deal with them after buying a Marshall, because from what I've played they haven't declined in durability. Exactly where have they declined in your opinion, sound quality, overall, build quality? You didn't exactly make it clear to me what you feel has declined.

i was thinking about Marshall the other night.......but didnt want to be the one to start a post.....on how they have declined ......there amps arent as good anymore....
there prices are way to high for us market......

and i still scratch my head as to why they cant make a good two channel amp that doesnt share tone controls

Never had a problem with customer service, but then i live 5 miles away from their factory as for price, yeah they are high and quality has slipped, but the name will carry them for awhile, wait for bad press to get them to sit up and take notice

Rob

To name a few of the ledgendary amps from Marshall, I have a JCM 800, JCM 900 and JCM 2000 TSL.

What I just don't understand is why Marshall are shipping amps with mismatched/faulty/un-biased valves. Also build isn't as good as it used to be. The air vents on the top of the valve amps are crap compared to the previous Marshalls and so are the power switches. The effects loop loses alot of volume when in use too, just terrible quality.

The latest valvestates are just terrible too.

I will be sourcing out more JCM 900's on the second hand market and my TSL? Not sure what role my TSL will play.

Until Marshall sort this out, I shall not be buying any more new Marshalls. Only old ones. These problems aren't just problems I'm having, they're worldwide. Marshall could really lose out to other companies unless they sort this crap out.

You live 5 miles away from the factory, but have you ever needed to get in touch with them? I'm not that far from them, but they don't offer telephone numbers anymore to contact them, they will only deal by email, which is just bollocks crap customer care and support.

At some point, most companies that have HUGE name recognition fall into the "don't care anymore" trap. Gibson, Fender, you name it.

I haven't noticed any decline in quality of build, but I've only played 4 Marshalls and all but one were a few years old. I don't think I'll be buying anything Marshall, just not the sound I'm looking for anymore. That's why I have my eye on the triaxis I also agree with Jester700, but it's not most companies that fall into that, just the few that get great recognition and seem to think all they need to carry them is the name not the product, which is what's wrong with major companies now...

Well I emailed Marshall, expressing my concern, as email is about the only way to contact them. They emailed me back with a telephone number, so I'll give them a call soon to discuss things with them. See what they can do about things.

Even the bloke I spoke to on the phone from Watford Valves agreed with me that the JCM 900's are the last of the best amps Marshall ever made.

I can't comment on customer care, or build, although I have liked every marshall I have played through. Maybe I am just lucky.

They are priced very high, or so I thought until I saw the price on a dual rectifier.