Marshall AVT 150

[Gunner89]

Hey there, wanted to upsize my amp, got a bigger room for it and wanted to go for a half stack, found a Marshall AVT150X and a 4x12A Cab for £550. Is that good, i'll be using a Epi Les Paul Standard Plus with Seymour Duncs and modded wiring, what do you guys think?

Thanks

[bucketsixx]

Bedroom guitarist with a half stack = FAIL.


Unless you're playing large venues every night there is absolutely no need for a half stack.

Try searching for a little valve amp.

If you really must have something BIG, For £550 you could get an old second hand Sound City or Laney head; and a 2x12 cab with money to spare.

[Sean]

btw.. can I have your sound city?  or borrow it for the weekend?

[nemo]

Bedroom guitarist with a half stack = FAIL.


Unless you're playing large venues every night there is absolutely no need for a half stack.

Try searching for a little valve amp.

If you really must have something BIG, For £550 you could get an old second hand Sound City or Laney head; and a 2x12 cab with money to spare.

The man speaks much truth.  There is no need for a half stack and in your house anything more than about 10 watts of valveness is going to be going to waste.  Buy a small valve amp and get good tone and have 2 or 3 hundred quid left over or buy a big crappy solid state half-stack and get shit tone but enough volume to deafen people in the next town; not really much of a contest there.

[Georgie]

these guys are all on target man, it's big, it's loud, and the tone sucks.

Look around, but get a tube amp.  Sounds like the orange tiny terror is in your price range, great piece of equipment.

Egnator Rebel would be a good option too.

[SlashThis]

Yeah, I'd recommend going with an all-valve combo amp.

I used to have an old 50 watt valve amp and was able to hear myself well over drums.
The Marshall JVM 2X12 50 watt combo is sick and can hold up in a jam session. The Vintage Modern series aren't bad either.

If I were you, I'd save up my money and get the best amp possible. I've spent so much money upgrading from shittier amps. I probably would've saved a lot of money and frustration by buying the best right away.

[Gunner89]

i guess you guys are right, its excessive and unneccesary, at the moment i've got a Vox AD30VT, i suppose this counts as a good combo valve amp and more than loud enough. I was thinking about combo amps and i found a Marshall AVT150XT, which is the tribute edition, just wondering if thats better than the Vox i have now? I am also in two minds whether to buy a AC30 or not. Thanks for the replies.

[PurpleHaze]

Getting an AVT combo would be, at best, a sideways move from what you already have. Most people would see it as a downgrade, though.

Unless you wanna spend some serious wedge, just stick with what you have. It's fine.

[Sean]

Vox AD30VT is by far not a proper valve amp...    its not even a valve amp. I have one....   its a valvetronix. electric piss that holds a tube in the ... preamp section?  that colors the sound a bit. its really solidstate

[nemo]

Vox AD30VT is by far not a proper valve amp...    its not even a valve amp. I have one....   its a valvetronix. electric piss that holds a tube in the ... preamp section?  that colors the sound a bit. its really solidstate

By the way, if you get Sixx's SoundCity can I have your Classic 20?

Speaking of which, a 2nd hand classic 20 (although a 30 would be easier to track down since they still make them) is probably what the dude who wants a new amp should be looking for.

[Sean]

By the way, if you get Sixx's SoundCity can I have your Classic 20?

Speaking of which, a 2nd hand classic 20 (although a 30 would be easier to track down since they still make them) is probably what the dude who wants a new amp should be looking for.

ahah  sure you can borrow it. but I'm looking foward to playing them side by side.  right now I play them side by side with the vox. but I can't really get them to compliment each other. I need to play more to be sure why.. but I think cuzzz the solid state is too colored and the 20 should be upgraded with tubes and speaker. I read that alot about the classic 20 that its a must to mod it a bit.

I havent play the 20 with a 2x12 or any ext cab. would love to

[TheTranslator]

Sorry my reply is a little late, but I just joined the forum.

For £550, you could get an all-valve JCM head with no cab, but a with little cash left over for a down payment on a 4x12A Cab, or you can go ahead and get the Marshall AVT150X with cab, and get almost the same tone as the so-called better sounding all-valve amps.

I just did a comparison test on my AVT50 hybrid, and all-valve JCM2000 TSL, and to be honest, the difference in tone dosen't really match the huge gap in price. As a heads up, I don't use the amp distortion, and use a Boss ME-70 effects unit (with distortion) in the front.

The JCM2000 had more clarity and less breakage in the clean channel, which is attributed to the JCM's 100 watts, as opposed to the 50 watts on the AVT. However, in high-gain distortion mode, the AVT50 produced a very thick, borderline muddy, Mesa Boogie like tone when playing solos in the neck pickup; very reminiscent to early Al Di Meola ala Romantic Warrior, which I actually prefer. Technically, the AVT150 should have more clarity than my AVT50 due to the higher wattage. So in short; don't get mislead by all the half-baked hype about ALL-valve amps, because quite frankly, there wasn't much difference between the AVT and JCM, other than more headroom and clarity in the JCM as a result of higher wattage. Of course; by now, you could have saved enough for several JVM410 half stacks     

[Sean]

Sorry my reply is a little late, but I just joined the forum.

For £550, you could get an all-valve JCM head with no cab, but a with little cash left over for a down payment on a 4x12A Cab, or you can go ahead and get the Marshall AVT150X with cab, and get almost the same tone as the so-called better sounding all-valve amps.

I just did a comparison test on my AVT50 hybrid, and all-valve JCM2000 TSL, and to be honest, the difference in tone dosen't really match the huge gap in price. As a heads up, I don't use the amp distortion, and use a Boss ME-70 effects unit (with distortion) in the front.

The JCM2000 had more clarity and less breakage in the clean channel, which is attributed to the JCM's 100 watts, as opposed to the 50 watts on the AVT. However, in high-gain distortion mode, the AVT50 produced a very thick, borderline muddy, Mesa Boogie like tone when playing solos in the neck pickup; very reminiscent to early Al Di Meola ala Romantic Warrior, which I actually prefer. Technically, the AVT150 should have more clarity than my AVT50 due to the higher wattage. So in short; don't get mislead by all the half-baked hype about ALL-valve amps, because quite frankly, there wasn't much difference between the AVT and JCM, other than more headroom and clarity in the JCM as a result of higher wattage. Of course; by now, you could have saved enough for several JVM410 half stacks     

I have played and owned a JCM2000 100w with 4x12 for quite some time.  Really depends on the speakers and I tested quite a few combinations with this amp.   What speakers (or cab) were you using? on each?

anything with AVT attached to it I'd personally avoid, but thanks for the input.  I have owned many amps both valve and SS (and valvetronix BS) and I like feeling my saturation on par.

and yes I did like the clean on the jcm much which you can sneak up with it in a darkish smoky way... (I love playing cleans and did so for many years especially on Fender Twins) , but then sold the JCM to buy a  JSX and that was even better and built better. JSX Gain was beautiful too matched with a cab full of green backs was yummy.

[TheTranslator]

I have played and owned a JCM2000 100w with 4x12 for quite some time.  Really depends on the speakers and I tested quite a few combinations with this amp.   What speakers (or cab) were you using? on each?

anything with AVT attached to it I'd personally avoid, but thanks for the input.  I have owned many amps both valve and SS (and valvetronix BS) and I like feeling my saturation on par.

and yes I did like the clean on the jcm much which you can sneak up with it in a darkish smoky way... (I love playing cleans and did so for many years especially on Fender Twins) , but then sold the JCM to buy a  JSX and that was even better and built better. JSX Gain was beautiful too matched with a cab full of green backs was yummy.

When I did the comparison test, I used a 2x12 over-sized Diezel cab, which will have to due until I get a 1960A next week from Guitar Center. I also have an old Mesa 4x12 slant with the 200watt EV's, which I don't think they make anymore. Due to the super-high wattage speakers, that cab is a little too punchy for my taste. As far as the AVT and JCM; I would use the JCM if I were planning to do a some Benson tunes, being that the JCM has a Fender-like Clean channel - in my opinion. Also, I would use the JCM in ANY high-profile situation where image and prestige were an issue If I were planning to do a lot of Al Di Meola type distortion stuff, the combination of the AVT and ME-70 in the front seems to do the job slightly better than the JCM. In essence; it's just a matter of preference. And yeah, I was thinking of getting a used JSX head, but I don't have an unlimited budget  :'(

[Sean]

Yea I had a VHT cab for awhile 2x12

When I got the 1960A cab for my JCM, I was very unhappy with the muddy Celestion G12T-75W speakers (imo they are pure shit).  I bought 2 Celestion Vintage 30's to mix in and bam!!! Instant Slash Paradise City nailing on the G Chord.  lol.   or uhhh KOHD etc

   The cab was either too in your face loud harmonics with the mud and overly sparkle of the v-30's..... that I sold that cab. and got a Marshall Greenback cab....  that didn't color my sound, didn't mud my sound... didn't lift my sound in an unnatural way. It did what it was supposed to.

I miss that cab  & the JSX.   Now I only play a peavy 20 thru a Orange 1x12 (its sweet). Ripped out the V-30 in the 1x12 and put in a speaker that was made in the states... a replica of the original Greenback.

((edit)) I forgot that I own a Vox Valvetronix...  I never use it.

[TheTranslator]

When I got the 1960A cab for my JCM, I was very unhappy with the muddy Celestion G12T-75W speakers (imo they are pure shit).  I bought 2 Celestion Vintage 30's to mix in and bam!!! Instant Slash Paradise City nailing on the G Chord.  lol.   or uhhh KOHD etc

I just saw a comparison test on Youtube between various Celestion speakers and other brands like Eminence and Electro Voice. The Celestion V 30's were by far the most lucid out of the bunch, but I sort of like the Mesa Boogie type muddiness in the G12T-75 for simulating the Al Di Meola/John McLaughlin distortion tone. I'm definitely thinking of upgrading at least one of my cabs with V-30's down the road...

15 Speakers compared Celestion vs E.V. vs Eminence vs JBL vs Jensen vs Tone Tubby