NAD - and it's not a Fender or Vox!

[Rickenjangle]

I've been playing Vox and Fender amps for years but I always tried to get Marshalls to work for me...

Had a JTM45 that was great, but no reverb. A pair of Class 5's that didn't stay clean loud enough to realistically gig with. And at 2 separate occasions, AVT50H amps with matching 4x12 cabs that sounded great at home but disappeared at gig volumes.

Now, I'm trying out this:



It runs on 6v6's. I've seen a couple guys playing the 40 watt combo live and it's surprisingly good when used on the clean channel with pedals.

Hoping this one won't disappear in the mix, but if it does I have bought into it at a reasonable price so that I can get my $$ back out of it.

I'll find out how she performs this weekend...

[Don]

Nice! I've always had a soft spot for Marshalls but have yet to invest in one that would get the job done for me. I've had two Class 5s (still have one) a JCM2000 DSL201 and a JCM2000 DSL401. I'm itching to build a clone of an 18 watt combo but doubt if I'd use it enough to warrant the investment.

[ch willie]

Looking forward to hearing how it performs.

[Rickenjangle]

OK - first gig report:

Got the amp set up at my gig on Saturday evening. It looks impressive, to be sure. I set it up to the right of our drummer, with it angled slightly inward (I was concerned about it's on-beam directionality). We did not mic amps for this gig - just vocals and the kick and snare because they seem to get lost.

There was plenty of volume on tap. I did not need to touch the clean knob all night. Most of my sounds come from a good clean that takes pedals well...and this amp is VERY good on the clean channel. Must be the 6v6's that I like.
After the first number, the drummer spoke up and said that this was his favorite of my amps (also have an AC15 and - just lately - a Blues Jr. that I sold to help finance this amp). He really could hear, he said.

So there is a very nice, chewy vibe sound that I ended up using A LOT on the clean channel. I like that I can have all reverb PLUS another footswitchable sound for each channel - AND the amp remembers what you used last time on the channel - when switching back and forth. I have the beautiful subtle vibe on the clean channel (think Hendrixy clean) and a non-overpowering echo on the overdrive channel.

I went to switch into the overdrive channel and found it wasn't loud enough and a bit too distorted (sounds very different at home vs. with the band). So after that song, I went back and tweaked it. Lowered gain, raised volume on that channel. Shared EQ is a bit of a compromise but I made it work. The lead gain on the Haze is kinda loose and flubby which can be bad - but I have tight/bright covered with a TS-mini and crunchy/furry covered with an SD-1 super overdrive, and Santana gain covered with the combination. So the Marshall overdrive is a bonus channel for me and I finally got it dialed in so that it sounded great for (for instance) Keep Your Hands to Yourself, where I was able to footswitch in a lead boost (Whirlwind The Bomb).

Overall I am very pleased with the tone and coverage of the amp for our normal-sized club gigs. For bigger gigs it'll be mic'ed.

Next step is to use the amp with just the one slant cab, and just my fulltone fulldrive II - with my more casual Tuesday-night gig - to see how minimal I can get. The dream is that I can use a Vox wah and one dirt pedal to cut a whole gig...and I think that with the nice clean of this new amp and that bonus channel I'll finally be able to do that.

I love it!

Cons? Only one...

The cabs have handles on each side - but there's no good way to carry them one-handed. It's ridiculous that Marshall did not include top-handles to carry their 1x12 cabs. UNconscionable! Inconceivable! Even so, I think I can wholeheartedly endorse this amp - and it may be the first Marshall I've ever owned that can meet all my bigger-amp needs.

[ch willie]

Great report. I'm glad the amp worked for you. I know someone who uses one, and his sound isn't that great--but I think it has as much to do with his playing and the settings he uses. I didn't want to say anything negative until I got a report. I was always surprised that his sound wasn't better because I'd heard good things about the Haze.

I love my Marshall. I've just finished recording lead and rhythm tracks using it, a Tele, and a Les Paul. The Marshall sings.

[Rickenjangle]

Great report. I'm glad the amp worked for you. I know someone who uses one, and his sound isn't that great--but I think it has as much to do with his playing and the settings he uses. I didn't want to say anything negative until I got a report. I was always surprised that his sound wasn't better because I'd heard good things about the Haze.

I love my Marshall. I've just finished recording lead and rhythm tracks using it, a Tele, and a Les Paul. The Marshall sings.

Just like with everything else in the tube amp world, it's all in how you set up the gain structure.

Just ask OSA sometime - he'll tell you that the way he got literally the loudest cleanest twang from his Deluxe Reverb Reissue is through careful tweaking of the tone circuit.

Plus, live you've often got to run a Marshall cleaner than you'd like to get the "poke" and then goose it with a clean boost or an overdrive to smooth out the lead lines.

Then again, I'm used to that style of goosing from using Voxes all the years. I love Fenders as well but as I think about it more - they're easier for me to use as a blank canvas with a lot of pedals and effects...

This Marshall comes closer than any I've owned to providing a nice full, rich yet glassy clean tone. It probably won't take the place of my AC15, but it'll be a nice amp for our shows where I need a bit more coverage than the '15 can provide.