What marshall is right for me?

Posted: 3 November 2020

There's a variety of options when it comes to Marshall amplifiers, from tiny 5-watt practice amps to colossal 100-Watt full stacks. With over 50 years of amplification heritage, our gear has been seen on thousands of stages and plugged into by some of the most legendary guitarists of all time. But with that history comes a huge variety of amplifiers. So which is the right one for you?

Read time: 6 mins

When choosing an amp that will work for you a lot of factors come into play. In this article we’ll go through our current available range of amps and their unique features, helping you to find which Marshall amp suits you best.

Firstly, consider the kind of tones you’re looking for and what genre of music you’re playing. Despite what you may have heard... the size also matters, check out our article on What amp size is right for me? for more on that.

Based on their tones and gain structure, here’s what amps we suggest based on playing styles. Keep in mind that many of these amps have separate clean and drive channels and can be extremely versatile, so this is just a general guide! We go into more detail on each amp below.

MG Gold

An ideal amp for the beginner/intermediate guitarist, the MG has been a fan favourite for years. This series features lower wattage combo amps with solid state circuitry and useful features. An emulated headphone output and mp3 input makes home practice a breeze. Model variants include clean and crunch settings and digital FX such as reverb, flanger, delay and octave. This amp is seriously versatile. Find out more here

Code

The CODE series is our most flexible amp to date. With digital modelling and a variety of sizes you’re able to create, craft and sculpt your dream tone. 24 FX features, 14 MST preamps, 4 MST power amps and 8 MST speaker cabinets allows serious customization, and what’s better is you can control it from your phone using the CODE app thanks to bluetooth technology! Find out more here

DSL

The DSL series has seen many variations in it’s time, but our current line allows classic, valve-driven Marshall tones with all the flexibility you could ask for. Including an onboard reverb, power-scaling and an emulated output. The DSL Series comes in 1 Watt to 100 Watt sizes and uses Celestion Seventy-80 speakers with ECC83 Preamp and EL34 Power amp valves for that serious classic Marshall growl. With separated clean, classic gain and ultra gain channels you can go from glassy, crystal cleans to all out distorted chaos with the press of a button. Find out more here / History of the DSL series

JVM

A versatile beast, the JVM series has been a favourite of countless touring musicians for its wide channel variation and serious power. The JVM series comes in both 50 and 100 Watt head and combo variations and you have the option of 2 or 4 channel amps. With independent master volumes for each channel, midi control capability and three modes per channel alongside an independent reverb. Packed with EL34 and ECC83 valves this amp is favoured by those who need massive headroom and tons of power. Find out more here / History of the JVM series

Origin

One of our newer additions to the range, the Origin series combines classic Marshall tones with modern features. Boasting a pull boost switch, Powerstem technology (bringing down the volume without losing the tone) and FX loop, this amp is an ideal pedal platform. The amp also features a ‘tilt’ function, which works in a similar way to how our traditional amp inputs were ‘jumped’ by connecting both the low and high inputs together. Using this you can roll off the highs for a warm vintage tone or crank them for a bright, mix-cutting edge. The amp offers a lot of clean headroom but breaks up naturally when pushed, making it ideal for indie and rock. Find out more here

Jubilee

To celebrate 25 years of Marshall tone we released the Silver Jubilee series. Featuring a new look with chrome panels and silver vinyl. Modelled from the JCM800 series, now with a power scaling pentode/triode switch, allowing all the tone at different volumes. These amps were celebrated for their slightly more saturated, aggressive tone and are frequently used by guitar legend Slash. Find out more here / History of the Silver Jubilee

1962 'Bluesbreaker'

The 1962 ‘Bluesbreaker’ (Famously connected to Eric Clapton for his use of the combo in John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers) is one of the world’s most iconic combos. With EL34 valves and Celestion G12 speakers pushing out 30 watts of true Marshall power, this amp has stood the test of time for good reason. Find out more here / History of the 1962

jtm 45

The amp that started it all. The JTM45 was the first Marshall amplifier created in the early sixties. Based on a Fender Bassman with changes to valves and an all-aluminium chassis, the valves were later replaced with EL34’s that gave the amp significant power and created the Marshall legacy. Find out more here / History of the JTM45

1974x

Made between 1966-1968, the 1974 is a powerful little beast. Sporting ECC83 preamp and EL84 power valves, a two channel interface with Tremolo circuit and 18 Watts of all-out power. The amp breaks up quicker than the 100 Watt amps and is ideal for classic, mix-cutting rock sounds. Find out more here

1987x

Similar to the 1959 Plexi, the 1987X is half the wattage and has slightly different tonal characteristics. Don’t be fooled, this amp can still get huge, powerful rock tones when cranked. Find out more here

What marshall is right for me?

MG Gold

Code

DSL

JVM

Origin

Jubilee

1959

1962 'Bluesbreaker'

jtm 45

jcm800

1974x

1987x

jcm900

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