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

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

1959

The 100 Watt Super Lead 1959 ‘Plexi’ is a legendary amplifier, used by guitar legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page. First produced in ‘65, the amp used KT66 valves and later EL34’s for iconic Marshall growl. Nicknamed for its plexiglass front panel, this amplifier embodies classic Marshall tone. Find out more here / History of the 1959

jcm800

A truly iconic amplifier, the JCM800 became an essential for heavy bands through the eighties and has graced stages across the globe ever since. The JCM800 2203 features an FX loop, master volume control and 100 watts of powerful tone driven by EL34 valves. This is the amp for you if you plan on making it loud. Find out more here / History of the JCM800

jcm900

The JCM900 took the classic 800 and stepped things up a level. Released in 1990, the 900 added a lot more gain to the JCM circuit. With two channels featuring independent onboard reverbs and two gain features, the amp proved to be as versatile as it is powerful. For those who love gain, gain and more gain. Find out more here / History of the JCM900