# Recommend a Low Wattage Marshall Head



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

So having a LP with humbuckers back in my hands, and loving it, kind of makes me reminisce of the JCM and JMP days. I should say I miss the tones sometimes, especially of the JMP, but not the volume, size or weight of the 50 watt heads I used to haul around. I know Marshall put out some 5 and 1 watt stuff a while back but never quite being knowledgeable with regards to the new stuff, is any of it worth it or any good? I've read Marshall hasn't made a decent amp in a long time so I'm hesitant to go looking but if I was to keep an eye out for a deal, what should I be looking for?


----------



## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

For some good Marshall tone at lower power/volume try taking a look at the Friedman Pink Taco, they're quite pricey but sound great!


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Depends what you want it for. The Class 5 and the 1 watt amps are great little practice amps and sound pretty decent, but you can't gig with them unless your band has a very low stage-volume. The 18 watt & 20 watt marshalls (1974 & 2061) are very cool, but can still be REALLY loud if you're looking for a bedroom amp.


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

This would be more for basement playing. I don't think I'd be gigging with it.


----------



## urko99 (Mar 30, 2009)

How about a Fargen Miniplex? 12watts, Power Scaling, interchangeable power tubes, decade switch, loop. Sounds fantastic. I have the previous model without the loop, and I have it loaded with an El34 and a KT66, My favourite combination.

Also, Talk also to Randy at PHAEZ Amps. He puts out fantastic designs for a very reasonable price customized to your liking. Good luck in your tone quest!

I am affiliated with neither.


----------



## Intrepid (Oct 9, 2008)

The Class 5 is a decent amp and can be loud if you want it to be, but I use mine for noodling. Great tone and very compact.


----------



## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

So you want Marshall tone and crunch at low volumes in a house in a head? AVT 50 watt head would be your best bet and can be had around $200 bucks. I think they still have a reverb tank in them where the larger ones with all the effects have digital reverb. My complaint with the AVT line. (Advanced Valvestate Tech.)


----------



## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Intrepid said:


> The Class 5 is a decent amp and can be loud if you want it to be, but I use mine for noodling. Great tone and very compact.


I had a Class 5 head & it was pretty similar to my 18W, great bang for the buck. But not a good choice for crunch at apartment-friendly levels unless you're a pedal guy.

The 1W Marshall heads are more usable indoors but on the spendy side & the 1/10W setting is too compressed. If you want JCM800 tones, look for a BumBox Lead 1 - handwired in the USA at half the price of the 1W Marshalls. I don't like that much gain, so I also moved the BumBox. Also had a Cornford Harlequin that was pretty cool, but the gain control was very touchy, most of the action was between 1:00 - 2:00. 

My indoor amp these days is an AC4 head with better tubes. I normally use it on the 1W setting for crunch & 4W for cleans. 

Whatever you buy, go for a head & cab vs. the combo version. You can get surprisingly large tones from the low watt amps when plugged into a decent speaker(s).

- - - Updated - - -



hollowbody said:


> Depends what you want it for. The Class 5 and the 1 watt amps are great little practice amps and sound pretty decent, but you can't gig with them unless your band has a very low stage-volume. The 18 watt & 20 watt marshalls (1974 & 2061) are very cool, but can still be REALLY loud if you're looking for a bedroom amp.


18W & 20W are not bedroom amps. The 20W tends to break up later & is a better platform for pedals, if that's your thing.


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

deadear said:


> So you want Marshall tone and crunch at low volumes in a house in a head? AVT 50 watt head would be your best bet and can be had around $200 bucks. I think they still have a reverb tank in them where the larger ones with all the effects have digital reverb. My complaint with the AVT line. (Advanced Valvestate Tech.)


Gonna say dont do this, at all.

Get a JCM1, enjoy.


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

i had the ac4 head. if i was playing in a basement instead of an apt, i would definitely have kept it. i had a vht classic 18 for a while, and that would be a great basement amp. tbo though, for what they cost, i can guarantee you cant find a better amp anywhere near that price range. of course, they are made in china, so to most people that means they couldn't possibly be awesome handwired combo amps that are full featured, and come in a nice cabinet with a decent spkr. they aren't sloppin over with headroom though. it'll do marshally cleans, but the break up comes earlier than some folks prefer.


----------



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Chitmo said:


> For some good Marshall tone at lower power/volume try taking a look at the Friedman Pink Taco, they're quite pricey but sound great!


Pink Taco? Jesus.
I suppose it would inspire me to work on my fingering.




I'll be on my way now.


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

If you want to spend big money, you could look at the /13 stuff if they have any left over at Avenue.

A cheap used DSL50, like I sold not long ago, will do great Marshall both old school on the green and more modern on the red channels, _and has a very good master volume_. Though you did say you don't want to lug a big head around, which I get.

Many people love the new DSL40, but it only comes in a combo. Generally, a lot of people say to stay away from the DSL15 head. A used Haze is supposedly a better sounding amp.

You could try out the Traynor lunchbox head, there's some decent dirt in there though it's not exactly that pushed mids Marshall sound.


----------



## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

I have an Trinity 18W Plexi with a Ho's Attenuator. Sounds Killer. I agree with urko99 - get in touch with Randy Fay. He has a few amps that would fit your bill. If I wasn't super happy with my Trinity/Ho combination I would definitely buy one of his "Marshall" inspired heads. Good prices too.


----------



## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

if it doesn't need to be tube, and you are only using it for basement etc

the old solid state marshall's from the '80's are great sounding amps, esp with good speakers

ie: Lead 12, Lead 75 ( 5010 )

and are pretty cheap used


check this out

[video=youtube;6g1RXG7R-jc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g1RXG7R-jc[/video]


----------



## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

Hey I have that exact same t-shirt. Jimi.....


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

A couple others mentioned the Vox AC4, and while it's not a Marshall, it's a killer little amp. I have the 10" combo and it's a great-sounding amp and has a lot of grind on the 1/4w setting.


----------



## Analogman (Oct 3, 2012)

I picked up a Reinhardt 18 with power scaling about a month ago...sounds killer! Great Marshall tones at manageable volumes. Not sure what your budget is but you should also check out the Friedman Pink Taco, 3rd Power Dream Solo 4 & Tone King Royalist 15. The Traynor YBA1 MOD1 might be worth checking out too & you can pick them up used for around $450!


----------



## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

bolero said:


> if it doesn't need to be tube, and you are only using it for basement etc
> 
> the old solid state marshall's from the '80's are great sounding amps, esp with good speakers
> 
> ...


 Forget about it these cork sniffers would never lower them selves to play a solid state amp.


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

hollowbody said:


> A couple others mentioned the Vox AC4, and while it's not a Marshall, it's a killer little amp. I have the 10" combo and it's a great-sounding amp and has a lot of grind on the 1/4w setting.


There is a new AC4 coming out with a 12" speaker.


----------



## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

Budda said:


> Gonna say dont do this, at all.
> 
> Get a JCM1, enjoy.


 What models of Valvestate have you owned ?


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Thanks for the many suggestions.

My initial interests have been in the Marshall 1 watt heads even though some of the other recommendations have showed me things I was completely unaware of, that's cool. In regards to the Marshall heads, judging sound based on YouTube clips is not a way I care to go and I'm somewhat hesitant to sit in the store most days even if they have stock. So, hearing so much positive feedback on them on this forum and TGP I just might have to give one of these a fair shot. The JTM and JMP seem like more of my style these days. I also really dig the look of the offset one, very nice. 

Thanks again.


----------



## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Robert1950 said:


> There is a new AC4 coming out with a 12" speaker.


Nice! I don't mind the 10" driver's sound at all, but it does sound MUCH better through an extension cab. I love the portability of the unit, so I'll have to see how big the 12" is before I decide to change things up, but it's cool that they're coming out with one.

That said, the 8" version isn't very good at all. The driver is just too small. Still sounds good plugged into a 2 or 4x12.


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

a 12" spkr moves more air. a good cab, a 1x12 can cover alot.


edit: i had a 100w valve state back in about 95. i want to say it was a 2x12, but tbo, i don't remember. i was considering a guitar, and i liked it, so i bought it, and the amp i played it through. i used to jam with a drummer and another guitarist using the marshall i had way more vol than i needed. i lost it to a pawnshop iirc


----------



## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

I had the Vox AC4 & 1W Marshall offset heads at the same time. The Marshall looked cool but the Vox with NOS tubes sounded better. And it was 1/5th the cost. Even with old glass.

IIRC the AC4 112 combo is over $1K, so head & cab is the way to go if you settle on an AC4.

The 1W Marshalls have a 1/10W setting but the tone is too compressed when the low power switch is engaged.

The Traynor YBA-1 MOD heads are incredibly versatile from a volume POV. More than enough power to gig with & the attenuated settings sound quite good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

New Vox AC4 1x12 should be well under $400

[video=youtube;jlcMgnWw5Bg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlcMgnWw5Bg[/video]


----------



## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

I have one of the cheaper AC4TVs. I put a better speaker in there & it helped

when I use it thru a 1x12 cab it sounds even better though, esp the low E string

it's a great little practice amp with good cleans, takes pedals very well


----------



## JeremyP (Jan 10, 2012)

The Ac4 I had was a horrible piece of garbage that I would never recommend to anyone. It was eight inch spkr model and it sounded terrible. Had a just barely passable clean and the driven tones were horrible. That said, I have only played that one , and it could have been my amp, but THAT ONE was downright awful, I would have rathe went solid state then that horrible little noisy amp lol .
The Marshall 1 watt I played was a cool little amp , but I would worry that one watt wasn't enough for basement jamming.


----------



## marauder (Oct 19, 2009)

This thread is relevant to my interests. Currently using a Tweed Deluxe, but itching for the Marshall tone as well. Whenever I can scrape together the cash, I think the Fargen Mini Plex will be my choice.


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

JeremyP said:


> It was *eight inch spkr* model and it sounded terrible.


there ya go. 8" spkr


----------



## Pewtershmit (Jun 13, 2014)

I am a Marshall guy, that tone is what I go for. I look for 1959 style tone that is dynamic, and cleans up completely with the volume knob. While the real things are great, they're very impractical and inconsistent. The best thing I've found that does that Marshall sound at lower volumes has been pedals. There are some great amps out there that have that vibe, but you gotta really pay for them. 

Get a good clean amp, and buy yourself a Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret and run it at 18v. Seriously man. It's the best solution unless you want to get into an amp with power scaling. 

[video=youtube;IWbtP3S6mfM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWbtP3S6mfM[/video]


----------



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I have actually done exactly this, DLS at 18v. It sounded fine but it's not what I'm after at the moment.


----------



## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

JeremyP said:


> The Ac4 I had was a horrible piece of garbage that I would never recommend to anyone. It was eight inch spkr model and it sounded terrible. Had a just barely passable clean and the driven tones were horrible. That said, I have only played that one , and it could have been my amp, but THAT ONE was downright awful, I would have rathe went solid state then that horrible little noisy amp lol .
> The Marshall 1 watt I played was a cool little amp , but I would worry that one watt wasn't enough for basement jamming.


Jeremy, the AC4 with the 8" speaker is terrible & the 10" version still sounds boxy. Head into a decent speaker cab is like night & day vs. the smaller closed-back combo amps. 

And it's an absolute must to upgrade the tubes, the stock Chinese ones are garbage. $50 for better glass is also money well spent.


----------



## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Robert1950 said:


> New Vox AC4 1x12 should be well under $400
> 
> [video=youtube;jlcMgnWw5Bg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlcMgnWw5Bg[/video]


Hadn't seen that one, Robert, I was thinking about the handwired AC4 112 combo when I said over $1K. Turns out they're $799 USD at MF. Be curious to A/B it with its' cheaper sibling & these 2 combos with a head/cab rig.
http://www.voxamps.com/ac4hw1
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/vox-ac4hw-1-hand-wired-tube-guitar-combo-amp


----------

