Marshall Amp and Heads

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tapestry

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I'm finally getting rid of my combo and will bite the bullet for a stack. I'm looking at the mashall AVT150H which can be found at http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MSHAVT150H and Marshall 1960A/1960B which can also be found at http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MSH1960A (Slant and straight).

My question is, can the AVT150H head be able to drive 2 of those cabs? I'm a bit confused coz some packages I'd seen has a much lower amp power rating than the speakers (i.e. 100 watt amp driving 2 200 watt speaker). Is the common mantra in PA systems wherein the amp should be more powerful than the speakers does not apply here?

Any experience on these gears.
 
I think it should be able to power both cabs, but why do you need two? I have only used one and one works just fine. Also, there are better cabs out there than the 1960 for a far better price. I'm actually selling my Carvin Legacy 412 (mint, it was a spare) in a flightcase if you are interested. I'm looking to get 500 for it, but might be able to negotiate. Even if you don't want to buy from me, you should really check them out, they are the best i've played, and i've played a lot. They are loaded with 4 Celestion V30's rather than the G12T-75 in the marshall (yuck). Even brand new they are cheaper than the marshall, that's what you get for buying direct from the store. PM me if you are interested.
 
tapestry said:
I'm finally getting rid of my combo and will bite the bullet for a stack. I'm looking at the mashall AVT150H which can be found at http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MSHAVT150H and Marshall 1960A/1960B which can also be found at http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--MSH1960A (Slant and straight).

My question is, can the AVT150H head be able to drive 2 of those cabs? I'm a bit confused coz some packages I'd seen has a much lower amp power rating than the speakers (i.e. 100 watt amp driving 2 200 watt speaker). Is the common mantra in PA systems wherein the amp should be more powerful than the speakers does not apply here?

Any experience on these gears.
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The cabs should work fine but I honestly see a major issue here.

Those cabs are EXSPENSIVE. If you can afford two of them then you can afford a real Marshall head IMO. Infact, Get a real head and only one of those cabs. That will set you back the same amount of money as a that ATV thing and the two cabs.

If you really, really, really, need a full stack behind you when you play, then get the shitty low priced Marshall cabs to go with that shitty ATV thing.


The ATV might be a nice head in its own right, but it is by no means on the level of a real Marshall all valve amp. Seriously. $800 for a cab. You are going to buy 2. Thats $1600 on some of the best cabs you can get, so you can hear $500 Foakley Marshall head.

Most people don't buy NASCAR quality tires to put on a Pinto.

Do what you will, becuase as long as the Ohms are the same you should be fine, but it is serious overkill in the wrong direction if you ask me.
:(
 
Outlaws is right. Put the money torwards a Marshall head that will not only Rock but have some resale value in a few years if you decide to sell. In regards to your original question, My marshall head has no problem pushing 2 of the 1960a cabs.

Also, there are better cabs out there than the 1960 for a far better price. I'm actually selling my Carvin Legacy 412 (mint, it was a spare) in a flightcase if you are interested.
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How conveniant. Just opinion but id take the marshall over the carvin any day and yes ive heard both.
 
And one more thing I think should be added to this...

Check with your bass player if he/she has the cash to by a whole new bass rig becuase if they don't, you will never ever in your whole life turn up a full stack past maybe 1 or 2 on the volume control when you are jamming with the band.
 
I'm actually going for a half stack for now but I just want to make sure that I can expand if necessary.

Any amp recommendation then? I tried various setups and it seems that the Marshalls suits my sound the best.
 
tapestry said:
I'm actually going for a half stack for now but I just want to make sure that I can expand if necessary.

Any amp recommendation then? I tried various setups and it seems that the Marshalls suits my sound the best.
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Get the TSL 100
 
juststartingout said:
Get the TSL 100
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get a used Carvin or Sovtek Mig-60 all tube head instead of this new "M" stuff off e-bay and have it equipped w/ JJ-Teslas ... and you will NEVER look back !!!!!!!!
 
Wireneck said:
How conveniant. Just opinion but id take the marshall over the carvin any day and yes ive heard both.
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Are your serious? The carvin has a MUCH fuller sound (the GT-75's just can't beat V30's IMHO), I've been playing carvin cabs for years and have never looked back, I guess it really just depends on what style you play. There's nothing wrong with the marshall, it's just way overpriced for what you get. And I don't expect to make a sale out of this, i've been running around trying to sell this cab for about a year, and at the same time, not trying selling it for the same year. I guess I just can't make up my mind as to whether I want to sell it or not. You never know when you may need another cab...

Also, about the head... I would not go with the AVT either, I've heard some not so great things about it. It's a hybrid, but most people that play it say that it doesn't even touch the warmth of a tube head, once again, just depends on your style. If you feel that the Marshall sound is best for you, look at the TSL and DSL, both are extremely powerful amps and have a very good and diverse tone.

Also, will this be your recording rig as well?
 
Another note....

I ran sound for a few bands on Saturday night. One of the bands had two AVT150's. Both guitarists were running them. One on a slant cab, and on on a straight cab. They're okay. I'll agree w/ everyone else and say if you're going to drop that kind of cash, get yourself an all-tube head.

I really thought the distortion was nasty on them. The kids weren't using pedals, just the footswitch fpor the amp, but I didn't enjoy the tone, I really didn't mind the clean though.

My 2 cents
 
Yeah, forget the full stack... that's just silly.

Most rock clubs are fairly small and almost always have a house PA system. You can take a 5-watt tube amp to a gig and get a great sound through the house PA. The only time this would be a problem is if the monitor system is crappy (fairly common problem) and you need more stage volume.

My amp is a 30-watt, all tube, 2x12 combo amp. It's loud. I rarely turn the master volume above noon when rehearsing (and this is with a heavy-handed drummer). At a gig, I may crank it wide open, but at no point am I thinking: "damn, I wish I had 100 watts."

For some reason, guitarists think they have to have at least a half stack and 100 watts to be taken seriously. Tube watts are louder than solid state watts and you really need to push the power tubes (volume-wise) to get the creamy tube distortion. So rarely do they get to enjoy the full benefit their amp simply because it's too damn loud to crank the amp and get the tubes cooking.

My band just a got a rhythm guitarist recently. He's a good friend and guitar player, but he's a metal head. Our band plays rock music (classic and modern rock stuff). He's got a killer rig for playing metal-- Mesa Boogie TriAxis, Mesa 2:90 power amp, and Mesa 4x12 cabinet. He's got at least a couple grand in that rig... but he's not happy with his sound. He can barely crank the power amp past 2 because his rig has so much power it drowns the rest of the band out. So he ends up not liking the distortion. He has commented several times on how my distortion sounds so sweet and creamy while his sounds thin and crappy. Can you imagine spending several thousand dollars in a guitar rig and then being unhappy with the sound? Well... go get your full 100-watt Marshall stack and you will probably find out what it's like.

MOST guitarists don't need 100 tube watts and a full (or even half) stack. It is overkill. I think the 80's arena rock bands with their walls of speaker cabinets started this phenomenon... everyone thinks they need some huge amp to sound good. Usually, it's just the opposite.

Get a GOOD tube amp (50 watts or less) and a GOOD 2x12 speaker cabinet and you will be in hog heaven-- plus your back with thank you.
 
Amen. The two amps I use are a Peavey Classic 30 (with extension cab) and a Tech21 Trademark 60. The Peavey's 30 watts into 2 12" greenbacks can put out WAY more volume than most people will ever need. If you ever get to the point where you need more, a much better alternative is to mic the amp, since having a louder amp will just increase stage volume. Increased stage volume complicates monitor mixes (which are already hard enough), causes hearing damage, and causes rampant feedback.
 
my take...

AVT?? If you're gonna go halfstack you're gonna want it to sound better than an AVT!! First of all you can get some great cab's from avatarspeakers.com, loaded with vintage-type speakers for hundreds less than a marshall cab loaded with marshalls standard speakers. This will give you some AWESOME tone at a great price provided that you have a good head.

So take the money that you save on your cab by NOT going marshall (buy a Marshall Logo and stick on your cab if you still want to look cool...) and invest it in a good tube head. Remember that there is not a big difference in 50W vs 100W when it comes to volume... You may save a few hundred more my getting a used 50W amp.

Buy smart!! You can get a great setup for far less than you may think....
 
Now in all seriousness, I don't want to bash the ATV. If thats what you can afford then go for it. Its just that those 1960 cabs are sucking valuable money away from what could be going toward a better overall sound via a nicer head.

But if you are not even serious about the getting even one 1960, then it doesn't matter...get what you can afford.
 
alright, im gonna play the fenceline on this one.

take all the above advice, think about it, pray about it, what ever you need to do. Then listen with your ears.

what do want to sound like??

Ive heard great players with great gear with sucky tone and shitty players with so called shitty gear with awsome tone. Its all in what you want to sound like. find that sound on your own, and run with it. A marshall JCM2000 TSL head no doubt sounds great in certain situations, but does it fit what you want to do? maybe the AVT is better if you dial in the right settings for what you play

I would vote for you to do something completely different. go after the tone no one has. how do you do that??????? by trying something other than the norm, or taking the norm and doing someting different with it.

experiment and dont settle for the stock amps that "everyone" is using. Heck even the most popular guitar tones of our lives have been modified from the norm, someway or another so dont think a amp with a certain name on it is gonna automaticallly get you a great tone.

good luck, hope i come across as encouaging, and trying to get you thinking out of the box so to speak.

in the words of one of the greatest away from the norm bands, KINGSX, "there is no room inside a box"
 
Thanks guys. I really appreciate all the dispensed advices. My 100 buck combo served me well for years. Hey, it helped me got through college! I'm a total ignoramous when it comes to gears and always in quandary when it comes to this sort of stuff. I got used to using what was available to me. Thus, learned how to work with what I have. I'm your typical "starving" student "musician". Someone that hangout by thrift shop and pawnshop hoping to find some cheap music stuff (with or without something to spend (-;). I got tons of stuff that way.

Fast forward.. fortunate enough to find a stable day job outside music and just curious and ready to try those stuff I only salivate reading in catalogs and all those marketing propaganda... fortunately, you guys stopped me from my impulsivity and stupidity. I spent enough time in my local GC today to realize that what I wanted originally was overkill for my needs.

Getting a Traynor combo from my friend is now a possibility. I'm yet to find it out how good it is or if it suits my sound. Any thoughts on this amp? I don't have any specifics but was told it's all tube.

Thanks...
 
tapestry said:
Getting a Traynor combo from my friend is now a possibility. I'm yet to find it out how good it is or if it suits my sound. Any thoughts on this amp? I don't have any specifics but was told it's all tube.

Thanks...
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I haven't tried any of the Traynor amps, but they seem to get good reviews. They are made by Yorkville-- which has a solid reputation.

If it's an all tube amp and you can get it for cheap, it's probably a good deal.

You should go play it and decide for yourself. All tube amps are different and the only way to know if it's right for you is to play it (with your guitar).

Good Luck!
 
tapestry said:
Getting a Traynor combo from my friend is now a possibility. I'm yet to find it out how good it is or if it suits my sound. Any thoughts on this amp? I don't have any specifics but was told it's all tube.

Thanks...
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I cannot stress this enough! Whatever amp you try, you need to try it in the actual scenario in which you will be using it longterm. I can't count the number of times I've heard "well it sounded great in the store, but when I used it at our practice, it didn't sit right in the sound and I just didn't get the thrill I got when I played it in the store..." Real world acoustic environments are so drastically different from music stores, and the rest of the band changes the dynamic of the sound so much, that there is no way you can really know while playing in the store.

That's one of the reasons why I do most of my shopping at Sam Ash. They have a 30 days no questions asked 100% refund. Not a check they'll mail in 8 weeks, not store credit, but an on-the-spot 100% refund. Tuesday night I picked up a new fender bass amp basically to function as my on-stage monitor (main sound is direct out to the house from a SansAmp). It sounded great it the store and had well defined tone. Once we got it up on the stage at church and started practicing, we found out that once I had it up to a regular monitoring level for bass, something about the projection of the amp was making it hard for the sound tech to control the bass levels in the house. In some spots in the room, you almost couldn't hear the bass, in some places it was just right, and then in some places it was way too loud. SO....it's going back to Sam Ash monday night.
 
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