Marshall Valvestate 8240 (aka S80)

[Kymera]

Hey, i've ust bought a second hand marshall valvestate 8240. Its 2x40w through 2x12" stereo speakers, its a 2 channel (clean and overdrive) and also has built in stereo chorus and reverb and also a footswitch to control channel switching and chorus on/off. what i'd like to know is if nybody here owns one of these of a similar valvestate mid '90s amp that can give me some ideas on some good settings to get some heavy rock distortion out of the amp, what are your recomended distortion pedals to give me that metallica heavy kinda sound. i know that through a 80w amp im never going to get a true metallica sound but i'd like to get as close as i can with what i have. suggestions?

(the picture i've added is not the same as the 8240 i've bought (named s80 on my actual amp, im in aus so maybe thats why its named differently, but hte footswitch is the same, the front panel is siimilar but not exactly the same, just put it there to give ya some idea what i'm talking about for those who don't know the valvestate range of amps)

 

[Evildick]

I'm here in the States and I have the same amp. It says Model 8240 on the left and S80 under the power switch. I've only had the amp for a week but what I have noticed is the distortion is way too crisp. When I get the crunch I want, I have to turn down the tone on the neck pup and let the humbucker kick in.

The amp doesn't have a nice warm crunch. I haven't mic'ed it yet with my SM-57's so it may sound good on recording. I'm still testing this one out so I'll share what I discover as I figure it out.

 

[guhlenn]

your amps fine for the sound you're after... and wattage don't mean shit... just don't turn it past 5... and NO PEDALS... this amp hates pedals... maybe maybe maybe some driver pedal... but distortion by a pedal is REALLY ugly on this amp...

Guhlenn

ps gain on this amp is not too crisp... for a solid state anyway..

 

[Lopp]

give me some ideas on some good settings to get some heavy rock distortion out of the amp, what are your recomended distortion pedals to give me that metallica heavy kinda sound. i know that through a 80w amp im never going to get a true metallica sound but i'd like to get as close as i can with what i have. suggestions?

Like guhlenn mentioned, 80W is more than enough power. You can get a Metallica sound with much less power.

I'm personally not a fan of the Marshall Valvestates, but I've heard a Mesa V-Twin pedal can help come closer to a Metallica sound. You can get a used one for under $250. I suggest trying one with your amp first to hear how it works.

You could also try one of those modelers like the Digitech RP100 and (if possible) bypass the preamp section of your amp. The RP100 sells for under $100, so if you're looking for an inexpensive band-aid for your Valvestate, it could do a decent job.

For example, I have both the RP100 and two Mesa/Boogies (which are pretty much the exact amps that Metallica uses) among other amps. The RP100 does a good job of getting nice and heavy when compared to many other amps and can approximate certain aspects of the Mesa/Boogie tone. However, it is NOT a replacement for a Mesa/Boogie.

Keep in mind two factors of Metallica's rhythm tone that can't be duplicated by an amp:

1. (Most importantly) Play TIGHT. No sloppiness. Practice your parts slowly and make sure they are perfectly articulated in time.

2. Play hard. Get aggressive with those strings. HOWEVER, don't forget factor #1. It takes a lot of practice to play tight AND hard.