December 4th, 2009 | 
Author: Straight down to the model
There was only one Fender model that had a pleasant distortion, to my ears. Only one. Wish I remembered what it was. Had a similar circuit topology to a Mesa, apparently.
Anyways, what Left-T said was right on…. Fenders are great amps, they have lots of headroom, lots of clarity, and lots of volume. They are dependable.
Their distortion also sounds like poo.
Marshall are a little overpriced, don’t deliver the same volume/watt as comparable models (compare a 30w Marshall with a 30w Peavey Vypyr, for instance!), and often aren’t the same quality as comparable models at the same price point. This is all very disappointing to me.
On the other hand, they sound flippin’ badASCII when they’re distorted. The Marshall tone is a classic rock tone! I actually like the clean sound, but because its not "pristine" clean, I don’t like super pristine clean tones most of the time, I want my tones to be a little dark, with just a hint of color and gain around the edges, if that makes *any* sense at all. A limited high frequency response tends to be a good thing with distortion….
I owned a Marshall Valvestate 1×12 65w combo for a long time… great amp, great sound, one of the best amps I’ve ever owned. Wish I hadn’t had to sell it… but it was also a little noisy. Bugged me, but it had a great tone to it, both clean and dirty. Again, colored more than a Fender, but that’s what I like….
So its really all about what you want.
Me, I won’t buy either ever again. I’ve found that I prefer to get my tones from my signal chain, and amplify using a tube preamp, EQ, and solid state power amp. The volume scales much better, its highly dependable, and with the EQ I can get a wide range of tones. I get the bonus of being able to tweak the tube circuitry to get the exact sounds I want. Could even put in a Marshall tone stack if I wanted to…. knowing electronics is cool…. =)
Besides, that way I don’t have to pay for the Marshall brand name, and don’t have to buy an amp that I don’t like the basic tone of. Give me some tube circuitry and let me do my own thing with it…. like the Epiphone Valve Jr. Love that thing. Tweak city….
Saul
Posted in fender amps
i prefer marshall over fender any day of the week and twice on sunday.
Marshall may be a little more expensive, but are MUCH better quality and give an incredible sound. Im not saying fender amps don’t give a good sound, just that Marshall is defiantly superb over Fender as far as amps go.
References :
If you are looking for cleanness in sound and projction, Fender is a much better amp than Marshall. The problem with marshall is that, when you crank it from 4 to 10, no difference in volume . Try the same on a Fender and you will have a gain from 4 to 10. The marshall has a dirtier sound, less pure than Fender amps.
The reliability of Fender is another thing. They last forever. lol
It depends on what sound you are looking for. If you don’t mind the lower output of Marshall and want a rock amp, go for it.
References :
Berklee Teacher / Luthier & Studio Guitarist
Fender amps are better and way cleaner in sound. Add a distortion to it and you are set for a super clean sound.
References :
Guitarist
Go Fender… The way I look at it is that you can always use a pedal to overdrive a nice clean amp, but if your amp won’t do clean well, there isn’t a pedal around that will get you there.
References :
There was only one Fender model that had a pleasant distortion, to my ears. Only one. Wish I remembered what it was. Had a similar circuit topology to a Mesa, apparently.
Anyways, what Left-T said was right on…. Fenders are great amps, they have lots of headroom, lots of clarity, and lots of volume. They are dependable.
Their distortion also sounds like poo.
Marshall are a little overpriced, don’t deliver the same volume/watt as comparable models (compare a 30w Marshall with a 30w Peavey Vypyr, for instance!), and often aren’t the same quality as comparable models at the same price point. This is all very disappointing to me.
On the other hand, they sound flippin’ badASCII when they’re distorted. The Marshall tone is a classic rock tone! I actually like the clean sound, but because its not "pristine" clean, I don’t like super pristine clean tones most of the time, I want my tones to be a little dark, with just a hint of color and gain around the edges, if that makes *any* sense at all. A limited high frequency response tends to be a good thing with distortion….
I owned a Marshall Valvestate 1×12 65w combo for a long time… great amp, great sound, one of the best amps I’ve ever owned. Wish I hadn’t had to sell it… but it was also a little noisy. Bugged me, but it had a great tone to it, both clean and dirty. Again, colored more than a Fender, but that’s what I like….
So its really all about what you want.
Me, I won’t buy either ever again. I’ve found that I prefer to get my tones from my signal chain, and amplify using a tube preamp, EQ, and solid state power amp. The volume scales much better, its highly dependable, and with the EQ I can get a wide range of tones. I get the bonus of being able to tweak the tube circuitry to get the exact sounds I want. Could even put in a Marshall tone stack if I wanted to…. knowing electronics is cool…. =)
Besides, that way I don’t have to pay for the Marshall brand name, and don’t have to buy an amp that I don’t like the basic tone of. Give me some tube circuitry and let me do my own thing with it…. like the Epiphone Valve Jr. Love that thing. Tweak city….
Saul
References :
DIY rules
My three favourite amps are Fender (1946 to 1986), Marshall (1962 to 1991), and Hiwatts (1967 to 1981).
The last years that these "were" amps were the following:
Fender: 1986 was the final year that they originally stopped hand-wiring their tube amplifiers (until they came out with the Custom Shop Series of amps beginning with The Vibro-King and the Tone Master in 1993). After that, they were printed circuit boards.
Marshall: The last day that Marshall hand-wired their amps was June 30, 1973. From July 1, 1973 on, the tube amps had printed circuit boards. But the last year that a Marshall was a "Marshall" was when the JCM 800’s went out of production back in 1991. Although some people will say that when Marshall stopped hand-wiring their amplifiers.
Hiwatt: When Dave Reeves died in early 1981, Hiwatts changed hands a few times. However, the new Hiwatts are built like a tank but are very pricy. But many people will argue that the old Hiwatts from 1967 to 1981 were the best (especially the early ones).
Nowadays, don’t even bother getting a new Fender, Marshall, or a Hiwatt for you’re paying for the name. Get the clones instead and or the Do It Yourself kits.
For Fender, go to Marsh Amps or Allen Amps.
For Marshall, Metro Amps is a must.
And lastly Hiwatts, VHR amps (Vintage Hiwatt Restorations).
All three worth checking out.
David
References :
http://store.marshamps.com/index.php?cPath=21
http://www.allenamps.com/kits.php
http://metroamp.com/
http://www.vintagehiwattrestorations.com