Marshall 3520 200W Integrated Bass System Head

I bought it new in 1989 from a local dealer in Northern England. I paid ??311 (GBP)which was a lot of moolah back then. I play 70's rock. I has a lot of power with quite a bit of warmth.

I've used different cabs with it over the years. By far the best was a Marshall 800 Series 4x10, really powerful & warm. Back then, I was using an ESP Surveyor (P&J) which had a nice, warm, woody sound. Now I play 2007 Gibson Thunderbird.
I use the amp now with a Marshall 7152 Dynamic Bass Series cab with 1x15 and 2x10, 4 ohm. To start with, this was a terrible combination. The bottom end would break up, even at low volumes. Anyway, after a lot of experimentation, I found that the amp could not cope with a 4 ohm cab - so I rewired the speakers, 2x10s in series, paralleled with the 15 - this gave a cold resistance of c.6.7 ohms.....and it worked a treat.
In recent years I bought an Ampeg set up (SVT pro3, with Classic 1x15 and 2x10 cabs) and unluckily, the mains transformer blew in the SVT. I reverted back to the 3520, used it with the Ampeg cabs and it was astonishing. So much power and warmth and crisp top-end, better than the SVT.

In '97, I as using it in the studio and after 10 mins it began to buzz. Let it cool, start it up again, after 10 mins a buzz. Obviously a heat problem. The only thing that really heats is the MOSFETS, so, I got direct replacements from Marshall, replaced them and no probs since.
I will add that the black nylon lock-nuts on the jack sockets have fallen off from time to time.

Very good. As a previous post on this amp, it appears to be hand made so everything is easily accessible.

I look on Ebay regularly for these amps and intend to get another as I think they are magic. On Ebay they've sold from between ??60 - ??200 (GBP).

Bought my 3520 head in a combo packaged with a 1553 JCM 800 cabinet driving a single 15 and two 10's in the Summer of 84. Killed everything in it's class and still does. I've seen other amps drop to their knees against this rig. Many say it is very loud, true, and sounds killer. I drive it with a G and L El Toro with active electronics. Great amp for contemporary playing styles.

Sound quality is outstanding. Punchy, warm, crisp, clean, what ever you dial in. Want distortion? Buy a Behringer.

It's 2008. Only this year did I ever have it serviced. Took it to Uncle Alberts and had it cleaned and scoped. Built to last. I had a bypass switch placed on the effects loop. Never, ever gave me any trouble whatsoever. It still rocks today.

Marshall will be glad to service the unit. If you actually make a call to them.

Been playing several years. It will not be stolen, guns are legal and loss of a hand doesn't appeal to most thieves.

1986, purchased new. I play primarily hard rock with a bit of more commercial classic rock and it fits well. One channel, no channel switching though it does have a boost control that is footswitchable. There is an effects loop, but no switching.

Basic EQ with separate volumes for both treble and bass--no "master" volume. So you can tweak all you want with the EQ and then only amplify the side of the EQ that you like with no determinable center.

There's plenty of power--actually, cracked open on the volume is almost too loud in some cases.

I'm using a Rickenbacker 4003 with the single coil, non-toaster pickups. I have picked up some radio frequencies with it, but I'm not sure if that was the amp, the bass, or the combination of the two. But that's rare.

It has plenty of bass if you want to EQ it as such, or you can get downright trebly at the drop of a hat. The "sensitivity" knob is another name for "gain." Works wonderful and the natural growl of the Rickenbacker is even more pronounced with more gain added.

It's never let me down.

Never had to send it back to the manufacturer. I have had the pots cleaned as it did sit for some years without play. It does squeal a bit when powered down but I was told that to fix it would cost almost as much as the total value. So I turn down the volumes (remember, there's two) prior to powering it down.

I've had older Peavey Combos (Combo 300) and they didn't compare to the Marshall. No way, not at all. The Marshall is far more powerful and capable of a wider range of tone. I'm not sure how it would compare to the Peavey's of today, but we're talking then vs. now. I also have a Trace Elliott GP7SM 200 watt head and that is nice as well--the two are both very powerful, though the Trace has a better EQ. But the Marshall has a booming presence that just can't be beat. So your guitarist has a 2x12 or 4x12 that's drowning you out? A little tweak of the volume(s) when hooked to a 2x15 will have your guitarist scurrying to find "11."

made in 1986 one channel, vol boost (pedal activated) effects loop, biamp mode - two outs at 200w 4ohms each - loads and loads of power
this amp makes the whole house bellow. guitarists hate me because i drown them out if they piss me off.
wish it had active input.
solid state mosfets are terrific, so much more reliable than tubes.
use it for gigging and recording

Use a '94 Gibson les Paul Standard Bass
and custom built Peavey Cabinet with 18" Black widow and twin
eminence 10's
play mostly heavy rock and mad funk some psychobilly
insane tone and control - solo pedal is great for fills and breakdowns
my Gibson single coils send lots of buzz if its fully turned up - other wise its great.

It is solid state mosfet Marshall so it will never break.

On a used Marshall from 1986?

Been playing for 7 years
It is gritty and authentic marshall
It is tough and powerful - makes the paint shake off the wall
If it were stolen I doubt I could find another but I'd definitely
buy a new marshall

Scratchy pots and occasional burp are the only reason this is not a 10.

I think this was made in 1986. I bought it used off of ebay for 166$, including shipping. I like a heavy alternative or acid rock type thing. (hendrix, monster magnet, wellwater etc). It has 1 channel and a boost, basic eq and 2 master volumes. It has an effects loop.
Seems to be a 4 ohms at 200 watts minimum, but not completely sure yet.

This head is a throw back. I use a boss me5b bass effects pedal board and a Fender Music man cab with 2-15's and this thing is LOUD! It will play out, it will play in, it just doesn't want to play soft.

When I bought the hamburger that had it, had broken off a sensitivity pot. I figured I would simnply replace it. I should have been smarter. Trying to find the 220k pot was a chore. After I got it, it was a 2 man job and the volume pots needed to be cleaned HARD!. I think I was the only one to do a through job on it, but now it works like new. Trying to find info on this is tough, but fortunately this thing works well. As far as vintage bass setups go, I think this head works very well, now that I fixed it correctly.

I use an Ibanez roadstar bass II, stock. I think thsi amp is very versitile for a mid 80's bass amp head. It is very quiet, as in no 60 cycle hums what so ever. This amp head reminds me of a basic package to play loud and however you like within a basic confine. Once you find the effects setup you like, you just plug it in and go.

After I fixed it, it works fine. Before you clean the volume pots though, it was a horror and no way you could even turn the pots without creating super loud crackling.

Marshall for an 86? BWAHAHAHHAHAHAHHA

I have been playing 20 years. If it was stolen, I'd be pisssed!!!!!
I like the fact that you can acutally fix it if something goes wrong, all the pieces are signed and you can tell it was handmade. The new stuff is like the tissue, blow and throw. I wish it had an internal compressor and effects, but I think it's good because it doesn't. It's the old acronym KISS, keep it simple, stupid. Good tonal controls, but not fancy or complicted at all.