Marshall 1974X

I knew what this amp offered when I tried it out...Marshall sound to the core. It does classic Marshall better than any other amp I have ever played, so I bought it. This is THE classic rock amp. If you want to play gigs and dont want to have soundmen yelling at you to turn down and/or looking stupid bringing a plexi stack to a small club gig...bullseye double! It has a reputation for a "one trick pony". But I say if you are versed in the lost art of using your volume and tone knobs (ESPECIALLY with a Les Paul) there is a large selections of tones to be had here. This amp is the Les Paul's soulmate, straight up.

You cant make this amp sound bad. The only amp I have ever played that comes close is my friend's vintage 50 watt Marshall 1987 plexi. But it was 10X louder to get it to the point where it started to sound good. Before that, it was pins and needles. The 1974x starts clean, which last until you turn to 2, after that its all gain and compression. None of that eye piecing trebly unusable clean. If you use your volume knob as a boost, there are nice clean tones to be had. Not like CLEAN clean, but nice. That doenst bother me in the least. Thats what Blackfaces are for. If you want an amp that does both BADLY, go buy a Meso' Poopie. this is a REAL amp. Get a wah pedal, a boost, maybe a external EQ, and you are set.

The problems with the old transformers are well documented. Makes me wish I saw one used. But I never did. Guess that says something about reliability AND sound. Ive only had it for a few weeks, no problems so far, none on the horizon.

If you want to sound like all your favorite classic rock records...this is the one. I have a rattle I am battling from the rectifier tube and the spring holding it in. I WILL figure that out because it is louder than any spring rattle I have ever encountered. But this amp sounds so good, little things that would normal drive me crazy, dont. stop reading forums and buy this amp. It will make you want to play more.

Well you'll already know the features if you're reading this, hand wired 18 watt amp, 12" celestion aged speaker, comes with a trem, no trimmings. I have no use for the trem so I cannot comment on it. Used it once or twice, wasn't really my bag.

Not scoring this because if you look at, say a line6, the features list is a mile long, and if that's what you want then you wouldn't be looking here. This is a reproduction of an amp made in the late 60's, it's not likely to have built in effects, different amp modelling etc.

Well, what a weapon. It might be a one trick pony, but it's one hell of a trick. I'm usually playing blues or rock and for a change I sometimes play a bit of blues/rock. The sound you get out of this is immense.

A word to people who want to play this in the house...It's fierce...I had a 10watt solid state before this and thought 18watts on full chat wouldn't be much louder. I, and half my street, were in for a bit of a surprise. The problem is, on bedroom levels, the amp sounds shrill and thin and, well, crap. On anything past about 6 sounds awesome. With the vol set to 8 I had next door but 2 around complaining and I was in a detached house at the time.

So if the sound you're looking for is that distorted Marshall tone at bedroom levels, this probably isn't for you. As mentioned, that sort of amazing sound that can only be got from driving the jacobs off a tube when it's cranked can only be done when it's cranked.

I spent a lot of time thinking I'd made a right balls up, I had an amp repair guy in a guitar shop call me a ****** and tell me to put a duvet over it, AS IF, definitely the most useless advice I've ever had, unless this guy has a 1,000 tog duvet on his bed he was clearly being a tool.

The only way to do it is to fit an attenuator, you're getting that ace sound at whatever vol you want. Before this the amp was unusable in the house for me because it was just so loud.

My fault, not the amp.

I don't gig with this. It only ever moved from house to house, so it's had a fairly easy life in that respect.

I do have the attenuator between 8-10 most of the time, so it's getting a good workout every time I use it.

Worked perfectly for a couple of years continuous use. Fired it up one night recently to warm, came back to it 5 mins later, dead.

No lights, nothing. No fuses blown, just nothing. Transformer knackered.

The attenuator doesn't put any extra strain on the amp anymore that playing at those volumes would normally, so this should not be the cause.

I'm giving this 5 because, in spite of this well known issue, it is a solid cab and well put together.

This is where it all turns a bit sour unfortunately. Given the amount I'd been bigging this amp up to mates, you'd think I was on the Marshall payroll, but unfortunately I'm not, I'm just another name embossed on the front of a credit card.

Phoned them and, well, they offered to check it out for free to tell me what was wrong with it, then let me know how much it'd cost to put right. Problem with that is the factory is miles away, I don't have the original box and it aint cheap sending a 3 stone parcel. The person on the phone conceded that it was likely the transformer that has been so problematic for fellow 1974x users, and even said that they didn't use that transformer any more because of the problems they've had.

So would they replace the known defective transformer gratis if that turned out to be the problem? - No. I'd have to buy one. But that was okay because it would be the new transformer and they've not had the same issue with that according to the guy, which a quick search on the internet for this issue would suggest otherwise.

I'm not really going to pay to have this sent to them to put another component in it to then send it back, all of which at my expense without being 110% confident that this issue is fixed...and I'm not convinced one bit by what I have read on this issue.

Although it sickens me to spend even more money on this amp, I'll be putting a 3rd party transformer in because I've already had issues with the factory fitted ones and stubbornly, I'm not paying Marshall to put something right they should be doing anyway on an amp of this calibre.

Very disappointed. A real shame.

Played for around 6 years, Les Paul Classic (P'ups are SD Hotrodded set), Home Made Les Paul (don't ask), Ibanez RG350DX. Just have to love the combination of the Les Paul and this amp.

I love the fact I have it, I'm bitter about it dying, felt stupid about having to shell out for an attenuator, but it is ace, and it's what I want and I wouldn't want to be without it.

Buy it again if it was nicked? hmm, tricky. Consider it came with a 5 year guarantee for naff parts, and I'd still say no (I think).

For the money you could by 2-3 similar sounding amps that don't have Marshall written on the front, there are lots of copies out there, and if the Marshall isn't reliable, what are you paying for apart from the logo?

I'd buy a clone or a 18watt kit and with the money left over buy an island in the Caribbean.

Most said already, but to stress that this Class A/B and not A as some think. The circuit is based upon a Watkins Dominator amp.

Two "channels" - two identical inputs into normal channel and two inputs into tremolo channel, the top one very bright and the lower one much darker - something to do with sensitivity of the source. But, forget the tremolo channel as both inputs sound inferior to the normal channel. Also, on mine the tremolo is unstable and speeds up as the amp warms up. So, if you're playing for half an hour plus, the tremolo becomes much too fast on the slowest speed setting and therefore is unfit for purpose. Apparently there is a mod for this if you're up to tampering with ??1,200 worth of amp. I bought my amp secondhand, but almost new, so no transferrable guarantee.

The tone control is pretty ineffective, but make sure that you set it at 12 o'clock as anything else sucks out the natural tone.

This may sound all a bit negative, but I auditioned the amp against a new Blackstar Artisan 15 and fell in love with normal channel of the 1974X. (Also, I liked the fact that is was hand wired in the UK and had a Union Jack on the rear plate.)

The main features are: stunning tone, wonderful looks and vibe and British made. If you want more - look elsewhere.

Guitars used - Yamaha Pacifica 312 and AEX 510 (I think - the singlecut semi with dogear P90s), plus a Westone Thunder IA.

The amp is absolutely stunning with the 312. The alnico single coils really bring out the shimmer when clean (up to about 2/3 on the dial). Beyond, the break up is wonderfully smooth. The amp reaches its maximum volume at about half way and beyond just adds distortion.

This is a wonderfully tactile amp for playing clean, on the edge of distortion and Marshallesque rock. I'm not into the heavy stuff, but there are probably better amps for metal.

In summary, a one sound amp that is truly stunning. Just consider it as having one channel and a volume control only and you won't be disappointed.

It's till working, but tremolo useless when warm.

Marshall very unhelpful, particularly as the tremolo problem is a latent defect in my opinion.

I've been playing for about 45 years.

If stolen, I'd probably go for a Brown Note or similar. I'm hooked on a pair of EL84s, but don't need a tremolo and would prefer the money put into improvements in the circuit and better transformers.

I love the tone and nostalgic vibe.

I compared it to a Blackstar - see earlier comments.

simple to use

sounds great for any guitar

not.. bought used a month ago and the power transformer went on this one too.

i left it on by mistake for a few hours and returned to find the power fuse blown.. replaced blows in a second.. .. reading reviews that this is common but sure is frustrating

did not try..

not much now

This amp is very very very simple, it has two channels, a normal channel (1 volume 1 tone control) and a tremolo channel (same as normal but with speed and intensity controls for the tremolo, there is also a footswitch to turn the trem on and off)
both channels have 2 inputs, on the normal channel they are exactly the same, and on the trem channel they are like other high/low inputs.

The way I see it there are two outlooks on the features of this amp
1. "Simplicity RULES!!!"
2. "No EQ? That's cute now get me a real amp"
When I first got mine, I has the first outlook, but as I play an EQless amp I realize how important they are, nothing that a pedal doesn't fix.
18 watts is perfect for cranked Marshall tone in your bedroom, plays over a drummer easy, and if you gig you can mic it up and it's as loud as any full stack.

I use a 2007 Les Paul Standard and a 2005 '52 Hot Rod Tele
Both sound Incredible!
I play a lot of blues, classic rock and GnR/Van Halen higher gain stuff
I pretty much always keep the amp dimed and make adjustments on my guitar.
the distortion level with the amp and guitar at 10 is somewhere between Eric Clapton in Creme and early Slash. If you need more dirt then a MXR distortion + or a Boss DS-1 will push you into hard rock/metal territory.
Both my guitars have relatively low output pickups so I am not sure how hotter pickups would sound, I imagine that if you have higher output pickups you want a higher gain amp though.

Keep in mind I don't gig.
But the closest thing to breaking down this amp has ever done is one of the tube covers came off, and I didn't even notice.
I haven't needed to replace the tubes yet and I push them pretty hard daily.
But I haven't had it for that long, hence the 8/10 rating

Never dealt with them

This amp is perfect for what I want it to do, the ONLY flaw is the lack of an EQ
When I was looking to buy it was between this and a 100W Plexi, I chose this because it sounded as good and was easier on my ears.
I would buy this amp a million time over if god forbid it was stolen or lost.

I write only to clear up the class A or class AB subject (hopefully). The folks who claim that most push/pull (double ended, not single ended) amps are class AB are correct. It is not a matter of the "inventor" (which this amp and others like it were not even invented by Jim Marshall, but rather by Charles Watkins of WEM amps and music equipment fame, see the Watkins Dominator) claiming it is class A or AB or whatever. It is a matter of operating conditions for the power tubes generally. And, in general, push/pull guitar amps will be running the majority of the time in class AB mode which means that current is not conducting through one tube to the plate 100% of the time,but rather is on and off to some degree as the signal switches largely from one tube to the other during each cycle of the signal waveform. Many of these smaller 2 tube amps will be cathode biased and some will generalize this as a requirement for being called Class A operation. It is and it isn't. Owing to the overdriven conditions and operation of these amps they are really operating in class AB but they are commonly called Class A amps. The preamp tubes being triodes are running in class A mode, so to some extent, class A operation is shaping the signal a good deal, the power section is still probably running AB at any real volumes.

I have built dozens of 18 watt and 36 watt variations. They all have classic Marshall tone but I tend to voice them with my own choice of bypass elytics and other components I deem worthy.

These amps are reliable as modern components and with regard to how they are treated. If abused enough, anything can be made to fail.

Playing 35 years, playing rock and hard rock. These would be nice if they had a good reverb instead of tremolo IMO.

2004 18w Hand wired all valve combo, 2 channel with tremolo 1x 12 celestion aged vintage greenback speaker. Vol& Tone on each channel with speed and intensity for the tremolo. That's it.

It's everything you want and more. Stunning Amp. Makes you want to play all day.

Only have the amp.After I bought the amp I read some of the reviews and was worried about the reliabity of the transformes as my amp was one of the first proudction run. I contacted Marshall and they explained that not all of the amps had the problem just some of the first ones and they have the problem sorted. So dont let any of the reviews put you off buying one as Marshall will stand over their products. I have to give it a 10 as it was made in 2004 and is still going strong.

The best customer support that I have ever had. I contacted Marshall about the transformer issue and explained that I had bought the amp second hand. I did'nt think that they would want to know. Got a reply in one hour and the contact info for the local Marshall engineer in case I ever had any problems with the Amp. Also got an email from the engineer.

I have owned lots of Amps and this is the best one ever in it's price range.

2007 beand new model. Scores high as I dial in my tone in 1 second with just 2 knobs. No other amps this simple sound this great!

Sound is just fabulous! However I took out the 20watt greenback and through in a celstion Gold! Big digfference.

Built like a tank like all UK amps.

Spoke to marshall with regards to transformer issues. They said that was a problem on the first run and so far mine is holding up nicely.

Going to buy another one! Love this amp too much!

Love the simplicity of this amp. It scores big with me as it's straight forward 2 knobs which is difficult to get your hands on anymore. If it was up to me they can do away with the vibrato and make the circuit even less complicated!

AMAZING!!! Just crank it up and play. One of the best sounding class A amps out there. I have had monay and really like this one. I must admit I swapped out the speaker and had to try an Alnico Gold. Hey it even looks like it should have came with the thing. Allot more bite and some extra headroom. A Les Paul is doable now!

I have heard of the transformers problems on the earlier ones. It must be solved on this new one as I have been playing the hell out of the thing and everything seems just fine!

Never used them, hopefully I never will.

I would have to replace this asap if it wass stolen. It sure would be interesting if they released a JTM-45 in this series. Overall this ampo is not cheap but worth every penny in my opinion. If you have a few extra bucks throw in a celestion gold, you won't be disappointed.

for Cap'n Pugwash, from the aforementioned 18watt website, courtesy of Zaphod Phil, one of the moderators there.....

he 18W is Class AB, not Class A
The Vox AC30 is Class AB, not Class A Ditto for the AC15
All those Matchless amps are Class AB, and not Class A
All those Black Cat amps (except the Mini Cat) are Class AB, and not Class A
And ditto for many others...

Not flamin' ya matey, just repeating what I read....... in the remainder of this thread on the 18watt.com forum, the salient fact is this......it doesn't matter if it's class A, or A/B......if it sounds great, it's great!!!

Cheers!

Marshall puts this amp out for 2 years 1966-1968, and then some 38 years later, they bring it out again. All the time it was a Class A amp; was then, is now.
A whole league of knowledgeable experts build clones of the original, and they know damn well that it??s a Class A amp, (try 18watt dot com mate); but then Duccy comes along and tells us all that it??s not a Class A like we??ve all been believing all along, but a Class A/B... hmmm, I wonder if he??s told the inventors; Marshall/Watkins about this??

So don??t don??t worry folks, it is a Class A amp, and is probably one of the best ever made. Only a Class A amp can sound this way. Been lovin mine for years now, had the PT problem too, was replaced, been howlin?? since.

Don??t fret Duccy, whoever told you the 1974 is a Class A/B amp was pullin?? yer leg mate!
Turn it up!

2004 1974X, purchased new December 2004....
As indicated in most of the other reviews, very simple, quite straighforward......turn it on, play.....
Contrary to what a lot of other users seem to think, this is a conventional class A/B amp...
It is plenty loud for playing any gigs I can imagine, I rarely turn it up past 4.....doesn't really get much louder beyond that point, just more saturated & sweeter........

I'm usuing this amp with a Les Paul Special & a Tele.......... Great for getting a plexi sound at a somewhat more manageable volume level.

Since this was an early one, I did have the transformer issue...... took a break at rehearsal, put it on standby, came back & it was dead......replacement took about a month at my selling dealer, since then it's been perfect!

5 year warranty, aside from the time required to get the replacement transformer set, everything has gone smoothly. Marshall has owner manuals, etc. available on their website.

I use this with the above mentioned guitars, occasionally with an A/B box & either an Ampeg Gemini or a Mesa/Boogie Studio .22+. Without a doubt it is the best sounding amp for what I do than anything else I've ever owned......a list which includes a JMI Vox AC-30, blackface Fender Showman, Ampeg VT-22, a Marshall 2104 (1979), JTM45 reissue & a gaggle of others over 44 years.
I'd replace immediately if stolen/lost......perish the thought!
I love the simplicity......in an era of channel switching/modelling/400 knob monsters, it's a delight to play an amp that sounds this good with TWO knobs.......

2006 brand new out of the box. Extremely straight forward 2 seperate channel amp with just volume and tone. Possible to daist chain the channels to get different sounds. Vibrato on one channel. I really appreciate the simplicity of this amp! I do like the removeable power cord, authentic vibrato footswitch, speaker ohm selector switch for additional speaker cabs. These of course not to the original specs of the original but nice modern improvements. I am going to score this amp a 9 as it's sometimes nice as a feature not to have many!!!

KILLER, AWESOME TONE! This is what this little beast is all about. There's a reason why class A amps sell for as much as mega watt A/B amps. There super loud and have a unique compressed sound of there own. This amp posses all that. Sounds great with my relic strats but I thought it broke up a little to soon with my les pauls-definitely missing head room to gig with. So I went all out and had to experiment with the new Celestion Alnico Gold. I have always had Blues so either way I wanted to try a Gold because I would always use it in the furure. And let me tell you-O My God! No problem gigging out now-pedal in front and your ready to go!

No problems so far. I have heard the new ones are trouble free. Built like a tank, solid limber. However tubes run hot so we will always have a backup pair of JJ's on hand!

I would definitely replace this if it got stolen! As well I would put in the Celestion Gold and JJ EL84's and Tung-Sol EC83's tubes.

bought new from dallas guitar center december 2007

this is a one trick pony amp. but it's the best trick in the book.

not alot of headroom.....

this amp is gorgeous sounding. the clean sound from 1-4 is so crysalline and dynamic.

from 4-10, as yngwie says, "you've unleashed the fury"

with my les paul standard (burstbuckers 1 & 2), the jimmy page sound is right there

sounds great with other pickup types......

jumpering between the 2 channels gives you some really wild tones....all sorts of phase-cancellation pockets as you move the 2 volumes and tones from 0-10....

each channel sounds great on it's own

i've heard the horror stories on this amp, i always have a 2nd amp in my rig, so i'm crossing my fingers that i have a new type OT.

i've been gigging w/ it for 3 months with no problems

hopefully i'll never have to update this part

i love this amp like a brother.

i'll never go to a gig without it.

cheers

2006, brand new. No extra features. Super simple, with no frills with just a tone knob-boy did i miss having a simple amp where you just plug in and concentrate on your playing. Fantastic trem but honestly i don't even use it. But cool effect to have on board. No reverb but for some reason with this little amp you don't even want it!!!! My holy grail is back in the box!!! Love the straight forwardness no frills of this amp!

Awesome!!! Makes for a killer recording amp and small gigs. Breaks up really nice. This is what this amp is all about. You pay for the handwired board and you hear it!

I heard of all the horror stories of the first run with the bad transformers. Hence the bad reviews. That didn't stop me. These sound sooooo god. I just figure if it ever goes I will invest in a a set of mercury magnetics and never worry about things in the future. However I was told this problem was resolved after the first run! I have been beating the hell out of mine and so far so good. Love everything about this amo including the greenback. However I have always had alnico's so I am going to try one of the new Alnico Gold's and see how that sounds. Who knows I may even get a little more headroom gor giogs which wouldn't be bad!

Called to ask some questions and service was quite good and very fast!!!

I love the look, anf of course the sound of this amp. Don't get a clone for the same price or more money get the real thing!!! I would definitely by another one!!!

No features butt i like that it's very sraight forward!

AWESOME!

I keep hearing about the transformer problems but i gig with mine and have never had a problem. I heard they resolved this issue as soon as first yeasrs production line!!!

Very good and kind people.

Brand new, made in 2005. No features but that's what I like abiut this amp-the SIMPLICITY. 2 knobs, volume tone. Wish the tremolo wasn't even there to muck up the circuit like the 2061 head. I will give this a high rating for actually having No features for the simplicity.

Just sounds absolutely KILLER! What ever you plug in-les paul or strat sounds fabulous.

Well I have waited a few months to make my review waiting for the transformers to go and they yet to do that. As far as I can see I have decided this amp sounds so killer I cannot part with it. Plus it looks way cooler then the clones. nSo if it goes I have decided to invest in better Mercury Magnetic transformers or something like that. I won't even bother putting in the Dagnals even if they are under warranty. This amp is just to good and it will make it better! As I said so far so good!

Called Marshall once to ask a few questions they called me right back.

If it was stolen I would have to purchase another one asap. This is the best class A amp I have ever heard!!! And again I love the simplicity it works for me. Just a pedal in front!

you can check the feats from Marshall Homepage.
Does everything from clean to killer plexi crunch. Sounds especially good with humbuckers, but performs good with single coils as well.

It has perfect power for studio and small gigs... on large stages use PA.

My Les Paul and SG love it... from the first 5 seconds you play it, you underestand that THIS IS IT. Yeah baby, It really has that classic marshall warm yet brutal crunch. Sounds better than vintage modern line and eats all kinds of DSL/TSL models for lunch.

There is only one issue... It longs to be cranked up!

I mean this is really REAL THING. I am happy that marshall is making AMPS again. A bit pricey (they should make a cheaper non handwired version of this amp for more budget oriented players).

PS! THIS IS THE FIRST PRODUCT I HAVE EVER RATED WITH MAXIMUM POINTS! Because it is not good for it's price, it is not reminding some classic amp... Ihis IS IT, THE HOLY GRAIL OF MARSHALLNESS!!!

no problems yet. stinks a bit but it's kinda natural for a brand new tube amp.

I am not rich and this amp costs in my country around 2200USD. On the same day i tried it in local store, i sold my pedalboard filled with boutique stomps. I really dont need them anymore.

This amp redefined a "good tone" for me.

Thank you, Marshall, for doing that!!!

****Product: Marshall 1974X
Price Paid: #999.00 (pounds sterling)
Submitted 02/08/2005 at 04:15pm by bruce
Email: brucebody at ntlworld<dot>com ****

/\ /\ /\ \/ \/ \/

this is and update on my original review of this amp.
i brought it new february 2005(thats when i reviewed it here), so now its nearly 3 years old.

well....the tranny finally followed lots of others.
ive been reading about them going and thinking my ones near enough 3 years old, not to bad. LoL

so the tranny went, so i took it back to the shop i brought it from.
7 days, yes SEVEN days later, its back in the shop for me to pick up.
sweet.
i took the amp out of the case to check it out.
all the valves are now replaced(2006 dates on them)and the new transformer looks longer?? than the old one??
the amp chasis still carries my original test sticker with the same serial number, and a few other things on the case make me sure its my amp, not a new unit.

anyway, it still sounds superb.
maybe i was lucky to get 3 years out ot the transformer, or maybe i was unlucky it packed up at all??

love this amp.

7 days turn around = thanks marshall.

Very straight forward amp, not many features but all you need for a great sound! 2 channels (can be jumpered to widen the sound palette), normal ch. with Vol & Tone, Tremolo ch. with Vol & Tone plus the Speed and Intensity controls for the footswtchable tremelo.
As for the number of features should be a 1, but for their effectiveness it deserves an 8, so I rate it midfield...

This is where this amp really shines! The sound is amazingly full, thick, expressive and touch responsive; harmonically rich and full of sustain. For the first time in my 35 years of playing I listen to my sound while I'm playing and think "Wow, what a beautyful sound!!! This is what I've been looking for so many years". It's really loud, don't let the low wattage fool you: 18w in pure class A is more than enough even with a loud drummer!

I've had it for less than 4 months so far; it blew the main fuse after 2 months; the tech said it was caused by the club's AC and not the amp. It blew again last night during a rehearsal with my band and there ain't any problem in that room AC sockets as there were other tube amps plugged and none had problems even when plugged in the same socket of my 1974x, so it's gonna get back to the tech and hope he will fix it, otherways I'd never dare to gig without a backup as I used to do in the last 30 years...

The amp came with a 2 years warranty (standard in Italy) and the authorized service centre is quite near my home, so I'm kind of a lucky guy... I never dealt with the company, but I don't think big companies can be responsive to customers for matter of time.
The warranty period is more than satisfactory but I want my amp fixed the right way to be sure it won't blow fuses any more: I don't really think I'm asking too much for a 1.500 Euros amp!

Been playing 35 years, more than a decade professionally. This is hands off the best sounding amp I've ever owned, but it's also the most unreliable... I have to make a decision: my mind tells me to sell it out ASAP, my heart tells me to give it another chance. I'll decide when I get it back from the tech. I really don't know how to rate it...

it was good before the OT broke down but it sounds even better with another transformer than their crappy ones !

i update the review i did 3 or 4 months ago.
after my 1974X broke down 3 times and changed under warranty already 2 times , it appears the output transformaser was the problem for the 3rd time.
i replaced it with a vintage 1974 transformer that seems to work and sound good.
the bad point is that after a few hours of work, the power transformer broke down today, blowing fuses while it was on but on stand by for a few hours.

i think they have one of the worst customer support, at least in France ! it impossible to reach them and i have to deal with the shop i bought it from.

not good due to the time and money lost with the transformers problems !

2005 handwired 1X12" aged Celestion greenback and 18 watts via el-84's and ecc83's. Two channels with two inputs each (high and low). Vibrato and non-vibrato channels each offer volume and tone - that's it! The vibrato channel adds speed and depth controls. The vibrato is activated via the included footswitch. If you like "features" you might have to look elsewhere. If you like simplicity, you are on the right track.

I have to rate the features at 5 to avoid confusing anyone.

In spite of reading numerous reviews about the reliability (or lack there) of the 1974X, I ultimately ended up buying the amp anyway based on one important thing TONE. The local guitar shop has had several of these on the floor for sometime. During my weekly visits I always found myself grabbing a guitar and heading for the 1974X. I played strats, teles, les pauls, and sg's through the 1974X and all did well. I most enjoyed the humbuckers, with the tele second, and the strat third.

The tone is just fantastic, at least to my ears. Maybe even the best tone I have acheived in my 30+ years at the craft. The strong midrange seems tailored to the electric guitar. The notes remain individual but blend just as well. Put the amp on 4 and you get a nice clean (but snarly) signal. Get up to 6-8 on the dial and enter the beautiful marshall breakup / overdrive. Dime the amp and all is well! Rock on man!

Throughout the entire volume range the tone remains constantly good. The amp can be bright but not brittle (based on the tone control setting). You can cut through the crowd without annyoing the dogs!! The bottom is great too (comming from a bass player using Ampeg tube amps).

Repeating, as a classic rock, blues, contemporary christian, and country musician, I could survive with this amp alone. Put the volume on 10 and work the drive with your guitar controls. That simple.

From the factory, ZERO is the rating. The factory power transformers are highly unreliable. Like many reviewers, my PT blew early on. Stunk up the house too! With that said, I am giving Marshall the chance to make it right. I consider this amp to be a high maintenance child. I love the tone so much that I will make it work in the end. See below for the remedy.

5 year transferable warranty with the local repair guy in the neighborhood. Think twice if you are close to warranty expiration or far from the amp repair guy. I am going to ride it out.

Like I said earlier, I have been playing for 30+ years. I play a variety of guitars including fender Cunetto relics / custom shop, gibson historics, and some vintage pieces. I love the tone of the 1974X and will work to make it right.

Enter Mercury Magnetics. The solution may lie in the purchase of MM upgraded PT, OT, and choke. Retail at about $500 for the set, plus installation, I see this as the probable solution. The MM's will make the amp most reliable and allow me to enjoy the amp until it self destructs! Really, it sounds that good...

This is a very close reproduction of a mid-60's Marshall 18 watt combo. I owned an original '65 Marshall 18 watt 2X12, which I sold ($$$$$) but missed, so I was very curious about this handwired reissue. Like the original, the new 1974X has two channels, which sound pretty similar. The tremolo on the new amp sounds very nice and in fact better than on my old original. I personally feel that the fewer features and the simpler the circuit, the better the tone. Therefore, since this amp is very simple and has almost no features I'll give it a 10. Any amp that just has a volume and tone knob is my kind of gear.

My old '65 18 watter did one thing--it nailed Clapton's tone on the Bluesbreaker album--and I was prepared to be ecstatic if the new one just did that. Well, it does do that--and a lot more. Using my PRS Custom 22, bridge humbucker, and turning it up to 8 or so, you are instantly transported to Bluesbreaker territory. The great thing is that, unlike my old one, this amp also sounds great with a Strat and absolutely to die for with my Suhr Tele with Lollars. And in addition to its outrageous Marshall crunch, the clean tone on it is also very nice and useable. (The clean tone on the vintage '65 was useless.) Keep the volume down on the 1974X and you can even dial in a nice (really!) jazz tone with humbuckers. But, be forewarned, this amp is not really about the clean tone and there is not a lot of headroom. The aged 20 watt Celestion speaker that Marshall has developed for this amp sounds absolutely fantastic and I can't imagine why anyone would want to change really anything on this amp. My one quibble is that it's fairly noisy with single coils, but that's the nature of the beast, and the tone is so good that I don't really care. I just drown it out by playing my guitar--loud. And that's what this amp is about--loud Marshall crunch. You don't really need any pedals. Just plug in, turn it up and you've got tone that no pedal can even approach. Oh, I bought the 1974CX extension cab to use with it. I recommend that, too.

I have read the horror stories about blown power transformers about this amp. I've had mine for 6 months. It's a 2005. I have not babied it. In fact I usually have it turned up to 8/9. But I haven't gigged with it either. All I can say is I have not had the slightest problem. (Famous last words.) I know what it's like to have an awful Marshall. My '71 Super Lead (bought new at Manny's) was a nightmare. So I would not be nice to Marshall if this amp did not work properly. It does, at least so far.

Haven't needed any.

I've been playing since 1964, I've owned every kind of amp under the sun--at one point I had over 80 amps--and in my opinion, this is one of the best amps I've ever played. It's especially wonderful for blues and rock. If you want a loud gnarly 60's Marshall crunch, this one will do it in spades. Frankly, I think it's one of the best amps Marshall has ever made, and at least thus far, it's been completely reliable. So I'm a very happy camper.

The features are a basic as it gets: volume and tone. Oh yeah---there's tremolo, as well. Two channels, one voiced bright, the other, dark.

Here's where things get good: it sounds superb, if old, pre-master-volume tone is where you live. This is how I remember Marshalls sounding from the late sixties and early seventies, and only at 18 watts, it doesn't hurt. You can drive this amp just using the guitar's volume knob, which is a real eye-opener if you've been tap-dancing on pedals.

And here's where things get bad: the output transformer cooked after just 4 months. That was under warranty. The tubes it took with it were not under warranty. Bill: $86.00. Wow. Thank God it didn't happen at a gig. I think I would have set it on fire.

The repair took a week. But the bill for the tubes really rankles me, so . . .

This is a tough call . . . the amp sounds absolutely fantastic, but if it's in the shop, that ain't no good! I'm hoping that the new O.T. will make the amp reliable, but that remains to be seen. Supposedly, Marshall has cured this problem on the production line, so the new ones should be OK. I say should be . . .

Marshall has made one very helpful change from the original--instead of a hardwired speaker lead, there are two speaker outputs with switchable impedance.

The tremolo is one of the best sounding and most usable units that I have ever heard.

The two channels are voiced slightly different. Channel one is darker; channel two has hi and low inputs. It has a definite bite in the highs, but it never gets harsh.

The tone controls have quite a bit of range, from dark and brooding to bright and chimey, almost like a Vox AC15 with the volume 1/2 way up.

I short, this amp has a lot going for it in terms of features, even though it is based on a forty year old design. There is more to it than meets the eye.

This little 18 watter is a living, breathing creature that goes from incredibly detailed and complex cleans to the signature Marshall distortion with a twist of the volume knob. It's no wonder the originals go for multiple thousands of dollars. Marshall spent a lot of time researching and developing the version of the Celestion Greenback that comes OEM on this amp, and it absolutely floors me that anyone would even entertain the thought of changing the loudspeaker--especially since it has an additional speaker output.

I use a Radial Tonebone Hot British Overdrive in front of my 1974 for high gain tones. The amp loves that pedal. I'm sure that just about any good OD or distortion will work great, but the Tonebone gives you an authentic sounding Marshall preamp so that you have a master volume-equipped amp.

Without any pedals and using a Les Paul r8 with 57 Classics, the amp starts to break up at around 4. The best way to play this amp is to set the volume just past half-way on both of the channels, use a short cable to jump the two channels, plug a guitar into Channel Two, set the tones to around 3/4, and use the guitars volume and tone controls to get an infinite variety of clean, blues, and rock textures.

This amp is NOT a one trick pony, but you have to understand how to "play" a vintage amp.

No problems whatsoever after 7 months of heavy use at high volume levels.

I find it absurd that people would buy this amp and then change tubes, speakers, output transformers, and perform mods. It simply makes no sense unless the changes are made to repair a defective part.

This is the ultimate British voiced studio and small gig blues and rock amp. It's perfect the way it is (except for the early units with the defective power transformers).

The amp is handsome and lightweight; moreover, it sounds like a Marshall Plexi at reasonable volume levels for small gigs and recording. The 1974x has everything that you need, and nothing that you don't. You can turn it into a modern sounding channel switcher with the addition of a good OD pedal (check out the Radial Hot Brit), and you can connect a Y cable and switch between Channels One and Two. Set one of the channels to a nice grind and the other to a "just past clean" and then use your guitar's controls to dial in a whole bunch more. There are not many amps that respond to your guitar's controls or to your playing dynamics as well as this one.

At around $2000, you are getting boutique quality and features. Check the prices of the boutique 18 watters, and then look at the pains that Marshall has taken to make this authentic. It's an excellent value.

Its all been said. This is an update

Exceptionally good....when the amp is working

The Mains (Power) transformers are the issue. My amps blown its 3rd now! Virtually nothing else goes wrong. The circut is so simple! Its just the poor quality power trans that lets this package down!

Once I thought Marshall were good. The first two times my amp failed I had it back and running within about 2 months. I've been waiting about 9 months now for a replacement amp, still no joy.

i bought this amp when it was first released in France a few years ago.
i had already 3 of them as they always break down !!
this week, my third 1974x combo broke down again (as did the 4x 2061 lead & bass 20w head i had !!!!).
usualy, i play about a few weeks on them and they break down !!
other than that, the amp is good for the 60's 70's tone i'm after , blues, rock, funk, so it's versatile ennough even if it doesn't compete with modern multi channel amps

the overdriven tones are good , more squashy than the 20w head .
the clean tones are great, better than the lead and bass head .
the tone depends on the speaker you use as with many amps

it's the most unreliable amp i have with the 2061x lead and bass 20w head ( i have about 30 amps, most of them 60's and 70's amps) .
the third i have (after it was replaced two times but i had to wait months and months) broke down again this week.
don't know what it is but it lost half it's output volume and don't sound as good as before .
it seems those amps are not getting their problems fixed since they were released.

very slow customer support in france to say the least and not easy to deal with !!

i can't give more than 4 seeing all the problems i have with these amps !!

The amp is basically the same as the orignal except for two speaker jacks, an ohm switch for 4/8/16, a cover over the power tubes to protect them from damage, the fuses are placed differently for easy access, and the speaker is aged. The amp is pretty versatile. It has great response and you can crank it to get that signature marshall sound or you can turn is down and get a warms clean tone. You can also bridge the channels to combine tones. Being that the amp is only 18 watts is a small problem for me because I love the tone but it doesn't get loud enough for me. So I just mic the cab. I also purchased the extension cab for it and it filled the sound out a bit more.

I use a Les Paul with p90's, a custom ESP, strat style, with hot rails, a harmony rocket and a hand-built strat. I also use, for coloring, a Boss Super overdrive and a Big Muff Pi. As far overdriving, this amp loves it. Once you overdrive it you can't really get out of that classic marshall distortion, but this thing sings. The amp acts different with every guitar I use. So since I play rock/blues/jazz/indie music it is easy for the amp to adapt. There is a lot of background noises but that is expected when overdriving.

I've had this amp for about a month and gigged with it. I had heard about the power transformer blowing but I have also heard that marshall had fixed it. All I take to my gigs are me guitars, the 1974x and it's cab.

Never had a problem

I've been playing for almost 8 years now and this is one of my favorite amps in my collection. It was a pretty penny t get but I think get tone is worth it and I'm going to get this insured incase anything happens.

Basically a copy of an original version.

Good sound but not like the real thing I have in my collection. This reissue has aged speaker. Maybe they left it too long at the cheese factory and it aged too much. It just don't sound the same.
Like I said the sound is good but for the money their asking for a basic amp...no way.

Seems that half of them endup blowing up transformers. Made in China perhaps?

Good amp too high price to make it worth it.

A pretty basic amp on features and with an amp that really only sounds at its best with the volume cranked, it is a one trick pony. But having said that the one trick that it does so effectively is to create the classic sounds of early rock/blues to perfection. There is no other new amp out there at this time that truly recreates the sound of a classic predecessor to perfection. The tone from this little combo is to die for. It is revealing and sensitive, with a warm sound that breaks up perfectly when cranked up.

The sound of this amp is quite unique in the maketplace. It captures the early marshall version of bluesy/rock crunch to perfection, and is completely reminiscent of the early Marshall combo amps (all of which I have or have owned) in tone. It has a warmth of tone that adds flavor to the sound and is wonderful at picking up every element of the guitar's output. Adds a nice sustain and wonderful distortion when cranked. The clean sound is decent but that is not what this amp excels at. However to get the great tones out of this amp it needs to be turned up, and for the most part I run it at close to max volume. And therein lies the potential for problems as I will note below.

I really wanted to put this review out there to add yet another tale of a blown power supply transformer to the many others that describe this amp. I paid full price at a GC and almost exactly at 150 hours of playing time the Mains transformer blew. It took 4 months to get the problem resolved. I took it to the local service center and they tested it and called Marshalls for a replacement transformer. Marshalls told them 2 months, 2 months came, went and then another month, then another. Finally the transformer had taken so long to procure that after calling New York and complaining bitterly about the meaning of the word warranty they agreed to send out a replacement amp. The replacement has remained unplayed as somehow I feel that I need to be careful in using up the 10-150 hours that this product is capable of producing. Such a shame, as it is the only amp that I have found that truly captures the greatness of Marshall's early days. As a kid I used to hang out at their store in Ealing in London and I owned several of the classic early Marshalls back in the day. This is the first factory made version that truly recaptures their past glory. As such it is wonderful. When it comes to reliability, the toilet comes to mind. They clearly have not bothered over several years now to come to a resolution of this defective transformer - shame on you Marshall. It overheats and the winding insulation fails shorting it out.

This model has a good warranty 5 years I believe, but be careful that you buy it new from a dealer as I do not believe the warranty is transferable, and when it comes to this amp you NEED the Warranty. I suppose if you really like this amp the best thing to do is to buy 2 (only $4000 from GC) so that when one is in the shop you can use the other. In fairness Marshall's gave me a new one when they were unable to procure the part (after waiting over 4 Months!). No doubt they couldn't get the part because they need one or more for every amp sold and since they only last a few months, the demand for the part exceeds their ability to produce it.

I have played guitar for over 38 years now and have owned many many guitars '59 gibsons 60's strats newer les pauls etc. etc. Guitar players in general I believe pay much too much attention and too much of their money on guitars instead of amplifiers which are equally important, in achieving a great tone. If its worth paying 4K for a new les paul, 4K for 2 of these amps may not be as outrageous as it sounds. A real 59 les paul sounds crappy through a bad rig, and to get classic tones you need a classic amp to create a truly expressive medium. I used this amp in my studio at home and connected it's speaker output to a celestion greenback in a modified to 12"(Smart Sound Direct no longer makes this sadly) Hermit cab isolation cabinet wih a sennheiser e609. After a couple of hours of set up time tweaking the mike placement which is critical with iso cabs I got the mike perfectly placed and the sound from this combo was to die for. Awesome tone at bedroom sound levels. Add a little reverb from the mix board and the tone was unbeatable at any price. So insane as this might sound I give this amp a 10, because its cheaper than buying original vintage Marshalls that are the only things I know of that can compare to this factory new model (with new caps pots etc). It deserves a 10 because getting guitar tone perfection does not come cheap these days. Most classic gibsons now run 30k and up, and 60's marshalls are NOT cheap, and tend to be a bit unreliable due to their age and have many replaced parts which affect their tone. Just buy 2 of these amps and be prepared to have one in the shop most of the time. Or perhaps just replace the factory transformer from the start with another more reliable one. I would also cite the current bluesbreaker amp as a comparison. That amp sounds NOTHING like the original and yet sells for about the same price currently at GC. So when your warranty finally expires on your 1974x sell it and buy another new one! I soooo wish that the mains transformer was more reliable!

This amp was built in 2006, I play Blues/Rock (ZZ Top Etc.) I play a 2001 Les Paul Gold top Classic reissue thru this hotrod. I can still remember hanging around the rock venues in the 70's & 80's and once you hear that Marshall/Les Paul creamy tone 100 times over, you begin to hear it in your sleep. This 1974X is a dream machine for tone, crunch, and that "lil ole Texas blues sound" I can go on and on, but in summery, this is the s**t.

This amp can be clean and still carry some sack in a small room or you can crank the amp and adjust with guitar volume. Also if you adjust you can pick it clean and then bring on the bomb with the amp cranked all the time. Dont let the simple panel adjustments fool you, old school guitar slingers will appreciate how this amp will make you earn that creamy tone. The distortion on this amp is majic.

This is where the tire fell off the wheelbarrow. Dammit all the trips to vegas that I canceled to harness this dream and the dang power tranny goes to the pearly gates after only after 10-15 hours of play. I gotta tell you, I was P****d! I was so mad that I sent an email to Dagnal telling them they are making crap tranny's. Then this great guy from Marshall HDQ in New Your named Adam hooks me up with a local tech, and 7 days later Im in dreamland again. Folks I gotta tell you, all my adult life Marshall has been the benchmark in quality, and I know they are going to get this right. Even though this tranny issue has effected a bunch of us, my experience with Marshall warranty was great and I feel assured they will put this behind them.

Again Adam from Marshall USA did me right and I expect that they will get this right. Also my local repair guy wasnt a hack, he was a ginuine glasses on the end of his nose, no personality, tech wizard.
The warranty is a 4 year transferable on the amp and with me being the 2nd owner they still honored the warranty after some effort on my part getting the original bill of sale.

Ive been playing on & off for the last 25 years. If someone stole this amp Id hunt them down and gut them like a trout, well Id be hot O.K. I love the compact size of a combo, and I hate the fact that the power tranny flew the coop. I only compared this amp to other Marshall's (JCM 8500 but I didnt want to kill babies)If you are thing of owning this amp, go to a music store and drive this thing in a private room for an hour and you wont leave without it.

Sorry my english not good enough, Actually i love this thing, this is the first marshall i've ever bought. i love fender much but this thing make my eyes open, its look vintage and difference with another new marshall. this amp is my second lover after my BassBreaker CustomShop

i playing Blues and this amp make my blues more psychadelic and the tone more agresive but sometime i feel the bottom-end its need more. this amp is not to loud, but enough to make some noise in room or cafe. i feel it the Perfect marshall for me.

Yeah, after maybe 3-5 months the main transf is dead and the capasitor bank to... that very very make me anger, cos i should buy that 'main' on US, it takes more than $120 and $100+ to service and upgrade cos the cap bank doesn't replace with another size 32/32uf. and my technician said this thing is versatile and little bit difference with another amp

For sound is The Best Marshall but the transfomer is sucks....

everybody who takes a look at this site should know this amp.

I don??t agree with the guy below: Changing the tubes to NOS Mullard makes a big difference. Buying so called NOS tubes can be frustrating. Buy a tube tester. It also made a big difference to change both trannies with Shinrock trannies. This guy uses the exact materials as they were used in the 60s. Dagnall does not. After the change you get the original wooden tone old plexis are known for.

I never got trouble with any trannie in my Marshll amps (all from Drake). This was the 10th Marshall I bought and after 3 month the main transformer died. Dagnall made good transformers in the 60s but the todays production isn??t worth the money. If I had payed 2000 Euro for the 1974X I would have been realy angry. But I only payed 1250 plus 200 for the new trannies and service. So 1450 Euro is a good price.

Never dealt with them. I wanted to get rid of the Dagnall grap.

If this amp would have been stolen I would buy one of the 18W clones made by a boutique manufacturer.

I would like to give my 2 cents on the reliability issues that are obviously giving this amp a really bad name here on HC. I have been in contact with the chief technician at Marshall UK, and this is the official info that he gave me:
1. Not all amps are affected by failing power transformers.
2. Marshall have long since realised the problem, and all amps with failing PT are being or have been repaired with an improved PT from Dagnall.
3. Wasting your money on new transformers from Mercury or Heyboer, Trinity etc. is absolutely unnecessary, and will not improve on the tone. Nor will fitting NOS tubes make any noticable difference. The tubes originally fitted are from JJ, and are the best currently available. These amps sound killer as they are, period.

The PT on my 1974X blew while on stand-by, and was repaired within 3 weeks. Yes I was angry about this too, but the amp now has the improved PT from Dagnall, fitted free of charge on warranty of course, and the amp has gained a little more headroom from it.

I also tried NOS tubes, old Tesla EL84s from the sixties, they were expensive, sounded just like new JJs, and they went bad after just a few months!!! NOS preamp tubes? Oh behave! Forget it, it is all just a huge rip-off. Try the new russian Tung-Sol 12AX7s if you want to experiment. I am back to the original JJ tubes that came in the amp in the first place, they sound best, and last longer than anything else. After all, Marshall did all the testing for us, they build these things, they built the originals too, so suggesting that people spend even more money on this amp to get it to perform supposedly better, is simply pathetic.
It is fine just as it is thank you very much.

So if your 1974X fails, get it off to be repaired under warranty, it??s free! And if it doesnt fail, dont sweat it, play it and be happy!

First off, for all who bash features ratings on simple amps dont buy a simple amp. If you want tone though, simple is my suggestion. I am a Tele player and never really thought of going Marshall. I play a range from country to blues to classic and hard rock. I never thought of Marshall for country tele tone but i have no trouble pulling off any sound i need with great great tone. I find the tele/1974x combination to be a little bright so i normally have the tone control around four. I am not a big user of reverb and I am glad for the simple circut that there is no reverb. Maybe im just paranoid about added features robbing tone in exchange for flexability. Mids are where the ear hears the most difference, with no mid control the tone one this amp is gorgeous. Some people might want the control; on this amp i dont think its needed. The trem is a welcome feature and will get much more use than my Boss TR-2 ever got. As for power, there is much more than you think. With single coils it breaks up around 5. This quite loud. I recently played this at a 150 seat gig and i had trouble turning it up tho this point. But i got much closer than i would with say a 100 watt head. This is the power i want. Got a gig bigger than a few hundred? Buy a mic. As a sound engineer i would suggest mic'ing any amp in any venue.

This amp impressed and suprised me for the sounds i was going for and what it could do. Going straight into the amp i have no problem playing country, rock, blues, punk, anything you want to play. A friend of mine's jazz guitarist played it at that 150 seat gig and it worked great for that. It dosent do Twin Reverb or JC-120 clean but it sounds beautiful for pretty much anything. As with any non master volume amp if you want thicker dirt you need to be loud. Country and blues are the cleanest things i play, i would set the volume to about 4-5, rock 5-7, Marshall Beauty dime it. This does mean if you want to play really dirty in a small - club venue you probably wont get it from the power tubes. Use Humbuckers and youll lower the headroom getting dirt at lower volumes. Like me? and not the biggest fan of humbuckers? Use a pedal. I am a big pedal guy. Ive got a half a dozen commercial and boutique dirt pedals and have owned a dozen or two. One great way to get a bit dirtier is to use a boost. This might not make sense if youre trying to keep the volume down but roll down the amp volume a bit and turn up the boost. This keeps the sound of guitar, with some colour depending on the boost, while driving the preamp creating dirt inturn driving the power amp some. This is great simple tone. I use the Electro Harmonix LPB-1. This colours the tone some, fattens it up a little. There are more transparent boosts on the market if thats what you want. If you want some help with dirt pedal ideas just send me a note ive owned and played more shades of dirt than are in the ground. This amp recieves pedals very well. Guitar and pickups ive mentioned, I may look at humbuckers in the form of a Gretsch for Malcom Young AC/DC tone. Humbuckers will drive an amp into dirt at lower volume settings. The amp works great for my style, my style is gorgeous tone. At least it is now. It is not a Fender, it is not a Vox, It is Brittish and it is liked muchly by me and my Fender loving friends. I was looking at a Deluxe Reverb, unbeliveable clean tone, but the headroom on a Deluxe is a little high for me. I was also looking a a Vibrolux, headroom here was a little low for me, and the Vibrolux is none to be noisy. My friend's Vibrolux is good friends with the repair shop aswell. I am/was a Fender amp school kinda guy, not a huge fan of Marshall but this amp blows me away. Many of my Deluxe and Vibrolux playing friends agree. I said the Vibrolux was noisy, this is especially true when it comes to the amps tremolo or vibrato. I have gigged with a brittish AC15 and this was also the case. I was pleasantly suprised to find a seemingly noise free tremolo in the 1974x. Even with single coils, a large pedal board and dirt i have had no issues at all with noise. If you want tone and can shell out the dough, if your not of the 50 knobs make a great amp school of thought this is a very great amp. And its a freaking handwired Marshall.

I have had no problems with this amp.

My friends Vibrolux has issues all the time and the one in the store had been serviced a few times.

I have seen a lot of low reliabilty ratings for the 1974x. Im not too worried. I know amps wear and need service. A non master volume amp is even more true for this.

Touring i would take more than one amp, but id have no problem taking this amp alone to a gig.

I suppose my opinion on this might change if i experience a lot of problems, but compared to what ive seen in other amps this one dosent seem to be as bad off.

Ill give it a 9 because i know it will wear.

I have not had to deal with Marshall so i will say No Opinion. I do deal with a very very good store. Not something i can say for a lot of stores ive been to.

I have had no problems with this amp.

I have been playing for 8 years and have giggeg a lot and toured some. I am also a Sound Engineer. I own a bunch of pedals, commercial and boutique and have owned 4 times what i have. I am only playing American Teles at the moment but have owned a dozen or so guitars. I am a tele guy. My next guitars purchased will most likely be a Gretsch and then a Strat. I have owned a few amps. Currently i only own the Marshall along with a Keil 44. A very simple small old Canadian combo that nobody seems to know anything about. Its only about 4 watts and makes for some sweet sounds cranked. It needs some work though. I also have acces to a Vibrolux, Champ, and Deluxe through friends.

I would buy this amp again. I hope not to have to. It will be insured. I wont rule out buying other amps on top of this, which i plan to do, but i dont know what could replace this. I love this amp. I have talked a bit about other products, all great but nothing like this.

This is a pricey amp for most people and there are great amps at much lower prices. Truth be told had i not purchased the 1974x i would have bought a 65 Deluxe Reissue. Dr. Z was also a thought but nowhere around me carries them and i wasnt really that interested. If you are in the market for something in this range it is great bang for the buck. Ill give it a 9. Its worth every penny in my books but it will take every penny of most to buy it. If anything if you ever see one of these in a store check it out. Turn it up too, its worth getting asked to turn it down. Send me a note if youve got questions.

2006 model, with classic Marshall tone.PTP wiring, and two channels.

amazing tone and feel. starts to break up early, but with very musical distortion. Not quite as much overdrive as the big boys, but enough that you won't need a pedal.still amazing tone that sounds classic Marshall with a dose of Bluesbreaker and Vox.

"0" Lasted Three months before the mains transformer died.

I've had a few conversations with Korg, they say mine is just an isolated incident. I've been waiting four months to have my amp repaired. They lie, they suck. Joe Gilmartin at Korg wouldn't say Shit if he had a mouthful.
I'm done with Marshall products, theyr'e in it only for the money.

I own vintage Fender, Marshall, and boutique amps and have never had a problem. You'd probably get better service and quality from peavey, but the tone,...it's stellar

Not many features on this amp...but it really doesn't need any. It was very liberating to pay a non-master volume amp and no I'm hooked. Vibrato is great! Better than my Fender!

Sounds great with my Eric Johnson strat and my 52 thin-skin nitro tele. This amp nails the Hendrix sound at low volume...that why my wife likes it. Blues, rock, hard-rock...this thin rocks! Whats more, it cleans up great with the guitars volume. I think it's got to be one of the best recording, practice, and small gig amps out there...and simple to use. My pile of stop boxes are very sad right now; all I'm using is a Fulltone wah. The only thing this amp lacks is headroom...but is still has a very cool clean sound when you roll off the wolume with the amp wide-open. I'm in need of a Gibson now. This amp has made want to play more.

The down side: mine blew a mains fuse and somthing else??? I sent it back to MF and they a sending me a new one. I bought it frome MF because I've heard of the problems. One of the challels stoped working on a friend's amp thet was less than a year old. Mine lasted a week. No light, no sound, just dead!

Sound over proplems...I hope I don't have any more problems.

The features on this amp is somewhat limited compared to today's amps. However, the main reason for purchasing this amp was not for it features but for the extent that Marshall went to reproduce the original amp and it's excellent sound qualities. Not an easy task for any company that does not manufacture the original components since many of those earlier suppliers no longer exist.

I mainly play this amp at home but from time-to-time I will take it out and play it with some friends I have who likes to jam. 18 Watts is more than enough power for me. As you will read below I use a hot plate in order to crank the amp volume to 7-8 without disturbing family and neighbors.

The amp is a 2005.The originals are legendary amps.Many of you out there probably know that there's a website completely dedicated to the Marshall 18 W and that many manufacturers are offering their versions of this classic,beatiful,versatile and very portable amp(The originals typically sell for at least 5000 dollars)
18 Watts doesn't mean this is a weak amp by any means.Hooked to my 1970 Pre Rola Marshall cab it can be used at any gig.
Pure Marshall sound but....this after having changed a power transformer that blew!As a matter of fact I changed both the PT and OT and added a choke.All the trannies are Mercury Magnetics.This made a HUGE improvement on tone and reliability!
I also changed the tubes with real Mullards and swapped the speaker for a Weber Silver Bell 30 W Alnico.

After all of these changes the amp really sounds beatifully.

It is truly capable of a miriad of sounds.From a clean Marshall growl to full volume crunch.
With the 4 x 12 1970 Marshall cab it really sounds big.
I would compare it to a white canvas.A classic beatiful tone machine.
Sounds different depending on the guitar you're plugging in it
I have a couple of vintage Stratocaster and a Gibson es 335.
With the Strat the amp reacts relly well and gives me all the sounds I need and more.
I am rating the original non modified amp.

Totally UNRELIABLE in its original form as many other rewiers pointed out.Do you want to keep it and make it sound as it should?
Then I strongly suggest you upgrade the transformers with Mercury Magnetics!!
Change the garbage tubes inside.
Change the speaker.
Possibly buy an extension cab.
Upgrade the components in the circuit board.
It's crazy but that's the way it goes folks!

Didn't deal with them.

I have been playing for 27 years and as all guitarists I went through a lot of Guitars and Amps.
If it were lost or stolen I'd probably directly buy a London 65 or a Roccaforte.
I love its pure sound and portability.I hate that you have to spend a lot of money to make it work correctly(after having had to spend a lot to buy it)
As with all previous ratings I am referring to the original product.

My amps were a early 2005 models It sounds like a minnie plexi when turned up to 6 or more . ,I do wish it was a tad louder. It is pretty much a one trick pony.Looks cool,when it works , it works well in small clubs.

I play strats ,teles and lespauls .I think this amp sounds great plugged in straight with a good les paul turn the amp up to 6 or more .strats and teles need a tube screamer or a old ibanez ge-601 e- q pedal on the front of it to get the gain that I like.It is good for rock or blues.and small clubs

I have gone through three of these amps ,Longest running amp was 6 months.one of them only lasted 5 minutes into the gig and quit for good .problems with the tremolo channel disengaging and the trouble it is not in the foot switch , it is the amp!!!! .
Hi pitch sqeals somes times when you plug your guitar cord in to the amp . If you use one of these at a gig bring a back up amp.

I purchased mine from Guitar Center they were real good about it and gave me a loner amp while mine was being repaired . When I got the amp back from a reliable authorized Marshall repair shop .I plug the amp in before I took it home and it shorted out right at the guitar store .I never made it home with the amp .I never dealt with Marshall so I don`t know how they are to deal with on claims.Very disapointed
these amps do have a 5 year warranty You may end up having dozens of these before the warranty is up.

I have been playing guitar for 41 years and have owned about every thing out there.I think that these are a nice size club amp ,only if they did`t brake down.

Same as below

Maybe the best combo sound I've ever heard. I have run a complete arsenal of guiatrs through this amp and it screams on both channels. Great clean awesome growl.

Have to chime in with the rest of the folks that call this amp sketchy in the reliablity department. Mine seems to have made it a bit longer than most---5 months. I was in the middle of a gig when it died. Modest volume, no pedals, conditioned power....ideal for any amp and the damn thing blew up!! Blew the fuse, smoked the mains transformer (power tranny) and the power tubes. WAY TO GO MARSHALL!!
Have a local guy that takes care of the warranty work.
An amp at this price must perform better. You should be able to beat the crap out of it and it still work. Very disappointing.

Worthless.....Marshall just directs you to the store of purchase.

Would it kill Marshall to listen to its customers and their concerns?

Average rating. Great sound 10 terrible reliability 1 so it gets a 5

I'll keep getting it fixed while it's under warranty, but Marshall should really fix the problem

This is a reissue of a vintage amp. The features it has are exactly what you would've gotten back in the late 60's, so my score is for the accuracy to the original.

This little beauty produces tones that were made in heaven. Thick, singing sustain when cranked plus crisp & fat when played clean. The tremelo is very nice although even at the slowest setting it still seems a bit too fast (maybe just me, though). Both channels are useful since they are voiced a little different from each other.

Here is the weak link for this amp! The power transformer blew up while I was playing it. The amp wasn't being pushed hard at all, had the volume maybe at 9 o'clock, when it just stopped. I walked over to it & immediately noticed a "burnt" smell & the mains fuse was blown. Apperantly, these have a history of blowing transformers in a short amount of time (mine had approx. 40-50 hrs of play time on it). To be fair, I should note that this was a refurb from musicians friend & they took it back w/ no problems.

Never delt with Marshall, just sent it back to musicians friend. They took it back with no hassle, so the score is for M.F. not Marshall.

It's too bad that these amps seem to have this issue because it really is a phenominal sounding combo! I was really bummed that I had to part ways with this amp since it was truly one of the best sounding amps I've ever played through. I feel that for the price Marshall charges for these, they should have no issues whatsoever (not including the normal "tubeamp" trouble that we all see from time to time). I really want to get another one but now I'm a little worried that I will just have to send it back eventually. It's just not worth the trouble for me, so for now I will just have to live without it. Honestly, other than the reliability problems it is a superb amplifier in every way! It gets an 8 overall.

Very simple, but very good. You know what you get.

Ok, first of all I didn??t like the original speaker so I changed it to a G12H made in 1972. This made the amp sond 3 times better and as twice as loud. With a Strat (have 3 Strats, 2 Vintage Reissue from 1982 and 1983 and a Standard Strat from 1989) I would rate the sound only an 8. With a Tele is??s a 10 but with my Les Paul Standard it??s a 12. I forgot to tell you that with the G12H the amp is able to do the classic high gain thing (with a little help).

Never had any problems, but I think that the original speaker with only 15Ohms leads to the problem with the OT. My G12H has 16Ohms and I never got any problem becaus of the higher resistance wich kept the OT from blowing. Normaly a difference from one Ohm doesn??t matter, but if you drive the amp to 10 it does. Also the original tubes are crab. Get yourselve some high qualitiy Mullards. I payed 100 Euros for a set of 3 ECC83, one EZ81 and two EL84.

No need to deal with them.

I??ve been playing since 1972. This is my 9th Marshall (JCM800 was the newest model). I was looking for a relative small amp with lower power (2 x EL84 is realy nice) because of only doing small club gigs I don??t need more power. I like to cary the amp with one hand and the guitar with the other. So for me that??s the perfect amp. Would like to have a reverb instead of the trem.

This is an update.
Very simple controls.Its how it should be!

Still excellent sound!

More versatile than you'd think. Plugging my Les Paul into my Tonebone "Switchbone A/B,A+B Pedal with one output into the low input on the trem channel and the other into the "short" channel I can get quite a wide variety of sounds just by switching between the two. I set the volume on the trem channel between 4-6(Low input) and can get some quite clean sounds with my Les Paul by rolling the volume back a bit.Turn the volume up and you get a mild crunch with Vox-like chiming. With the "short" channel I usually run the volume between 7-9 and get a nicely saturated overdriven sound(Standard '57PAFs). Using the "Switchbone" with its built in gain and/or mid boost function really kicks the amp into super overdrive, but as I've said before,not a huge increase in volume unless you run the amp below 5, which I don't.The thing is meant to be cranked out to maximum....well just about maximum as there is an issue with the design which is apparently not a fault but just how it is with cathode biased class A/B amps. Due to the high voltages at max. vol. there is crossover distortion between the two valves than results in a slightly "fuzzy" sound when fully cranked. I know Cornell(English company) make replica Marshalls and have incorporated what they call their "Cream Box" to eliminate this problem(well I don't really see it as a problem). I just love the sound of this amp. It sounds great with a Strat also.Using the tonebone A/B pedal with My '62 RI strat (with Texas Special pickups)into the 1974X I can get great clean sounds and a SRV crunch-tone. I have an issue with the Tex.spec. pickups, well the bridge one anyway, it just sounds thin! I think a Lindy Fralin Steel Pole 42 or 43 with the bass plate would work wonders in my Strat into the 1974X. My playing style is fairly eclectic, but mostly blues-rock with some country twang and some grungy rocky stuff.
I love listening to Hendrix, Clapton(Mainly Cream era) and Led Zepplin, and this amp certainly covers the tones there. By the way when I can I always use the 1974CX 1x12" extension cabinet with it, it seems to pull something more out of the amp and makes it sound even better!

As I've said before reliability is an issue. Mines on it's 3rd mains(power) Transformer in under a year! The reviewer who said 8hrs maximum life you can expect from these transformers is wrong and very unlucky! I'd say between 50-100 hrs before mine blew(each time). If ...or when it goes again I think a Heyboer or Mercury Magnetics transformer will go in, even though the amps still under warranty! Might also be a good idea to have a spare on hand because it took over 2 months to get it repaired last time!

Not too bad. I eventually contacted the Marshall distributor in Australia and dealt with them rather than the store I bought the amp from as they were pretty slack about getting the warranty repair authorisation. I emailed the distributor and had a reply and repair authorisation number within a few days, after waiting weeks and many phone calls to the store I bought the amp from!

Well apart from reliabilty issues the main thing is the sound, and this is it! Once you've had it you can't live without it. I take 1 point of for dubious reliability!

Very simple and minimal. As it should be.

Great sound, but totally unreliable. This is my second amp in 2 weeks. Both sounded great but they die after a total of 8 hours playing.

The worst. Zero reliability on this amp. Do not buy this amp if you don't want to keep returning it.
I had 2 of these barnd new out of the box, both died in the span of 2 weeks. The first one died after 2 days and the second replacement died after a week. Both had the same of amount of play time.
Marshall told me the replacement would definately solve the problem and it wouldn't happen again. That replacement lasted a week.

Half decent support. Mostly dealing with the store I purchased it at.
Marshall is in denial here. They must know there is a problem with these amps. They told me that there were no known issues re. this amp.
I mentioned that it seems to be common knowledge in reviews and forums that they die soon after purchase. They basically told me don't belive what you hear on the net.
Well I've now experienced it firsthand, so I can say believe it, these amps are lemons. Great tone when working, not so great when it dies. And a major pain to have to keep taking a brand new top of the line amp in for constant replacement.

Great tone, but useless on an unreliable amp.
Marshall is not upfront about the truth re. these amps.
It seems obvious to us that buy them that there is a reliability problem and that they are prone to dying very soon after purchase. They are having these returned yet claim that there are no issues with the amp.
Paying this much for an amp that dies within days of purchase is total bulls#@t.
I feel I should be reimbursed for my time and inconvenience by Marshall. Taking this thing back and forth is a pain, and neither Marshall nor the distributor offer any apology for it.
They should be bending over backwards to keep their fan base loyal. Especially when considering that this is supposed to be one of the "holy grail" amps. Though I doubt it will be much longer.
I'm seeing alot of compaints about these.

Buyer beware, this amp is very, very unreliable.

To rate this category effectively we have to take into consideration what the product is. In this case its a simple low watt amp so we cannot expect features. However for what it is it has plenty. 2 channels and tremelo. The amp actually has great rage of sounds depending on attack and guitar volume. You would be surprized the tones you can conjure from this little thing.

Here where things get tricky. I have 2 of these at home. Both had a great overall voice but one was weak. FOr me thats a problem. Amp A was weak sounding while amp B rocked completely. Amp B's tolex was a complete mess though and coming off at every joint.

Soundwise amp A did not cut it for the price while amp B was worth every dime. Ouch .. how do I rate it? To be fair I have to split the difference between the two .... a 5. Quality control goes a long way Marshall - do some!

Hard to say with 2 brand new amps. However the better sounding of the two 1974x's had some intermittent problems. Freakish noises and a sputtering tranny. That worries me. Still without long term experience I cannot rate.

Never dealt with Marshall support.

I have been playing for 23 years. I've owned several Marshalls from various eras. I use Strats and Les Pauls. My current main amp is a 1959HW which has been very good. Before that a Jubilee shared main duties with a Matchless.

What I loved about the Marshall 1974x? Well the good one of the two sounded fabulous. The bad one was a dog that shouldnt have made it to market. HOWEVER the good sounding one has terrible tolex. It was peeling everywhere and it was NEW. Geez Marshall. So I can have nice tolex and a weak tone or great tone and crappy cabinetry. For these prices I went with NEITHER. At this price point I want all the above.

This is a tricky one to rate. Features are usually seen as a good thing. On this particular amp, and other vintage reissues, the simplicity is what makes it so fantastic. Compared to say a Line 6 amp, or Marshall Valvestate, the ?amount? of features would give this amp a 2-3 rating. It does have valve-driven, footswitchable Tremelo on one channel which is nice, but I do find it a little temperamental. It speeds up when it gets warm, and the slowest setting isn?t all that slow anyway. Also it has a severe overall volume drop when engaged, this kind of bugs me.

The 1974X has two channels with separate inputs, which means they can be footswitched, but you need to buy an AB box in order to do so. I tried this out for the first time the other day and this actually makes it a very versatile amp. You can set the master volume and tone controls differently for lead/rhythm or clean/dirty, or just two different sounds. And, if you have an ABY box you can blend the channels. This is a very handy feature, and can be done more simple by ?patching? the cables together with a short patch lead. The channel that is set louder is the more dominant one obviously, but it gives a nice third sound. This also gives you the option of blending different effects by placing them after the AB box. So you can blend a wet and a dry signal, or two different effects without having them in series (one plugged into the other) which makes them interact differently. I tried it with two different delay pedals set at different rates, made a nice atmospheric sound, almost a reverb.

It doesn?t have a full tone stack (TMB) but it does have a master tone control for each channel, just to control the highs. The sound this amp puts out is so balanced that its better off that you can?t go stuffing around with the settings anyway. I honestly don?t miss them at all. You can always buy an EQ pedal, which gives you the option of footswitching your different sound anyway.

Would have loved it to have had built in Reverb, and an effects loop, but they were trying to make it as authentic as possible to the originals.

Amazing! Totally organic Marshall crunch. Is actually worth a ten! If you are looking for that classic Marshall overdrive this is it. Being a single channel amp (well kind of - in the sense that it doesn?t have a predetermined clean and overdrive channel with footswitch) the sound is a totally natural overdrive. It goes from almost completely clean at low volumes, to a nice saturated overdrive at high volumes, and everything in between. Its class A valve, so there?s no processed signal path at all. Very warm. And being 18 Watts means you can realistically use it at high volumes to get that classic power tube saturated distortion that is so coveted but so rarely achieved. The essence of real tone is pushing the power tubes (EL84?s in this case) into distortion, not just relying on the preamp tubes (12AX7?s). A lot of people buy 100 Watt amps and never turn the volume past 2, what a waste. Even at 18 Watts this thing is pretty loud. I play at church, with a pretty open stage, and I still have the thing resting on the ?tube amp threshold? somewhere between half and one. In a band situation however, there?s no reason not to have the thing dimed. This is the perfect amp to use with a power attenuator also, because it is designed to be pushed hard, and sounds so amazing when it is. Has the matching 1x12 ext cab which would help when the volume doesn?t quite cut it. Sounds incredible with my modded Ibanez Tubescreamer. It doesn?t respond well to all pedals however. Bought a Vox Cooltron Bulldog Distortion pedal, with the 12AU7 tube in it. Great sounding pedal through an ordinary clean channel, but sounded rubbish through the 1974x. I wouldn?t recommend using any tube preamp distortions with this amp, not necessary.

This is where this amp falls down. It has been well documented on the net that the 1974x has some issues, specifically with the output transformer (OT). I bought mine second hand, and the guy warned me that it tends to blow mains fuses, and boy does it what. I keep a couple of packs of fuses in my case. It has calmed down a bit since when I first got it, but if you ever change the impedance selector to use the ext cab and turn it off and on again its guaranteed to have blown the fuses. If the OT ever goes completely I?m stuffed, but for now I can live with it. This amp is probably better suited as a recording amp than a gigging/touring amp.

Again, not great. I emailed Marshall and they forwarded me on to my local Marshall repair agent for NZ who knew nothing of the problems with the amp, and didn?t offer any real practical solutions. If you are international (not US) and you want any help from Marshall themselves and you use the online help/contact function I would recommend selecting US from the country list! I have done nothing about it for now.

Next to no features, but surprisingly versatile little screamer. 18 Watts gives the perfect overall volume, and useable power tube distortion.
Amazing sound quality, but serious reliability issues. Better suited to the studio.
Sound quality alone more than makes up for its downfalls, still gets a nine.

The simple features of the 1974x have already been described by the reviewers here, there is nothing new to add.

I play it with a Gibson Les Paul Standard (with WCR Darkburst PUs) or with my Fender Highway 1 Strat (with Fender CS '69 PUs) for classic Blues and Bluesrock. Usually I go straight into the amp, sometimes I use an OCD or an TS808RI, that's it. The Amp produces nice clean sounds but best will be to get it into soft crunch - very creamy and compressed tone.

That is the dark side: After only a few hours of home use, the Power Transformer failed and killed the power tubes. I had to get a replacement tranny from Marshall and had it installed by a Marshall Service Center. When I got it back, after some hours the Power Transformer started to become hot again. Furthermore the creamy sound was gone, it produced a very harsh overdrive sound. So I had to bring it to an amp specialist who had to adjust some things (do not understand much of the technical side - I was told, it was simply running too hot with too much power at the power section).

I bought the amp via mail/phone in the UK but I am living in Germany. Therefore neither Marshall UK nor the German Distributor/Service felt to be in charge to support me. Although I was able to receive some help from Marshall in the UK after some mails and phone calls, I still had to pay for the repairs (although the amp was under warranty). I got no support from the German Marshall Service (Musik Meyer)at all, they refused any help !

If it works, it is a great amp. But taking into account the list price, the PT failure and the behaviour of the German Marshall Service, I think that there are better alternatives on the market.

This is a 2005 bought in 2006. I love the tremolo sounds real good.
Came with foot switch, on/off.
The amp has two channels. tremolo. and non-tremolo.
Can't really tell, but i think the non-tremolo channel it the one to crank up. This amp has plenty of power/volume. This is a tube amp with a tube rectifier. Two EL84's for power. It looks like the amp has Marshall branded JJ's for the 12ax7's. I haven't looked under the power tube cover yet for the brand of those tubes.
Anyone that thinks this amp is a one trick pony... i don't want to insult. I can play any type of music style on this amp. Metal? Early metal with no pedal and a les paul. Add a 808 or two if you gotta.

I have only played this amp with mod. gain angus young signature gibson pickups.(Humbuckers.)
This amp is great for clean styles. The tremolo takes you back to those great 60's recordings.
The amp is not noisey at all. Cranked up this amp is a Marshall combo blues amp. 18 loud watts...
This is a non-master volume amp. It distorts pretty quick on turning up the volume. It has full one distortion when cranked. I think the Celestion G12-20 kicks in. Great rock/blues amp.
Play clean with the guitar volume turned down, still leaving the amp turned to like 8 or so.

Just bought it today. I would. I keep my amps in good shape. This amp i would think has to be built correctly. It is a copy of a vintage curcuit.
Marshall wants a good reputation. They put some thought into the hand wired amps for us who now have the $.

I have called korg once. seemed fine. the warrantee is 5 years.

I have played since i was 18. i am 44 now.
I love that it is a Marshall.
This is a beautiful sounding amp. If you have the money this is a great amp. It looks cool.
This amp if original vintage would sell for $10,000.00
This amp was made for someone who knows what it suposed to sound like. Hand wired,Point to point.
Great speaker. This amp is expensive. The market will set it's value.
This amp won't be into the heap of crap amps.

I bought this amp brand new this year, and really had to empty my pockets to pay for it. I sold alot of vinatge effects and stuff to get the money for the deposit, but well worth the money. It has two channels, one with the best sounding organic tremelo I have heard. There and two sets of inputs on each channel, each sounding different enough to be useable. I don't think you need to do the classic channel jumping thing on this one though, its got quite enough gain without the need to do that. I always use the tremelo channel, and just switch the tremelo off, it gives that lovely dark vintage tone.

I use a 1978 Gibson ES335TD which has a coiltap. Total versitality with this guitar and amp combination. I turn the amp up to around 8 on the volume, and fulll on the tone and just adjust my guitar volume and tone pots to build wonderful tone scapes. It cleans up nicely when you roll back your guitar volume, and vice versa has an awesome lead sound.

Its a great blues amp, and its got such a fluent, dynamic, organic, bassy, woody, ballsy sound to it, yet it can be so delicate. Its all in the way you use your fingers and volume/tone pots. It has been a total education for me who grew up in the 80s, using effects, racks and midi, then goiing through the 90s using vintage gear. Its all about finding your way through, trial and error.

This amp is by far my favorite tone, and its so simple to get a great tone. Its the classic way of doing it really. I have not played live with it yet, maybe I would use a zvex or mxr clean boost live, not sure yet, but I think it would be great to just turn up with this amp, plug straight and sound great.

Have had it for 4 months now and it has not missed a beat. Smells abit when you use it though, maybe this will pass.

Never had to deal with them. I am sure there would be no hassles.

I am 34, but have been playing for over 25 years. I suppose like most of us I am a bit of a gear junkie. I also own an old Jen crybaby, and Ibanez phasetone. On my wish list there are a 1970s Les Paul, Maestro EP3 echoplex, zvex superhardon, and a vintage sola sound tonebender.

I am kind of buying gear 'for life' now. I actually bought this amp on the stength of reviews on this site, without even demoing it! No risk though, if you are after a 'wonderful tone' look no further.

If it my amp were stolen, I would be gutted, but sure I would be looking to get another.

Well documented below. Pretty straightforward. I bought the amp to use it mainly at home as a practice and recording amp. There is more than enough power for a home amplifier. It'll actually be difficult to turn it all the way up if you live in an appartment and I'm buying a Hotplate to just do that at more neighbour-friendly levels.
The absence of a master volume is VERY impractical. It means you have to crank it all the way up to get full distortion, but that's probably why it sounds so good, and you know that when you buy it.
Forget about user-friendliness, but what a TONE...

I'm mostly using my Les Paul Goldtop 57 reissue with it. The sound is absolutely amazing if you're looking for a Marshall sound. I was actually demoing a Cornford in a shop, and about to walk out midly disappointed (they sound good but nowhere near like the samples on the website, which involve quite a lot of sound tweaking) when somebody turned a 1974X. I fell in love immediately but it belonged to the owner and wasn't for sale. I got one asap from GAK in England (special mention to this store for amazing price and customer service) and couldn't be happier. It's honestly the best amplifier I've ever owned or even heard. The clean sound is wonderful rich, mellow and rings beautifully. The amp responds to the way you pick, pluck, brush or bite (if you're into playing with your teeth...) the strings like no other amps I've heard. It breaks up pretty quickly and still keeps that lovely balance and warmth. What impresses me the most is the bass. It's loud and deep and very present without masking the other registers. The aged driver obviously plays a big part in that sound. Turned all the way up (couldn't do that too much), you get a classic distortion sound, fat and powerful. It's not a metal amp but it definitely rocks, and I think a good overdrive pedal can make it much more aggressive (I'm waiting for a Tubescreamer). If you're into death metal, you'll either pass or buy a specific pedal. Once more, it doesn't mean that it doesn't rock or distort!
Previous to the 1974X, I've owned a Marshall JCM900 and a Soldano Astroveb. Both featured a more brutal distortion (with the Soldano being largely better than the JCM900), but the 1974X is in a league of its own. Also, neither the Cornford Harlequin or the Hurricane could compare to the 1974X in my opinion, although they would be a good choice for somebody looking for a practical little amp in a neat package (better than the Astroverb).
That's it for now!
The

Don't know yet. Some of the tube covers were loose in the box when I received it but I put them back. I actually have no idea if they're really useful. Cosmetically, the 1974X is a real cutie and is beautifully finished. It doesn't look plasticky.

I've asked Marshall two questions before buying and received an answer each time. So far, so good.

I've been playing for 15 years (as an amateur). It's the best amp I've owned or heard. I'd buy another one immediately if it was stolen, providing it's reliable, which is too early to say. I love the way it looks, I love the way it sounds, I hate the absence of a master volume but once more, that's probably why it sounds so good, plus it's an exact reissue of an old model, so you know what you're buying.

The amp is simple, and it does not appear to need anything more than the tone and volume knobs. I never feel like reaching over to change settings; it always seems to sound better and better. It makes your pedals sound great too, and can be as complex as desired, depending on your pedal board. My amp is as quiet as any of my vintage Fenders.
It gets over the drums and P.A. at medium to small club gigs, and is the first amp that I have been consistently thrilled with in many different rooms and situations.

I use and Eric Johnson Strat, a relic (maple) strat, and a Goldtop. I usually never make it to the Les Paul because whichever strat I start with seems to get better, and if I need fatter I kick on a Blues Driver (analog man) or maxon 808. The goldtop just sits on a stand looking pretty, but when I do break it out, it is way over the top. I pretty much dime it the whole time and use my guitar volume to control distortion and mood.

The power trans went out while on standby at a gig, but I had an 18 watt head a friend built as a spare-very light. It is a great amp too, but I need to check values and tubes to see why I like the 1974X more. Things always sound the best when they are on the edge and ready to blow (like all the original P12N's I've had), and this may be the amp's majic (the 80 ohm cathode resistor means lets cook, baby). Paul Morte Technical services in Orange, CA turned it around in 10 days(and he took one in earlier that day- blown mains fuse)! He felt maybe the new power transformer was from a later production run, and the hope is that Marshall/Korg quietly resolved this issue. Either way, I guess if you have something this hot, you let her cheat on you.

Excellent- like I said 10 days, appearently Korg is stocking Power transformers, hopefully corrected.

I've been playing 40+ years, and I may bite the bullet and buy a spare one and an extention cab- that 20 watter rocks. I love my Fenders, but they are more room sensitive and moody.

Picked it up new, in a box Christmas week of 2005. Had a tear in the tolex so I returned it and Marshall shipped another one, this one had not been previously opened or inspected by KORG.
The simplistic features of this amp are well documented throughout this thread. I bought it because, well, it appeard to be a real Marshall. AND IT IS!. The 1974X as well as the 2061X are the look and sound of pure classic Marshall. One of the features that folks have been mentioning is the smell. Oh God, I LOVE that smell. The first one I had really put out that great odor, this one's a little less. But anyone who knows, knows that classic Marshall smell. It's a good thing, not a bad thing! It's not cranked until you smell it.

A bunch of Strat types and a Les Paul here. Suits blues, rock and funky soul very well. What's that I hear?....swirling chimey...?

Just a tad on the noisy side, depending on your power company or your inside/outside junction box hook up.

My favorite sound discovery? SHHHHhh......it almost out-voxes a Vox, given it has one 12' G-back Celestion. Just recorded 16 tracks and I discovered a huge palate.....I'll take this over..what's his name using...that David Howell guy?

It breaks up pretty quick, and that's what it is and what it's for. Buy something else for something else. Wood grain bite served here! Add a clean boost of any flavor to taste.

BTW, don't bother jumping the channels on the 1974x. Whilst the manual addresses doing so, doing so creates phase issues. I think this was probably so on the original issue. No worries!. It's not needed. Now, the 2061X, junping channels on that guy is HUGE! Almost allows you to dial in a sub-woofer:-)

These amps are the real Marshall deal. So, they'll have issues. The output transformer, as noted, can be an issue, but not necessarily. These things are organic, so expect a diva in the rough, no matter what the price. If you're serious, you'll know of a good amp tech. If not, buy something else. The 1974X is for players.

my 2061x had soldering issue that resulted in weirdness, was under warranty and was repaired. My dealer, from out of town, directed me to the right people in town, and the 5 year warranty was covered. It'll be the same with the 1974X.

I procurred my first Strat and Gibson amp at about the same time as the arrival of Cosmo's Factory and Jimi @ Filmore on New Year's eve. Stuff comes, stuff goes, but these Marshall re-issues are the goods! Best guitar recordings I've ever made have come from the 1974X and 2061X, which means, the last one! You get classic and modern rock, the vox thing(1974X), sustain whenever it suits you, and an amp that exposes you for what you are, what you are not, while encouraging you to sound better than those that guided you here as well as moving you to tred new territory should you be brave enough and have the guts to persevere. These amps have encouraged me to fill in the blanks. They have 'that sound' and 'that magic'. Nothing else can duplicate that except any other amp that has 'majik'. But, a Fender is a Fender, a Boogie a Boogie and so on, This amp series has taught me to appreciate amps for what they are and are not. I can now go on and find other amps to fulfill other needs, for, my Marshall(s) need has BEEN FULFILLED. Finally. AMEN. Well, except for a JTM 45 PTP.

new amp
18 watts one volume one tone
may not have enough headroom but have not played out,more later
great for bedroom,sounds good at low volume or cranked

I play many styles and many guitars the amp seems to be a one trick pony but it a very good trick

we have a real problem here.I played it a home for one week and blew a fuse.I am told it has a blowned power tranny and I will have to wait 4 to 6 weeks for replacement.
I now know of 4 others that have had the same problem.
This is why I have not played it out yet and I will not play without a backup when I do get it back

Marshall(Korg) should get trannies here so there won't be along wait when the go out.My tech.has worked with the company I have not dealt with them myself.Iam sure they will make it right but it should not take so long.Also they need to find out what is causing this failure
too early to rate willsee how this comes out

been playing 30 years,have many guitars and 4 amps mostly hand wired tube amps
will let you know how it works when I get it back

You know the specs by now, and since it's a faithful reproduction I will not rate it's versatility.

This is the most three dimensional guitar sound I've ever heard in all my life. Period. Forget anything you thought to know about versality and dynamics, this amp shows you how to control the entire sound range from clean to drive with nothing but two things: your guitar's volume and your very fingers! The 1974 seems to be pure amplification, pure tone without any alteration, a reference in clarity. Suddenly I don't like my Fender Super Champ, Marshall Jubilee or Framus Dragon Top in clean and crunch settings any more - this is THE THING, it alters the way you hear and play (in fact you can't afford the slightest mistake any longer for it WOULD be heard!!!). Okay, it's no grind core evil metal amp, but then with a little help from my friend Uber Metal (Line6) even that could be done for the Marshall does like to cooperate with stomp boxes.

Use it with an A/B-Box to switch between the "channels" and use one way for effects, the other for pure tone - and you've got infinite versatility !!!

And yes, it stinks when engaged (a certain "burning" odor mentioned earlier in this thread), but what little price to pay compared to it's real price tag! ;o)

Ask me again in 20 years... ;o)))

No experience.

This is not just an amp, it's an experience every guitar player should have made! Pure tone that takes you on a magic carpet ride back to the origins of all the records you adore so much and makes you forget time itself. I don't belive in channel switching amps any more, thanks to this little buddy and his mighty voice. It's got a heavy price tap on it, sure, but it's worth it. It alters your way of thinking and playing - and how is that measured in currency?

I bought this amp new in 2005 to see if the retro hand-wired thing is fact or just hype that allows manufacturers to charge a lot for a very simple old fashioned design. After all, not many of us would listen to a stereo that?s a 40 year old design or a use a car designed in that period, so why a guitar amp. Surely ? modern top end designs must be better ? or are they?
Features ? Ha! You certainly wouldn?t buy this amp for the features. It?s a normal channel and tremolo channel amp, with both mixed at the power amp stage, it has a single tone control on the normal channel ? no channel switching, no bass middle treble etc. And no reverb!

Well, this is where this amp should score. Does it? Depends on your point of view. The sound that this amplifier makes is a sort of happy accident. It has more natural compression than any other amp I?ve played. It?s low output, so at very modest volumes you?ll be getting overdrive and distortion. You can pretty much forget about clean sounds. The cleanest you get is bluesy light overdrive, and it goes upwards from there to that classic mid-pushed early Marshall sound. It?s a 60s bluesman?s amp really. And does quite passable classic rock sounds too. Forget Metal!
But, all that said, it can bring out a quality of tone and distortion from your guitar that?s very attractive ? especially on Strat type guitars. The amp is quite dark, so a bright guitar works well with it, and the complex overdrive sound it produces is quite addictive. This amp is a one trick pony ? it does what it does and nothing else ? but its act is tonally quite impressive if you like that sort of thing.
Trem channel. Good for fun ? and instantly brings to mind 60s music, and old film scores. Nice smooth tremolo sound.
Noise ? eeek! The heavy natural front-end compression of this amplifier means that it boosts all the noise from your guitar / pedals to levels you didn?t know existed, when you aren?t playing anything! The answer is a noise gate box in front of it of course, so that stuff gets shut off when you?re not strumming. So ? be prepared to invest in your little Boss noise gate pedal.
Reverb ? missing in action! Well, I need one, so I shoved a Holy Grail in front of the amp, and it sounds good with guitar turned up, but is no replacement for a good Spring reverb tank. Why ? because the at lower guitar volumes you don?t hit the Grail at the right level, so almost no reverb. The setup either gives you too much at high levels or not enough at low levels. No FX loop ? so can?t shove a digital box in there really.

Lord Knows ? Don?t think I?d be taking this to any Stadium Gigs! Might well record with it though, and it should be OK there. Marshall are usually helpful at fixing broken things too. Fuse blew once. Hums a lot too.

For once it?s good to be British. Marshall are local ? and will always help. Havent needed them on this one yet.

Ive been playing 30 plus years, but as a person who likes new things, I?m not impressed by having to use a re-make of something from the 60s, but then we all do just that with our Les Pauls, SGs, Strats etc., so maybe that?s just the thing of guitar playing ? that was the Golden Era that can?t be beaten?
But I don?t believe that for a moment. Today?s Strat Deluxe maybe the same shape as a 54 Strat, but the pickups, frets, neck profile, S1 switching, and tremolo are all updated. That?s what we need here ? to take this basic circuitry and add reverb, a few more tone controls, FX loop, and noise gate. Then we?d have a modern classic.
So, hand-wired isn?t hype, you can get a nice sound from it; one sound ? but a good one. But, you have to accept all the limitations that the 40 year old design imposes.
For me this will be my novelty one-trick pony, but for a serious session I would take along my Marshall TSL-122, or Boogie Lonestar, or Fender The Twin ? all modern versatile amps that do many things.
But - confirmed Retro Heads will love it!

The features are irrelevent on an amp like this. Simplicity is what it's all about. Volume and tone on one side, the same on the other with added tube trem controls.

*I've had the 1974x for over 6 months now and have deliberately not posted my review until now, so I have a reasonable idea what its like to live with. It's been in the studio, over 30 gigs and I bring it home to practice with.

I use a 2004 R9 Reissue, various 80's PRS's, early strats and a 68 tele. The R9 Gibbo through this thing is just wonderful. Those looking for Billy Gibbons dripping harmonics look no further! Try one of these with a chandler tube driver in front!
We also play some SRV covers, I use my 62 strat with no pedals, sounds very dramatic and immediate. Honestly, almost every time we play someone comments on how good it sounds.
The studio we used had an original one of these, but they can keep it, this sounds better (not to mention quieter)! You do need to mike it up if you play the larger places.
I've just ordered another one and some more matching cabs. My Dr Z and Badcat are for sale on ebay, take them away I won't use them again.

Mine gets thrown about a bit, you should always carry spare bottles and I have replaced a few sets. No technical issues though.
I have a DR Z and a Badcat for back up, but I'm getting rid so I can buy another 1974x for reserve.

12 month warranty. Never dealt with Marshall, should be all good.

Finally a superb amp that is cheaper for us Brits than our American friends, I love USA boutique amp manufactures but we get ripped off through importers.

Been playing 32 years, I play mainly blues rock.
Stolen? I'd buy another.
Great VFM but the waiting list is still too long.

Go and buy one before its too late.

Update

Still sounds the best! perfect match with my fender '65 DRRI, now using a Tonebone switchbone A/B, A+B + Boost pedal! This is all you really need to boost the amp in to a more saturated sound. The tonebone "Switchbone" has an adjustable gain boost which can be swithced on/off + if you want +5 or +10 Db Mid boost. If your'e running two amps ...get one, they're very good! Just got a marshall Bluesbreaker II Pedal and a Crowther Audio "Hot Cake", both these pedals work very well with the amp. Use the clean boost function on the Bluesbreaker with the amp set between 6-8 and it punches it up from smooth overdrive to an awesome lead tone, though not a huge volume boost, due to the basic nature of the amp's already pretty saturated sound!

This is a point. Mine blew a Power transformer(Mains). It just died...like someone turned the power off and she just faded away!

Its fixed now and sounds as good as ever! When the Mains Transformer blew, the mains fuse blew also. The person in the previous review said his Output transformer had blow! ..are you sure it wasn't the Power transformer? Especially as you said the mains fuse blew!

Took it up to the local Marshall and fender repair man, just a week before Christmas. I had it back in 4 weeks! This is quite good considering a new transformer had to be shipped from England! Especially at this time of year when all the freight services are overloaded with Christmas Stuff!

Worth every dollar! you just can't live without it once you've got it!

even if the Mains transformer blew! but I had put 150+ hrs playing time into the amp in the 8 weeks before the transformer Blew!

The specs are on the Marshall website. Normal channel and Tremelo Channel. 18 watts, but this thing can get loud especially with the external cabinet.

I use it with a Historic Les Paul and a Warmoth Strat. This suits my music style of late 60's/70's Blues/Rock perfectly without killing my ears. Warm, Woody sounding amp sound heard on countless recordings from the late 60's/early 70's. Not a lot of clean headroom, but like I said it suits my style perfectly. It is one of those rare amps where you just plug your guitar in and it sounds wonderful! It plays well with pedals also. The only concern is a strange smell as if something were burning. No problems yet, but am not sure yet if it's cause for alarm. I will post in the future any updates. Has anyone else had the same issue?

So far no problems, but am not sure about the 'burning' odor.

Cannot really say. I have never had to deal with Marshall directly.

Great sounding amp (Probably the best I have EVER heard), but am not sure about the burning smell.

all the features an amp needs. It depends on your guitar and fingers. pure tone and candy for the ears.

beautiful

well I bought it new took it home and after playing threw it for an hour it blew the main fuse. Took it back to the dealer where I have 1 year warranty. IT TURNS OUT I NEED A NEW OUTPUT TRANSFORMER.

I call teck support at marshall and ask why my amp would blow a fuse they said it was highly unlikely it would be the OT. And that I am the only one that has had this problem. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE MARSHALL 1974X.

we will see how it turns out

This is an update of my previous review. I've now got the matching 1974CX 1x12" 20W Extension Cabinet.($1000 Australian Dollars for the extension cab. All up the retail price was $4800 Australian Dollars, I got the Combo and Extension Cabinet for $3700 (AuD)

Sounds fantastic, seems to sound better everyday. Replaced V1 with a JJ ECC83S Tube which I think has a bit more gain than what Marshall put in the amp. Absolute magic with my Les Paul(Think Led Zep,Cream, The Who, AC/DC,...etc though my strats sound very good too- SRV-Hendrixy sounds.

Now that I've got the 1974CX extension cabinet it seems to sound even better, not that much louder, though I'm playing in a smallish room, so in a larger place the extra cab would give it a wider spread of sound. All I need now is another 1974x and CX!- Ultimate medium sized gig set up, along with my Deluxe Reverb RI for crystal Clear clean sound(Though with two Marshalls a Deluxe would be easily overpowered!). Really they are that good! It has far more crunch and overdrive than I expected, but this is a good thing. Mainly run it at 7 or above. I've still got to search around for a good overdrive/boost pedal just for solos, though at the moment I'm just running my guitars straight into the amp and I've never been happier with the sound I'm hearing coming out of the speakers!

Still a five as its too early to tell yet. I had to replace Valve 2 (Phase splitter) as this started playing up after a couple of hours and made some nasty and alarming sounds that had me worried for a while. I can't blame Marshall for a dud tube as I was fine when I got the amp, but thats the nature of valves!

New, 2005 Marshall "Handwired" 1974X Valve 18W 1x12" Combo. Very Simple, very good!

Worth a 5 month wait from paying the deposit.

Only dissapointment is that I also ordered the 1974CX extension Cabinet, but still haven't received that yet even though they both arrived together and were supposed to be shipped to me at the same time!!!

2 channels, just Vol. and tone on each + Tremolo speed and intensity.

I give it a 10 because its a faithful replica of the original with a few improvements like the easily accessible fuses and removable mains lead and Tremolo footswitch as well as the aluminium chassis being stronger and less likely to buckle like the originals!

It sounds absolutely wonderful with either my '62 RI Strat or my '59 RI Les Paul.

As stated in other reviews on this site there's not alot of clean headroom, especially with humbucker or hi-output single coils, but that's not the point. It gets that classic overdriven tone, but does clean up nicely with low output single coils, or just by backing off the volume on your guitar.

Its especially suited to classic rock and blues.

Boosted with my old MK II Pro Co Rat it sounds awesome with both les paul and strat.

Its a very dynamic sound with lots of nuances, very touch responsive, and never too shrill and ear-piercing like my '65 Deluxe Reverb RI can be.

Volume wise its not super loud, but makes a perfect match with my Deluxe Reverb. With the Deluxe on 5( Still relatively Clean with just a hint of Break-up) the 1974X cranked to 8-10 is a perfect companion for crunch, singing, smooth overdriven rhythm and lead tones with either a Strat or Les Paul!

It sounds so good that after almost exclusively playing my Deluxe Reverb RI for 2 years I thought I would miss the 1974X not having reverb! It doesn't really need it, but a high quality external reverb unit would make it sound out of this world, a tone to die for! Mind you only just a hint of reverb would be needed to make the amp sound even better than it already does- 10-11+!@!

I can't wait to try out some more subtle overdrive units with this amp, such as a Hot cat, as the RAT is fairly brutal ond only a little bit of boost is need to really make it sing and scream!

The speaker must be good as it doesn't Ice Pick like the Fender's can do, even though my DRRI has a Weber 12F150 (C12N) which sounds smoother and less harsh than the Jensen.

Leave it at 5 for the moment as who can tell!!?

I've a '79 Marshall 50 Watt Master Lead valve head (26 years old) that's going strong and never had any problems except a blown fuse and valve in the20 years that I've owned that!

Can't say, as I've never dealt with them as I've had no major problems with any of the Marshalls I've owned.

Been playing 21 years and this is the best sounding Amp I've ever had!

My Deluxe Reverb RI is very good too and is a perfect clean sound compliment for the Marshall.

Just one Tone control which is all you need. No gain control, just Volume. if you want a Gain control then buy a pedal. I'm rating it a ten because i feel the lack of Bass, Treble, Effects Loop and Gain control knobs is a bonus. All the work is in your hands (or teeth if you are a Hendrix clone)

Amazing sound! I use a 57 reissue Gold Top Les Paul, a Standard American Strat and a 52 reissue Telecaster. I previously used a Fender Pro Tube Twin set to the 25 watt setting. I ran an A/B test between the Twin and the 1974x. There is no comparision. The 1974x sings at max volume but the Twin gets Muddier the louder it gets.

I couldn't use my strats Bridge pickup with the Twin when gigging. Now i use this pickup constantly as the 1974x cuts through beautifully. The Sound from the Les Paul leans in the direction of Jimmy Page. Just roll back your Guitars Volume control to clean up the sound as Jimmy himself did.

I play in a covers band and we play Zep, Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Bowie (Mick Ronson's time), Deep Purple, Rory Gallagher etc..
This amp is perfect for this music style.

I bought the 1974 Cab for a wider sound, and if i'm not mistaking increases the volume as i set the amp for 8ohms. (less ohms - more wattage)

After a few days i started getting a rattling sound from the amp and so sent my amp back for repair. It was sent back to me saying that there was nothing wrong but after plugging in and playing for a few minutes i noticed the rattling again (particularly when playing a C note on the D String 10th fret. It turns out that it's actually the Metal safety cover for the Valves. I have yet to send the amp back again but should have no difficulties as the service here in Ireland is very good (The Guy who repairs the amps rang me personally so i could explain my issue) I bring backup to gigs but have had no probs yet

The reason the repair guy could not detect the rattling issue was because he had removed the Metal Valve cover when servicing the amp.

The warranty (i think) is for 5 years so i'm gonna send it back again to get this issue resolved. Just don't have time at the moment and this amp is so good that i'm ignoring the rattling

I've been playing Guitar for over 15 years now (Teaching for 12 years)and i've never played a better amp. I also worked in a music store so had the opportunity of playing several other makes and models of Valve amps. The 1974x sound so much better than anything i've heard
If it was stolen then i'd just figure out which one of my Mates stole it and steal it back
I love the fact that it's light compared to the Fender Twin and the look is beautiful. I hate the fact that i can only afford 1 of these beauts

I'm giving this the maximum mark as I like its pure simplicity. Two channels - one normal, one with tremolo. Both channels have a single volume and passive tone control. Channels can be bridged.

I hate complex amps. They tend to have loads of features that you never use, and can take ages for mere mortals to find a decent sound. Not so with the 1974X.

This amp has an amazing sound. My main gutiar is an SG Junior (1 pickup, two knobs - spot the trend !) and the 1974x just sings. I've gigged this amp once and ran the amp on 8 (volumme) and 9 (tone). It has the purest Marshall tone that I've ever heard. I also use a Fulltone Fatboost to crank it for solos and that works well too. For clean sounds you have to use your volume control on the guitar - just like they did in the old days !

I would suggest miking this amp up for "hall" sized venues. It's loud enough but there's not much in reserve. However, I play very few venues that have vocal-only PAs so it's not a problem for me. I've also just ordered the 1974CX cab so I can't wait to hear what it sounds like with that.

Too early to say - not expecting any issues.

I've always been impressed by the level of support supplied by Marshall.

Best amp I've ever owned. A keeper - something to pass down to your kids !

Some of you may say "how can he rate this amp a ten for features when there's only a volume, tone, trem intensity and speed control?". Simple - the tone of this amp is remotely controled - via your pick and pickup selectors. I've simply never (in my 32 years of playing) experienced so much sensitivity to playing style in my life. Pick hard and it's chime and bite. Play softly and it's round and warm. If I want effects, I'll use my well stocked boutique pedal board, thank you very much. All that does is dilute the absolutely ambrosiac intrinsic tone quality of this masterpiece of equipment.

So far, after receiving it a couple of hours ago, I've played a '65 SG, '65 Strat and G&L Invader with Duncans into it. The difference in tones of these guitars shines through. It is an ideal for blues, rock and vintage-style tones. I play power-pop rock and can get tones I wish I would have had on my last two years of recordings. I wouldn't choose it for traditional jazz as it gets dirty quick - but that's sort of the point of an 18 watt tube Marshall, isn't it?

I don't know if I'll ever take this out of my studio. Just as I don't take my vintage '65 guitars out. But it sure seems well built. My JCM 900 has been around the block without a hitch.

Haven't contacted them yet, but they didn't send the AC power cord with the amp - that's pretty weird for a $2300 amp. I did get a 1/4" speaker cable for connecting the 1974XC though.

I've been playing since the early '70s, through many amps. This is the best sounding amplifier I've ever played. There are other choices out there, or you could build your own. But if you want an out-of-the-box, no-brainer hit, this is it. In an age of modeling amps (which I now realize fall woefully short of capturing 1/10th the excitement and nuance of the originals) this amp will revolutionize the way you sound, and the way you play. It just makes you a better player.

bought 3 months ago
best amp i have ever owned,beautiful distortion at reasonable volumes
i ususally use an OD1 to push it harder
sounds best with both channels patched together
i use it with a white falcon or a firebird live and it sounds awesome
needs mikeing for bigger gigs

anything from blues to metal
not great at clean starts to distort quite early
no extraneous noises
everyone who hears it comments how awesome it sounds

no problems yet

no difficulties
bit of a wait for the extension cab

20 years owned various fenders prosonic concert reverb(much better for clean) Engl 50watt cornford hurricane
this is the best
i wish it had reverb

Amp was custom built, a hot-rodded version of the 1974x, hence im posting it here. He builds two versions, the combo version and the head version(for convenience). Both have the same electronics, just different housing. I think the rest of the features have already been described above.

I not the kind of guy who buys these amps usually, im into metal, and play distorted most of the time. Initially thought it wasn't very versatile, coz only has one tone and volume control per channel, channel two has the added tremolo controls. REason i bought it, GOD, it sounded so good, so very very good, and this is someone talking about clean tones when he plays distorted 95 percent of the time. Was very cheap, on top of that, new too. It just grabs you, and I couldnt stop playing it, so i bought it, even though initialy i was looking for something like the 5150. I cant describe the tone, just that its perfect. Not bass, mid or treble controls, WHO CARES... and all this is before i cranked it up.

Cranking it up, holy crap, thats metal tone to me, though i boost the signal further with and od-1 for a little extra gain.

This amp loves pedals too, everything just sounds good

just got it

The guy that builds them is very friendly, easy to talk to.

made week 50. 2004.
i just brought it yesterday 7th feb 05
2 channels, first vol /tone, 2nd vol/tone, depth /speed (of the valve trem circuit).
i use it indoors, for playing/recording. not in a band.
i only rated an 8, as you cant do LOUD clean....obviously..

i use a 73 strat, and a 2004 les paul classic (hot ceramic pick ups)
its meant to be run at a high vol level, and use the guitars vol to breakup/clean up.
the sound through its aged (to emmulate a 35 year old speaker)is amazing.
its a celestion t1221, 15ohm 20w unique speaker in there.

when you run amp vol and guitar vol high, its an awesome tone, really!!!

has the same 3 yaer g/tee as my tsl122, so i dont think ill need that, bearing in mind hand wired, no pcb etc.

if i was gigging, id take this and the tsl combo, then theres always a cool backup!!!

i had to use marshalls customer support on the tsl122, when it was less than 1 year old
turned out to be a power valve fault, which they replaced free of charge.
they didnt have to do this, as the amps 3 year g/tee and the valves are 3 months.

cheers marshall

been playing (indoors)for 20 years
my only other amp is a tsl122 100w 2x12 combo, and its tslc212 2x12 cab.
i love the 1974x's tone, weight!!, and its looks.

when i first tryed it, i thought whats the point of a trem channel?
as my trems always been via a pedal.
well the trem in this amp is unreal, it changes depending on how you attack the strings.
from a definate trem to a mild shimmer, just by playing the guitar differently, thats without adjusting the intensity/speed controls on the amp.
its like learning from scratch again, what a trem effect actually does!!
i give a 7 for value, as its bloody dear to buy(and hard to track down)
but its 100% worth getting one

Brand new out of the box. I have a new JTM45 and a new 1959SLP re-issue. Most of the comments regarding these amps are accurate, sound OK enough but, not the Holy Grail. Marshall NAILED it with the 1974! This amp IS THE TONE. I haven't even plugged my Paul into it yet but, my Strat sounds delicious. Could not stop playing it. If I can get this out the 45 and plexi with PTP, boards, and upgraded tubes, transformers and caps they are going on ebay and I'm getting 2 more '74's! As far as versatlity it's a Marshall. It does what it was created to do...SING!

THE TONE! Worth every sheckle.

Just got it.

Just got it. It works.

Playing 25 years. Own 14 various amps from combo's to a stack. This one sounds the best. I tried the Vibroverb Custom against it. No contest. So far so good.

two channels (with a AB switch) and tremlo just a tone control for each channel. Great for blues to clasic rock. it can't do super clean.

playit with a strat and two PRS guitars what ever you plug into it sounds fat and fantastic. There's little head room and it's not super loud but should still be loud enough for small gigs. There is really no clean at volume. it gets dirty fast but its the nicest snort rippin fat crisp Marshall tone I have ever heard. The feel is amazing and i can't stop playing this little sucker. I want to get the ext cab for gigs but the cost of this stuff is killing me. I think a lot of the tone is in the speaker. I hope they offer this speaker from celestion soon.

to soon to tell but I think theres five years on it and its built like a tank.

never had to deal with this part of it Knock on wood

30 year player/ I own marshall plexi 1987X head also awesome and a fender blues jr good little amp after some mods. I've had soldano,Bogner Line6, a lot of amps this little amp is special get one ASAP.

Marshall went to extreme lengths to meticulously recreate their legendary 18-watt combo from the '60s. 2 EL-84, 12" aged Celstion, two channels, including a Tremelo circuit controlled by footswitch. Simple, pure tone from this entirely hand-wired sparkler. The only thing I will change is the tubes, which are great modern tubes, but I just know this thing will be even better with NOS Mullards. The filters, caps and wiring are all first rate. I give this category a 10, not because of the wealth of features, but rather for the extreme lengths Marshall has gone to use excellent components to recreate an amplifier that may very well be better than the original once the Mullards are installed.

Sparkling and chimey, with fantastic bluesy distortion when the amp is dimed--all at somewhat reasonable volumes. This is a great recording amp that can deliver the Marshall grunt without shattering the windows. The clean tones chime and shimmer while maintaining a clear and well defined low end. When dimed, the distortion is 18-watts of pure joy.

I have a Matchless Tornado, and had a Matchless DC-30 stack, but this is the first EL-84 amp I have played that is fantastic with both single coils and robust humbuckers.

The external cabinet is an excellent option, and I highly recommend it.

Having examined the workmanship in some detail, I can't imagine having a problem. Bits do sometimes fail, however, so we will have to see over the years how she holds up. My impression, however, is this amp is built like a military-spec tank.

Marshall's dealers serve as the go between with the manufacturer. My dealer was fantastic in a number of ways. Gig Sounds in South London. Highly recommended. Ask for Brian.

I have been playing on and off for 36 years. I have a Matchless Tornado (soon to be sold) and a 1965 Fender DR. The guitars played through this amp include a Class 5 Les Paul, an EB MM EVH with stock pickups, and another EVH with trem and Tom Anderson pickups (HSH, tapped), and an EB MM Albert Lee.

I generally don't like Marshalls for my purposes, and never thought I would buy one...certainly not a new one. If I bought a stack, it would be a late '60s or early 70's HiWatt DR-103 or DR-504 rather than a Plexi.

I played a friend's vintage 1974 a few years ago and for the first time was really intrigued by a Marshall. The original can go for over $10,000 now, so getting an old one wasn't a possibility for me. When this reissue was announced and Mitch Colby of Marshall posted detailed information and pictures on PlexiPlace, I was intrigued enough to order one of these beautiful little beasts.

Now that I have it, I am pleased to report that it has exceeded all expectations, and may actually be better than the original. We'll see when the Mullards go in.

PS: These amps are MUCH cheaper in the UK for some reason.

Simple in design. Two channels that can be patched together. Volume and a tone control for each channel and then tremelo controls on the other. I thought that having a simple tone control would make this really limited in tone, but I was wrong! (read on...) I'm giving this a 10 on versatility based on TONE versatility - it can do a lot, but it's going to come from your hands and technique and not with your feet pushing a group of footswitches, etc.

With a Strat, there's some really nice warmth and good clean headroom as well. With a humbucker, it starts to breakup rather early, but has the most amazing smooth crunch tone I've heard in a Marshall since playing an early original. The tone is really nicely balanced and warm. The tremelo sounds amazing as well. When cranking this amp up to about 7, it's really a singing sustaining type tone and is a really nice sweet spot for rock and blues. The custom greenback speaker in here is amazing - it actually sounds like an original greenback as well. All the characteristic mids with lows that aren't overdone and the highs are nicely tapered off so they don't tear your ear off. A beautiful sounding amp.

Looking inside, everything is nicely layed out. The manual also gives me all the information about how they went through the process of replicating the transformers and speaker as well as the construction methods. The team that built this amp were no doubt passionate about it and it shows in all areas.

Never had to deal with support so no thoughts or rating here.

This is a great amp and has become one of my favorites. It feels great and really responds to my playing like an amp should. It's quite amazing how much gain this little 18 watter has when it's turned up. I also checked out the 20 watt 2061X head and cabinet which is a little bit louder and a bit less bluesy, but it was also great. Ultimatly the 1974X worked better for the style of music I like which is rock/blues.

two channels one with tremlo just volume and tone control on each channel.Great for blues classic rock not much clean head room. No channel switching no reverb or efects loop. This is the new hand wired series from marshall. It sounds fantastic for crunch classic rock and blues. I don't think it has enogh volume for most gigs. I wish it has more volume and some more clean head room. But Thants not what this amp is about.

I use a strat/PRS custom 24 and Anderson drop top.I'm classic rock and blues and this amp covers that no problem. It has more crunch and gain then my Plexi it dosen't seem to like pedals (overdrive or distortion) You don't get a volume jump at all. I think because the amp is so saturated on its own. My 50 watt plexi loves pedals and gets a major volume jump (but it's 50 watts).The clean channel distorts almost imeaditly.There';s no clean at volume at all. TYou can roll back your guitar volume and clean it up a little. The feel of this amp is fantastic it makes you want to dig in. I loved this little amp but in the end I had to bring it back . at $2500 I felt it was to limited to justify the price. Don't get me wrong I love the sounds it makes and I miss the amp but just not enough volume or clean head room and it realy only has two sounds crunch and more crunch and not enough volume. I hooked it up to my marshall 2x12 cab and still not much more volume. This amp is fantastic for recordibng and playing at home but for $2500 I wanted more. I still miss it and if the price comes down I'm grabing one. Again not enough volume or clean head room but super fantastic feel and crunch sounds. I think the special speaker in the combo is a big part of it because when hooked up to my 2x12 (marshall 1936 cab with two V30's) It lost some of the midrange bite and smooth break up. I knock it down to a 9 becuase there's no clean sound

It looks built like a tank but no way of telling yet

playing 30 years// own plexi/ fender / and have had a lot of stuff Bogner Soldano/ Mesa/ ETC. I love the look the feel and the crunch tones also the tremlo sounds fantastic. More volume reverb and a lower price would be nice. still this is a hand wired marshall that really hase great tone and feel for what it is but $2500 is tough.