Marshall 9100 Power Amp

This is truely a superb amplifier. Since this is a 50/50 watt amp, you dont have to crank the amp up to 10 to get a great sound. I use this with a Mesa Boogie Tri-axis tube preamp, and that is the best tone ive ever heard. It looks very cool if the room is dark and the tubes are glowing through the glass lol.

I use a Ibanez rg770 and rg550/560(HSH). I play a lot of 80s glam rock and neoclassical music, and this amp delievers that big tone! This amp is not very noisey, for example, if i plug my guitar into a crate head or line 6, my guitar pickups would be very noisey, and in this amp they are not. This amp has a variety of tones, from a fender deville clean tone to a old jcm 800.

I've used this amp for every gig i have played. I need no other amp as a backup amp, this is a very quality made product.

I have been playing for 5 years now, i am 15 years old, i also use a carvin x-100b head, a 1971 marshall jmp head, and a 1987x marshall head, and this is by far my favorite piece to play through. If something happened to this amp, i would deffinatly go out and get a new one.

Very versatile with the 5881's. I play metal, it is perfect.

It has voicing switches, presence controls, volume.

you can remote switch the voicing.

It is really loud.

5881 tubes inside, luscious tone.

I use it with a bc rich speedloader bich w/bill lawrence pickups. Really quiet. really punchy tight sound, does whatever my digitech gsp1101 preamp throws at it.

I would use it live without a backup, as its 2 amps in one. if one went down i would just have raise the volume to compensate for the drop.

Love this power amp. Runnign it in stereo with my GSP1011 into standard marshall 1960 cabs sounds so full and clear.

i would replace it

looks great, like the recessed controls.

i chose this as it is fantastic value and awesoem sounding. also the monobloc featur gives true stereo. it is awesome.

wish it had integrated fans but i will probably install fans in my rack soon.

great amp. really great.

Great voicing option and that Marshall glassy sound I prefer. Nice having a presence knob but no markings on amp to show what level being used.

Sounds great up to about 8 and quite different afterwards but not necessarily better. Great glassy sound, warm to bright at any volume. I really like this amp. I have to run 2 cabinets to get optimal sound quality since it sounds best to me at about 3/4 volume which is not quite loud enough for the metal/rock it's used for. I would buy another one if I lost this one. I will keep it forever!

So far so good. Solid outer casing. Owned it for at least 10 years

Never had to deal with them

I like everything about this amp; looks, sound, versatility, construction etc. Pricey at the time but well worth the 4 cab capability. I'm a recording engineer, musician (over 30 yrs), performer and an award winning songwriter. I use Marshall 1960a cab. Mesa, Marshall, Line 6, and various other amps and heads.

Same feutures as below.
Mine has 5881 tubes (I know some models had EL34s). 2 independent blocks with independent stand-by, switchable A/B voicings, gain and presence. Enaugh power for anything, I think. I think it's great that A/B voicings can be switched in both blocks through a single on off pedal. It's great also the "link" connectors and the versatility in output impedance.

Woa! I use it mainly with Fender Stratocasters with Di Marzio's single coils. Sometimes I use it with a Gibson Les Paul. The preamp is a Jmp1, the cab is a 4x12 1960. I play metal stuff but also blues. No noise at all. I use both channels at 3 o'clock (gain) and 12 o'clock (presence). If I need less volume, I go down with preamp volume. Great tube sound, in any setting I have tried it. I like B voicing for boosts or heavier stuff.

I think it's reliable. I have it from 1 year now, gigged 20 times, and never had problems with it.

Never dealt with Marshall

I play from 14 years now. I have Stratocasters (2), a Les Paul, a Marshall 2501 combo. I definitely would buy it again if stolen. It's the best power amp that I have ever tries. Great sound, great response on finger dynamics. Absolutely a great tool for professional use.

It does what it says on the tin, its a power amp, what features do you want?
It has 2 voice settings for each channel, which is foot switchable.

i use a strat, les paul and an ibanez style guitar (hsh w/ floyd rose). this amp really does the job, its really loud, i use it with a marshall 1922 2x12 150watt cab for small gigs and a 1960b 4x12 300watt cab.
it amplifies whatever you pump into it ( really well)

ive had this unit repaired once, my own fault, i bought the 9100 second hand, gigged it for 2 years, never serviced or revalved it,
1 channel died in rehearsal, i still had use of channel 'b', with no noticeable drop in volume, had revalved and serviced and its never let me down since

never dealt with marshall, i had it fixed by a local specialist

this is the dogs b****** loud and proud, i use it with a jmp1 preamp and a jfx1 processor

one thing bad about it , its real HEAVY

The production of this amp ended in 1993 so keep this in mind when rating this product with other modern power amps. This power amp consists of two fully independent 50 watt blocs of power that provide all the punch and headroom you'll need. This amp consists of an A/B switch which takes you from traditional to modern tube saturation as well as a presence and gain control on each side. The impedance is switchable, and you are able to link power amps, although I feel there is no need as this amp is plenty loud. Naturally, power tubes saturate into a signal, and that is exactly what this amp does. Regardless of the tone you're attempting to achieve, beware that natural Marshall trademark tone will bleed into your signal (This is good!). This amp consists of 4 5881 Power Tubes and 4 12aX7 preamp tubes. This is the older version of the new Marshall 50/50 EL34 Power Amp.

Currently, I run a jackson with Seymour Duncan 'Lil 59' Pickups. I play with higher action than most typical guitars, and am always in search of a bright and glassy tone. This amp, coupled together with my Rocktron Voodu Valve Preamp delivers wonders. I can go from glassy traditional Marshall tones to modern drive and all grounds in between. Keep in mind the pickups I use are not meant for Metal, but
this amp still shreds. It retains clear and bright Tube signal without muddying up or becoming ear-piercing. It's dfficult to write negative feedback for this amp mostly because excess noice and crappy settings usually result from a bad guitar or preamp, which this amp is neither. That being said, if you know Marshall sound and enjoy great crunch and tremendous volume, this is a great Power Amp.

If you take care of it, it'll take care of you. I have never had to service the amp besides regular maintenance of tube wear and tear. Marshall stands firm behind their products, the only trouble is they are way in Bletchly England, so find a good local amp repair shop! If you heed all warnings and take proper care of this amp, it will easily last a lfetime at the highest potential.

I have not dealt with the company yet, but I know they stand firm behind their products, and who's to argue? Just look at all the guitar greats and see where their sound is coming from!

Grab this amp and rock the socks off of any venue. Couple it with a great preamp and all of your tonal possibilities can be achieved. If tubes aren't for you, however, look elswhere, as these amps are an expensive and regular service that is rerquired to maintain them. Believe me though, every penny you put into them they will spit back at you with full force.

Dual monobloc, Gain, Presence, A/B switch. You know what it's got.
The only thing is that Mesa's have more options, but it does everything I need it to.

I play 1 Ibanez S470 HSH with Seymour Duncans Jazz-lil'59-Duncan Distortion, 1 Washburn EC 29 with EMG SA and 81, and an Aria Pro II CS 350, my 100 dollar gem.

Amp - Digitech 2101 Artist to the 9100 to two 2x12 [i normally only play through 1] Sonic slant cabs. Used to play through a Avatar 2x12 with Vintage 30s. didn't like it so sold it after I got the Sonics.

I played the 2101 through my Valvestate VS 265R for a while and it sounded okay. But now through the Marshall, it is one of the best setups I've heard.

It's hard to say what the Power amp does, since the main sounds are created in teh preamp, and then amplified in the Power amp. But it is clean, noiseless, and warm. Like I said, it made my Digitech from a lifeless effects box, into a true preamp with Vintage to Modern rock, from Fender cleans, to Marshall Distortion, I love my setup. I play it with Winged C's, and SOvteks on the other side.

no problems so far

Great looks, great sound. I love Marshall.

very strait forward, gain, presence, voicing. But its a poweramp! what else do you want in it???

I used this thing with a JMP 1 preamp by marshall. big mistake. I hated that preamp and it was very noisy. But this amp....dont ask me how made the jmp sound decent. When comparing the sounds of JMP into PA and into the 9100 the differnce is night and day! Its much much cleaner and warmer. By far the cleanest, clearest tube amp i've ever used. I just recently sold it to get away from the whole rack setup thing, but i was sad to see this one go. It was a great amp. Also, for all you who are thinking of using the piece of garbage jmp1 with this thing, dont do it. It owuld be an insult to this wonderful amp.

very reliable as long as its not abused. take care of it and it will take care of you. Make sure its in a shock rack and do not overpower its input and you'll be fine. I did not do both of those things and ended up replacing an outout transformer and all my tubes.

Great amp. I highly recommend it. I've played for years and am currently with a band called epicenter. You can hear this amp on our site: www.epicenterrock.com however it is with the jmp 1 but the tones are still not that bad. Like i said, this amp made that piece of shit shine.

2x50 watt stereo monoblock all-tube power amp. 3 space rackmount. foot-switchable voicing which adds alot of flexibility to your tone. Each channel has independant gain, presence controls and a voicing switch in case you don't have a footswitch.

This amp sounds great. I was running a JMP-1 preamp into a tubeworks stereo reverb with two 1x12 Rivera cabs and played a variety of guitars, including a '71 Custom Les Paul, 2 PRS McCarty's, a PRS Custom 24, Fender Strat and a Grosh Strat. The voicing switch along with the JMP-1 (or any other good preamp) can cover blues, jazz, rock, or whatever style you want. Outstanding Tone !

Unfortunately I've had to sell off my rack gear recently due to money problems and this amp is the last piece to go. I've been hanging on to it for the past six months hoping to be able to rebuild my rack, but I need the money. So, Anyone interested in buying it ?? Never gigged with it. It has only been in my basement studio.

Never had any problems.

Never had to deal with customer support.

I've been playing 24 years and have owned more amps than I want to remember. Fenders, Boogies, Randalls, Riveras, Marshalls, etc. If it were stolen, I would replace it if I had the money to rebuild by rack system. But, I'm currently trying to sell it because I need the money, not becuase I don't like the amp. If interested, please contact me: hebo01@cox.net.

One of the few amps that run 16 Ohm cabs. Also you can chain amps using the link output(If you really need 8 cabinets).The A/B switch adds bite and bottem end. Gold presense and volume contols for each amp look cool too. You got to love the Gold annodized face plate displaying those EL34's I give it a 9 because of the weight.

Everyone who has heard my 9100 wanted it.
I give it a 9 because if you turn up your preamp over half way up it will start to drive the 12AX7 tubes. I guess I need the 9200. What can I say my drummer uses tree trunks for sticks. :-)
Used by Iron Maiden, Filter, Judas Priest, Whitesnake, Green Day etc.

Testimonial. I got mine off Ebay and the A$$h*le shipped it in three sheets of newspaper in a box and I was affraid to plug it in but morbid curiosity got the better of me and it work wonderful.
One beef, turning the standby to on I hear a little pop. This also happen with my Boogie and Carvin rack amps. I prefer the Marshall.

Never a need to call.

Very happy with it. A 9200 might make it perfect.

4 x 5881 valves, 4 (or 2 can't remember) x ecc81 valves.

This is stage 1 for me upgrading from a Mesa Calibre 50+ head to a rack setup with Triaxis. I saw this power amp on ebay for a great price and so bought it untested. I was slighly disappointed to find it had 5881 valves which are similar to the 6L6GC in my Mesa. I was hoping it had EL34's. Well nevermind coz its a totally different sounding power stage.
I am writing this review not yet having taken delivery of the Triaxis so I am using the effects send of the Calibre to deliver my preamp signal into the 9100.
I won't bore you with the usual adjustment period to exploring a new amp, instead here are my conclusions.
1) This amp has opened up a world of sounds that I never had before, being a pure Mesa man. Even though this is a 5881 amp I can get very Marshall sounds out of it that are impossible with the Mesa. The voicing switch is excellent, though I'd probably only use it on 'B' live as it cuts so much better. Again the precence control is excellent and could probably make the 'A' voicing more useable live.
Volume wise I was underwhelmed. It's not as loud as the Mesa. And here's the really big downside. Yes, as mentioned by the previous reviewer, the bottom end sucks. I mean it's crap. It's hardly there and what is there has no definition. With the Mesa power stage I can get an incredibly chunky but pure rhythm sound for metal aka Metallica, whatever. Not so with the 9100. It seems like 50W of juice is not enough to power the bass frequencies in this guy. Now this may not matter a lot live, but I am a tone junkie and do most of my playing in my room (sadly at my age :). I like to have a killer tone. I had John Petrucci before, now I have compromise. Apart from that I really like the tone. It's definately Marshall despite not being EL34 endowed. I can get a very close Megadeth sound with a bit of tweaking and the right guitar - their guitar sounds were never that chunky anyway. Also those 'edge of distortion' sounds are now more obtainable. The Mesa is more of an all-gain or no-gain amp.

Looks pretty damn reliable and I've looked under the hood. The knobs and voicing switch are vulnerable if knocked but they should be out harms way in most situations. Havent owned it long enough to give it more than 7.

Yeh right, Holler for a Marshall (oz joke)

Overall I am disappointed with the overall tonal QUALITY. The sounds themselves are cool though and have expanded my range a lot. I have a feeling the triaxis will do wonders for me again, but I don't know that it can compensate for the lack of bass and bass clarity.
Probably a great workhorse, but keep looking if you want that perfect power amp. I may buy a VHT 50/50 at some time in the future, but at 4-5 times the price I'm not in a hurry.

Everyone has talked about the features... and it's simple... gain... brightness... and that's that. Two monoblocks of 50w power. You can go from jazz to heavy-metal on this one... just choose your pre-amp accordingly.

I use a "Parker Fly", "Washburn N4" or a "Gibson Les Paul Custom" through a A-B/Y "Morley" split-box (circuit A includes an "ADA MPX-2", a "Morley Wah" and a "Morley Volume" while circuit B has nothing but "Marshall" floor pedals like "The Guv'nor" or the "Drive Master"). I've learned that the 9100 is an excelent amp... it's not the best amp in the world, but it's great. I've learned that the ADA is not good enough for this... I'll be looking for a "Tri-Axis" soon... and some effects too...

I trust this baby 100% !... The tubes smoke and show no sign of wearing off... but I know they won't last forever, although they're original EL-34...

N/A... never needed.

It's beautiful, it sounds great... it's not a Tri-Amp or a Soldano, but it does NOT cost you $2500. I will be looking for the EL-34 100/100 to have in the studio... as soon as I get my hand on $600 to spend.

Features? Well; two mono amps in one weighty package with volume, presence and voice control for each. Kinda' spartan. Cool. Less to break, and just how I think a power amp should be.

Put a Pod in front of this thing. I'm still dissapointed in how flat the JMP-1 sounds with the 9100, but the Pod? YOW! Glassy to Howling with some monsterous tone throughout over a pair of 1960s. To my ear, the best way to take advantage of this setup is with a medium output pickup (not too hot). While I still have the JMP-1 laying around, the Mesa has gone ... If I can find another 9100 for a reasonable price I'll grab it.

Had it five years. Never any problems.

The others that have posted have already explained the features very well. I will just elaborate on some of them. The amp is very versatile. Others have said little about the voicing switch. It lends more presence and quicker response(more of a modern tone.) I'm glad I decided on the 9100 and not the 9200. This amp is VERY LOUD. I have never needed to crank it past 50%. Lots of that glassy shimmer and bottom end punch we expect from Marshall.

I play an Ibanez RG 3120 Prestige into a Marshall JMP-1 and Korg A-1 processor that ends up going into a Marshall 1960 Vintage Slant 4/12. I run the cab in stereo and mike each side. I dream of how this would sound running two full stacks in stereo (which it can!). I use this setup for studio and live dates. It's great that you can switch impedance on the output for added flexibility. I play many styles of music and it covers them all well. When you crank the amp for stage it lends a lot of extra saturation and sustain to the tone and you will need to roll off a bit of gain on your distortion if you programmed it at living room volume (unless you enjoy pissing off your neighbors).

No problems at all.

N/A

I've been playing 20 years and have primarily been a Marshall user so I guess I'm predjudiced. But I do have a few peeves. One is it's size and weight(very heavy). Another is when you engage the rocker switches on the front panel, sometimes it pops very loudly (it's a good idea to power up with volume down). I tried 3 units and they all did this. I found out that it's normal. And one more, the volume and presence knobs have no numbers on them so it's very difficult to tell on a dark stage what they're set on. I had to put a spot of paint on the knob. If they used gold tone plastic Les Paul type knobs with numbers instead of the featureless gold plated metal knobs, It would lighten up the weight a tiny bit and be easier to read. Otherwise I am a happy camper and would probably buy another one.

The features listed above. Suit my needs, and this is an old Power Amp, remember.

The sound is simple. BRUTAL. I thought that 50+50 was little for me, and thrust me, the people knows that I play LOUD, REALLY LOUD, but this strange monster have an amount of power that will make tremble the hair of your legs when you play!!!!!!
Clear in clean sounds, warm, crystal and loud when distorted. High bottom end. Incredible.

I use it with a Triaxis as preamp, and it is perfect.

Yeah, it's like a tank, sure.

It's a warhorse, and the amount of power is so big that it seems to have 16 Valves.

It's an amazing power amp, but very difficult to find actually.

This power amp is a dual monoblock construction. Is like having two 50 watt mono power amps. Each power amp has it's own gain, presence and voicing controls, two 5881 power tubes, one 12ax7 preamp tube and one 12at7 tube for something about the phase... (try to get the manual if you want to know the use of that 12at7...).
All the controls (except the two power on(s) and standby(s), one for each 50w power amp...) are recessed to avoid acidental reconfiguration.
Is a nice (I mean, good looking) power amp: gold plated, you can see the tubes lighting your room when you play with the lights off...
The voicing switches can be controlled by a footswich (you can switch two at the same time or not, if you want...).
I think 100 w is more than enough, but if you want more, there's two links in the backside of this power amp so you can connect your preamp to two power amps. There is also two speaker outs (of course...) per channel and a impedance selector: 8 or 16 ohm; if you select 8, then you can connect one 8 ohm speaker or two 16 ohm speakers per channel.
There is also a cooling fan with variable speed: faster if you have the two power amps working.
Very cool features... I would give it a 10 if I did not already know the Mesa 2:90...

I have a Mesa Triaxis and two Mesa cabinets with 1*12 EVM. It is loud enougth to shake all around. Good definition, maybe lacking some bass, but I think the problem comes from the guitar I play (a cheap Ibanez).
I tried to work with the voicings and presences and came to a better sound: the voicings are swiched on to give that definition to the sound (more top end); the presences are totaly rolled down. I think that the presences do not work very well... but I like the sound I get setting the presences this way.

Neves broke...

Never dealt...

I play for about 10 years and many styles of music. I started with a valvestate combo, than a zoom 9150 and Marshall 9100, than kick the zoom away and bought the triaxis. If it was stolen, I am not very sure about buy it again, since the triaxis seems to work better with the 2:90... but for the money, I think I must forget the 2:90. The Marshall is an excelent power amp and a great deal.