Marshall AVT 20

One channel 20w amp with boost facility. ECC83 pre-amp tube, solid state output. Volume, Gain, 3-band EQ, Reverb. Jacks for CD input, DI record, headphones, and speaker extension. All the standard practice amp goodies, though features on amps are overrated. What???s wrong with using pedals? The DI output *seems* a good idea, but the recorded sound is always very thin.

A solid, rounded, signature Marshall tone, rating should probably be 7.5 on this category. Nobody would confuse it with an all-tube amp, but it has credible depth and raunch. Overall tone is a little toppy, especially with a Strat, but the clean sound is no worse than my old JCM-900. Anyway, you don't buy a Marshall for cleans. The gain is too extreme on the overdrive setting, and the jump in volume when you engage the button makes it practically unusable. This is a fairly serious flaw, even if it had a footswitch, which it doesn???t. So, I keep mine on Clean, turn up the volume and gain to about two o'clock, and with the bass at four o'clock you have a thicker bluesrock tone. Pretty good. Put a drive pedal in front and you have all the combinations you need. Loud: it copes easily with a drumkit on small gigs, even more so with an extension cab.

Not bad, considering mine is at least five years old. I have gigged it without backup, and no problems. Tubes are the first thing to go wrong on most amps, so solid-state is generally more reliable. A little crackling with the input sometimes, but nothing major.

N/A, but I know from experience Marshall have exceptional after-sales support, at least in the UK.

These amps were highly rated when they first came out, and they???re still a favourite of a lot of people. Marshall have recently brought out a reissue, which tells you something about their quality. I usually use a Fender Blues Deluxe, but I grabbed the AVT-20 on eBay, to try out, and as such, it was a steal. Some reviewers probably mark them down because they???re relatively cheap ??? blind testing might bring different results. I???m not rating this as a competitor to a flagship Marshall amp, but as a handy practice/ rehearsal/ small gigging unit, it's hard to beat. Light and portable, decent rock sound, I can???t imagine getting much better for the money.

I am reviewing the AVT20X, which I bought used. It is a newer model than the AVT20, probably only 3-4 years old. It is now discontinued. Pick one up used, I highly recommend it. The features are basic, it is a basic practice amp, no effects other than a decent spring reverb. No footswitch. The clean and distortion adjustments can be substantial to get the right sound, but a minor drawback for an amp that sounds this good.

Exception sound, the best in it class. The clean is warm, bright and friendly, very tube like. The distortion is classic Marshall, very cruchy, can be quite heavy. Best used for classic or hard rock, blues, some metal. I'm playing a Hagstrom Super Swede, a very good guitar with two HAG classic 58 hummers. It's also a very good match for the AVT20X, those that rate the amp low, it is probably due to the fact that they are playing a cheap guitar.

No issues, it feels very solid. The knobs are metal, no plastic and turn very true. I would say it is very rugged.

Have never used customer service so no rating. I did find the manual online.

Blows away my Line 6 Spider III 30, despite not having nearly as many features. I did buy this used but it is in new condition, probably not played much. If something happened to it I would consider buying a used AVT50X because it comes with the footswitch. I'm sold on Marshalls at the moment. I've played Line 6 and Hughes & Kettner Edition Blue 30 which I was disappointed with. Those are solid state amps, the Marshall is tube/solid state hybrid and it is not comparable in terms of sound quality.

After a year's work-out, I think I'm in a position to give a fairly unbiased review on this sturdy little amp. Before moving on, I can say without any hesitation, "Don't expect too much versatility". It soon becomes apparent that it's designed with two goals in mind, those being Hard Rock and Blues. The lack of a second channel is my only real complaint when switching between these two music styles, as it gets rather annoying having to reset everything each & every time, but I still think that you get more than your money's worth. Being made in Milton Keynes (UK), it stands head & shoulders above the cheaper overseas manufactured "Marshalls" in virtually every area.

As I use it with two Gibson SG's only, the tone of which I'm very familiar, I felt right from the start that there was some room for improvement in the sound of this amp. Don't waste your time replacing the standard Electro-Harmonix Pre-amp tube, as I've tried an assortment of well-known names without any noticeable difference. The real difference comes when you upgrade the speaker. Again, I've tried a few, but a Vintage-style Celestion is the one that really works in this sealed box. ( Leaving the back off the amp has no noticeable advantage) The lead tone becomes cleaner, with a very aggressive bite when needed, but where I've noticed the greatest improvement is in the "MV (Marshall Vintage) Crunch" setting. It is flat-out marvelous, and can send a shiver up your spine. Amazing for an amp in this price range. I would give the standard sound quality a "7", but my entered rating is with the new speaker fitted. No other change.

Built like a truck, and I have no doubts about its reliability on or off stage. I've replaced the EH tube once in 15 months.

Played for 43 years, so I'll spare anyone reading this the seemingly endless list of gear that I've gone through. I still have a weak spot for my '68 SG and old Marshall JTM45. I also have an "Angus Young" model SG; a very impressive instrument once it's been fully worked over, but hopelessly set up at the Gibson factory!

As far as this amp is concerned, I have no hesitation in recommending it, and some folks may be happy with it straight out of the box without the speaker change. Nothing to hate about it, but a channel switch would be nice. Superior in nearly every way to the similarly priced Fender Pro Junior.

I needed a smaller amp with a reverb to practice and do small gigs with, i have a JCM 2000 head and 4 X 12 cabinet that i bought when i was too ambitious and wasn't thinking.

it was between this AVT 20 and the fender blues Junior, I feel being a sort of intelligent person that this was a better purchase since it is made in the united kingdom not Mexico, why would anyone pay almost double for Mexico? HELLO!!!!!!

This thing is perfect, I can't believe the POWER this thing gives. O.K. so there is a problem with the switching to overdrive and having to change all of the controls but common set it don't bother with it, use some pedals or something else.

I feel that the sound is amazing, you can get a super clean tone, put the gain up and get a buzzsaw grind or hit the overdrive and get an amazing crunch and with the gain up it's like a bomb blast.

I can't believe the power this thing gives, no it's not as powerful as a half stack but hey I live in an apartment and can rattle the windows with 1 speaker, rock and roll.

Unfortunately I'm not a super player and only used it in one gig but I bought it used and have had it for a year now, if it's like the other amp I have it will last forever it's a Marshall.

never had to contact them for this one but i have contacted them in the past and they are very helpful with no problems, so I'm leaving this blank since i haven't had a problem with this amp

I've been playing on and off for about 8 years, if this was lost stolen or broken I would possibly look for the one with the foot switch but I may not since I don't need more crap on my floor.
If I couldn't find this model I would look for a close style.

In the world we live in where everything is made in China, Mexico or in other country's that we would never think twice about buying a product I would stay with Marshall since it is made in a country that still makes there smaller products and won't outsource them to somewhere else.

Combo amp with one channel & 20 watts into a 10" speaker.

Spring reverb.

Amp is used in studio for practice and jam sessions

This amp sounds very good. The clean setting has a nice warm analog tube sound without any processed effect sound. The spring reverb is what I was looking for in a small amp because I don't like the sampled reverb sound. The overdrive setting sounds good but the volume is too high when switching from clean to overdrive, the master volume has to be lowered after switching.

No ploblems yet

I have not had any reason to ask for support

Very good sound and simple to operate.

Ok, this amp was built so that those who have solid state amps can get a tube sound.. Hence the tube pre-amp built into the hybrid solid state unit. Of course the amplifier has great sound hence the Marshall namesake. But here's the lowdown most marshall cabs are packed with punch, I would dare to say that most preformance Marshall products are over-packed. Why would you ask.. Marshall is one of the top sellers accross the USA. Marshall keeps thier customers happy with paying high dollar because thier products are worth it. Ok enough name dropping here is my review...

The AVT 20 is NOT a practice amp, although it is an ideal model for a practice amp it wasn't designed to be just a practice amp. It was designed to be just what it is, a solid state/ tube preamp for Marshall's straight solid state predecessors.

Tube design offers a crystal clear delivery of tone and sustain but with new technology evolving tube state amps have been phased out because of the mass production of solid state amplifiers. This amplifier is a hybrid (definition: Combination of tube state and solid state.) and some overlook this feature in this amp.

Example say you spent over 1200 dollars on one of Marshall's Solid state High wattage rigs.. You wanted a more warm tone for some of your material right... You now have several options.. 1 of which is to buy a preamp.. i.e. The Marshall avt20. Running your guitar through the avt20 you can gain the warmth and tone from the tube pre in this unit. Ultimately the equivalance of gaining the tube warmth through daisy chaining equipment. And through the ease of disconnect and reconnecting one small unit... Go back to your pure solid state soud.

My review is this amp sounds great, small affordable and a must for anyone who owns a studio or does stage preformance.

I have had mine since they debuted back some 8 years ago and never ever had one problem with the unit. The Celestian speaker in the unit is still in prime shape and hasn't blown dispite my wreckless guitar playing.

Marshall offers a lifetime guarntee on all of thier products.. Great Customer support if you ask me.

This Amp gets a 10 in my book, the best little pre-amp I have played.. I would even rate this over the Fender 2 12 blues deville which retails at over 2000.00

I bought this amp as a practice amp only, so I will grade it for what I use it for. Mine is an 07 AVTX. Not a lot of features; gain, treble, mid, bass, reverb and Overdrive button. A single preamp tube. Made in England. MDF construction. The dials have a nice feel to their movement; they don't feel cheap. 10" celestion speaker.

You have to reset the dials when you press the OD button. No footswich; not even as an option. I'd rate it lower if it weren't just for practice.

Sounds suprisingly good. This is one of the things that sold me on this amp. I play a '52 reissue Tele with the Seymour Duncan mini humbucker in the neck and a Fender mandocaster. The mandocaster sounds good on the OD channel with a slide. The clean is nice too. I like it better than the Princeton Chourus that it replaces. Does well for a practice amp.

Seems solid enough. So far so good.

Have no idea.

I've been playing for a few years. I had a Princeton Chourus for practice that I wasn't overly happy with. I've never owned a Marshall so it seemed like a good excuse to get one. I looked at other solid state amps from Traynor, Fender and Marshall's MG line. I didn't like how "cheap" they felt. The controls seemed weak, the fit and finsh wasn't there, etc. The AVTX felt more solid and had nicer controls. The amp that I play shows with is a Mesa 5:50 Express.

I like this amp. I could use a bit more power (AVT50X) and footswitching but figured I didn't need to spend the extra money on a practice amp.

The Features are quite limited on this Amp, so I have to give it a low number, but for me, Features are over rated. These days they are shoving to many crap fx into any space they can. There is a little bit of that on this amp w/ the emulated DI out,and the cd in, which work ok.

That being said, the amp has what you need, Clean/OD switch, Gain, Volume, Low, Mid, High, Reverb, and a headphone jack. These features work wonderfully, although the each knob in the eq interacts with the frequency range of the adjecent knob, which takes some getting used too.

The biggest missing feature is a second channel. You really do have to reset everything when you change from clean to od which is a bummer.

Well.... I don't want to come off too fanboy, but I love the way this Amp Sounds! The amp is a hybrid with a tube in the pre amp that sounds wonderfully creamy all the way up to crunchy. You can get Blue, Punk, Metal, Surf Rock. The reverb is great as well with that classic plate sound. I love the sound of the amp so much, I'm considering just buying another one so I can have two channels. Don't worry about volume, you've got plenty of head room. Any plenty of Bass as well, with the nice tight sound that comes with a sealed cab. This Amp is a true tiny Marshall and does its big brothers proud.

I have had this amp for about a year, and played out a bit. So I can't say out and out how reliable it is, cause I haven't really put it through the ringer yet. It has made it through a few moves and it feels solid to me. I am confident in it.

Never talked to them

I've been playing through this for about a year. I play a (don't laugh) Squier Bullet Special II (single humbucker, volume knob). This was a step up from my ancient used Peavey Raptor through my old Crate Bass Amp. Now I hope this doesn't lead you to discount my review. I am very poor and cheap, but I care about tone, and I'll tell you, this amp is a great way to inexpensive wonderfull tone. Go play one and you'll see, I am confident.

Eh, pretty basic. Has a mostly USELESS push-button to engage the "Tube" amp, labeled as Clean / OD (Overdrive). The volume difference is overwhelming, making the user re-tune the entire amp. Only effect is reverb, if you can call that an effect.
It has a CD input on it. Why? Couldn't tell you, but it has one. It also has a headphone jack.
I play a wide assortment of styles from U2 to Zep, acoustic to classic rock, but use a Digitech GNX unit which actually makes all the sounds, the amp is just to hear them.

This amp is (I guess) designed as a practice amp. It is loud. Since I use a digital effects processor, I pretty much just tailor the sound from that. I find the bass setting to be useful for an amp this size. I use a custom Charvel Strat (S/S/H) for most of my playing, and the amp sounds OK for being so small. Can get loud, but why? If you want loud, buy a bigger amp. Single speaker practice amps probably were never designed to be loud. If you need to play in a band, you're going to need a bigger cabinet and some bigger speakers.
For what it is, it's pretty good, without a lot of hum or noise.
I'm rating this for what it is: A small practice amp.

I bought this used a few months ago, but have had no trouble with it. It's little, heavy, and seems to work OK. It really doesn't have any "features" other than the push-button Tube setting and a reverb knob. (What's to break?) It hasn't fried yet.
Would I gig with it? No, but not because it isn't reliable. It would just be the wrong amp to gig with. Maybe in a garage with some friends, but definately not in front of anyone, lol...the sound quality just isn't there due to the small speaker.
I can tell you this, it looks like it would be a B$TCH to take apart and try to work on. The back is sealed up, not allowing easy access to the speaker. Looks to me like you'd have to almost tear it up to work on it.

Never dealt with Marshall.

I've been playing for 20+ years, and now that I'm "All grown up", this little amp suits me fine. But then again, all it is is a small practice amp. I run an effects unit (Digitech GNX-3) which does all the "effects" work.
I bought it for $125 or so from a buddy, so I think I did OK. It certainly beats the crap out of a small Peavey I had laying around (total junk).
I chose this one because it was cheap, and was intrigued by the small "Tube" amp feature. I don't really love or hate it, it is what it is. I wish it had a more usable Overdrive / Clean function. The volume adjustments and EQ adjustments necessary between the two settings render it useless.
I also wish it had a little more in the "effects" range, with some on-board "Chorus" or something. Not that I need it, but it would be nice I guess. Separate EQ / Volume functions would be nice for the different channels.
If it were lost or stolen, I wouldn't buy another one. I believe they retail new for $329 or so, and it certainly isn't worth that.

Plenty of power for a small amp. I play heavy sounding rock and like a Kentucky Headhunter type country sound. This amp works for both. The closed back adds thud. With extension cabinet it's as loud and powerful as you would probably ever need. Plenty of crunch. You can plug in CD player or drum machine. Headphone jack is handy sometimes. Two channels, not foot switchable, clean and overdrive. Seperate volume and gain controls work in both channels. 10" celestion stock speaker sounds good but can be harsh.(cut treble). I use in bedroom and garage band and serenade the neighbor hood from my back deck in Summer.

I've had this amp for around 3 yrs. and liked it ok stock. Plenty of power for a small amp. The closed back adds thud. Can be harsh, I cut back on treble. With extension cab. its as loud and powerful as you would probably ever need. Plenty of crunch.
I changed the stock tube for a JJ ECC 83S and the amp warmed up a bit, definite improvement. I changed the stock Celestion for an Eminence 'Lil Buddy, Red Coat Series 10" 50 watt speaker and "Oh my golly gosh", I am in love L U V . This little amp really came alive. I give the stock sound an 8, but with the JJ tube and Lil'Buddy speaker, I give it a 10. I got the tube and speaker on eBay for around $75.00 total, worth every penny. I know next to nothing about electronics and did the changes myself.

I've had it over 3 years and never had a problem. I've played it loud, gigged with it, no problems.

Don't know.

I've been playing 30 years off and on. I have American made double fat Strat w/Seymour Duncans, my other amp is Fender Blues Jr.
No over drive pedal is needed on the Marshall AVT20. The simple mods I suggested earlier puts this amp on the top shelf for the money invested. I'd take it anywhere to play any style. If you own this amp and like it, do the mods and you'll fall in love

My Marshall AVT 20 was made in England. I bought amp new in guitar store in Zagreb Croatia. AVT 20 is hybrid amplifier it uses one ECC 83 tube, two operational amplifiers in first and third stage. Output stage is IC mounted on heat sink. I will later explain solid state technology. Amp is not versalite enough for me and my style of playing. It is main reason why I have done some modifications.The sound of amp is harsh and sterile, it very difficult to compare this amp with others in market. Amp has one channel, bass, middle, treble tone controls and 20 W of power. For me amplifier is powerful enough and has better dynamics than other amplifiers in this price range. I will not talk about music this time. I write this review to help guitar players in understanding solid state technology. I hate traditional way of thinking between guitar players that says: Valves are better than transistors!This is not transistor amplifier!

The sound of amp is harsh and sterile, other amps in this price range have also not perfect sound. This amp is good for heavy metal and hard rock, it is not good for clean sound. Bass is to strong for my taste it hasnt well controled. It has very brutal sound on high gain settings. I use Squier fat stratocaster, with mahogany body, guitar has stock pickups. I have also played more expensive guitars with this amplifier and sound is not much better. I will now explain modifications i have done. I have replaced two operational amps (ST TL072) with ANALOG DEVICES AD826. You can also try other op amps. I have put new amps in gold plated DIL socket I have soldered. This is very tought job because PCB board is very bad. Specifications of op amps I have found on www.datasheetcatalog.com. Valve is Marshall stock. Beware this modifications are for those who have some sort of knowledge. Now sound is perfect, amp is much faster with better dynamics. This is proof that solid state components are not all bad. Now i can soar. Electronic components are creating sound not brand(Fender, Marshall...)! I will also change capacitors because Samwha caps are peace of crap. I give sound rating 10.
Ivan

I own amp only 3 months, it is reason why i can not speak about reliability.

I have never dealt with Customer Support. Warranty is for 1 year.