Marshall VS2000 AVT50 112 Combo

2 channel amp bought new on the exact day of george harrison's death, late 2001 I believe.
I play blues / rock with an emphasis on lead guitar, the clean channel lacks volume, the lead channel has the JCM 900 crunch.

Sounds fine, good sustain, does not sound or respond like a tube amp but does come close, and being mostly solid state (preamp tube) it should be reliable. The speaker is not high quality, these were produced in large numbers and Marshall cut corners with a cheap speaker. I dont like to do any mods so I am unhappy with the lack of a quality stock speaker. The speaker cannot handle large volume without the bass collapsing.

For printed circuit boards this amp is well built, meant to last a lifetime. I have had this amp for 8 years, though I do use my Fender Blues Jr. more often now, and I have packed away the Marshall. Actually I use my 5 watt class A Crate amp that was manufactured in 2003 for Crate by Ampeg in St. Louis, made in the USA. My Fender is made in Mexico, and I also bought the 5 watt class A Valve Junior by Epiphone made in China.

I think they are pretty good, all things considered.

This amp is a bit large, I prefer a smaller cabinet to house a 12 inch speaker in a combo, so I run my Epiphone into a Songworks cab that is 14 x 14 x 10 inches deep.
The Marshall AVT 50 watt amp suffers from a weak stock speaker but is otherwise a fine amp, with a versatile 2nd channel for varying shades of crunch and distortion, you can get a mean ZZ Top sound pretty easily, I use booster pedals to overdrive the preamp tube and get endless harmonic distortion and sustain, sounds hot, needs a better speaker. For the money its a good deal because the reliability factor is strong, you can get a real tube amp for this price (I paid 500 bucks new) but this AVT 50 watt amp should require very little maintenance.

Not massively feature packed but is has the essentials.
D.I output socket (for recording purposes?)
FX LOOP send and return jacks for effects units.
Headphone socket.
Footswitch socket.
Maybe some other things i haven't mentioned.

Clean channel = OK!
Overdrive channel = VERY,VERY GOOD!!!
The overdrive is just what you'd expect from a Marshall.
It delivers that classic,crunchy Marshall distortion that make these amps so popular.The overdrive sound on this amp is quite BLUESSY/COUNTRY/CLASSIC ROCK.
These AVT's are designed to give you 'valve sound' but by using only '1 valve' in the pre-amp section.This certainly seems to be the case,you really do get that warm,toneful valve sound.You don't get 'full valve sound' but you get very close and for a fraction of the price of a full valve amp.As the name suggests the AVT50 is 50 watts! I cranked up the volume and i can safely say that i think this amp could cope with a live situation like a pub or small hall etc.The guitar being used to test this amp was a Jap Strat Copy.
The amp also worked well with our ZOOM G2 effects unit.

We've only just bought ours second hand and haven't used it for long so i can't really say.Marshall have a reputation for designing and building GOOD QUALITY,RELIABLE AMPS! so i don't expect loads of problems.Some people have mentioned that the small cooling fan in these can become noisy? This isn't the case with ours,at least not at the moment.Even if it does become a bit noisy i think i could put up with it.I'f i was just practicing at low volumes and found the noise distracting i'd just turn the volume up slightly or use headphones!
If i was gigging with it i doubt i'd hear the noise over the sound from the speaker!
If it does become too noisy or if it stops working completely it shouldn't cost a great deal to have a replacement fan fitted.
Also some people have experienced occassional 'CHANNEL SKIPPING' from this model?
It also seems quite common that Marshall's single button footswitches that come with the AVT50 break,even if your careful?
It's the button/switch that breaks not the solid metal casing.
Obviously this isn't a problem with the amp itself and the purchase A replacement will obviously solve this,if yours does break.
Despite these 3 'SMALL PROBLEMS' it seems these amps are pretty dependable and should stand the test of time.Although i can't really comment on the working reliability of the AVT50 i can tell you that this amp is VERY WELL MADE! It is reassuringly heavy and the components look to be of good quality.I believe CELESTION SPEAKERS are fited as standard to these which is an added bonus as they are world renowned as very good speakers!
The 3 small points i've mentioned are the individual experiences of other people.These problems are not guaranteed to occur,please bare this in mind if you are thinking of buying one of these BEAUTIES!

We haven't had it long and haven't had any problems so we've never had to deal with Marshall.Their a good company and if we did have any problems or queries i'd imagine they'd be helpful.

I give this amp an 8 overall!
The overdrive channel is sounds very good giving that CLASSIC CRUNCHY MARSHALL OVERDRIVE SOUND!
The build quality is good and it handles additional effects well.
It has decent volume output and should prove to be a good amp for both practice and small gigs.

Not massively feature packed but it has the essentials,
1-1/4" jack CD imput
2-Emulated DI output (For recording?)
3-Headphone socket
4-An Fx loop,send+return sockets
5-The amp has REVERB!

The clean channel is ok but the overdrive is AMAZING!
Simply push in the overdrive switch,crank up the gain and the volume and you get that CLASSIC CRUNCHY MARSHALL OVERDRIVE!!!
It probably isn't as good as MARSHALL,FULL VALVE OVERDRIVE obviously,but it's not far off!
The overdrive is very rich and has a Bluesy/Country/classic rock sound.
The amp also worked well with our ZOOM G2 effects pedal.

We haven't had it long so we can't really say.
We've just bought it second hand,it's only a few years old.
People have mentioned that the cooling fan can become a bit noisy,this isn't the case with ours,yet,but i personally could put up with a sligty noisy fan,JUST CRANK UP THE VOLUME SLIGHTLY or use HEADPHONES? After all if your gigging with it the sound from the speaker will cover a slight squeeky noise from the fan,if this does occur.Marshall have a long established reputation for building good quality,reliable amps as used by professional musicians/artists.
The build quality is very good with chunky plastic corner protectors.
I'm sure this amp will stand the test off time if treated with reasonable respect.

We've never had to deal with Marshall so we couldn't say but i'm sure they would be helpfull as their a good company.

I've given this amp an overall rating of 9!!!
So far it has really impressed us with it's sound quality,especially the overdrive channel.
The build quality is good and i'm sure all the components are too.
These AVT'S aren't/weren't cheap new but you can get used ones on
EBAY for a reasonable price just like we did.
I would recommend the amp to anyone looking for a good quality,decent sounding amp.This amp with it's ONE VALVE in the pre-amp and it's 'Tube sound emulating,solid state circuitry' is the nearest your going to get to that great,classic,full valve sound but without spending an absolute fortune.Plus full valve amps,even the top end ones can be unreliable and costly to service and maintain.
With this amp you only have one valve to replace and the rest is solid state/transistor.

Pretty sure its made in 2000. Surprisingly versatile for a MARSHALL. More flexible than others I have heard, including some fully tubed marshalls too. but I play all types of rock, hard rock, and 80's metal. Some Jazz and blues, too. It is very loud for a SS power Amp. 11 oclock on the OD volume is enough to be heard clearly in a band rehearsal. Mic it, and you should be all set for small gigs. Ive only had it a couple of months and am very happy with it.

Ibanez USA made Saber, Santana SE,Ernie Ball Silhouette. All sound great through this amp. You can get convincing blues tones, the gain goes all the way from minimal breakup to high gain. I goof on people in here saying theres not enough gain, and they have to put a metal zone in front of it. Learn how to play! Theres plenty of gain in here. Clean channel has nice breakup and the addition of a gain switch to this channel is a nice addition. Not very noisy, either. If you really listen, you can hear the fan blowing. The sound from this amp can convincingly cover Jazz, blues , rock, hard rock all the way to metal.

Cant comment. Its 8 years old and I just bought it two months ago. I had to switch out the input jack, thats it.

Never dealt with Marshall

I love this amp. I would look for another one if lost or stolen. Good value too.

I've had my Marshall since December 2002. It has two channels w/ reverb and plenty of variety. I mostly use this amp for playing at home now, but in my punk rockin' days, I used it live plenty of times. Had a problem with it and it sounds better than when it was new.

This amp is definitely made for rocking and the overdrive channel is great at any volume. The clean channel is pristine, although admittedly I don't use it much. Surprisingly, the amp is not especially noisy, though I get some sick feedback when I'm in the mood for it. Excellent for both rhythm and lead playing and allows me to use the guitar's tone/volume to shape the sound instead of the amp dominating.

Never had a problem with the amp itself, but the footswitch broke within a week. No problem though. Guitar Center gave me a Roland switch to replace it which works fine.

Never dealt with Marshall, but Guitar Center was very nice.

I've been playing for 7 years now and have a small arsenal of guitars (Agile (amazing), Epiphone, and Fender). I had planned on replacing this amp with something else, but I've been using it a lot lately (instead of my Roland Microcube practice amp)and really dig the sound and versatility, at home and on stage. This is definitely a keeper.

This is the first review I write here, and I would like to say I'm very pleased with the site. It helped me a lot on some choices (MFX, amps, guitars). I'm writing this review as a guide for others which, just like me, are looking for something. I hope my opinions here can help you guys.

Ok, it has 2 channels and reverb. It's also capable to give some warmth in the clean channel, turning to crunch like an old amp (old Fenders and the like). It has FX loop, CD in and a footswitch for channels. All a good amp should (it's an amp, not a MFX). Good enough for me. I rate it as an 8 due to no buttons for turning on/off the reverb and no SOLO channel like it's bigger brothers, which is a limitation IMHO.

I'm an old Marshall fan and I always liked it's distortions. When I was to buy my amp I had to make a run for the money, as these things are really expensive in here (I'm brazillian, all the guys from here will know what I'm talking about). When I tested this li'l beast I was so impressed that even one of my favorite amps (Old Peavey Bandit 112 , which I used to play a lot) sounded boring, with no depth, no soul. The OD channel is almost insane when on high volumes, adding harmonics and compression to it. It surely sounded as any BIG Marshalls. The clean channel is a tale to be told... You can go from cristal clear to crunchy sounds, like old rock. Awesome isn't enough for this thing. The li'l AVT50 RULES BIG TIME

I have my AVT 50 for almost 3 years and the only complain I have is that the hole they put on top of it for the air entrance gets dirty. That caused the li'l fan to make too much noises when I first turn it on. After a few minutes it stops. That's the only complain I have so far.

I had never dealt with them. I really can't say.

Q: How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
A: I had the Peavey Bandit, which I sold shortly after I boght this one and a GT-8, for flexibility and FX. I play for about 10 years now. Always playint metal/melodic/neo-classical stuff.

Q: If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
A: Well, if I lost it anyway, I would go now for a bigger one, but maybe on the same line. The AVT150H would be a good call, or a TSL.

Q: what do you love about it? What do you hate?
A: Love everything, hate nothing.

And the rest is just bull...

p.s.: Price paid is just a ocnversion from US$ to R$, the currency here in Brazil. And yes, I'm serious...

2000 model 2 channels and reverb

awsome! one reviewer said this amp has no head room. he's full of crap. this amp is loud as a mofo and then some. even on clean i turn up the volume to 2-3 oclock and the gain adjust to taste. plenty loud for an sm57 in front for gigs. the overdrive channel is brutal! all the gain you'll need! this amp sounds great cranked up. when switching from od back to clean it makes a noise when using the footswitch though which sucks but oh well, i dont care. gets a 9 for sound easily. fan makes a little noise but you'll never hear it in a band setting. also the amp has a slight hum you'll never hear either even miced . this amp rocks!

rely on it!

never had trouble with any marshall amp. lucky me!

30 years of country - metal. i own a DSL401, DSL100 full stack w/ both 1960's cabs. 2 gibsons lp's. this amp is a good buy! $300 used.

-Channels: -Clean (Gain, Volume, Bass, Treble)
-Overdrive (Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble)
-Accutronics Reverb (spring)
-Solid state, with valve emulation and one valve (tube if american)
-Footswitch (switches between channels)
-CD input
-Headphone output
-50w (although it is similar to a valve amp, in the way it is equivalent to 75-100w of solid state)
-12" Celeron speaker
-Closed back

I use both channels, and the footswitch, but it could do without the CD input. All in all, not a huge amount of features, but all are of good quality. Don't expect a VOX or Line6 range of tones.

The clean channel goes from very clean, to Led Zeppelin/Hendrix heavy blues sounds. The valve (and emulation) makes the sound distort as the volume increases, which leads to a good blues/funk sounds without gain and further distortion with gain.

The overdrive channel goes from slightly above the Led Zeppelin/Hendrix sound of the high gain clean, to a ridiculously driven death metal esq. sound. It also distorts with volume.

The spring reverb is wonderful sounding. Although it is the same for both Clean and Overdriven settings, which slightly limits variety when using the foot switch.

I have a Yamaha Pacifica 112 Fat Strat style guitar, and often use a Morley Professional Wah (original) pedal, and it gives a great tone for the price (don't expect a Plexi or a Mesa Boogie, but it beats the alternative solid states hands down). I've also heard a PRS Santana 3 played through it as well, and it performs equally as well with heavy bodied guitars with Humbuckers.

I don't really keep to one set style, but I tend to play Blues/Rock (Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Pink Floyd) and 70-80s metal (Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath). I have yet to find a style which doesn't sound good after tweaking of range (Bass; Middle; Treble) , reverb and pickups.

Although only 50w, I would happily play this Amp in a Pub, Club or a small hall, without worrying about being drowned out. Its loud.

Hypothetically I would use this amp without a backup (unlike that MG series). But in actuallity I would always take a backup reguardless of the situation (power surges kill all amps).

It has never broken down on me, and i doubt it will. I play through the Amp for around 3 hours a week (people complain if I do it for more :( i guess it is a bit too noisy for home use without a soundproof music room ).

No idea about Support, I've heard it is supposed to be good, but being a large company doubtless there will be a thousand eletronic opperators to get through.

I've played guitar for 9 years, and eletric for 3 years (only properlly got into it in the last 2 though). I have a Pacifica 112, a Morley PWA, and a Marshall Shred Master pedal. I plan on getting a Fender American Telecaster (?thinline?) or American Strat.

If it were stolen (its impossible to lose this) I would buy a new one, or upgrade to a proper Valve amp depending on how long it is till it is stolen (a Mesa F30? or something along those lines).

I love it in every aspect except one, it sounds good, it is easy to use, and it looks the business. I hate is weight (41 lbs).

I compared it to a Laney LC30 (not as good sound), a Fender Blues Junior (too quiet and too few options) and a VOX Amp modelling thingy (poor sound quality)

Valve/solid state hybrid amp. One 12" Celestion GM12-AVT50 speaker.

This amp has just what I was looking for from a Marshall. Sounded great when it arrived but I soon swapped the stock 12ax7 for an Electro-Harmonix 12ax7. A tad more color and richer gain. This amp provides that full, Brit crunch at a very reasonable cost. The Clean channel is pristine. You dial in any coloration you like with the tone controls. The Gain channel is the sweety where I spend most of my time. Dial in the setting to 10 o'clock and let 'er rip. You have the Pagey, Townsendish crunch forever. Wonderful Accutronics reverb too. Room shattering volume. I'm rarely past halfway during jams with a bass playing pal.

It has a tiny cooling fan that started making a little noise after about a year of use. I've searched for a replacement to no avail. But its not getting any worse and doesn't really bother me. Other than that, this thing is a tank. Weighs 45 lbs.

Haven't bothered them.

If you're after that Marshall sound without paying for a full-tube Marshall, this is your baby. I hear all models in the AVT line are lovely. My main guitar is a '77 Les Paul Deluxe. Boss DD-3 delay, Dunlop Classic Wah, cheapy Rogue volume pedal(works damn nice).

If your reading this, you already know the features. I gave this a seven due to lack of mid tone control on the clean channel, otherwise I think the features are fine for a two channel amp.

The sound of this amp is awesome. I've owned mine now for 6 years. I noticed that the last 3 months or so it has lost a bit of its tone. I changed out the preamp tube and all I can say is WOW! If yours doesn't sound like you think it should, try a new tube, it's cheap maintenance. Also for a real treat try a 4x12 cabinet, the AVT 50 can really drive it. Clean is good. It would be great but I find I fiddle with the treble and the bass a lot to make up for the lack of a mid tone control. Clean channel can go from sparkling clean to awesome AC/DC style crunch just by dimeing the gain knob. The dirty channel is really really great. With the gain around 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock I get a nice classic rock sound (think Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, etc). Set the gain around 12 o'clock and it makes a good Sabbath sound (especially on the neck pickup of my Gibson Les Paul Standard). Anything above that and you got nu metal. Dial out the mids, turn up the bass and treble and you got that classic thrash sound. I really think this amp does it all. It doesn't need any pedals to get good distortion. I use an Ibanez TS9 tube screamer only for a boost for leads. One thing I almost forgot to mention, It actually makes for a good acoustic amp on the clean channel. I've used it this way many times in church and it sounds good. Just turn the gain almost off and adjust bass and treble to suit. My acoustic has a Fishman Prefix Plus preamp, I have never tried it with a passive acoustic pickup.

Owned for six years and have had ZERO problems. I just changed the preamp tube last week. I've carted it all over creation and it has never let me down. Even the tolex seems pretty tough. I've accidentally banged it pretty good a couple of times and it hasn't ripped yet.

I chose "no opinion" because I never had to contact them. What I did find cool was when I sent in the warrantee card, Marshall sent me a free calendar. That may be nothing to some people but it was a cool calendar. BTW the calendar was a "10" :)

I love this amp. The only thing I don't like is the aformentioned lack of mid tone control on the clean channel. I definately would buy one again if I had to. It sounds awesome, has been totally reliable and has the poop in live situations. I've been playing for seven years now. My current guitars are, Kramer Focus strat copy set up for slide in open E tuning, Fender mex 60th anniversary strat, Kramer Baretta II Pro, ESP LTD EC-1000, Carvin Cobalt 750T acoustic, and a Gibson Les Paul Standard Limited. I know this review sounds almost too good to be true but it really has been an awesome amp for me and I'm speaking from 6 years experience of ownership.

Hello All mine is a 2002 avt50 combo. It works well for practice and recording. Can plug into a bigger cab if needed (4)16 ohm. I've owned this amp for 4 years and it is perfect. I play more than the JCM 900 4100 head that is switched at 50watt and the sound is not very different. What is different is the price. My combo used was $250.00 and worth every penny. My JCM900 was $750.00 with shipping and I sold it within a year. Not needed in fact I'm getting a 50 watt head for my Eminence Cab. Flat out this is the steal of the Century for Marshall Overdrive .

Dirty Clean is Good, not a Fender.
Overdrive is great add pedals even better.

Never had a problem.
Footswitch is tempermental but works.

Never needed them.

Been playing since 1975 or 32years. Own Gibson Guitars and junker PRS. I would replace it if stolen. If you read the book and mess with the right stuff it's a machine, if you are stupid, it will suck.
This unit is SIMPLE to Use.

I purchased my amp in 2005 to replace a very sterile-sounding Crate combo. This is my primary practice amp now and I love it. The main feature of the amp is the simplicity of getting great tone. For lighter playing just put the amp on the clean channel and twist the gain knob to your preference. Tap the footswitch and you're into the heavy stuff. The CD input works great with my MP3 player, and I like having the option to plug headphones in when I don't want to subject my family to me learning a new song. The effect this amp has is reverb, and that's really all you need in a practice amp.

Tone. The only thing that really matters in an amp--right? Most practice amps or modeling amps seem to put you into an "either/or" situation. Either you have a very clean sound, or you have distortion. The real beauty of this amp is how you can dial that gain knob up to the sweat-spot where when you play softly, the tone is clean, but when you attack the guitar the tone starts to crunch and drip with personality. This is the result of the tube pre-amp. You just can't get this kind of tone without those good-old vacuum tubes. The volume knob also has some simulated overdrive circuitry built in which is supposed to the emulate the effect of a tube power amp being overdriven. Honestly, by the time to get to that level, you're beyond the typical practice volume. This 50 watt amp is plenty loud to piss your neighbors off.

Closed-cabinet design and HEAVY. I've used this amp nearly every day for 2 years and don't have any complaints.

I couldn't tell you anything about Marshall's customer support because I've never had to call them.

I've been playing for about 20 years and this is the bomb when it comes to practice amps. Resist the urge to buy an all solid-state amp with lots of effects for your practice amp. Buy an amp like the AVT50 with lots of tone and you won't regret it. If this amp were stolen, I'd replace it in a heart-beat. My other "practice" amp is a Roland Micro-Cube for those quick trips outside or to a buddy's place. The AVT50 is portable enough but it is heavy.

Cool amp...if you are reading this you probably know what it does. 2 chanels...I like the Gain on Rythm channel!!! The 12 AX7 gives it a nice warm tone, I really like the tone of this little beast!!!

TONE is awsome!!! I have always been a Marshall fan. I have owned a '66 Fender Super Reverb for ever and a day, and THAT is an amp, but it is heavy, and not really practical for what I do now (those forty some watts kill everything else in ANY room...they will NEVER make them like that again...but back to the Marshall...I replaced the tube with a JJ Tesla 12AX7, made a little bit of difference, but nothing spectacular...it does have BEAUTIFUL tone, but won't cut through melted butter.

Fan is LOUD for the first few minutes, sounds like it is going to fly apart at any second,,til it gets going...but after that i guess it is alright...still...if you are going to put your name on something...

I don't know what to say...it is a great practice amp...I have a KUSTOM TUBE 12 that will cut right through it side by side...and that has kind of dampened my enthusiasm for this amp. I got it to be an easy amp the pack around for jamming...but it has NO HEADROOM. Beautiful tone, but NO HEADROOM...I don't know what to say...I always wanted a Marshall...now I am going to move on, trade it in on a Traynor YCV-20 or 40 I think...who knows...always searching for that ideal tone...at least one I can haul around without breaking my back!!!!

Read the features in other reviews... I can only say it's a simple amp with clean, overdrive and reverb

The cleanchannel is the best thing about this amp and that is why i bought it, i use a Gibson Les Paul Studio and a Boss gt-8 through it and it sounds like heaven, a real full warm clean sound at any volume level.
The distortion is pretty cool but it sounds really marshall i personally dont really like the marshall sound, but if you play crunch, blues or other oldstyle kind of music its great, but for metal/punk its too oldskool. Thats why im using my gt-8 for the overdrive. That's also the reason why i bought it, i cant get a fuller, better leadsound with any other amp, even not more expensive Marshalls. This amp really gives a lot of bass and a real full solo sound. So if you have multi-effect processors or if you use a lot of pedals this amp is perfect for you, unless you dont like full, warm sounds.

Just got it one month, looks pretty steady though...

Never dealt with

A great simple cheap amp which is great for use in the house, you might also use it in small places and to gig with. It can go pretty loud.

This amp can produce in combination with the boss gt-8 the fullest, warmest leadsounds compaired to other amps. And this might be the same for other multi-effect processors. Try it out i'd say.

The overdrive is not meant for metal or punk, its too sharp, but for other styles of music it might just be right...Its a typical marshall distortion though.

The clean channel is perfect allthough full tube amps will sound fuller and warmer. But when you don't have a lot of money this is a great alternative...In combination with my GT-8 i can get a fuller clean sound.

My amp is 2005 model with the Marshall cover.
I like the straight ahead simple 2-channel layout.
It is easy to dial in the tone you want in either channel.
The headphone jack is cool but I'll probably never use it as I already have a practice amp.After all,It is 50 watts RMS.
It would be neat to have a XLR line out on the rear panel.Of course I'll solve this with a Shure 57/58.
I wish the footswitch had a 2nd button for reverb off/on.This would be the best upgrade that Marshall could do to this amp.

After playing the amp at a jam session I replaced the stock speaker with a Celestion G12T-60 @ 4 Ohms.This has a large magnet and gives the amp more clean headroom before breakup.I recommend an upgraded speaker[be sure of 4 Ohms]for proper amp output.
I play Texas Roadhouse Music[ Blues-Country-Rock-Surf-Gospel]and this amp covers the range very well.I like the big-fat clean tone and a little grit on the O/D channel.The amp responds well to volume and tone setting changes on the guitar.I play a P-90 guitar semi-hollow body and a Strat which works well with this amp.

Do not know at this point as I've only owned the amp for a couple of months.This is only my second Marshall amp in 35 years of playing so I'm taking a leap of faith in putting down the bucks.My "other" amp is a 1970 Super Reverb which has been "old faithful".
I bought the 1x12 combo for more portability and LESS weight.

I've been playing for 35 years and I think the AVT50 1x12 Combo is a great value for tone/bucks ratio.I thought about the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe until I tried this amp.[FHRD more expensive also]
In my opinion the weak link in this amp is the single function footswitch with no reverb control.

It is a solida state amp eith a wk7 tube, i guess that is the same as a 12ax7 tube. Two channels. Model made on 2002. 5owatts. Made for rock metal you name it. comes with one channel stomp swicht, effect loop, headphone jack and Cd input, and reverb knob. It is a great practice, lots of volume and cool sound at lowest volume also. I am a proud owner of a 100 watt Tsl Marshall which is been check out by technichian since one tube was not glowing or functioning. i bought both these amps after reading many reviews here. I had to return the favor and give an honest review. I pplay live ina band, and have 4 independent records made by my band so AFTER many years of enjoying playing music i am thankfull to these GREAT HARMONYCENTRAL WEBSITE for ALL THE INFO THAT IT PROVIDES THIS AMP HAS ENOUGH VOLUME MORE THAN THE 100DFX AT THE STORE. I COMPARE THEM BOTH WITH SAME GUITAR CONNECTED DIRECTLY (NO EFFECT PEDALS) AND I USE SAME EQ ON BOTH AMPS. I placed all eq knobs at the middle. THE AVT 50 WON at all fronts: BETTER TONE, MORE VOLUME , LESS NOISE AND MORE HEADROOM BASS, MID AND HIGHS. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. THE 100DFX HAD THE EFFECTS TURN OFF.WHO NEEDS ALL THE EFFECTS (THAT ARE NOT PROFESSIONALLY SOUNDING) IN THE 100DFX, WHEN you can buy or use better pedals with the AVT50. BY THE WAY I ALSO FEEL THAT M CHORUS PEDAL IS SOUNDING BETTER THAN EVER WITH THIS AMP.. SO FOR RECORDING PURPOSES I MIGHT EVEN USE THIS SET UP. THE OVERDRIVE IS CRUNCHY AS HELL .. OK TIME TO MOVE ON.

First the CLEAN CHANNEL: I also OWN a 100WATT TSL MARSHALL All Tube combo, and I get good tones out of it, BUT I had to sweat in the past many times to achieve a good acoustic sound such as this amp has.
For my other amp (the 100 watt TSL)I have had to buy an Exciter Pedal (aphex) which I use in the loop section, I had to change the preamp tubes... plus I use at the end of my chain an Optical Compressor. Guess what... I dont need those pedals to get a great sound out of this little warrior(AVT50).
The clean sounds are inspirational IMHO, I am getting great tones just by dialing the Gain knob at the middle and equalizating at my taste... ( I am using a Les Paul Custom which is not the best acoustic in the world )I HAVE PUT TO REST MY PEDALS.. I DONT NEED THEM TO ACHIEVE THE SOUNDS I AM GETTING IN THIS CHANNEL OR IN THE DISTORTION CHANNEL.

THis channel doesnt have the same amount of Volume as the Dist. Channel but I guess that by turning the Gain up it can compete just fine... but I dont want to loose this great tone.. I rather keep it medium vol... maybe in practice have to yield sometimes.. but I can truly see myself recording using this clean channel.

THE DISTORTED CHANNEL:I am guitar player that loves distortion...I live for "crunch", but with clarity and good frequencies. I hate mosquito guitar sounds or muddy sounds. That is why I bought the expensive big brother to this little fellow (the TSL100 WATTS COMBO)
And let me tell you guys , it is not easy for me at least to achieve the sounds in my head with the 100WATT Amp, I need to use overdrives and compressor, exciter, one boost pedal(very expensive one call BURRISS BOOSTER which i truly recommend since it is so natural sounding with lots of headroom and does not change your tone only if you want it to..) and in summary I DONT FEEL I AM GOING TO NEED TO USE ALL THIS PEDALS WITH THE AVT5O for band practice.

TAKE IT EASY WITH THE GAIN I PERSONALLY USE THE GAIN AT 9 OR 8.7 AND WHEN I TURN THE VOLUME UP I AM HEARING A CRUNCHY, TIGHT AND ROUND FULLER TONE THAN BY DIALING ALL THE GAIN TO MAXIMUM.

ALSO I DONT USE ALL THE BASS TO THE WALL... JUST EQUILIBRATE YOUR FRECUENCIES... USE A GOOD GUITAR CORD.. I AM PLANNIG ON GETTING THE EVIDENCE MELODY SERIES WHICH I HAVE RESEARCHED AND SEEM THAT BEST FOR METAL AND CLARITY, DYNAMICS ETC.

THE SOUND CHECK YOU MUST REMEMBER TO HAVE YOUR EARS ALIGNED AT HTE SAME HEIGHT AS THE SPEAKER. AND DO YOUR TEST AT MODERATE HIGH VOLUME AND DO TAKE 5 MINUTES BREAKS TO LET YOUR EARS REST IN ORDER TO AVOID MISLEADING TEST RESULTS.
I DONT USE THE REVERB... NOT FOR ME AND MY SOUND.. BUT IT SEEMS TO WORK FINE.. REALLLY NO OPINION ABOUT IT.. REMEMBER I AM LOOKING FOR TIGHT CLEAR CRUNCH.

AHH ONE LAST AND MAYBE MOST IMPORTANT THING!! THIS AMP REACTS VERY SIMILAR TO A TUBE AMP IN REGARDS THAT WHEN YOU STRIKE A CHORD OR NOTE HARDER THE AMP REACTS ACCORDINGLY.. IT IS NOT 100% EXACTLY (BUT WHAT IS 100% PERFERCT? NOTHING) THEREFORE THIS THIRED GENERATION AMPLIFIER GOES WHERE NO OTHER SOLIDSTATE AMP HAS GONE BEFORE. DYNAMICS!!! IS THE WORD!!! ROCKS ON HARD! LIKE A TUBE AMP IN MY BOOK.

THERE IS SOME NOISE IN THIS DIST. CHANNEL, HOWEEVER IT IS NOT NOTIVEABLE WHEN YOUR ARE PLAYING.. SINCE IT GOES AWAY WHEN YOU PLAY OR ARE PALM MUTING YOUR INSTRUMENT. THE LOUDER THE MORE NOISIER JUST LIKE A TUBE AMP.

It is a solid state.. I open to see the one tube inside and all the electronic board looks profesionally and inmaculate clean. I swap tubes just to see if it could sound better and came back to the tube Marshall uses... I could not imagine it.. this time they chose correctly. The fan seems to work fine and makes no noise. I have this amp for over 5 months and no trouble at all. Plus I use all my ampp with a UPS VOTLAGE REGULATOR AND A ELECTRIC PEAK CONTROLLER.. SO IT EXTRA SAFE.

No opinion, have not dealt with them.. THANKFULLY.

I just want to give back an honest review. I have been playing for more than 10 years,hey I started slowy buying gear since 1991!.. (I am younger looking than most younger players since I only live to play not to drink.. plus I am happily married..and still rocking!!!)

My gear is a collection of (12)pedals SO FAR..but definetely I am happy, most my pedals are expensive. "cheaper becomes more expensice later on". I DONT USE ANY DIGITAL RACK PROCESSORS, SINCE BY USING PEDALS WE CAN BEAT ANY GUITAR PLAYER THAT USES THEM.. BELIEVE ME I?VE BEEN THERE.. IT SO MUCH RICHER TO USE PEDALS EVENTHOUGH YOU MUST READ MORE ABOUT THEM(orde placement etc.).

I own A Gibson LEs Paul Custom Guitar, which I adore to play eventhough it is heavy as lumber jack. I am a tone searcher and continue to be research for better tone options every year, however BEING HAPPY WITH YOUR TONE AND PLAYING BETTER ARE MOSTLY EVERYONES GOALS.. PLUS MAKING BETTER MELODIC AND HEAVIER SONGS.

In case someone stole it, I would definetly buy it again.. I will research on the 50 watt head or the MG 100 watt but only after trying them... another tube amp might be a choice also but it is so easier to sound crunchy and good with this medium-little amp!!! ..

ALSO I STRONGLY ADVICE THAT EVERY GUITAR PLAYER SHOULD buy A SOLIDSTATE WORKHORSE AMPLIFIER(SINCE SOLID STATE AMPS DON?T NEED MUCH MAINTAINENCE)AND EVERY GUITAR PLAYER SHOULD TRY TO OWN A GOOD 100 WATT TUBE AMP FOR RECORDING OR PLAYING LIVE.. I MYSELF HAVE BEEN THINKING OF EXPERIMENTING AND USING BOTH TUBE AND SOLIDSTATE JUST BY CONNECTINHG THEM THROUGH A SMALL A/B/Y PEDAL, THIS WAY YOU GET THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.
IMAGINE...BY USING TWO OR MORE AMPS YOUR SOUND BECOMES MORE COMPLEX RICH IN DYANMICS AND FRECUENCIES.. THIS WAS THE WAY DIME BAGG DARRELL ACHIEVE HIS MASSIVE CRUNCH AND MOST OF OUR GUITAR HEROES USE THIS METHOD AT THEIR RECORDING STUDIOS.

I WISH I CAN GET TO USE TWO OF THESE AMPS AND TWO MORE TUBE AMPS ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

ONE LAST ADVICE: ALWAYS BEGIN YOUR SOUND CHECK OF A NEW AMP BY
PLACING ALL THE KNOBS AT THE CENTER OR MIDDLE FRECUENCY RANGE AND DONT USE ALL THE GAIN..... LEAVE ROOM FOR THE NOTE TO SOUND ALONG WITH YOUR GAIN, AVOID TOO MUCH BASS OR EXCESSIVE HIGHS, I TRULY HAVE FOUND A GREAT WORKHORSE AMP TO RECORD MY PRE-STUDIO SESSIONS AND GEAT PRACTIVE BUDDY THAT HELPS IN KEEEPING HIS BIGGER BROTHER (100 WATT BROTHER RESTING ON THE BENCH) IN THE MEANTIME this mighty metal youngster gives some hell to all that stand infront of it. TRY IT... AND TRY IT ALONG WITH THE 1OODHFX , AND YOU WILL PROBABLY NOTICE THAT THIS SMALL AMPS BEATS THE OTHER ONE .. WITHOUT ANY DOUBTS. ROCK ON!! THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR HONEST REVIEWS THEY MAKE OUR LIFES EASIER AND TONEFULLY BETTER!!!!HOPE MY OPINIONS HELP YOU IN DECIDING.

2 Channels with a tube preamps. Effects send, cd input, direct out, and headphone jack. Comes with footswitch. All of the bells and whistles that you need.

Clean channel is nice. You can even crank the gain to add some grit. The gain channel is where this fails for me. First off, the closed back does not emulate a cabinet, it just makes the sound "boxy" and contained. The distortion sounds fake and shrill if you go above 6, with little definition on any chords, unless you are playing power chords. I tried several guitars, Les Pauls, Ibanez EX series, PRS, Tele, and nothing resembled a tube like Marshall tone. I really wanted to like this amp, but its going back. This is nothing more than a really loud solid state amp with a medicore gain channel.

Don't know and I don't care to find out.

Don't know and I don't care to find out. It's going back

I have always wanted a Marshall, and could never afford one. After reading the reviews here and on Musiciansfriend, I figured this would get me in the ball park. It does not. I even had a few other professional players try this out, and they came to the same conclusion. I have come to realize that if you want tube tone, you need a tube amp. Line 6 modelers seem to come the closet. I could dial up a better Marshall tone on Line 6 flextone. That's sad.

Amp was ordered new last year, thought the design was changed slightly recently. It's probably exactly the same but with a different paintjob on the control plate.
1 12-inch Celestion speaker, 2 channels with volume and tone controls for each including gain and spring reverb. Comes with a channel foot-switch.Has no on-board effects but I'm not a big effects freak, so I don't really care. 50 watts makes this amp plenty loud. Nice.

Sound is brilliant. One of my mates has a Marshall 100-watt solid-state amp, which is comparable to this for volume. this canes it for tone. It just has a really nice, vintage sound that you just don't get from modern solid-states. You can turn it up all the way and the sound will remain clear and defined, even on the overdrive channel.
On the subject of channels, the clean channel is lovely, crisp highs, spongy lows, great for a jazz or blues tone with the gain up. Overdrive can be quite powerful, I usually turn the gain up to about six, which is great a classic rock sound. Reverb is a lot nicer than the shoddy digital one you get on most amps now, though don't go mad, unless you really like the early eighties guitar sound.

I have used this amp to gig without a backup. And I'd do it again.
This amp has only had one thing wrong with it, where the reverb spring broke, and I was left echoless. To be honest, I went two weeks without noticing, but I got it fixed none the less. I think this was because I was carting it to and from local gigs on a porter's trolley, and it got kind of rattled.
I also get some channel skipping sometimes, which I think is because of the button on the foot-switch sticking. Oh well.

Sent it back to Marshall to get the reverb fixed. Got it back within a week, good as new. Good communication throughout. I'm glad that Marshall are based in Britain.

Love it to bits. Prefer it to any of my mates' amps, which include a Marshall 100 DFX and a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (nice amp, but too expensive, and goes from naught to insanely loud with the slightest touch of the volume knob). This amp has them both licked, at least I think so. The DFX has all the effects, but it doesn't have the tone. The Hot Rod has the tone, but it doesn't have the simplicity. Hence, mine comes out on top. I think...

Purchased for #250 [sterling]all the specs have been listed a hundred times before on this site. So I won`t bore you, I have tried all features and they work well.

This is where this amp is truly amazing especially at this price level. It just sings on both clean and distortion channels straight out of the box. The guys at Marshall got this baby dead on and should be congratulated. It apparently is voiced differently from its bigger buddies in the AVT range and guitarists should know this.
Marshall should give this voicing a name, so guitarists can trade up to bigger future amps without losing this class tone. The clean channel is beautiful and open with vibrant harmonics. Only equalled by tube Fender amps costing twice the money. But when you compare the lead tones this amp is in a class of its own. Its dam hard to get a bad tone out of it at any distortion setting. The amp is so responsive to vibrato and any nuance in playing style it almost feels as if its playing the lead break with you and loving every minute of it! This amp is a tone classic and no mistake, it may lack a hundred knobs or effects but it honestly does not need them. You begin to realise that you`ve been buying distortion pedals and effects for years to make up for poor amp design or even buying two amps for lead and clean seperately when gigging. The bottom end is amazing just like a 4x12 cab, and this from a combo costing #250 and is produced at reasonable volume levels circa 20 watts. The lead distortion tones are superb and this amp will drive a cab if you need more air moved at bigger venues.

After three years of jamming for hours on end and the odd party gig in medium sized halls not one major glitch. one small glitch with channel skipping, may be caused by dirty jack? Not re-occured.

My mate uses a stereo Marshall amp [acoustic type] and blows tweeter
Marshall always help him out and are helpful.

If you want a great sounding amp both clean and dirty without paying a mortgage you must try one. Remember most of us cannot gig or jam at 100 valve watts flat out! And its at these high power valve levels that all valve amps really sing and come into their own. This amp gives you that non fizzy creamy distortion tone at 20 watts and has a huge bottom end for a portable combo. I`ve owned many valve amps over the years Boogie,Roland Bolt30,Laney,Fender,Engl and crap SS amps like Wem40, H&H. So it was a shock when after reading a 5* review in Guitarist Mag I tried one out and those lads were right. Do the same before Marshall change its specs which could balls it up!

Everyone knows the features by now

I upgraded the speaker to an Eminence Swamp Thang and i took off the closed back (the new speaker needed more air to move better, it was sounding squishy if i didnt remove the back) and i upgraded the tube to a Groove Tube Mullard copy type tube. It inproved the sound a lot and made the volume no joke about twice as loud. I play a lot of blues, some pop unk stuff, and occasional metal, and it does all of those styles nicely. Overall I think the average guitar player will be extremely pleased with the sound, no matter what you dial in with the knobs it sounds really sweet and very tubelike.

It has been two years and still no problem at all. I know some people have concerns with the fan inside, if you happen to be unlucky and get a noisy fan or broken fan, it is easily replaceable. Once my warranty runs out I am going to put a better more efficient fan inside to keep the amp extra cool in there. If u take care of this amp, it should last you many many years.

never had to deal with them

A great buy for a sweet amp. If you dont want to spend gobs of money on a real overpriced tube amp, this is a great alternative that will make you just as happy.

Made in 2000 hence the name 'Valvestate 2000'.Nice amp and loud for the price.

Using a Fender Highway 1 Strat through a crybaby into this.It sounds amazing.I thought it sounded good at bedroom,I got quite a shock when I cranked it.I play mainly Chili's style funk rock and some classic rock. perfect for the Frusciante,Clapton,Gilmour sound but can get really distorted for metal.

Would gig without a backup i can definately depend on it.

this amp is the $%^& fullstop

You should know them by now, im very happy with it all

This is where i was quite disappointed - i have owned the MG marshall 50 watt for many years and decided to upgrade to the valvestate just for a different sound

clean - i do not understand why clean with the gain around half way and volume 3/4 of the way up sounds about as loud as the overdrive channel not even half way. I was planning on using a metal zone for distortion (i just like the sound!) and there is no way it will be loud enough in a band situation

Overdrive - Goes very loud compared to clean channel and could cope in a rehearsal/live situation easily. I'm not a huge fan of the sound but luckily i have an overdrive stompbox which i use as a clean boost when practicing and it makes it sound HEAPS better alot more drive obviously. This is how zakk wylde uses his overdrive pedal.

Overall though i really do like this amp after a quite a few adjustments, it just lacks a bit of balls...

I havnt owned it for long enough to know but it seems very well built and marshalls last forever

no idea!

I play an epiphone flying V with a seymour duncan JB in the bridge and have been playing for 8 years. I was expecting a bit more from this amp but with that said it is still a very nice sound with the right adjustments. The only thing bad about it is the lack of volume on the clean channel as my MG 50 watt went quite alot louder when clean which suprised me

I think this has all been covered before.

Overdrive- Fantastic for all the classic rock tones. I mainly use a Gibbo Les Paul with HB's & the sound is brilliant.
Clean- This channel is designed to break up above half volume & when it does it is one of the sweetest blues sounds you will ever hear.
This is the main point I want to make here. Some people obviously don't understand what Marshall amps sound like. They sound like Marshall amps!!which is good old"Classic Rock" tones. If you want Crystal clear cleans or fizzy overdriven death metal tones buy something else (Fender or Crate etc )it's not as if there isn't much choice. You don't go out & buy a Fridge & expect it to wash the dishes....You buy a bloody Dishwasher!!! Get my drift. This amp is more than capable of producing killer Marshall tones for reasonable money. Know the sound you want & buy it...Don't slag off one you don't understand !!!

Personally have never had any problems with any Marshall product.But i realise some do.

I have dealt with them a few times. Real advice not answering machines.

I have been playing 36 years & 15 as a pro.
If you love the Marshall sound & want something portable & not too expensive the AVT range is for you & to my ears the 50 sounds better than the 100.I have owned both.The pre amp valve really brings the sound alive. No it's not a JCM 800 but for the money it's spot on.

Amp was bought used in 2003 while on a major US tour opening for a world renowned band. My main modeling amp crapped out somewhere in Milwaukee and I had 2 hours before showtime. I was whisked to a used guitar store where I was going to have to buy any amp I could find and hope for the best. Found this one in a corner for about 300 bucks, and they threw in a Crybaby wah-wah pedal. Best amp purchase I ever made. It gets every sound I ever wanted with my Pauls and Strats, from pure bluesy clean to metal crunch, and never any need for any distortion pedals at all. Perfect Marshall sound in a small box. I played many a large venue with this thing on that tour (all the House Of Blues venues, Irving Plaza, Key Club, etc, all sold out shows) and this amp rocked every one of them. I got *&^%$#@ lucky when I found it.

Using mainly a LP Custom with EMG's - basic Zakk Wylde setup. Play both Industrial metal and garage type punky rock, perfect for both. Also great with country and blues based music - you can't go wrong with this amp.

Totally dependable. Bought it used from a rinky dink store I never heard of and never had an issue.

Never dealt with them.

I've owned them all over the 25 years I have been playing (1980's JCM 800 which I still own and love, JCM 900, ADA MP1, ADA MP2, GK boxes back in the 80's, Hughes & Kettner) I am a better player now than 20 years ago, and I can truly appreciate this amp's versatility and sound.

My AVT-50 was made in 2002. The amp's features have been well documented already. 41-pound, 1 X 12 combo with clean and overdrive channels. 50 watts into 4 ohms. Has the Celestion AVT speaker with that rather small magnet. Spring reverb via an Accutronics tank mounted on the side of the cabinet, inside the speaker compartment. Just one but well-utilized 12AX7 tube in the preamp.

I play blues and old rock, using a Les Paul, Yamaha SGV 800, and a Hwy. One Tele. Overall tones of the amp are excellent. Does the classic sweet 'n' snarly, and roaring, Marshall sounds we all love. That one 12AX7 tube really colors the sound. Careful use of the dirt channel's gain knob will carry you from blues to rock to Black Sabbath to nu metal. Clean channel's tones are not as detailed as, say, a blackface Fender's, but they're nice, and very useable. The amp loves my Lester's humbuckers and the P-90 type pickups of my Yamaha. My Tele, however, sounds only OK. Maybe hotter Fender single-coil pickups would sound better. After buying the amp, I replaced the dinky original factory 12AX7 with a higher-quality Electro-Harmonix one, and changed out the speaker for a Jensen Neo 100, and the tones got even better, plus the amp got a little louder.

Had it a month, no problems. I've played out with it in a bunch of club jams too. Again, no problems(knock on wood). It's well-built overall, but I wouldn't do something like let it bump around in the back of a van.

I've never contacted them. I like that they have a ton of manuals available for download at their website.

Been playing 20 years, with roughly 4 years' worth of stage time via jams and sit-ins. Overall, it's a really cool alternative to an all-tube amp. Holds its own tonally with a lot of the old Fender amps I encounter at the jams I go to, especially when you dial it in with an astute ear(I use a house guitarist's sweet late-'50s Bassman at one jam as a sort of tone template). I wish the clean channel had a midrange control, but that's no big deal.

2 ch/ tube preamp/ ss power hybird/fx loop/50 watt/ 1-12/foot switch for changing ch./reverb etc. wanted a simple small portable amp that could sound marshallly but also bluesy and tube like without bringing ANY efx. was thinking of a spyder line 6 but this was cheaper and did the job well.50 watts ss. is not the loudest amp but it blew away the compairable amps I tried and my criteria for loudness is, does it have enough volume to cope with a good drummer ( not a friggin basher ). and in this respect it did,with room to spare Good job Marshall. I play Blues and Just about anything except Bebop Jazz, although Ive learned Lenny by SRV and this amp does a fair job at clean. Its not an every thing amp but does the rock thing exceptionally well. And I do like the reverb but I can't really tell why it just sounds right.

I mostly play this out at practices and I use a mex fat strat and a studio les paul and a takimine G530 elec/acous Yes it sounds great with the acoustic, The single coils are some what noisey and if you want sparkly clean look to a fender (or my favorite a crate club 50) That doesn't mean that it is very noisey just not what I'd care to gig with or take to a recording studio, The meat of this amp lies in the creamy distortion and the feel it gives when soloing, They hit the JCM sound and compression of a totally topped out tube amp right on the head . In fact the first time I played this amp I instintly fell in love with the solo sound. Absolutly stunning for this price you can get the real deal sound of a cranked marshall. Mind you that is with the paul in the bridge position with the treble on the amp at 7,mid at 4,bass at 7, it gives bite when attacked and smooths up when played lightly just what a good tube amp does. For most songs I just leave it alone and control the tone from the Gtr. nice. I pefer my reverb at 5 to 6 max and it sounds good, not stunning but good. The strange thing is when we do eagles songs with the acoustic I only need to crank the amp to @ 6 on the clean channel and that is way loud enough,The takimine must have a powerfull preamp thats all I can say. In a world of mediocratie and passable but not great sound its rare that I'm happy with an amp of lower price and this is why I give this a 10,and I'm verrrrry fussy about sound.

Well some like marshall and some don't I have nothing to falt them with ever. My friends have them and played them for years.
If it walks like a duck........ so here you have, it I've owned this for 8 months and nothing but good ol', so I hope it keeps up< I'm not very rough with my equiptment in fact if I am reincarnated as an amp I hope I would own me, Hey money is hard to come by and if you treat your stuff hard don't come beggin to me, I like to keep my stuff newish at all times even if its old and yes even the crappy sounding stuff you never know when the road show will auction off a teisco or wem guild copy cat.
Yes I'd use this on a gig. I just happen to love my other amps better for live, but they are much more expensive and powerful and that is not what I bought it for.

I hope they are as nice as the Peavey or fender co. couse they have been great but as of now I have not had to speak to them.

Been playing my whole life ,Drums then tuba then Arco bass(thats with a bow kiddies) then elec. bass then Guitar and that was June of 76 when I bought a Pat Metheny guild D40FCE which is still my favorite acoustic (Droooollll Wrorthy for shore)
I own way too much gear and now own a studio of my own but some nuggets are 24 electrics,8 streel strings 2 nylon strings, a glen cambell 12 string , deering banjo, guitar synths and 4 pedal boards (cause I love them thats why ,now your begining to sound like my wife),Crate vintage 50 head, Peavey costom 50 -2-12 .GK 250ML, GK 210,Yamaha JX50, Roland super chorus,Lexiconsignature and 2-10 cab,fender Deville and SFX amps and a cosiderable Pa for the synths,28 pedals and a loop station,WHEW!! I try to cover all the usual suspects as far as equiptment. Don't have any boutique amps ,I've played them and sorry I don't under stand all the fuss, I've got lots of gtr friends and none of them have them eather looks like its marketing hype to me!!!!
nuff about me, This amp Has heart and guts and power and versitility,IT excels at Rock with a minor in blues it will gig and is fairly reliable (Ibought it used and its 2 years old already and I play it loud 3X a week for 4 hours straight) Its not the perfect amp but none are, they are just like ax's, some are great at somethings and so so at otheres. I find it thrilling that I don't have to fuss with it and it serves the common good with aplom. You want that marshall sound and have a dual humbuckin ax GO FOR IT its cheap enough, Thank you.

2 channel,fifty watt tube hybrid with gain and volume,bass,mid,(on distortion channel),treble and reverb through a 12-inch speaker all manufactured in '04 using '03 parts. seems this and the guts settling down in the parts bin before installion adds up to REAL SOUND. built solid enough for average use, even though some have been booted clean acrost stages or crashed down stairs onto concrete floors...

i believe the range of a speaker for musical instruments is different than the range on a good high-fidelity home audio system. When I listen to the sounds of some of the original electric guitar players from the 1950's thru the early 1960's, this AVT50 has the same tonal qualities I hear coming off of those recordings. This paticular '04 model has that great, original sound that is the starting point with Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy or some riffing behind a doo-wop band (check out 'Each Night'from 1958 by Rochelle and the Candles),to what Jimi Hendrix was doing in 1970 and where these kinds of sounds can go beyond. A good solid sound foundation.

Had a Marshall 8020 for 11 years - worked great and sounded better the older it got. Pots got scratchy - though that's a maintanence item there.

Never spoke with them, but the British seem very down to earth, if that's who you speak with for support/repair/maintenance.

been making a few sounds on guitar and listening since I was seven or so.Have been using the amplifier with an '04 black Stratocaster for only two months now, just like the old rig.This amp produces that big,professional sound when used with a nice, resonant electric guitar If lifted, I hope i could find the poor bugger so i could use my Mr. Eko whoopin' stick on 'em. Been wantin' to try that thing out... peace - and keep on playin'.

Avt 50 is a 50 watt amp with 1 valve in preamp.The knobs are:
clean(gain,volume,bass,treble),overdrive(gain, volume, bass, middle, treble),reverb depth.
It has a cd input which i will never use, a serial effect loop, headphone out(ehich is important for me).
I usually play rock,grunge and i play metal solos.This amp is enough for me, i don't need more features.It would be better if it had a middle knob for clean channel bu it's not so important.It doesn't have dfx which i already don't need.I give this 8, because it's enough for me but more features would be ok :)

I have an American Fender Ultra which has ssh lace sensor pickups. I usually use the humbucker in the bridge single mode (it has a switch which lets me choose which single (or both) to use).Actually i didn't expect this but clean tones are really satisfying. Overdrive is already very good.I'm so happy to play with it.It makes me feel good, it makes me play.
The clean channel is distorted at high volumes, if you want a pure clean channel, don't buy this amp...
Distortion is not a metal distortion, it's a soft, nice, good one which has a great sustain.

I bought this amp three days ago, i've got a fender ultra and some analog pedals which i don't use since i bought this amp.The sound of amp is very nice, i don't wanna change it using pedals.
if it were stolen or lost i would like to buy the same amp.
I love its tones, i love the reverb, i hate the sound that it makes when you change the channel (from distortion to clean) without muting your guitar(i'm not sure if it's the right word but it pops).
But this popping is not a great problem, because i already mute my guitar while changing channel, i don't need a sustaining note to be distorted at first and then clean...
I compared it to mg 100, avt 100 and it's better than both of them.I know that these have more features but i don't need dfx.Mg 100's sound is worse than avt 50, and avt 100 is not much better than avt 50.As i don't need the features of avt 100 (and as i liked the distortion tones of avt 50 more that avt100's) i bought avt50.I'm very happy. :)

2001/2002 Marshall, made in Great Britan, yadda yadda yadda. Typical features for a Marshall.

I play whatever strikes me at the moment. Jazz, blues, rock, even a bit of funck and country now and then. I am extremely disapointed in the overall sound of this amp.

This amp hates single coils. I've tried it with an Aria Pro with EMG SA's, and an 89 in the bridge, a Ibanez EX1500, an Ibanez Rooadstar Pro540R, and a Penco Les Paul copy.

Clean, the amp sounds ok. The tone is present, the bass and treble control functions as they should, and the reverb works. But as you bring the volume up, it starts to distort. OK, distortion is nice, but I want a CLEAN channel!

Channel 2 gives you the distortion, with the 3 band eq to talior it to your liking. Not mine however. Brittle, with some tone, it lacks the warmth I demand from an amp. To be honest, the Penco, with it's original neck peckup, and an 80's Duncan in the bridge, really loved this amp. Typical Slash/ Page kind of sounds, which, if I was a teen again, I would love. I'm not a teen anymore.

A annoying thing about this amp is that when using the effects loop, the gain controls affect the input of the effect. As you increase the gain, the effect starts to clip and distort. Not a good thing. A seperate control for the effect loop would have been a nice feature.

I found this amp in the trash. Literally! The ground plane was broken, and required 15 minutes with a soldering iron to bring it back to life. I should have left it to die.
I wouldn't use this amp in a gigging situation. PERIOD! Not because of reliability, I just hate the sound of it.

Support was great! I spoke to a human, and he was helpful. Great job!!

I'm going to dump this amp as soon as my local shop opens tomorrow. It's not that it's a bad amp in general, but I just don't like it what-so-ever.
I have a Marlboro 20 watt transi amp, a 66 Estey 9 watt tubber, and an Oliver 35 watt tuber, aanmd they all have more tone and soul than this thing.

Please people, don't buy an amp because of the name. Lose the sheep mentallity that fills the world. Buy an amp that sound like YOU, not like (insert guitar player flavor of the month here.)

The extra features are useful like the CD imput and the headphone output, i really wished it had a presense control to crisp up the tone, the Clean also lack a mid control which is needed to give the tone the blusey jazzy bump. However the simplicity makes it really easy to use, just adjust a few knobs and then u have decent tone, as opposed to other more sophiticated amplifers.

I used to use single coils on a strat into the avt and the overdrive was just too weak for single coils, so I put a JB jr.on the bridge and it sounded much better the hi-gain truely felt like a hi-gain all tube amp at lower volumes with humbuckers, though not the best hi-gain it was still much better than any other solid state amp. I could get the saturated plam mutes with the gain at 7 and a little fizzier tone with the gain at 10, its can get pretty heavy with bass all the way up and mids cut off but nowhere close to a mesa boogie rec or mode4, however i play demand hardcore and black metal tone and its not fizzy enough for me, but for heavy metal clasic metal, punk, and stuff it does the job quite well. It gives an alright bright crunch with gain 8-10 and bas up to 8, mids 0, and treble 10. The overdrive is good at low volumes however when it gets cranked past 4 it tends to overcompress and be less pleasing to the ear as well as less crunchy becuase the compresion slows down the breakup, a typical trait of any other solid state amp. However the leads tones at hi-gain were imppresive for any solid state, in fact I thought it was better than a lot of tube amps, the preamp ECC83 preamp really makes a difference here, the tone was very fluid and rich becuase of the increased compression, as well as giving off awesome harmonics.
Plugin the single coils into the clean provided decent headroom however with the hot humbuckers if you turned the gain past 3 it would start to crunch up, typical of most Marshall tube amps. The clean sounds really good with lots of reverb a very classic sound. Using neck pickups and turning the bass up and treble down gave a fat clean jazz tone, cranking up the gain gave it a rich bluesy creamy tone. With the gain up to 4-6 its crunches up and gives a very rich vintagy classic rock tone just like a classic marshall. The clean sounds good, but if it had a middle control as well as a presence it would be much better.
Over all, quite decent, offering a very wide variety of tones through a simple easy to use panel. impressive for any solidstate amp, however it's nothing tonally compared a jcm2000 DSL head, or 5150, in terms of hi-gain bright, super crunchy, fizzy hi-gain tone tone.

I haven't experinced any problems, I've treated it under normal conditions and its proven to be very road worthly amp. You can definitly take it all over the place and it won't flake on you, it always works perfectly fine. It requires no maintenace.

It been perfectly reliable so i've never had to use customer support. It has the 5 year marshall limited warranty.

Ive been playing for 2.5 years(pretty good for that little amount of time, i can jam up with much more expereinced guitarists), i wouldn't buy another one if it was stolen but id be pissed becuase its a good ampifier stolen, and its taken me a long ways, gave me lots of hours of great play time. I really wished it had a presence control knob and a mid knob on the clean. It has some really useful extras like a cd imput and headphone output that can useful for looking at tabs and listening late in the night. Im plannning on getting an all tube half stack to replace it however, just as i repaced my old little practice amps, like a 5150, blue voodoo head or DSL50 or something that can be heard better at gigs as well as provide me with a more fizzy crunchier hi-gain for my hardcore black metal tone demands. Its a great jam amp and for garages and bedrooms, not really a great gig amp becuase of the overcompressed tone of solidstates at those volumes and well as having barely enough power to go that loud. It definitly the best ever solid state combo, most amps of this class take forever to adjust and u still never find a good tone. while this one u just find a good tone and leave it there and ur jammin, i like it very much.

2 tube drive preamp chanels clean and distortion
classic marshall black and gold
FX loop foot switch

If it had 3 channels I would love that so much more

I play metal, blues, rock, slide guitar etc etc etc...
This has to be the MOST versitile amp EVER. I can get Scooped out metal tones, classic rock tones, crunchy overdrive, pristine cleans(which is suprising for a marshall I even liked the cleans better than that of a fender that I tried) I use EMG-HZs and Fender SCM and DH-1s and I can get every tone ever. oh yeah and it sound good with my acoustic pickup in it

The only complaint I have is with the footswitch... when I switch from distortion to clean sometimes it goes back to distortion for like 1 second or so.... 1 second doesn't sound like a lot but it is when you are gigging live and your clean part is suddenly distorted to the max.

n/a

if it were lost/stolen I wouldn't be able to afford a new one at the moment so I'd be sol..... I love how it is the best amp I have ever heard but I hate the fact that it only has 2 channels if it had three I would never ever need another amp because this amp can take on every style. I compared it to a fender amp in the similar price range a peavey and a crate in the $500 range

2 Channels, Effects Loop, Headphone Jack, Reverb (which actually sounds quite nice) and most importantly, an ECC83 tube in the pre-amp stage, which 'really' makes all the difference. All up, it's simple of the features, but that is the way I prefer as I don't like onboard effects which are known to sucks much of the amps original sound, besides and I have my own pedals if I need them.

I'm using the amp with a 2003 Fender Blue Flower Strat Reissue, with HS-3 pickups in the neck and bridge positions. The Clean channel is really amazing, considering that marshall aren't known for their clean sound, this is just beautiful. When you raise the volume and gain in the clean channel, it'll start to breakup nicely.

On the overdriven channel I was blown away, this amp might be mid-range category but the sound is anything but, amazing growl that you would expect from the JCM series, marshall really knew what they were doing with this one. I know this review might seem to good to be true, I'm just being as honost as I can, and the scary part is that my pickups and low output and really need an overdrive/tube screamer pedal in order to make it really sing (which I don't currently have), so I'll update you all on that one. Incase you're wondering, no, I don't work for marshall.

One last thing I noticed of late, (I've had the amp for about 6 months now) is that the longer I leave it on, it seems to sound better and better, as in more and more like a full tube amp, not that is doesn't sound great already, must be the ECC83 tube reaching it's optimum performance temperature or something.

This is where the amp suffers alittle. The small fan inside that keeps the tube cool, can be very loud at times. Sometimes I turn the amp on, quiet and everything is fine, sometimes I turn it on and I get a loud buzzing sound, like the amp is caught with something in its fins, its very annoying and is a shame really, because if it weren't for this, the amp is pretty much top notch in everything else (except that it's damn heavy for moving around). I believe I've read other reviews with the same problem, I'll either take it back to the shop for a replacement or, get it serviced by marshall (if that is possible).

I haven't dealt with them, not yet anyway, although that may change.

If this were stolen or lost, I would probably get another one simply because there is nothing like it in its price range (normally AU$1200). It sounds alot like a high-end marshall, also being made in england, this is quality gear. I'm so sad about the noisy fan issue, hopefully that can be easily fixed/replaced, so this amp can do its job, which is delivering great authentic sounds.

U know the features by now

Everyone in the old posts totally complain about this amp but hoenstly they must like the nasty sound of CRATE or sumtin. This amp is very exce;;ent sounding for the price. you can honestly hit any sound u could need. the distortion sounds very nice and teh clean channel can get sum nice blues sounds and also pretty decent bright clean sounds. my personal taste, i changed the preamp tube inside to a GT Mullard reproduction tube. It gave the distortion a tad less bite and rounded the grit out a bit which in my opinion sounded nicer.

my AVT50 is about a year old now and not a single problem at all. I definately take care of it. i keep mine covered with a towel so no dust gest inside the vent on top. A word of advice is be sure when you have the amp on you leave all the ventilation areas clear and free for air to move so the amp does not overheat.

never delt with marshall support and hope i never have to

i rate this a 9 b/c no amp is ever a perfect amp, but for the price this thign sounds amazing for recording and any gig at all....it really sounds good. i have owned and wasted so much money on many many amps....CRATE, Kustom, Rocktron, Ibanez, Fender, and all of them either sound kinda crappy or have massive reliability problems. I used to swear i would never get a marshall because thats what everyone used and i didnt want to get sucked into the marshall hype, but that day i returned my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (b/c of terrible reliability problems. i had 3 of them and they all crapped out after either a couple minutes or a day or two) so i tried out the AVT50 and i fell in love.. Get this amp i promise it is a safe choice, especially with a 5 yr warranty

i belevie this amp is a 02 or 03 model. i picked it up in 03, but i live in Australia, so it may have been made in 02 then shipped here.

only two channels which is not enough i beleive. i play metal and jazz, and just the clean and over drive is not enough. i need a solo boost or a 2nd over drive, one for rhythm, one for soloing, and this amp doesnt have it.

i rarely use the cd or headphone inputs. and i dont use the effects loop, because you cant turn the loop on or off. so when i run a multi effects processor through there it sounds prety bad. ive done some small gigs with this. like battle of the bands where it is mic'ed up and it goes alright. but in my opinion its not big enough or versatile enough.

i use a Gibson SG standard, and a Epiphone Les Paul, and with the distortion these guitar rip. the distortion is so awesome sounding. i can get quite good metal sounds out of it with these guitars and a great crunch sound with the SG.

when you have it louder it feeds back quite a bit with teh Epiphone, but i think that was the guitar because it doesnt really do it anymore.

the clean is not so good. you can get a nice clean sound, but if u push the gain up, it goes a bit bluesy style distortion. nothing substantial.

ocassionally you can get a bit of noise through the amp, but i think its temperamental.

Amp has been going strong. there was this one time where i plugged it into a peavy bass cab and the fan started making peculiar sounds. but as soon as i unplugged it, it was ok.

i havnt replaced the tube yet in the 2 years ive had it.

although something within the amp or the fottswitch is on the blink. because after playing at loud volumes for some time, the amp if in clean will like switch to distortion for a second. its weird. i was attributing that to the foot switch cord coiled up, and if u understand physics that makes all sorts of magnetic fields and i thought that that may be the cause. it hasnt done it in a while.

other than that little problem, it has been fine.

never ahd to deal with the company

i been playing 10 years (4 on classical then moved to electric) and it does the job.

if it were stolen id buy something better with more channels. as they retail here for 1200 dollars but i paid 400 less than that so insurance ahs a little bonus.

for what it is, its not a bad amp.

i with it had a 2nd overdrve channel or a solo boost.

overall its not a bad amp. overpiced? yes.

Made in England. As the name suggests I think this series started production in 2000. I brought mine new in December 2004. I play punk/rock/pop style music. This amp sounds great in my bedroom and at the studio during rehearsals. 2 Channels: clean and OD (footswitchable), FX send and return (never used), Headphone jack, CD-input (both used, but infrequently).

This amp has everything you need, and nothing you don?t. It?s simple and straight forward to use, at the same time it sounds good.

For full details visit: http://www.marshallamps.com/images/avt2000/avt50.html

My main guitar is an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, fitted with a Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion in the bridge position. I also own a Squier Tom DeLonge Strat, and another Squier Strat with a mini humbucker in the bridge.

This amp is great for my style. I love the tone that the ECC83 (12AX7) valve/tube gives out in both channels. Although it?s said you can?t completely recreate the sound and feel of an all-valve amp, I?d say this is as close as it gets.

Plenty loud enough for the bedroom! So much so that when you turn it up everything in my room resonates. In the studio again volume is no problem with this amp. I've never giged with this amp, I don't see why it would be a problem if it was mic'ed up.

Solid-state amps ?break-up? when you turn them up too, past around 4-5. With the Valvestate you don?t get the break-up, but the sound is rather ?thin? over half volume. Anything between 1-5 is a sweet spot for me on the OD volume, with the gain set at around 7-8. Remember not all guitars are intended to sound the same, volume-wise.

The amp has Gain, Volume, Bass, Treble, on each channel. Two independent volume controls means you can balance the levels to suit. The OD section offers a Middle control, and the amp includes a master Reverb control. You can go bright clean, warm clean, to a bluesy crunch, all the way to screaming and/or scooped high gain.

With the gain control on the clean channel you can make sure that the sound is always tight and focused. I use high-out put pickups and generally with my playing style I don?t use the clean section. With some tidier sounding pickups, or the volume on the guitar rolled down the clean channel can give off a very sweet tone. I?ve read some people prefer the clean sound of a solid-state amp rather than all-valve, with the Valvestate you get the best of both worlds.

The ECC83 (12AX7) valve/tube does offer a lot of gain, the Valvestate range are all high gain amps. I use the bridge pickup to give a tight, cutting sound. I cut the mids, (to about 4) to give a slightly ?rounder? sound.

I?ve only had a problem with the footswitch that decided to give up on me for a short while. It works fine now and why that happened is a mystery. I used a friend?s footswitch at the time it was breaking just to check, and it was the footswitch at fault and not the amp. They?re not expensive so a backup could be useful.

Not exactly a reliability issue, but a couple of flaws. Every time I turn it on, the fan makes a loud ?WHIR? noise. It happens with almost every AVT and MG Marshall amp I know of, it?s just a little off putting. Also sometimes when I change the channel from OD to clean, I sometimes get a ?WHOOSH? noise. Not exactly big problems but they?re pretty off putting.

I?ve never had any problems with this amp. I haven?t gigged often enough to have a back-up amp. It?s never broken down and I?ve never had to get anything serviced. The life of the single valve/tube is (apparently) up to 4 years, and they can be brought at a little cost.

The warranty I THINK lasts 3 years, it?s in the handbook. When I purchased my amp there was a Marshall warranty tag with the amp. There is an authorised Marshall centre in my town so this is where I would turn if I had any problems.

I have been playing for 4 years almost. My predeceasing amps were a Squier SP10, and a Marshall MG15CDR.

If it were lost or stolen, I would buy something a more upgraded. This is only because I?m a little more well-off than what I was when I got this amp.

I wanted something that sounded good and at the same time was affordable, practical (easy to bring along!) and simple

A friend of mine had an MG100DFX which is of a similar price. I decided to go for the Valvestate because as I said before it's everything you need and nothing you don't. I do like the number of channels and FX the AVT150 offers, I sometimes wish I'd of gone for that but I was thinking about my pocket.

For what the AVT is some people consider it a little over-priced, but I do recommend it.

Overall it's a good amp.
8/10

2004 model, new in box off Ebay for $325! Great basic plug and play Marshall tones. I had one of these a few years ago and sold it but have always missed it for quick good tones. Great clean and overdrive if you can play you do a lot with this amp.

My first one was a 2002 model and came with a 4 ohm Rocket 50 speaker. This 2004 model has a 4 ohm Super 65 stock! This is a much better speaker with great classic tones. I sawed 1/3 of the back panel off to open up cleans and give me a place for the power cord when going to jams. I have had many tube amps in the past few years and have a new Crate V50 with El34's that is my main gig amp but this is the one I always grab for quick good tone at any volume. The all tube amps need to be cranked for tone and sound buzzy and crappy at bedroom levels and small gig/jam situations. I will keep this one as it has a lot I like and I can turn it off and on 5 times a day with out burning power tubes.

I have owned two and I have an Avt 20 also with no problems any kind.

I have heard this part is bad but just hope I never need them.

This is really one of the best deals out there if you can get a good price like I did. I would not pay over $400 for this amp as there are lots of great amps in that price range but good Marshall tone is hard to find! If you need great cleans and rippin' overdrive at a modest price and don't want all the tube worries get one of these but get a newer one like I did with the quiet fan and better speaker.

2 channels are enough really, it has no effects other then reverb but i dont like amp effects any ways.
head phone socket as always a good idea fx sen and return good could of done with mid knob on clean channel.
so features ok but i found one big problem no extra speaker outs which sucks big time

perfect both channels where good somtimes bass on clean a bit too much and some times treble on distortion too much but a good sound for the money

i think this may have been a one off but after about 3 and half years "i know a long time" the inputs busted then the volume pots went.

dont know

good for the first 3 years a perfect amp but thne when i wanted to add speakers i counldnt then when i wanted to sell i had to pay to get it fixed. but i do believe my problems where a rare thing as my other marshall amp is perfect "AVT 275"

Bought mine last year in 2004 - and I cannot believe by reading some ofthe reviews that we are all talking about the same product. Mine is VERY loud, and certainly good for pub gigs...the reverb is ok I guess, and the 2 modes of clean and distorted are ok as you can modulate the gain accordingly - I play jazzy stuff with the clean channel on low vol high gain, so that there's just that edge of distortion when played/plucked hard (like some early Les Paul stuff)and the overdrive channel can really make you sound like Spinal Tap...
Having a tube in the preamp stage means that the clean + upped gain you do get a nice sound - not "synthetic" a la transistored overdrive.

I use a 1960 Gibson Les Paul, a 1971 Sg Custom & a late '80's American Strat - I play pretty crappily so this amp suits me as I am not as fussy and anal as some who appear to have written reviews. I an get a really nice bell-like jazzy sound to a bright clean sound, depending on the guitar or setting that I am using... The distortion at high vol on the clean channel is fine to my ears, but then again I don't feel the needto turn it up loud too often!

No problems re reliability - it's built with very thick MDF on the sides and top, it doesn't rattle and weighs plenty!

Marshall are great - when I got the amp it didn't have a footswitch so they sent me one and a hat and tee shirt!!

I been playing more off than on for 30 years or so, as listed earlier, I use a 1960 Gibson Les Paul, a 1971 Sg Custom & a late '80's American Strat - no effects - sold them a long time ago as I never used them (I think I have a cry baby wahwah somewhere). If the amp was stolen I would most probably replace like with like. I must admit I would like to try either a Dumble or a MesaBoogie but too loud for the house!
I think it is a brilliant amp - can highly recommend it!

The AVT50 has 2 channels, clean and overdrive. It has an effects loop which I always use, a headphone jack and cd input. It came with a footswitch as well. I dont use the emulated DI out because I prefer it to to mic'd and it also has an extension speaker output.

For me, the features are all usable. Its a hyrbrid combo that utilizes a 12AX7 tube for the preamp and a solid state power amp. I use this amp when I practice, for band rehearsals and live gigs.

My guitars are an Ibanez JS900BP, Yamaha Pacifica with Dimarzio Pickups and a home made Strat style. For effects, I always a Dunlop 535Q. Sometimes I'll add a Boss DS-1 or an Ibanez TS9. In the effects loop, I always use a Boss FV-300L and sometimes a CH-1. I use the FV-300L for solos. I rarely use the clean channel of the amp since I got my JS900BP, I just manipulate my volume knob for clean, blues and full distrorted tones.

I was surprised at how the amp sounded, the clean channel is nice and warm enough with no tinniness. It distorts just a bit at very high volumes. For me, its still useable. The Overdrive channel can give distorted type tones ranging from 60's 'til present. When I use my Ibanez, it cleans up amazingly. With just a flick of the volume knob I can go from clean, to just a pinch of dirt, to full distortion. The spring reverb is good too, but don't expect surf type tones. This a well rounded amp. Its tones are really good that I think buying these type of amp could be a choice over real tube amps because of the price/performance ratio. I think its a practical amp. No tubes to maintain too.

I gig with this amp without backup. It seems reliable and I've had it since 2001. One concern I have though is that it sometimes shift channel on its own. I used the footswitch and that fixed the problem. But at present, I just use the overdrive channel and use my volume knob. If you don't, learn how to use it!

I haven't dealt with them yet

I'll buy the same thing of course. But i make sure none of my stuff gets stolen. It never happened. I've been playing semi pro for 6 years. It has given me and my band 5 championships and I got 3 best guitarist awards. If you buy this amp, will you get a best guitarist award? of course not, woodshedding does and i've had my fair share of lockup and practice.

features are pretty basic really...50 watts of valvestate power.. 2 channels.. clean and overdrive, passable reverb, head phone jack, footswitch and cd output... cmon.. u should know better.. u are buying the amp.. marshallamps.com for more details.... dun wanna waste my time dwelling in this category...

ok lets be honest here.. how can an amp sound so bad to a few, yet others think its awesome... i seriously do not know wad the previous negatives review were all about... back to the point.. i am usin a gibson les paul copy wif emg select hums and a jackson dinky... i have been playin for 5 years and i know wads good and wads bad... i play mostly progressive rock to punk and sometimes dwell abit into metal... for around US$280, this is an awesome amp.. no joke here... it can be used as a bedroom amp, or rockin a hall for 500+ pax wif ease.... this thing is really loud for a 50 watter... clean channel can be warm and crisp... while when dirty, it kills... vintage marshall overdrive... for dat amount of money, wad more can u ask for?

like wad others say.. it really is built like a tank... i have faith in the seller dat sold me this baby!

the seller said it comes with a year warranty but he has owned it for 2 years+ now so... anyway marshall actually is too big to care about people like u or me...

ok.. actually in my opinion.. marshalls are way overpriced... it would not be worth it to spend anywhere near $600 to get this amp... roland, peavey and crate have good sounds but are way cheaper than marshalls... i have to say i am lucky to get it at a low low price.. if it was stolen i would try to get the same amp for a similar price.. or get another better amp recommended by a good fren of mine.. if u have a tight budget, do not get marshalls.. they seriously are overpriced in my point of view compared to other similar amps..

It's a plaything for beginners and intermediates. A trash amp for taking to rough gigs for good players.

Barely passes in stock state. After changing speaker and venting the cab, it's passable for a gig. I wouldn't record with this thing. Still has as solid state edge. Some good pedals will get you your tone.

It's a particle board princess that can't cut it in a rough and tumble world. Circuit board and jacks, pots, etc. are flimsy plastic crap that will break on you if you are the rough kind of player. It's for staying in the bedroom or for taking it out knowing that you will trash it out when you do. If owning a trashed up amp makes you look like a seasoned pro, then this will get that way in less time than a well built amp. Particle board back scratches up real easy. It's cheap crap with a flashy veneer.

Get real. Marshall is big and doesn't give much of a damn about you. They are more concerned about giving free gear to every rock star that wants to pimp gear for them. Stupid turds in the audience might think you are cool for using Marshall. I have a much better tube amp, and use this POS to keep from damaging my REAL amp that I play at home and use for recording.

I really don't give a diddly damn about this amp as far as sound quality. It gets a halfway decent sound for a few bucks on the used market. A Roland Blues Cube will do you about as well. Marshalls are popular and you will have no trouble buying used ones for years to come. I have two of them, so if one breaks, I just grab the other one. People at my gigs can't discern between this amp and a $2000 boutique amp, so why trash out a good amp around boobs spilling beer? Save your good tube amps for the important stuff, and take amps like this to low rent gigs that really just serve as slightly paid practice sessions anyway. The rock world is mostly hype, and Marshall amps are mostly hype and always have been. I wouldn't buy an expensive Marshall amp unless Marshall gave me one. For that kind of money, you can get a really decent amp made by real amp builders.

Don't let a fancy name like Valvestate fool you, this is as solid state as they come. 2 channels - clean and distortion (yawn) and 1 effect which is reverb.

This is no gig amp - no matter what they try telling you on the official site - 50 Watts of Solid State power is NOT enough. It is clearly a bedroom amp for beginner - intermediate players.

I play rock with loud/quiet dynamics so i need nice clean tones as well as raunchy distortion - this delivers neither, not even through my #700 American Stratocaster. The tones are just so bad, the clean tones are dull and sound like the distortion channel with a bit less fuzz. the distortion channel delivers a really bad tone also.

No problems here.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing 2 and a half years and i now realise that tube amps are the only way to go. I would love someone to steal it so i could claim compensation and buy a better amp.

I got this Amp for my 11 Y/O son. I toured professionally 79-95. The only amp I kept when I retired was a Marshall 100w Super lead with 8
4x12 cabs. I also had a V/S 8040 that just died I loved the sound I got out of that amp. When someone sugested a V/S for my son I was very leary. But I was so impressed with the sound I went out and got a AVT-150 for my self and my Super lead is going into storage.

I mostly use Stats but I feel this amp sounds GREAT with any GTR I have over 50 nice GTRs.
I am a Hendrix freak. (Johnny Winter Stevie Ray) I play Blues to Metal.
Clean channel is a little low. But I'm in my studio so I don't have a problem.
Distortion is nice and warm.

Just got it.
NEVER GIG WITHOUT A BACKUP!

Marshall loves me.

I have been playing 42 years.
If it were stolen or lost I would replace it.
I love having a GREAT AMP that I can plug and play without tweaking my sound all the time. I hate the fact I didn't get one a long time ago.
I have a couple of Fender Amps and various older amps but what can I say I always go back to Marshall. I did compare it to the new Cyber Fenders. I love Marshalls.

Stay away from drugs that includes alcohol and tobacco You can't win.
We lost too many great people already.

Everything you really need.

It gets a lot of vintage Marshall type sounds from the classic rock era.

Good so far. It has a cooling fan, so the power amp should be reliable.

I hear Marshall is a bit slow, but they do fix their product.

With a better Celestion speaker installed, this amp really rocks. I agree with others that the stock speaker should be canned ASAP. It looks rather pathetic for a Celestion speaker. Go to the Watford Valves website and read their Celestion speaker reviews, as they are right on. Install the Celestio speaker that suits your tastes, and it slike a trip back to the 70's, at least with the speaker I chose, a G12H30. I tested several NOS American tubes against the Marshall tube, and ended up putting the original tube back in as none were quieter or sounded better to my ears. If you want Marshall tube tones without the cost and mess, this could be your amp. Don't expect it to sound exactly the same, but it is squarely in the ballpark and can stand on its own. I like this better at the price. Just sling that POS stock speaker out the backdoor. If it had come with a top end Celestion speaker, I would have graded it a 10 for the price. This has a particle board cab, so keep it dry.

I bought this amp brand new 2 years ago. It has been my amp this long cause i can't afford a stack although i just bought one yesterday. It has all the features a combo needs, 2 channels, reverb a very good distortion with a decent humbucker, but not a gigging amp. Good for band practice.

I use a ibanez s540 custom shop and a esp with emg's and the guitar make it sound awesome. Its not the amp makin the guitars sound good its the guitars makin the amp sounds good. Great for a 1/2 way guitarist but not a professional piece of equipment. I play Metallica and i play either puppets or justice on the stereo with me playin along with it and the dist. sounds exact. Although i jammed with a dude that had a Peavey triple xxx stack and when he was at low volume i still couldnt hear myself. This amp hasnt got enough mids to vs a good stack. No feedback if using good humbuckers, and the clean channel is very very nice, the best bit about the amp even tho i play heavy sh*t.

havnt had any trouble

never had to ring em

i've been playin for 12 years (since i was 6) and i havnt heard a better combo for metal. If it were stolen i would say oh well and keep my stack E8-P

Made in Englan i suppose science it has a sticker of the English flang on te back of the amp.
2 channels, one clean and the other distorted, effect loop, etc.
I guess if you could meke it sound good it is versatil.

Sorry to say it, but the sound i get from this amp is totaly horrible, I've tried anything to make it sound good, but it seems that no matter what i do, it'll still sound bad.

At first I put my stomboxes in fron of the amp, it sounded awful, the i put them in the efects loop, and I have to agree there was a big difference, i suggest you put the volume and modulation pedals in the effect loop.

But still, when you tourned the volume up it has this squeaky sound i hate, it just mekes you ears explode, I don't know why this happens.

I've tried several other marshall avt's, and they all seem to have the same problem.

In the clean mode the sound is good, great I would say, but when you hit the dsitorted channel or add any type of distortion(even in the clean channel with an external peda) I just sucks big time.

Sorry for Marshall, I'm really disapoionted, i guess you have to buy an expensive amp to get a get sound, Jesus Christ I mean!!!, my old 15w Crate amp sound better, too bad it is jus 15w.

Any way, if you can't use the distorted channel, then what do you want this amp for???.

I has no defect I admit, it looks rough, I have it science a year ago and it have't make any complains, still as good as new.

No dostortion... no good grade.

If you are willing to buy this amp, let me give you and advise:

Take all the effects you are using and try them with the amp, in every possible and loud way, so you hear the real sound it has.

Marshall, you have let me down!!!!!!.

This Amp has everything I need for my styles of music which range from blues to classic rock (Zepplin, Preist, Sabbath/ Ozzy) to Metal (Metallica, Pantera) and everything in between. Its plenty loud and can be used for club gigs and band practice.

-Tube pre-amp, Solid state power section
-2 Channel: Clean and Overdrive
-Channel switching via a button on the control panel of the amp or the supplied footswitch.
-It features both an fx send & return jack plus an emulated DI Out jack.
-Headphone jack
-CD input jack (volume controlled by the CD player separate from the amp volume control-Very COOL!!)
-Loudspeaker jack (allows you to plug into a separate external speaker-also Very COOL)
-Spring Reverb

This amp has everything. The only snag in this whole setup is that there is no footswitch control for the reverb. Other than that its a very versatile amp with loads of power. I use this amp for practice and its never let me down when searching for the right tone. Fiddling with the equalizer knobs does wonders. Most of my favorite sounds on this thing were found by mistake! Trial and error if you will.

This amp should get a 10 rating but thats the price you pay for not having a footswitch to turn the reverb on and off. But 9 is pretty darn good.

I just got a Gibson Les Paul Voodoo guitar that I haven't put down for the last month or so and it sounds amazing plugged into this thing. Before the LP I was using a Fender USA Special Highway 1 Showmaster HH Floyd Rose with twin EMG 81 pups replacing the stock pups that came with the guitar (with the EMGs this guitar is a real mean shred machine). It also sounded great coming out of the Marshall. You can get virtually any sound you want out of this amp. From pristine, LOUD, clean tones to crazy LOUD crunch. The clean channel starts to break up at around 6 or 7 but its a nice vintage kinda sound that I really dig. And the distortion can go from classic rock crunch to modern mayhem with the twist of a knob. Very versatile amp. I've had it for over a year now and fall in love with it more and more everyday I use it. I noticed that a lot of reviewers on this site complained about the fans that come with these amps. Funny, I think they forgot to install a fan in mine at the Marshall factory 'cuz even when I stick my ear right up on the amp I can't here a freakin thing. Luck of the draw I guess.

This thing is built like a safe. Other than the fact that this amp survived the initial trip when it was shipped from the USA to where I currently reside (Liberia, West Africa) I've moved twice this year and on one occassion one of the guys helping me load furniture into the truck lost his grip and dropped the amp. Other than a cracked corner guard it came on when i plugged it in and still sounds like a dream. Even though I don't gig I would use it without a backup. Its that tough. But regardless of the fact that this amp can handle punishment I still take good care of my gear. The nearest Marshall technician is three thousand miles away from where I live so I never take any unnecessary risks.

Never dealt with them. Actually can't deal with them even if I wanted to. West Africa remember?

I've been playing guitar for a little over ten years now. The first amp I ever got was a 10 watt epiphone piece of crap. Than I got a better quality 20 watt no name, home made piece of crap. About a year ago I got the Marshall AVT 50 which has the best of both worlds, a tube pre-amp section and a solid state power section. My next amp will either be a Genz Benz El Diablo 60 Combo or an ENGL Screamer 50 Combo. Either one will suffice as thay are both full tilt tube monsters. But until that time comes I am completely content with my AVT 50. The versatility of this amp is its selling point. But the reason I chose this amp was simple. It was the only Marshall with a tube that fit my budget at the time. And if stolen I will hunt down the theif and get "mid-evil on his ass with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch". Or I'll use the theft as an excuse to buy one of the previously mentioned all tube amps.

Passable reverb, but no remote reverb switch. Basic two channel amp.

At first you think it sounds great, until yoou compare it to a Traynor YCV40 that costs a few bucks more, is better made, and sports 5 tubes in the design. The Marshall bad dog AVT50 then sulks away with its tail between its legs. So you buy a Celestion G12H80 speaker and it's in the ballgame again. Then you install a G12H80 in the Traynor and the bad dog AVT50 sulks away with its tail between its legs again. Not to mention that 40 tube watts in the YCV40 will play louder than the 50 solid state watts in the AVT50. Plus, the Traynor will play a lot cleaner ala Fender if you want it to and with a long spring reverb ala Fender as well, and still get down and dirty into Marshall law territory if you need to. Yeah, it kicks the butt clean off your old Peavey or Crate combo amp, but what halfway decent amp doesn't these days? Hey, it's a good amp if you want Marshall tones and will throw out some cash for a better speaker. By the time you install the speaker, you could have bought a Traynor that is better made and always going to blow it away in the versatility and sound level department. On the plus side, I couldn't find a tube that really outperformed the stock tube, even my NOS American tubes.

A 7 is really generous for something that uses phenolic resin & paper circuit boards and particle board cabinets, but everything fits together very well and there was abvious high levels of workmanship. The cheap pots, switches, and jacks will head south after a few years of regular use, and they are soldered directly to the board. Exact replacements will have to be found.

I hope I never have to find out. I'll fix the amp myself when it breaks, or trade it in for something that works.

I wanted a Marshall for Marshall tones. It does that. I was peeved that I had to put in a decent speaker to get the most out of this amp. Marshall is hurting their own reputation by not putting a speaker equal to the amp in as stock. Maybe they figure you will install what you want anyway and the stocker is only temporary. I also have a Traynor YCV40 and it gets most of my playtime, so this is a backup, but a fairly good one. It's an 8 after a better speaker. The Traynor is a 9, and I never owned a 10 and probably never will. I don't think I would pay more for any of the other Marshalls. Marshall doesn't make a tube combo amp better than the new Traynors at any price. But neither does Fender. The Fender Hot Rod series made in Mexico have reliability problems, so I can't slag the AVT series too much. If you don't need high quality reverb, then the AVT50 looks a lot better in comparison to the YCV40. The YCV40 has regulated power supplies, autobias, and conservative voltages on the tubes. Thinking that the AVT50 will be the more reliable amp because it's solid state is just wishful drinking. When driven really hard, I would suspect the YCV40 will outlast the AVT50.

Manufactured 2004 - you know the rest of the blurb. Has all the features that I wanted - I don't want amp models, or DFX, just a good solid amp for gig and practise. May have been nice to have a lead channel as well ... ...

Using a PRS Soapbar SE. Wonderful blues tones - even gives me a credible thrash/Metallica from my P90's.

Some people have complained about the fact that the clean channel breaks up too early. I like this and the break-up is not too early as I don't have massively powerful pickups - backing off the volume pot a little really smooths everything out.

Likewise I have read complaints about the cooling fan being annoying - on mine, it is very quiet and even at very low volume practising with sleeping baby in house, I don't notice the fan.

Bottom line is - brilliant blues / rock / Marshall sounds - if you don't want Marshall sounds, don't buy a Marshall !!

Too new yet, but I expect it to be reliable - previous Marshall gear has never failed. Mates with similar gear have no issues.

Never used for a failure, but answers to technical questions were prompt and good quality. Likewise, spare parts needed for an old 2020 were cheap and promptly delivered.

I would buy again if stolen. Really nothing else at this price range that can compare - believe me I tried a few !!

Firstly, my two electrics are a Paul Reed Smith Custom 22, and a Fender Highway 1 Strat.
Quite an 'alibi amp'... MUCH better than any equivalent offerings I've played from Peavey, Fender etc.
Clean suffices, particular satisfactory with single coils but is much too low for the band I'm in (3 guitar psyched. ambient. metal band). I've cranked it in every way and it just doesn't get there at all. It does however respond very well to any pedal I've put before it.
Reverb is a bit dry for my tastes, but I have a pedal to get more 'wash' and I doubt it'd matter to most people.
Where it really scores is in the overdrive channel. Can get most valve-like Marshall tones that I've been looking for, owning it has taught me a lot about the value of tweaking.
Works particularily well with Humbuckers, but was surprised how well it worked with single coils!
Didn't find the fan too much of a hindrance, but have heard complaints relating to excessive noise from friends who own the same amp.

It's a Marshall. Nowadays perhaps not the last word in bomb-proof roadworthiness, but it's always been the guitar (old stage one was a particularily troublesome Epi Les Paul)that's cut out. I got a good one.
Haven't had to replace the one tube (have had it 1 and half years now)yet, so no comments on tube reliability.

Never dealt with them

I've been playing about 4 years now, and in a band for two.
For the player on a budget, it's a great amp. I've had a very positive experience as an owner, and it has given me an idea of the sound I'm looking for in my next purchase (Likely to be a Marshall again, but this time a 'completely' valve-driven combo).
It's pretty much the perfect 'step-up amp' from the old 10W Marshall lunchbox I used to play. Wholeheartedly recommend anyone curious to try it out.
I'm really only selling mine as a result of financial constrictions (a student buying a new amp while trying to live in college!), but would keep it if I had the choice, for home use.

see below

SOLD IT..........I really liked the sounds of this amp, but I had enought about the damn FAN inside which has been crapping out five times. The last time it happened during a gig, something inside the amp got too hot and broke (smoke).

To the folks at Marshall:

INSTALL A BIGGER HEATSINK AND GET RID OF THESE DAMN FANS IN YOUR NEW LINE AMPS (AVT-Line, MG-Line, MODE FOUR) OR SPEND TWO BUCKS MORE AND GET SOME BETTER QUALITY FANS.

For the price, you get exactly what you need. The reverb is sweet, its the only real effect any amp should have besides overdrive. However, only a bass/treb EQ on the clean channel, I dont know why they didnt put a mid level, but its hardly annoying.

I cant believe this amp, its really an incredible beast. Turning up the gain much above 1/2 is really worthless however, it really does its best metal sound at just above 1/2. The crunch on high gain clean or low gain overdrive is amazing. I absolutly love this amp for its lower overdrive feel! And whats more amazing is how versitile it is, especially when you play with the EQ, you can get some really retro sounds to heavy metal.

However, when trying to play completly clean its no louder then a cheap practice amp, and its sad because this has to be the loudest 1x12 out there. And as mentioned, most of the heavy gain is worthless, its just not needed for anything at all.

Where did they go wrong? After almost a year of owning it there are some problems. First, when switching channels you get a pop while in the middle of holding any degree of note. This is a pain in the ass if you have people sleeping in your house, its quite loud.

I can really live with the pop, but the next problems annoy me very much. First off, it seems the footswitch will flip from clean to overdrive for no reason at all. And it isnt a clean switch, its sounds like its trying to switch back and forth very slowly. Sounds like an amp having a bad trip. Then the fx loop does the same exact thing! It doesnt do it too much, but it just can kill your current playing mood to have to take off your effects and fiddle with the footswitch in the middle of a song.

Its really too bad, this has to be the best sounding distortion ive encountered, especially in such a small amp. Im not keen on paying $1500 for a head and another $1000 for a stack either, but you get what you pay for.

Marshalls everywhere, information everywhere. Never had to deal with customer service, but if your amp doc cant repair a Marshall its time to get a new doc.

Beautiful amp, with some reliability problems and clean channel issues that make this a great small crunchy amp good for practice and small performances.

If your a begginner or intermediate its great, so versitile, but once your taste has developed you really need to get some better equitment that wont fail you.

This Amp was made in 2002. It has one small tube in the pre amp which can accurately re-create tube sound. Has your two channels (clean and overdrive, which are simply amazing I might add), channel switching with pedal (comes with it), effects loop jack, cd jack, and a headphone jack. I mostly play classic rock and maybe a little modern every now and then, no metal whatsoever because it sucks. I use this for practice and to jam with friends/band mates. It can produce well more than enough sounds to play most indoor gigs and more than enough for jamming.

I use this with a Les Paul with two stock Humbuckers and it just blows me away how good this amp sounds. You can pretty much play anything through it, it is very versatile. This will start shaking your house at around 4 or 5 with the gain all the way up which leads me to another thing... The overdrive is crystal clear! You can hear every note being played instead of just a blob of noise.

I have only had it for a week so I cant really judge it here. It is more than two years old and still works fine. Plus if something did go wrong, you have the good old Marshall 5 year warranty to go along with it. :)

IT'S A FREAKING MARSHALL FOR GOD'S SAKE. It isnt one of those crap amps that everybody else makes that is made in Indonesia. It is made in England. Which is probably better than it being made in America. I have never dealt with marshall, but its marshall. 5 YEAR WARRANTY!

I did my homework and tried many amps and this is the one I chose. I just love this amp and If you get it I know you will too.

Amp was made in 2004.....Very versatile, I play everything from classic rock, jazz and a BIT-O-METAL. I use this amp both as a practice amp and as a small forum gig amp (AKA.... wedding singer) In a few larger settings that I felt that I needed more demension, I mic'd it. If I played at larger forums on a regular basis, I'd either step-up or get a cabinet. . I would like a 2nd overdrive channel, but hard to play the 100/150 watt version in the house at over-drive levels w/o having a visit from the local Sheriffs department.

I play 3 guitars. Gibson Les Paul Studio ( I am sorry, I do play it in public and love it!) Fender American Strat and a beat-up Acoustic Martin. (Mic'd only) The clean channel plays very well at any volume. Has a tube feel to it. Compaired to a Crage ss (solid state) AMP I have used in the past,it has a great full, warm tone, espicailly with the Gibson. The distortion channel, IMHOP, is great TOTAL MARSHALL SOUND. I can get anything from mild to WILD! I just wish it could play at an even lower volume with "Dirt" added. I accomplish this by useing headphones for those times when you do not need, or want the neighbors to know what I am playing. The effects loop is a cool addition. Though, for what I play, just a neat aditional tool that I don't really need. As of yet.

I can't give a TRUE rating as I have only had the amp for 3 months and played at only 5 gigs..........So, I will give it an 8. I'll give it a 10 if it still performs as well in several years.

I have no issues so far. No need to use their customer support.

I'll give it a 10 for any amp under $500.00. It is a great deal. Hybred's give you the TONE comparible to a full tube amp at a much more comfortable price and the reliability of far less tubes. I'll leave the Crate models such as the XT120R to the 16 year old that only wants to play total overdrive, bangs away and only cares about decibels.

2 channels, reverb, headphone out, CD in. All the things I need this amp to do. No built in effects. And that is good for me since I rarely use any. But has a series effects loop if you want to put any in there. And has an external speaker jack that the built in speaker connects to. So can be run right to a cabinet for more/better sound when gigging. I rate it high for a lack of effects and other features I don't want. Hard to find a basic solid state/hybrid type amp that doesn't have DSP in it. Mine came with an Electroharmonix 12AX7 in it. And a 4 ohm Celestion with a really small magnet. Looks like a Rocket 50.

Most of my playing is rock, blues, and also dabble in jazz. Guitars used are a 58 Les Paul Historic, Peavey Wolfgang std, and Fender Telecaster.
I am really happy with this amp. I use it primarily as a practice amp at home. But it is definately capable of gig use. Sounds better at low volumes than my Marshall TSL60. When an all tube amp is to loud for the playing area, I use the AVT . I really like how it responds to the volume control on the guitar. Usually set up clean channel a little dirty with guitar all the way up, and then cleans up when the guitar volume is decreased. And the overall volume stays about the same. The overdrive channel responds the same way, with more distortion of course. Overall it does clean really well, all the way to more gain then I care for. I have played it through Celestion V30 and G12H speakers in my external cabinets and the tone is better at higher volumes than the built in one. I am a tube amp lover, but this AVT is great when you just can't turn it up loud enough to make power tubes sound good.

No problems with mine. This is my second one. Sold the first one, then figured out how much I needed it later. No reliabilty issues. But I haven't had either one more than three months. The 12AX7 tube could go bad I suppose. But I have a stockpile of them. Only takes 4 screws to get to it. This is actually a good backup for my TSL60. The cooling fan in mine is quiet.

No problems. Never would depend on warranty service. Not to say that its bad. I always expect the worst.

I love it. Great as a practice amp. Sounds good at low volumes. Need it loud, plug in a good external cab. Really versatile amp. Fills in when my 3 other all tube amp can't do it.

I am not going to describe the features in details. You can go to Marshall's web site and look for yourself. I bought mine Aug 2004. I like the Headphone jack as I normally use it at night. I wish it had more effects in addition to reverb. I seldom use the clean channel. If I want to play clean, I use my Fender amp.

I am using Epi LP custom with Gibson pickups and Mex Fender Strat. Sounds very good to me on the overdrive channel. This is one of the sounds I have been looking for an amps that cost less than $500. Unfortunately, the cooling fan of this amp is very very annoying to me. Most of the time I play soft like volume 1 to 1.5 and I can really hear the motor of the cooling fan. I unplugged my guitar, turned on the amp, went down stairs and I can still hear the motor of the cooling fan. I cannot stand it! In the store you cannot hear it because it was very noisy there. So, I returned the amps and I feel bad about it cause I really like the amp. Since the cooling fan impacts the sounds, I am giving it a 7. It would have been 9 otherwise. If you play loud you won't hear it and probably it won't bother you. Don't let this stop you from buying it. Give it a shot first. It is not fair to compare this amp to a tube amp but it is fair to compare it to another hybrid amp. However, it sounds like a tube amp sometimes.

I am using Epi LP custom with Gibson pickups and Mex Fender Strat. Sounds very good to me on the overdrive channel. This is one of the sounds I have been looking for an amps that cost less than $500. Unfortunately, the cooling fan of this amp is very very annoying to me. Most of the time I play soft like volume 1 to 1.5 and I can really hear the motor of the cooling fan. I unplugged my guitar, turned on the amp, went down stairs and I can still hear the motor of the cooling fan. I cannot stand it! In the store you cannot hear it because it was very noisy there. So, I returned the amps and I feel bad about it cause I really like the amp. Since the cooling fan impacts the sounds, I am giving it a 7. It would have been 9 otherwise. If you play loud you won't hear it and probably it won't bother you. Don't let this stop you from buying it. Give it a shot first. It is not fair to compare this amp to a tube amp but it is fair to compare it to another hybrid amp. However, it sounds like a tube amp sometimes.

Never deal with them.

If the store has the same amp with a quiet cooling fan, Yes, I will buy it again. I like the sound of the overdrive. I am not sure about the clean sound. One thing I do not like about this amp is the cabinet. It is made of particleboard - cheap! Would have been nice if it were thick plywood. I have been playing the guitar since 1960. I first play the Ukulele on 1958.

I paid $450 in Jan '04, so I believe it is an '03 model. The features cover my needs for playing Led Zepplin, Kiss, Aerosmith and other similar bands. The reverb sounds great. Its nice to have a real spring reverb rather than a simulated digital reverb. I was not looking for fancy effects but for a good sounding amp.

I use a Les Paul Studio. The clean channel is just ok. It seems to distort at lower volumes than I had hoped for. However if clean was the most important sound I would have bought a Fender or other amp. Marshall is about rocking and the overdrive channel sounds great. When the volume is high I have to back off the gain to keep it from getting too muddy. I may try a speaker upgrade.

I played this amp beside a Crate 60 Watt solid state amp with lots of digital effects and the Marshall kicked its butt. I use this amp mostly at home but have jammed with a garage band on several occasions and it definately held its own with a drummer. I also played an all tube marshall JCM 112 combo for almost twice as much and was just as happy with the AVT-50 sound.

Its an amp that roars and can be played without going deaf.

I have owned this amp for 8 months and have had no problems. I cannot speak for reliability yet as I don't haul it around so it does not receive any physical abuse.

I have not had to deal with customer support. My only concern is that if there are problems you have to deal with Korg USA. I would prefer dealing direct with Marshall. Not sure if Korg is a "parent" company or if they are the USA distributors.

If the amp had a clean mid-range control and if a better speaker would make an overall improvement I would rate this a solid 9. Placing a skimpy speaker with a great sounding amp does not make sense other than to cut costs. For these reasons I give it a solid 8. A great amp considering the price of all tube amps. Also, to saturate a power amp you would have to crake up the volume and use an attenuator to not blow your ear drums out. Therefore I am not dead set on having an all tube amp. The 12AX7 preamp seems to do a great job. I would love to hear this amp in a 4x12 cab.

I definately reccomend giving this amp a good try at your local music store.

Two channels - clean and distorted. At the moment im in to doing john petrucci and paul gilbert exercises, that kind of tone - I mostly play rock and anything above it. This amp isnt versatile enough to nail anything, but it'll "do the job" providing you dont need to use the clean channel for a cheap price. The reverb is half decent.

Using this with a Brian Moore I-1. Clean channel is basically a joke, not worth commenting on - and the distortion is good, well as good as you could expect from a hybrid amp at such a cheap price. For a beginner or amateur it'll do the job but lets be realistic - it cant compare to the likes of an all tube amp. Can't really hit any "sounds" as such, but it'll do.

Well it did me proud, no problems UNTIL after about 4 years of ownership the thing stopped and started to smell like smoke, now all I get is a crappy frizzle. Don't know why this happened - it's in amp hospital now.

Took it to Billy Hydes in melbourne - god knows if ill ever see it again lol

I've been playing five years, and owned this amp for 4 of them. If this was lost or stolen I'd have a good laugh cause the theif would have wasted his energy, he might as well have stolen a bar fridge - costs about the same and makes the same kind of hum, just less loud, plus the marshall won't keep your drinks cold. I'm waiting on a genzbenz el diablo to be shipped to Australia - a REAL amp - so in summary - buy this if you're a beginner wanting something better than a 15 watt solid state - or amatuer needing a backup - apart from that its nothing special.

This is perhaps the best hybrid single tube amp on the market.

This is one of the best sounding Marshall amps out there right now. It's let down by that cheapass bottom feeder Celestion speaker which is OK for practice volumes. For live work, you need an upgrade. If you want Classic Marshall tone, you have to upgrade to a top line Celestion Speaker like the Vintage 30, Greenback, or G12H. My fave is the G12H for its fabulous low end response, but my style is moderate to heavy distortion at high volume. Country players need the Vintage 30 or an Eminence speaker. Save the bottom feeder Celestion speaker for an old Crate or Peavey solid state amp you can pick up for chump change. It's an 8 after a speaker changeout, and the volume is increased. I stuffed my cab with 1/2 pound of acousta-stuf to take out resonant peaks. Now its a true quality sounding amp, and fairly loud. The tube was pulled and tested as well as other tubes I had laying around, including some NOS tubes.

This depends on how you treat it. The particle board cabinet and phenolic resin circuit board will NOT stand the abuse that an amp with a plywood cab and glass epoxy boards will take. If you keep it in the home or studio, or transport it very carefully, it should hold up. The workmanship is of a higher level than the construction materials. Slap another coat of paint or two on the underpainted backboard to prevent scratching of the particle board or it gets trashy looking quickly if you haul it around. All jacks and pots are soldered to the board and require exact replacements.

It's from a big company and they act like a big company. Expect it to be a bit slow and impersonal. People have wildly varying experiences with Marshall gear.

I'd buy a few spare pots and jacks if I depended on it for a living. It's only a 6 or 7 as a stock unit, which is good at the low price end of acceptable REAL amps. Try a better speaker and consider another tube before passing judgement on it. Those things make a lot of difference. It almost plays at the quality tube amp level now, and I would prefer it over some all tube amps I have heard. Fairly easy to get up to the 8 level. Buy this amp used, because lots of them are in circulation. Then spend the money you saved on a few upgrades and for less than a new one you get better sound with better parts. This amp is too expensive new because several all tube amps can be had at that price on the used market and will perform at a higher level.

Do you know what year the amp was made in?
- Yes, it was made in 2003

Is the amp versatile enough for you and the styles of music you play? What are those styles?
- It's extremely versatile. You name it, you can get the sound, if you take the time to fiddle with the settings. I play nothing but metal.

How many channels? Does it have channel switching? Effects loops? Headphone jack?
- Two channels, Channel switching via foot controller, Effects send and return, headphone jack, reverb.

What features do you wish it had? Why? Are there features you never use?
- I wish it had two OD channels like the AVT100 and up models and an FX mix dial a la the MG100 series. Since this model is pretty basic, I pretty much use them all. I have no effects currently so the FX send/return isn't being used.

Where do you use this amp? Does it have enough power for you?
- I'm new to playing, and I kinda suck, so I just play in the basement. It's 50 watts of hybrid power, and it doesn't take a whole lot to start shaking the ductwork in my basement.

What guitar and pickup styles are you using it with?
- I play a pre-Fender Jackson RX10D with a EMG81 in the bridge. Tasty stuff.

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
- I only play metal, and it does one heck of a job at that. It's no triple rectified monster, but for what it is, it suits me perfectly.

Is it noisy? On what settings, and in what environments?
- If I get within a foot of the amp with the drive cranked I get some squealing, otherwise it's pretty darn quiet. I've only used it indoors in rooms and in the basement, so I can't tell you much more about how it performs in other environments.

What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?
- Like I said before, you name it, you got it. You have to spend some time tweaking, but the options are vast. The clean is very clean actually, I didn't detect any noise, break-up or dirt in the sound at all. Everything from pop/rock to metal is covered, it just takes time playing with the controls.

Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes? In what settings?
- If you really want the cleanest signal, just crank the volume all the way up and adjust the level with the gain control. This will ensure you're getting the cleanest signal you can get from the amp before the gain becomes an issue. I'd imagine the clean channel will start to get dirty at some point, but I'd go deaf before I found out.

How brutal is the distortion?
- Well....it's definitely more brutal than anything you'll get from the MG series that's for sure. I think it's Metallica brutal, without the deep, deep lows. It's not JCM 800 2203 brutal, but considering what you're playing with, it's 99% brutal enough for me (and brutal is what I live for!)

Can you depend on it? Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
- It's a Made in England Marshall, none of this Made in India or China or Taiwan junk. It's quality, serious quality. I'd go to war with this bad boy.

Has the amp ever broken down? Because of neglect of
regular servicing (as in tubes), or just plain neglect?
- Nope, and as a matter of fact, I've never met a person that's had an issue with one either.

If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
- No idea.

Ever try and get it repaired? Was the repair done under warranty?
- Never had an issue.

Were you able to find
an authorized service center easily?
- Shouldn't be an issue with anyone. The internet can point you in the right direction for that sort of thing.

How long is the warranty?
- Good question! Between a year and 5 years, probably one year.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
- I'm a newb. I've been playing briefly here and there for almost a year. In that last year, in the way of amps, I've owned an MG10, MG50, Brand X X-25 and this one. This one slaughters the other ones by the way.

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
- If it were lost, I'd get one within an hour. If it were stolen, I would get something else. I'd get a big ass truck and run the dumbass over that stole my amp.

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
- I compared it to everything in the MG series (drive sounds tinny with no definition, very flat), the Brand X amps (not bad for a starter, but the speaker craps out way too early when volume is applied), and Peavey Transtube amps (pretty damn good too, only issue was the drive was even worse than the MG amps). Why did I choose this one? TONE.

Anything you wish it had?
- I think I answered that one already. hmmm.....reverb control on the footswitch would be nice, as well as a mid control for the clean channel.

Anything else you'd like to share?
- Are you tired of the solid state combo scene? Do you want a good tube-like sound from your amp without breaking the bank? Do you want a vicious, bone shaking amp that, when connected to the MG412 cabinet, will shake yer nuts when you stand in front of it? All this for the fraction of the price of an all tube Marshall? Look no further ladies and gentlemen.........this is the cats ass.

The amp has the typical features two channel (Clean and Distorted) with volume and gain knobs including EQ and Reverb.

It come with a footswitch and access to effects looping.

The amp is fairly powerful for me. I have only used it for minor
recording and practice.

It gets a nine cause I wish it had a better clean tone

Depending on the type of guitar and pickups you use, you will either love or hate the sound you get.

For example,

I have a Stratocaster with Texas Special pickups. When I play on this guitar, I get a VERY dark tone with very muddy distorted sounds.

But when I play on my strat with Bill Lawerence L-280s and a Dimarzio Fast Track 2 bridge pickup I can get a very clean and crisp tone.

So it shows how different the Marshall sounds with different pickups.

I can get a variety of tones with the marshall: from a lite whispers
to a screamin' lead and if I play with a little reverb great depth for chords.

I haven't had any problems with it. I would gig with this without a backup.

I've been playing for 3 years.

I would definently buy something like this again.

It sounds OK in stock form, especially if used for home practice or band practice with the stock speaker with small magnet. It allows distortion at lower volumes tha nthe best Celestion speakers. I installed an 8 ohm Celestion G12H80 and it now kicks. A G12H30 would also work as going up to 8 ohms from the 4 ohm speaker cuts the power back to where the G12H30 could handle it. The amp is louder in spite of the power loss from the 8 ohm speaker due to the much higher efficiency of the G12H80 with 50 ounce magnet. You can now add on another 8 ohm extension cab to get the impedance back down to 4 ohms for the full 50 watt output. The G12H speaker goes back to the 70's and was used in many of the best Marshall amps of the period. The amp now nails those classic rock tones that you buy a Marshall for.

It should be OK, but not quite a tank although it is fairly heavy.

The price includes the new Celestion G12H speaker. My tube Traynor YCV-40 is better, but it has a lot more tube circuitry. A great point-to point tube amp would be a 10, my Traynor is a 9, and this amp is now an 8 with the speaker upgrade. Still a good grade for an amp you can pick up brand new for $450 and kick up another notch for the price of a $100 speaker upgrade. If you are considering buying it new and upgrading it wit a new speaker, consider that the Traynor YCV-40 will still outperform it in stock form at around $600 and with a tube and speaker upgrade to the YCV-40 the AVT-50 will never touch the YCV-40 no matter what you do to it. I would never buy this amp new because I could get an excellent used YCV-40 for the same price or less, but as a used amp the AVT-50 can be a very good deal if you pay $350 or less, depending on condition. I paid $350 in mint very slightly used condition in original shipping container, and the speaker costs around $100.

This is a 2003 Marshall AVT-50, Valvestate 2000. I play classic rock and metal, and the AVT-50 handles the classic rock better. It has a clean and an overdrive channel, switched by either button or footswitch. The reverb is nice and really is the only effect i expect from an amp of its size. The OD channel is loud enough onstage but the clean is not. The MG-100 preamp is AMAZING for me, because I am playing Iron Maiden.... it is a better choice for metal and it is louder. But for classic rock, this amp kicks.

I use a Fender American Strat with 2 SD Hot Rails in the middle and bridge, and a JB Jr. in the neck to immulate Iron Maiden's sound. I also have a Gibson SG Special. Like I said, the MG-100 is more suitable for metal, but classic rock is great with this amp. It is noisy with lots of distortion, but that can be fixed with the Boss NS-2, Noise Supressor. Any amp needs that. The clean channel is always great as long as the gain is kept below 5. Above 5 you can get good twangy sounds, but it is not really "clean." The clean channel is very versitile and does not get distorted unless you turn the gain up, obviously. The distortion is EXCELLENT, great for classic rock. Again, if classic rock is your boat then this amp is a great buy. Metal.... is still good but not AS good as the less-expensive MG-100.

I would certainly use it without a backup, It's never failed me.

I've been shredding for 7 years now, and this amp and the two guitars mentioned above are basically it, besides a BOSS pedalboard and a Dunlop Crybaby wah. I would buy the MG-100 if this were stolen, due to its loudness, more affordability, and metal-like qualities. I love this amp, but it just doesn't suit me as well as the MG-100. My friend at Guitar Centre recommended this one, and I liked it and bought it. With the Gibson this amp KICKS, but with the metalized strat it is not as good.

Read other reviews for features please. Basic two channel 50 watter with Marshall tone and a great clean.

Listen up. Here is the best way to get great tone from this beast. Take the back panel off and saw 3 or 4 inches off bottom to let speaker open up a little for better cleans. A 3/4 closed back is always the way to go for all around chime and punch on both channels. Next, replace cheesy speaker with an 8 ohm Vintage 30. Even though amp is rated with a 4 ohm,the V30 is so loud and full you will still have more volume than before and is totally safe to run in this amp. I emailed Dr Decible at Celestion and this is his reccomendation. Now fire this sweetie up and you will wet yourself. Remember you will not get that good power tube tone unless master volume is past halfway mark so try master fairly high and slowly work up the preamp control. This is a Classic tone Marshall and will do all the standard Marshall tones not a Triple Rec! As the V30 breaks in you will have better tone than the DSL 201 or 401 series, I know, I have owned them all.

Never had a problem.

Marshall is painfully slow but Dr Decible knows Marshalls.

A very good and reliable Classic toned Marshall that hits all the tones you hear in your head. With above simple mod this is one of the best.

You know the features by now!

Pretty much everything you can ask for on a small practice amp.

I played my friends PRS Custom 24 through it, and i played my mexi strat through it. I plugged this thing into my marshall 1960 lead cab, and it was pretty good. However this thing has too much distortion, and the bad thing about that is that if you actually want meat in the distortion channel you have to turn the gain all the way up. Then you have waaay too much distortion and it sounds kinda muddy. This thing has alot of balls when its at lower volumes, then at the volumes i really care about when i practice and play live it turns into a girl. it looses its girth and becomes a digital distortion pedal like the metal zone...suck. I am used to playing my peavey ultra(older version of triple xxx but much better) and i can say that my tube amp that i bought at around the same price as this eats it for breakfast. The distortion is digital and buzzy sounding...i jammed wityh my friend with my amp and his avt50, omg, you can't hear it through the mix cause its hella buzzy and sounds like a little bee flying around the room...then when he turns it up so i can her him, thats all i hear, and it eats the sound in the room with its crappy ass scooped metal zone tone. For metal this things sucks, for punk its alright, but most anything is for that genre. Clean is awesome however, best marshall clean...omg did i just say marshall and clean in the same sentence. Anyway, its alright for a starter amp, but if you want to share music with other people, get a tube amp.

N/A

N/A

nice little PRACTICE amp, if you just want clean and distorted tones for making riffs.

Features on this amp is simple and straitfoward. Not too much but it has good quality and its build sturdy and tough. Theres no useless effects but the reverb is nice. I personaly dont use the other features such as, headphones, fx loop, and DI output. Theres not too many things on this amp so thats why I give a seven.

Right now I'm using a PRS Santana SE. The distortion sound is versitile and can be from classic to metal. However, I wished the amp did have a little more gain onto it because it lacks some "bite" or "crunch." The amp sounds clean, no buzzes (I use a Monster Cable, Jazz). The clean sounds clean. Just clean. This amp is extremely loud and I have to put it under volume 2, otherwise my stinking neighbors will complain...

This amp is a tank. Strong, well built. I read a lot of reviews and it mentioned about the footswitch not working... Your channel on the amp has to be on Overdrive and then the footswitch will work. Common Sense

no problems

this amp is a tad bit pricy but I say its worth it. The amp is reliable.

fairly standard, just what you'd expect really. no bells and whistles, no light up panal, just that famous squigal on the black cover. it definatly looks the part. this is a hybrid amp, and i'm sure the people below can offer better explanations of this than me, but it basically uses a valve in the pre-amp and then solid state in the power section. two channel clean and overdrive with footswitch, head phone and fx loop. 50 watts may seem small, and you can loose your sound in a free-for-all jam, but you're mic'ed up live so it is gigable at small venues. and it has reverb. some may hate that, others will love it. it has all the features i needed, except maybe a mid control for the clean channel. fairly versatile, but more on that later.

this amp was the first i got when i ventured out of practise amp territory, looking to explore sounds and textures. ok, thats a lie, i wanted distortion and lots of it. what can i say, i got this amp when i was 14 or 15 and i wasnt very tonally versed, and i creditt his amp for helping me discover there was more to an amp than the overdrive knob. i got this amp when i was first discovering tone, and it was great at adapting to my tonal demands as i discovered new guitarists and tones and i (almost) always found an acceptable tone for whatever i wanted from the amp. of course i have grown somewhat in the 3 or 4 years i have had this amp, and now have my own ideas for tones and that was what led me to reconsider the amp. nobody lied on this page, the o.d. is awesome, far more than we should expect at this price. MetallicA, anyone? hows bout some megadeth or slayer? we could get some Jimi on the go with some work and Led Zep is there too. this was all great for a while, but when i started trying to come up with a tone of my own, i had problems, the biggest being that it did NOT get on with my Strat at all. with my hot roded epi LP it shines, but when i stick it with single coils and try and get the distortion to 'sing', it just didnt happen. the sound was just all aggro, no majestic soare through the mix, it was too fuzzy and indistinct. so i began to reconsider it as my main amp and eventually upgraded to a gorgues new Fender twin. speaking of Fender brings clean tones to mind, and the clean channel here could use a bit of rethinking. it is a bit generic and lacks its own character. to sum up, the distortion is huge and right for alot of stuff (mostly heavy though) and the clean does what it should, i guess, after all it is a clean channel. but it doesnt shimmer. and since i am less inclined by massive distortion these days, i found myself limited and tonally restriced. thats not to say everyone will feel that was though, and it still it deserves high marks for the disortion alone, which is blissfull with a decent humbuker.

hmmmm. *ahem*. well, this is where you start to realise why this is a sub-500 quid amp. the amp was cool for a good long while, and the one day just arbitrarilly, the footswitch stopped working. not too bad, just a soldering problem, but a real pain, in that this happened another three times and while i was performing. about a year into owning the amp, it started to display more interesting behaviour, such as arbitrarily flickering between the channels. thankfully this never happened live, but it was a big reason that i retired it. it also began picking radio up when combined with a wah in the bass position. basically, it behaved very eratically and gave me one or two headaches. i guess these are problems that can be reparied, but they are there and they are obstacles you do not want to have to worry about, especially live. but still, depending on your experience with amps these may be easily fixable problems, but the fact that they are there is enough to loose marks on.

no experience with them.

i have now been playing 6 years or so. like i mentioned earlier, i got this amp with very little tonal knowledge, and did learn alot about tone from it. it is strong and will deliver the goods, provided you know how to fix little problems here and there. if it had been stolen when it was all i had, i probably would have opted for something else which was slightly more versatile and reliable. having said that, i do believe this is one of the best bargins in existance, and that the problems i descibed could well be to do with my own heavy-handedness at times. if you want distortion, this is your first port of call. i dont think anyone who is all about the clean tone would be considering this amp, and if you are, i would advise you to the Fender section, but i think this has much more than enough going for it to justify the price and will take you close to some of your dream tones for very little money.

Very versatile amp, brand new, no cheesy digital effects, which is why I liked it. It sounded better than all the other amps I tried in the AVT line. Raw clean, and raw crunch, that's about all I need. I'm only giving it an 8 because the clean channel lacks midrange, although you can still get some sweet tones. Has an effects loop, headphone jack, and emulated output for P.A. Great for all styles of music, good clean, and great gain anywhere from blues break up to heavy metal. I also liked the fact that it was very light compared to all tube amps, which is good for gigging with.

Using a few guitars - Ibanez S540fm with EMG 81, SA, and 85, sounds very crisp - SG 61 reissue and Les Paul Custom with 57 classics (very Zeppelinesque), and a Strat plus with a hot rails in the bridge (Great for Deep Purple). The amp emits very little noise, which is a plus, even at some high gain settings, however you need to turn it up a little to get a sweeter sound. Gets some awesome Metallica - Zakk Wylde distortion, sounds great if pushed with an overdrive pedal for leads, but if you roll the gain back a little, you can get some good classic sounds. Perfect for what I was looking for. I've been playing through a hot rod deville 2x12 for years, which is great, but this gives me that extra punch and crunch I've been looking for. Not nearly as loud though. You should mic the amp through a P.A., especially if you play with a powerful drummer.

Only had it for a few weeks, hasn't given me a problem at all. I never gig with a backup, although I probably should.

Never dealt with them.

Been playing for almost 10 years, tried a variety of amps, and I like this one the best! Would definitely purchase it again, great value for the money. Wish it had a little more volume though, and was available in a 2x12 cabinet. Wish it had midrange on the clean, but overall a great sounding amp, especially considering it has a solid state power section. Feel free to contact me by e-mail if you have any questions, always happy to help out a fellow axe-man.

This is a new Marshall AVT 50 Valvestate combo amp. It has two channels, plus reverb. It has an effects loop, and headphone, and CD jack. It has a tube pre amp, and solid state power section.

This amp is amazing!!! Both channels have a gain control on them. It allows you to have "twin reverb" clean, or "blues" break up, on channel 1. Channel 2 can sound like a "plexi", or a "JCM 800", if you increase the gain. You can not tell that it is a "hybrid" amp. This baby sounds like an all tube amp, but without going deaf!! I use a Am. Standard Strat, and a Les Paul Standard, with it. You have to adjust the gain, and EQ depending on which guitar you use. Now let me make this clear . . . this amp sings, and sings, and sings. I've been playing for 30 years, and have heard and played through most of the top brands. I play classic rock, and blues. I love "plexi's", but they're too damn loud for small clubs, and stages. The singer has to hear himself too!! (I sing). This baby is the best hybrid / solid state amp on the market, and sounds like an all tube amp. It is great, and you can get the tones at reasonable volumes. I love it!! And get this . . . I don't like the sound of "modeling", and solid state amps!! This amp is remarkable!

I haven't had the amp long enough, to remark on its reliability. Usually solid state amps are indestructible.

Haven't needed.

Refer to my above remarks. This amp is incredible sounding. I love it. I am using it over my '68 Dual Showman Reverb, my '65 RI Deluxe Reverb, and my Marshall 1987. I would replace it if it was stolen.

2-channel 50w 1x12 Combo with one 12AX7 valve (tube) in the pre-amp and a solid state power stage, built in 2002. Has independent controls for both channels; Clean channel comprises of Gain/Volume/Bass/Treble, Overdrive is the same but has a Mid control. The amp also has proper spring reverb and CD and Headphone inputs on the front panel. On the rear panel it has an FX loop, Footswitch Jack (Footswitch included) and an Emulated Line-out, which is very useful for recording purposes or DI?ing into a PA. The closed back cabinet is covered with textured black vinyl and is fitted with a custom designed 12? Celestion speaker. It looks like a Marshall and sounds like one too.
The only things missing from this amp, for me, would be a footswitchable solo boost and an option of an open back cab. This amp has a very narrow directional volume spread. If you?re standing right in front of it you?re hit with its full force. If you stand off to the side you can struggle to hear it in certain playing situations. If a section of the back panel was screw-fix removable it would allow a little sound to be heard by the rest of the band, and let the speaker breathe a little. The closed back does keep the bass tightly controlled though and aids projection. I always stand this amp off the floor to help with the directional sound anyway.

I use an American Strat with a SD Hotrail at the bridge and an Epi Les Paul Std into a Boss ME-50 then into the front end of the AVT50. I tend to play Rock, Grunge and Blues and the band I play in is kinda in the vein of Pearl Jam, Audioslave and Jane?s Addiction. There doesn?t seem to be a whole lot of bands playing this style in the UK where we?re from?
I use this amp for pretty much everything I do. I practice everyday, rehearse with the band twice a week and play at least 2-3 gigs a month and it takes it all in its stride. It?ll provide really useable tones over a wide range of volumes, from conversation levels up to mid sized club gigs un-mic?ed. If you like the Marshall sound then you?ll love this amp.
Starting with the Clean channel; It?ll go from crystal clear bell like clean tones with single-coils right through to a nice bluesy break-up as you wind on the gain. It breaks up earlier and is less defined with humbuckers due to the nature of this type of pick-up. I have found that at larger gigs you can start to run a little short of headroom with this channel if you want to stay completely clean. You?d really need to start thinking about mic?ing it up if that?s what you wanna do. I only tend to use this channel occasionally at gigs so its not a big problem. It has to be said that it sounds great as the volume gets wound on though. Would be cool if there was a Mid control on the EQ for a little extra tonal tweaking too.
Ah, the Overdrive channel; This is where I spend most of my time? Sounds great pretty much whatever the settings. The gain control is the key here. Set low it?ll give you a nice bluesy vintage type tone. It?s a similar sound to the clean channel when fully wound up, but more rounded. As you wind on a little more gain you start to get into 70?s rock. Then, at ?5? on the dial you get an immense crunch like a JCM 900, this is where I tend to have it set, its huge at volume. I like a fair amount of mid range dialled in to accentuate the growl at this setting. As you go past the halfway point on the dial you start to get into more modern sounding hi-gain tones then into deliciously harmonic fuzz. There?s a large range of gain settings to play with and they?re all usable. The amp does start to get a bit noisy at high volumes and gain levels, but this is only a problem between songs. I tend to just kick it over to the clean channel to silence it, but it?s not a major inconvenience.
Overall this amp has a great range of versatile tones at all volume settings. This is the advantage of the solid state power amp coupled with the valve based pre-amp. You can get great sounding distortion at conversation levels that only improves as the volume?s wound up.
I really hate the scoop and bright switches that Marshall adds to some of their amps; thankfully this one?s free of such gimmicks. It?s a nice simple EQ section, which provides quick access to vintage and modern tones in one portable package.

Now, this was where I was let down a little. I?ve had the amp for over 2yrs now, but after about 8 months it stated to cut out intermittently. Initially it wasn?t often, but after a while it got progressively worse. The only way to get it to work was to flick the channel selector switch, on the front panel, several times until the sound kicked in.
Eventually I had it returned to Marshall in Milton Keynes for repair. Turns out that the valve base on the PCB was cracked and was causing the pre-amp to malfunction.
Since the repair the amp has been an absolute tank. Like I said before, I use this amp for everything from practice to gigs and it hasn?t missed a beat. Its well built and durable, has a great carrying handle and corner protection and stands up to gig abuse well.
Only thing I have a small doubt about are the potentiometers used on the front panel. The overdrive gain pot is starting to get a little scratchy and it?s not easy to get to with contact cleaner without voiding your warranty!
I have actually seen inside this amp. It?s not that impressive inside, two PCB?s, one with the valve on it (pre-amp, obviously), and the world?s smallest fan. All the people out there moaning about a revving noise when they first start this amp up? this little ?? fan is the guilty party! I really can?t see this little thing doing any worthwhile cooling, more like gentle stirring of the warm air inside the cab?

When I started to have trouble with my amp cutting out (see above) I phoned Marshall and spoke to a fairly un-interested lady who told me to contact my local dealer? Bet if my name were Dave Navarro or John Frusciante I?d have had a slightly different response. Politeness is free and they have to remember that kids out there buying Marshall?s will stay loyal to the company if they?re treated well.
Anyway, I emailed the shop that I originally bought the amp from (a considerable distance away) and got no reply. So, I decided that I?d take the amp to my local dealer (ABC Music) who were more than happy to arrange return to Marshall. They kept me informed of what was happening and I had the amp back within a fortnight. Marshall carried out the work under warranty; I just had to pay transportation costs.

I paid #289 for this amp 2yrs ago. In the UK this amp has a rrp of around #350, so I made a killing. All you guys in the States buying these amps will, I?m sure, be a little shocked by this. You have to remember that, here in the UK; we pay a premium on Fender/Gibson/ Mesa Boogie etc?
Initially I was gonna get the AVT20 as a practice amp, but when I saw the price on this AVT50 I thought I?d get it. Glad I did too, ?cos the 20w model wouldn?t have covered all the situations this amp does. I?ve played through the AVT100 Head several times at the rehearsal studio we use and I just prefer AVT50?s sound. It?s something in its tone that the larger amp just doesn?t have. I?ve also compared it to the 100w Head from the MG range (solid state) and it?s the same thing again, although I preferred the MG to the AVT100 Head strangely. The only Marshall I?ve played through that I though was better than the AVT50 was a JCM900, which was perfect for what I play. But the AVT50 gets close enough in an affordable portable combo format that I really can?t complain.
I also own a 1224 Matamp 30w single channel all-valve head and 2x12 cab. This is a great amp but needs to be driven by an OD pedal to get the levels of gain I need. Its more of a blues/classic rock kinda amp. Whereas the Marshall will do that plus a whole range of other tones besides.
Like I?ve said before; the thing I really like about this Marshall is its combination of portability (i.e. not as heavy as an all-valve combo), versatility, tonal range/quality of tone and ease of use. Yes, I?ve experienced problems with it, but I haven?t read about anyone experiencing the same problems here so assume it was a freak problem. Since its repair I have no doubts about its operation and use it constantly. I?ve played for 5yrs and as I mentioned, use this amp for practice, rehearsals and gigs. It handles it all? I?ve had it mic?ed up at larger gigs, played through 4x12?s with it and it always sounds great. It?s worthwhile emphasising how easy it is to dial in your tone quickly and easily. Also, how you can quickly nail a signature Marshall tone, if that?s you?re thing. Actually, I keep meaning to try it through the Matamp 2x12 Cab come to think of it? must do that.
In conclusion, if someone stole it I?d replace it with the same model; it suits me down to the ground. I?ve played gigs and been told I should get a proper amp (all-valve) because my Strat deserves better. Well I?ve never felt that this amp is hindering my guitars at all. Inevitably the people that make these comments come up to me after a gig with a big grin on their face saying how great the guitar tone was! I?ve always liked using equipment that gives you a kind of underdog status, ?cos its always good fun to upset people with really expensive rigs?
I hate having to carry a lot of equipment around, so with this amp, 2 guitars and a Boss ME-50 I can cover a lot of bases with an easily transportable set-up. I?ll always have one of these amps around, I might buy something like a Mesa Boogie F50 in the future to augment this, but for what I do this is perfect.

I like having a gain control on the clean channel. I can get a very clean or a good crunch sound. I tried the effects loop and found it changed both the sound of the amp and the effects compared to using the effects in line with the input. The line out is a good feature. I would like a reverb on/off option on the foot switch. The reverb is decent. Equalization is a little lacking, but quite adequate.

I use Carvin guitars, mostly with humbuckers, but have coil taps as well. I'm very impressed with the sound and can get a great variety of tones from extra clean, to bluesy, crunch, and mega metal. The amp will tear your ears off if you want, but also sounds great at low volumes. Recently recorded with it for the first time, and am much happier with the tone compared to using my Digitech rp2000 as I have in the past. Bottom line - I love it!

No problems so far. I've had it about 6 months.

Never dealt with them

Been playing for 25 years. Used a Peavy Bandit for most of that time. This amp sounds much better, though the bandit had a better reverb and equalization options. Before this amp, I usually used distortion pedals or my Digitech RP2000 for overdrive. Now I almost always use just the amp's natural overdrive. If lost, I'd consider getting one of the 3 channel AVT models, as that would be pretty useful. However, my friend has the AVT100, and I wasn't able to get the same sound out of it as with this amp.

Im bought this amp in late 2002 but i only use it as a pratice amp when im not using my main live rig which is a marshall valvestate 2 head(100 watts).If your into anything from old school metal to 70's rock ala Black Sabbath,Kiss and Bad Company etc...this amp will deliver it.Im a huge fan of 70's and 80's rock and metal and it's a marshall the best amp for the job.If this amp had an extra OD channel it would be perfect for gigs so i can set my leads to be a little bit louder than my rhythms.If i ever did play gigs with this amp i would run through a cabinet because i know it takes alot of power to cut through a loud metal band on stage.

I play a black les paul standard with EMG's 81/85.Since i like the genres of classic rock and metal explains why i use marshall in the first place.Because Marshall was the innovaters of all metal and kick ass rock.On high gain settings it puts out great Sabbath/Grindier metal tone and on lower gain settings ala Ace Frehley rock.I only messed with the clean channel when im in a mellow mood it stays pretty clean if you keep all the knobs at 12oclock as normal.Like my other valvestate amp it doesnt quite have enough gain that i need (close but no cigar) so i use a marshall bluesbreaker 2 pedal switched to boost for that extra gain for leads,fills and harmonic screams.Although this amp has a little more tube warmth than other valvestates but i like the old ones better they seemed to have a tighter low end.The new models get a little bit round and fuzzy on higher gain settings so to clean things up a bit i back the gain knob at 6 and turn the volume on the booster box all the way to 10 and back my guitar volume around 7 or 8 and the fuzz is gone.

I would only use it on a gig if it was going through a 4x12 cabinet or if my other valvestate broke down.

Out of the last 16 years ive been playing its definetly one of the best sounding rock/metal amps around.Once again it doesnt have enough gain that i need and it comes so close sounding like a tube amp that it's not funny.Yes maybe ill buy this amp again maybe an avt150 or mf350.

Mine is a 2002 model. It is a Marshall, it is for rocking. The clean channel is actually good on this one. I play this amp for that classic Marshall sound. The simplicity of this amp is beautiful. Not a lot of features to detract from the very good tone. I use this amp live and in the studio with the mic emulated DI/output. Not a lot of features, but all the right ones.

I use this amp with a G&L Legacy strat and ASAT, mid 70s Gibson SG, Charvel Model 1 w/ Seymour Duncan JB and JB jr., and a Guild Bluesbird. My effects are a fulltone Distortion pro and fulldrive 2 custom shop, Line 6 DL4, Carl Martin chorus, Electro-Harmonix deluxe electric mistress and MXR phase 90. I use quality gear and have good tone. I bought this amp to replace my old and tired 50 watt Marshall plexi. I think this will be more reliable and I feel I lose prctically nothing in my tone. I use this amp for leads and my 65 Deluxe reverb reissue for my cleans. I roll off the treble for the violin tone and this amp delivers it. With good compression, this unit sounds extremely close to my plexi halfstack without the loss of hearing. I set the lead channel gain at 9 0clock and the volume at 3 oclock, and I have the classic Marshall plexi sound. the distortion pro and fulldrive push it over the top to deliver EVH and Eric Johnson tones. I get the Gilmour tone with it too. Jeff Beck, Cream, Hendrix, it is all here. The clean channel gets very sweet when you push it. The gain control is very musical if you want this amp without od pedals. The key to beautiful tone with this amp, like an old tube amp is to get the sweet sounds from pushing the power amp. It is beautiful.

I have used this amp heavily for 2 years. No problem.

Called once a few years ago and the guy on the phone was a tonehead just like me. I received meaningful and useful help.

I have played since the hair metal days, about 15 years. If it were lost or stolen, my insurance would buy me another one. I insure my gear. This amp is worth replacing. It gives me my tubey, classic Marshall tone without the fear of breakdowns. I am a tube snob. I admit it. This amp gives me the tube tone I demand. I compared and compared it to tube amps that cost as much as $1500. This one was as good or better than all of them. The DI/out is awesome for having massive tone in your home studio. I have lost enough hearing after standing in front of the plexi for about 10 years. This amp delivers all I demand from my lead amp. I know this is a glowing review, but this amp is an essential piece of my gear. One complaint. WHY NO MID-CONTROL ON THE CLEAN CHANNEL?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
COME ON!!! Who told Marshall thi was what people wanted? That is the only thing holding this amp back from perfection. I do not want mid scooped cleans all the time (despite using a Deluxe Reverb). If it had more mid control on the clean channel, you could get that Hendrix vibe with your Fuzzface pedal, But as it is, the clean channel misses that old school mid-range kick in the face of complexity and beauty. The Beatles and Hendrix understood the beauty of mids in your guitar sound. The blues is all about mids growling. Argh! If only there was one more knob!

2003 Marshall VS2000 AVT50 1x12 combo, same features as listed below. 50-watt, 2-channel hybrid amp (tube preamp, solid state power amp), independent gain and EQ, master reverb. Closed-back cabinet.

I play mainly blues, blues-rock, classic rock, jazz, and a bit of everything else. This amp is one of the best values in the market today. Prior to owning this model, I owned a solid-state Marshall G50 combo....this sucker blows it out of the water completely. Tube-like tone and response....still not 100% tube tone, but very very close, with all the compression and dynamics you'd expect when you dime it out. I use an Epiphone SG with replacement Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio humbuckers, a Godin G1000, and a Fender Mexican Strat, and each guitar's unique tone is represented superbly with this amp, unlike my old G50RCD, which was mud city. The drive channel is fantastic, the clean a bit brittle - I could have done without the gain control on the clean channel as it tends to muddy up the sound at lower volumes, but it's not a terrible thing. Overall very toneful, useful, and versatile for anything ranging from sinewy blues, to higher-gain modern rock.

I've used this for two gigs and various jam sessions, and so far it has been *very* reliable, no problems of any sort. Very durable and well-built.....dig the closed-back cab.

Never had to deal with customer service.

This is one of the best amp deals for under $500 and truly covers a wide range of tonal options. If you're looking for an affordable Marshall that truly pays homage to its great heritage, look no further. I've been playing 6 years, have owned about 5 amps, and this is undoubtedly the best I've posessed yet. Worlds away from the POS G50 I had before....I'm not a big fan of solid-state amps, and while this *does* have a solid-state power amp, its ability to replicate tube-like tone is a wonder. My only complaint is that I wish it had a bit more power or perhaps another speaker....whilst playing a gig at near-full volume with a three-piece blues/rock combo I could barely hear myself, although the gig was taped and it cut through fantastically on the recording. Truly a fantastic value.

It has features, if you look for them.

It has the brown sound in spades. Tonally, my head is up my ass and I don't think I'll ever pull it out. This amp is the shit for tone! Now that I have the right speaker in it.

My dog pissed on it, and the tone changed because the speaker got wet. I played it loud and ripped the voice coil off the cone. That was fun. After putting in a new Celestion G12H80 that I got on sale from Avatar Speakers for $50 delivered (I recommend this company), the tone impoved 100%, and it's the best hard rock amp that I ever heard now. I sawed a 6" round hole in back of the cabinet to let the speaker breathe and develop more bass. Stuff is falling off shelves all over the house now! Don't let your dog piss on it. The particle board cabinet does not tolerate too much moisture.

Want customer support? Go buy a customer jock strap.

I put a metal grille on front of mine for when people throw shit at the band. It helps a lot with shielding the speaker from heavy stuff, but it is worse for shielding from dog piss. The sound is all you could ask for in a cheap amp for hard rock tone, but it could be a bit more sturdy. It works well until you can afford an anvil tough amp. Don't let dogs or drunks piss on it or leave it wheer it might get wet. I would like to put the control box in a plywood cabinet, then it would be much tougher.

Amp was made in 2003, I purchased it shortly before new years. Reason I got it so cheap was I bought it on my friend's discount at Sam Ash. I play mostly rock and punk/emo and so far the amp seems capable of producing tones suitable to those genres.

The features have been gone over ad infinitum, but i'll just summarize here. Hybrid amp, one tube in the pre-amp, solid-state for the power amp. 50W (a very LOUD 50W i might add). 1x12 Celestion speaker. Two channels and a footswitch.

I usually set the amp at volume 1 or 2. At volume 2 it's loud enough to annoy the neighbors in my apartment building. I had it up to 5 briefly at a buddy's house and I was surprised how loud a 50 watter could sound at only volume 5. I'm extremely new to the guitar and have just formed a band with some friends from another band, so I haven't had a chance to gig with it yet, but I assume it would be loud enough for the average bar/club.

I use a Gibson SG special with stock pickups (love this guitar by the way, it blows away the Squier Affinity I got in the Squier Electric Jam Pack by a mile). I'm still trying to find my style, but this guitar seems to fit Punk Rock pretty well.

Like I mentioned above, volume 1 or 2 is way more than enough when youre practicing by yourself, and volume 5 or so will cut through a drummer well enough. For a gig you'd probably have to set it higher, or mic it thru the PA.

The clean channel is also nice on this amp, but I haven't had it loud enough to see if it distorts and high volumes. You can get a wide variety of sounds through the dirty channel, and the distortion can get pretty brutal at high gain settings. The amp also tends to feed back alot at high gain/high volume unless you stand pretty far away from it.

Only had it a couple weeks so I can't really say; but from what I know of Marshall they tend to be built pretty solidly, just very expensive to have repaired. So far so good. *fingers crossed*

Never had to deal with them, I understand that they go thru Korg in the USA.

Just to re-hash, I've only been playing around 4 months, but this amp seems to be really good for a guitarist just starting out in a band. Sounds good at low volumes for home practicing, yet loud enough for small gigs.

So far I haven't found anything to hate about it, and if it were stolen I'd have to decide whether I wanted to replace it with the same thing or just save up for a half stack (something I plan to purchase in a year or so).

Overall, a great amp for a beginner to intermediate guitarist.

2002 model, amps is great for punk (what i play), i regret buying it only becasue im buying a jcm 900 100 watt half stack...but avt 50 is capable of filling a 200 ft by 100 ft room ( my schools auditorium) i wish reverb was foot switchable, recomend as a firt amp for a serious player, i wish it had od1, od2, clean 1 and 2 like avt 50,

sounds great for punk, has a nice distortion and a beautiful clean for ska up strokin, i use a PRS santanna SE and it sounds great through it

It was dependable for so long then one day tragity struck as my speaker blew, its still in shop waiting for a new celestian from england...so atleast it was during practice, ont at a show.. now im usin an old 79' ampeg 20-30 watter with digitech preamp and micing it through PA, i miss my beauty,

good...i bought a NADY wireless system and i plug it in and my amp started to smoke... nady tried to blame it on marshall so i sent nady and nice fax with me shitting on the guy i talked toos desk...anyway marshall was very helpful

i love this amp, but the speaker blew, i am gonna keep it but get a jcm 900 head and cab.. but in the year span i was using it it never let me down until the speaker... sounds better than the new jcm 2000's in my opinion... but jcm 900's sounds are the best marshasll ever had, and honestly id say this is the second.. for just under 600 or like 300 used..id say best choice

Mine is about 3 years old now. I play most "rock" type music.... Pink Floyd, Alice in Chains, Ozzy, AC DC. The amp works well for these styles. The headphone sounds good for late night practicing and it's loud enough when used with a band to cut through. Most people don't realize unless you're playing a 300 + seat venue, you don't need a half stack and definitely don't need a full stack. 50 Watts is plenty for the places I play, which is typically in basement/bar bands.
Not many features as far as effects go. Just reverb and distortion. If you want effects, buy pedals.

It sounds really good. I've never had a problem with it and I'm complimented on my tone regularly. I play usually with lower to medium gain and then kick it up with my o.d. pedal when I need some push and volume. The clean channel is really pretty great and a HUGE improvement over my old Marshall DSL. The distortion is Marshall, not Mesa. So if you want to play your "Nu Metal", go buy something else, someday you'll wake up and smell the coffee and find a sound worthy of a Marshall.

3 years, too many gigs to count, never had a problem with it switching channels on me like some people here. I take good care of it and I'm sure it'll last many years to come, if not, I'll fix it myself. Repair shops charge too much.

I only emailed them once and they responded within a day, so I'm satisfied.

I've been playing since the early 1980's. I have a mini home studio with M-Audio monitors a Yamaha sub. Midi Keys, Digitech processors, Morley Wah pedals. I record and have done some recording with this amp. It works as well as anything else I've used and has nice voicing that transfers well to tape.
At the time, I was looking for another practice amp as mine had crapped out on me. Eventually, I ended up using it at gigs and it just kinda stuck that way. I retired my DSL for home use and use this regularly. My one and only gripe is that it should have a seperate lead channed, but If you have an overdrive pedal or use a volume pedal, that's not an issue.
It's a great amp, if you have one, you know what I'm talking about. If not, go try one out. They're quite a steal.

Clean channel-gain, volume bass, treble. Overdrive channel-gain, volume, bass, middle, treble. Accutronics reverb(very nicely voiced). CD input, headphone output. Channel switching, series effect loop. 50 watts. 12" speaker.

I use a squire affinity strat w/bill lawrence pick-ups, gibson firebird 5, yamaha sg1000 played straight into the amp most of the time. Sometimes a ts-9(lead boost) or line6 dl-4 delay(rock-o-billy) in front. I love the tones that this amp delivers! The clean channel works so well i'm selling my '68 fender twin reverb-which does sound richer but is pretty much a one sound amp (but hey, who ever thought a marshall had a clean tone this sweet?). I think the clean channel on the avt50 sounds more "round" than the overdrive side. I choose to run this side with the gain at 5 to 10-volume to the size of the room-bass 5-treble 5. Overdrive side is what anyone could want when speaking "marshall" tone. I like to put the gain on 3 or 4- volume at the appropriate room size-bass 10- mid 2-treble 10. You know that scooped-mid marshall sound. Adjust guitar volume to taste. After 12 years of fender amps i can happily say the is what i want to sound like. Marshall sweet tones in a box that costs under $500!!!!

Have only used this amp for 5 months but i am sure a lifetime of use is in store for me.

5 year warranty-shouldn't need it.

Ok my musical tastes have changed over the years, but i think i know now better than ever what i want in a guitar amp (been playing 18 years). If i can be so impressed by an amp- and an affordable one as well- that i don't play my classic all tube fender any more, well this is it! dollar for dollar, pound for pound the best amp!

I got this amp about a year ago. It is pretty basic as far as features go. 50 watts and 2 channels one clean and one distortion. I bought this amp as practice amp but what I found was it is not bad for playing small gigs. It is very loud for 50 watts.

Both channels great. The distortion is better than most. The speaker that comes with this amp is ok at lower volumes but wont handle loud volumes very long till it starts sounding nasty. I changed my speaker out using a celestion classic lead 80 with 5 pound magnet. This made a huge differece. You can run this amp to a good sound system and you can keep with any drummer.

It has been fairly reliable. I have a couple times that channels would switch on its own but as much as I have used this amp I guess thats not too bad.

I have been playing for 34 years.This amp definetly has tone,is loud,and is compact. I think it is great for a small amp.

Tube pre-amp. Clean & Overdrive channels w/separate tone adjustments. Reverb. Headphone jack. That's about it, which is fine.

Most people buy Marshall for the distortion. The big surprise to me with this amp is how wonderful the clean is. Bell-like. Brilliant. Beautiful. In fact, to my ear the overdrive is the weaker of the two channels sound-wise. OD seems harsh and honky, but that could also be because I play it with a Fender Mexi-Strat with ceramic single coils (ugh!)Someday I'm gonna hook it up with an LP and I suspect it will be better.

Had it two years, no problems. It's a truck. I have no idea when the pre-amp tube might need replacing and the manual doesn't offer any guidance.

N/A

Third amp I've owned, and the first "real" one. Previously tried a Behringer Ultraroc (great value!, the salesman said). It crapped out after two months. What junk. I took it back to Mars, talked them into getting a store credit and walked straight over to the Marshall section. No regrets. Like I said above, Marshall distortion may not be my cup 'o Joe, so in the future I may consider a Fender or Line6 (which I like despite the tube snobs' sneering). But this is a very very solid amp. Hook it up to a couple stomp boxes and wah pedal and you've got about everything you need.

I use a 87 American Strat with Dimarzio Evolution Humbucker in the bridge. The only effects I run are a DD-3 Delay and a CE-5 Chorus. I play mostly rock/metal. I messed with this amp for a week and frankly I couldn't get a decent tone outta the thing. The distortion is thin and buzzy and doesnt have much flexibility. Very disappointed with Marshall's at this point..they've really gone downhill in the last 10 years.

Didn't keep it long enough to know. Returned it within a week.

Horrible..sorry guys but I really don't know what all the positive reviewers are hearing in this amp. Easily the worst Gain channel I've heard in a Marshall.

This is a 2001 AVT50. The two channels go from clean to heavey distortion. There is a volume and master volume for each channel.The clean channel has bass and treble controls; the gain channel has bass, middle, treble as well as an overall reverb control.The amp puts out 50 watts and cuts through well.

I play a Carvin DC 135 and Gibson Les Paul through it with multiple settings. It has a very good clean sound with my Carvin in single coil settings, and a great "pushed" sound with the clean channel pre-amp volume at about 7.5. I like the humbucker "pushed" tone with both guitars. It has a raw, "in your face" drive tone. The distortion channel sounds great with the humbuckers at any setting if you adjust the tone controls to taste. The single coils on my Carvin sound good if the pre-amp volume is around 3 to 4. The closed-back cabinet produces a more raw, directional output than an open back cabinet does. But I like this tone in contrast to my Fender Deville amp.

The amp has been reliable so far except for the included footswitch causing the channels to bounce back and forth occasionally. I need a new footswitch. Switching the channels on the amp itself has worked fine.

I have no experience with customer support. I have never needed any repair to date.

I have been playing off and on for over 30 years and have used Les Pauls, Strats, Teles and other unique guitars(I love my Carvin).I have used several amps and currently play through a Fender Deville and the AVT50. I love the pushed,upper mids tone of a marshall, and this amp sounds great with just the single 12ax7 tube!It is also much easier to carry around than most amps at 50 watts!I would certainly consider this amp again if lost or stolen. Give it a try!

I think this was made in 2002. 12-inch custom celestion speaker, 2 channels(the usual clean and dirty), effects loop, DI out, headphone jack, and a reverb.

I play an ibanez rg421 and I play blues and rock. There's more than enough distortion here and the clean channel is one of the best clean channels i've heard from a marshall(or is it the best?). You can go from blues-rock type distortion to heavy palm-muted distortion ala john petrucci's "pull me under" riff with the crunch channel.

I think it would be dependable. I don't really know for now because i've only had it for a week. What i'm a bit worried though is how i'm going to change the tube inside the pre-amp if it burns out after about 2 to 3 years? I opened the back panel and i found out that it's not accessible from the speaker. I think u have to take the whole pre-amp out as there is no other opening except maybe if u unscrew the four screws on top of the cabinet. I think they're mounting screws.. I don't know. Does anyone of you guys know how to do this thing? Aside from that, i think i'm happy with my amp

I tried to contact them about this tube-changing problem but there's no response.

It;s actually my first amp with a tube in it. So I don't know much about tube amps. But what i'm sure of is that i really, really like it. Never went out of the house for a week, skipped meals and stopped watching tv just to play with it. I'm freaking out the my friends and family with it. : )

This is a AVT 2000 series 50-watt Marshall combo amp. It's a Tube-Solid state combo which means it's got a real tube in the Pre-amp stage. Headphone jack, CD input, 2 footswitchable channels, reverb, an Effects Loop, and an Emulated Digital Pre-out. On the clean channel it has Volume, Gain, Bass, and Treble. On Distortion Channel it has Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, and treble. 12" Celestion speaker. No stupid digital effects to deal with (if you want those get a pedal). I pretty much play in my bedroom or with friends in a basement somewhere for fun but i take my guitar playing seriously and this is just mind-boggling...well you'll see in the next sections.

I play an Ibanez RG-550 and it sounds incredible (both clean and distrorted). I'm pretty much an anything rock guitarist (stuff like Bush, New Found Glory, Metallica, Linkin Park, POD etc.) I've turned this thing up pretty much all the way and it loses NO sound quality. In fact, it gets even better the louder it goes. The distortion goes from mild to crazy, well more than you'd need (unless your style is 'I dont like to hear a difference in notes from my low E to 24th fret-High E strings') Havent heard any distortion on the clean channel and it gets loud as well. Also the ECC83 Pre-Amp tube really adds depth and volume (like big sound, not just loudness). In combination with the 12" Celestion speaker it pumps out huge bass that knocks pictures off the wall (seriously i have done that!) It also sounds incredible with palm muting. My friends are all like "That amp sounds absolutely perfect." Give it a 10.

No problems yet, like twice it has switched from clean to distortion for no reason, but never from distortion to clean. Not a problem at all though. It's heavy, tough, and i sit on it a lot and never had any problems with it. Sound i always reliable, doesnt cut out or anything and always keeps the volume and sound true.

Dont know, never needed anything. Bought it used with no warranty but honestly, i'm not worried about ever needing to get anything done with it.

I've been playing for almost 2 years now and i used to have a Marshall MG-15 RCD and this is so much of an improvement i'm still cleaning up the mess i made in my pants after i got it. I used to play with a DOD FX-7 pedal to get the distortion and what not, now i dont use it at all because the amp itself has everything i need to sound incredible. I would buy it again without thinking about it, no matter what i had to pay. I love the sound and everything about it, only thing i got a beef with is the weight, it's pretty heavy, but what do you expect? it's big. I compared it with a few other Fender and Crate amps and really couldnt find anything i liked but this. I guess once you go Marshall (especially a good one) you never go back. Definetly recommened this.

This amp is a recent make, unsure of year. I play alot of Metal and rock (Metallica-Led Zeppelin), but I also enjoy playing Funk and Blues
(Funky Meters-Clapton). It's got two channels (clean and overdrive). it comes with a footswitch pedal, input and output jacks for EFX loop, a headphones jack, and input for CD playalong. The only thing I would like is to maybe have 2 OD channels instead of one. This is a home/ band practice amp, and it can get loud enough (too loud at home)(

I am playin a Fender Double Fat Strat straight through the amp. I don't get the best metal sound, but that's more due to the guitar than the amp. The clean channel can get pretty edgy, depending on how high the gain is set, and the distorted channel can get pretty heavy

I have owned this amp for 2-3 months, and there hasn't been a single problem yet

never had to deal with Marshall, and I don't remember the warranty lenght

I have been playing guitar seriously for about 2 months. If lost or stolen, I would try to find a used all tube amp on EBay, but if I couldn't this would be my first choice

Wish the reverb could be turned off via the footswitch

I'm using a 1990 LP Classic PP with an SD Pearly Gates bridge and a JB neck pickup. I play different styles of rock with this setup and it sounds great. The amp's tone controls are fairly sensitive enabling you to get a better variety of sounds than I expected. Like most of the others have said, the clean channel on this amp is fantastic, but can be a bit on the bright side if you aren't careful with the tone controls.

The only issues I have had with the amp are the oft mentioned noise when swithcing channels and a tendency for the clean channel to clip at a lower than acceptable volume sometimes, but for what I paid for it I really can't complain

Never dealt with them

I've been playing guitar for 19 years. I have owned many amps in that time. I bought this amp for a practice amp and it serves that purpose well.

This is my 2nd review. I have had it for a couple of months now and I feel that I needed to review this amp again. Everyone knows the features of this hybrid amp . It has really good features. Its simplicity is what makes this amp great. It has all your basic feature to practice in the bedroom and to handles small gigs. If you're not happy with the features of this amp, you must be a really picky person. It is a real value.

I'm pretty happy with the amp. I use a Schecter Ci Plus with 2 SD's. A JB on the bridge and Jazz on the neck (this is a very great p'up setup,very versatile). I really dig the sounds I get from this amp. I'm currently really into blues, jazz, rock, and pop(in that specific order). The clean channel is all right for blues. I just turn the gain up bit to get a little grit and switch to Jazz neck p'up and I get a a pretty decent blues tone. I use to like the clean channel for some fat jazz chords, but I realized that the clean channel is not that great for playing chords like that. What I particularly dig in the amps is the OD channel. You can pretty much get any sound that you here in any of your old school rock records like Led Zep, Hendrix, ACDC, and other great artist who used the Marshall sound. What I really use this amp for is the power amp section. I use my Digitech GNX3 pedal and use that as a preamp for all the great tones I find with the GNX3. I use at as moniter on stage and also as my amp for when I the sound system is down. I think this amp is perfect for what I need it for. I wish it was a little lighter. I probably should have gotten a Tech 21 Tradmark 10. Has the same basic feature escept for the reverb and dual channels.

In other words, I AM HAPPY WITH THIS AMP.

As I told you guys earlier, I use this onstage when I play at church and when I have played with the band. I play w/o a backup and I have not had any problems with it. Sincee it only has one tube, it really can't break on stage. It could go out, but these 2 words sum it all up: SOLID STATE. It very dependable. I take care of my stuff, so it should last a long time, but who knows.

Never contacted them, but ther websit is really bad, and they're w/ KORG USA. Their support probably sucks.

I think this amp is pretty good for the cash. I really dig the OD channel. It has a lot of classic favorites in there. I like the fact that it has a tube in the preamp. It gives the amps sound a nice warm touch that you can't get out of a 100% solid state, but its not as warm as all tube amp. I like the fact that I don't have to worry about tubes. I'll get an all tube when I have the experience as well as the cash. I have been playing for 3 years. I know I havn't playing that long. All you older guitarist are probabl laughing at me, but thats cool. It is great for what I need it. Theres alot of other cool products that suited my needs better. Behringer makes this GM10(?) that has features I wanted. Tech 21 also makes the Trademark10 which is really awesome. I wish I would have bought the Trademark 10. Mostly because its a lot lighter, cheaper, and versatile. All I wanted was a good sounding practice amp w/ an effect loop so that I could tap my GNX3 into the power amp section of the amp. I wish the AVT20 had an effect loop. That would have been awesome. I hope Marshall could build a small recording amp with the same features that the AVT50 has. Overall as I stated earlier, I AM HAPPY WITH MY MARSHALL.

Update to my last post. Their website is horrible, and they are too hard to contact. when finally contacted, they were not helpful at all, and sort of pushed me aside. Very poor customer service.

2001 valvestate, pretty standard feaures, two channels, and a good reverb, came with a one button footswitch. The amp is plenty loud, I only use it for practice at home, but it can get very loud. I'm giving it a seven because other amps in the price range have more features, this one has plenty, but I would have liked maybe a better footswitch.

I have a Dean Icon Special Select with a Duncan Custom in the bridge and a Jazz in the neck, straight into the amp. The sound of this thing is great, especially the clean channel with the jazz pickup, very big sound. Not noisy at all. Very versatile, I can get a great jazz and clean sound, then switch over to the od channel, and get some pretty heavy sounds. I don't play metal, but I think the amp would suit the style fine.

This is where the amp has had some problems. When on the clean channel, sometimes it will randomly switch channels, or just turn off. I took it to a dealer, and they had it for a week, when I got it back, the problem persisted, so I gave up. Also, when switching channels, there is a very annoying "pop" sound. Not sure if I would use this amp live at all.

The warranty was good, and there are authorized dealers everywhere, so everything fine here.

I've been playing for about three years, and I love this amp, I just wish it could switch channels correctly. If it were stolen, I would most likely buy another one, I really like the clean channel on this amp. This is overall a good deal, I don't think my problem is common, as I haven't seen anyone else on here with the same thing.

I like this amp!
I play lots of styles: blues, country, hard rock, jazz, folk, and this amp can handle them all. I use the channel switching for going between OD and clean sound. I also use the reverb and the effects loop. I sometimes use a chorus and/or digital delay. I use a crybaby wah-wah outside of the effects loop. I use this amp for small indoor and outdoor settings and haven't been overpowered yet. Any larger setting and I might have to go to an extra speaker cabinet or more robust amp. The amp has an output for an external 8 ohm speaker. I've had this amp for about six months.

I use a gibson SG. I like the clean tone and it has a nice one. Very bright and present at high settings. I'm not a heavy distortion fan unless the song/style calls for it, and from that end it gives me all I want. Its great in practice because you can get a lot of different sounds at low volume.

I've found that when playing a gig, I let the amp warm up before playing. Mine seems to get a warmer richer sound after I'm playing it for a while.

Seems to be very sturdy.

Don't remember but its at least industry standard. From what I know of the company they stand behind their product.

Its the perfect amp for me right now. For the price I don't think you can beat it.

50 watts with a 12" Celestation speaker. 2 switchable channels (footswitch included), effects loop, headphone and direct out (for recording, etc). Hybrid amp- solid state, but with a tube in the preamp to add some tonal variation and warmth.

I like to play all styles of Rock music, primarily focusing on lead playing and love both the clean and distorted sound. I prefer a simple 2 channel setup, so this works great for me.

I am using a Gibson ES-135 w/57 Classic humbucking pickups (the good model with f-holes, not the newer "striped" model). The amp workes great with this guitar, which gets (in my opinion) a great hard rock sound. The only pedals I'm currently using are a Boss SD-1 Super Overdirve (for a solo boost)and a Thomas Organ Crybaby wah.

I love the Marshall sound, and this amp does it for me. The overdrive is unreal, and I have found so many wonderful sounds in all gain/volume levels just by spending some time messing with the EQ. The clean is punchy as all hell, and works both totally clean or with a little gain on it (the separate gain/volume controls give a lot of options).

I'm sure others will think I'm being stupid, but I prefer the hybrid tone to a full tube setup. I know, I know, I'm stupid or high or haven't played a good tube amp...whatever, it's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. I've actually played/owned many great tube amps from Mesa, Marshall, Fender and Peavey and actually like my AVT50 better. I'm sure part of the reason is that I play in my apartment a lot, so need to play at lower volumes and many tube amps don't get going until cranked a little. Either way, I wanted to put my opinion out there in case anyone reading this agrees with me and wants some validation- I'm with you man!

PS- in case anyone cares, my favorite settings are:
OD- Gain 4, Volume-varies, Bass 9, Middle 3, Treble 5, Reverb 5
CLEAN- Gain 4, Volume-varies, Bass 5, Treble 7, Reverb 5
Again, I use many other setting as well- next week, I might have a new favorite. That is the main reason why I like the amp so much!

I haven't had any problems yet and don't plan to. Obviously, reliability is one of the benefits of not going all-tube. I had an AVT20 before this, and that was a tank for me. I am hopeful that the AVT50 will work just as well.

I have not had to deal with Marshall, so I can;t comment on that. my rating is for the warranty only. 5 years on parts, 3 years on speakers and labor. Most importantly, it is all transferrable! That is so important if you ever have to sell (by choice or necessity)your gear. For me, a transferrable warranty also gives me more faith in the product.

I have been playing for 13 years and have had a lot of gear in that time. I have also held jobs at a major guitar/amp manufacturer and at a major music chain, so I have a lot of experience with guitar equipment. Also, for the last couple of years I have been in the education field and did NOT work for Marshall in any way. Not that any of this makes my opinion more important, but it's not like this is my first amp or anything.

Obviously, I love this amp. For me, this is the best sounding amp available. The fact that it is so much less expensive then most other great amps is a total bonus for anyone who buys it. I would agree with some other review I've seen here that the other AVT models that include effects don't seem to have the same sound quality and, yes, I tried them all. This is the amp that made me stop looking for a new amp. I used to check Harmony Central to see reviews of other amps to get ideas on what I wanted next- now I check the AVT50 reviews to see what others think of "my" amp. As a side note, most of my other amps were much more expensive than the AVT50. If I can get anything across in this review it would be that, for me, this is the best amp available. Give it a try- it might work for you too!

I bought this used, so I don't know when it was made. I mostly play metal-hard rock ('tallica, slayer, ozzy, sabbath, disturbed, opeth, etc...), It has 2 channels, I had to buy a seperate Roland footswith for it, works great, I don't mind it not having effects, I use it to practice at home and annoy people around me, and to play with friends (great for the latter, read on...)

I'm using a Fernandes strat copy w/ duncan hot rails pup and an ibanez sz320(kicks ass) with a dimebucker(even more ass), in the bridge position, with both axes it gets a great Randy Rhoads tone (crazy train, mr. crowley kind of stuff), and if I tweak the tone settings enough(throw out the mids), I can get a great Lightning-Puppets tone. It is somewhat noisy on the OD channel, maybe the tube is going (i didn't try it out so loud at the store), or maybe my house doesn't have good wiring (it could be the guitar, it goes away when I turn down the volume on mu axe), the clean channel is great, nice and warm, or nice and bright, the OD channel is great, although dialing the gain beyond 2.5-3 o'clock it gets a bit buzzy, but it's nice and heavy, it sounds better with the dimebucker, a little brighter and the distortion is "squishier" with a little less bottom end (you can still feel it thumping your chest at high volumes), this works great. (oh, it sounds muffled when playing on a carpeted floor).

It's pretty solid, it says "made in England", so does the Celestion Speaker, i don't plan on throwing down a flight of stairs, so if you don't do that, set it on fire or shoot at it, it will last, i do plan on changing the tube, maybe that will help with the buzz.

I bought it used, so I only got the store's 30 day warranty.
But the store;s people are very helpful (Guitar Center).

I've been playing about 5 years, my axes are listed above, a crybaby original, boss metal zone(I barely use scince i bought the marshall), a boss flanger(dont use this either, i only bought it becouse it was just $10 at a swap meet). If it was stolen i would buy it again, sure.
I love the tone, it screams tube distortion, i hate the buzz, i compared it to a 50 watt marshall solid state combo that sounded good at low volumes but turned into mud when the volume is past 5.

GREAT AMP FOR THE PRICE!!!

basic features, but has a a preamp tube in the preamp.

Pretty normal hybrid amp

Im using a Gibson Les Paul Studio and actually, I quite like the amp, its one of the most versitale amps Ive come across for a while. It gets the normal Marshall brownsound pretty easily, but also has another wide range of tones, ranging from a pushed plexi amp, to a real glassy and shimmering clean tone that sounds a lot like what someone said before a hot rod fender, but its beefed up a bit and has a tighter bass. On the clean channel, the higher you turn up the volume the more full the sound becomes, however, as you do that, it helps a little to roll off the tone on the gutiar a bit as the high notes can become a bit harsh. I dont ever dime any of my amps, after about 7 or 8, the sound starts to get a little mushy, but its loud before you get to that volume anyway, unless you have hte gain turned down a lot. The gain control really gives you a lot of control over the amp. Its very responsive and each turn will give you a differnt tone.

Ok now the Overdrive channel. Its pretty good, I love the old vintage rock tones of players like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Ritchie Blackmore so I try to keep the gain down a little rather than crankning it to get some nu metal detuned metal tone. What i noticed is that if you turn the gain down and turn the volume up, it shapes teh sound a little more and gives the tone a more cutting edge, and a lot of sustain but still retains a lot of clarity. Your personal playing nuances definately shine through and if you suck at the gutiar, then the amp will only make the statement louder. The tone controls are very responsive, and no matter waht setting, the amp sounds very warm. The only problem Ive seen witht eh sound is that it doesnt clean up when you roll back the volume as good as a all tube amp does, but thats a reason that you have hte clean channel. Also, if your gonna turn the amp up real loud, be sure to back off the treble a bit so you still keep teh brightness, but you dont permanently damage your hearing because this amp can be treble hell if you dont eq it right at high volumes.

hasnt broken down yet

no opinion on marshall, but, the store that sold it too me was wonderful.

great value, even if it isnt all tube, it still has a great tone.

This amp line came out in late 2000
to replace Marshalls original Valvestate line
the new line is call Valvestate 2000: AVT (Advanced Valvestate technology)
This is the second generation of hybrid marshall Tube Solidstate amps
and a significant improvement over the first
this amp has a 12" Custom Celestion designed for this amp
50watts of power
a Dual Triode diode tube in the preamp
two foot switchable channels: clean, with a gain to fatten the tome
and overdrive with gain to increase distortion
3 band eq + volume for each channel
Reverb
Speaker ext on back
and head phone ect.
it weighs a hefy 45LBS
the features are expected on practice amps of these size so it will recieve an 8,
this 50watt amp can easily be used in practice with loud drummer, even percform in a small club size venue if cranked

I've used 5 Guitars on this amp all of them have there stock pickups but most of these guitars stock pickups are Seymour Duncans
a Mexican Fender Strat 88
Korean Fender Esquire GT ( Seymour Duncan Invader Pickup
Japanese Jackson Soloist SL3 ( Seymour Duncan Hotrails, jeffbeck
Japanese Epiphone Lespaul ??? (stock pickups are dizmario super distortion
Japanese Epiphone Zakkwilde (stock pickups are emg ?? )
I'm not a marshall fanboy, i have only played solidstate and transtube marshalls i will not know if this is expected of marshalls
The clean is warm, with a strat and the gain fattens it, it also grows warmer as you crank, i've found turning the gain down below 4 on the clean lowers volume significantly so when practicing with a loud drummer the clean will be fat, if you have pickups like the Jeffbeck on my soloist, the Invader on my Esquire GT and EMG active pickups, and dizmario when gain and volume turned up it actually produces distortion. There are advanteges when the cleans gain is on 10 with the invader,and EMGs,Jeffbeck, Superdirstoir is actually power full enough to play hardrock not metal, or nirvanna, but stuff like greenday, 3 Doorsdown, and the clean distorted sounds very close to a all tube Fender hot rod deluxe with dizmario super distortion thorugh it. I don't think many people will be able to tell the difference between this and distortion tube. However the distortion on the overdrive channel is heavier, but not as convincing. The distortion on over drive is smooth and as far improved over the original transube Valvestate 65R
in adition this amp seems much more powerful. The original Valvestate line seemed to be the best solidstate amps but was no where near tube, though the clean was better. The new Valvestate 2000 AVT's are much more like tube amps. The out put pickups increase distortion, volume increases distortion, tube saturates, has the tone and the weight of tube amps.

I dunno i borrowed it from a friend for a week

music industries customer service sux
warranties are meaning less
buy your amp from a retailer
who'll help you more than the cuztormer support will

Overall a significant improvement over the Valvestate 65reverb
much louder
this is the first line of valvestate that actually sounded like tube amps, the price is on the high side
for about 60$ more you can get tube amps from fender of the same size(but not the amount of distortion)
The clean is comparible to the overdrive channel of the fender hotrod series. It would bennifit if the gain did not affect volume of the clean, this way the marshall would not sound like it had to distortion channels. The amp's clean does sound almost exactly like an overdriven all tube fenderhot rod amp, when the gain and volume is turned up.

Very versatile amp Will play beautiful cleans and can play some freaking loud distortion 2 channels Came w/ footswitch Headphone jack, effects loop, the works

I am playing a Godin LG with SD P-90s on it This amp suits my musical style perfectly Good clean channel, but I bought it because of its awesome distortion It is great Fenders amps couldn't touch the distortion on this baby

This amp is a tank! Never broken down, and I dont think that it ever will I would use it in a gig without a backup

Never dealt with them

I have been playing for just over a year I play the Godin and also an Ibanez acoustic If it were stolen, I would definately get a new one I compared it to Crates and Fenders The Fenders had good cleans, but the distortion sucked The Crate was a close second I chose the Marshall because of its Distortion LOVE THE AMP!!

See below. Headphone and line out were terrible, in my opinion.

This is an update. Okay, I'm about to lose all my credibility but I don't care. I sold mine and bought a Crate GLX120, which I am satisfied with. I loved the Marshall's overdriven clean channel but could only get the clean to sustain with a compressor. The dirty channel always sounded buzzy. The mid knob affected frequencies that I didn't care for. The Crate GLX120 has much greater versatility, sounds great, and is a one-pedal solution to my gigging needs. No regrets, no remorse.

Seemed fine.

No clue.

Again, I know Crate gets bashed but this time they got it right and I am someone who gives credit where credit is due. The Marshall simply didn't get the tone I was looking for even though I tweaked for weeks. I gigged with it too. Good amp, I suppose, just not for me. For the same price I got the Crate which has decent effects, a built-in tuner, and three very tweakable channels. I've been playing for about 23 years and use a heavily modded Mex Strat with humbuckers.

The amp is a 2003 model. This amp does not have built in FX but really now who needs them when you have a killer distortion and one heck of a sweet clean. It comes with FX loop , and a head phone jack. I use this amp as a bedroom practise but could easily be used for jaming with your friends. This amp is a Valvestate half tube half solid. Valve ( british for TUBE) this amp has 2 channels a clean and overdrive. Clean channel has a gain , volume , bass, mid, and treble. Crank the gain and you get a great blusey crunch, turn up the volume lower the gain and you get a beatuifuly warm clean with fabulous harmonics.

I play a Yamaha RGX121s. It has 2 double coils and a single. Great guitar for metal. The AVT50 is very quiet on the clean setting but a like buzzy on the overdrive setting with the gain cranked, but most amps do make some buz. This amp can get some fantastic sounds. Squeaky cleans with a hint of warmth. Great crunchy distortion that only a Marshall can get. This amp Sounds so much like an all Valve amp it isnt even funny. You all tube snoobs would be embarassed, because you probably could pick this amp out in a room of tube amps.

This amp is closed in from ever angle. The second you lift it up you can tell it was ment to handle some punishment. I have had no problems with it to date.

never had to deal with them.

I have been playing for 5 years, my friends have been play for longer and i have had a chance to listen and see many amps, Fenders, Peavey's, Line 6, Yamahas. and i tell you This Marshall AVT50 is won hell of a good buy, it has huge sound and greater tone.

PS-- The distortoin is deadly.

See other reviews

One of the two best amps at its price point, the other one being the Traynor YCV40. Decide if you want an amp that sounds a lot like tubes without the recurring retubing costs, or if you want a real tube amp with the recurring retubing costs. The YCV40 sounds better and is built better, but will cost you more in the long run in routine tube maintenance expenses. I own both amps. The YCV40 needs a tubing change right out of the box to sound its best. My choice was NOS Tung-Sol 5881 output tubes (I had a box of those things saved up from years past) and JJ Tesla ECC83S preamp tubes (as good or better than most NOS 12AX7 types) in the Traynor. The AVT50 needs a speaker change out of the box to sound its best. You can use a Celestion Vintage 8, G12H, or Eminence B102 with a baffle board adapter (it's an extremely nice 10" speaker with a bottom far beyond the two Celestions, as well as a more extended and cleaner high end and much nicer build quality, but it's an expensive and heavy 10 incher). Most people prefer the clean channel of the Traynor and the gain channel of the Marshall, but its a close call. You should say to hell with deciding and buy them both. The Marshall has a better low end because of the closed back cabinet, but the Traynor has a more open sound. If I had to pick one or the other, I would choose the Traynor, but if I could only aford one amp, I would choose the Marshall because of its greater versatility. The birch plywood cabinet of the Traynor is MUCH more rugged, But the closed cabinet of the Marshall gives better protection speaker protection from overexcursion as well as foreign object damage. You need a backup. But 'em both if you can afford it.

No problems yet, but the long term reliability will probably be less than the Traynor due to poorer build quality. It should last 20 years in normal home use, or until it takes a major fall in touring use (that particle board cabinet is the weakest link for pro use). In home or studio use, until the electrolytic caps crap out. Remember that you can get these slightly used for $350 now, and a lot less later on. Reliable for what little you pay. Remember that the Traynor will outlive it several times over if you physically beat the hell out of your amps, but in a home or studio environment that is not an issue.

I fix my own amps. I doan need no steenking custohmer support! Except for schematics, that is, and old Marshall amp schematics are scattered all over the internet. This amp will be no exception when it gets old and needs some fixing up.

Play this amp, then go play a Traynor YCV40. Buy the one you like the best. It's unlikely you will find a better sounding amp at this price from any major manufacturer that has the resale value of Marshall or Traynor. Your next best bet is the Fender Deluxe Reverb at $800 or more. Both amps blow away the Blues Junior or Hot Rod Deluxe in sound quality.

Marshall AVT 50 combo, two channels (clean/od) with a footswitch, reverb, CD input, headphone output, FX send/return...
i play mostly punk/ska music, and the distortion isn't great for heavy punk distortion, but is great for metal, and the od set on low gain is good for dirty ska riffs. i mostly use this for home practice, but the amp has enough power for small gigs, and if not, it can be miked.

i run a PRS santana se (2001 ed.) through a crybaby wah, dod distortion, boss ds-1, and ibanez ph7. on the clean channel, the tone is incredible, even through my effects loop (i usually run it straight into the input, not through the FX send/return. the gain on clean, though, should not be set too high, and if you need more volume, mic the amp!! the clean channel gets dirty with high gain, which can make distortion stomp boxes noisy. the OD channel is great with gain around 12-3 o'clock, but the when the gain is full, the distortion is a bit noisy. the distortion is also very bassy; i set my treble to full and my bass as low as i can get them without sounding too thin. even then, the distortion is full of low end, so i usually just use my grunge pedal for punk distortion with the clean channel.

never used this in a live show, just practice. however, occasionally, while i'm playing on the clean channel, the amp switches on its own into od (which can be painful when i'm running heavy distortion pedals on the clean channel). this can be fixed easily by footswitching back into clean... but no serious problems.

never dealt with them, but the dealer i got this from is closeby and accessible.

i've been playing for two years, and this is the only amp i've owned, though i gig with various amps that are supplied at the venues, including peavey (usually the bandit 112), other marshalls (jcm heads and combos), fender, and roland. this amp has much more versatile clean channel than many others, though with heavy distortion, this amp tends to be bassy and, thus, more restrictive. this amp sounds great, though, and it even sounds pretty good as an acoustic amp (though i don't advise using this as a main acoustic amp)