Marshall VS2000 AVT50 112 Combo

This amp doesnt have any built in effects but its sound surely makes up for this. I like how it has two channels and a footswitch. It also has Reverb, which is pretty nice, too. It has a emulated out and effects loops on the back, which are also nice features. On the front you can hook up your cd player and play with the music.

I dont think the sound could get much better. The clean channel is crystal clean and produces such a nice tone. The overdrive channel delivers a full distortion sound that sounds a lot like the amp Randy Rhodes used if you put the setting right. The instruction book has setting you can set to get the sound you want. This amp is 50 watts and can blow away a gym full of people. It is definitely good for gigs. It is also good for practicing,too.

I can definitey depend on this amp. It comes with a warranty so if it breaks i can get it fixed for free. I would definitely use it for a gig without a backup. Plus, Marshall is known for durable amps.

It comes with a five year warranty. I hadnt had to get it repaired yet so i dont know how the service is.

I love this amp I am sure I'm going to keep it for years to come. Anyone thinking about buying this amp I strongly suggest you get it. I love how full and rich the tones are on both the channels. I use a strat with 2 double coil seymour duncan pickups and 1 single coil Seymour Duncan pickup and it sounds amazing on this amp.

This has everything I need for a practice at home and a small gig amp. Channel switching from clean to overdrive and seperate eq for each channel. I give it a 9 because it doesn't have a mid knob for the clean channel. But overall it gives me everything I need.

I play just about everything from mexican to heavy metal and everything in between. I play a Les Paul, various strats and a custom warmoth tele with dual humbuckers which is a real monster. It will handle anything except extreme death metal unless you have some hot pickups. But that's ok because I don't play that garbage. The clean channel is beatiful and I don't think I've heard better. It gives everything you need from warm jazz sounds to surf and rockabilly if you turn up the treble. It's very expressive and it might even be a better clean than alot of fender amps. I know I have a twin. The reverb is also one of the best I've heard as well. Now to the dirty channel. Classic Marshall period. Keep the gain less than 40% and crank the volume and you have classic 60's and 70's crunch that even the newer all tube marshalls can't beat. Turn up the gain just a little more and roll back the treble and you great early 80's metal tone similar to a JCM800 (I have one as well) Once you turn the gain higher things get seriously distorted like JCM900's and the DSL TSL line. If I crank the gain 3/4 or all the way I can do some neo classical shredding ala Paul Gilbert and Yngwie. It seriously has enough gain to support it. This is the closest sounding amp I've tried to an all tube amp. It even has a preamp tube. It sounds a little fuzzy at lower volumes (less than 1/4 volume) compared to all S/S amps but that's ok because the cranked sound is completely awesome. I'm really amazed at how similar this sounds to my JCM800 2204. Which if you don't know is a legendary rock amp that is tough to beat. This is loud and fat enough to handle 80% of my gigs that's when I use my full stack.The rythm crunch is really great and solos sound really fat and thich through this little monster. It almost sounds like you're playing through a head and 4x12. You have to be careful with the bass and treble settings. It's closed back so the bass response is incredible. If you turn up the treble too much it can brittle with a bright guitar. My best settings on the dirty channel are gain 4.5-5.5 bass5.5-6 mids 5-5.5 treble5. These settings work really well for me live because it's a very neutral sound so that I can switch guitars and not have to readjust everything and if I roll back the guitars volume knob it will still clean up. If you roll the treble back a little back you still get good cut but it's a really fat sound. This is all subjective and your settings will vary depending obviously on styles and guitars. THe bottom line this is a great amp especially for such a great price that it can't be beat. It will take you from jazz, blues and country to heavy metal and back with the stomp of your foot. At home, Alot of times I used this instead of my JCM 800 because it just sounds so good and you can switch around to many different sounds quite easily. I'm sick and tired of people knocking this thing just because it isn't a tube amp. Some people probably haven't even tried it. It kind of is a tube amp because it has a preamp tube which is the most important part. As long as you have a good preamp signal it's gonna sound good. I guarantee you this will put out a better clean sound than any tube marshall can bet it's life for. The overdrive is classic screaming marshall. It's not a smooth saturated mesa tone so beware if you are looking for that tone. Marshall really hit the mark with this one. This amp is kind of inspiring because it's really sensitive and expressive and again just sounds so good. I can't really dial up a bad sound. The knobs are extremely sensitive but it sounds good at many different settings making for a great unique sound. Very good versatile amp and it's a keeper for me and trust me I have tried and owned many amps. I give the clean channel a 10 and the overdrive a 9 because it can get a little noisy at very high volume. I would give it a 9.5 overall.

I have had it almost year and no problems so far and I play it for hours at least 5 times a week. It would probably be better than a tube amp because you don't have to worry about as many tubes.

never dealt with them don't know

Like I said above. I love this amp because it's simple to use and give deliver so many great sounds. It's certainly not a do it all modeling amp that you can emulate dozens of amp models. This amp is voiced to have an excellent clean channel and great marshall rock distortion. Isn't that really all you need. Think of your favorite rock guitar player. Chances are they were using a marshall. So what this was designed to do is deliver that great classic overdrive but also have good clean capabilities which marshall isn't really the best for. So if your looking for a good amp that can get you great clean sounds as well as great marshall crunch. this is the guy. I believe this and the AVT20 are voiced differently than the larger AVT series. The larger AVT's have more options and in my opinion don't sound as good. This always happens to amps when you add more and more things. THis amp also records extremely well and also works great with cabinets. In short this is the amp that I can take to all type of gigs and sound good at each. I play in 3 bands that all play different styles and I don't think I need any other amps right now. nuff said. feel free to contact me if you have questions

First of all I want to second the comment from the person who posted a little before me.
It's not a "Tube" amp... it's a hybrid. Preamp tube and solid state power amp with built in clip/compression, to simulate a "Tube" powerstage.It does a damn good job of it too.
The other features you can read about by scrolling down.

It cover an awful lot of sonic territory.
I play with a Kramer loaded with SD humbucker rails and a Fender Red Lace single coil strat.
It sounds very crisp and clean through my strat and straight up brutally screaming through my Kramer.
I usually play at only 3 different settings though..
#1 Straight clean - gain down, volume up, bass about 1/2 and treble 3/4
#2 Blues-breaker - gain up 3/4 on clean channel bass between 1/2 and 7/8, and treble about 1/2
#3 I don't see any reason to play around.... I crank the gain all the way up and set my volume to somewhere between 4 to 8. Usually scoop the mids a bit and leave the bass about 1/2 way up. Treble depends on the guitar I'm playing through.


At all these settings, I have found absolutely wonderful sounds eminating from my amp. I think the distortion sounds pretty damn good. I find no fault with the sound this amp produces.

I've really been driving it hard lately. I play with a bassist, a hard hitting drummer and another guitarist. They have lesser equipment than I do and I don't want to overpower them with my 4X12.
So this fits the bill when we are practicing.
No problems whatsoever.

No problems yet

I've played for about 9 years. I own 3 guitars and an effects rack along with 4 amps of varying sizes and quality, some good, some o.k.
I don't own anything that could be considered garbage.
I really think this amp is a steal. It does closest impersonation to my tube amp of any other amp's I tried in the hybrid amp arena.
I considered the AVT100 or 150 , but like most anyone will tell you, this is the best valvestate combo amp that Marshall makes or has made.
I don't know exactly why the AVT50's sound so much more sonically superior? But, they do. Maybe the size to amplification to speaker to pre-amp to amp ratio, is just a winner? It is for me. I'll never sell it and it'll always have a place in my sonic lounge.

I love this amp. I'm guessing it was made in 2002 or something. I loved the both channels. They're really good for what I play. It is a pretty basic amp. Clean channel, overdrive channel, reverb, a DI output, and a series FX loop. I use it mostly for practice, but I'm going to start using it in band practice (mic or DI). This amp has enough power to crank, but it's not designed to play large venues (50W), Its enough for what I need it for. You guys should know that its a hybrid (solid state w/ a ECC83/12AX7 tube in the preamp) so all you guys that complain that its doesn't give the authentic tube feel and sound is because its not an authentic tube amp. It is just a really good hybrid amp.

I am currently using a Schecter C1-Plus w/ Duncan Designed humbuckers. I love the tone I can get from both the clean channel and the overdrive channel. It is not noisy, but I really have not cranked it past 2 o' clock (clean) and 12 o' clock (OD). I can get realy good Led Zep sounds,some excellent blues sound, and a really pleasing jazz type sound. The clean channel is great, but the only complaint I have is that there is no mid frequency control. That sort of killed it for me. Clean channel gets a 9. The distortion is really good. Crank it with all the gain up bass at12 , mid all the way up, and treble at 5, and you have yourself a great lead sound. Put the scoop the mids, bass all the way up, and the treble at 5, and you got yorself some good rhythm sound. I really love the OD. It gets a 10.

I have only had it for 3 weeks. Has a 3 year warranty. Can't be tht bad.

Haven't asked them for any assistance.

I have been playing for about 2 1/2 years. I had a peavy (forgot the model) and cpompares it to other amps like the TSL122, DSL401, MG250, Crate GLX212, Line 6 Vetta, Line 6 Duoverb, and some other amps. Overall I really liked the amp when I tried it. I read all the reviews and asked people, but I really conneted with the amp as soon as I tried it. I like the amp because it is simple and it doesn't have a crappy FX section (I use my Digitech GNX3, awesome). I wish it had parallel FX loop and a mid frequency control on the clean channel. I'm thinkin of putting a Celestion legend in it or a vintage 30. I would really get pissed if it got stolen and if I found out who stole it, I would probably kick their ass (or at least try). I would definitely buy this all over again. Maybe the head version. I really love the amp and Marshall is definitely my choice for a rock amp.

Bought new Feb. '03, probably made on 02. 2 channels, headphones, DI and Effects send\return, Reverb. 1 button channel switch. Would have liked a mid channel in the clean section, can hook to a Cabinet. Tube preamp.

I bounce from Blues to Classic rock to some 80's headbanging stuff. I also own and Behringer Vintager AC112, which is also a tube preamp hybrid. I use a whirlwind selector AB box (another great product) to switch between and play both amps at the same time. The clean Channel is a little weak, my Behringer blows it a way for pure clean tone, but I didn't buy this amp for its clean channel. I turn the Clean channel gain to max and use it for lightly distored sounds as I mentioned no mids in the clean so it requires a little tweaking. This sucka is LOUD, much louder than my Behringer and that is supposed to be a 60 watter as opposed to the Marshall which is 50 watts, could be a small gigger. The OD channel is very nice goes from plexi to heavy distortion, love the sound, this is why I bought it. The AVT50 covers sonic territory that my Behringer wasn't designed to, you can make it scream. You can get great squealing pick harmonics. The OD channel is noisy when you get the gain up, even with a quiet guitar, but you don't hear it while playing. I put my distortion pedals in a drawer. Gotta tell u the 2 amps comliment each other and when played together I get some sweet rhythm sounds in stereo! * because the clean is a tad weak

Don't know yet but the tube is easily replaced no need for a service center, put a JJ 12ax7 in just to see if it would change the sound, piece of cake. Had it a month and it is working fine.

Warranty is 5 yrs parts, 3 years speaker, 90 days tube, Korg services them in the US haven't dealt with 'em

Been playing 25+ years. I play a Jimmy Vaughn strat with Dimarzio Vinatage 2.1 pickups, A Gibson SG Classic with P90's, a Brawley Strat body with Dimarzio Evolution and PAF humbuckers, and a Washburn HB35(semihollow ES335 type) with Dimarzio Virtual PAFs. Use a Boss PW10 wha pedal.
Would I replace it if stolen? If the insuranc epays for it, you are definitely paying for the Marshall name. The Behringer Vintager AC112 costs nearly half as much, yet it is 60 watts, has great on board effects (99 settings), tube preamp, 2 switch pedal, Jensen speaker and is built to last, and is also an import.
I do love the OD channel on this amp it satisfies my hard edge sound desires, I just wonder if you can get something similar with a nice sounding amp and use a much cheaper Marshall Guvnor pedal?

Separate master volume and gain control for clean and lead channel
Bass Mid Treble on lead channel. Bass Treble on clean channel
Effects loop for effects processor.
50 watt solid state with tube preamp.
Built in reverb
Comes with channel foot switch

The clean channel is very good, quiet and musical.
The lead channel is very 'Marshall' There is plenty of control to dial in a variety tones. Excellent at low volume. The amp by itself is loud and capable of running a remote speaker cabinet for more bone crunching levels. 9 is the top for any amp because there is always room for improvement.

I feel confident in the unit although the first one out of the box had a reverb not working. No problem, got one that works. The reverb is nice sounding

The warranty is 3-years. I don't think theere will be a problem

For me, a great compliment to my Peavey 5150-II half stack. I think the AVT50 is a tremendous value

Clean channel, high gain/distortion channel, footswitch, Accutronics long spring reverb, 12AX7 tube in the preamp section, and the latest version of the Valvestate tubetone-mojo-inducing circuitry.

It also has a closed back cabinet, which was absolutely mandatory for my intended use, which is a bit out of the ordinary for this amp.

I would have preferred birch plywood to particle board cabinet construction, so I am deducting a point. Otherwise, nothing else is built better at this rather low price point. I mean, what other amps that cost under $500 street price come with a cooling fan? I live in a hot climate, so that could be crucial to amp longevity.

I use this as a home practice amp..............for bass guitar!!! I needed something smaller and quieter than most bass amps. I also like a bit of reverb in my bass tones at times, as well as some distortion. A lot of bass amps don't have these features. The closed back design helps prevent overexcursion of the speaker when I crank the bass EQ all the way up. Granted, it doesn't get the lowest notes like a regular bass amp, but the middle and high ranges are very good. It has much more tonal variation than most bass amps. It gets me by for now. I am going to change out the speaker and hopefully I can find one that allows very low bass at higher sound levels without compromising the higher treble tones too much. I do not require very loud output at home, so that expands my options tremendously. The low 50 watt output makes it compatible with a wide range of speakers, even ones made for PA and Hi-Fi use. I think something like a Tannoy 12" dual concentric speaker with a built-in crossover would be ideal, if not exactly low cost. Don't think I went bonkers by using a guitar amp for bass, since most cheap home practice bass amps sound very crappy to my ears, and do not have decent reverb or distortion circuitry. Why should guitarists get all the nicest tone shaping circuitry? I would rate this about a 9 for guitar sound (really nice!), which is also something I sometimes use it for, although I have a Marshall AVT20 that I use mostly for that. I use a Rickenbacker 4004 Laredo bass with the amp. It is too quiet to use as a gigging amp for bass work, but would work well for guitar in a small setting, or for PA micing. It really does sound tubey in a nice way. I just need to find a better speaker for bass tones.

Well, it hasn't broken yet, but does anybody else hear a sound like a revving race car engine when you first crank it up? The sound does go away within a minute, but it does nothing to instill confidence. It probably has something to do with the Valvestate tubetone-mojo-inducing circuitry, since none of my other amps ever had that idiosyncracy.

Never contacted Marshall or had a reason to. I would expect slower service than from somebody domestic like Fender or Mesa-Boogie, but I expect any problem would get resolved. These are made in large quantity, so any decent amp tech will be familiar with them.

If this amp had a plywood cabinet and steel cabinet corners, I would have to rate it a 10 at its moderate cost. The input jacks are plastic, and I prefer metal Switchcraft jacks for durability. But that is nitpicking at this price point. For using at home, studio, or smaller live gig (as a guitar amp), the amp is tremendous value.

Made in England those people know how to make amps good work.

I use a jackson guitar and this amp can hanlde it.
I like the clean sound the reverb almost sounds like a digital delay pedal. when you crank the gain all the way up on the clean sound setting you get and old marshall sound.
The distortion is awesome when you crank the gain knob all the way up
you get a warm rich sound distortion its cool I like it. and when you
turn the volume all the way up man it gets loud better buy some ear plugs.

its a good sturdy amp. Its built to last.

Marshall makes my amps for me so I can depend on them thanks Marshall.

This amp is great for small gigs. Marshalls makes great amps buy this amp you won't be let down.

2 footswitchable channels, Clean and Overdrive, effects loop, headphone jack, good for bedroom use or small gigs

I'm still learning so don't really have my own style, though I do like to play stuff like Creed and Metallica. Tried to play some Van Halen stuff, though could not get a decent EVH sound from it. That probably has more to do with my guitar though. My guitar is a Peavey Raptor (crap Strat copy) with Kramer Dual Rail pickups (similar to Seymour Duncan hotrails, v.similar output, but muddy)
The Clean channel is superb, especially for the price, very warm.
The overdrive channel is very good. A lot of feedback on high gain settings (you will need a noise gate), and a hell of a crunch. Can be tweaked to make almost any sound you want

It has been fine for me (had it for 2 months now), I've had no problems whatsoever

I've been playing for just over a year, and needed an upgrade for my crappy Peavey Rage and this is perfect.

The Marshall home page has everything you need to know about features.

I use a 94' mexi strat and Jackson soloist into the amp.
I was looking for an amp that can play fairly loud, clean, slightly broken and distorted.
I played at low volumes and it sounded o.k.
But when I cranked it up about 1/2 way, it sounded spectacular. I recommend humbuckers when cranking it up loud with distortion dimed, otherwise, like with most amps, you'll get major feedback and as a result your sound will suffer.
The distortion is very good. Not trip-rec., but way better than I expected. I mean, how much distortion can you use before it's tasteless noise? Maybe not enough for beginners or kids. But for anyone who know's how to play, there is plenty.

I've had this amp for 8 months has been extremely reliable. No defects and no problems. Hopefully I'll feel the same after a couple years have gone by. I push it pretty hard on a consistent basis, so only time will tell.

I've been playing since 1985. I also own way too many pedals along with an old Kramer Striker 300st, 2 Kramer Berretta's, a cheap yamaha electric guitar from the mid 80's, a fender squier an ovation acoustic a jcm800 a Crate (gx30?).

Overall, very impressive. Can achieve many sounds, plays loud enough to jam with a drummer and bassist, haven't tried the DI yet, I can't say it's the greatest thing Marshall ever produced, but in it's price range, there really isn't another amp that touches it. Hell, it's virtually maintenance free. Unless you buy used, but then, you never know what problems you're buying.

You can read all about the features somewhere on this page.

I was very curious about this amp after reading all the rave reviews on the internet and in music magazines. I play in a rock cover band and i was looking for a amp with a good classic rock and old-school hardrock sound. My guitar is a Epi SG with stock PU's (the ones that amplify all the wrong mids).
Playing the amp at my home was great, good deep clean sounds, nice distortion all very promising and i was looking forward to band-practice, so i could unleash all the true 50-watt power. But the 50-watt really fall short in a band-situation, i mean, you will be heard but there is no punch what so ever. Also i couldn't get a good overdrive sound, it sounded dull. A lot of people write that this amp is loud enough for in a band but it isn't. During the band-practice i had the oppertunity to use a Fender Twin (40 watt, but all tubes). So this is PUNCH !!!!! I realise that it is unfair the compare this two amps, but today i tried a second hand Marshall JTM60. It has the same price as the AVT50. The JTM60 has 2x12 speakers and is all tubes and has the punch and power and tone i am looking for.

The AVT50 sound is OK but i expected more.

Don't know just used it once.

This amp is ok but not for use in a (loud) rock band.

This one I bought brand new in 2002 at Guitar Center.Basic two channel amp with good clean and classic Marshall overdrive.Wish there was a mid control for clean channel but does a good job with just bass and treble.

I am using a Gibson SG standard with alnico hums and a Classic SG reissue with true P90's.Something about a Gibson plugged into a Marshall...This baby has warm cleans,blues like you hear on the radio and some great classic overdrive tones.Spot on AC/DC,ZZ Top,Van Halen and all the old school rockers with some newer metal tones with little tweaking.I am surprised at how well the clean channel does jazz and sparkly stuff though,better than the DSL 20 I had.

No problems yet!

Never needed them.

My only warning is if you pull the back off this thing as I did,you will find a 4 ohm Celestion with the smallest magnet I have ever seen on a 12!The fact that this amp sounds this good with that cheap speaker tells me a lot.The manual says you can run an 8 ohm load so I have a Vin 30 on the way for this thing and expect to have a killer combo!

See others.....wish it had a separate button for the reverb.

I use a Fender Strat with S/S/H.
The clean channel is fabulous, Marshall really did a great job on this one. Best clean of any amp I've tried. If you're a jazz cat, you'll love this channel. Just as good as any good Fender amp, although not excactly the same sound. I can play pretty loud before it starts to break up, even with HB PU's.
The overdrive channel is best suited for Rock and Metal and I think below 12 o'clock it sounds best with HB PU's. With Single Coils the sound can be a bit raspy, especially on bedroom levels. If you turn the gain past 12 o'clock the overdrive gets big, think and creamy. Depending on the tone control settings, you can dial in a more rounder or more agressive sound. I like the mids at about 9-10 o'clock and the treble at 11-12, bass at 10-12. Be rather careful with the bass due the closed back construction.

Loud 50 watts for a SS amp.

No problems except that I'll have to replace the fan in the near future (droning, buzzing noise at bedroom levels)

I've been playing since 10 years. I own the mentioned Fender Strat and this amp at the moment. Before this Marshall I've had a Peavey and a Crate SS amp, but the Marshall sounds much better. Stolen or lost I think I'd buy it again unless I'd find something that sounds better.
I've been trying out a lot of amps and for the money, the Marshall won hands down.

Features...read the other reviews. it's got two channels and one 12 inch speaker. a 12ax7 preamp, i think, reverb and a footswitch. In terms of alot of stuff, it's got just the basic stuff you need. nothin else! that's just what I was looking for

I play through an ibanez GAX70. it is a fairly cheap ibanez that really r0x0rz for the price. I play also through a greco les paul copy. The amp really sounds sweeeet. i play metal, and rock, and classical, and clean stuffs. It is PLENTY loud it doesn't need to be louder. I plan on runnin this through a 4x12 cab in order to get bigger tone. but that isn't the case for now. It gets a TON of low end the distortion is a litle sharp but very tweakable. i think you could squeeze antything out of this amp with a EQ pedal. High variety of sounds through this amp guys. Clean channel stays clean through and through.

umm i really can't rate this one. i haven't had the amp but for a couple of weeks. but i love this amp! technically could rate this a ten...i haven't had a single problem with it...by golly i think i will!

never talked to anyone, so i can't rate this one...

I been playin for two years and have owned two other amps in my time. and this is by far the most versatile amp so far. the other good amp i had was the fender vibro champ. never anywhere will you find a better clean sound.

All of the features have been outlined in previous reviews. Could use a seperate reverb control for the overdrive channel.

I am comparing this amp to a Vox Valvetronix I own (the 2x12 120 watt).
I've owned these: Marshall JCM800 2204, a Blackface Fender Bassman, a Gibson Goldtone GA 30RV, a Vox AC30TB, a Peavey Classic 30, A Mesa Boogie Dual Recto Halfstack, a Mesa Recto-Verb, a Marshall VS 8100 Valvestate head, a Yamaha DG-80, and a few others I'm forgetting.
At the time I bought the Valvetronix, I owned the Marshall JCM 800 2204, the Gibson Goldtone GA30-RV, and the Fender Bassman. I bought the Valvetronix because it 95% nailed the tones found in these other amps.
I tell you all of this to give you a background of my experience.
The Marshall AVT50 DOES sound fairly tube-y. Honestly, it does better than any other SS amp in emulating the characteristics of a tube amp. But, of course, it doesn't nail it.
This amp does sound very good- has a very good clean channel that when driven hard by the pre-amp gain sounds pretty good. It isn't that Fender, bell like clean tone that shimmers, but it comes rather close. The overdrive channel is fairly modern sounding, but can also do the classic Marshall tones rather well.
All in all, it's really a pretty good sounding amp.
But keep in mind that it's closed back; therefore, it doesn't have the breathy tones like a Fender and such. The closed back adds a lot of bass.

Very solid amp. Somewhat heavy too.

I have to say that for a SS combo amp in this price range it does fairly well. It is SS, and does not truly sound like a tube amp. But, it does a lot better than Line 6 and Johnson stuff.

My favorite amp in the world was the Gibson Goldtone GA30RV. That amp is the standard by which I measure all amps. My Valvetronix comes in at a very close second.
The AVT50 is a good choice if you can pick it up used for around 400 or less. You'd be hard pressed to find a better sounding, more versitile amp for the money.

This review is for the AVT50 amp cover that Marshall offers. The AVT50 amp is great. You MIGHT want to buy the genuine Marshall cover to protect your investment, like I did. You MIGHT want to reconsider. I paid $20 plus $5 shipping and handling for a cheap piece of non-reinforced PVC that stinks to high heaven and makes me nauseous. It DOES have a zippered compartment on the backside that is a nice place for putting things, but since the PVC has no cloth reinforcement, it would soon tear out if anything of weight were kept there. That's the best you can say about it. It would have cost little more, and looked a hell of a lot nicer, and probably stank a bit less to make the cover from nylon cloth with a PVC backing on the inside for waterproofing. My copy has a small tear in the front already from folding stresses when I unpacked it. It was sealed in the original factory plastic bag and showed no signs of abuse that I could tell. It was probably made in Asia for a buck or so. The gold Marshall logo on the front is so thin that it looks faded already. It would have cost little extra to do this thing up right. My advice is for you to take $25 to an upholstery shop and let them make you something nicer from better material that doesn't stink to high heaven. Or maybe just throw a big garbage bag over the amp and maybe conceal the fact that something valuable is sitting there. I feel like I've been reamed like an altar boy at the Vatican. I ordered this over the internet, and will never order another cover without at least talking to a salesperson and having them describe it. This cover will probably soon weather crack and leave you looking for another one. I want nylon cloth that gives some measure of puncture protection, not a glorified black garbage bag with gold piping around the edges. You can take a piece of canvas cloth, make a cutout for the handle, and trim it around the bottom for next to nothing and it will probably offer more real protection than this overpriced plastic bag. Rickenbacker sends out every guitar they make in a really nice hardcase and their prices are not jacked up like Gibson, Fender, PRS, etc. Marshall could therefore just give you this cheap thing as a freebie buying incentive at the very least. Hell no, I wouldn't buy it again! Hang on to your $25, dude.

P.S. I do not give this the low rating it deserves, because it would count against the amp which is really a great value. I figured the cover would be a similar value. Shame on you Marshall!

Made in 2001. I got a great, hard-hitting metal tone out of it, easily. Great clean. Crank the clean gain and you've got a great blues tone. 2 Channels, Comes with Footpedal. Effectsloop, headphone jack, CD input (dont use it), emulated DI out (i believe thats what it says)

Using an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, I got an EXCELLENT metal tone out of it. Almost no feedback, even when cranked. You can get almost any tone out of this. The distortion is one of the best I've heard, ever.

I would gig without a backup...this thing is a beast. NO problems yet...had it for almost 6 months now, play it daily.

N/A

this amp is great!!! If you are looking for a great distortion, for a fair price, go with this!! Everything you would expect from a high-end Marshall...for a fraction of the price!

I'll let you read below or check out their website for specifics. The features I do appreciate: closed-back cab for greater bass response and a CD input for those rare times I play with a drum machine for my students. The DI may come of use but I can't verify its usefulness yet. The headphones out is poor and a waste of space.

I wish every amp had a courtesy outlet like the old Randalls and a footswitchable boost like the Tech21 Trademark 60.

I use a Mex Strat modded with two humbuckers, a '59 in the neck position and a Tom Anderson HN2+ in the bridge. I use a CS3 compressor and GE-7 eq in front of the amp and the following review includes the use of the two pedals.

Clean: I love the clean channel. It is punchy and has the chime of the Laney LC-30 I used to own. I loved the Laney's clean channel but it was an inconsistent amp. Now I have that tone in a reliable package. It's responsive and breaks up very nicely when you want it to. I do not find the absence of a Mid control a problem. You can just turn the Treble and Bass down and it will accentuate the mids like Tech21 amps do.

Dirty: I like this channel as well, just not as much as the clean. It is definitely a raspy Marshall tone and will not give you the really fat and smooth Mesa/Santana tone. While I would have liked to have had that tonal option, I'm a shredder at heart and love the 80s hot-rodded Marshall tone. I have actually been able to lower the gain, boost some mids on my eq pedal, flip on the neck pickup, and fake some decent overdriven Bassman tones out of this channel...very cool and long sought after in a lower-volume amp.

This amp is relatively loud and prefers the power amp to be turned up a bit. I had no problem being heard and cutting through the mix at my last gig.

Seems reliable but too soon to tell. I hope so.

Don't know. My friend, a purchasing agent for a large music store, says that Marshall's quality control on this line has improved quite a bit. He also claims they are good at honoring the warranty, especially for such a large company. I think the warranty is 5 years.

I have searched high and low for a small, simple, grab-and-go, gigging solution for a long time. This solved the problem. I have had tube amps (Laney LC30, Crate VC30, Peavey Bravo, Sovtek Mig60) but have become disappointed with them, either because of maintenance, cost, reliability, inconsistency, or the volume required to bring out their best. Honestly, I think the words "tube" and "boutique" often blind people (case in point: the clean on my $300 Laney blew away a similar $1300 TopHat).

I have been playing since 1981.

2 ch switchable Please read all the other notes postedas they are all spot on! This little amp kicks ass!!
I have two gripes (hence the 8 rating)
There is no footswitch to turn Reverb on-off, & also switching from clean ch to dirty ch is ok but when switching from dirty to clean there is a loud switching noise ( not clicks or the such but the volume switches loud & then back to normal) Its ok if you dont play at the same time but if you do there is a loudness change that is annoying

I'm playing an Epiphone Les Paul Special with Seymour Duncan pickups
SH1-59 at the neck & a SH4-JB at the bridge and the thing is screaming with this amp on the dirty ch & can get Jazz-bluesy-country sounds on the clean ch dep on the settings I use
Very versatile

No comment as I've only used it for as short while

I repair electronics as a trade so I can fix this baby in a jiffy

Go to www.marshallamps.com for the lowdown on features. Mine has a 6 foot power cord, but I need a 12 footer. A reverb selector switch should have been included in the channel selector foot switch. The Marshall logo on the front should have been gold instead of funky white. The knobs should have been spread wider apart for easier twiddling or to allow replacement with chickenheads. The clean channel is actually less versatile (no midrange control) than my cheap little Kustom Tube 12 except the AVT 50 has reverb and the Tube 12 doesn't. There is lots of gain in the overdrive channel. The headphone jack makes the AVT 50 suitable for apartment practice late at night. A cooling fan keeps things cool when the room is hot and the music is too. I would MUCH rather play a CD through my Conrad-Johnson amps and Vandersteen speakers than the CD input on this thing, but I guess it's a useful feature for musicians without an audiophile sound system, or when you practice while on the road. The reverb is just right for my tastes. Overall, a better amp than most in it's price renge.

Well, you can add an overdrive pedal and reverb to a box stock $100 Kustom Tube 12 and get an amp that's just as good for practice in a typical living room, with a similar tube preamp/solid state power amp circuit topology and Celestion speaker. The difference is that the AVT 50 is big enough to gig with and it says Marshall on the front panel so you will have no trouble selling it when something else catches your fancy. This amp has a wide range of sounds. The gain control on the overdrive channel gets too radical too soon for my tastes. I use a Rickenbacker Dakota 650D with high output humbuckers, so this would not be as much of a problem with single coils. Careful with those knobs, or you will go right past the sound you're after! You can do an extremely wide range of styles on this amp, but it's mainly a classic/hard rock amp. I will probably outfit it with a bass guitar speaker and an outboard midrange horn since it has a closed cabinet. It should then be a great organ or bass guitar amp as well.

It looks like it will hold up to hard use. Time will tell. No problems so far.

Never dealt with them.

I would buy it again at the price I paid, but not at anything close to full retail. Before paying anything near full retail price, I would buy a used Mesa/Boogie in excellent condition. Other amps from Peavey, Crate, Fender, or Ampeg could serve you just as well if you do not require the very wide range of tone adjustment this amp gives you. A very good amp at an atractive price.

A 2 channel amp with a 12" Celestion speaker, effects loop, and reverb. Very simple to use, good looking, and more than enough power for a 4x12" if I need to use it live. I'd have to say there's not much more you could expect from a 2 channel combo. I mainly play hard rock/metal, so this amp does it all for me. Big enough to gig with, small enough to use at home.

I use a stock Ibanez RG570 running straight into it. I owned an AVT275 a year ago, and returned it to the store after a week with it. It tried to be the 'jack of all trades', and it was really the master of none. I really like heavy distortion, and the 275 just didn't have it. The other day I was waiting for my salesman at my local music store, and decided to plug into the AVT50 to kill some time. I could'nt believe it. A good sound! How can that be? I owned an AVT 275 and hated it! I thought I was crazy, so I plugged into the AVT150 and AVT275 beside it, and I was right, the AVT50 is voiced differently! The clean channel is very smooth and warm compared to the all tube Marshall amps I've owned in the past. I normally don't use the clean channel, but I've found myself using it more and more. The Overdrive channel is great for me! I'm still into old-school metal/hard rock (Van Halen, Dokken, Firehouse) and this amp has it! I was also amazed at how responsive the EQ is on this thing. (Which is good, since you really need to spend some time with it to dial in a good sound) I think it's wise to point out that this amp truly creates the Marshall "sound", which is what I was after. Anyone that gets this amp and tries to get a Mesa or Soldano sound out of it is buying it for the wrong reasons, and will probably be dissapointed. My only gripe, is that I wish it had a teeeennnnny bit more gain. Don't get me wrong, it's good enough for me, but I just wish there was a little more there to work with. When I peg the gain to '10' it feels like it has just a little more to give if I could turn that damn knob just a litte further. I may put a compression pedal in front of it for a tad more sustain, but this amp really sounds good on it's own.(As a side note, I was AMAZED at the sounds I can get using the PODxt though the amp's clean channel!I mainly use the Soldano patch using the Tubescreamer stompbox effect, and this amp adds something to it that flat out rocks! It's warm, punchy, and really pushes a lot of low end. I could'nt be happier!)The real value for me was the fact that the amp sounds good lower volume levels.(Which is important to me since most of my recording happens at night, next door to my 2 kids) Most tube amps need to be on 10 to sound good, but this amp sounds good at bedroom levels. I have noticed that it also improves nicely as the power amp kicks in at higher volumes too. Very similar to an all tube amp in this regard.

I have owned Marshall tube heads for 20 years now, and find their stuff to be highly reliable. The only problem I've ever had, was with the first series of Valvestate heads when they were first introduced. The very first night I played out using it, it decided to stop working. I never figured out what was wrong with it, since I returned it the next day for a JCM900, which still works to this day. Based on how solidly this looks and feels, I suspect it won't let me down. (Especially since there's only 1 tube to worry about)

Never needed them. My local music store is the best!

I've been playing since the early 80's, and I'm pretty selective about my sound. (Notice I don't use the word "tone"...I swear, if I have to hear that word one more time I'll puke!)I have owned and sold just about every amp ever made, in my quest for "The Sound". The fact that I bought this amp on a whim, says a lot. I really can't believe that this amp sounds as good as it does for the price! (Pricing on Marshall's has always been a gripe of mine. Most all tube amps cost over $1000, when they're made with technology from the beginning of the last century. How can they justify that?!?!) Before I left the music store, I also tried a Tech 21 Trademark 60, (which was nice, but was missing something in the distortion area) a Line 6 Flextone II (Which sounded sterile) Fender's Cybertwin (Worse than the Line 6!) and a Laney. This amp is a steal. It's just right for home, but can power my 4x12 live, and gives my new PODxt a nice home to sit on top of. I'm still curious why this amp sounds better than the bigger 100, 150, and 275 models? Maybe it's the built-in effects that sucks the life out of them? Anyway, the AVT50 is a simple, easy to use, and affordable amp that also sounds great. If you want a sonic chameleon that can sound like anything ever made, you'll hate this amp. One thing that I was amazed at, was how much better this sounds to me than Marshall's current line of all tube stuff! Two years ago, I really wanted to get a Marshall TSL head, but found it to be the most buzzy and unmusical amp I had ever played through! I don't know what they're doing over there in the factory these days, but I'm glad to see they brought the JCM 800 back! (BTW...this amp actually has a better gain channel than the 800's) I own all tube amps, and I would put this thing against any one of them!

50 watts, lead and clean channels, comes with footswitch to switch channels that has an LED that lights when you're in the lead channel, 12-inch Celestion speaker, Accutronics reverb, speaker output jack that allows you to unplug the built-in speaker and drive whatever cab you want from 4 ohms to 16 ohms. I give the amp a 10 here because even though the features are small in number, they allow you to accomplish anything you want. Also, I've recorded running the speaker-emulated output on the back of the amp right into the mixing board, and it sounds great--just like a well-miked speaker cab. The only think I would change is to have it designed so the cooling fan is not needed. It's not a noisy fan, but I'd prefer an air-cooled amp.

I use Les Paul, 335, Strat, Jazzmaster, Carvin 7-string guitars. The amp sounds great with all of them. The amp is very versatile. The clean channel produces some of the most beautiful clean sounds I've heard from a guitar amp--everything from warm jazz to bright country twang to reverby surf. The bass and treble knobs are all you need to get whatever clean sounds you want. The lead channel gives you wonderful Marshall sounds. A volume pedal makes it easy to move from fairly clean to crunchy to lead tones without using any other controls. When you crank the lead channel, you get additional distortion that emulates the sound of power tubes being overdriven. I usually don't play loud enough at home for that to happen, but it's great when I am in a room that allows me to play that loud. It's easy to control the amount of distortion, and there is all the distortion you could want on tap. I have Marshall tube head, a Mesa Boogie tube head, and a Line6 Flextone, but I think this AVT combo is my favorite amp right now, because it has all the sounds I want, and it's very easy to dial them in. The amp produces a lot of low frequencies for a single 12-inch speaker. I guess that is because it's a sealed box and the Celestion seems to be voiced to produce more lows, but the tone controls allow you to roll off the lows to get whatever balance you want. I love the full fat sound this amp can make, as well as the clear twang with single-coil pickups. This amp makes any guitar sound its best.

I mail-ordered this amp from AMS. The first one had an intermittent problem, but AMS was very nice about sending me a replacement, and they paid the return postage. The second one has had no problems. I guess mail-order delivery is a good way to shake down the amp. Since my second one survived that undoubtedly bumpy ride, I expect it will continue to work reliably. I have a Marshall tube head too that has been reliable. Marshall gear seems to be built pretty solidly. The warranty is five years, which is a long time for an amp that is likely to be cranked up and blasting. Marshall's literature says their amps are built to be played cranked up without any problem. My tube head seems to thrive on loud playing, and this combo does too. I've never needed repairs, but I suppose Marshalls are as easy to get serviced as any amp.

The warranty is five years, and the amp comes with a tag that says "crank it up." If you get a Marshall that works, it seems to keep working for a long time. I've never needed customer support, but the Marshall website offers good information, including all the owner manuals for their amps, which you can download and print. Cool. I'm giving it an 8 here, only because I don't think a 10 would be right considering I haven't needed any personal help.

I've been playing for over 30 years. Yes, I'd buy this amp again. I love it, because it produces all the sounds I want as loud as I want and with no hassle, and the amp is not to big or heavy to lug to a jam session. I've used Fenders, other Marshalls, Mesa Boogie, and Line6, and this amp does just what I want easily and relatively inexpensively. The only additional think I wish it had is at-home visits from Carmen Electra on behalf of Marshall to make sure I'm satisfied. :o)

Made in 2002. I play blues, rock, and I run my acoustic through the clean channel via a seymour duncan performer. Two channel, headphone jack, overdrive and reverb on one channel. Wish the reverb worked both clean and OD. Foot pedal for channel switching. Solid state, works good for practice and gigs. Very solid. Marshall.

I use a , get this, "60's reissue "Tex/Mex" (Texas pickups) with a cold steel trem block and with the Marshall, it sounds awesome. Amp is a little noisy, could use a gate. Listen, you can crank this little SOB. Really clear at high volumes. Mike it through a PA and the thing is LOUD. Don't get off on distortion or reverb. Use pedals.

Marshalls are reliable, well built, worth the extra money. No trouble, it's new anyway

Never dealt with them, even years ago when I had 100W stacks.

If you're a Strat person, get a Marshall. It's like hand in glove. If you get an AVT though, get a decent Strat, or pump up the Mexican jobs so they can push the Marshall. Got a Deluxe coming any day now, can't wait. Had a Peavey, and it was just okay. I am going to get a 2-12" cab for it though, for stereo effect. Lost or stolen, I'd get a half stack. I wish they'd just do away with the OD and reverb. They sound good, but the reverb you have to control by hand. Sucks in a gig. There's so many good pedals and processors out there, you don't need them. Just drives up the price.

Just read the other reviews or go to Marshall's site.

Run a Samick Ultramatic (PRS Copy) w/ Seymour Dunan 59/JB Humbucker setup. Guitar is set up for pure rock, this amp is pure rock. Very versitle sound, can get anywhere from a glassy clean to a hard rock crunch, only thing it is missing is some grunge fuzz (but thats what distortion pedals are for). The two things that blew me away: 1) The clean chanel is amazing. I was playing through Fenders for their clean sound and thus clean beat everything but a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe for clean. 2) The tone is consistant at all levels of volume. Most other amps begin to break up after 5 or so, this puppy is great all the way up the knob. Marshall spent the time to make sure they had a great speaker set up perfectly with the power of the amp.

My main concern is how much maintnance is needed on a Pre-Amp tube. MArshall says "virtually none", but well see.

Didnt have to deal with anyone yet, and i hope i never do!

Needed an amp for basement/practice use that had 1)great tone, 2) good volume to cover practicing alone to jammign with firends 3)didnt have useless digital effects, i like to adjust my sound via volume, drive, bass, mid and trebble controls on the amp and volume, pickup selection and tone knobs on the guitar.... this thing all my needs perfectly.

See other reviews, wouldn't know what to add here.

I was looking for a light amp for rehearsals and small gigs since my Peavy Classic 50/410 is so damn heavy to carry around (I think I'm gonna sell it just for that).

Let me say that I've been trying a lot of amps prior to buy the AVT50 and the main criteria was TONE, I didn't care if it's solid state or tubes since I've come to the conclusion that today an amp having tubes doesn't necessarily mean that it does sound good.

I've tried the following amps:
Blues Deluxe: great clean sound, usable overdrive sound, althoug rather vintage than modern. Weight on the verge of being too heavy.
Crate VC 3112: Great clean and overdrive, but too heavy at almost 50 lbs.. Besides, changing the tubes is a mess since you've got to remove the chassis to do it.
New Crate V-Series amp: Great clean and overdrive, but again too heavy and also a mess to change tubes.
Peavey Classic 30: good clean and overdrive, but shared tone controls, therefore some limitations, weight OK
Peavy Bandit II: didn't like both channels
Ashdown Peacemaker 40: clean channel was OK, but terrible overdrive channel
Marshall MG 50/100 DFX: great clean and overdrive channel, but ridiculously loud fan's on both amps, like a ProLiant Server. MG 100 DFX too heavy.
Flextone II: Features for days and some good clean and overdrive sounds, but too many knobs to push to get them.
Johnson Mirage: didn't like it at all, most models too precessed sounding
Fender CyberDeluxe: Good Fender type sounds, but weak modern overdrive (for my taste).

OK. Now to the AVT. I'll make it short: This is the best clean sound I've ever heard out of any amp I've ever tried or played to date (including expensive tube amps) and even better than Marshall's DSL or TSL tube amps.
The overdrive is very good to, although more modern than vintage sounding, but that's what I was looking for. Spring-Reverb also sounds good, not too wet, not too dry.

Just bought it. Looks sturdy.

I've been playing since 12 years and play a Fender Strat. I would buy this amp again if it got lost or stolen.
Only thing I wish it had is a footswitch button to turn the reverb on/off.
I've been reading some of the other reviews here about some morons complaining the AVT has not enough gain.
Let me say this - ALL THE GUYS TELLING THIS AMP HAS NOT ENOUGH GAIN ARE FRIGGIN' IDIOTS WHO APPARENTLY DON'T HAVE A DAMN SINGLE CLUE ABOUT AMPS OR MUSIC.
I wonder what kind of shitty crap you have to play to need more gain than this amp is going to produce.
DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO HEAR A DAMN SINGLE NOTE OF YOUR PLAYING OR DO YOU WANT TO PRODUCE A NU METAL NOISE MESS. If so, do yourself a favor, look for a sound sample of WTC collapsing and make a sound file out of it. Maybe that's the distortion you guys need.
Or ask MESA to build you a QUINTUPLE RECTIFIER, turn the gain up, crank it to the maxx and hopefully get stone deaf.
So you're search for the ultimate hyper-gain will be over for once and for all.

Righy O, this is a 2002 AVT 50. 2 channels, clean and overdrive with reverb thrown in as well as a whole array of inputs on the front and the back like the fx loops, headphone jack, cd input and all that. This amp has heaps of features for me, due to the fact that I'm coming from a shitbox 10w amp with 3 controls on it to this beauty with a 12AX7 in the preamp. The only thing that would have been more useful is a mids control for the clean channel but the channel is fantastic without it.

OK, I play an Ibanez RG320QS through this, makes the average pickups sound great. Play mostly instrumental rock as well as other things. As everyone else has said, the clean channel is absolutely ass kicking, add a touch of reverb and it soothes the soul. Playing through the clean channel with some reverb and neck pickup in parallel is instant Hendrix! Neck pickup in series yields fantastic jazz tones and the other pickup settings all make fantastic tones. The inner coils of each pickup in parallel with the tone rolled off a little creates an interesting pseudo electro acoustic tone. Now to the distorted sound of things. This is pretty good distortion for me, like a fat JCM-800 with a little more gain, I thought at first it would be pretty low gain but obviously not, it's not the most bone crunching gain but really sings sweetly in my ear. When I back off the volume on the o/d channel, it really cleans up like true tube amp! Tried it loud in the shop and it held together wonderfully. No matter where you turn the knobs, there's no bad sound, at least it's like that with mine.

I'm a bedroom guitarist so it should last plenty. The fact that it only has 1 tube in it adds to the reliablity, that doesn't mean you can leave it, even though it's only 1 tube, it still needs to be replaced like every 18 months or something like that, not exactly sure. It should last, it's a Marshall.

Haven't dealt with them, I trust my local guitar shop more, good bunch of guys there, got a 12 month waranty, should be enough.

Been playing for nearly 8 years, own 4 guitars, 2 electrics and 2 classicals. I played thru a 10w solidstate shitbox before this so you can imagine how thrilled I feel now. As I said before, where ever I turn the knobs, no bad sound comes out, clean channel is exquisite and the ditortion channel is a ripper, even does metal pretty well but it's a rock amp and that's where it excels. Chose this cos of the reputation of Marshall and mainly due to the truly tube like sounds this amp offers. I don't get why ppl winge about this, didn't they try it out in the shop before they bought it? One cool amp that is a kick ass recording tool still capable of the odd gig.

Very basic, standard features. 2 channels, clean and OD, nice reverb thrown in there too.

WOW, Im impressed. Not to loud, like the AVT100-150, but loud enough to gig with. Never cranked in the house, it might bury me alive. The somewhat limited controls are very responsive, but it gets the job done, on clean with gain on 10, and volume at about 6, I can really get that cranked JTM crunch. On the OD channel with the gain at about 2-4, it sounds awesome for that of the wall JCM800 sound. When you get to about 5-6 you start getting into heavier territory, awesome for heavier rock. Then with the gain fully cranked up, it gives that bone crushing JCM900 metal distortion. And yet, even with all the gain, every note is clearly heard, with no sign of sonic mud at all. Might I add, Im playing with a Gibson LP studio and a Strat. The amp does get a bit noisy on the OD channel with the gain fully cranked.

Only had it for about a week

3-5 year limited marshall warrenty

If you want an affordable alternative to an all tube marshall, this is your answer, actually... some might even prefer this to some of the all tube marsahll. This really shows Jim Marshall's incredible geniuos. It really feels and sounds like a all tube marshall. It can almost replicate any amp that Marshall made in the past for decades. As close to perfection as an amp can get. I would suggest this to anyone.

i think its 2001 model. It has all i need, clean and overdrive plus DEEP reverb it has channel footswitch, which is great for a practice amp. It's small (51cm * 55cm * 27cm i think) and pretty loud.
The best room/practice amp i have seen.

it's great clean channel is very good, and overdrive, too. It's great for all styles, from jazz and funk to HM. clean channel sounds great at high volume. Distorsion can be very deep

i'd use it for smaller gigs (in clubs or sesions for example). Its heavy built.

1 year warranty

again: the best practice amp

Mine is a 2001 model. Has a lot more versatility than I've seen it given credit for in the Harmony Central forum. In fact, I've seen it straight out bashed by "all tube" Marshall owners. I like the available features but wish that the footswitch could control the reverb. 50 watts, single speaker out (could've used an extension speaker out) but none the less its pretty loud and shouldn't have any problems keeping up with the rest of the band. I give it an 8 because the features are pretty much standard on an amp of this price range.

I was looking at amps in the $500.00 dollar price range when I found mine. I tried out some amps at 2nd hand shops, pawn shops, big retailers (guitar center, mars music) and some privately owned stores.

My advice is to be VERY careful when buying used amps. You never know what problems you are inheriting from someone else.

I only buy new when it comes to anything besides guitars.

This amp has a very tight, loud and versatile sounding clean channel.
As you increase the gain, it begings to saturate the pre-amp tube
(yes, it is a real tube(valve) in the pre-amp. I opened it up and looked) and gives a very natural, deep and 3 dimensional bluesbreaker type sound. On the clean channel, I rate this a 9. If it had a mid tone control I would've given it a 10. It really does sound that good.

For the 2nd channel, the distortion channel. I found that you get a well rounded, heavily overdriven and extremely versatile array of sounds to choose from. Each of the tone controls directly effects the other. For instance... when you have the treble and bass turned up and the mid dropped, you get a very much scooped, modern hardcore distortion. Once you get past about 3 on the mids, it effectively starts to parametrically drop the bass and treble somewhat, giving more of the high overdrive as oppposed to distorted sound. All the tones controls work this way amongst each other and in my opinion works very effectively. I've managed to nail many different tones due to the flexibility of this set up. For this reason, I give it an 8 as well.

The upside to the valve-solid state combination in any amplifier in my opinion is that, you dont have to mess with changing tubes and biasing your amp. This one in particular seems well constructed and I dont forsee and problems with normal use and wear and tear.

I havent had to deal with customer support so I'm not in position to give a rating here.

I've played since 1984 and owned my fair share of gear in that time. Damn, almost 18 years already.

If it were stolen, I'd do what I did last time. Look around and find the best deal for my money. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this again if it were my best option though.

I love the fact that it has a sealed back and at low volumes, gives a good impression of a marshall stack (I own a stack so I know what I'm comparing it to) I also love the fact that it's fairly portable and maintenance free. I can rely on this when spur of the moment jamming comes up.

I looked at line 6, fender, kustom, mesa, and other marshalls before making this purchase. It suited my needs better and I've always been preferential towards Marsalls anyway.

I follow the HC forum quite a bit and see that a lot of tube amp owners knock this amp. But people who own them are in general very pleased with their purchase. Lots of snobbery involved with opinions so keep that in mind when giving this a listen. Marshall has taken alot of time developing these amps and in my opinion have done a bang up job giving us as customers the Marshall sound at a reasonable price by creating this line of amplifiers. Try one out for yourself.

Follow up to "Tone Geek"

To me, B.B. King sounds hundred x better thought his LAB solid-state amps than with any Fender or other tube amp he ever used.

On of the best guitar sound I've ever heard has been a no name guitar player playing with a no name band using a no name Strat model straight through a Session Sessionette 1 x 12" solid state amp (no stomp boxes, only gain and volume turned up) some 15 years ago.

On the other hand, I've heard guitarists (no bad players) playing through Bogner Extasy's, Soldanos, Matchless, Fender Tone-Masters, Mesa Dual and Triple Rectumfriers and other premium tube amps and sound like crap.

And now? What gives.

Fact is that with the AVT 50 you'll get an amp whose clean sound
will put many $$$ boutique amps to shame and whose overdrive channel will sound just as good or better than 80 % of the tube amps out there. And this at a REEEEEAL GOOOOD PRICE.

Obviously, you don't have to agree and ? you don't have to buy one and use it, but it's excactly like that.

Besides, it isn't the amp or the guitar that makes the TONE, but it's in YOUR HANDS and last but not least, in YOUR MUSICAL IDEAS.

So, in a sense, I don't get what's your problem.
All this never ending, GEAR TALK about REAL TONE, TUBES ARE GOOD, S-S IS CRAP, is completely useless anyway.

2 channels, the clean channel doesn't have mid, just bass and treble, spring reverb, cd input, effects loop, useless DI, 50 watts, lots of volume, ....

using it with a G&L F100 and a ibanez rg 570. clean channel sounds good, and with gain on 7 or more you get nice and warm overdrive. Overdrive is not bad, sounds the same as other valvestates. Clean channel has improved.

the only thing that has gone wrong was the malfunctionning footswitch

never dealt with them

have been playing for about 3 years, i have: fender squier+amp, Ibanez rg570, a G&L from 1980, line 6 POD II, in a few months i'll buy a mesa/boogie combo... if i could turn back time in the financial situation i was in at the moment i would have bought that yamaha combo with built in effects...i love the clean channel and i think it's an excellent amp for practice. it has just enough volume for gigging but the distortion channel doesnt get louder past 6 or 7. Distortions that come with the pod are better, too bad that the pod hasn't got a bypass function

2 Channels, Gain and Clean footswitchable. Effects Loop, headphones, CD input and Reverb (non footswitchable). I bought this entry level Marshall simply because it was simple. It does not go over the top with unneccessary digital effects (unlike the AVT100, which is like learning to programme a computer). I hate paying extra money for built in Reverb.

I love this amp, I have so far only used it for bedroom practice and rehearsing. It coped brilliantly playing against my bandmates who, although using 100w Marshalls and 200w Laneys(bass) still complained that I was too loud (the drummer minds his own business). I intend on using this beauty on stage very soon. I have no intention of boasting about my guitar because that's just being pathetic.

I have one itsy bitsy problem. When you switch from the gain channel back to the clean it goes "BANG", I never get that from my BD-2 but I want to use the built in drive. Ah well, I'll learn to cope

I don't know yet, I've only had it 2 months. I believe it will keep going til I die, but let's wait and see.

Don't know yet, but Jim seems like a decent man.

I bought this in Denmark Street, and managed to bargain them down from the list price of #352 to #289.99 by playing each shop off each other, I recommend trying this to anyone who wants to buy one. I love this amp, and would happily recommend it.

Follow up to "Mick."

Mick wrote:

I've been playing for seven years. I've recently got rid of a Telecaster and a Fender Twin. I'm now the proud owner of a 1995 Fender
Stratocaster and this beauty of an amp. I used to think I just couldn't cut it when playing guitar. I mean, I had a FENDER TWIN. How
better can you get? Well. THIS is better. BELIEVE it. This amp is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. It oozes tone. I
absolutely rate it in every class.

To those who slate this amp: Are you DEAF? I have owned the (arguably) best amp you can own. WHY does this #350 Valvestate
hybrid absolutely sound 100% better than it?
Here is the answer: Advanced Valve Technology IS the future. You'd better believe it 'cos it's happening. ALL of the Guitar Tabloids
say so too. They aren't being bribed to say so.

Buy this amp if you want fantastic value for money. And, if you want to sound like a f***ing pro.

If you used to think you couldn't cut it as a guitar player, you were probably right. You had a "FENDERB TWIN" and still couldn't get the sound? Learn your craft if you are serious, Mick.

Advanced Valve Technology IS the future? OK, if you say so.

Mick, solid state amps have come and gone for nearly 40 years now. What they do these days is pretty good, but here's something to know. They wouldn't keep on making tube amplifiers if there wasn't something there that folks want. It's called tone - REAL TONE. Not hybrid tone. Not transistor tone. Tube tone.

All the Guitar Tabloids say it's great? Who freakin cares?

If you want to sound like a pro, learn how to play without relying on gimmicks. Muddy Waters had lame Gibson amplifiers with no features when he started. Listen to a couple of his vintage recordings. That'
s tone.

I'm not gonna go into that, all you need to know is (other than what everyone else has wrote) is that it's a damn sight lighter in weight than most all valve amps. I use it in the house, at work, wherever I want to basically. It's very powerful.

I'm using a '95 Strat with standard pups. I play a lot of RHCP and John Frusciante. You can really get the sound with this amp! The overdrive is awesome.
This amps forte, however is it's clean sound. It is simply the best sound you will get. Forget overpriced Mesa Boogies and shit.

It is very solidly built. I doubt the structure will ever be compromised. No internal gremilns as yet. I bought it with the thought that Marshalls are thoroughly dependable. The factory is only 40 miles from my house. If this breaks, I'll give Jim Marshall a personal visit.

Jim sent me a letter after I sent off my warranty ( 12 months ). Thanks Jim.

I've been playing for seven years. I've recently got rid of a Telecaster and a Fender Twin. I'm now the proud owner of a 1995 Fender Stratocaster and this beauty of an amp. I used to think I just couldn't cut it when playing guitar. I mean, I had a FENDER TWIN. How better can you get? Well. THIS is better. BELIEVE it. This amp is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. It oozes tone. I absolutely rate it in every class.

To those who slate this amp: Are you DEAF? I have owned the (arguably) best amp you can own. WHY does this #350 Valvestate hybrid absolutely sound 100% better than it?
Here is the answer: Advanced Valve Technology IS the future. You'd better believe it 'cos it's happening. ALL of the Guitar Tabloids say so too. They aren't being bribed to say so.

Buy this amp if you want fantastic value for money. And, if you want to sound like a f***ing pro.

It features a valve pre-amp and solid-state power amp rated at 50W with a 12" Celestion speaker in a closed-back MDF cabinet. There is one input with two channels switchable from the front panel or using the supplied footswitch. Front-panel LEDs show which channel is active. The clean channel has gain, bass, treble and volume controls. The overdrive channel has gain, bass, mid, treble and volume controls. A depth control for the Accutronics spring reverb, a CD input and a headphone out complete the front panel line-up. Round the back we have access to the main output (to replace the 1x12" with external speaker cabinet), effects send and return, a speaker-emulated DI out and the footswitch socket.

I looked at other amps that had a louder rating by wattage and had more built in effects. But nothing I looked at in this price range had a sound as sweet as this. I think you can quite literally get any sound you desire out of this amp. The clean channel is very clean and the distortion channel is mean and nasty. It gets very , very loud. No problem keeping up with a drummer and bassist. This is my sound all the way.

It's been 4 months now that I've had this. It contains a preamp tube but solid state power amp. So I dont think I'll have to worry much about maintenance. I treat it with the same respect I treat my guitar, which is to say, its been very well taken care of. Dont get me wrong, I crank the hell out of this thing. It just sings right back at ya.

No problems , so no need for customer support.

I've played for about 7 years. Its my third amp in that time span. I also have owned 5 guitars along the way.
I would more than likely buy this again. I might look at some stuff on ebay to get a steal, but If I was in a pinch and needed something that sounded good and could be relied on right this second. I would look no further than this amp.
The sound quality, pure volume and clarity, and bang for the buck make this a steal. I wouldnt be shocked to see them hike up the price of this unit in the future.
Go play one at the nearest guitar center or mars music.
I guarentee you'll feel the same.

This is a brand new Marshall Valvestate 2000 AVT50 combo.

It features a valve pre-amp and solid-state power amp rated at 50W with a 12" Celestion speaker in a closed-back MDF cabinet. There is one input with two channels switchable from the front panel or using the supplied footswitch. Front-panel LEDs show which channel is active. The clean channel has gain, bass, treble and volume controls. The overdrive channel has gain, bass, mid, treble and volume controls. A depth control for the Accutronics spring reverb, a CD input and a headphone out complete the front panel line-up. Round the back we have access to the main output (to replace the 1x12" with external speaker cabinet), effects send and return, a speaker-emulated DI out and the footswitch socket.

The lack of a mid control on the clean channel is not something to worry about in practice. The controls are passive and, according to the manual, have a pre-set tone shape with the mids scooped out. Setting the bass and treble high retains this scooped sound, setting them at 12 o'clock gives a flatter response and setting them low brings out the mids. It's actually very flexible but takes some time to get the best out of it.

The sound of this amp really comes out at higher volumes. A switch to drop the power output down for practice sessions, whilst retaining the high-volume tone, would be useful. At under 19kg, this is a remarkably portable amp for the volume it generates.

I am playing a 2001 Gibson LP Standard and a mid-80's Tokai Stratocaster - mainly blues and blues/rock.

Perhaps the biggest surprise with this Marshall is the clean channel. The sound is bright with plenty of attack and a tight bass. It stays clean and twangy with the single-coils up to about 6-7 on the gain and boosting the volume really brings out the tone of the amp. The tone controls are very responsive and there is great versatility if you spend the time looking for it. This amp really brings out the different voices of the Strat in the different switch positions.

The reverb softens up the sound nicely. There's not a huge range of reverb available, and the higher settings are slightly metallic, but it's enough to work with in a live setting.

With the Les Paul and the gain set on 5-6, I can get a great clean blues sound a la BB King that just starts to break up on double notes. You need to be restrained with the bass and treble controls: the bottom strings can get a little boomy and the bridge pickup can get a little harsh. However, push the gain up to 8-9 and you are right into Bluesbreakers territory. Fantastic clean channel!

The overdrive channel continues where the clean channel leaves off, overlapping a little in distortion. Around 4-5 on the gain gives a classic AC/DC bite, beyond that things get seriously overdriven. At low volumes the distortion sounds a little buzzy - you really need to drive the power amp to get the amp to sing.

It's worth mentioning that the DI output is excellent for recording. You can turn the volume up to drive the power amp and get the nice tones. Obviously it doesn't have the versatility of a modelling device but it compares favourably to my V-AMP for recording if I don't want effects or unusual tones.

I've been playing electric for about 15 years. I considered Fender amps but I've had Marshalls before and I know they can be relied upon. I am certainly pleased with the sounds, especially the clean channel which I use 75% of the time, and the quality of the speaker-emulated output. I wouldn't hesitate to go out and replace this amp with the same model.

2 channel 1x12 valvestate hybrid

This is the best amp I have heard, with maybe the exception of the Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 -> Marshall JCM900 1960A 4x12 cab.
The crunch is phoenominal, the clean is awesome. The lead tones remind me very much of Pink Floyd (Shine On You Crazy Diamond 1) and Led Zeppelin (Whole Lotta Love)

Only had it 4 days, but have spend literaly 5 months looking at a new amp - This is the best I've tried, and I'm including amps up to ?2300!!

This is the best amp I've tried, and as I've already said, I've tried loads of amps. This is of professional quality. Excellent.

The uk made avt50 has all of the basic features you'll need: 2 channels with own eqs, fx loop, DI out, headphones out & cd in...the cd in is somewhat suspect, sounding booming and echoey somehow...good news is i don't use it at all. it comes with a sturdy footswitch for channel switching.
the amp is loud for a 50-watter...the closed back accentuates the bass quite a bit and it's loud enough for a small gig.

with a single tube in the pre-amp section, the avt50 is capable of producing a gtreat tone, either in the clean channel or the od channel...but the tone changes dramatically if you push the volume (NOT gain) knob as high as you can stand it. this apparent pushes the power amp stage into a frenzy...and this is where the avt50 excels...sweet harmonics all over the place...
one thing bothers me though: the unbalanced volume between the clean and the od channel...to get an even volume between the 2 channels, the volume knob of the clean channel has to be set much higher than the volume knob on the od channel...if you were playing a note on the od channel and foot-switch to the clean channel, you get an annoying sudden boost in volume.

it feels sturdy enough...had it only for a few months so it has not gone through much 'hardship' yet:)

haven't had to deal with them.

this is indeed a nice little amp. the warmth on the clean channel is extremely enticing...so much so that i don't really use the od channel much anymore (the other reason is the unbalanced volume problem mentioned above). i merely stick my effects between the guitars and the amp and so far have been able to get very nice tones.

everything you need

fine but not as good as tubes

my fender prosonic combo ($500) smokes it

seems fine

seems fine - by korg ?

good practice amp for newcomers and beginners

cannot be compared to anything professional or serious

maybe the AVT100 or the stereo 275 unit could get 9
but this thing is OK not more i.e. 7

See Marshall website for complete details. 2 channels and reverb, but lacks ability to turn reverb on or off with footswitch and only features 2 band eq on clean channel. Channel switching can also give a varied volume swell that is difficult to hide (check this out before purchasing, could be a deterent for some).

I am a Strat guy with a Mex Strat and an American Deluxe. Both guitars feature single coils exclusively, although the quality of pickup from one guitar to the next is pretty extreme. The amp performs well with either. I've found that this amp also excels in a live performance setting. I have a need for a variety of sounds because of the music I play, and this amp allows for moaning blues to screaming lead tones without fail. I truly enjoy the decent versatility in a single unit. Other amps I owned didn't perform this satisfactorily across the tonal spectrums. For those with humbuckers, I heard the amp used once with a Gibson SG but can't really tell You everything You need to know. Seemed good enough, but I'll reserve judgment.
BTW, no amp that I am aware of is perfect!

Seems dependable. No hic-ups yet, 6 months and counting.

I've had another Marshall product serviced under warranty with no problem, and based on that experience I'd say Marshall is at least somewhat serious about satisfied customers. The amp does feature a good warranty. Find a trustworthy retailer with a good technician, and a knowledgable sales staff and You'll be OK.

I've been around (and around) for some time. I've owned plenty of combos from several manufacturers. I've discovered that price isn't indicative of value. This amp replaced the most expensive combo I've owned, a Fender Prosonic, and I do not miss my old amp. The Prosonic was sometimes difficult to dial in. The Avt50 is a breeze to adjust. It features enough power to be heard and the sealed back design gives this amp a stack like precense in sound. The fact that it is primarily a solid state, and still can create so many usable tones is truly remarkable. I must also say that I believe I'm getting more compliments than ever, and I attribute it mostly to this amp.
On a final note, I waited until my favorite local Marshall dealer had one of these for me to hear before I made any purchase. I was prepared to make a deal on a Tech 21 Trademark 60, but the salesman (cool guy!) insisted that I should hear one of these first. The salesman could have sold me another amp, but he was certain that this would be my best choice. By my generous overall rating You can see he was right.
Hope this helps and happy hunting!

50 watt Valve/Solid State combo with 12" celestion speaker. 2 Channels (Clean and overdrive, Spring Reverb

I use a Kramer Striker Custom and I mostly play metal and punk. This amp is great for those type of sounds and if you are looking for that Linkin Park type of distortion or that System of a Down crunch this is the amp to get. The clean channel sounds pretty good too with the reverb.

I've had it 6 months and have experienced no problems, I would use it at a gig without a backup because its the only amp i've got.

Never dealt with them

I have been playing around a year and i also own some various Boss pedals along with a raven PRS copy (great guitar by the way, you should check them out). This amp is amazing for the price and you can get some great sounds through it. When you crank it up the tone is amazing. BUY ONE NOW!

50 watt valve/tube combo with 12" celestion and 2 channels to play with. I had heard from other people that this amp plays louder than the stated amp rating... they were right. Puts out a very Loud 50 watts.

Playing through Ibanez and Kramer Americana series electrics.... Usually some old classics like Kiss, Metallica, Ozzy sound pretty good through the overdrive channel (good Marshall distortion) Stevie Ray Vaughn (RIP) Robin Trower and Corey Stevens heavey blues sound great when driving the gain at high levels on the "clean" channel. Both channels sound great at high volume. Turn past 5 and look out. Its LOUD!!!!!

Well , this baby is pretty heavy and feels damn solid. I was told to make sure it doesnt take to hard of a jarring, to make sure the tube in the pre-amp doesnt accidentally break. I dont see this as a problem. I compared this amp to a Line 6, a Crate gfx212t and a Fender. Hands down this baby was better quality, all the way.

Havent had to deal with them, hope never have to. Amps should be built to last. But I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. Hey.... they are Marshall!!!!!! #1

Been playing since 1987 and this is one of the best practice/small gig amps that have been built to my knowlege. It gets plenty loud (dont let the 50w rating fool ya) produces a wide variety of tones and sounds and for the money you pay, you should get all those things... Marshalls arent cheap people, but keep in mind, like most things in life. You get what you pay for. If someone stole this from me... that someone would get a beating.

One clean channel, one distortion channel. Reverb, closed back cab, reverb, fx loop. Everything I need / want.

Use an Aria PE DLX SD, (very high quality les paul-ish copy) This amp was made for this guitar! Not noisy. Compared it to tube amps, all brands. A good, fat crunchy, warm sound on the dis. channel. The clean is a pure, clean, jazzy sound.

Don't have it long enough to mark this, but the sound is very consistent. Another Marshall (JCM602) would sound slightly different - sometimes I'd be blown away, sometimes I'd think "what am I supposed to be hearing here?" One thing I don't like is the tube isn't easily accessable, so replacing it if it breaks or wears out could be difficult.

Love the sound. And thats all that counts, isn't it. Am using it with the Crybaby, boss dd5 and bf2. Does EVERYTHING I need. Chose it because - IT SOUNDS GREAT, IT'S EASY ENOUGH TO GET AROUND, and you don't have to crank the volume to ungodly tones to get a great tone. Now, I actually prefer this to the TSL100, which I found too fuzzy. This is easy to use. If you don't like it, you should try checking out the LANEY TUBE FUSION series - another british hybrid amp, with a different sound.

I think the amp ws made in 2001 but im not sure and is quite new.
The amp is very nice to play. I play mostly punk,grundge and hard rock.
It has 2 chanels clean and overdrive. It has effects loops wich helps not to loose the signal of the pedals and sounds clear. It has a loudspeaker jack output at the back so i can use a cab to power it up. Well i wish it had 2 inputs to play 2 guitars.. but not really important. Right now i just use it at home. It has enough power to blow the house not the amp. who said 50 fraking watts cant satter walls? Man i just left the volume in 2.5 and i cant go any further because i might disturb our neighbors.. i live in a condo. And its a valve-state amp mean that has a small tube inside but not as good as tube really.

I use lots of stlye. I use a Yamaha strat copy with a nice humbucker. and i play with the humbucker. I also play with the single coils if i play the lead or solo but its to buzzzy. I also have an Ibanez GAX70 which sounds better if plugged in this amp. The distortion is ok i expected that it would be like a metalzone but is its ok.

I can depen on it and could gig without backup. Very though amp. Havent broke it and i will never try and brake it.

Havent dealt with marshall or the dealer..
1 year warranty

i have been playing for about 1 and half year already. If it was stolen iwoul probably buy another one or buy an avt150h with a cab which is better. I love it nothing to hate because thres a reason for it to be expensive. i had compared it with the peavey bandit but really my teacher suggested marshall coz they basically have same features but marshall is far more trusted for its tone.

This amp is cool plenty of power I played it on 8 and it umm overpowered a miked drum set the effects thing is there but I never messed with it the ext. speker out is VERY useful sounds great with any 4x12 um the closed cab has tight bass too and the footswitch works fine who needs reverb in a footswitch

Oh man this ampsounds awesome...much better than the old valvestates...the clean is very clear with the gain on 5, above that a nice crunch I play an Ibanez and punk and this amps works great for it Its not noisy at all even with everything on 10....the distortion is very smooth and not harsh at all..all the eq controls work great umm i geuss the only thing tihs amp may suck for is metal (which sucks anyways)

works fine only 1 tube so onthing really to worry about

dunno never had to deal with them

um i'd get another one if it got stolen, overall a very great amp, I love evrything about it, sounds just about as good as the full tube marshalls, definately worth the money

not as much as the 150 but still nice, it has two channels.

The clean channel is crisp, and the distrotion is a little weak. I mean only 2 eq that is weak. I tried a Ibanez RG and it was a descent warm distortion, but then I tried a S series and it was like ahh blithththt. If I had that 3 EQ I could of made it better it lacks that it is a very rare amp that has a good Clean channel and a good Distrotion tho. And it sounds marshall.

ummm i didn't bye it I was a GC testing it out

Mmarshall SUCKS if I could bold that and raise the font I would!

It is a good PRACTICE amp nothing I would buy, but it is good tho!

The amp was made in 2000, hence valvestate 2000. Its got 2 channels, one clean one overdrive. The clean channel has gain, reverb,bass, treble and volume controls. The overdrive has gain, bass, middle, treble, volume, and reverb controls. It has a footswitch which is probably about 5m in length which is handy if you're playing a gig cos you don't want the amp sqeualing whilst your trying to change channels.
Its got inpout and and speaker emulated DI output which seems pretty good for recording. It also has a cd input which is good sound and very handy. The fx loop i have not had a chance to use. It's a 50W hybrid amp with a 12" celestion speaker which has great response in it's closed back cabinet.
The reverb is spring and is great reverb.
Although it doesn't have a middle setting on the clean but i can live without out it as i don't use clean particularly much.
I play through my encore strat copy, which isn't great. Mostly i play red hot chili peppers, the presidents of the usa, Alien ant farm, mostly rock really.

as i said i'm using an encore strat copy, pretty poor pickups and a not great guitar alltogether. I do own one boss hyper metal 3 pedal.
The sounds i get from it are excellent, the gain is excellent for what i play. Even with this guitar I can match the tones of the presidents and others very easily. The speaker response is very good and you get a wide range of tones and sounds with the 3way equaliser. They claim to sound like a tube amp, but i can never say i've experienced a tube amp before so i can't say.
The clean channel and the overdrive channel are both noise free, at higher volumes, i mean ear blowing volumes like on full, there is very little noise and thats only on the overdrive channel. My guitar's pickups are disgraceful with noise and thats the only thing thats makes the noise but at normal levels with the guitar unplugged there is no noise coming from the speaker.

Its big and and seems very sturdy. I have only had the volume on 3 which is very loud. i think you would be able to gig with this pretty easily. The amp asn't broken yet everything was in perfect condtion when it arrived.

Haven't had to deal with yet.

I've been playing about 6 months. If it were stolen i'd buy another definiftely. For the price it's probably the best. The overall factor on why its good is the sound you've got to try it for yourself. I tried some others, the laney hybrid, a fender, and a peavey badit 112. Very good price too.

2001 AVT50. 2 Channels. Tube pre, SS tube emulated output. Individual gain / level controls per channel (no master volume). Series effects loop, amp simulated headphone jack out. Rear speaker in/out to allow for extension cab if necessary. With the gain and tone controls, you can get a surpising range of tone out of this amp. Not the range of a Line6, but I felt that the expressive capability of this amp was better at a wider range of output level than a comparibly priced Line6, Fender, Peavy. Wish the clean channel had a mid EQ and the mid bass can be a touch boomy in smaller gigs that have reflective rooms. Plenty of power for my use, you can drive people out of the club in small gigs without cranking this amp to 10. Have not too much success in using the series effect channel ... seems anything I stick in there cuts down on the dynamic attack of the amp (tried using my Digitech RP300 in the effects loop for chorus, delay, reverb by turning off the amp models pre in the Digitech... forget it. Even in Bypass mode, it detracted from this amps). Dunlop wah and DS-1 istortion pedal up front is all I need. dynamic character) May look into the Dunlop PW-10 when it become availble to dial in a bit more tone range.

Use this amp with American Fender Stratocaster, Ibanez 470QS. Right off, this amp rocks! I still cannot believe how some people on these forums knock this amp, mainly because it is not tube. For small to medium gigs, I can cut through the mix with no problems, and do it with warm and expressive energy. Despite the apparent lack of features, you can get a wide array of sounds and feel out of this amp. The clean channel is TREMENDOUS. Loads of dynamic attack and punch with decent low end. WOW. I really think the matching of the custom speaker, the closed back cab, and the amp was tuned just right. Can really get a soft or hard bluesy sound when you want and you can ride on the edge of clean and warm distortion depending on your attack. The clean channel really brings out a ton of energy and expression in my playing, and that is really the bottom line in an amp. Maybe not as good as the best tube amps, but look at the price! The distortion channel is classic Marshall and really suits any classic metal, heavy rock with good flexibility with the 3 band tone control. Use a pedal in front to get really heavy metal tone. I liked the mix of tone between clean and overdrive channels as it suits my playing style better than say a Fender amp. Bottom line, you are buying a well engineered and voiced amp for under $500. Marshall really did their homework on this one. Don't compare this to stuff at 2X the price and say it sucks! Sure, you cannot dial in all sort of amp models like a Line6 Spider (same price range), but the sonic emotion you can get out of this amp at practice and gig levels is AMAZING at this price point. Did look at the DSL400 for $200 more, but was worried about reliability and the sound diff was not that big at anything other than cranked all the way up. This amp is more versatile in that you do not have to crank this crap out of it to get that expressive tone that puts you in "the zone" as a player.

Built like a battleship. Really impressed with the quality of htis amp. Since there is only tubes in the pre, the amp should be much more reliable and consistent than an all tube amp. Since I have only had the amp for 6 months, cannot give it a 10 yet.

Marshall's rep has been good here from all that I have heard, especially with the AVT50 thus far. Local service readily available. Since I have not had to use customer support, I can only give this rating a 9.

Been playing pretty heavy for 2 years and now play a range from classic electric blues a al SRV to 80's metal, to some Satriani. If you want an amp for small to medium gigs and don't want to break the bank, YOU HAVE TO CHECK THIS OUT. I just don't understand the knocks this amp gets on forums like this. The top guitar rags have raved about it, and they really captured what my feelings are for this amp. Again, at this price point for a new amp, this is VERY competitive. Will this be the last amp I own? Probably not, but I am very happy with it right now. But I can't imagine selling it, and it is a nirvana practice amp at it's least. Can't give this amp a 10 because I have not tried everything out there and you do have to really live with an amp for more than a crunch at Guitar Center to know if it pulls emotion out of you as a player. The AVT50 does it for me.

1 channel, foot-switchable for clean/distortion. Reverb. Vol&Gain on both, plus usual Bass,Middle & Treble. headphones for practice play. CD In for playing along with a CD. Extra output for separate speaker cab if this isn't loud enough for you.

I use an Ibanez 570. Manual describes the sound as 'addictive'. Huh...Tosh...(I thought). Bit it IS adictive. Wonderful distortions, highly controllable through the amp AND from the guitar. Clean tones have bite and depth. Why have I spent 15 years buying a myriad of pedals when I could have got it from this amp. I now have abandoned ALL pedals, and go straight into the amp, controlling the depth of distortion as well as volume from the guitar controls only. It's FABULOUS.

Only had it a couple of weeks so I can comment about reliabilty.

No delaings

Been paying over 25 years. Usual pub-rock, covers, everything from ACDC whacko to the more gentle Dire Straits and though to lounge lizard stylie. It coevrs it all. Beats my AC30, Laney GC80. I'd definitely replace it if stolen. Might like a foot switchable reverb - but I can't get too excited about that, so I love it all and hate nothing. The only thing I'd add (and this applies to most amps) is a foot switchable volume boost. There is always a need for your sound to go up for the solo - but very few amps seem to provide this other than through the clean/dirty switch. So a second switch which just boosts the signal would be good.
Overall though, for the money, tremendous value - can't imagine needing anythig else.

See above for all the technical details. I play a lot of acoustic (using an AER Domino) and am not a big fan of electric anymore so an amp has to really be good to interest me.

I have been using Marshall amps (among others) since 1968, been playing since O66 (that?s not a typo). Pro all my life and have played everything from country in Nashville to cruise ships in Europe and rock around the US. Like and play rock, jazz, classical and everything in between. I have had Marshall stacks, combos and rack mounted amps if you recall those. This little guy is the best sounding clean Marshall I?ve ever had. This is the FIRST one I wouldn?t be embarrassed to play on a jazz gig. All the others had a honky midrange that couldn?t be scooped out without leaving it sounding like you were playing into a wall of sweatsocks. This one has great twang and snap, but when you crank it, it gets better and better in its bark. Loud, not too noisy and the reverb is so good I may leave my Lexicon out of the loop and just play Old School - guitar into cable into amp. It?s amazing how far Marshall has come and yet still sounds like the one and only Marshall. I agree with the previous post that I wouldn?t expect it to sound too fabulous at bedroom volumes or through headphones. But for its weight and cost, I think it?s a steal.

Haven?t had it long enought to break down. Marshall has a five year limited warranty. I?ve never had trouble with Marshall so I guess I?ve lived right.

No opinion at this point, but I?d love to know when the next cover for it is going to reach the Western hemisphere. Do only geezers like myself use amp covers anymore or is it too low margin to warrant stocking them?

I?ve been playing so long I remember when many reissue and relic models first came out NEW. I?ve never found an amp that rocks better than Marshall...sorry to the Mesa Men out there. But I used Fenders/Ampegs/Hiwatts and a host of others for the clean stuff. Don?t have to anymore, this one along with my maple neck Strat works great.

Made in 2001 I guess, 2 channels clean/dirt, Accutronics spring-reverb for both channels (not assigable). Effects loop, DI out, Headphone jack, CD input, footswitch to select the channels. I wish
you could select the reverb too.

I use a Fender Strat S/S/S and a Yamaha Strat-clone. I bought this amp mail-order. I didn't demo one cuz I thought it's going to sound right after all the good ratings.

Now I've played it for a couple of weeks both at home and live and I think that I can give you an opinion about it.

1. The clean channel is really nice. Glassy treble and round bass. Headroom is also very good for 50 Watts Solid-State. It doesn't sound as nice as my TSL, but anyway, for what it is it's very good.

The dirt channel is a somewhat different story:

Past twelve'o'clock (gain) it's starting to sing and sound good. The more gain you dial in and crank this son of a bitch, the better it sounds, but be careful with the treble knob.

Below 12'o'clock (gain) or with little gain in general for my taste it sounds like shit. With single coils, you get a raspy, buzzy and always silightly compressed sounding distortion that sounds like a cheap solid-state junk-amp.
With my strat, this is especially the case on the neck/middle and middle/treble PU. It get's kind of muddy, it doesn't sparkle and quack and you can forget about anything "vintage" here. This effect is even more evident at bedroom volume levels where it sounds even worse. Gain-wise, forget about anything below 12'o'clock.

I rate the clean channel 10, the dirt channel 9 with the gain past 12 and 3 with the gain below 12.

Have it since 5 weeks.
The fan is already starting to make noise when I power up the amp. Kind of a "Wwwwwwwrrrrrhwwwwrrrrrhwwwhww...."
I'm gonna replace it anytime soon. Don't know why they had to put in a fan. Just take a larger heat-sink. Just as reliable and dead-quiet.

Beside this, no problems.

Don't know.

I've been playing for 10 years. As mentioned I also own a TSL head with a Marshall 2 x 12 cab.

For Rock and Metal the AVT 50 is a good amp. For mellower or bluesier stuff look for something else.
If it were stolen I think I would check out other amps before making a decision. Maybe the TSL 601 or the AVT 100 (3 channels, maybe they're voiced a bit different).

This amp has enough power for small gigs, jammin' and rehersals. The construction seems sturdy, except for the friggin' fan. Does it sound like a tube amp? No, but for a SS the clean and high-gain sounds are very good. I wish it would sound better on lower gain settings, though.

This is just an update to a previous rating on 9-11-01

After doubting this amp's dirty channel (and trading in my old ibanez w/ EMG's) i thought i would try the boss metalzone. I currently have a Shecter w/stock p/ups. Needless to say, the MZ is going back to Guitar Center tomarrow, after having this amp for almost 4 months now, i think that I have just become accustomed to how awesome this amp really sounds. Granted,the MZ does give you that exteme sound but, this amp sound's much better witout it and to tell the truth,is more original sounding than what all of us are forced to listen to on the radio nowadays. I am going to upgrade this wonderful guitar's pickups to duncan distortion/59's and have no doubt it will turn some heads without the need for stompboxes. My point being if you want to sound like every other band out there go ahead, go by your triple rectifier and PRS if you can afford it. If you can't then go by some crappy amp and guitar and stick some decent pedals in front of it(your MZ-2 and GE-7 no doubt). If you truly want a GREAT AMP go get an AVT you will not be dissapointed. These amp's sound so good putting a distortion box in the mix is a waste of money and tone! I actually feel bad for doubting how good this amp really is and sullying its tone with effects. You may not get your mesa trip rec tone with this BUT, I cant see that as being a bad thing.

This amp is as solid as they come. Never had so much as a glitch, practice once or twice a week with the band for the last four months at extreme volumes. This thing is built like a tank (weighs like one too : ). Cant really see anything going wrong with it, will gig without a backup until i can afford an AVT150 half stack with no worries.

Never called them, doubt I ever will.

Again, I've been playin' bout 15 years and this amp is the best thing that has hapenned to my sound in that time. After these four months I do wish that the amp had a mid EQ for the clean channel, and that's about my only complaint. This amp is not cheap compared to the other 50 watt combos it is competing with but you get what you pay for, and in this case i think that I finally got more than I paid for. If me and my fellow bandmates ever happen to get signed, this thing is going to be yelling at the mic's in all it's glory regardless of the equipment that is available.

Made in 2000 has 2 channels, tube preamp and 12 inch Celestion speaker with 50 watt power amp section. Looks as good as it sounds. Its a Marshall.

I use a 1981 Frender Strat and this amp is all me. This is the amp of my dreams- creamy clean channel with compression and sustain and a tremendous lead channel for a variety of distortion tones. Very loud amp- plenty loud for a band but responsive enough to be used in an apartment as a dream practice amp. Great tone.

Just bought it- seems tuff enough.

Marshall is a good company. They answer e-mails right away.

Best amp on the market for under $500. I have used Fender amps in the past and this Marshall has much better tone than the Fender amps and is more versatile. Good for blues, rock, metal, or even jazz or country/rock. I have been playing for 20 years and this amp sounds as good as the best all-tube amps I have ever heard- Boogie, Music Man, you name the brand and Marshall has them covered. This is the amp to get- for practice, studio or gigging it does it all. A winner. I also use the VOX Cambridge 15 as a practice amp.

The amp was made in the year 2001 and it sounds sweet. It features good eq but I wish there was more in the clean section for contouring and maybe the contour switch in the overdrive channel. But it sounds terrific regardless. And everyone says how unversatile this is, but I think it suits many styles of music. I happen to play alternative, rock, and classic stuff and its great for everything. Its got a great emulated output so u can send your guitar signal directly to a recorder and get the sound of a Marshall stack straight instead of through a mic. I hear its the best. The tube driven preamp is the best part of the amp and makes it happen. I like the closed back too.

great sound. I think this is the best value of any amp in this price range and the only good amps are Marshall, Fender, and Mesa/Boogie. Crates suck and so do Peaveys. Don't waster your money on these crappy amps, and at least invest your dinero in something like this Marshall, cuz its a great, solid amp. The bass on it is incredible and makes my Fender Mustang sounds so much heavier than it is, but also the clean makes it sound so clear and focused. Its a great amp.

Wouldn't break down at all. I've already had it up all the way, and although it eventually gets saturated tone as any amp does, its stays focused to about 7 which is great. It makes a weird revving motor noise when I start it up, but other than that nothing would ever be WRONG at all with this thing. Its extremely trustworthy.

They give a limited lifetime warranty for 5 years so thats good. Other than that I really don't know.

I have been playing for 7 some years and I've had this for a few months. I played it live 3 times and its never failed. It sounds great anywhere and the headphone jack is a plus. Some people think that is a wussy thing to have on powerful amps and just think they should be played loud or not at all. but man, this thing sounds great at 3 am when my parents are in bed. Its a great feature and great for spur of the moment song ideas! I also love the tube driven preamp and excellent Celestion extened bass speaker. The sound is so tight. I love it. It is great from Hendrix to Weezer. Can't get better for the price, thats for sure. And I know its got rave reviews from the pros as well.

This is a newer amp, of the latest line of Valvestate. Has the normal stuff, effects loop, reverb, and all that. Kind of limited features for the price, but other factors more than compensate that. Reverb is VERY nice. Very rich and real sounding, that Accutronics reverb really sounds good. The effects loop is kind of funny (sounds different), but works good. Comes with a 1 button footswitch, which was kind of dessapointing, since I expected something to turn the reverb on and off with. Use it at home, and it is definetly much more powerful for what I use it for. Tubes are nice...heh, heh, heh.

I use this baby with my Squier Affinity Strat, and believe me, if it makes this guitar sound pretty damn good, then it can make pretty much any guitar sound good. Even though it makes quite a bit of noise with the bridge pickup (that's my guitar's problem, not the amp) it sounds absolutely great. The clean chanel can get so f*cking loud, it's amazing, and with reverb it sounds awesome. Always stays clean. Raise the gain and it'll start crunching up, something I haven't had much chance to try, since the volume is so high it sends me flying to the cold, hard stone floor. Overdrive channel is superb. With max gain and bass, and about 8 on treble (suggested setting in manual), I can't turn the volume up past 2, because it just gets too damn loud. Amazing volume, with incredible bass thanks too that special Celestion. Makes my house totally shake.

Of course I would rely on my baby. Hey, look! I'm standing on my amp! I'm standing on my f*cking amp! Very well built, and heavy. Me and my girlfriend had to carry it to my house. Damn. I spent the rest of the day shaky and weak. Solid enough to break cement. I would most definetly use this monster on a gig without a backup, for 2 important reasons:
1. I love this amp, and it's sound, and have total confidence in it.
2. So all those little idiot m*therf*ckers who have their dumb little prick (barf!) Crate (barf!) "amps" can see the raw power of a 50w AVT.
It has never broken down, and never will, because I take good care of it.

3 month warranty, which isn't to bad, I guess. The authorized service center nearest me isn't to great, so I don't really have anybody to depend on to fix my babe. Except for a couple of buds, of course.

I've been playing for about 2 years now, this is my third Marshall amp, if you can consider a 1 watt and a 10 watt transistor amp as amps. I own 4 pedals right now, but have owned more than 6. I love this amp, I checked reviews for all the AVT's, but this one got the highest score out of all of them. I only compared it to other Marshalls, because all other brands of amps (Fender being the exception perhaps) are for sissies, and sound like shit. If it was stolen, I would buy another one, and find who stole it and make him listen to CRATE and PEAVEY "amps". WHAT TORTURE COULD BE WORSE THAN THAT??? Thanks to harmony central for leading me to buying this great amp. WOOOO!!

Features are kept simple... Just the clean chan and the od.. never used the footswitch.. couldnt not bear to take i t outa the wrapping..lame but true. heh. I play mainy rock.. and th od channel suits it fine. 50W is more than enough for me.. the volume knob is always kept at 1. Unless i feel wild, then it goes to 2.

Im using a yamaha pacifica... my first guitar.. has a hum and 2 singles. I awlays use the hum.. sounds gorgeous. I never dare to try turning it on a high volumes, so i will never know whether it sounds great or not. Overall, clean is clean, dist is dist..great!

Got it for a week, not too sure.

Not too sure again, never used them

Well..i used a boss xt-2 xtortion on my previous amp cos the amps dist was peanuts.. now i think i wanna sell the pedal.. lol. The amp rocks!

Made in 2001, 2 channels - clean and overdrive (can be switched with a footswitch), accutronics spring reverb, 1 ECC83 tube in the preamp section (the rest of it is made from solid state), headphone jack, cd input jack, emulated line out, FX loop, 12" Celestion spkr.

I use it with a Les Paul standard. Music I play: Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Metalica, Guns n Roses, Bon Jovi, Lenny Kravitz, Green Day, Creed, I love the clean channel - nice and crisp and very quiet when not playing. The overdrive channel I am not too impressed with it, why - it sounds like a loud waterfall-a continuous hiss that gets worse as the volume and or gain is increased. I also think that it sounds very muffled or muddy, when you play a chord you can only hear the first string. Example: if you were to strike the top E string, you could strike any string after that and you wouldn't hear it. But for amps in this price range I think it is the best I have heard so far. I think it blows away the Crates and Line6. (the loud hissing noise did not change when I unplugged the patch cord from the amp, so it definately is not from my cord or guitar)

No problems after 1 month. It is nicely constructed.

1 year store warranty, the manufacturer warranty I am not sure.

I am seriously considering getting an all tube amp.

Made in 2001, two channels, clean and overdrive, accutronics spring reverb. Comes with footswitch for the 2 channels. No digital-effects, no frills.

I use a Fender Strat and play different styles with different bands.

This amp has plenty of power for a solid-state amp. The clean channel really sounds damn good - and stays clean and thight even when you crank it up. One of the best clean sounds I've heard (also compared to tube amps) and great for funk, chicken-picking, jazz etc. If you max the gain if breaks-up a little bit, but not much and gives you a bluesy sound.
This amp is worth his money alone for this channel if you ask me.

The overdrive channel has a great crunch sound at medium gain (good for riffs) and really screams when you turn the gain up. Bottom stays real tight, as with the clean channel. I think this has to do with the new speaker and the closed back construction of the amp.
The overdrive channel is rather raw and vicious than refined and smooth, so if you're looking for a nice vintage overdrive or rather dark Recto sounds (high gain settings) probably you will be dissapointed. It's 100% Marshall chrunch and bite with a good amount of mids and treble.

One good point is that this amp really cuts through the mix. You will be heard, no problems here.

At very, very quiet bedroom levels the overdrive sounds are brittle (as with many other high-gain amps) so you'll have to turn it up a bit to really hear how it sounds like.

I'd give it a 10 for the clean and 9 for overdrive.

Have it since 2 months, no probs to date. I've had and have other Marshall amps and never had serious problems, so I don't expect to have it with this amp.

Usually, if an amp doesn't brake in the first few weeks chances are it will never break at all, tube wear and other thins excluded.

don't know

I like this amp. The first solid-state amp that I belive the 50 Watts.
The sounds are cool and sound good. The reverb too.

I also have a TSL 100 Head, a modded Plexi, a Boogie Mark I and a Flextone. The Flex is fun to tweak and doesn't sound bad, but on the high gain settings if you turn it up it gets mushy and doesn't stay tight. Not so with the AVT 50. For smaller gigs now I use the AVT, the Mark I is so damn heavy to carry around, besides that it's a different kind of sound.

To all the other posters that give this and other amps on this board a rating of 1 - stop whining and bashing about the amp and go home and practice. Don't blame the amp if you can't play.

In todays competition you hardly will find any amp from any company that really sounds so lousy to deserve a rating of 1 - and if, then why did you buy that piece of shit??????

I thought this would be a versitile amp. Much to my dismay when I got it out of the box, I found that the footswitch only changes the channels, it does not turn the reverb on/off. What the hell is up with that, I mean I like my chorus pedal but I don't want to leave it on all the time!! For that reason alone I sent this amp back, sorry I need versatility.

The problem here is that it actually sounds fantastic. I had my 2501 JCM 900 (50w/1x12 combo) right next to it and could actually get the same overdrive sounds out of the Valvestate. It goes from crunch to grind with no problem. The clean channel is good too, you can hear all the notes played. Reverb sounds nice (too bad it's not switchable :( .

This is a great sounding amp, unfortunately you can't switch the reverb on/off. That is a MAJOR issue with me, I need flexability in a 2 channel setup. Maybe Marshall will get a clue and come out with a 2002 series AVT50 that you can switch the reverb on and off. I sent mine back to Musician's Friend and went back to playing my Mesa Maverick. Too bad I really liked the sound. If you don't mind leaving the reverb on or off all the time, or are planning to use it as a studio amp I think it's great.

I am a huge fan of Tube amps, but have never really been Marshall fan. This amp has all the features you will need for a 50 watt combo.

As I said I have played a lot of Marshalls, but never purchased one because they always sound very nid range to me. With this amp they changed the rules. Tons of bottom end. What really amazed me about this amp is the clean channel. I have about 10 amps now from peavey to Matchless and this amp is my favorite clean!!! Crank the preamp and you get a growl that is in the Tube Amp Realm. Out of all my amps I have this one hooked to a Rivera Los Lobottom, and will have to say it is pretty close to the ultimate club rig. And of course the distortion is just Nasty on this thing!!

I have not had any problems so far, and the amp sems to be well built.

Never Dealt with them..

One of the reasons I liked this amp is simplicity. I had the money to but the 100 or 150 but you should play them and see the difference. The 100 and above has a digital reverb unlike this amp which is standard spring. I can tell a huge difference here. Give me the spring. Thats what sold me. The digital reverb on the other models sounded almost fake.

Alright, This has a valve driven pre amp, 3 band eq, 2 footswitchable channels(clean, and OD), reverb, 12 inch Celestion speaker, emulated DI output, Effects loop..etc

I'm using a Fender Hot Rodded American Double Fat Strat with Seymour Duncan pickups. This sounds great for my type of music, mostly punk and rock. The distortion does not get THAT heavy but its still good enough. The clean sound is great. It has that great marshall tone everyone looks for. When you crank the clean tone you get a nice bluesy type sound out of it.

I just bought it about a month ago so i really don't know. It seems like it can hold up great.

Again, only had it for a month...

I've been playing for 5 years and I think this amp is just awesome all around. This thing gets loud and just has great tone. If you look for great tones this is a great amp for you.

2000, made in britain. Amp is extremly versatile, many different sounds can come out of this amp. The clean tone is so thick, you can cut it with a knife. Its awesome. Distortion is great going from light to metal in seconds. I dont think you can get slipknot out of this amp, but who really wants to play them anyways?

Im currently using this with a Oscar Scmidt strat imitation, but have borrowed my friends les paul to use with this. Its awesome. I play 70s-80 rock and some new stuff, just for fun, so i can play sometihng people my age (15) will regcognize it. This amp is not noisy when used with humbuckers, but with single coils, it has a slight hum on the bridge pickup position. The clean channel gets a thick brassy crunch (a good crunch) the louder you turn it up, and the louder you go, the better it sounds. The distortion is awesome, perfect for 70s-80's rock and punk. For SUPER heavy (really really heavy) distortion, you will have to get a pedal, but i dont think its really necesary.

I would definatly gig with this amp if it was a smaller gig, but for larger venues, a 1x12 isnt gonna cut it. If i buy the extension cab (2x12) then i definatly would gig with it. Never broken down, though the tube eventually will.

Not dealt with company- not broken down yet.
Warrenty is 1 year.
Authorized service centres everywhere.

Been playing for around 2 years.
Would definatly buy another one if was stolen, or i'd hunt down the bastards and get it back.
I compared it with a Vox Cambridge 30. The marshall has better clean, and harder distortion (vox distortion is weak). I think this amp is almost perfect.

Let's see, 2 switchable channels, 3 band EQ., reverb, and all the vital in & out jacks plus the fact it's a Marshall, all for under 500 bills. Is anything else even necessary?. I am not a pro, simply a sick tone freak trying to find the "sound" for close to 15 years.

This amp is the one I've been searching for for years. I've owned many amp's and countless effects units in my time. Let me just say that I've only had this amp for 2 days and it blows away EVERYTHING else that have been suckered into purchasing. I use an Ibanez RG-550 with an EMG-81 bridge and the complementary single coils and in these 2 days i can't find a sound this amp can't reproduce. From crystal clean heaven to death metal hell and everything in between this amp is no joke and definitely should be alot harder on the old pocketbook. I checked many sites before this purchase and heard complaints about the lack of distortion and poor sound quality but I have come to the conclusion that these folks are either using crap guitars or are very jaded against Marshall. Marshall IS tone people!, there is a reason why alot of your favorite artist's use them. This amp sounds so close to Marshalls high end stuff that you would have to be a pro wielding a JCM to scoff at this high quality hybrid.

2 days old, have no doubts this will be a dependable rig. If not the warranty is solid to say the least.

Marshall has been around for some time they might just know what they are doing ya know.

I've had amps from Peavey,Ampeg,Fender,Crate,and Randall and tried Line6 and Mesa before I bought this amp. the mesa's are indeed great and if I won the lottery or something i would get a '94 dual rectifier but this amp is so close and for the price it truly is an amazing value. If you are looking for "your sound" buy this amp or any of the AVT line you wont be dissapointed.

I play mostly blues/rock and it plays my style fine. Also, when I turn up the gain, I can get a pretty good crunchy Nirvana sound.

Good sounds. Very warm tone on clean. Excellent.

Very good amp for the money. My amp before this was a Peavey Rage 158. The AVt-50 makes that look like a piece of crap.
This amp is great for bedroom practice, and even small gigs. Definitely worth the 475 bucks.

Almost everything you could want in any amp. 16 effects, although i only ever use the flanger, chorus and chorus/room. but given that, the other effects really aren't that bad. only thing i would add is a lead voice and volume switching bit. but that's hardly fair considering the other stuff on this amp

this would have to be the best amp you can buy for the money you pay for it. i am sick to death of all these dickhead tube people. i play everything from old school speed metal to death metal. this can cover all of it without a hiccup. clean channel is very sparkly, and i like my clean just that, clean. acoustic simulator is very good, but it's also very soft. distortion 1 blows. very weak, hardly any sustain. but i knew it'd be like that from the start. distortion 2 kicks some serious ass. it won't match a mesa/boogie, but then again, would you want it to? every amp has it's own sound, if you copy someone elses sound you're unimaginative and dull. this amp has a distortion sound that is unmatched by any other amp. it's totally unique. it sustains forever, amazing. and for all those tubehead faggots, if you want an amp just coz it's got tubes in it and you'll sound cooler in your own opinion, waste your money. you can spend 1800 bucks on a mesa/boogie or 600 bucks on the marshall avt and sound just as good. and also to the people who "know their amps" and truly think this amp sucks, then you seriously have selective hearing

very solid amp. and because there is only 1 tube in it you don't have to worry about the tubes all coming loose and falling out when you drop it or something. i was worried about buying an all tube amp because of the regular maintainance. i don't really have enough money to keep replacing tubes and things so when i heard this amp has a solidstate power amp i tried it out and bought it within the hour

never had to talk to em

i've been playing for 1 1/2 years now, but that's a bit of a facade coz i'm actually pretty good. with the money i saved on the amp i bought an esp v-350 so now i'm rocking. if it was stolen i'd buy it again without thinking. then i'd beat the shit out of the bastard who took it without thinking. only thing i'd add is a lead switch. everything else is pretty much perfect for me. don't think about this amp then buy an all valve amp. seriously give ths one a workout before trying anything else, coz it has balls and plenty of em

Made in 2000. It's not a Roland, but it is more versatile than what I needed. The manual has some suggested settings for each of the two (2) channels, but I just found what I liked and leave it. Comes with a channel footswitch, and an effects loop that I have not yet used, the headphone jack is useful (just remember to turn the amp back down when unplugging headphones), also it has an input for cd. It serves the purpose that I bought it for. Good sounds at low volume and half the weight of my JCM800 2X12 combo. I don't use a TS-9 with this amp either, it already screams.

I use a US STD Strat, and a Les Paul 1960 reissue. It suits me fine for my style, which can not be described. It is really a practice amp for me, but its loud enough for small clubs. It will never replace my JCM800 (repeat never). I tried to use the recording output into my 4-track but got a lot of hum, so I use a mic when recording. The clear channel is very impressive, sounds good even with fishman acoustic electric. The speaker and the sealed cabinet are the biggest improvement over the previous model. I guess the tube does help the distortion from sounding totally like a solid state amp. Sound quality does go down at highest volume levels, so if that is want you want, it's going to cost you twice as much.

Weighs about 40lbs so you may still be able to play the guitar after you have carried it. Its been 20 years since I bought my JCM800 new, and never had a problem. That's why I chose Marshall. I am not one to neglet my belongings, so if this amp breaks down on me, it is history.

Never dealt with the Company, but the Brits are very friendy and polite.

Overall 10 with cost a major factor, and I won't buy used again. I have been playing over 30 years, always with Marshall. The AVT50 is replaceable. If you like Marshall, but don't want the cops at your door even with a brake on your tube amp, this might be the next best thing. I wouldn't buy it if I lived on more than 20 acres. Didn't like Crate or Peavey in this price range. Mesa Boogie=Mega Bucks.

You've seen the specs listed in all the other reviews. Two channels, effects loop, option to plug it into a 4x12 speaker cabinet so is easily expandable - only 1 output mind - not 2 like on the head only version.

Even through my Squier Affinity Strat (the cheapest one!!) it sounds amazing, expecially on the dirty channel. The manual has a few example settings which all sound really good, very thick sounds on it. Got lots of balls and is very loud - even on low volume settings i can make the house shake!!

The effects loop is really useful too and sounds much better than connecting the whole lot in series. I've only got a multi fx unit (Boss ME30) and that sounds pretty good through both channels, and it's not all that good an fx unit either.

The unit has an "Emulated output" which, when you have the levels set correcty can give pretty good recording results. Even while practicing through a set of cheap headphones this thing sounds good.

Never gigged the amp, but i wouldn't have any worries about it - very heavy, very sturdy, and can be hooked up to a bigger cab if needs be. Never had a problem with it over the 4 months i've had the amp. I wouldn't worry about taking this thing anywhere.

I've not had any problems with the amp at all, but they provided a 3 year warranty on her so I'm not worried about their being any problems with her.

I love this amp, and if I ever needed a lot more power I'd just get a bigger head in the AVT range. It can make even the most incompetant guitarist sound like he knows what he's doing and was worth every penny.

It would be nice if there was some sort of foot switch to cut the effects loop - if i want to turn off the ME30 I use i have to either press the tiny 'bypass' switch on the unit itself, or remove the lead, so some sort of cut off, perhaps built into the channel footswitch would be good.

Other than that, it's about perfect.

2 channels: clean and overdrive. FX loop, foot pedal (channel selector), head phone socket, reverb, and 50 watts to annoy your neighbours with!

I've given this an 8 because it only has 2 channels - perhaps another overdrive channel would have been nice. Having said that, I only spent #300 on a pukka Marshall amp.

Using a '98 US Std Telecaster with a Rat2, Cry Baby Wah, Marshall Vibratrem, Boss compressor and Boss flanger, I can get near enough to all the sounds of my guitar heros - from the clean sounds to Jeff Buckley to the dirty overdriven stuff by Jonny Greenwood.

Further on down the reviews you'll see a complaint about the lack of overdrive. Personally, I can't see where the reviewer was coming from. Crank it up to 10 (turn the vol waaaay down) and you'll get a perfect Kurt Cobain (Nevermind) sound. Turn the knob down a little bit to around 7-8, and you can get the sliding bit from "Just" by Radiohead.

This thing has all the sounds for the price - as I said above, the only gripe is lack of extra channel, but you can get around that by using a distortion pedal or OD. I'll only give it a 9 because there is a little bit of mains hum on the clean channel, but that could probably be due to my cheap cables.

As a footnote, I found that the reverb isn't that responsive, but I don't tend to use it so this factor didn't really affect my final score.

It hasn't broken down so I can't give a rating. However, watch out for "blip" when changing from the clean at low volume (high gain) to OD.

Never had to deal with them.

This is the only amp I own at the moment, and if someone managed to nick it (!) or if it irreversibly broke down, I'd replace it with the 150w version since it has the extra channels and other stuff.

Value-wise, it only costs #330 (depending on where you get it, I managed to haggle down to #300), and you can't go wrong with that. Its loud and versatile. I'd rather go for a genuine Marshall and get a range of quality stomp boxes than something like a Line6 that offers you all that digital amp modelling and crappy effects. Also, the FX loop is a god-send for the price.

Overall, a fine piece of British engineering! Get one if you're on a budget!

1x12 50 watt tube/solid state hybrid Fx loop reverb 2 channels -footswitchable ...If you're reading this you probably know the features and the hype.

Played with a les paul standard and a les paul double cutaway with duncans.Very disappointing distortion channel and eq.This things mid range is always present (irritatingly so).The bass moves very little air and that fine celestion sounds like something is farting or buzzing.The midrangey sound is good for lead but little else.Not a modern distortion at all.I've read bands like Prong used the older valvestate on their records but this sounds nothing like that.Less bass ,gets quite fizzy at high gain.Now oddly, the most suprising thing was the clean channel.The cleans were some of the best I've heard on a Marshall.Likewise w/ the reverb-suprisingly good.Not Fender level but very good.The clean channels gain when dimed was the best sound (to my ears ) this amp offered. Very vintagey,tubey, old school amp to 10 mild grit distortion.To recap, Modern Distortion sucks on this rig but the clean to mild grit is pretty good. Not real flexible,not real tubelike at high gain weak bass-honkin mids.Good for blues and maybe some old rock sounds.Maybe, but not what you expect from a name like Marshall.

Can't say,The midrange and lack of tight bass annoyed me so badly I sold it on ebay witin a month.Seemed to be solidly constructed though.

I prefer something that has a little more flexibility tonally.Mesa Boogie dirty and fender clean.

It has 2 channels one clean and one dirty. The dirty channel is great. The amp get very LOUD, I can now over power the drums when needed. I play More rock type music mostly christian stuff like POD and the newboys, but I also my for my church and this amp works great for that to.

It sounds great the clean channal does not distorted when it gets to loud and the OD channal has a lot of pontch to it.

Has not been a real problem so far, it looks really well built. I do not think I will have a problem down the road.

The warranty is 5 years on most of the parts.

I is by far better then my old amp witch is vary small. I love the sound I can get out of it with no extra effects the 2 channels are all you really need. If some one stole it I would find them and kill'em for stealling my stuff, but I would buy is agin if needed.

It's nice and simple. Two channels, gain, treble, middle, bass, reverb. I have a multitude of pedals and never feel the need to use any of them. Lovely styling too.

I'm using a twin humbuckered, single coiled, unknown Tanglewood and it sounds superb. I don't know what they are talking about when they say it doesn't have enough distortion - I like to hear which notes I'm playing ;)
I play Metallica,Green Day,AC/DC,ZZ Top,Blur etc and all the sounds are possible with just the two channels.
The clean channel sounds nice but if I want a clean sound I'll use my Acoustic as it's better training for the fingers.
The only disappointment is the high lead-tone but I suspect that is more to do with my passive Select pickups rather than the amp.
I haven't had the chance to up the volume to 11 yet but hey, I don't intend to play Wembley Stadium !

It looks sturdy but does this matter ?
If it ever gave me any trouble I would sell it and get something else rather than have that nagging doubt that it might happen again.
I had a Marshall VS 8020 previously and that never gave me any trouble in 9 years so I guess I'm pretty safe here.

Never tried it. I'm guessing by the time I have to worry about it being defective it won't be worth fixing.

I've been playing for 10 years and this is now my sole amp. If it were lost or stolen I would probably get a used amp and might consider getting this model again.
I have a friend who owns a Marshall JCM900 and Fender Strat and IMHO it sounds just as good as that.

Two channel, 50W combo amp. I wont list what has already been written.
I have tried many different pre-amps and the new digital modeling
units over the past 20 years and finally came to the conclusion that
it was time to start playing the guitar and to stop spinning knobs and editing presets. If you feel the same, this amp is for you.
It felt like coming home again to just have to deal with two channels on a combo amp.

I am using the amp with a Strat, a Tele and an Epiphone Semi-hollow.
The real test was the Tele because it is the least forgiving. All of them sound great, and the characteristics of each guitar come through.
The clean channel has a volume control and a gain control so you can get an amazing just slightly dirty sound at low volume levels. We're talking SRV and Hendrix Strat Heaven here. The OD channel is also terrific, but it is not for Metallica covers. This amp screams 70's rock and blues and that suits me just fine. I would have to say you could play just about any style of music on this amp, but you'll need a pedal to whip out the really heavy distortion.

Too new but seems very sturdy.

Haven't had to.

This is the amp I have been waiting for. For the money I don't think I could have found anything that suits my playing better.
I would replace it in a second if it were stolen.
Some people have said that this amp sounds a bit harsh. Too much treble. What I have done which works great is to put an effects processor with a presence control in the effects loop. That way I can control the overall tone and warm the sound up if I want to.
I usually don't even use the effects. Try it. The unit I'm using is a Yamaha FX770 which you can probably find really cheap.

As for features, this combo will not be on any gizmo-oriented hit parade. Instead, this amp is a versatile little powerhouse that will shock even the most hardened tube advocate!

As for sounds, let me be blunt! If your looking gor a reasonably priced, name brand piece of equipment, that can reproduce the ambiant sound and feel of a tube combo, then this is the amp for you. I recently went to my favorite music store for some minor adjustments to several of my main guitars. I play an american standard strat fitted with Kinman AVN blues pickups and an Ibanez FGM 400, with Dimarzio replacements. I play everything from rock to bebop and everything in between. Let me preface this editorial by saying that I have never really been a Marshall devotee in all my years of playing. So, when I try a Marshall and am totally blown away; so much so, that I purchased the amp almost on the spot, that's impressive! The amp gives you exactly what you need; as most younger players will realize when the get older,i.e. a good clean channel and a Killer OD channel.

To all who read my review let me share a few things with all of you. Firstly, I have been playing the guitar for 35 years. I have owned almost every amp or have played through whatever ones I didn't own. I presently own 2 Carvin all tube Stagemaster combos, as well as my main stage amp which is a Laney VC50 4 channels, all tube, and it's a Killer! So do I really need another amp? YES, once you hear this amp!That's it and That's all.

Amp is made in 2000, hence the name Valvestate 2000. Two channels, clean and overdrive, reverb, CD input, headphone jack, effects loop. Comes with a footswitch to switch channels only. Good, basic features, nothing you dont need. A second distorted channel or solo channel would be nice. At 50 watts, its powerful enough for rehearsals and small gigs, but not large shows. I've only giged with this amp once, and use it mostly for rehearsals, and it serves this purpose very well, because it is more compact and lighter than those huge heads and cabinets.

I play with a custom Fernandes Monterrey w/ 2 humbuckers, and use both the bridge and neck pickups. I would say this amp sounds best with the bridge pickup. The clean channel is very sweet on this amp, but the best sound this amp makes is with low gain on the overdrive. This amp does not have a lot of distortion. There really isn't much of a difference when the gain is on 10 than when it is set on 4. Still, it gives very nice tone for a low to medium distortion range. The reverb is quite nice, especially with that same low to mid distortion. Noise is not a problem, but I have to admit I've never turned this amp past 6 on the overdrive.

I have only owned this amp for a month, but it has been transported quite a bit in that short time between rehearsals. There hasen't been any problems yet, and Marshall has a reputation for reliable amplifiers.

The warranty is only for 3 months, which is way, way too short. Hopefully I will not have to deal with any problems.

There arent many brand new, 50 watt Marshalls for $475 that sound this good. At that price, you really can't go wrong. I have played guitar for 3 years, but I've been playing music, including other stringed instuments, ever since I was a little kid and have more skill than most people with twice my experience. This amp is perfect for a person of adaquate skill level, but I think the true professional should be looking for a real, quality tube amp.

I just got it, i am very impressed on the sound quality. Before this one i had an 25watts peavey, now i realize that Marshall has better quality than peavey. Marshall RULEZ ! Good sound, good distor, good quality everithing is great.

One of the new 2000 Valvestates. 50 watts, 2 footswitchable channels clean/od, reverb, 12' celestion speaker, fx send + return, 1 ECC83 valve. Really versatile, od is great, headphone + cd jacks

Im using a Jackon DX10D and an 81' Ibanez Artist. I play rock and 80's metal, the od doesn't have enough gain, so I use a Boss MetalZone. The od is a bit noisy and great for blues. This amp can make any sound, anf the spring reverb gives a great ambiance.

Great amp. Very dependable, never broken down.

---------------------------

Ive been playing for 3 years and its the best amp I've owned. Would definetly buy it again. Highly recommended.
Nothing beats a Marshall.

Good for practicing, not for gigs. I play in a cover band and use a Gibson SG. To bad it hasn't got 3 channels (clean, rhytms, solo)

I read a review about the new valvestate line and i got real enthousiastic. I've got to have one of these! That was at the end of 2000 and I had to wait till last saturday to finally go test it in the shop. I've had a valvestate vs265 for more than 2 years but exchanged it for a JCM900 with speakercabinet half a year ago. So now I was looking for an extra small combo for rehearsels with my band, 'cause I got soon tired of draaging around with that heavy 4x12"
Back to AVT50: There it was in the shop. Before I tried it, I asked the salesman what he thought about the sound: He parried the question and answered something like: "Hear for yourself, taste is something personal"
I played only for 20 seconds. Then I knew enough. THIS SOUNDS JUST LIKE THE OLD VALVESTATE. Nothing 'New Technology'. So, how's that old valvestate sound? It has a large range of sounds but once you've had a JCM900 or another full valve model then you know: you don't want a valvestate!
After the salesman saw I wasn't interrested no maoer and told him that it sounded just like the old one he agreed with me.

No idea. Looks solid

No idea. Never had to deal with 'em

I play on a Gibson SG. Blues, Metal, Dust in the wind, etc., schlager: everything

made in 2000, hence the name. I play mostly AC/DC, and in the band we tend to play Judas Priest (not by my choice). It has two channels. Clean and OverDrive. Headphone jack, CD in. On the back there's Loudspeaker (out), Emulated DI Out, FX return, FX send and Footswitch sockets. 12 inch Custom Celestion speaker. Closed cabinet. It has one ECC83 valve in the pre-amp. Weight 18.6 kg (aprox 40lbs). Footswitch included. Three band EQ for the OD channel, only bass and treble for the clean channel. Both channels has the Gain knob.
The clean channel has a nice sound, when you turn up the gain button the sound will get slighty distorted and give you a nice "fuzzy" sound.
The OverDrive channel is so wonderful. Like I said, I love AC/DC and their sound. So I'm not into fiddling with the effects. If you keep the gain low you will have a more vintage sound classic Marshall sound where as a higher setting will give you a more modern sound.
This speaker is LOUD!! I kid you not. In our mediocre band I drown everyone else out with this one. Okay, the rest of the boys doesn't have top of the line stuff but still.
The footswitch has one switch, OverDrive and Clean. You must have the button on the panel pressed on OverDrive for the footswitch to work.
If you turn up the gain, then you'll have to turn down the volume, and vice versa. Otherwise you'll go deaf. It takes some time to get the sound you want. I love this amp. I give it a nine cause I'd prefer some easier way to get the sound you want. It's a tiny thing not worth mentioning, but I'd prefer to get the distortion you want on one knob and then the volume on another. And now these two interact with each other. High volume + low gain will not generate the same sound as and low volume + low gain will generate. IMO.
When using the headphones the OverDrive channel has a tendency to sound more like punk a la Sex Pistols or Green Day than the wonderful sound it will get when played through the speaker.
The closed cabinet makes the sound really good in this combo. I love it this amp, I love it!!

I use an Ibanez, I use the bridge humbucker 99% of the time. It is not noisy, at all.. ever! Well except when you play it but the noise you get then is sweet music.
It's a Marshall so the variety isn't really why you bought this amp. You bought it so that you could get a good amp, with a nice wonderful distortion. When it comes to distortion this amp delivers. I'm not a Marshall freak. I can't tell the JCM 900 4102 and the Marshall VS102R, so maybe you shouldn't listen too much to what I say. All I can say is: I might not know much about different Marshall models, but I know what I like!!!!

Compared to the G50RCD that some people think are pretty much the same thing, to you I say RUBBISH! The G50RCD, it built in India, where as the VS2000 AVT50 is built in England. I doubt it matters where they are put together but the casing on this baby is a lot sturdier than on the G50RCD. A LOT!
I'd use it on a gig, without backup. It sure is loud enough to handle a small gig.
Granted I've only owned this amp for aprox 3 months now, but you can feel when something is made properly. This one won't break down.

The store gave me a one year warranty with all the things I bought that day. Not sure if the Marshall warranty is longer. I've heard things like three years, but all I know is that the store gave me a one year warranty.
Never dealt with Marshall.

I've been playing for 16 years. Well.. on and off.. This is my first Marshall. I used to own a Fender vibrolux reverb, not my kind of amp at all.
I couln't afford to buy it if it were stolen. I would not have any problems buying it again if we look from a sound and performance point of view, but I think that the amp might be too much too much for me. Maybe I'd settle for a 20 watt version of this series.
I don't think that anyone would be disapointed in this amp. If you want that true Marshall sound in a combo. Easiest way to see if you'd like this amp is to go down to the store and crank it up.