Marshall VS2000 AVT50 112 Combo

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

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

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

I think they are pretty good, all things considered.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Never dealt with Marshall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the rest is just bull...

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

2000 model 2 channels and reverb

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

rely on it!

never had trouble with any marshall amp. lucky me!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Haven't bothered them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Never had a problem.
Footswitch is tempermental but works.

Never needed them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Never dealt with

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone knows the features by now

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

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

never had to deal with them

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

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

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

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

this amp is the $%^& fullstop

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

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

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

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

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

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

no idea!

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

I think this has all been covered before.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Never dealt with them.

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

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

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

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

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

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