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.