Marshall VS30R

Lower wattage model--all solid state.
Most notable features: no mids on the clean channel; "contour" on overdirve channel is like a reverse middle control, so if you want to sound trendy and lame, turn clockwise to scoop your mids; reverb--I don't know what this does here; line out and headphone jack great for recording and small apartments, respectively; footswitchable, which is nice.

This has all the traditional Marshall sound, but without the warmth or sparkle of tubes. I bought this in the late '90's, after taking up electric guitar again after 6 years of being overseas with the Marines. I was young, didn't know any better, and played everything with the gain on '10'. Since then, my playing, music tastes, and guitar collection have improved, so everytime now that I plug in, it is a soul-crushing experience, knowing that I could have bought a tubie if I had saved my disposable, single guy income just a tad longer.

Made in England, so it keeps going and going, just like that stupid rabbit.

Never had to deal with them (see above).

Great for the time, but doesn't suit my needs now. If stolen, I wouldn't care, knowing the thief would be stuck in tube-simulation purgatory. Kids: friends don't let friends play solid-state.

I'm not sure when this was made exactly, but it would probably be the mid-90s. It is a solid state amp with tube emulation (at least it is supposed to simulate the sound of tubes).

This amp has a single input. It basically has two channels (clean and drive/ distortion). There's an option to use a footswitch to go from one channel to the other. It has a global reverb setting. The reverb mechanism itself is a spring reverb. In terms of EQ, it has bass, mid, treble for the clean channel, and it has bass, contour (scoop), treble for the drive channel.

It's rated at 30watts for power, and has one Celestion driver, if I am not mistaken.

I normally use it as a practice amp, and it is reasonably ok as a practice amp. For a full band performance, it does not have sufficient power to cut through a band mix, especially with live drums.

I would appreciate if it had a presence feature as well, and I would have appreciated more articulation (more on that below).

I currently use two guitars with this: a Squier Strat with stock single coil pick-ups and a Hamer STX with dual humbuckers wired in. I normally play mostly rock or alternative, as well as some jazz pieces.

Overall, I feel this amp lacks articulation and sparkle to its sound. Howver, this is not to say that it has a "warm" tone to it. Rather, I find it a bit flat sounding, especially on the clean channel. This is why I would have wanted a presence feature on it. Particularly on clean, there is very little sparkle to it, even after boosting the treble. Rather, it becomes rather harsh.

It also does not have very much sensitivity to playing dynamics on the drive channel. It will clean up somewhat with a roll-off of volume, but it does not have the characteristic ramp up from clean to overdrive that true tubes will have.

The drive channel, on the other hand, sounds rather dirty, and lacks the characteristic break-up of overdrive. Rather, it is more a distortion tone, not very apt for blues or rock, but more towards metal music.

That being said, it does sound respectable, when you consider that it is a 30W solid state amp which most will use as a practice amp. It just lacks a sense of liveliness for recording or playing live.

I have had it for a good number of years. I honestly cannot exactly remember how long. Suffice to say, it's served me for a while.

I have never had to have it serviced or repaired. Over the years, the input jack has come a bit loose, but nothing overly alarming or out of the ordinary. Some of the pots are also no longer as clean as before. It sometimes crackles with adjustments, especially on the lower ranges/ settings.

But, even then, it has held up well and it has been through a few loud practice sessions, small gigs, and a whole lot of home practice.

Never dealt with them, but, generally, manufacturers do not have dedicated service centers here.

Overall, this amp has served me well as a practice amp. It has been pretty reliable, and it does sound better than many amps in its price range.

However, given the heritage and the legendary status of Marshall and the Marshall sound, it does not quite deliver on the idea of emulating the tube sound in a small solid state package.

I bought it long ago, as a relatively newbie guitarist, given the brand, mostly. As I've grown with it, I've found myself wanting more liveliness and crispness from the sound, which I could not get, no matter how much I tweaked.

If it were lost or stolen, I'm not sure I'd get it again (assuming it were still available). I would consider it, but I would also consider offerings from other manufacturers, like Fender and Laney, for the price range.

I am a minimalist when it comes to features, and I avoid pedals. The features give me just what I need. Here's how they break down:
Channel 1 (clean): volume, bass, treble. Channel 2 (overdrive): gain, bass, contour, treble, volume, reverb. The amp also features line-out, footswitch, and headphone jacks. The phone jack has been extremely useful since, until recently, I have lived my entire adult life in small apartments. The contour is, in practice, a reverse-middle control, and turning it up scoops the mids for that palm-mutey metal sound. The reverb doesn't do anything--but then again, Marshall isn't known for reverb.

First off, this is a solid-state, pure and simple. The sound comes really, really close to the tradmark Marshall sound, just without the warmth and sparkle. I play through a Gibson LP Studio and Flying V, and the best sound for me is with all of the tone shapers set due north, and the volume between 3 and 5. Beyond 5, the distortion channel gets grittier, but also more brittle as the bass response thins out--I must dial the bass control up likewise. The clean channel breaks up at around 7, and on 10 it evokes that chimey Malcom Young rhythm sound. This is when the VS30R comes closest to sounding like a tuber, and it makes my Flying V spank like a drunken stepdad, which is not easy to do on a Gibson. Also, the clean channel is excellent for acoustics.

I have owned this since the late 1990's, and through countless practicing hours and jam sessions, neither it nor the footswitch has quit on me. It was made in England, meaning the QC and components are faultless, and it doesn't look a day older than when I bought it. But alas, like all other solid-state AV appliances (think TV's, radios, etc.), with age there is an increasingly noticable background buzz while it's on and I'm not actually playing. If or when this amp goes out, since it is way, way past warrantee, it will cost more to service it than what it's worth.

Never had to deal with the Marshall folks--see above.

I've been playing for almost 20 years, though only as a hobbyist/vicarious rockstar. Looking as how these other reviews are from the previous decade, it looks like I am the last word on the VS30R. If misplaced, I would not get another one, though this has given me great service for what it is. The solid state sound has gotten old as I've gotten more experienced. It's past time for me to move on to tubes, and very soon I will use this to trade up to maybe a Traynor YCS50 or Fender HR Deluxe. Possibly I could trade it for some other gear and then get a used Marshall, Fender, or Boogie off Ebay for cheap. And maybe I can finally get serious with gigging.

2 Channel - Clean & OD. - Option of footswitch.
Great for a practice amp, but sound is interesting at times.
Lacks mid control.
Definitely not using valves, despite the name.

Used this amp for the past 10 years with various Les Paul and Strat ripoffs, and a few assorted nice axes.

The O/Drive channel is incredibly dirty, even at lower volumes, which would be great for shredders, but tends to lack some of the bottom end if you want to get into Blues. Lack of mid control really doesn't help in this respect. Definitely a shredder's distortion.

Volume wise at home I've never been able to get it past about 2 on the O/D channel, and about 4 on clean. O/D channel appears to get a lot more volume out of it. Clean tends to lack at higher volumes, and distorts a bit. I've still heard far was amps.

You can get some half decent sounds on the O/Drive channel if you mess around with the controls. The contour control tends to change everything around on you, so you can find yourself changing everything once you move it.

The Line Out sucks. Even using the O/D channel with low gain produces a fairly intense distortion that lacks omph, but will take your ear drums with it.

I'd prefer mid controls on both channels, and the gain range could do with being extended so you can get a gentler, bluesier sound out of it without an hours worth of messing around.

Really wish I could get a crisper sound out of it at times.

Using the foot switch causes me some grief - it's prone to ignoring the switch and cutting in and out. Possibly a short somewhere, and haven't had time to fix. Also had to put a new plug on it more than once, but that was going to happen with age.

The amp itself has always been reliable, as expected for solid state. It's only ever been on stage a few times, and for the most part, I used it as a monitor as it had no hope of getting over the drummer. Not sure I'd rely on it, as it's a bit small, but still reasonably suited to bedroom/quieter jam use.
Using a few effects pedals, you can get some improved sound out of it.

Never dealt with the company, though the retailer has always provided good support.

Overall it's a reasonable amp for what it is. I bought it without a lot of research, and at the time was playing some pretty crap guitars through it.
I've never expected much from it, though I've always wanted more - (or in the case of distortion less).
It's a great size, it's always worked, and it's been around.

If it vanished, I'm not sure I'd look for another VS30R, though I'd probably stick with Marshall. Despite the lack of need for more output, I'd be more interested in finding something that is more versatile.

Give me a decent blues driver, and a clean channel that's got more oomph, and maybe a mid control, and I'd be happy.

standard practice amp
2 channels (clean and overdriven)
tone controls and reverb
footpedal and line out as well as a headphone socket
not much but for the price what do you expect

I play indie punk stuff for a small band and for my needs the amp works admirably. the clean channel is alright there isnt loads of tonal variation but you can go from a very bluesy bass sound to a high end treble squeal without it breaknig up, unlike some amps of this calibre ive tried the trebly sound doesnt assault your ears in the same unbearable way.
the overdrive channel is farily limited. I have the gain on about 2 or 3 because anything over this starts becoming thrash metal or american rock. some people like this but i actually like to be able to tell what i am playing.

this is a really solid little amp. ive used it on several occasions to gig with and can tsee any need for a backup. the black covering has peeled away slightly on one side but this isnt much of a problem. the footswitch though has broken its jack connection twice. easy to sort out but a pain especially if you need to play live and need to swap channels mid song

never used though i hear fender are alright

ive been playing for about 2 years and own a squier jagmaster(excellent, split the humbuckers to get singles)) and a washburn hb30 which both work well with the amp. I also own a zoom pedal though i only really use that for tuning . i also play slide which works well with the amp
the sound i get out of it is really fat and is great for indie and punk and all the way up to white stripes esque blues. the clean channel is nothing special but the overdrive (once fiddled with works really well)
I compared this amp with the orange crush 30 and both were really good though the orange had a boxy sound and this was far cheaper so i went for this.
I am currently buying a new amp and i really wich i could get something with the sound i get on this but with a higher wattage as i really like this amp and all the tranny amps now are ones with built i effects which are just silly.!

1998, VS30R. This unit has all the features for practice amp(ie headphone jack and single 10" speaker. Dual channel with the clean channel no where near 30 Watts IMHO. The gain channel however really moves some air. The reverb is decent sounding, but nothing to get excited about. Marshall was never known for reverb amps anyway.

My two main guitars are a 1989 Washburn GV8 with EMG pickups and 1991 Fender Stratocaster Deluxe with Lace Sensor pickups. The first thing I noticed with the Washburn plugged in is that when using the gain channel you really need to tinker to get a good sound. This sort of surprised me as my last Marshall practice amps Marshall Lead 12(5005)and Lead 30 (5010) sounded great the minute you plugged in. I must have spent close to one hour adjusting knobs on the gain channel to get what I consider the "Marshall" sound. The contour control is the real culprit as the slighest movement changes the tone considerably.

Bought used and had to repair broken tone pot on the gain channel. The handle looks like it would break under normal conditions. The cabinet is made of cheap pressboard.

Never dealt with.

I've been playing 27 years and have played or owned just about every major guitar amplifier out there. My main rig is a vintage 1978, Marshall 1987 50 W head and 4/12 Marshall cab. This IMHO is the gold standard of sound and is what I use to judge other amps against. The VS30R has a decent clean sound and with some major time spent adjusting the gain channel, a passable distortion sound. For a practice amp the VS30R is fine. If lost or stolen I would probably look for another Marshall combo

This amp has two channels : Clean and OD. The clean channel has a volume, bass, and treble control; the OD channel has a gain, bass, contour (kind of like a mid sweep/scoop type control), treble, and volume; and then there's a master reverb.

Input, Line out, Headphones, and Footswitch jacks.


I will tell you up front right now that this amp is not a hybrid amp like it advertises; it does not have any tubes of any sort - it is 100% solid state. "Tube emulation" doesn't count. It's still solid state and there are no valves to be found.

The EQ controls are useful but you can't really tweak out the actual sound of this amp. There's always something you're looking to improve, but the fact remains that this amp is still this amp, and that's the sound it will give.

I use both a Fender '57 RI Strat and a 1998 Fender Toronado with this amp. I can write a review based on memory of how the amp sounds, but since I have it here with me right now, I believe it would be more effective to write the review as I play through this amp to provide complete and total accuracy.

I will break this section down by each guitar :


Fender '57 RI Strat

The clean channel compliments my Strat pretty well, but makes it sound thinner than most good clean channels I've played through. The clean channel has little to no warmth; it's more bell-like and chimey. It captures the jangle of the Strat but the warmth just isn't there. With my bridge pickup, the clean sound I get is barely useable. It sounds best on the neck pickup because it gives it a more rounded tone that's missing. If I adjust the Bass and Treble controls, I can make the chimey-ness disappear, but also with it, it takes the clarity and crispness of the sound. So it's 6 one one, half dozen on the other.

Switching over to the gain channel, the overdrive bites pretty hard but there's something lacking. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to dial in a great sound. Once again the bridge pickup proves to be harsh with this amp, as the Overdrive circuit is built similarly to the clean circuit. When I switch to the middle, it's less harsh, and once again when I flip to the neck pickup, it's the best setting I can get. Fiddling with the contour controls proves to be somewhat effective, but I can't seem to dial out whatever it is that's causing my tonal confusion. With the contour knob past 12 o'clock, it's a little too square-wavey for me. It's modern, but it just doesn't sound right. With a Strat, the best setting is to have the contour knob 12 o'clock or less. I usually always have the treble set at 12'oclock or lower, because the trebles on this amp are just horrendous. Very biting, very chilling, very cold, very harsh. I have the bass knob at about 2-3 o'clock.


So for the Strat, this is probably not the kind of amp you want to go with. The clean channel has always sounded much better than the gain channel to me, and even then - the clean channel is not very impressive.


Onto the '98 Toronado.


The clean channel captures quite a bit of the murkiness from my Toronado's humbuckers; but in the process it creates a bit of mud and the bell-chiming highs are almost unbearable. Even when dialing out the highs and boosting the bass, we have the same dilemma as with the Strat - when you take away the highs you sacrifice the clarity of the tone.

Onto the OD channel. Humbuckers really do shine with the Overdrive channel on this amp. I think this amp was made for Humbuckers. It screams and wails, but we still have the dilemma of the square wavey distortion when the contour goes past 12. Dialing in a good sound takes some time, but it's a fair bit easier with a humbucker-equipped guitar than with a single coil like a Strat or Tele. You can get a wide range of useable sounds from the OD channel with the right guitar, but it's quite unresponsive as most solid state amps are.


The OD feature is best with the Toronado. The clean channel is very unimpressive.



Some other worthy noteable facts are that the Line Out should not be used on any occasion. If you are unable to mic the amp, use someone else's. The Line Out is NOT EMULATED and therefore sounds like crap. Pretty much the equal effect of plugging a distortion pedal like a Big Muff or a ProCo RAT straight into a mixing board. You'll get buzzy, fizzy, ratty, nasty distortion. I repeat, do not use the Line Out.

I have not tried the headphones feature yet, but it's in the same bracket as the Line Out on the panel, so I'm guessing you'll get the same effect. Save yourself some grief and don't blow your ears out.

There has been some question on whether this amp sounds good cranked. I got it about 3/4ths of the way to maximum volume (my neighbor's would allow anything louder - that's how loud this can get) and it didn't sound as bad as I thought it would. The speaker can handle high volumes a lot better than most amps I've tried, but the fact still remains that this amp will still sound like this amp at any volume.


I give this category a 6.

Seems pretty sturdy and reliable. I haven't gotten a chance to play out with it yet, but we shall see. I'll leave this one as N/A for now.

Depending on what you're looking for in an amplifier, this may or may not suit you. If you're looking for a JCM800 emulation, look elsewhere. This will not respond or sound even remotely close to a JCM. This amp will on the other hand, sound like a Marshall, whether it be solid state or not. It may not sound as beautiful as an all-tube JCM800, but if you want the "Marshall tone", then buy a Marshall.

I will re-emphasize the fact that it does not have any tubes whatsoever. A close examination of this amp has shown that it is completely solid-state circuitry with no tubes involved. It's false advertising on Marshall's part as it's not a hybrid amp like they claim it to be. I would rate it a step above the MG series amps, but if I had to compare I would have to say it's closest to an MG80. The MG80 has a Goldback Celestion like this amp does, and the circuitry between the two is pretty similar.

This amp is meant to be a practice amp. It's not professional by any stretch of the imagination - and as long as you realize that, I don't think you'll be too severely disappointed. It has that Marshall sound, but it's not nearly responsive as its more expensive older brothers.

All in all I was kind of disappointed in this amp, I was expecting more - but for dropping only one bill on it, I can't really complain.


Have a nice day!

Basic 1x10 medium power (30 or so watts) SS amp 2 FS channels HP & LO jacks. Made in UK.. includes low end Celestion "Gold Back" speaker. Somewhat limited by todays standards (no FX, CD in ect.) but workable.

I have a Fender MIM "60s Classic Strat. the amp works OK with this guitar..perhaps a little bright. I get the idea that it was voiced to handled humbuckers without farting. Typical middle of the road clean with a bit of breakup past 1/2 distortion is usable at low gain but is quite good for low volume "shredding".. HP sound is basic but usable..I only use the LO for a tuner once in a while.

I have never known a Marshall SS product to fail in normal (bedroom/jam /informal gig) use.

Have delt with the amp guys at Korg USA once or twice concering a problem with a small VOX; they were polite and prompt and resolved things to my satisfaction..

I bought this to replace 2 amps; a larger/ louder/heavier Kustom 1x12 Combo and a smaller quiter Park 1x8 combo.. I didnt really need the power of the Kustom any longer, and was enjoying the Park but it really didn't have enough "git" to handle the ocassional jam I do with a drummer friend. I was able to trade for this and some cash at a local shop, and it's a nice combo of the two. It lacks the fat sound that the Kustom had,but it dosen't rattle the windows either, and I no longer need to pull out a different amp for practice, recording. HP use ect. As others have stated this is pretty much a big practice amp with some nice features..it's pretty quiet for 30 watts..and if you are on loud gigs with a heavy drummer I would look elsewhere..its fine for pub gigs if your drummer is on a small kit, and you bass player is also on a smallish combo. A nice portable amp for blues, R&B, church players ect. Everyone under the sun seems to make a 1x10 channel switch combo
running around 30 watts. Most have one problem..shared EQ between the channels. This didn't and was pretty much the same price as the other offerings..I have always had good experence with Marshall and the chance to own UK made product for the first time tipped my hand.

I got this amp 3 years ago and since than i have changed many opinions on it. At first it was excellent but with time i matured in playing and the amp showed some flaws. Don't get me wrong, this is an excellent amp for a begginer starting from a scratch - lots of gain and volume, just what a rock-wannabe needs. Footswitch, 2ch, 10' speaker, headphones, line out.

Yeah, the sound. It's a typicall Marshall, solid state amp. I'll divide sound review in few parts to make it easier.

Volume
This amp is loud enough for home practice and rehearsals under condition members of your band do not have amps with more power. For live gigs it's too silent - i had it once turned 3/4 and i couldn't hear what am i playing. I never played on it live after that.

Sound Quality
I believe this is the weak point of all Solid States - the amp works perfect in only one volume range, and tone varies alot while changing volume level. I have been playing on it through the Korg AX300G effect proccessor and it worked seamlessly half way up the volume (+-10%). If i turned it down, sound became flat, the groove was gone, and on the other hand while turning it up the sound became unclear, and started to crack, ecpecially in the bass levels.

Clean
Is preety good, although it is stable up to the 3/4 volume.

Distorsion

Through AX300G - I use a high gain, studio dist., with slightly reduced treble, enhaced bass and lower mid, some stereo delay. Sound works perfect, distorsion is very high freq, but very stable even during palm mutes.

Second Channel (No FX) - The distorsion itself is very good, freq is not very high, just enough for rock, but still not stable while palm muting.

Never had problems with it

Never needed

Excellent amp for begginers, although i think marshall itself is overpriced. I'm not sorry for buying it, but i will sell it ASAP and buy myself a Tube amp.

Bought this thing new a few yrs back. Great little 2 channel amp, with footswitch. perfect for home use, lots of gain at low volumes.

Using Fender Hot Rodded Fat strat, with duncan designed pearly gates. Like the hard rock from the 80's, motley crue, bon jovi, acdc etc. Great amp for practising at home. At low volumes you get great sounding gain, and turning it up it comes alive. Can sound a little messy at higher volumes. If you want the full sound of a tube amp, go and spend 4 times the money. The clean channel sounds pretty good and clear for a marshall.

Never had a problem with it and have owned for 3 or 4 yrs. Only thing is the pedal, can act up occassionally but not often

never had to deal with

perfect for practising with

i bought it used around 1999 at a music store about half an hour from ft. campbell for 100 dollars exactly. they said someone sold it to them as down payment or something for a new amp (the handles were broken when they received it, i bought it after they had fixed it). i didn't have a foot-switch for it for about two years.

its got the basic two-channel jobber, a real amp-kicking spring reverb (i break into bouts of "miserlou" on this amp for some reason...) i'm rooted in jazz/blues types of stuff and i mean no disrespect when i say that i've been told me my tone is very grant green or wes montgomery tinged. i of course disagree. for some reason i get an extremely gutsy low-end with the clean channel with my es-335 the clean is like

i've used this amp for recording quite a bit. when i bought it i was using an ibanez rg-270 and a fender standard telecaster. for fun, i was playing a lot of "grind-core," "power-violence," metal, and all that stuff with friends and mostly recording 4-track demos with these bands. the majourity of this amp's use has been in drummer+guitar jam situations and solo performances and in these situations proved to be more than usefull.

i don't think i'd use it over anything other something smaller or any crate combo. i used to have trouble hearing this amp when i'd bring it to rehearsals. it'd seem fine until the drummer started playing. haha

anyways- the amp gives me plenty of punch and its surprised people on tape many times.

using your ears: it sounds very nice but the clean distorts extremely easily and can prove a problem especially if you're recording direct (it goes from the green to hot in like half-a-notch). it also lacks a mid knob on the clean but my guitar tends to make up for it. i get a lot of low-end on it when i get the volume at about 6 or 7 and my point of reference (normal amp) is a vintage ampeg bass-amp (4x12).

the distortion channel is a little thin if you're trying to play quietly. i've been known to use a big muff in combination with the amp's OD. i also tend to use a dod-yjm2000 in combination with the OD (most of the time i use the big muff and the yjm-2000 together, respectively with a wah in between, i get no kick out of effects, really)

the reverb is extremely obnoxious past 3!

i'll just say i play jazz. regardless of what guitar/amp for whatever style i'm playing, i've always appreciated the stereotypical "jazz-tone" over twang. i never use the bridge with clean and never use the neck with distortion (i usually leave it in the middle for clean though) and none of the amps i've owned or used have really changed this bit of eccentricity.

i get a nice jazz sounds out of it. i might go as far as to say that i agree with the grant green comparison i've received from people who listen to my tapes. when it comes to e.q. i cut before i boost and never go past 6 really. so that should give a nice scale (once again i use an es-335, humbuckers, flatwounds (the 1st and 2nd strings on my guitar are 17 and 18, respectively)

this amp is quieter than a guitar center during school hours. i've picked up an AM station (imagine a "solo-guitar" type "piece" interrupted with "PURRRROOOOO MEXIIIICOOOO!" or two a total of three times that i can recall.


the distortion is what i guess you could classify as "the status quo"

i would never use this amp for a gig unless i had to or if it was a recital (think christmas family talent show situations or some shit like that)


i think i'm gonna have to bring it in soon because the clean has been acting up. i've crushed a footswitch once i really didn't see an urgency to replace it but it was easy to do so.

i have no idea what the people at marshall are like- i heard they're english, though. (just kidddinnng)

i've been playing about 9 years and some straws. i'm a minimalist when it comes to gear- i use one rack-mount effect (a bbe sonic maximizer), an electro-harmonix big muff, a dod-yjm2000, a morley wah-wah, and i have an ibanez flanger that keeps papers down pretty well.

i really wish the eq was more complete (i don't like the contour and i never use it), the electronics could have been set with a bit more care (the reverb problem, the volume instabilities)

This amp has a lot of really good useful features. It has two footswitchable channels, reverb, and a lot of knobs on the overdrive channel to shape the sound.

The only thing that prevents me from giving this amplifier a 10 on the sounds is that the clean channel could use a bit of improvement. That being said, I never really use the clean channel on this amp. The dirty channel sounds amazing. It's excellent for recording. I just set in at a moderate volume, mic it from about 6 inches away and it sounds amazing every time.

This is a very reliable amp. I've played around twenty gigs with it, toted it back and forth to practices and recording sessions, and it still looks and sounds great. It's a little dusty, and the plastic covers over the metal clips that hold the handle on have disappeared, but it has held up amazingly well.

This is a great amp for practice, recording, home use and small (less than 30 people) venues. I wish it had come with a footswitch. I will never get rid of this amp. It's loveable.

I bought this amp for the dirty channel but I like having the clean side available too. Would've liked a mid EQ on the clean side though.

The sound is good given the price. The clean side leaves a little to be desired. I mostly play an old Fender Duo-Sonic II through it. I think the overdrive sounds great. I keep reading comments that this amp isn't loud enough. Please! Want ear-bleeding Marshall stack sound? Buy a Marshall stack already. This little thing is loud for its size. Yes, it's probably best for home but I play small alt club shows with it all the time and not a complaint yet. If you're a metal head you don't gig with a 30W combo anyway, so why even go there? I use a tube pre/DI box with this amp and I can get pretty big sounds. Lots of amps sound better with a tube pre anyway (and they're coming down in price) so go get yourself one and you will find a new appreciation for this amp. One last thing. I like this one for recording. Lots of big sounding records have been made with little amps (think vintage Fender Champ) and the VS30r is well suited to this application.

Don't like the pressed-wood housing. If I had the motivation I would build a better box for it. Haven't had any tech problems with it yet.

Haven't needed it yet.

I've been playing 17 years. And I drive amps harder now than when I was 16. I really like this amp for the value. I don't buy expensive gear for playing bars/clubs. In my circuit, if you can't spill beer on it you shouldn't own it. Unlike many of the reviewers on this site I would not "kick the guy's ass" who stole it, but thanks for sharing. I would however try to find another VS30.

2 Channels Clean/Overdrive 30W solid state Amp with reverb, 10" (or 12", I don't know how many centimeters make an inch...damn Americans :-P). Has controls for treble and bass - no middle - and contour in the overdrive channel. High impedance input for guitar, footswitch, low impedance line output and headphone. No effect loop... too bad.
Since it is only 30W, I expect it to be a practice amp.

I'm using a really bad guitar on it, an old Samick bought used, and my pickups really suck big time. Anyway, my feeling is that the clean channel on this amp is useless, because it's very quiet. And when you push the potentiometer further than half the volume, you can hear distortion, so ... Anyway, you can have a better clean sound on the overdrive channel by putting the gain control on about 1/4 and the sound is great !! The distortion sound is Marshall like, I love it ! So if you like big distortion (Ok you can't compare this with a tube amp) to play in your room, go for it !

I've had this amp for some days only, it works perfectly ...

Never had to contact them. Don't know the warranty, since I bought it used.

This is my first guitar amp. Since now I plugged my guitar in my PC (using Amplitube, which is a digital tube simulator) and I can say this amp is great for beginners like me (I've only been playing the guitar for 6 months), especially for the price I've paid. But since I don't have all the effects I had on my computer, I'm going to build some pedal effects :-).

This is 30watts Solid state
and is great competitor to the Marshall MG30CDR
the difference is the distortion is heavier and the amps 30watts are a lot louder i think this has 1 12" speaker
the amplifier is much louder
and is ideal for garage band scenarios
which most people recommend 40-50watt solid state throught a 12"
it has real Spring Reverb
over all mong better solid state amplifiers

The distortion is among the most decent solid state distortion
this amp is for Alternitave Rock,Grunge,Punk even to metal to a cerain degree ,the clean is good enough for blues jazz,classic rock ect. This amp doesn't buzz
for a MG30DFX/or CDR solid state amp it deserves a 8
in comparison to the new valvestate 2000 avt20 it deserves a 6
so i'll give it 7

this isn't a gigging amp
but it is loud for its size
it can compete with an Crate BX80 80watts or bass man 60
and a drummer with moderate hitting stile
in a room with good resonating acoustics ie; 1/2 car garage
small basement

customer support for a most guitar companies are shit
its better to rely on places you buy it from
disregard the warranty

I've been playing for a while now
this amp is a great bedroo practice
these amps aren't made new
but sell for 130-150
and are well worth it if your looking for a good amp for jamming with a drummer
there better than competing Frontman 25Rs from fender
Crate GX30/GFX30, and Marshall MG30CDR/DFX, Ibanez Toneblaster 25R,
which are all in similiar price range

Im sure many other people have listed features, but basically, it has 2 channels (clean and overdrive) (footswitchable), reverb, headphones out, line out, 30 solid-state watts, which is great for me in my bedroom, but i have never jammed with it. For a bedroom/practice/occasional garage jam amp, it performs well.

You can get a pretty good AC/DC style crunchy, rocky style sound from this amp. I get a better clean tone from the overdrive channel rather than the clean channel, just by winding the gain back a bit. I do this as the clean channel sounds a bit thin, but it sounds great to beginners or people not to fussed about great tone.

This amp has been great to me, never stuffed up or anything and always works. no problems here

This amp is great for practice, for beginners or for people wanting another amp for stuffing around with

It would be nice if it had middle frequency control knob in the clean chanell, but what the hell, you can't ask for much more on a cheap amp like this one.

I have two Ibanez, one rg-270 (my first guitar) and one s-470 sol. I've also been using an Epiphone es335 (hollow body) which belongs to my brother. I like blues, rock and fusion.
I got this amp 5 years ago and i've come to the conclusion that i don't like it that much. The clean channel distorts at high volumes, but it's acceptable for practicing at home or for small (and i mean small) rehearsals. The od channel can give you a suitable sound for heavier music, but if you're looking for a decent blues/rock distortion, forget it. I can't understand those 10's and 9's you guys state for sound quality. You must be nutheads.

Like i sad, i've had this for five years. It went dead a year ago, and i spent 60 euro repairing it. I don't know about the rest of you, but, well, 60 euro spent in five years isn't that bad.

Ok

If you're looking for a practice amp, this one is probably a good amp for you. But for this price, i would advise anyone to gather a few more coins and buy something better, especially if you are thinking about using it for rehearsals and gigs. Buy tubes instead of solid state.

Not sure of the year of manufacture, but I've had it for a year or so now.

Two channels, one clean, one overdrive, push button to switch between with an optional foot switch. The foot switch really should have been included in the package, but cost so little extra I hardly noticed. Clean channel has volume, bass and treble controls, channel 2 has gain, bass, contour, treble and volume. Both channels share the reverb.

No effects loop, but it does have a headphone jack. Also has a line out (though I've never used it).

This is a practice amp, pure and simple. It sits on a shelf in my
study, and rarely moves from there. I don't currently play in a band, but I have done in the past - doesn't really have the power for anything outside the garage, even then at a push.

I'm basing my rating on what this amp was intended for - a practice amp. That's what it is, that's what I use it for.

I'm in a fairly temporary living situation at the moment, so am keeping my hardware outlay to a bare minimum - to that end, I'm using a Washburn Mercury series MG 740 that I bought second hand for relatively cheap. Stock pickups, humbuckers at the bridge and neck and a single coil in between.

I play all kinds of stuff, but mostly rock / metal (older stuff).

Because I keep it at lower volumes, I couldn't really comment on the noise factor. At those levels (sub 4) it's fine in both channels.

The clean channel is a little flat, lacks brighness, but if you want that buy a Fender Tweed. It's no secret that Marshall has never been known for its clean sound. The overdrive channel has a fabulous sound, and offers good range for the limited controls provided. Love the contour control. My only criticism is that it lacks bottom end depth, but remember folks, this is a solid state practice amp so it really isn't fair to compare it to a JCM 900 or a rectifier. For the money and for what it is, the sound is great - would find it difficult to beat. I find that I'm using the neck pickup much more than I used to though, trying to promote the depth. The reverb is a little overdone, but the simple solution is to keep it turned down low.

If you're going to use headphones, invest in a good quality pair. Pretty obvious when you think about it, but some folks forget that when you use headphones you're not using the speaker, and the speaker and cabinet help shape the sound.

As a practice amp sitting on my shelf in my study, I can depend on it just fine. I would *never* gig with it though - plastic nuts on all jacks are a dead giveaway that this amp is not intended for heavy use. The lack of bottom end depth in channel 2 is also less than ideal, and I can imagine would only get worse at volume. Despite the particle board construction I haven't noticed any of the build faults other contributors have noted. Only complaints would be that the little plastic covers on the handle fall off way too easily, and it's very obviously built with cheaper components. Despite that, it feels well put together to me, very sturdy. I bought mine in the UK, perhaps that's where the difference lies? The foot switch is a little tank, very strong, well put together. The lead lacks adequate reinforcement on both ends so you need to be a little careful, but is nice and long - 4 or 5 metres.

I like the idea of building a birch cab for it. To be honest, the idea of a solid wooden cab had occurred to me already. Think I'll look into doing that. See if we can shape that tone a little more. ;)

Never had to deal with them, and considering the way I use it I doubt I'll ever need to.

I've been playing for over 15 years, and in that time have played all kinds of guitars on all kinds of rigs.

If it were lost or stolen, I would consider buying another but would probably shop around a bit first to see what's come out in the past couple of years. I like it, but I wouldn't go out and blindly buy another right away. Having said that, I certainly don't regret my purchase.

I love channel two, albeit the lack of depth. I like the clean channel, still room for improvement though but you've got to keep in mind what this amp is and what it cost. I really don't like the quality of components they've used, I really would've expected better.

I haven't reviewed sound based on another product because I don't like doing that - I know the sound I'm after and I review based on that. For the money, this really does very, very well. Build quality I compared to older Marshall and Fender amps.

What do I wish it had? An effects loop would be nice. And Marshall really needs to consider the quality of their components.

I know some folks have rated this amp quite harshly. I think its important when you go shopping for an amp to think about what it is that you want, how you're going to use it, and have an idea of the sound you want to get out. If you want a gigging amp, this isn't for you. If you want an amp that you can turn waaaaay up loud and get a classic Marshall overdrive sound with masses of depth and tone, this probably won't suit you either. If you're after a nice overdriven sound with decent tone for practicing at home or with a few friends, you could do a *lot* worse than to buy this one. I think it's a great little amp.

Brand New VS30R, prob 2001 / 2. Has 2 Channels, Reverb, what more do you want for $200. Foot switch input.

This amp is SUPERB if you are wanting that classic Marshall Sound. Got it on sale at zzounds.com and it is the best small amp I ever bought. Only 28 pounds, looks small but is LOUD... Do Not be fooled by the 30 Watt rating.

The Clean sounds great, don't know what everyone is moaning about, my Les Paul never sounded better and I just traded in an 80 Watt Peavey for this thing.

The OD Channel is unreal, it sounds just like the big ones! Everything from crunch to that beautiful fuzz... This baby does it all.

Dunno, not had it long enough to know but 5 year warranty as standard says it should be pretty good.

Unknown.

Been playing 15 years. Use a Les Paul for my electric work and this little beaut.

Would definitly buy it again. Just wish it was bigger so it looked meaner!

Well, I don't use the reverb, it sucks, but I like the overdrive channel (and a footswitch..yay). I don't understand why ol' Jimmy Marshall would put a mid control on the OD but not on the bloddy CLEAN CHANNEL!

Here goes:
GUITAR: strat knockoff with two Fender '63 single coil pickups (neck and mid) and a DiMarzio PAF humbucker (bridge)
EFFECTS: Dunlop Crybaby, Danelectro flanger, boss flanger(sometimes), Digitech RP-300, Boss digital delay, DOD compressor
i practise everything on this amp, blues, jazz, rock, metal, punk, EVERYTHING, the only problem is, i can only practise on this with it still sounding good. When I play a gig I have to put it through a P.A., and I don't have the equiptment for that, nor the cash to buy it. but if you do have the right stuff it soudns pretty good if you mic it right (DISTANCE EQUALS DEPTH PEOPLE. the clean channel is pretty awful loud, im coverign it up with effects usually, but its pretty good on low volume. I really wish their was a mid control on the clean channel. This is supposed to sound like the old tube (valve to the birts, hence the name) amps, but it smells like a solid state to me, I'm gonna go buy another Marshall for gigs, with some dang tubes!

i got this sucker used and its really great.

never needed this, thank god. i dont like the marshall website (add that to the list with Korg and Boss)

Great amp, for practicing, if you wanna gig with this sucker youre gonna need a good P.A., or a really good processor (<cough>DigiTech<cough>) good overdrive, quiet and loud, clean = shit when cranked. if this was stolen i would repalce it with a marshall, a different marshall, on gigs i dont use it primarily, i borrow my friend's fender twin for those.

2 channels, Footswitch, Headphone jack,
ideal 4 practice and small ( i mean small) gigs
although it has a contour control on gain channel it has no mid selection

Using Ibanez AX120 with EMG Zack Wylde Pickups,
Playing Metal, Good gain channel but not so great clean channel

GREAT SOUND FOR ONLY BEING 30 WATT

NO PROBLEMS EVER

n/a

Good for a small amp but usless at gigs unless put through the PA

Yeah,. whatever. Who cares when the amp sucks so bad..

The sound quality is crap. The clean sound is horrible, kind of a wet, thin sound. The distortion channel is awful, yak. This amp doesn't work no matter how you try. With pedals its crap. Impossible to get a good sound at high volume.

Ive never had a problem.

I've been playing for 4 years. This is my first amp. Its okay when youre just practising home at low volume. BUT you can't play in a band with this amp. At high volume its HORRIBLE!!!!! Muddy, shitty etc. Stay away from this amp and buy one with tubes.

Clean channel, dirty channel, reverb on either, contour switch (removal of mids) on dirty channel.

The reverb is pretty good, as Marshall reverb usually is.

The clean is utter crap, while the OD channel is also crap. This is the perfect practice amp, or recording amp for someone who plays in an old school punk band.

The clean is utter crap, while the OD channel is also crap. This is the perfect practice amp, or recording amp for someone who plays in an old school punk band.

I've never had any problems with it, and I've had it for 4 years.

I had put money down on it, and they thought they had lost it, so they were going to sell me the floor model for $100 less than the one I was buying (which was $250), they ended up finding mine, and still gave me it for $150.

2 channels solidstate with separate eq's, reverb and 30watts of power. Footswitch not included, 2 output jacks: Headphones and line out. I guess it is your typical practice amp as far as features are concerned

I am using a Jackson DK-3 with stock pickups and I mostly play hard rock/metal with this amp. The amp is very versatile and you can get various sounds out of it. The clean channel is good if you add a lot of reverb(although it gets a bit noisy) and it distorts in high levels, but not much. The distortion channel though is why you'll get this amp, it is very good and gets pretty heavy with not much gain. The eq is good. The "contour" controller can drammatically shape the sound. Don't expect to get any exact bands sound using this amp because you will not.
As said this amp is a practise amp, not for band practice. If you play with a drummer he will drown you out and even worse after the master volume passes the "4" setting the sound loses its clarity, drammatically. My biggest complaint though goes for the "line out" and "headphones" jacks. I mean the output is soooo bad it isn't even funny. No matter how much I've tweeked the settings I cannot get a decent sound that resembles the amp's sound. Total crap.
To sum up:

Pros
-------
Good clean channel. I give it a 7/10
Very good overdrive channel at LOW volumes. I give it 8/10

Cons
------
Very bad overdrive sound at high volume levels.
Awfull line out sound.

I have the thing for about a year and have used it a LOT and cranked(unfortunatelly)many times.Also have been moving it on week basis. No problems till now, thank god. It cries still and cries well and loud. I might gig with it, if I get it micked at less than half the volume of the amp(See above why). It can't handle a gig by itself, no way
I guess that you can depend on it.

I haven't got a clue. Hope I'll never have to find out about it ;)

I've been playing for about 2 years and I am overally happy with the sounds I get from it. It is much better than the crappy ibanez 25 watt I was using. If it gets stolen I would save up and get a bigger one. I mainly like it cause of its good sound and portabillity although I wish it had an acceptable line out sound for some direct recording. I think that if you want a good portable nice sounding practice amp, this one is for you. It is good bang for the buck.
Keep rockin'

This is the second coming of marshalls illustrious valvestate range-since replaced by the avt2000 range. 30 watt, 10" celestion speaker, 2 channel(clean and overdrive) Bass and treble on clean. Gain, bass, middle, treble on lead. line out, headphone out for when you cant resist in the small hours and reverb. Everything you need for practicing or playing in a band like I do, never turned it up past 5 on lead cos it shakes the floor!

The high gain sounds on this are very good on this little amp. I like to play punk-rock ala offspring, metal ala metallica and funk ala red hot chili peppers which are all done very well. If anything it could do with a touch more bass but combined with the right guitar there isnt really a problem there. i play my own stock strat through it and sometimes my brothers kramer which has a ridiculously high output. Definitely excels in the overdrive department. Clean channel has a "natural crunch" at high volumes says the manual which is good for some situations but can be a bit annoying at times although i only really experience crunch with the bridge pickup. Reverb itself sounds good but for the background hum i get from it (is this a fixable problem or not? email me plz). Did my first gig with it recently through a PA of some sort and got a lot of good comments about my tone, especially the Offspring songs we did.

Havent had any problems with it yet in a year that ive owned it or the 2 years that the previous owner had it (so he says), other than the reverb but i only noticed that just when i got it home after buying it so its had that problem the whole time. Seems robust enough.

Never had to deal with the company but there was a 3 year warranty as standard which is nice. If i had a problem, however i would just take it to my local guitar store cos i know them and they are great when it comes to service (Sound control, best guitar shop in Scotland)

If it were stolen id cry, then go and buy the newer model from the avt2000 range as i have fallen in love with marshall after buying this. If you need something that can make the most of your high gain axe then this could be just the ticket. As i said it gets played with a strat and a cheap crappy wah pedal and it sounds the dogs twitcher. Superb for an upgrade from your first practice amp. Shame about the slight crunch on clean or it might just have got full marks