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

Pretty good amp, good for in-your-room-with-your-mother-downstairs practicing. I mostly use it for punk and hard rock, and it fills those roles pretty well. Has 2 channels, clean/overdrive (pedal can be used to change), controls are bass, treble, contour (mid level freq.), gain, reverb. headphone jack, also good for quiet practice at home. not much power (30 watt 1X12), but its designed for practice seesions, so thats no surprise. no fx loop.

The sound is pretty good, although the bass is a little too weak in my humble opinion. Very rich and full, not noisy, only with heavy gain. The distortion is very powerful, i hardly ever turn more than halfway up. Has tendency to get a little false. clean channel IS distorted at hi volume, but not very much.

The casing seems very shabby, it has this really cheap plastic leather imitation glued to it, and its already coming of in the edges. the cabinets got paper clips sticking out of it. the amp unit itself looks pretty and seems very sturdy too. It hasnt ever left my home really, so i havent ever tested it in rough environments, but it seems really crappy, not what youd except from a company with marshalls reputation. hasnt broken down yet though.

no idea, man. 1 year warranty, i think, but im not really sure.

ive played it for about a year now, and im quite satisfied with it. Visually, it appears to be poor quality, but on the other hand i havent had a single problem with it yet, so it must be better that it looks. anyways, it has good sound, and plenty features for home or backstage practice.

This amp is an excellent practice amp. Not enough power for gigging, but it's plenty for basement / bedroom practice. 30W with 2 channels. Like many other reviews, I agree the cabinet construction could be better.

For the money I don't think you will find better. The overdrive channel has great distortion. The clean channel does distort at high volume but I think it sounds good. For hard rock (AC/DC, etc) this is a great amp. Plenty loud for practice, and killer sound compared to your $200 range solid state amp.

The cabinet construction isn't the greatest so I wouldn't be dropping it off any roofs but for normal use there should be no problem. Beyond that, it's a Marshall so you wouldn't expect many problems.

After reading some of the reviews I was unsure if I was going to buy this amp but when you compare other amps in this price range it's easily the best value. Compare it with a Fender Champion 30, or a Peavy / Crate in the same price range. If I lost this amp I would buy one again right away if I could find one. If not I would get the AVT20.

I don't use the distorion on this amp because it sucks. Everything sounds really cracky at high volume levels. My line out jack doesn't work anymore and I didn't even get it a year ago. :( .

Sounds cracky and crappy at high levels. I go though an Ibanez RG270, then a Digitech RP3 processor and then the amp. It sounds great on low volumes, though.

My line out doesn't work anymore and I havn't even had it for a year. I used this for a few gigs (small ones of course) and it was fine. But the damn line out makes me mad. I have to use my little Crate GRX15R to record. Whoopee.

its okay

Its okay if you have a drummer that doesn't beat the crap out of the drums. Otherwise, it sounds too cracky (especially on clean) But it is a fairly good amp.

30Watt 1x12 amp with 2 channels (clean and distortion); reverb, high/low levels, and master volume on both. The distortion channel has knobs for gain and contour. Both channels are useable. This amp is a perfect practice amp. I use it when practicing in my room or with other people as long as there's no drums. I've played through it before with a drummer and even cranked to 10 it gets a little lost. But that's not what this amp is for, it has plenty of power for a "practice amp" and suits that purpose very well. I have a box full or pedals but I never use them with this amp, very convenient for transporting for small practice sessions.

I play a fender tele and play mostly gritty punk and revved up rock a la the Stooges. I also have a hollow body Guild starfire for jazz and this amp is OK for jazz but the clean channel is missing that sparkle that you need. The distortion sound is as good as you're going to get from solid state devices. I also have a Roland JC-120 guitar amp (a highly regarded solid state amp, perhaps THE most famous solid state amp) and no matter what pedals I use, I can't get as good a rock sound as I get plugged straight into this little Marshall. There's a "contour" knob that is very useful. I play with the contour rolled all the way off which gets a gritty dirty distortion. Turning the contour up will smoothen the distortion. The gain knob can get you mild overdrive to heavy crunch. I play at around 4 o'clock. The reverb sounds fine at low levels. This is the perfect rock practice amp. I give it an 8 because it is still a practice amp.

No problems.

N/A

I would buy this again. I have 3 amps: this, a Roland and a Marhshall half stack, and I use this amp the most frequently because

1) It's small and light
2) It's loud enough to play with other non-drummers
3) I don't need to lug around pedals when I use it
4) It sounds good

Don't be cheap about practice amps because you will use it probably more than your gigging amp. This is a great amp that you will use.

the amp was made in 2000, its overall a great little amp, i play folk music and hard rock mainly. the clean channel is pretty good for surf with the reverb cranked. 2 channels, no f/x loop (sad thing). i use this amp for home practice and quick jamming. its pretty good in my setting.

i play a hamer arched top with duncan desigened pickups(humbucker) and an ibanez custom shop model(humbuckers with coil taps). the distortion is good for the type of music i play. and the clean channel is ok, it can be a little noisy at times in the bridge setting. the clean you can play so high or youll get noise. the distortion can be a pain in the ass at the wrong settings.

this is one tough bastard, its fallen down the stairs, hit the street, kicked, sat on, everything and ive never had to bring it into the shop for anything. stays in great shape and the sound hasnt changed one bit.

never had to deal with the bozos at the marshall amplification company

this is a great amp for someone starting off, or someone who wants just a good amp that holds its end of the bargain. if it were lost id get an other (if i could find it, they dont make these no more)far better than the fender princeton 65 and all that crate solid state practice amp crap. this little devil box is worth every dollar.

I think my amp was mad in 1999. My amp is very versatile, is good for Blues, Metal and Barn dances. It has two channels with switching vai a footswitch. What's an effect loo? Headphone jack straw comes as standard.
I wish it had a cup holder, for when I balanced my cup of coffee on my amp and played real loud, she fell over and my amp made this wikked banging noise.
I use this amp for barn dances and has plenty of power.
Solid State, 30 watts, Mono.

I am playing a Squier Affinity Strat. Wit this setup I can play the blues as well as ole madd johnny boy and his cavaliers. It is very noisey except after I spillt coffee on it. Then it sounded wikked for a minute, before she blew. Then I sent it back to Marhsall, who were well cool and gave me a Squier Sidekick 10 watt amp, which suits my tastes more.

She blew.

Marhsall are jolly good sports. It took ages to phone up as I live in Ghana with my boyfriend Sven (and his father, Axel). But I didnt mind coz they sent me a nu-amp.

I have been playing 40 years with my boyfriend Sven. He is a fun piece of gear.

i got this amp a year ago (00). After owning a small 10watt amp. the amp posseses an average range of tones and a good mixture of functions. I used to use it for home practice, but now as i am in a band i will need to buy a larger amp. Its excellent for home playing, and starting a band.

I use a Washburn WG-300.. that wont mean much to anyone.. Washburn dont even recognise it was built.. but its an ibanez style guitar with two single coils and a humbucker with split coil. The marshall produces an outstanding clean tone with nice sound recreation.. this is due to the Valve preamp being in the Clean section. The distorted tone isnt as good however, it can carry well but the tone is false and kinda gritty, and when whacked up on full tends to be characterless.

No problems

N/A

A good overall amp, some nice tones, and an average distortion. A good buy.

The amp was made in 99', let me tell you if your buying an amp for it's destortion, this is not the amp for you. I bought this strictly for practice. It has a good sound, and enough power for a small jam session with the band and that's about it. I use effects, so all that matters is that it has a nice clean, and quiet tone. It comes with most of the fetures that a practice amp should have, and for that i'll give it some credit, but if your not going to buy effects look somewhere else. I play mostly metallica, and if your looking for that metallica crunch, such as that on the black album look no further then a mesa boogie strategy 400, it's all you'll ever need.

I use all of my guitars with it, which are an esp kh-1, 2, and 3, also a jh-2. They all have emg's so they help out the sound of the amp. Like i said before buy this amp for the clean sounding channel, and add effects, don't buy it for the desortion built into the amp.

I would never use this amp in a gig, it dosn't have enough power for that, But it is pretty solid, it could go through a gig, if i wanted it to, but i use a mesa strategy 400, going into two 4X12 mesa cabs for livve gigs.

never delt with them, and that's always good.

i have been playing for a while, i own lots of gear, if it was stolen i probably would buy it again, or i would just use the lower settings on my strategy 400.

From the other reviews everybody propably knows the features of this
amp by now. Anyway, it has 2 channels, clean and overdrive, and a reverb. Well, it has everything necessary, but not much extra.

I'm reviewing my friends amp, and he has a Squier Strat, with lots of
deluxe stuff, he had to pay a price of a nice Fender of it :) We've also played my guitar through it, which is a nice sounding japanese Fender. Both guitars have single pickups. We both play rock/pop, some blues and a bit of jazz. This amp is no good for anything, the clean channel is *very* ... something not good, can't think a word for it. Sucks anyway. The overdrive has nice Marshall sound, except for its thinness and lack of low frequencies, which makes the sound really shitty.

The reverb continues in the same line, which means I wouldn't use it.

I've played for couple years, the owner of the amp couple more, and we both think the same way about it. He's got a Lead20 also, and it's a much louder amp than VS30R, and better sounding, so he uses it. I've got a Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb (Korean reissue, has a tube in the preamp section), so mainly the Lead 20 and my Vox are the amps I've compared this one to. the VS30R sucks, wouldn't recommend it for any use, not even practice amp.

this amp is a decent little 30 watt amp. its not loud enough for stage playing. its a solid state 30 watt amp with an alright reverb. this is the first amp i have had with reverb so i have nothing to compare that to. the enclosure was horrible.i just dont like the particle board enclosures i thought about making a new one out of Medium density fiberboard but its pretty soft . I chose to make it out of poplar due to its availabilty in our woodshop downstairs and its ease to work with. i remade the enclosure and left it natural color with a finishing coat on it. it looks classy with the dovetailed joints and nice colors that poplar has . i think it ever cleared up some of the muddiness at higher volumes. this amp is good for playing many different styles but mainly guns n roses and some ozzy and stuff like that due to its high gain overdrive channel. the clean channel is really clean but sounds like it might have a little of the reverb effects still on it. not as smooth of a clean as a fender and not as versatile as my epiphone amp with my les paul but good sounds.

it is pretty quite in operation once in a while it will make a hum but it goes away not sure where that is from.

havent had it long enough to know but it is a used amp so it should last a while.

N/A

nice for home practice and maybe small gigs.

A solidstate amp, has reverb and two channels. It's not bad, the reverb can change the shape of the sound pretty dramatically. Channel switching via footpedal. Footpedal isn't included, those damn corporate bastards! Has a line out, comes in useful if you feel like using it in combination with other small amps. I play mostly alternative and pop/rock and it satisfies most of my needs. I wish it was louder....but hey, it's a 30W amp, i suppose i can't ask for too much power from something like it. All the same, it can go pretty damn loud.
It's not jam-packed with features, it's pretty standard really...but I'll give it an 8 just because Marshall bothered to put in reverb.

I use a Les Paul '56 Goldtop with P-90 soapbars and Spectraflex cables. It siiiings when I'm on the overdrive channel. The overdrive is really thick and....round (for lack of a better word). It's great for classic rock and pop/rock. I can get some sweet bluesy tones from it too. I don't imagine jazz players and heavy metal-heads will enjoy it as much as I do. The clean channel isn't as clean as I'd like. It's actually pretty dirty. I like "dirty" clean channels, but I'd really like to be able to play on a pristine clean channel every once in a while. Clean starts to break up at high volume levels, for the tone puritan.
I'd give a 10 if the clean was...well....clean.

Shitty cabinet. Need I say more?

It hasn't let me down yet, but the cabinet really just totally sucks. I mean, you'd think such a respectable company would make cabinets with plywood at least. *shakeshead*

6 because it hasn't fallen apart yet. 4 because I'm expecting it to. Average = 5

didn't bother.

Been on it for about......a year. I like it, I would probably save up and get a Mesa/Boogie, Orange Amps, VHT, Vox or Marshall stack if it was stolen. It's great as a practice amp, and it's good for jam sessions with a band because it can go pretty loud for a 30W amp. I LOVE the overdrive, I can't express enough how much I love it. I've used a bunch of overdrive and distortion pedals and none of them have really come close to the kind of tone this amp's overdrive produces. I hate the cabinet. Wish it was plywood, at least. Oh, and clean isn't as clean as it should be....so I guess whether that's a good thing depends on your personal preference. I'd prefer it to be cleaner.
Overall, I'd say it's a terrific practice amp. I really like it.

This amp is a current model. I bought it new 2-3 years ago. I wish I had bought the VS65 as the VS35 is a little weak in power department...not much bottom and not enough guts for live band, but great for practice...which luckily, is the main reason I bought it.

My main guitar is a US Strat with Texas Specials pickups, but the amp sounds better with my secondary.. a Les Paul Special. It sounds a little thin with the Fender, but it gets help by using 11 strings. I play classic rock and some blues and jazz fusion. The tone of the overdrive is probably the best thing about the amp. Changed the speaker from supplied Celestion to a Carvin and sounds warmer and more meaty (better). Used the line out to drive a Fender twin reverb for some help, and it sounds great.

The amp has had some moments of failure. Power switch problem within 1 month (bad solder connection)...and later, loss of power and noisy also caused by bad solder connections...but overall, it has been fairly good. Workmanship INSIDE is a pretty flimsy PC board held only by the bushings on the knobs. But outside, at least the cabinet is well built.

Been playing for over 30 years. I feel no great loyalty to Marshall, but it's a nice contrast to Fender.

I Think the amp was made in '99 or 2000.
I play rock, pop, metal, and much more. The amp is really great for all of them.
It has 2 channels, Clean & Overdrive. It has a foot switch, a line out & a headphone jack, and reverb.
If I could switch the reverb and on & off with the foot switch, it sure would be useful.
I use this amp in my room. It's a 30 watter, so it's loud enough for me. Even if I crank the overdrive 4th of the way it's too loud!!! I think I'll use the really loud features when I'll start playing in a band or gigging.
It's a solid state.

I play a Fender 48th St. Strat (Sam Ash Custom). It has a humbucker, so the overdrive sounds really good with it. The singles also sound good with the Clean channel.
The guitar starts humming around neon bulbs (and my computer screen), but I don't think that's because of the amp.
The overdrive channel has a gain knob and a contour knob, so I can get a variety of sounds and go from a nice and warm sound to a heavy metal sound.

I can totally depend on it. I don't know if it's good for gigging (it's a 30 watter, after all..)
It never broke down, and I don't think it will. I have it for 2 monthes, so I'll wait and see...

Never dealt with 'em.
The warranty is 5 years. I don't think I'll ever need it.

I've been playing for about 2 years.
If the amp was stolen or lost, I couldn't but another one. I saved for a year and a half for my guitar and ampy and I don't have any money left...
I love the way it looks, the way it sounds, how easy it is... everything!!!
I thought about buying a MG30RCD but the guys down at Sam Ash told me it's made in Korea by a lame company, and they just put the Marshall logo on it. I saw this one in the store and just got it.

Made 1999. Covers a wide range of styles, depending on your guitar (s). 2 channels, clean and distortion, changable by footswitch. Headphone jack, and line out, I haven't used either yet. No effects loop. I would like it to have an effects loop, that's the only thing it really lacks that I'd hope for.

I'm using it with an Ibanez GSA-60 and I can get a very wide variety of pleasant tones. The higher you put the volume controls and reverbs, the more noisy it becomes, not particularly the gain though. Guitar volume contributes a lot to the distortion.
I've found it possible to accidentally get the clean channel more distorteds than the distortion, if you keep your guitar volume down and out the clean volume very high.
9 for its quality compared to price

It seems very good. It takes half a second to turn off, channel switching is almost instant, just try to do it while you are not playing a note or it'll sound nasty.
5 cause I haven't played it enough yet.

Cannot say. 3 year warranty

I have been playing 3 years acoustic, 6 months electric. Compared with the other amps i've played on, it has a very good variety of tones, and in this respect my VS30R and Ibanez GSA60 beat my friend's Gibson LP Studio and VOX AC30 reissue.

Update: Although I have sold the original VS30R which I reinforced with the beads of glue which I ran on the amp, someone has just purchased a fantastic sounding amp. My other VS30R with the Birch Cabinet and mod electronics, is still in the process of experimentation. These VS30Rs are incredible sounding studio amps.
Hopefully, Marshall will realize this and treat them like the vintage Fender Champ, which was also perceived as an "entry level amp." Marshall should upgrade the EQ shelves and cabinet. Apart from that, they kick ass.

See review below regarding mods.

See below.

See below.

If you're willing to do some work, you could ultimately create a versatile brutal stack by combining these amps and performing some mods. Marshall wake up! These are good amps!

For those of you who have followed my previous reviews on this amp, I will be creating a webpage, based on complete teardowns and complete modification of the electronics. So, why would I invest time in performing these tests? 1) The V30 is the warmest sounding amp of all the valvestates; 2) because of the inferior parts used in the manufacturing process, this amp deserves better; and 3) small combos from a recording perspective offer enormous possibility (remember the Fender Champ?). Miking a cranked 100 watt stack in the studio is not only misleading, but it will overdrive your dynamic mics or condenser mics, depending on whether or not your using a combination of close (dynamic mic) and distant (condenser mic) techniques during the recording process. Conversely, using a small combo that is pushed will often produce remarkable results. Features: This is a solid state amp with two channels: clean + overdrive. EQs on clean comprise Volume, Bass & Treble. Bass has two spots where EQ curve shifts, as does the Treble which has an 8K ear piercing presence. Both can be modified to create a more parametric curve. Unlike all solid state amps, the V30 does demonstrates unique harmonic intervals (as opposed to dissonant harmonic intervals). Further the V30 does not overly compress the the source signal, allowing an airyness allowing for headroom. Apart from the awful partical board cabinet, undeserving of this unique amp, I chose to construct a cabinet out of solid birch. However, for those who play metal and are seeking a dark sound, solid mahogany would be the way to go, as it is a less dense hardwood, easy to work with, and absorbs sound, as opposed to birch, which is extremely dense. Dense wood will naturally cause sound to reverberate creating sound waves to project. Ideally, this is what you want in a small combo. Channel 2 on the V30 likewise can be tweaked creating more controlled EQ points. But the added contour may not necesitate modification nor changing resistant values, only because the distortion channel on this amp sounds fantastic. Line out (pre amp out) has to go. It sounds sterile and artificial and, as this is the source signal you'll be directing to another amp or PA, it has to be replaced with a preamp capable of uncolored transfer of signal. Likewise reverb has to go. It is quite simply the noisiest reverb I've ever heard in any amp - awful. In designing the birch cabinet I was faced with one problem: 1) the amp is a combo and transfers sound to the brain, i.e., the electronics, resulting in vibration from the driver. Thus, in designing the cabinet, I ran a half inch bead of clear silicon on all metal edges, and after it was dry, fitted the electronics in the cabinet. This acts as a shock absorber and I have experienced no vibration even when the amp is dimed at full volume. The hard plastic boots that the amp originally came with were replaced with soft rubber, so when the amp is resting on a hard surface there is no transfer of vibration. Likewise speaker was re-fitted with Loctite so it would not spin loose from vibration. Because the pots are made of cheap plastic, my cabinet was designed to position them so they would be ressesed, thus affording full protection of the pots. The ultimate stack! By following the preceding guidelines and using a transparent line out (pre amp out), you could build 4 of these units and run them together, creating 4 synched units totally independant of the other units with regard to EQ mods, and cabinet material. The end result would be blending 4 unique amps together, for an unprecedented sound.
Should one amp blow up during a performance, one would simply disconnect the line out, and 3 other amps would be up and running. The possibility of blending these combos, in my view would be the ultimate, especially, if one performed various tweaks with each amp.
This principal could extend to other small combos, such as vintage Voxes, Gibsons, Fenders, even digital amps. Get the pic

See below.

See below.

See below.

This is a brand new 2000 model. The sound is awesome! I like to play metal and rock, so the natural overdrive of the amp is perfect -- I don't need a pedal. This amp has a clean and overdrive channel that is footswitch selected or panel button selected. 30 watts is plenty of power to practice, plug into a board, or mic at a gig. the 10" Marshall speaker is a ditto Celestion -- prime preformer. The clean channel, however, is not that bright. If you want a good clean amp, get a Roland JC or a Fender.

I use a Epi LP-90 with humbuckers diectly through the amp. I am fully satisfied with the Iron Maiden-like sound this produces. I do, however, expect to purchase an EQ to stabilize the sound. The Bass/Contor/Treble EQ is limited in its control of highs, mids, and lows.

Marshall is known for their reliability. Just look at all of the professionals that use their products and all of the vintage amps that are still on the market working well. I have only had the amp for 2 months; it has not given me any problems.

Ihave not dealt with their customer support.

Ihave been playing for 6 years on and off. Playing through Crates, Laneys, Fenders, ADAs, and Boogies, I can say one thing -- Marshalls are second to none. The VS30R is every bit a Marshall and totally what I am looking for in a metal/rock sound.

Please refer to my other reviews below. I've been very hard on Marshall's because of the inferior materials they use on their amps. This amp was purchased because of its unique sound. Warmer and not as tinny sounding as the V65. This amp was purchased specifically for a recording project I had to produce and mix. I built a solid birch cabinet for it, installed a neve preamp with power supply replacing the line out, and finally tweaked this amp by changing resistant values. The recording project was with mega-platinum songwriter Al Lancellotti. Studio equipment: vintage BCM 10 Neve Sidecar synched into an SSL 400 G series computer with Total Recall (10 channels had
the vintage E modules). Used a stereo miking pattern on the VS30R. One mic close to the speaker cone and slightly off axis, and the other a condenser mic at a distance of 10 feet with a cardiod pattern pointing directly at the amp and 10 db pad activated. Both tracks went direct to the Neve BCM 10 sidecar, I also used two vintage TeleTronix compressors 5:1 ratio and quick release (very mild just to smooth things out) signal was then directed to Amperex 499 2". Tracks were then doubled via an SSL, with a little Pultec EQH2, and sent to an 8 track ADAT slave synched with the 2". ((((Wow!)))) the chorus on the song SuperGlide sounds like a vintage stack of Marshalls! We even
tracked an FX SuperGlide in the intro on this R&B/Pop Rock tune. Lead
guitar was tracked on a vintage Alamo amp with a 12" speaker. You'd never believe that a Marshall VS 30 could kick out this sound, but it did. Any non-believers, feel free to contact me direct and I'll send you a CD single ($3 to burn one). The Marshall was never turned off during the entire two weeks of the recording project. No problems, save for the cheapo plastic crap. THIS AMP DELIVERED AND KICKS OUT SOME SERIOUS SOUND IF YOU DON'T MIND MAKING A FEW MODS. The Neve 1272 is class A discreet pre and is used as a line out to other vintage combos (runs about $500 and up with power module and quarter inch ins and outs), and by-passes the Marshall stock line out. You
can then run your Marshall direct into other vintage combos. Unless,
you know what your doing, don't mess around with electronics, take it
to a tech.

SOUNDS LIKE A VINTAGE STACK. DON'T BELIEVE IT? I'LL BURN YOU A CD SINGLE OF SUPERGLIDE AND YOU LISTEN TO THE CHORUS!

See my other reviews below.

Corresponded with UK main office about the shoddy cabinet. Corporate attitude. Read my reviews below.

As a pro producer and mixing engineer, this is the first time I've used a small combo to create the sound of a stack. I got lucky and
pulled it off. Apart from the cheap plastic pots, knobs, input, line out, etc, this is a GREAT SOUNDING AMP. For a small combo it has a warmer sound than the other valvestates I've heard, which is why I worked on it. So, if you build a decent cabinet, by-pass the line out and use a good preamp, tweak it up, this is a GREAT SOUNDING AMP. On the recording it sounds like a very high dollar amp, 'nuff said.

For its price this amp does quite well in the features department. Not many amps in this range haves reverb. This amp has 2 channels (normaI and overdrive) it has an optional footswitch socket for changing channel quickly, which you can add later if you wish (pity its not included in the package). It has a line out socket which, if you wish to play on stage with, for an amp this size is vital. Headphone socket is also included but i havent got aorund to trying it out. If i could ask for one thing extra it would be delay.

I use a fender strat, always, and i think it sounds great out of whatever your amp is. This amp does a fair job of it, as long as you keep it low. As soon as you turn it up on normal channel it sounds brash and ugly, even on the overdrive channel its a bit jumpy and not too sure of itself. However for a 30 watt amp you get amazing thumping bass, my mum can feel it upstairs in her bedroom when im in the cellar

I have had the amp for over a year and i cant say i have had any problems, only i am fairly careful with my equipment. I never use it for a gig, it isn't loud enough over the drums but its only meant to be a practice amp

Year long warranty ( I think). Never dealt with Marshall

I've been playing for about 5 years now, as I said earlier I use a fender strat and when ever im gigging i nick my friends amp. Overall, its a good liitle practice amp, good value for money and I would recommend it to beginers and those on a small budget. The only thing that lets it down is the sound at high volume.

Two separates channels, with separate controls, reverb. You can activate the channels with a footswitch (not included).

I use a Strat Plus, and I tell you, this amp really sucks. The clean channel is very week and poor, it has no feeling, if you really want clean sound, buy a Fender and you'll hear what's clean sound. The overdrive... it's not as bad as the clean channel, but still sucks. It has no punch, no force, no sustain. Even if you add reverb this amps sucks. When I play live at high volume, this thing gets weeker and weeker, you can't use it for live playing. The only thing that I could tell you is... NEVER try to buy a Valvestate model (VS15,VS15R,VS30R,VS65 and the others models...) because you'll be wasting your money

I've been playing for 15 years and I don't know why I bought this amp... a very big error. I'd not buy it again if it gets lost. I hate the way it sounds.

bought mine in 1996, at a frickin' cheap price. features...30 watt solid state amp with 2 channels and spring reverb,gold anodized front panel,looks real classy compared to what shite Peavy gives ya. best of all, a British Celestion Goldback speaker, 10'...nice spec on a solid state practice amp. 9, 'cos its what i paid for.

guitars...first used it with my mex strat, now im using it with a '57 RI strat and a '72RI thinline tele. tried amplifying my yamaha acoustic-electric with it, sounds decent with some reverb. even tried amplfying vocals...quite okay.

okay, to put it short, the clean channel ain't your pristine fender clean, but it's alright. pretty clean, though you need to turn up the treble sometimes. when driven with a TS-9 Tubescreamer, it sounds *almost*like a tube amp breaking up.

the reverb's decent for the price, but it won't do Dick Dale. sigh...

the overdrive channel is really versatile. the gain knob at 9 o'clock (the rest at 12) is bluesy overdrive, not really tubey, but still good. hell, it's a solid state yeah? at 12 o'clock, it's your really classic rock sound. turning the contour up and down with the gain maxed can produce great sucked-mids rock crunch all the way to really heavy shite... damn versatile amp.

the line out is pretty weird for recording, it brings out the acoustic 'click' of yer pick going tru the strings...makes my strat sound like a parker fly bridge...heh but i guess that's alright.

an 8 rating for a solid state amp. won't compare it to a tube amp.

damn this one's tough, banged it around, dropped it a few times, kicked it, and it still sounds the same after 4 years! okay, the covering's peeled off abit, but heck, the covering doesn't make the sound. the amp does. one tough cookie.
hell, i even play slap bass on my fender jazz bass tru this, and the speaker cone hasn't flinched!
this is the amp i do all my shite on, from guitars to sequencers to bass...
hasn't broken down on me whatsoever in 4 years. still sounds the same.

nah, cant be bothered, prolly won't be needing it. i'm in Singapore anyway,think the lads over at Milton Keys would give a shit?
don't see anything blowing up on me...maybe only the speaker cone...heh

gee, i love this amp, this is my bring anywhere, play anything-tru-it amp. it'd outlast my Marshall JTM tube amp anytime. maybe i'll wait'll all that covering wore off, then i'd redo it with tweed..haha just kidding.
anything i wish it had? uhm..yeah..one more input.
anyway...take a look at this amp if you're in the market for a reliable solid state practice amp.

Bought this amp new, summer of '99, along with a Standard Strat (my first guitar & amp, so far a killer combo for the money).
-Two channels:Clean, w/ volume, bass and treble knobs & OD w/ gain, treble, bass, contour, and volume, as well as a spring reverb for both channels. Also has a headphone jack (the only source of trouble) The channels are footswitch-able, though it would be nice to have said footswitch included with the amp. The clean channel suits me fine, I don't use it much so I can't really say too much for it anyway. THe OD pretty much blows away everything else I've seen in this price range. Between the gain and countour, in addition to the pickup selector/tone/volume on my guitar, I can squeeze out a pretty wide range of sounds w/out any pedals or effects. As for power, it's only 30 watts, but for playing along to CD's and jamming with my friends it does just fine. For a beginner like me this is a sweet deal.

I play (or at least attempt to play) a pretty wide range of stuff, from blues to metal to punk to psychedelic shit. My tastes lean more towards the heavier stuff, which this puppy serves up with pleasure. Getting a mellower oversdrive is a little harder, as anything past about 1 or 2 on the gain will really start to crunch things up, though adjusting the guitar's volume compensates pretty well. It is a little noisy, but that's to be expected with my Strat's sing coils, but I think that the Strat's sound really complements this amps. With the contour left of center you get a really bright punk rock sort of distortion, move farther to the right and it starts getting much heavier. I'm not going to comment on the clean channel, like I said I don't use it very much, only for tuning up and practicing riffs so I can get the notes down. Again, excellent value for the money.

THis is where I've run into a problem. I hooked up some headphones through the headphone jack (duh), because I wanted to crank it up enough to get some feedback, but without pissing off my folks -too- much (past about 3 or 4 on the OD volume, 5 or 6 on clean, is plenty for just playing in my room). I hit a chord, the headphones short out and poof, smoke is coming out of the headphone jack. I took it back to the dealer for repairs (which didn't happen for a good month, very unpleasant), got it back, plugged it in and poof again, it's dead. Now, the first time was definitely a product flaw, anyone else had this happen to them? AS for the second incident, it could be another flaw in the amp, but it could just be a result of shoddy work on behalf of whoever made the repairs to it. So far I haven't been in contact with Marshall about this, it's just been between me, Mars, and wherever they send amps to be serviced. I don't think it would be very good for gigging in the first place, so a backup isn't really an issue.

Never dealt with Marshall yet, a 7 for a fair warranty

I've barely been playing for a year, so I'm hardly an expert, but I know what I like and I like what I hear. If it were stolen I'd probably beat the SOB with a tire iron and replace the amp, or possibly step up to a VS65. The business with the headphone jack brings the score down some, but lots of that bad experience was due to a dealer which didn't give a shit, and a crappy repair job, I can' t blame Marshall for that. WHen working it's a great amp for the money and for what I do, I'd reccomend it to anyone in the market for a good amp in the $200-300 range.

This is my final update concerning this amp. I bought this amp because
I liked the sound and use a variety of vintage and new amps when I produce and mix in the studio. I have now replaced the awful particle
board cabinet with a real birch cabinet - WONDERFUL! I have by-passed
the line out and am running it through a Neve preamp module that is attached to the inside of the birch cabinet with its own power supply - REMARKABLE! Feeding the signal via the Neve to a vintage tube amp is
FANTASTIC, as the Marshall adds a unique sonic dimension to this set-up. The reverb on this amp is NOISY and I recommend that it not
be used. Oddly enough, my 1965 Gibson Skylark is quieter than the Marshall. Only mods are a grounded cord, new 22uf Xicon 450 VDC caps on the power side, and orange drops from .0047 400 VDC .022 600 VDC throughout. Thus, the noise of the Marshall is UNACCEPTABLE, considering that the Gibson is 35 years old. The electrical components used in the production of the Marshall are cheap, including the plastic input, line out, headphones, pots, corners and cabinet material. This extends to the other Valvestate combos. The birch cabinet has improved the sound of this amp significantly, as the bass and treble response is balanced and has greater dimension. Distortion channel is more definitive - not so muddy. I now give it a 9!

With my Gibson SG this amp comes to life, especially with the 500T super ceramic humbucker in the bridge position. Incredible punch,
dimension and feedback that is quite pleasant to the ears. Buy a
top of the line guitar with great pickups and you'll be able to
play just about anything, especially if you run the VS30R through
another vintage combo - it will really sizzle, sparkle and bite.
If you're prepared to build a good cabinet and perform a few other
modifications, then this amp delivers.

Because the components are cheap I don't expect this amp to last. Extremely noisy gain and reverb. Line out can be compensated by using a good quality preamp to feed another combo, etc. Original cabinet is
the worse I have ever seen. Definately not Jim Marshall's work - it's the result of corporate clones managing the company - they don't care.
On contacting Marshall direct about the shoddy cabinet, I was told that they can count the number of complaints they have received on one
hand. Please! I suggest that Mr. Steve Yelding read the other opinions relating to the Valvestate combos, as there are NUMEROUS complaints about the shoddy construction and workmanship by those other than myself.

ZERO

I've been a profession musician, producer and mixer for nearly three decades. When you've been around for a while you begin to form opinions based on experience. My opinion is that many companies built
great reputations years ago in connection with their product. Today,
however, the vast majority are living on reputations and producing junk. I imagine if Jim Marshall took control of the Valvstate line, you would see at the very least plywood cabinets [ At the rate they buy wood it would cost US 10 bucks for the plywood]; metal corners; metal imput, pots, line out, etc. The end result would be QUALITY. Unfortunately, over the past 30 years or so, there has been steady decline in the quality of electrical components, workmanship and
overall pride. The only established company that continues to produce
quality merchandise is Gibson USA. Despite incredible advances in technology, I feel bad for many of the young players out there that have never experienced a quality piece of merchandise, as they live in a music industry run by big corporate mentality. Any amp made out of glued sawdust is a discrace. And any amp with a reverb turned up midway that is noisy is a discrace, regardless of the price. I like Valvestate but it needs IMPROVEMENT.

I got this amp just a couple days ago, it was probably made in 1999, because I got this in early 2000. It is a significantly lower-end all-solid state amp, but if I heard this baby without knowing it was a lower-end, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The only thing I wish I could do is blast this fine piece of machinery. I live with a brother, a sister, and my parents, so for now, blasting this amp is not something I'm allowed. I wish this amp came with the footswitch, now I have to go out and buy one.

I use a Squier Strat with this amp, and I like to play punk rock and also just any kind of rock really. The clean channel really sounds great, and since I came from a really crappy amp, I think it's awesome for an amp to have separate volume settings for each channel. The distortion, however, is really only three ways, from light distortion to punk distortion to metal distortion. If I played metal I would love this equipment. But I don't, and since the distortion won't get that much versatile, I'm saving up for a RP3 or a RP7 (probably the RP7, because it has a 12AX7 valve in it). Overall, I don't think this amp is that versatile, but it will be soon, when I get an effects box. But I can make this baby sound like Blink182 and he uses Mesa Boogies and JCM900s. :)

The casing I'm not proud of, as a fellow reviewer said (particle board). I'm not in any situation to make a cabinet for this thing, but I don't care, this thing would probably survive a fall down the stairs (at least the amp and speaker would, the cab would probably be mutilated).

It's Marshall, but I don't expect to call them up unless I drop it down the stairs, and I don't think their 5-year warranty would help me there.

If it were stolen or lost I would probably buy a VS65R ... but I don't know. This amp overall kicks tail, but really ... if you are a beginner and want good distortion, for a low price, buy this baby from Sam Ash. I told them I found a cheaper price and saved over $25. But the normal price there is $259.99.

I really like the overdrive. It's pretty good for heavy metal and blues. The clean channel isn't that good though... It really is clean.

This amp has great distortion, I love it. But then again the clean channel has no mids, and there is no EQ.

It's a Marshall!

Great warranty and service!

This is a great amp, it has volume and is great for what I am playing (Metallica, Nirvana, Hendrix, and My Band). I am really impressed with the overdrive channel but the clean channel was a real dissapointment. And no footswich INCLUDED.