Marshall Valvestate 8040

Mid 90s Marshall. Amp has Clean and Gain channels. Channel switching. For a practice amp it doe sthe job with furvur. I use the amp when I dont want to lug my 1981 Marshall JCM800/Bogner Ubercab/Klon rig and my Marshall 1959HW/Marshall G12H30HW matching cab/Valvedriver rigs racks, pedals and the rest simply to my Bass Playuers house to work on tunes or when im playing at home i dont have to constently burn the tubes out in $10K in amps and gear! I was gonna get a Marshall 1x12" 50 watt tube amp but this actually has a great overdrive to it. THe reverb is prtetty good too. Clean works.

I have toured nationally and currently own a 81 Marshall JCM800 2203 and a Marshall Handwired 1959HW I run alongside each other for rehearsals and gigs with the band. When Im jamming alone or with my Bass player writing songs this amp gets the job done and it makes me feel good playing it! And this comes from a guy who hates Solid State anything! I think its because it has the preamp tube(s) in it that give it the nice wet midrange. It actually has an inspiring (did I just say that?) tone for the high gain channel. I play old school funk, aggressive blues, odd meter time stuff, egyptian, flamenco, Tool and Sabbath type heavy stuff to Chili Peppers and Brothers Johnson funk and shred music ala Vai and Satriani. For these styles the ampo can definitely hold its own and wont dissapoint. I only use the amp at low or moderate volumes for I cant imagine it sounding to good at higher volumes but thats not why i got it.

Well, This is where im not sure really. I got the amp after it had some repairs done to it. I guess the pots were dirty and it had a problem with a jck . But these were addressed. Once in a while the gain kicks in and out but it is rare. Who care for $150! It is reliable for rehearsing with my Bass Player and for quaint home jamming.

I dont call them

Ive been playing for 20 years. I teach guitar and have over 40+ students. I sell many high end boutique amps at the Music Center and I still picked this little sleeper all beat up for a practice rig. I it were stolen id buy a Marshall 1x12" all tube 50 watt amp for rehearsing only because I like tubes. This amp just happened to be sitting in my store and wanted me to try it and im glad I did. I like it! If your a professional recording and touring artist or were one at one time and are used to owning $10's of $1,000's of gear as i do I would still look into saving some cash and getting this amp for at home play and rehearsing with your individual players in your bans and stop lugging your stacks around ! This amp can sound really good for a solid state / preamp tube hybrid!

this is an upgrade to my last review. i've finished the mods now...

i bought a used combo, that was really cheap, just to get a good speaker, it had a celestion G12M-70 @ 8 ohm, 70 whatt rms. now it has really really killer tone. with the mods i've done, and with this speaker, it cuts trough the mix, as really sweet mids, simply put, killer tone. the clean chanel needs more sparkle, i'm goin to build some circuit with a "bright boost". and i know it will become perfect. with my mods finished - except on clean channel - i'll give it a 9,5. it sounds loud, warm, fat, and with a very sweet midrange.

note: in my other review, i said i liked most the asymetrical configuration with the two leds, but what i meant was that i liked more - and it's whatt i have - the asymetrical configuration with the two 1N4148's (NOT the leds).

please view my review below

please view my review below

please view my review below

the tipycal two channel amp. it has the mormal features, but it lacks presence control on both channels, and mid control on the overdrive channel.

it sounds really like crap. clean sounds, make damage to my ears, it's really thin, with agressive highs. distortion channell is better than clean one, but lacks some mids (for my tastes), and has that fizzy highs sound. i'll give it a 5 the way it cames from factory.

mine is heavilly modified by myself (i'm an electronics student).

1)- i have several amps. this was my first amp, a lot of years ago when i start playing. today i have a plexi, with a 4x12 green backs equiped cab. i conected this amp to that cab, and sounds really good. many people say that the fact that this amp is a celestion equiped speaker, is a good point, to me don't. this is a really crapy celestion with no bottom end, and agressive highs; the model is a celestion G12L 4 ohm 40 whatt rms... but, what speaker is this? did you ever try googling on it?? this is a crapy, cheap speaker from celestion... I'm going to order a celestion vintage 30 speaker - 60 whatt rms... Always remember, 50% of the sound of an amp is done by the speakers. try conecting any other amp to this crapy celestion, and you will see what i'm talking about.
when i conect it to the cab, it has a lack of highs!!! try it!

note: vintage 30 speaker has a high efficiency. your amp will sound at least twice as louder... the stock speaker has really low efficiency, it sucks. i choosed this speaker (vintage 30), coz it sounds louder than any other, and coz the green backs (vintage 25) only have 25 whatt rms, but i do prefer them...

2)- there's a tube in it. the tube acts like a buffer ( a la chandler tube driver)on, and only on, the overdriven channel. distortion is made on an ic chip (opamp), identical to a tube screamer, super overdrive,and has a soft clip configuration with two leds... their names in the circuit are led3, led4. open the amp conect your guitar, gain to max and look at the leds flashing... well this sounds like crap... i replaced the leds with 1N4148 diodes, and it as a good tone, with sweet mids as i like it... i've also tried an asymetrical configuration (with 3 1N4148s) but i prefer the symetrical one(using two leds). I've also changed the tube an put a decent one. I didn't yeat tried the 12AU7 to see how it sounds like, but i'm going to try...

I haven't done nothing yet with the clean channel, but i'm going to try some ideas...

So I'll give it a 5 for factory default sound, and a 9 for mine (a decent speaker really changes everything).but i still have to "work" on the clean channel.

ahahhaha when my father bought it to me, a lot of years ago, it was second hand, and maked a lot of strange noise. it was my only amp, and i had to crank it to ear myself playing in my band( uffff that was horrible, believe me...) :D

well one day, a lot of years ago, i nedeed power and crank the thing up... all the power section burned out... i've changed some capacitors, and the power IC - Philips TDA1514 - and spent something like 20?. power section is also moded, but nothing important.

i never played with it ever since ( like 6 or 7 years).
now i have it, near my notebook as i write these, with the circuit in my desk, making the mods... trying a lot of things, etc...

if your tda1514 blows, coz you pushed it to hard, just replace it, and everything should work well.

almost forgot, reverb isn't working, but i don't miss it, and i wont repair it. this reverb sucks.

never contacted marshall.

from factory it sucks! don't buy one, unless you find a used one really cheap. it sounds like crap, the highs are pain to my ears, both channels suck. if you have already one, try making the mods i did - the most important is the speaker - and youll get a good sound. i'm going to use it as a practice amp, and for reharsal.

Two channels, footswitchable, what more do you need?

Clean is a bit thin sounding, but the distortion channel is quite 'chuggy' on palm muted chords.... kinda like 'black album' Metallica. Can sound a bit chintzy, so go easy on the contour control! Heaps of bite with an SG and more full sounding with a Les Paul. A cheap way to get that Marshall tone... it is there, just play hard and crank it up a bit....

It fell out of my truck and it still works.... I read a lot of complaints about build quality but mine has been fine since day one!

Whay contact Marshall? they don't make these... call China instead : )

I added a few mods like an extension cab output and some castors and now it's pretty cool. Has a thicker tone with a closed back cabinet and now i can mix and match speakers till the cows come home...overall i think this amp is a gem for the price!

I bought this amp 4 years ago, but it had just 3 or 4 years.
This amplifier is a valvestate: it has one valve (ecc83/12ax7) in the preamp section; power amp is a solid-state. It has 2 channels, clean & boost. Clean channel has 3 band eq.; boost channel has bass, treble, contour and gain. It has also reverb, footswitch, line out, send-return. The speaker is a 12" Celestion (G12L).
It has 40 watt and it is basically a solid-state amp.

Clean channel is nice, but the one boost is awful, colourless & empty. This amp discharges much of its volume soon. I use a Fender strat with Di Marzio YJM & HS3 pick up and a Gibson SG with Di Marzio evolution. I play neoclassical rock, but this amp not helps me with its tones. The contour knob can go from mellow blues to screamin' metal (this is the definition that gives the handbook!); really with a low contour sounds becomes so closed & with a high contour it screeches like a mosquito. Dynamics is really at low levels. I try to play my guitars with a Mesa Boogie F30 and a Peavey Classic 30. There is no compare. Sounds is hot, coloured and so, so big. For these reasons I give to my Marshall a 5!

I had to change the input jack two months ago, but is quite normal if I consider the age of the amp.

I give it a 5 because it' s a quite good amp for beginners, but some its tones are awful! Don' t buy a valvestate; there is no compare with all-tube amps! Totally different...


ps: Excuse-me for my english, but I' m Italian

Well, the features are quite well declared for already. Solid state, 2 channels, reverb, 40 watts etc... I give it 7. Cause basically it got everything one needs.

It's really nice finding this amp here. The Marshall 8040 is my first amp. I bought in June 1994 and it is still going strong. I was 15 years old and had been playing guitar for about two years. Oh, those were the days *a very sentimental snuffel*. This is obviously NOT a pro-amp, but I think everybody knows that. Therefore I'll judge it with that in mind. I don't use this as my main amp. Nowadays I mostly use an Fender Pro Reverb and a few pedals in front (Budda Phatman,Line 6 DL4,Crybaby 535q etc). This amp is a longlasting friend and servant. I still play it on a daily basis in my bedroom. Ask my grilfriend ;)SO MANY great songs have been composed and arranged on this amp. Oh my God! I have so many good memories...Well this is a review and not a lifestory...

Well, it's basically a solid state amplifier (Even though it's formally a hybrid, tubepreamp and solid state poweramp). I think it is well worth the money. The clean channel is very nice. I have recorded some really nice licks. most people think it was my Pro Reverb in action. The distchannel is really nice when you match the channel with the character of your guitar. The tricky part is the countour switch. I would rather see a normal mid-eq. The MOST IMPORTANT is that you have to play on low sound levels. As soon as you crank this amp it sounds like shit. But that goes for all small solid state amplifiers. In other words. On moderate levels this amp is amazing. I give it a six because there of course are a lot of MUCH BETTER amps out there. I have to be honest. But hey really!! Who the heck would even compare this amp with a Budda Twin or any other expensive boutique amplifier. We are talking different leagues here. In it's own class for it's own purposes on moderate sound levels its a REALLY AMAZING amp. I just fuckin' love it. Like a partner.

Well, heck! 10 years of joy and sorrow. Me and my 8040 have been through hell as well as heaven. He even was around when I lost my innocence a late November night long ago. Girlfriends have come and gone but this baby stays with me. He has never failed me. Period!! Damn, I really don't know what I'm going to do when the final day comes. I think I have a funeral or something... But really! This amp is built to last. I've done some serious gigging with it for many years (Believe me, you do not always need 1000Db). I still occasionally bring it with me as a backup on small gigs. Quite amazing isn't it. Like a tank! But this one is kind like a puppy and do not go round shooting people.

I wouldn't know...

YES,YES,YES!! If you're able to find one buy it. At a reasonable price of course. I mean for a beginner this one is perfect. For others it is a perfect bedroom amp. Well I'm really tricky with the scores. But a nine is apropriate. It might be colored by my long relationship, but I really think this is a very nice amplifier.

If it were lost I think I would by something else. It would be now use changing it out. I mean would you consider taking the twin sister if your girlfriends was "lost". If you are a bit more serious amature-player I would recommend a line 6. But NOT a spider. They are crap.

well , this amp is old , very ninetees , but sound totally eighties (makes any sence?) , versatile? , i dont think soo...it has 2 channels , the clean is boring , dull , lifeless , just like my old Samick 15 watts SS amp , sound like trash...and the dist channel , i bit better i'm gonna talk more about this in the sounds section , got also FX loops , kinda noisy , no Headphone jacks in this old warrior..
i use this amp in my house , ahh , forgot to tell thsi is a hybrid amp (the tube is almost for nothing) i cant say that is just for cosmetically stuff , coz you cant even see it! , at least Marshall , put the tube in front , guard by a transparent plastic or something!

i use a early Japanese Les(s) Paul with some powerfull pick ups , with some pedals for spice...suits my style? , not much today , prefer combos with a great clean and use fuzzes and OD for my distorted sounds , but it used to suit me some years ago , when i heard for first time those Valvestate amps..
like i said , this amp have one of the dullest cleans tones i everd heard , the dist seccion is a bit better , most suited for 80' type rock , got for sure the classic Marshall tone , but in a Lo-fi kinda way , very raspy when you have the highs on , the contourn knob contribute to this raspy , fuzzy (in a bad way , coz a Marshall cant sound fuzzy , you dont buy Marshall for fuzzy sounds , get a crate instead..) , this amp feature also a 1x12 celestion that provide one of the few stand out points.

well , this amp sounds better with the highs in a minimal position , in that way sounds more warm , but not in a bright sence obviously..

can sound too in a metal setting , but i dont recomended..

i change te tube one time and did nothing to the overall tone...dont believe in this amps..

deal with Marshall here? , stop kidding me...

well i'm tired to writte this review , get it if you like unidimentional sounds and huge raspy sound...i just want to sell mine..

Discussed well enough below. Its your basic combo designed for versatility and utility. FX loop could do with a wet-dry pot. Wish it had a headphone out. Overall though, very easy to use and quite versatile.

I use a Yamaha RGX121D (H-S-H stock pick ups) straight into this when I first bought it. What I like about it is that all the combinations for my pick ups give me a unique tone. The round warm sound of the neck humbuckers to the grinding shreddiness of the bridge ones and everything in between. Maybe its down to the guitar, but Ive used other amps and it doesn't give me this much variety, and when I say variety I mean distinctly different tones. There is a little humming on any combination that utilizes the single coil, but there's a reason why single coils are not humbuckers. Other than that, this thing is not noisy at all.

The Clean channel is OK. Its dull compared to a Fender but Im not complaining. The Dirty Channel however is nothing short of OUTSTANDING. I set the the gain around 11 o clock and contour at about the same with both bass and treble at 12... absolutely awesome classic to hard rock tone that nails the old Iron Maiden stuff everytime. All the settings for gain and contour are usable, but if I might suggest, I would put a Boss GE-7 in the FX loop in order to cut some hi-end when you go to the higher contour settings as it can sound a little harsh. Anything below 12 o clock on that setting IMO sounds "tubey" warm and very organic. As said, all the settings are usable. Even at very very low gain levels I can still get that singing lead tone. Sustain is very nice and I dont think this needs any augmentation with compressors... maybe its because of that single tube in the pre-amp stage. Projects string attack very well and is very good even at high volumes. The sound stays true and defined even at high volumes. Did I say this thing was loud? I can keep up with a drummer at volume settings from 11-12 o clock. Reverb is nothing to write home about, but is usable and as far as Im concerned, augments my tones well enough. The way I look at it its better to have it than not since you can turn it off and use a pedal if you really cant stand it.

Very solid for rock music. Personally I would never use a stompbox distortion with this since I absolutely adore the dirty tone. Besides, with the setting I prefer to use it with, there's still plenty of gain to spare if I ever wanted to play Slayer again. I would however as I said earlier get an equalizer if only to give me more options. Maybe a delay unit to get some variety on the leads... thats it.

Oh yeah... Celestion speaker. Now I remember why I bought this older model even when someone was offering me a VS65R...

Bought it used. I hear these things were made in the early 90's so I believe mine is over 10 years old. Its from the first incarnation of the Marshall Valvestates and if I remember correctly there have been around three incarnations since. It has a tube. The old owner says he's never replaced it, but I reckon he's bought it second-hand as well and doesn't even know it has one. On the look of things however, it looks like its roadworthy. The pots are a little suspect so I better be careful with those. Looks bloody good for an old amp though.

I phoned the local Marshall dealer here about service and parts and I was glad to hear that they do have both here. Just wondering how much it will cost me if it ever comes to that. As with most things I'll cross the bridge when I get there and Im assuming the walk there will take me one to two years from now.

I've been playing on and off for the last 15 years. Its more of a hobby now than a means of making a living and its only in the last few years that I've rekindled the habit with some friends and now we are delving into Home Recording. Overall, this is a very good amp. Its old, so one can only buy it second-hand from here on in. Is it worth the risk buying a phased out model? For tone alone in this price range, if you want hard rock with the good old fashioned sound then this is the one for you. Also, the really sensitive parts like the tube (12AX7) is still very much available so it isn't that much of a risk at all. If it were stolen I'd be really pissed, but Im at a point now that I will probably get an all-tube amp (Marshall of course) if that were to happen. Nonetheless Im still raving about the 8040. Its just one of those things that you CAN'T possibly pass up... especially if you find one on the cheap. Great value for money.

This amp features the bitchin' overdrive switch which i have turned into the sweetest tone........ever. The reverb is perfect for me. I literally play every type of music there is and the amp is a great help. If you want a bedroom amp for the rest of your life. This is that amp.

I've got the Steve Vai signature and this amp suits my music styles in every instance. The amp is never noisy unless kicked and/or knocked over. This amplifier can make any sound i beat out of it. The clean channel is distorted but i'm almost certain the factory made it that way. The distortion is only sweet.

I have a "secret sound" that assaults any amplifier i use. I have not changed ONE thing on this amp since i bought it many years ago. I literally have a giant tear in the speaker itself and continue to play with it. This amp has broken down and i've gotten some transistors replaced or something.

N/A

As i stated above, i've used this workhorse for a loooong time and it seems to take beatings that would fell a champion. I combine this amplifier with the Digitech RP-6 and i have never needed another component to my setup. I love my setup and it kicks alot of ass. My personal "sweet tone" is achieved with the overdrive switch on and a clean channel on the RP, it.....is......heavenly. If lost or stolen i'd take a major hit and try to move on..i suppose. I hate that the damnable handle broke off after 8 years. damn handle. Oh, BTW....buy this amplifier.

Features, well, I mean , I knew what it had on it when I bought it so no suprises here. I guess my point is, it does what it does well. It's got a useable clean channel (that probably would benifit from a light chrous pedal or something) and an absolutely fantastic distortion channel that I still can't get over. Reverb is adequate.

Oh c'mon! If this amp doesn't blow you away, your're using the wrong kind of guitar or playing the wrong kind of music (don't play "Burl Ives" through a Marshall & then bitch about the way it sounds). For Rock & Roll it's incredible. I play a 1970 Gibson Les Paul Custom with a Dimarzio X2n at the bridge. It a breathtaking. Period. If you're playing some lamo guitar, it's not Jim Marshall's fault.
I'm not currently playing in a band, but it seems plenty loud for most gig settings.
It does everything from smooth-bluesy to full-on roar. Damn well.
The clean channel is a purpose server as far as I'm concerned; Plain-Jane solid state clean.

So far, so good. I bought it used and have had it for couple of months. Mo problems so far. I'd play out with it, but I'd never play anything with a tube in it without at least some plan "b".

No Idea.

Playing about 20 years, I've got about 8 different guitars both acoustic and electric (The 1970 Black LP Custom being my baby). I've got maybe 4 or five amps. An old Peavey, an old Fender, 'bought my kid one of those little MD solid state Marshall's, 'couple other's hanging around in the basement. I'n buy this amp over and over again. I love it. Especially for $250.00.