Marshall Valvestate 8040

Bought it new about 6 years ago. Features have been well covered in earlier reviews. The contour knob on the boost channel allows you dial in a couple of really sweet tones. I usually leave it at about 1:00 o'clock...seems to set the whole tone in balance and allow the other variables to set up and combine properly. I mostly play for me, at home (my therapy...lot's cheaper than a shrink), but I get out with guys once in a while and sit in on a gig or two. Even though this is little 40 watt 1 X 12, it has enough swat to bark right along with some bigger amps, and if you mic it...that will even the palying field further. But really, it's not a performance amp. If you were side by side up against a twin reverb night after night, you'd be toast.

I play an American made Standard Tele, a Strat Deluxe Plus, and a Parker Fly Classic. I'll often run any or all of those through a Dunlop crybaby, and sometimes I dink around with Zoom 505... I think you mostly hear the pedal and not so much the amp or guitar with that (still is pretty cool though). I mostly play blues and rock and if left to my own devious ways, I like to push high gain and distortion where it shouldn't be. You know, thrash a love song or force a ballad to devolve into distorted harmonics. For that, this little amp does a great job. The boost channel can get very dirty without capitulating into fuzz and noise. Tones will break up nicely and can be brought back to earth with some attentive technique. The clean channel has always been a bit of disappointment for me. I haven't been able to find that glassy, crystal clear tone. (I just bought a Fender tube amp...so the search continues.)

The whole thing went quiet about year after I had it. Found an amp guru in Portland, Oregon who fixed it cheap. So long ago, I have forgotten what actually went out on it. Another reviewer has complained of scratchy and dirty sounding gain and volume pots. Yeah, I got that going too. A simple fix...but hard to get around to.

Forget dealing with the big companies. Find someone who knows and loves amplifiers and help the poor guy make a living.

Seems like I've been playing for a long time...yeah, I guess it is a long time...about 30 years. I've enjoyed this amp, but I'm kind of ready to move on. I'll keep it around so I'll have a spare in case Clapton or somebody drops by for a visit. One great thing about this amp, is that it's pretty straightforward and easy to dial in...the main thing I like about playing, is playing...not fiddling and fiddling with amp knobs.

Mine was made in 1995.I play Lead Guitar in a band and find that it suits most of my needs.There are two channels on this: Clean & Boost. The Features are pretty basic, but easy to understand.It is very powerful for a 40 watt amp, but the gain is pretty weak on the boost channel.

I play a 1972 fireglow Gibson Les Paul,with two standard humbucker pick-ups, and a U.S.A. Fender Strat, With three single coil pick-ups.The Strat' has an adjusted bridge for extra tuning stability.I Mostly play Oasis,and with the bass on 2 0'clock, the treble on 11 o'clock and the middle on 12 o'clock,a great sound is produced which makes the guitar sound really deep and resonant.On the boost channel,the gain can provide a solid lead sound.For a really grungy effect,turn the main volume down to 10 o'clock,and the gain up to 3 o'clock.The distortion is quite powerful,and it is ideal for someone who likes a bit of variation in their sound.

It's never broken down in 5 years,and I am confident about playing without a backup at a gig.I have found that as the tubes get a bit older,a smoother,bassier sound is produced.But if you turn up the gain too much or play it full blast,the speaker gets a bit knackered and gives off a buzzing noise.

I have been playing for nine years.I have Boss Flanger,Delay,Compression and Chorus Pedals,a Jim Dunlop wah-wah pedal,a Marshall Distortion pedal,a Zoom GFX-707 Multi Effects Unit,
and a Volume pedal.Quite a wide range,but when connected together and put through the Marshall,it sounds f***in' superb! I HIGHLY recommend this amp to anyone who owns an electric guitar,and will soon be
purchasing another Marshall amp,because with the attention I attract from gigging with this little beauty,I'll have record companies BEGGING me to let them sign me.So an even louder amp will be in order!
The 8040 is a work of art,and even the most demanding guitarist will be satisfied with its abilities..........so go and buy one......NOW!

2 Channels. Clean/Boost. 40 Watts. Pre-amp Valve 12AX7.
Bought it in 1/2001 used from Ebay for $175. Pretty
standard stuff.

For clean, the Volume control, labeled 'Gain' is REAL bad after
turning past 2 o'clock. The amp will be shaking from the bass
and there would be losts of NOISE. If you make the volume on the
Clean channel, it will sound REAL BAD. This is why is an amp for
a SMALL GIG only. It has no balls for the big thing. Go for
for the VS100R instead.

The clean channel is rather simple. I liked the VS100R clean better
because the pre-amp valve is active on the VS100R. On the 8040 amp,
the valve is NOT active. Thus, the clean is at most bluesy at
11 to 12 o'clock settings.
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The distortion sounds like what I could get from a $20 Dod FX55c pedal
or the $79 Zoom 505 pedal. Some say that this amp has a unique
marshall tone, but I really can't hear it. I heard many
responses of users saying they could reproduce any tone with this.
Well, no me. =(.

The reverb is cool.
BTW, I occasionally hear AM Radio on this Amp. I guess most Amps have
this 'feature' of tuning to the wrong frequency by mistake.

This Amp was built in 1995. Today is 2001. This amp is
still sounding ok. The speaker shows some rust on the screws, but
no big deal. I expect this amp to work for another 5 years.
However, replacing the pre-amp Tube is an extra $20 every 3 years
if you do it yourself that is.

The warranty is 5 years. But the warranty on the electronics
was just 90 days from what I recall. Marshall has NO phone number
in the US to call for help. NO email address to write to.

I would grab a used one for under $200 now. With the
VS__R and the new AVT__ series, the 80__ series were
the ones that started it all. The new AVT__ amps have
no place to store your goodies given its closed back.
Great value now!! Go to Ebay and get one.

I believe this amp was made in 1994. The clean channel has gain, bass, middle, treble; the boost channel has gain, contour, bass, treble, volume; there is also a reverb knob, effects loop, line out and footswitch jack. Mine was used and didn't come with a footswitch so I got a Roland FS-1 for channel switching. This amp is not very versatile - not like the swiss army amps that have come up in the last few years. Personally, I like to just plug into the amp with no effects usually and play. I use this amp for practicing, small gigs, and rehersals. It can get quite loud for 40 watts. However, if someone were to use an effects processor into the clean channel, it might be better to get a more powerful amp. The speaker is a Celestion G12T.

I use this amp with two main guitars, a Fender American Strat and a custom guitar with a Schaller humbucker in the back. The fender can get a nice sound clean on the front pickup with the bass on 9, mid on 4, and treble on 9. The fender on the distorted channel sounds good with the gain on 2, countour on 5, bass on 10 treble on 9 - but you have to roll down the volume on the guitar to 8. That setting gives a good frosty tone for SRV type stuff and blues soloing. For heavier distortion, a Vox valve-tone pedal works quite well. The distortion channel really works better with my guitar with the humbucker. Then you can crank the gain and play old OZZY tunes and relive the 80's heavy metal scene. There is a slight hiss on the clean channel. Also, the fender pickups are low output so the clean channel isn't audible until the volume is on 2-3. The trick with this amp is playing around with the guitar's volume. Personally, I think this marshall sounds a lot better than the VS65, VS100 and basically any other amp in its price range. I haven't replaced this amp because I'd have to spend over $500 to get something to sound anywhere near as good. Oh yeah, it sounds good straight into a recorder through the line out (if you don't have mics and serious recording equipment handy).

I've had it one year and it has never broken down on me - which is more than I can say for my tube amp. It has been banged around some too but is very reliable.

Never called them. Never really called England, I think.

I've been playing 13 years. This amp is simple - plug in and get a great sound. I've heard people plug into this amp and make it sound terrible. There are a few tricks (like tweaking tone settings and knowing how to play) that greatly enhance the sound that comes out of the amp. If it were lost I would find it, If it were stolen, buddha help that person cause I would "go to work on them with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch..."

this amp is solid state clean and has a 12AX7 tube in the preamp for the boost channel. Of all the 1x12 and smaller amps i have ever played, this one absolutely smothers the competition. For the price I paid, I got 2 channels, reverb, 3 band EQ on clean, 2 band EQ + contour on boost, and the marshall sound. A great little practice amp that can swell to small gig proportions on demand.

I play a Jackson Kelly Standard with Duncan Design humbuckers, and I play just about everything from the 70's and 80's - rock and metal, as well as a lot of jazz and blues improv. This amp compliments my setup perfectly, even at low volume. The clean channel goes from crisp to fat as hell and the boost channel can go from a jazzy glass overdrive to a full-out assault with a spin of the gain knob. Extremely versatile for its size, although the reverb could use some work, it gets muddy past half cranked.

Absolutely. I have never had a problem with this amp except for buzzing that was caused because of proximity to appliances in my college dorm room last year, which was easily remedied by moving the amp to the other side of the room

Haven't needed to deal with them

If you can get your hands on one of these for the price I did or even close, do it. I would pay full price (around 350) for one of these if they hadn't been discontinued. No matter what style of playing you like to use, this amp has something for you.

I'm not quite sure, but I think the manufacture date was 1995. It has 2 footswitchable channels ( clean and boost) and the preamp section of the boost channel has a 12AX7 tube that produces a veary warm distortion. I play a wide veriety of different styles of music, and I found it sounded the best for blues..a very vintage tone set with the boost gain set at about 1/4 and volume set below 1/2.
The reverb seemed to lack depth compared to alot of other combos I've owned but the tonal qualities seem to balance it out.
I gig alot in small clubs, and I find the size and weight perfect for traveling. One of the nice features is the celestion vintage 30 speaker. sounds great!

my main axe is a '95 tele plus with highoutput "red" Don Lace Sensor humbucker in the bridge position and a "blue" vintage single D.L.S in the neck position.even though I play a wide array of music I find the tele/vs8040 sounds really sweet playing either blues or country. great tone, although I have to mic it always because I've found it sounds way better a very low volume levels as do most low power combos. I've tried to play in large rooms without running through a P.A and it seemed to lose alot of bass at high volume so, I had to take it off of the amp stand and place it on the floor and in a corner.
My second guitar of choice is my GODIN LGX. It sounds great in the boost channel but can't seem to handle the clean channel. maybe just the pickups in the godin but it seems to distort even at low volume levels. I have no complaints about the clean channel with my Tele plus. IT produces a very bright but smooth tone and if I want to I can drop the lows and push the highs to get that "country-fried-chicken-pickin'-albert lee-sorta-sound"
Overall a VERY versatile little amp great for small gigs!

I bought this amp second hand and about 6 months later the reverb started cutting out. I wasn't very happy with the reverb anyways so, I never repaired it. nothing else has ever broke down on it so I think it was from misuse on behalf of the previous owner.
I never gig without a backup amp, but, I am pretty comfortable with the reliability of this amp.

I do repairs myself so I've never had to deal with customer support.

I"ve been playing for about 15 years. If it got stolen or lost I would buy it again. I love the fact that this amp sounds so big for such a small size and the tube preamp sounds sweet!

Don't know the year it was made, bought it used. Is a great amp if you are looking for a vintage guitar sound. Good for blues, rock, surf music... 2 channels that you can change with the channel switch or footswich pedal, one for clean sound with solid state amplification, other with one tube operating a preamp distortion, built in reverb.

Sounds better with my old 1991 strat plus then with my Guild s-100 Polara, a matter of taste. It suit my music style, 70' rock, blues, country. It's very noisy, you can use it with an angry drummer near you. Good for playing in small gigs. Not good for a cristal clean sound, but it got a good clean tone for a rock guitar, the clean channel distorted a bit at high volumes. The distortion is great, real tube sound, better then my sansamp TRI-OD or Sansamp Classic.

I got it used last month so i can't give a good opinion about this subject. I've got other Marshall LEAD 20, for the last 12 year and never had a problem execpt dirth pods. I hope this one got the same Marshall reliability.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing eletric guitar for 18 year. I own another Marshall Lead-20 for the last 12 years and never had a problem. If my Valvestate 8040 were stolen i will go to prison for murder and will buy onother one for playing with the cops in jail. I love it's sound, better them many fender's amps models. It got a great tune and presence, looks like it was made for a stratocaster guitar.

this amp seems old, i have no idea when it was made though. im not a big fan of the clean channel, but the (1 tube)distortion is really cool, and very loud. mine came with a footswitch, an effects loop, a line out, a power amp in(?), but no headphone jack :( anyways, i wish it had a headphone jack. the 40 watts seems weak to me, but that's only because i now own a mesa boogie.

i use a ibanez talman with dual humbuckers, and i love to make screaming feedback, that's the best part about this amp. very noisy. cool, if that's what you're into.

this amp is only a few years old, but seems like it's about 15. ive had to replace multiple parts. the leads to the speakers, the input jack, and ive also had to have the knobs "cleaned" i keep getting annoying dirt and other noise when i turn the treble and gain knobs

ive emailed marshall cause i lost my schematic and booklet to the amp, but ive never gotten a response. that sucks

ive been playing for about 4 years, i own a boogie mesa, and some random pedals (cool-cat, screamer, et al) im selling this puppy now that i got my mesa, i will miss the noise at times though, but it's not very versatile, so im gonna ditch it.

valvestate, 40w, 1 tube, 2 channles, foot swich, reverb, 1x12 speaker this amp is pretty good for alternitive or other lite rock but i find it not a good heavy metal speaker. this amp seems to be able to get pretty loud befor the feed back kicks in

im using a peavy preditor right now. it fits my music stvyle preety good, but i just bought a valvestate 100r and it fits it a little better because it can get my ok guitar sound great, but dont let that throw you off this amp is danm good for its price. as i already said this amp can get pretty loud for its features.

this amp is pretty reliabale, its never broken down on me yet but im afraid to turn it up loud because once you get past 7 the amp start to shake out of controll. it shakes so bad that if you put it on a hard wood floar it maves around. i wouldn't use it in a gig but is a real good amp foor a garage band or just to practice in your house.

never had to deal with the company

if been playing for five years, i also own the marshall vs100r, i find that marshall amps are all around the best amps you can buy. if it were stolen i would be mad but i wouldnt get another one after getting the vs100r. the one thing i do love on this amp is the celestion speaker and how it can get so loud when this amp is on 6 it sounds like its on 8. this amp is a good amp for some just to play in there room or for a garage band but i wouldn't play it in a gig without backup

It's a 40W Combo amp. Two channels clean and distorted. It has a 12" Celestion speaker. You can switch channel also by a footswitch (in dotation). The Pre has a tube to enhance overdrive. The power stage is designed to emulate real tubes (accordingly to the booklet). It does not have effects loop, just pre-out, main-in. No headphones jack. It has reverb too.

When i sold my previously amp, a Roland Cube 60, I wanted to buy a Marshall. So I get the best Marshall my budget could afford. The clean channel sounds nice to me. But the distorted channel is very cool! The gain knob adds very huge distortion amount and the Contour knob can dramatically change the "color" of the sound. The tube really makes difference! The Bass knob of the distorted channel is very weak and I liked a bit mor basses. I like the Iron Maiden-like sound and I got it with my Squier Stratocaster and ZOOM 9002 effect processor. The gain knob is very sensible and you must tune it with care to avoid an excess of overdrive if you are playing with an external effect processor. For home use the power is far too much and at low volume settings the Volume knob is too sensitive and very little adjustment can change volume level to much. I have played with others and with a drum and it plays very loud. No problems to hear myself. The reverb is nice at lower settings but as you turn it up it gets less pleasant; it seems you are plaing in a tunnel than in a hall. I like this amp very much and I don't think you can get much better for the price. I would not suggest it to people not interested in distortion.

i got it three about three years ago and never broke down. The construction could be some better. The four "legs" are made in hard plastic. I prefer rubber. They are also not very planar so the amp lay on the ground only by three of them. This is not a major problem. The only real problem I had is that the pots started to scratch after a year or so. So I have removed the chassis and have cleaned the pots with a pot-cleaner spray can. The operation is not very hard but I not suggest it unless you have a little practice about handling electric staff and the like. Remember that if you open your Marshall you loose the warranty. (and it can be dangerous to you or to the amp if you don't exactly know what you are doing). I have done the pot cleaning operation two times until now. The tube still works very well. I think that tubes in power stages needs much more frequent replacement but this is not a problem for the 8040 since it has transtistor in the power stage (an integrated device to be more exact a TDA-(somenumbers)).

Never dealt with Marshall. One year warranty.

I would buy it again but Marshall has discontinued it soon and I think that the closest model now is the Valvestate V65R. I think this is a good low cost/mid power/allround use rock amplifier. Very flexible and has enough power for most purpouse. I miss a send-return loop and more bass boost in the distorted channel. It's a Marshall.