Product: SDG Vintage Amps 18 Watt Marshall Clone Head
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
02/20/2009
at
11:15am
by
Mike Waldron
Features
:
10
Sound Quality
:
10
Reliability
:
10
Had the amp over a year and not one problem. Very well made.
Customer Support
:
10
Steve kept me up to date on every detail while building the amp. He was very accommodating throughout the whole process.
Overall Rating
:
10
Cheaper and a much better amp than the original Marshall. I have several friends with the 18 Watt Marshall and they all agree that mine is a much better amp.
Product: SDG Vintage Amps 18 Watt Marshall Clone Head
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted
01/10/2006
at
08:55am
by
David
Email: dmckay<at>cox dot net
Features
:
No Opinion
This is a follow-up to an earlier review...
The honeymoon period is over (see earlier review from August) and guess what, I'm more impressed than ever!
Sound Quality
:
No Opinion
See below...
Reliability
:
No Opinion
See below...
Customer Support
:
10
Here's my story...a channel blew up on me during a practice...my first instinct was "aw crap...here we go..." Oh, it is only fair to mention that the amp had been bouncing around in the trunk of my car for a few days and may well have had some other gear dropped on it...I don't take the best care of my gear...I actually use the stuff to play, not to look at.
Anyway, I contacted Steve and he just said "bring it on by..." I dropped it off...he called me in a couple of hours and explained that it was just a 50 cent part that crapped out...picked up the amp the next day.
Now, this may not seem too significant to some of you readers but trust me, this kind of customer service does not exist with a mass produced product. How long do you think you would be waiting if you had to drop a piece of gear off at the Guitar Center???
The bottom line is that my time and peace of mind are valuable...having Steve craft an amp for you means that you have all of his expertise behind you! No doubt that this is the only guy that I would work with the next time I'm in the amp market. Unfortunately for him, he built me a tank of an amp and it is highly unlikely that I'll outlive it.
Overall Rating
:
10
See above...
Product: SDG Vintage Amps 18 Watt Marshall Clone Head
Price Paid: (Not Nearly Enough!)
Submitted
08/25/2005
at
01:58pm
by
David McKay
Email: dmckay at cox<dot>net
Features
:
10
Amp was created for me Summer 2005. Simple set up...2 channel, one channel is TMB with a Master Volume, the other is old time volume and tone control. No Tremolo. Channel switching? Effects loops? Uh, no...no need.
In short, it is a fresh spin on the old 18 watt Marshall. With the Master Volume gives is a mini JCM 800 vibe. Truth is, it's got a vibe of it's own...can't really compare it. It's a head so I run it through a 2 x 12 cab.
18 watts? Is that really enough? Played out recently and it kept up with a heavey hittin' drummer and a JCM 800 running through a 4 x 12 cab just fine!
Sound Quality
:
10
This is where the review begins. Quite simply, when I was a kid listening to Hendrix, Clapton (Cream era), Beck, and all of the 60's and 70's guitar gods, this amp produces the tone that I always dreamed about getting for myself at that time. I got my first guitar and amp rig in 1976 and never got "my" sound until now!
I don't have a musical style...I love everyone from Sonny Sharrock to Jimi to Scott Henderson and just about everybody in between. I listen to myself more than anyone else these days.
At 18 watts, the amp breaks up quickly but with the Master Volume you can get plenty of clean headroom out of it. It's the perfect blank canvas for pedals. Blues...nails that early Cream sound...want modern metal, just throw a pedal in front of it. You WILL find your voice with this amp!
Reliability
:
No Opinion
It's only been with me for a few months. I've only played out with it twice. I have confidence that it will hold up just fine.
Customer Support
:
10
Customer support...
Simply the best!!! Steve is an AWESOME guy and a technical genius!!! Forget tech support...just ring him and he'll respond! Does it get any better than that!
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing for a good while...I've owned plenty of quality gear over the past 3 decades. I still own too much gear but it's collecting dust. I am a straight forward player...very few effects. I love an overdriven sound...loads of "bark" and a little wah-wah. That's pretty much it.
Like I said, and I really can't overstate this, this amp gives me the sound I always dreamed of. Plain and simple.
If it were stolen? It would be an expensive replacement for sure but I'm confident Steve could build me another.
If you are a Marshall fan...want that Marshall roar without the threat of divorce...this is the amp for you. I can achieve all the tones I crave at basement or stage volumes!
Bottom line, I paid a fraction of what Mr. Marshall wants for a mass produced product. This is the bargin of the century and likely the last amp I'll ever need.
