Amp Review - Marshall Lead 100 MOSFET Head
Dr. Zontar
last Saturday. Now that I've had this amp for a few days, I though I'd
post my observations.
The Lead 100 MOSFETs came out in 1985. I think they were the solid
state brothers of the JCM 800s. The layout follows the JCM style -
very nice classic Marshall appearance.
It's a 100 watt, 2-channel head (you could say 1 and a half, really).
The clean channel has gain, bass, mid and treble controls. The Boost
channel has tone, gain and volume knobs. When you pull the volume
knob, it engages the tone controls from the other channel. There's
also a master volume and reverb control. You can plug in a footswitch
and select channels, or without one, you can mix the 2 channels. There
are tons of tonal options you can get by mixing. I got some nice
bluesy sounds this way and some "clean with a little hair" sounds. But
since my style is either totally clean or totally dirty, I opted for
using a footswitch.
The cleans are a little brighter than I expected. I found myself
keeping the treble on 3 or 4 most of the time. But the tone is full
and sweet. With the gain all the way up, I can get some crunch. The
reverb is typical for a Marshall, not as splashy as a Fender, but it
adds a nice depth.
The boost (dirty) channel took a while to figure out. The single tone
knob doesn't really give you enough control on it's own, I kept
wanting to add a little more bass and tweak the mids. But with the
gain knob pulled, the tone stack from the other channel is applied.
This sounds way better to me. Now the tone control helps to fine tune
the tone. I can add back some of the treble I had to cut to get the
clean sound I wanted. Nice. The range of distortion is what you'd
expect from a Marshall. It doesn't do ultra-high-gain Mesa tones, but
it covers just about everything else. With my Boss fuzz in front of
it, I can get the doomy/sludgy sounds I need.
Does it sound like a tube amp? Pretty much. It sounds like a Marshall
to me. I tried turning down the guitar's volume to get it to clean up,
and it did to a degree. But it's not as responsive as a tube amp. But
OTOH, I only need sparkling cleans and heavy dirt, anyway. So I'm
happy. I traded a Peavey Transtube head and a Yamaha guitar for this,
and I think I got a good deal. It definitely blows the Peavey away.
- Rich
Monster Zero
"Dr. Zontar" <drzo...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1f46d8f7-e62d-431b...@c10g2000yqi.googlegroups.com...
Nice score man! I know I had a MOSFET Marshall at one time years ago. Had it
plugged into this cool Roland 4x12 that had metal studs all around it. I
used to run this brown colored Korg distortion pedal into it. Sounded great.
I've actually grown to not like the Peavey distortion. The only description
I can give the Peavey Transtube distortions are "sharp and hairy" When I
listen to old recordings of when I gigged with a TT red stripe Bandit I
wonder if people were bullshitting me when they said I had great tones and
were amazed I got such tone out of a bandit. I much prefer the Marshall'y
sounds I get from my Carvin.
Glad you got a gem. :-)
dvaoa
> With my Boss fuzz in front of
> it, I can get the doomy/sludgy sounds I need.
There you go, score right there. Good feeling when a plan comes
together. Congrats!
-d
WB
>
> Does it sound like a tube amp? Pretty much. It sounds like a Marshall
> to me.
maybe by itself it does ... in a band ... Fuck no.
I was jamming with a band who used a Avt-100 last week
and it sounded like shit coming through the mix ... chain saw,
tinny, thin, shit .. My BF bassman 2x10 with a Tube Screamer kicked
his ass ... they axed me to "turn down" and I was only on 4 ...
The only valuable part of those turds are the wood cabinets .
Dr. Zontar
It's not quite an Orange or Matamp stack with a Mountain King Fuzz
pushing it, but damn it, I'm not made of money... This will definitely
do the job. Loud too. So far I've been using it through one Peavey cab
with Sheffield speakers at home. When I get to practice Friday, I'll
try doubling that.
- Rich
Dr. Zontar
> Nice score man! I know I had a MOSFET Marshall at one time years ago. Had it
> plugged into this cool Roland 4x12 that had metal studs all around it. I
> used to run this brown colored Korg distortion pedal into it. Sounded great.
Thanks. I saw a demo of this amp on YouTube and knew I had to have
one. It took me a few months, but I found one.
> I've actually grown to not like the Peavey distortion. The only description
> I can give the Peavey Transtube distortions are "sharp and hairy"
Good description. I loved the Transtube's cleans, though. Very warm
and punchy. I haven't decided if I like the Marshall's clean sound as
much yet. It's different, and I don't have the Peavey anymore to do a
side-by-side test. But the MOSFET's distortion is far better.
> I much prefer the Marshall'y sounds I get from my Carvin.
That reminds me. I've been messing around with a used Carvin SX200
lately. I got it really cheap at the Syracuse Daddy's Junky Music. I
like it, but it has a weird volume drop at random times. Hence the
search for the Marshall. If I can't get it fixed, it's going to be my
practice/home recording amp... It sounds too good to give up, but I
just don't trust it. Plus it's the lightest head I've ever owned.
Solid state heads are light, compared to tubes. But the Carvin is
REALLY light... feather light. There's nothing but a tiny circuit
board and a lot of air inside it.
- Rich
dvaoa
> That reminds me. I've been messing around with a used Carvin SX200
> lately.
Is that the one that Craig Anderton was quoted as saying, "It sounds
like an idealized tube amp"? Does the amp live up to that?
-d
Dr. Zontar
It's not a Valvestate. I agree, they suck.
- Rich
Dr. Zontar
> Is that the one that Craig Anderton was quoted as saying, "It sounds
> like an idealized tube amp"?
Yep, it's the head version of that amp.
> Does the amp live up to that?
Only to a certain point. It's all really subjective, and I'm sure
others would disagree. But I think it's got the "warmth" part of the
equation. It isn't quite as dynamic, and it doesn't sag like a tube
amp. You can't get clean preamp/saturated power amp tones. But the SX
does decent 70's rock tones. Add a pedal, and it's good for metal.
But with the volume problem I've having, I can't really recommend it.
Oh, and the built in effects are kind of lame, except for the delay.
- Rich
Squier
thanks for the review! I have seen some older MOSFET type amps
from the 80's and 90's (used in a store). Marshall 3210, lead 100 and
some JCM 600 and also an amp called "Trace Elliot" Tramp.
What speaker(s) were you playing through ?
Speakers can make a big difference on how an amp sounds.
(I'm guessing Vintage 30's but maybe you plug into greenback 4x12 or
maybe GT 75's or whatever.... ??)
I find once I hook up an amp and speakers that work well together
then it's golden. To me speakers that match up well with an amp
are as important as the amp itself. (imho).
Squier
ahhh... those old Fender BF and SF Bassman 50 amps are KILLER good!
Same with the old Marshall JTM 45 amps. BIG fat tones. love 'em.
I have played through Bassman 50 using 4x10 and 2x12 and I really liked it.
I might get an old Bassman 50 head to compliment my Prosonic head.
Dr. Zontar
> What speaker(s) were you playing through ?
Right now I'm using a Peavey MS 412 cab. I'm a big fan of Peavey
Sheffield speakers. They're not quite vintage Greenbacks, but I like
them as much as the Chinese Celestions.
> I find once I hook up an amp and speakers that work well together
> then it's golden. To me speakers that match up well with an amp
> are as important as the amp itself. (imho).-
I gotta agree. Oddly enough, the only amp my Peavey cabs haven't
sounded good with, was the Peavey Supreme I just got rid of.
- Rich
ed s
So cost wise what do you think you spent on the head & what cab you
running? - ed
vampX
Fabbo!
Im hanging out to get my hands on a Major. One day... one day.
vampX
You know, I've played a few Orange amps and I have to say I'm just not
that sold on them. I think you've done well with the Marshall though.
Dr. Zontar
> You know, I've played a few Orange amps and I have to say I'm just not
> that sold on them. I think you've done well with the Marshall though.
The weird thing about Orange is that they're worshipped by the doom
metal/stoner rock/sludge community. It all started when Black Sabbath
appeared on German TV playing Orange amps that were supplied by the
studio. Tony Iommi actually didn't like them and went back to his
Laney heads as soon as he got back to the UK.
I've seen a few guys get good sounds from them, but personally I think
they're way overpriced.
- Rich
Dr. Zontar
> So cost wise what do you think you spent on the head & what cab you
> running? - ed
Ed, The price tag on the amp was $250. I traded a Peavey head that I
got used for $150, a Yamaha electric I paid $125 for, and a couple
pedals I bought on craigslist. The store gave me $310 in trade for my
stuff. So I actually made money on the deal.
Right now I'm using the head with a Peavey MS 412 cab at home. It's
Peavey's "British-voiced" cab, with 4 Sheffield speakers. It's a nice
cab. When I get to the bass player's house tomorrow, I'm going to use
my 2 other cabs - another one with Sheffields, and one with Chinese
Celestions.
- Rich
RichL
Agreed. I've never owned one, but my son bought one for his recording
studio a while back. Basically, it's a one-trick pony, and it's a trick
that can be done equally well with an AC30, which has a number of other nice
tricks as well.
My son already had an AC30 head, so the Orange head didn't stick around for
very long.
Nil
alt.guitar:
> I've seen a few guys get good sounds from them, but personally I
> think they're way overpriced.
A friend of mine swears by his. I've tried out a couple of the Rocker
series combo amps, and I think they sound wonderful. But, yes, they are
very expensive, and I can't quite seem to drop that kind of money on a
Chinese-made printed circuit amp.
ed s
>
> - Show quoted text -
I used to have a Major ( used it for bass) - I think you will find -
its not what you want for guitar.. too much power, can't drive it hard
enough without blowing the walls down.
a 50 or 100 is better suited.. e
Les Cargill
> On Jun 9, 10:11 pm, vampX<va...@at.vampx.dot.net.dot.dot> wrote:
>
>> You know, I've played a few Orange amps and I have to say I'm just not
>> that sold on them. I think you've done well with the Marshall though.
>
> The weird thing about Orange is that they're worshipped by the doom
> metal/stoner rock/sludge community. It all started when Black Sabbath
> appeared on German TV playing Orange amps that were supplied by the
> studio. Tony Iommi actually didn't like them and went back to his
> Laney heads as soon as he got back to the UK.
>
Odd.
My only direct experience with an Orange involved
a guy I played with who'd used a tuck and roll Kustom.
We got to playing larger places, and he got the Orange
because it would cut - because it was clean. He
didn't want a JCM800.
The other guitar player in that band was using a
Plexi. The Orange was *cleaner* than the Plexi,
but Plexis were out of production by then.
> I've seen a few guys get good sounds from them, but personally I think
> they're way overpriced.
>
They are spendy.
> - Rich
--
Les Cargill
JJTj
>> The weird thing about Orange is that they're worshipped by the doom
>> metal/stoner rock/sludge community. It all started when Black Sabbath
>> appeared on German TV playing Orange amps that were supplied by the
>> studio. Tony Iommi actually didn't like them and went back to his
>> Laney heads as soon as he got back to the UK.
Yes, Orange supplied the amps for all those German TV shows, and
alot of BBC stuff too. They are a aquired taste, need some type
of boost before them to get dirty. Zappa and Page loved their
Orange 200's, sort of a Marshall Major with larger tranz then
the Marshall. I have one in storage, needs tubes, is just too
big to deal with. I'd sell it for the right prics..say $20k USD.
In other words..not for sale. :) 4 years ago, I was offered $8k,
but didn't need the cash. Dead mint with all logs/paperwork
and box. I paid $500 for it in 89. NJ store closing thing.
Today's Orange is way overpriced IMHO. Yet they have
grown to a big company, while other UK firms have died out.
In the oldfartdays(.com) they made mikes, PA's, Slave amps
(I know where to get a 200 slave..guy wants danger $$ too)
Disco turntables, 6-12 cabs and a one of a kind 24-12" cab
that is rumored to be in Ireland in a warehouse.
They made great catalogs..the talking Orange icon was 'cute'
maybe I'll do a old AMPPORN on them when I get the chance.
JJTj
ed s
Well you sure can't beat the deal - nice.. e
jtees4
I just had to have a Marshall Major in '77 '78 to gig in mostly small
clubs. Felt great to have that thing ego wise, but truthfully it did
nothing for me but hurt my back (I'm serious about the back).
****
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=789610
ed s
>
> - Show quoted text -
Mine had a power tube bias adjust on the back( don't know if that was
stock or not)- but I eventually started to mess with it ( at the time
I had no idea what it was) and found some great Bass tones with a
Rickenbacker.. However I started to notice a smell/heat and the tube
would glow like crazy... A few weeks later we parted ways.... and I
sold it for a HiWatt 400 that I got a great deal on. I bet that old
Major went into meld down some where soon after.. I was about 18.... e
jtees4
wrote:
I don't remember if there was a bias adjust on the back, the truth is,
back then I wouldn't have known what it was anyway...I was young and
quite dumb..I guess I was about 18 when I got it. I certainly didn't
need something so big, but back then big mattered to me, and looks
were everything. Now that I'm old and bald, looks don't mean as much!
****
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=789610