marshall afd

[braintheory]

So I'm currently looking for the right marshally type amp for me and so far my favorites have been the mesa boogie stiletto deuce and unsurprisingly vintage jcm 800's.  I still have not tried yet the afd because no one within driving distance has one and wanted to know more about it.  I heard the #34 mode sounds like a jcm 800 but more polished and smooth.  That definitely turns me off because I love the 800's raw, edgy tone and would never wanna smooth it out.  Also, from what I understand the AFD mode is supposed to be fatter and smoother than the #34, which I guess is probably more suited to leads.  If the afd is overall less aggressive and raw than a jcm 800 then it's probably not for me.  Can anyone who has played the afd confirm this? 
 

[Twinfan]

I have one and love it.

AFD mode - fat, gainy, singing lead tones from the extra gain stage.  Use the low input for a classic JCM800 tone (i.e. one gain stage less than the high input).

#34 mode - fecking bright!  It's a bright(er) stock JCM800, so you need to crank it to get the best out of it.  It's Slash tones from Use You Illusion onwards though, and great in a band mix.  Not so good on its own at home unless you like it BRIGHT!!!

[braintheory]

Don't you also have a 20th anniversary xtc?  How's the afd compare to that?

[Twinfan]

I've also got an XTC Classic.  They're very different animals.