Marshall tones - XTC?

[PPPMAT]

Hi Guys

I am on the lookout for a Marshall toned head. I have an SLO at the moment which is just amazing, its like the most hot rodded bassman you will ever come across but it does not really sound like a Marshall no matter what you do with the eq.

I am looking at getting another head to cover a more marshall sound and thought about the Bogner XTC. I know some of you guys have tried one and swear by them. I never have and a lot of the clips sound more rodded 800 than rodded NMW type of tone. Is the XTC flexible enough to cover nice plexi tones and thick NMW Marshall tones rather than the more upper mid trebly 800 tones? Both would be nice but I really need it to nail a cranked plexi tone.

I have found a NOS THD flexi 50 which has that tone in spades but doesnt do much else and I'm quite tempted. I cant help but think though that with an SLO and XTC I have all the bases covered and it doesnt really get any better.

Opinions welcome - I'm looking at all the options at the moment.

Cheers

Matt

[blue]

I remember Paul Stanley said "i hear about all these people getting all these amps, looking for a Marshall type sound.  i have a great thing for a Marshall sound;  it's called a Marshall"  :)

not much help to you perhaps  :lol:  the Bogner is supposed to be fantastic, Twinfan has one and i'm sure he'll say his piece on it.  i would suggest you try the Joe Satriani signature Marshall JVM though.  it seems to be ticking a lot of boxes for a lot of people.

[PPPMAT]

I know what you mean - but every Marshall I have tried for the last 10 years has this cutting high mid frequency to it that the older NMV plexis just didnt have.

That said - you are not the first to say the the Satch JVM is really good (and I can actually try one of them)

[Toe-Knee]

Ceriatone Chupacabra/Yeti

[TheyCallMeVolume]

I have (painfully) learned that the only way to get something remotely close to the Marshall sound is a Marshall. Also, that high mid frequency is what makes a Marshall a Marshall. Not sure which Plexi's you're listening to, but they are dangerously trebly until you open them up, like you hear on your favorite albums. That's really the only way they start to round out, is through volume.

Also consider that high mid frequency you hear might sound a tad bit unpleasant when playing by yourself (which is easily fixed by adjusting your EQ) will sound 100x better playing with other musicians, as it really cuts through a mix like nothing else.

[tekbow]

I believe one or colleagues has a friedman don't they? Marshall on steroids i hear, and the clips of them sound awesome.

Funnily enough i was just reading a thread on rig talk earlier today comparing the 2. Consensus was no similarities between an SLO and Friedman HBE/BE, however it was supposed then confirmed by someone who owned both that they compliment each other very well.

Low mids and warmth of a Marshall plus high mids, aggression and openess of the SLO.

Sounds good to me

[FELINEGUITARS]

Other amps worth considering are the Cornell Plexi 45/50

http://www.dc-developments.com/cornell_plexi4550.htm

Wizard amps have a good reputation for Plexi Marshalls
http://wizardamplification.com/amplifiers.htm

Or get one of the Marshall Yngwie amps and dial back the volume to bearable levels via the power scaling type thing that is built in.

[FELINEGUITARS]

The THD Flexi 50 would be really good actually

[Twinfan]

If you want a cranked Plexi tone, get a Plexi and crank it  :lol:  Use an attenuator if required.

Jon's suggestion of the Malmsteen Sig Marshall is a good one, if you need to tame the power.  Their scaling system is good (I had it on my old AFD100).

I have an XTC Classic that I love but it's LOUD.  Plexi mode is excellent, but like most 100w amps it sounds best when it's cooking.  I don't play that loud live so I now use a 65 Amps Empire.  Works for me for pub gigs.

How loud do you play, and which specific Plexi tone are you after - can you post a YouTube clip?

[PPPMAT]

I know what you mean about the XTC being loud - the SLO is unbelievable loud if you want it but it also sounds really good at a whisper.

The amp would be for rehearsal and gigs - small pubs/clubs really but it would be good to be able to use it at home too so a proper NMV Marshall with an attenuator is probably a no no.

In terms of tone I am aiming at NMV 3 holer Marshall - the Mater volume Marshall tone/800 call it what you will IS different and I am not really aiming at that. I tried the Malmsteen a while ago and thought it sounded awful so thats out. Maybe the THD is the way to go with a drive pedal for leads? If I was to refernce the tone I would say anything current by Simon McBride. He uses the plexi channel on the H&K triamp which does have 'the' sound but it weighs a ton and its massive and I'm not getting any younger!

Cheers

Matt

[Twinfan]

On Simon's latest album he used an old 50w Plexi that used to belong to Eric Johnson.  It's now owned by Paul Reed Smith.

I'm surpised you thought the Yngwie sounded awful, as that's basically just a non-MV four hole Marshall in tone, which is what you say you want?  :?

The XTC weighs a ton, so if the H&K is out then so's the Bogner.  But if you're set on an XTC, you'll want one of the more open sounding versions which are the original 100B, the Classic or the 20th Anniversary.  If you're after a used one, the Anniversary is the most likely to crop up.  I've never seen another Classic for sale since I got mine, and I've never seen a 100B here in the UK.  They are more hot-rodded late 70s Master Volume than Plexi though.

If I was you I'd get a Marshall 1987 model 50w plexi reissue and an attenuator for gigs, and I'd use it with a Crunch Box/Guv'nor pedal at home for practice.

[FELINEGUITARS]

What about an Egnater Mod50 - the one that you can swap the preamp modules on

The lower wattage setting actually works really well on it and if you tire of one sound you can simply slide that preamp out and replace it with another variant.

I have one for sale - it's brilliant but I tend to only use my rack versions of the same thing as I don't go out and play live and the racks are already set up
Currently loaded with Bassman module and SL2 Marshall modules, each with 2 channels

Will also take all the Randall modules too
There are some guys doing mods to these modules that are out of this world

[TheyCallMeVolume]

I'm also kinda surprised you thought the YJM was trash, as that is a Plexi. Did you use the available functions on it like the EPA and the boost? if you didn't make use of the EPA, yes it will sound cr@ppy because you didn't attenuate it at all.

[PPPMAT]

I'm surprised that I didnt like the YJM to be honest. Everyone else seems to love it - I just couldnt get it to have anywhere near the gain I thought it would give (and which the clips show) and it sounded quite flat. Then again pretty much everything sounds flat next to an SLO and I was playing it in a shop at 'shop' volume levels. It was a long time ago........

I've ordered the Flexi 50 so we will see what it sounds like - I can always send it back if its not right but if fits the bill tone wise, then great - also I will probably not get the chance to buy another

[FELINEGUITARS]

How much is the Flexi 50 costing you ? Did you get a good deal?

I recall seeing one about 7-8 years ago and being interested