Great to hear. I am not perfect (my wife confirms :) but I do try hard to show the reality of the amps and other stuff as best I can. I make them exactly for you :) Thanks for watching and those kind words.
Hi Robin, yes Plexi without the high output, but even at 20w they can be loud. Check out the SC20 too - i did review that also... have a great Christmas and a happy new year...
Well I have been through a few things - I have historically commented that guys should check for Prostate Cancer - I had it in 2013 but thankfully got past that - but I have seen guys from just 39 years old with it! It's not ALL old guys at all I think 39 is not old. And the thing you saw re virus we all went through it, but I wanted to try and jog peoples mind's as it all was going down and maybe it could help someone. Lastly, in 2001 I spent four months writing a website ( incident0727.com - which was actually the incident number of the call to police I believe) with the faces of as many victims I could find re the twin towers and a page for each one I could get info on. I was in the USA and felt that very strongly. That site is down today, I still have it, but I am working to get it back up there updated to the 2020's in remembrance of the people that lost their lives. It was such a tragedy and I felt so strongly about all of that. It's not all about guitars and music for sure. Thanks for the comment.
It looks really cool in real life - the 'snakeskin' sets it off nicely. The best pic of that was the closeup of the mounting screws which shows a real reflection of the real colour. Thanks for watching this stuff... and without guys like you there would be no point. Stay safe.
4 года назад+4
Fantastic Snake Skin and once again great explanation! Thank you Tony!
Great review Tony! I've got one of these coming tomorrow and was a little nervous to see inside it, but after seeing this I'm even more excited. I'm a vintage Fender guy and this'll be my first Marshall for the studio - every sample I've heard sounds great! Thanks for taking the time to make such a nice review, and nice playing too!
Hi Jesse, its a pretty good amp I think and especially the overall quality and the sound is pretty cool. It drives nicely too with a TS808! :) Just like the 'old' days so to speak. In any case you should find that amp pretty cool. I still have mine too :). Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial thanks Tony, you too! I really appreciate you putting the message in your video about covid, it’s really worth worrying about and the longer this goes on the more people ignore that. My elderly father got it because he isn’t being careful and doesn’t think it’s a big deal, and while he recovered, he’s one of the lucky ones.
Indeed! It becomes so easy to just be 'oh its no problem' in thinking, but in reality the families of the people dying from it don't think that... and many age ranges too not 'just' the old. Your father is VERY lucky to have beaten it. Some survivors have issues for life after that. Again something too few people realise. We're on the same side and thanks for pointing that out. Stay safe.
Great review of a great amp Tony and a sensible message at the end. Good luck and please keep up the inside and out reviews they are humourous and truly fascinating :-)
Thanks for being so knowledgeable with Marshall amps and sharing that knowledge. Knowledge is power. This amp is really cool 😎 love the snake color which was very hard to see at first but it did show up much better later in the video. Cheers 🍻
The whole studio series are pretty cool amps. I did also review the Studio JCM800 stealth equivalent (in black) and thats a cool amp too. For the money these are king :) and I still have them both. I believe september or thereabouts there are some Marshall amps to come. Thanks for watching and stay safe.
I get told that quite a lot... but scarily it's hard to get subscribers (for whatever reason) or massive views of the reviews I make. Even this amp (basically the first one reviewed when I did it) only has low volumes compared to some of the dross I see on RUclips and the fake review channels. What's the difference? Basically I don't lie! :) Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Thanks for a great review Tony, I thought it sounded very nice & at a reasonable price, also, lovely to see Made in England on the back, I was reading recently that the Vox AC30 was made in China !
Yes it was a real change to see the 'Made in England' on a relatively low cost amp... This amp did work well and sounded great in the recording studio. I was only on the 5w setting at about 11:00 which is interesting in itself. I'm not surprised these days about Chinese made stuff... but I have to say personally I see that changing in the coming years for many reasons. Thanks and stay safe.
Thanks a bunch for the in depth and honest review Tony! I just ordered the ssssnakeskin version from Fair Deal, they have gone out of their way to get one in the post today, great service and price, stoked!
Great to know you got one... I still have mine too :). Yes Fair Deal are pretty snappy from my experience and one of the better guys around in my experience. For Marshall I know no one better. 'Little Gary' has recently started working there too (I think he's ex PMT) and Gary is certainly one of the best out there. Do let me know what you think of the amp. I think especially for the money it's all there :). Stay safe.
Always like all the electric details in your videos and you honest opinion. BTW: If you add a 0:00 Intro entry to your timestamps the timeline will be splitted into sections which is a good thing for your viewers.
A very useful tip for me RGV and one I appreciate greatly... indeed I will add the 0:00 thing. Thanks for those kind words too and for watching. Stay safe
Ha - the covid hair is STILL there really... my daughter cut the grass but its still hiding there. It is even more prominent on a soon to be released video. :) Thanks for watching this stuff and stay safe.
Hi Tony, and thanks for an awesome review. I have just looked on the Anderton's website and it returned 'no search results', for this head. Looked there as they are my local(ish) music store, not that I like their store policies that much, they are not as nice as they project. I will give Fair Deal a try, and order one of these, and it's even better that it is made in England. Cheers.
I am not surprised that this amp is not found on other sites and I have not seen a single review of the real for sale amp except this one at this time - same with the stealth amp I reviewed. I have bought from Fair Deal a few times and they have always helped me get the gear and delivered as fast as possible - for me that is what matters. They do not pay me at all to mention them either - its purely that they seem to have the goods and are from what I see a good supplier... so its a real recommendation. Yes Made in England and that's a change... the stealth was too :). Stay safe.
I ordered one of these in late january and im still waiting, just been told its coming in a week. I havnt looked online for details on the amp since before your video was released so cool to see this now. Im in australia so paid a bit more than you but still a decent amount less than the Americans have to pay
I'm sure you will love this amp. It's a really nice tone and you can get those plexi sounds easily. Hope the video helped a little and I thought they were pretty cool inside. Stay safe down there :) and thanks.
Hi, how do you feel about the omission of the choke transformer on both the SV and the SC? Is it rather an economic or an engineering decision on Marshall's part?
The choke has been left out of far more expensive Marshall amps... for example the JVM410H heads had no choke, just a big fat resistor. I did convert the amp at one stage but its very easy to convince yourself there is a difference after you just did the mod. For me, ultimately I heard little if any difference. So with that in mind personally I don't really care either way (btw a very good point you made) and for the 'marginal difference' (just an opinion) I would have left it out too. Probably a cost that many/most might not even benefit from. Having said that, the JVM401HJS (Satch head) did have a choke in there along with many other differences no one ever mentions and the JVM410HJS is one of my favorite Marshall heads - whereas the JVM410H really is not. Somewhere on my channel I show the modifications of the JVM410H and add the missing choke. Thanks for watching.
Hey there, great informative video. Nice looking amp, and I hear they sound as good as they look. I've got a bit of a question. I've been tinkering away with my 20w Marshall Origin amp head. I've scoured all the traces on the board, top and bottom, and connected all the dots to come up with a schematic that's mostly there now. I am in the midst of installing a Type 3 Post Phase Inverter Master Volume on that. I have been interested in trying to note the differences between these models, the SV20 and Origin 20, as following the board construction, components and layout, I don't see much between them. Although I do see that on the SV there a lot less clutter. The pots are the flat ones, the same as are on the DSL series, where as the Origin has more standard style pots. But they're not looking a million miles away, so I just wondered of you had any thoughts on the differences or views on the Origin series? In comparison? :-) Thank you, Jason
Its a very good point, but I have not yet compared the origin with either this board or the 'stealth' jcm800 one. I'll try and do that and maybe come back with a better answer... but great point. Stay safe.
Nice review! Your the best at these and i can actually trust what youre saying. I saw one today, a very nice condition floor model. It was the head and cab, basically for the price of the head alone. I may go back to pick it up. I was more looking for a small home amp, as I don't have much use for 20/5w right now. But still, it's cool as hell and I've already got a JCM1 custom Shop mini stack, but want a plexi type.
They are pretty loud depending on which cab you grab. I have all three now and they are all really pretty good sounding - some disagree of course, but for what you get its hard to beat... not sure of pricing outside the UK though as some stuff is more expensive. Yes with a cab 'thrown in' its probably a very good deal. Thanks for the info and for watching.
I have saved pennies in jars for 10yrs. I do not have a tech within 500mi from me. I am buying this amp based on your review. My last amp was a Red-Knob Twin -
Well I trust you like the amp. I still have mine and it has a really cool sound and at a volume I can manage. Thanks for watching and having the faith in what I showed.... appreciated.
That could be correct actually. This amp was produced for the dealer and was an amp that might have the odd thing different indeed like you say. Thanks for posting this info... and stay safe out there.
Hi Tony, another great and in-depth review. Thank you. Could I please get your opinion on something? I want to know about the volume. I am a gigging guitarist - nothing professional, just a typical pub rock covers band with the occasional wedding/function. I am currently using a Blackstar HT100 head. I like this amp but I’ve been gigging it for 9 years and it shows. It’s also a heavy beast so I’m looking to down size. Do you feel the SV20 (through a 2x12) would be loud enough for a pub gig with a bass player and drummer. I prefer not to mic up and rely on the back line. I’ve seen many varying opinions. All with experience of this amp are also welcome to comment. Your thoughts please. Thank you.
Well that 20 watts does not sound like it would do it - but I think that's misleading to go by the headline wattage alone. You hit the nail on the head really IMO and that's all about the speaker cab. As well as the quantity of speakers and their size, I think there is an important aspect of how efficient the speakers you use are. Seems many don't talk about that, but if you think about it, a low efficiency speaker will 'rob' you of the volumes. Efficiency, large and numbers of speakers could probably blow the others off the stage :) Hope it helps... and don't read everything in to just watts.. I know you didn't - I mention it for others benefit... Let me know how it goes and what you end up doing. The PRS MT15 btw would blow your head off :)
Just picked up the combo which seems to divide people a lot more due the the speaker size but all things given I really like it. I take the view that this tiny amp combo is Marshall’s equivalent of Fenders Princeton! Make of this what you will
Good to hear you have one! Great little amp I think. When I use this head through the 1x12 speaker cab (for the Stealth JCM version) it sounds really good... and through a 4x12 can be loud! :) Thanks for posting your opinion Nick - and for watching. Stay safe.
@tonymckenziecom Just how bad was the Friedman? I was either going to buy one of those or a 20 watt JCM800. I ended up going with the Marshall after watching your review, but was still wondering just how bad the Friedman sounded in comparison.
Well the 'Cantrell' switch (I'll call it that) hardly did anything... but worse than that by a long way... I can tell you that I doubt a single person on here would have been happy with the main board - and I'm being serious about that. I had to return that amp. I did make a video at the time but have not published it for regular viewing. Thanks and stay safe.
I had a DS-mini and while it sounded great, it was super sensitive to what wall circuit I plugged it into -- some caused a weird noise, others did not. Power conditioner between the wall and the amp cleaned it up for every circuit. But I still found it really annoying that an amp that cost as much as that one did, given its diminutive size/weight/wattage, had to be plugged into a power conditioner to perform properly.
That seems weird! My studio voltages are nothing special for sure but I have not seen that sort of thing. I do have a noisy light though and that can affect some gear... you might notice some PAR lights on the wall.. they are there for when that problem happens so I can turn off the strip light. Interesting stuff... I have seen other gear (in my day job) suffer from noise but not really so much in my studio... stay safe.
I found your video to be very informative and done very well. I also would rate the amp at 10 out of 10. I had a Marshall Major and that is the sound that I'm comparing the Studio Vintage to. The sound is very much like what I"m accustomed to, the biggest difference between the two is a "0", with the SV at 20 watts and the Major at 200 watts. I did come away with one disappointment. You pointed out that the transformer doesn't have different taps. I have the UK version and live in the US, so it looks like I'll have to get a different transformer put in, as I don't want to carry around a voltage converter. Do you know of where one would get a transformer to make the switch?
Thanks for watching and great that it's a helpful video. It's a cool amp for sure. Marshall Major! :) Richie B machine :) The transformer sadly does NOT have any taps as is common these days in most Marshall and indeed Mesa Boogie and most other amps. Try tubeampdoctor.com they 'might' be able to help but I can't be sure... Stephan is the man you need. Do come back and post here if you do find one! and thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial I got lucky and found a local shop that can get me the transformer. They didn't know the model for the US, but gave me the email for the Marshall rep. I wrote them and they confirmed the model number for me and I was able to order the transformer. Word is that Marshall is rather slow to respond(ship) so I was told it could take as much as 3 months to get the transformer. It's OK, I can wait.
:( I don't have one! Its one of the only models I don't have - no reason except I have too many amps :). If I find one I'll do it... and thanks for watching.
Ha Ambrose... they won't listen to little old me! Who knows, it might be in the works... Santiago Alvarez is back at Marshall they say and he developed the series I think.
tonymckenziecom no. If they don’t listen to you . They are making a big mistake . Great to hear that he back at Marshall . Marshall 60th anniversary should have something very interesting coming . Looking forward to it . Stay safe
Tony your the cooooolest older, I did not say old, geeeze on youtube for Marshall and music and being smart in general. I would love to jam with you one day and visit the Marshall factory with you. I got a 59 Plexi and it is well a real amp. Looking forward to your analysis of this baby amp.
Ah 59 Plexi... a real amp :). I have the reissue HW and that's great too. These little amps (the 20w studio series) are really great as you can drive them easily. Appreciate the comments and thanks for watching.
Thank you for this outstanding and honest review! The quality is insane. I've heard people say it's really loud amp. Do you happen to know the approximate Db level when the amp is cranked even a little bit (around 5-7, just enough for these slight breakup Hendrix kind of tones) ? Stay safe!
Don't know the DB's sorry - but it CAN be loud. I recommend either reactive load or drive pedal... :) Join both channels... instant Hendrix :) Thanks.,
The amp is Cathode biased and check here for a demo: ruclips.net/video/m3EuPmog-24/видео.html Hope it helps... and thanks for watching. BTW I have not seen a combo here...
Just bought the sv20 “snake” sssssssss and matching cab. I sometimes will need to keep this rather quiet in the old bedroom. I have a ,don’t laugh, Harley Benton attenuator 60 quid which has been brilliant surprisingly on my vintage modern 50 watt amp. My question is if I want a better one, which is the one to go for, I haven’t got that much left after my recent purchase.
I agree the snake can be loud... I usually drive it with a ts808 or something myself which helps but still loud. I know of the HB attenuator and if it seems to work well that's probably all that matters. It will change the tone though. And there lies the problem. What you really need if you want an excellent replication of the real sound 'but lower' is a 'reactive load' type of attenuator like the two-notes unit I recently reviewed here: ruclips.net/video/9UyQzMqnFPM/видео.html but that is not exactly cheap (compared to the HB unit). But it does have many advantages in that unit over and above regular attenuators. Check the review... but you can buy one any time so why not wait a while and save up a bit... the HB will work in the meantime... but expect a massive upgrade if you get a Captor X. They might drop in price a little or look for a second user one. If I was looking and budget was important that unit is honestly better than most and with those extra features it makes it all great value. Hope that helps and I can't really advise on others because either they cost more or I have not tried them. I trust you love the amp and cab? So was I right about the amp? Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial hasn’t arrived yet. I will get back to you I’m excited, got it from fair deal music and I told them about you. I just wanted the ultimate Marshall. This seemed it.
Oh Fair Deal... I bought both the snake and the sc20 from them... and I liked how they literally went out of their way to help me. They did not have to. So I bought as a regular customer just like you and they were literally 'fair' on the pricing and shipped fast. I relate highly to dealers that are like that because some dealers are just not really customer focused in the way they should be - Fair Deal were on two purchases and other stuff I bought before including a Laney Tony Iommi head which was exceptional deal. When I want to review something new that is important to me. The 'snake' is a great amp and hits the tones that a plexi would and dies but lower volume (the 100's are really loud). And of course there really won't be many of them around (or the stealth amp) and that's a good thing. I don't know about you, but I like to have something like that finished a bit different - it separates that amp from the myriad of others out there. When you get it all going and stuff come back on here and tell it as you find it... it helps other guys... and that's always a good thing. And don't let that snake bite :) Stay safe.
Yes that was a great price... at £699 that's also what I paid but if you look around they go for more generally. Not sure of the cab price (I bought the stealth 1x12 cab) but knowing Fair Deal that will be a pretty good price I'm sure. What I found was that they had the amp actually there... in the case of the Stealth SC version it was (if you watch the video) very early and one of the very first few. But this one was early too and I like them both because of the lowered outputs. Made well too :) Thanks.
You were at the Isle Of Wight 1970?!? I've seen that movie a hundred times. Free, Ten Years After, The Who, Hendrix... amazing stuff. One my of my favorite classic rock documentaries.
Oh how I wanted to be there. I planned to go because of Hendrix... but there was a problem a few weeks before the IOW. Cutting a long story very short - I would have been fired had I gone... so I needed the money and the job. Sadly I missed my one chance of seeing Hendrix before he died. Some say Hendrix was this or was that... etc. but to be honest, I loved the film and the music. I'll NEVER forget the intro to Foxy Lady where that guitar starts below talking level and slowly increases until the 100 Plexi amps would have blown away most people. BTW If you ever get the IOW original vinyl recording it is mixed for Foxy Lady in a different way than with the other digital stuff. At one point Hendrix says something like 'if you want the same old stuff'... etc. and that has a huge reverb over his intro vocals... quite incredible. One of the few things I regret not going to. I did however go to the 'weeley' pop festival here: www.ukrockfestivals.com/weeley-festival.html and distinctly remember watching Rory Gallagher humping his gear out of an old 'Bedford' van on to stage - doing the set and then lugging it back off. Then he was gone up the road :)
Great video Tony 👍that is one slick looking and sounding amp. I still don't know whether to get the 20w silver jubilee or the plexi. I hear the drive on the jube can be fizzy. What's your preference? I have a Carvin Legacy 2x12 combo, remember them?? Wonder if they were well made in their day. Sounds great but so so loud, I'm thinking one of these 20w Marshalls will be a good addition. Thanks for keeping us entertained and keep up the great work.
I have not tried the jubilee in the 20w stable, but I did try the 100w amp and while many liked it (the build was incredibly good overall) for my own style it is not that suited to me. The sound was OK though. Some did comment on the 50 watt (I think it was) and how it sounded different, so best to check in real life if you can. Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Hey Tony, received one of these today.....just wow. Sounds fantastic, a lot louder than I expected even on the 5w. Will need an attenuator. Thanks for the hot tip ;)
Well done... I think they are pretty cool amps really. The finish is far nicer in real life than on the vid I thought too. Yes just 5 watts can be loud, but you can also take a ts808 ond put that in the front which can reduce that volume a little. The Two Notes seems well matched to this amp too. Stay safe and come back and write a bit about your experience with the amp too.
@@tonymckenzieofficial I've ordered an attenuator (Harley Benton) to help with the volume. I've been driving it with pedals for now and it is a LOT of fun. I just want to keep playing it. Very easy to dial in great tones. There is one one thing that is a bit of a worry. The high treble channel when turned up even the slightest bit above 0 introduces a significantly loud hiss/noise. The guitar can be heard fine but the hiss is off putting. I've tried this with jumpered inputs and without. The hiss has rendered the channel unusable to me and I dial it down all the way. Is this the way they are? Part of the design? This is the first plexi I've ever used, so am not sure? Thought it might be faulty tube but from what I've read, the plexis have an ungodly amount of treble. Would love to get the matching vertical cab but I broke the bank getting the head. I was thinking of getting one used a re-tolexing but I doubt I could match the make skin used on the head!! Name dropped you at FDM btw and I think that helped with getting a bit off 👍👍👍
There will be noise particularly when using the treble and the presence through top channel and turned up. If that is off putting you can use a noise gate... but maybe there could be a tube problem? Probably not... but easy enough to fit a tube to the V1 socket and see if it changes anything. Plexi amps do have lots of treble, but they have a pretty unique tone style also which really is that 'plexi' style. But it should not be where you can't use the channel. My 1959HW can be noisy but that's 100w and I expect that. Their tolex work is excellent and I often look at the corners etc. and its all perfect. The red snake is nice in reality as opposed to the videos I think too. I would try a noise gate on the amp if the tube changes nothing... let me know how that goes... stay safe too.
Indeed I still have the amp yes. I'm not a combo guy so sorry on that one. I have the JCM800 stealth version too... all good and surprisingly affordable.
Tony, to make your review complete. The big thing these days is being able to use loud tube amps at indoors and baby asleep in the next room volumes. A further video of that amp: i With a passive volume box in the loop, the cheapest way to reduce the volume ii With a reactive attenuator between amp and spkr cab iii Into a loadbox with impulse responses The above elements would make this a 100% comprehensive review and pssssst, I know exactly which amp has the pair of cement resistors mounted which destroy the board traces lol. Keep up the good work Tony.
These are fair enough points of course. I have reviewed two reactive load boxes of recent times with Marshall amps, one the Roland TAE and the other recently the two-notes Captor X and both made the amp sound pretty good to be honest. I have used them also direct, through real mics etc. and either way they are pretty cool. As for these amps in a recording situation, I never really found the need for load boxes and I showed on this vid at least just how low they were on the 5w position. But you're right it would enhance the review. Maybe on another played review showing those two reactive load boxes might be a good idea. Often it all relates to time if you want the truth... and over the last three weeks my life has been hell with two PC's giving me real aggro. Nearly fixed now... :) Stay safe.
OMG... you MUST know her :) I am continually 'reminded' about the 'front room' where I record about what a 'pig sty' it all is :) Ha I must be doing something right :). Actually she is a bit like back ache it only gets annoying from time to time, and no amount of cream from the pharmacy will help it. Not gold, silver, leather bags, shoes... well you name it! I even offered an amp at one time and she was NOT impressed. It was OK until I told here where I would put it. :) If ever she reads this I'll be someone's garter... made from my guys. :)
Interesting comment... my ears are not so good these days (side effect from a pill!) but clearly the mic will have an effect whereas a DI type of input would be using some speaker emulator of one kind or another and maybe simulated mic etc. you know what I mean. Then there is the Ozone final I ram it through that will level things nicely that might change things a little, but I don't really hear that other than volumes etc.
I don't think they make a JTM45 Studio? Maybe I'm wrong but even if they did I don't own one. However, I do own a JTM45 that you might like to see here: ruclips.net/video/MesLdo5zIDU/видео.html and that's basically an amp I assembled some while back as near to original as I could get... worth a look at least. And thanks for watching.
Hey Dean... Well I like the 'STEALTH' version best (jcm900 type) as the drive is not quite right for my own style - if you look at the playing on here... and look at the stealth one playing you will immediately see a difference. An interesting amp though and I'm sure they will sell many. It looks great too :) Stay safe....
These are the amps home players and people who do small gigs were waiting for. Good to see the quality and tone is still there with Marshall. Gotta love the Snakeskin too....lol Thanks Tony!
Yes they are a bargain (at least in the UK) and are made well with a nice presentation too. Sound great. Limited editions so what's not to like! Stay safe!
Another great vid Tony. I see you didn't mention if there is a cover with the amp. Also what do you think of 1000 quid guitars without a case PRS in particular. Maybe you could do a wee thing on that Cheers
Good question... I did not see a cover in there so I would assume it has none. My box was sealed on delivery. I think for £1000 and no case they want their heads looking... what a P take. I could make a video on the things we really pay for but never get... that's a good way of looking at it I guess. Makers make stuff cheaper and cheaper and charge higher and higher with lower specs... in some cases. Is the world going mad? Maybe - but a great point. Stay safe.
While the gear is 'good', I sincerely think that there are a number of makers that could make that for half the price really. At £2000 it's a bit like Mesa amps now in the UK... the price becomes unreasonable for sure. I love Mesa gear, but would I buy a new one? Unlikely today. Stay safe.
Tyler, the Chupacabra is an entirely different beast - more akin to a Friedman (the driven ones) I think but for the great price they are. However this amp and the Studio JCM800 Stealth I reviewed are both great amps... one for the vintage (this one) and the JCM for more driven stuff. I liked the JCM better than this amp, but its all a matter of what someone likes and the styles they play I think. Pretty much all these amps are really good. Thanks and stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thank you! If I was shooting for more early Van Halen, Randy Rhoads and George Lynch tones which one would you suggest? Stay safe too!
Well they all seemed to be PLEXI at the time especially earlier on. The SV20 is a contender for those tones and you could drive the amp with a pedal? The 800 has a different sound than the Plexi type as this amp is. The real plexi is of course the answer :) but probably too loud and heavy for most stuff without a reactive load. My guess is that you should try these amps out... only you will know if it's right for you and no amount of other guys views are ultimately what you need. We're all different, and for me the 800 was a nicer tone for my playing... but the real Plexi has no real contender no matter what some say. Theres a review on my channel of the hand wired 1959 amp. Thanks and stay safe.
This seems like just the amp im looking for my friend . ..correct me if I'm wrong , but it's seems to have more all round usable tones then the " 800 mini "...the cleans of the sv20 are lush as well as incredible dirt too...can this be played at " home " volume s too or will I need an attenuator ? I'm here in Nova Scotia , Canada and both the stealth and snakeskin amps are in stock ...awesome . The sv20 head is $ 1499 cdn here and it's $ 300 more for snakeskin but it's a 2 month wait for black so I may just pay the 300 more...excellent video my friend and be safe.
Well... heres the Stealth 800: ruclips.net/video/spmM0DQgDIg/видео.html personally I like the stealth because it suits my style of music better... and thats the point... you need to check regarding your style of music... we're all different. But either amp is exceptional at what it does! Stay safe.
Another GREAT review, Tony! Good job. I was wondering, could you do a review of the Suhr SL67 (or even the 100W SL68)? It's one of the best (in my opinion anyway) Plexi clones out there and it's a hand-wired amp. I own one and I'm absolutely in love with it. But I would very much like you to review it if possible. Cheers, mate!
Hi Ben, I don't have either of those Suhr amps. If you're in the midlands I would review yours! But I doubt I will invest again in a Suhr. To be honest... I felt 'scolded' by Mr Suhr for making a 9/10 review of their products. Who knows why, but I thought the review of the PT15 was very thorough and a good reflection of the reality of the product without the hype of others. Oh well... Thanks for asking though... it is something I appreciate and if you are near enough then contact me via my website and I would do it... :) Stay safe!
tonymckenziecom I understand. I’m in The Netherlands, so it’s not very practical to send you my amp. But thanks for considering this. It is much appreciated. Who knows what the future holds? ;-)
Oh I agree... it would be the wrong thing to do. Obviously if I find one or swap one for something then I'll do a review... every amp in it's own way is interesting - whether good, bad, indifferent etc. and I never really get bored of looking at them :) Stay safe Ben.
:( unfortunately I don't... and I regretted selling that amp... they are also going up and up. Singular thing I did not like was it's size... like a 200w Marshall.
Hi, loved your quite extensive reviews of this amp and also the Laney Tony Iommi one. I currently own a DSL20HR, and planning to purchase the SC20H; apart from the sound, how do they compare as far as the quality of the components and the overall fit and finish go.
Glad you liked the reviews and thanks for watching them. The DSL20 might be made abroad (I think some are these days) but that should still be a well made amp. I don't think the SC20H is inferior in any way from my experience. The SC is also one I have reviewed here: ruclips.net/video/spmM0DQgDIg/видео.html and that amp is the same quality as you will see as this SV version. Mine is a 'Stealth' version, but basically the same amp with different livery. The SC plays rock really well and has a very great sound. I still own the one in the review. Both the SV and the SC are made in England at Milton Keynes and the quality is excellent. Hope it helps and stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thanks for the reply, looking forward to buying the SC20H; by the way, the DSL20HR is made in Vietnam, and as you have already guessed, it is made quite well.
Well when you get it do come back and post your opinion - remember that real owners opinions are worth 1000 of those fake videos and reviews out there!. Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Definitely; once again really digging your reviews, I have been watching AMP reviews for quite some time, but wonder why RUclips did not recommend your channel early. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
Well I think that some don't like to see real reviews? There are so many fake or sales reviews and very few people show exactly what they find. It's really because I'm not sponsored in any way by those companies etc. so its half expected really. BTW once you watch a couple of my videos they will 'magically' then start to list them for you. Make sure you have the 'bell' ring on the sub and thumbs up then they will send you a note when I upload... otherwise its luck of the draw. Thanks.
Well 20w is 20w - but honestly, I tend to think of it like this... if you go a gig with a 1x12 cabinet and the rest of the band is stonkin... then you might suffer a little. But I think that its all about moving air really. If you use a 4x12 decent and efficient cab then I think you would be fine... Zep is classic rock and ha it's not the death metal stuff :) so my guess is you would be fine in that situation with the right cab. While it's true that this is 'only' a 20w amplifier, if you have a 100w sitting at the side while there clearly is a difference, its NOT five times louder. If you took the same 100w amp and put that through the 1x12 cab, and the 20w through the 4x12 my guess is that the 4x12 gear would be the choice. Thanks for watching and great question.
That Send/Return ON-OFF switch will create another dirty contact to clean later on top of the common known SEND/RETURN dirty jacks. I have a question. Is the RETURN input goes through a pot or straight out no holds barred to the power tubes and speaker? Great video sir.
Good question about the return. I can't tell without the schematic... so I would have to look further on that. If I find one I'll post the answer here. At least its a serial loop! Thanks and stay safe
Good question - I don't remember seeing a bias pot on any of the Studio series so probably set somewhere... it would be a guess if I said more! stay safe and thanks for watching.
Indeed it would. And also awesome if they released in this studio size all the amps that they made for artists over the years... I sincerely hope that they do that one day. They would sell thousands and thousands. Thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial It truly makes my blood turn cold looking inside amps these days and seeing valve bases stuck on pcb's. Not condemning all pcb builds though, a look into an English made hiwatt is like looking at a pcb work of art, done to the level of a 1st class hand wired amp they are. The offshore ones, different story altogether.
Well I guess the days of amps made to last are not maybe priorities for some makers. There are many amps out there that are reasonably made and some that just are clearly developed without the longevity in mind that perhaps maybe they should have. And the price is far from the general rule either...
@@tonymckenzieofficial Ya know Tony.. I have some Celestion speakers with a snake decal on the large ceramic magnets called "Sidewinders". Some were for regular guitar, but most had bass cones and were inside of JCM 800 ported bass cabs. I have searched high and low for proper reviews and found none. Only a few poor demonstrations and comments. I've read that some newer metal players anxiously seek them out. According to Dr. Decibel and others, this speaker was Celestions answer to the great EV speaker that many power house players use. Some love this Snake back Celestion and others find it anemic. Do you have any experience with these speakers? Thanks
You know, I have not seen those. But I DID find info as follows: “Until now, guitarists have had a choice. Either Celestion’s classic G Series with their rich, gutsy rock ‘n roll performance, or American made units with edgewound voice coils and a cleaner, country feel to their sound. Now there is no choice: the new S12-150 does it all! From the open bluesy riffs of country music to the deep dark snarl of Heavy Metal….” The copywriting is questionable, but the purpose of the Sidewinder was unmistakable. The message was clear, finally a Celestion guitar speaker that was able to produce “American tone”. The Sidewinder came in three different variants. The S12-150PE was purely a guitar speaker (denoted by PE = Paper Edge), offering 150-watt power handling. S12-150CE and S15-250CE were for more general musical instrument purposes, largely for for use with bass guitar and keyboards (denoted by CE=Cloth Edge), offering 150-watt (12″ model) and 250-watt (15″ model) respectively. And there is also a data sheet here: celestion.com/blog/from-the-archive-the-sidewinder/ and sincerely hope it helps... thanks for the info and for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Yes, that's the same information I came across years ago. However, there's not a lot of information from even bass players about them. Guitar players rule the Internet, but you hear little to nothing about bass players and bass innovation. About seven years ago on a Marshall amp forum of some sort, I came across a thread about the Sidewinders and several metal guitarists were very quick to jump in the thread offering to purchase any that were for sale and giving them high praise. Maybe someday I'll have to do something about this myself. I found one RUclips video years ago of a man playing in his back yard, Sabbath songs through a single Sidewinder in a 1-12 cab and it was quite good. I was most surprised. Anyhoot, thanks again and keep up the interesting videos mate! 👍
Wow.. Awesome review. You have really changed my opinion of these little Marshall heads. I was laughing when you were talking about Friedman amps.. They are so overhyped!! Now my only problem is deciding which 20W Marshall to go with. I generally like the JTM tones, maybe the SV20 would be best. At least now I got Friedman off my list of alternatives, lol. I live in Canada and they are way overpriced compared to Marshall.
It's a cool little amp. The Friedman I briefly had was not for me and never will be from what I saw. It was not as good as this in either the quality or the sounds that came out of it. And the SC20 Black STEALTH amp was even better (at least for my playing style). If you like older style amps (sounds like you do) then this is the best of the two in the series for sure. But remember there is no master volume, you could control that with a pot in the loop, or an attenuator... these are pretty loud even on 5 watts. But great amps and Marshall should have done this years ago. And I hope they carry on with other Studio series of the great amps they made. I don't think on the 'runt' type of amps that Friedman make that you would be missing anything. Others might disagree. Of course the top end Friedman are a different proposition, but the prices are pretty silly over here. So post the pricing on here if you will that might be useful to someone... thanks and stay safe.
I have an SV20H and they sound great. If you're looking for JTM tones, many SV20 owners have replaced the stock EL34's with KT66's to get closer to that sound. No bias needed as it's a cathode based amp. There's debate on whether or not swapping the tubes to KT66 will work the transformer harder, but many have done it (at their own risk) and are very happy with the results.
Great info and thanks for posting that. The 66's usually have a 1.5K screen resistor though? am I right on that? I remember working on a Berman amp years ago that had the 1.5k's in there. Thanks for the info.... and stay safe
Not on this or the Stealth amp. Seems designed the other way (cathode bias??) I'm not an expert on that but there was no bias adjuster - of course they could have done a Mesa... :) Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial I no this is a thing you do, rolling amps to look in side review, but dose Marshall have a hand wired 20 watt amp still? I just herd th ceriatone demo, it sounds like a real Marshall from the old days.
I do not believe they make a hand wired 20w tube amp currently. But Marshall from time to time do return with different stuff so who knows what could be around the corner. Ceriatone make some high quality stuff and often based on the 'older' style designs. But the likes of this SV20 and the SC20 amps do sound particularly good and are at a great price. I'm not really biased for or against either maker and they both certainly have a place.
@@tonymckenzieofficial British Style 20W Lead & Bass Lunchbox, ,, google should take you to the site on this model, also there are new Amps on the site.
I would have said that, but I believe it was discontinued? I don't know of 20w Marshalls that have the old style non-pcb builds... they all seem to be pcb currently for the 20w stuff. Next nearest is likely the JTM45? A reissue but those are PCB?
@@tonymckenzieofficial Don't need to, thanks. This industry is catching up to the audiophiles with their $2,000 AC power cords for "greater spatial definition". The T&E house wiring doesn't count because it's hidden. 20 years from now, we'll still be getting modelers that "sound better". I haven't found anything that can touch my Digitech GNX4 and so I snapped-up a further five of them. Cheers 😁👍
Sadly, the music industry is riddled with lots of people/companies/reviewers/music retailers that try and somehow mislead musicians for their own benefit. It's a sad situation IMO, and its also sad that you or most don't raise that point about some of what is on YT hiding in plain daylight but few actually comment about all of that do they. Ha $2000 cables don't make me laugh, I stopped at about $25 or so with lifetime guarantee. So you don't like my playing? So? The review is all about a product and not me. My guess is that also there is lots of 'other' music that you don't like? But the artists might well be in the top 1% of successful musicians even in the world. So? There's nothing new about any of that and I can name loads that I think are not for me to listen to, but they are successful nevertheless. Take the time to watch the review and hey you never know, you might learn something about this really great Marshall amp. Thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial honored by the reply. Question is $2550.00 us over kill to pay for this amp i am in the US. That would be 2039.10 british pounds with the 2/12
Don't be - I'm just like you :) And you know, the price in the USA for the Studio series (not just the ST20) needs to be addressed a little. I can't tell you what Marshall might say on the subject as I honestly don't know, but if ever they would tell me then I would offer the info. Having been involved with technology and shipping the difference seems high to me. But no different than what Mesa Boogie, Fractal Audio, Friedman and others certainly try to charge customers in the UK. Importantly, thanks for watching...
I heard this gossip about some amplifier maker including that in the project of synergy amp which is we know what amps are there...were outsourcing their product because their company were sell to a one richest jewish and he owned them all....i dunno if its true or not
I don't know about all of that... based in the UK and have had a sheltered life :). However, it appears Synergy and a few other brands are all made in the same place (or at the very least were developed by the same company) and it seems outsourced to a company in California. My inspection close of one brand ensures I'll never buy another. In fact I returned it. Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Ha that's OK... we have spoke for a long time :) and remember it's just a personal opinion... there are also amps out there I don't like too! The great thing is though, that there ARE many amps rather than just a few. In any case I really do think I beat the rest out there with this amp... and interesting to see. Stay safe too!
@@tonymckenzieofficial I watch your stuff even when I don't like the product...usually. I thought I'd be honest as to why I wasn't watching this one. I support your reviews 100%. I like honesty more than anything else :O) (actually, I let it run in the background just to give you a view).
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Love these reviews. Calm and detailed. I am a novice and really enjoy understanding how these things work and what you actually get for your money.
Great to hear. I am not perfect (my wife confirms :) but I do try hard to show the reality of the amps and other stuff as best I can. I make them exactly for you :) Thanks for watching and those kind words.
These are great reviews. THis product looks the business and I'd probably get one of these if I was gigging.
Hi Robin, yes Plexi without the high output, but even at 20w they can be loud. Check out the SC20 too - i did review that also... have a great Christmas and a happy new year...
Tony that was a very thoughtful wellness caring message at the end of the analysis. You stay safe as well always.❤
Well I have been through a few things - I have historically commented that guys should check for Prostate Cancer - I had it in 2013 but thankfully got past that - but I have seen guys from just 39 years old with it! It's not ALL old guys at all I think 39 is not old. And the thing you saw re virus we all went through it, but I wanted to try and jog peoples mind's as it all was going down and maybe it could help someone. Lastly, in 2001 I spent four months writing a website ( incident0727.com - which was actually the incident number of the call to police I believe) with the faces of as many victims I could find re the twin towers and a page for each one I could get info on. I was in the USA and felt that very strongly. That site is down today, I still have it, but I am working to get it back up there updated to the 2020's in remembrance of the people that lost their lives. It was such a tragedy and I felt so strongly about all of that. It's not all about guitars and music for sure. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks once again for the deep dive into the amp - high quality sound, and beautiful esthetics - a classy chassis!
It looks really cool in real life - the 'snakeskin' sets it off nicely. The best pic of that was the closeup of the mounting screws which shows a real reflection of the real colour. Thanks for watching this stuff... and without guys like you there would be no point. Stay safe.
Fantastic Snake Skin and once again great explanation! Thank you Tony!
The snake was not happy :) of course its simulated :) Thanks and Stay safe
Love your detailed reviews, and I'm interested in this amp.
A very useful amp and sounds great. Thanks for watching.
Tony, you are the best! Why yes, it is my birthday :) Thank you for my new amp, lol
Thanks for the kind words... but you can't have it :) Stay safe.
tonymckenziecom No worries. Lol
No you can’t have it. Cos it’s for me.🕊
Great review Tony! I've got one of these coming tomorrow and was a little nervous to see inside it, but after seeing this I'm even more excited. I'm a vintage Fender guy and this'll be my first Marshall for the studio - every sample I've heard sounds great! Thanks for taking the time to make such a nice review, and nice playing too!
Hi Jesse, its a pretty good amp I think and especially the overall quality and the sound is pretty cool. It drives nicely too with a TS808! :) Just like the 'old' days so to speak. In any case you should find that amp pretty cool. I still have mine too :). Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial thanks Tony, you too! I really appreciate you putting the message in your video about covid, it’s really worth worrying about and the longer this goes on the more people ignore that. My elderly father got it because he isn’t being careful and doesn’t think it’s a big deal, and while he recovered, he’s one of the lucky ones.
Indeed! It becomes so easy to just be 'oh its no problem' in thinking, but in reality the families of the people dying from it don't think that... and many age ranges too not 'just' the old. Your father is VERY lucky to have beaten it. Some survivors have issues for life after that. Again something too few people realise. We're on the same side and thanks for pointing that out. Stay safe.
Great review of a great amp Tony and a sensible message at the end. Good luck and please keep up the inside and out reviews they are humourous and truly fascinating :-)
Thanks for the kind words and I'll try and keep it all going. Had PC issues but getting back now... Stay safe.
For the amazing playing you have that booger dialed in with that plexi jagged kind growl and creme on top just perfectly🎸🧨
Thanks for the kind words... appreciated.
Thanks for being so knowledgeable with Marshall amps and sharing that knowledge. Knowledge is power. This amp is really cool 😎 love the snake color which was very hard to see at first but it did show up much better later in the video. Cheers 🍻
The whole studio series are pretty cool amps. I did also review the Studio JCM800 stealth equivalent (in black) and thats a cool amp too. For the money these are king :) and I still have them both. I believe september or thereabouts there are some Marshall amps to come. Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Best gear reviews on RUclips.
I get told that quite a lot... but scarily it's hard to get subscribers (for whatever reason) or massive views of the reviews I make. Even this amp (basically the first one reviewed when I did it) only has low volumes compared to some of the dross I see on RUclips and the fake review channels. What's the difference? Basically I don't lie! :) Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Thanks for a great review Tony, I thought it sounded very nice & at a reasonable price, also, lovely to see Made in England on the back, I was reading recently that the Vox AC30 was made in China !
Yes it was a real change to see the 'Made in England' on a relatively low cost amp... This amp did work well and sounded great in the recording studio. I was only on the 5w setting at about 11:00 which is interesting in itself. I'm not surprised these days about Chinese made stuff... but I have to say personally I see that changing in the coming years for many reasons. Thanks and stay safe.
Great review as always, Tony :-)
Thanks and for watching too! Stay safe.
cool amp! sounds great! great review! Thanks for posting!
Thanks for watching this... I always liked to see inside gear - it shows the stuff that says a lot about any maker. Thanks and stay safe.
Thanks a bunch for the in depth and honest review Tony! I just ordered the ssssnakeskin version from Fair Deal, they have gone out of their way to get one in the post today, great service and price, stoked!
Great to know you got one... I still have mine too :). Yes Fair Deal are pretty snappy from my experience and one of the better guys around in my experience. For Marshall I know no one better. 'Little Gary' has recently started working there too (I think he's ex PMT) and Gary is certainly one of the best out there. Do let me know what you think of the amp. I think especially for the money it's all there :). Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial yes mate, it was Gary who sorted it out for me, well chuffed
Good to know he's still the same old Garry though! :) thanks for posting that too... and stay safe.
Always like all the electric details in your videos and you honest opinion. BTW: If you add a 0:00 Intro entry to your timestamps the timeline will be splitted into sections which is a good thing for your viewers.
A very useful tip for me RGV and one I appreciate greatly... indeed I will add the 0:00 thing. Thanks for those kind words too and for watching. Stay safe
I see Marshall, I give thumbs up.
Classic... 'sultans of wing' :) great title. Thanks for watching and stay safe.
Found your channel a few weeks ago. Love it! Congrats on losing the Covid hair 😃
Ha - the covid hair is STILL there really... my daughter cut the grass but its still hiding there. It is even more prominent on a soon to be released video. :) Thanks for watching this stuff and stay safe.
Nice amp, thanks for the review Tony!
Glad you liked it. Its a pretty cool amp in reality and that snakeskin sets it off. Limited too!. Stay safe.
Hi Tony, and thanks for an awesome review. I have just looked on the Anderton's website and it returned 'no search results', for this head. Looked there as they are my local(ish) music store, not that I like their store policies that much, they are not as nice as they project. I will give Fair Deal a try, and order one of these, and it's even better that it is made in England. Cheers.
I am not surprised that this amp is not found on other sites and I have not seen a single review of the real for sale amp except this one at this time - same with the stealth amp I reviewed. I have bought from Fair Deal a few times and they have always helped me get the gear and delivered as fast as possible - for me that is what matters. They do not pay me at all to mention them either - its purely that they seem to have the goods and are from what I see a good supplier... so its a real recommendation. Yes Made in England and that's a change... the stealth was too :). Stay safe.
I ordered one of these in late january and im still waiting, just been told its coming in a week. I havnt looked online for details on the amp since before your video was released so cool to see this now. Im in australia so paid a bit more than you but still a decent amount less than the Americans have to pay
I'm sure you will love this amp. It's a really nice tone and you can get those plexi sounds easily. Hope the video helped a little and I thought they were pretty cool inside. Stay safe down there :) and thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial thanks for the video mate, all really in depth stuff. Keep it up!
Hi, how do you feel about the omission of the choke transformer on both the SV and the SC? Is it rather an economic or an engineering decision on Marshall's part?
The choke has been left out of far more expensive Marshall amps... for example the JVM410H heads had no choke, just a big fat resistor. I did convert the amp at one stage but its very easy to convince yourself there is a difference after you just did the mod. For me, ultimately I heard little if any difference. So with that in mind personally I don't really care either way (btw a very good point you made) and for the 'marginal difference' (just an opinion) I would have left it out too. Probably a cost that many/most might not even benefit from. Having said that, the JVM401HJS (Satch head) did have a choke in there along with many other differences no one ever mentions and the JVM410HJS is one of my favorite Marshall heads - whereas the JVM410H really is not. Somewhere on my channel I show the modifications of the JVM410H and add the missing choke. Thanks for watching.
Hey there, great informative video.
Nice looking amp, and I hear they sound as good as they look.
I've got a bit of a question. I've been tinkering away with my 20w Marshall Origin amp head. I've scoured all the traces on the board, top and bottom, and connected all the dots to come up with a schematic that's mostly there now. I am in the midst of installing a Type 3 Post Phase Inverter Master Volume on that.
I have been interested in trying to note the differences between these models, the SV20 and Origin 20, as following the board construction, components and layout, I don't see much between them. Although I do see that on the SV there a lot less clutter. The pots are the flat ones, the same as are on the DSL series, where as the Origin has more standard style pots.
But they're not looking a million miles away, so I just wondered of you had any thoughts on the differences or views on the Origin series? In comparison? :-)
Thank you,
Jason
Its a very good point, but I have not yet compared the origin with either this board or the 'stealth' jcm800 one. I'll try and do that and maybe come back with a better answer... but great point. Stay safe.
Another great review Tony.
Thanks Mark for stopping by and watching. Nice amp this one... Stay safe.
Nice review! Your the best at these and i can actually trust what youre saying. I saw one today, a very nice condition floor model. It was the head and cab, basically for the price of the head alone. I may go back to pick it up. I was more looking for a small home amp, as I don't have much use for 20/5w right now. But still, it's cool as hell and I've already got a JCM1 custom Shop mini stack, but want a plexi type.
They are pretty loud depending on which cab you grab. I have all three now and they are all really pretty good sounding - some disagree of course, but for what you get its hard to beat... not sure of pricing outside the UK though as some stuff is more expensive. Yes with a cab 'thrown in' its probably a very good deal. Thanks for the info and for watching.
I have saved pennies in jars for 10yrs. I do not have a tech within 500mi from me. I am buying this amp based on your review. My last amp was a Red-Knob Twin -
Well I trust you like the amp. I still have mine and it has a really cool sound and at a volume I can manage. Thanks for watching and having the faith in what I showed.... appreciated.
Interesting... I saw some pics of this Snake version, and both switches and input jacks were white.
That could be correct actually. This amp was produced for the dealer and was an amp that might have the odd thing different indeed like you say. Thanks for posting this info... and stay safe out there.
Hi Tony, another great and in-depth review. Thank you.
Could I please get your opinion on something?
I want to know about the volume. I am a gigging guitarist - nothing professional, just a typical pub rock covers band with the occasional wedding/function.
I am currently using a Blackstar HT100 head. I like this amp but I’ve been gigging it for 9 years and it shows. It’s also a heavy beast so I’m looking to down size.
Do you feel the SV20 (through a 2x12) would be loud enough for a pub gig with a bass player and drummer. I prefer not to mic up and rely on the back line. I’ve seen many varying opinions. All with experience of this amp are also welcome to comment.
Your thoughts please.
Thank you.
Well that 20 watts does not sound like it would do it - but I think that's misleading to go by the headline wattage alone. You hit the nail on the head really IMO and that's all about the speaker cab. As well as the quantity of speakers and their size, I think there is an important aspect of how efficient the speakers you use are. Seems many don't talk about that, but if you think about it, a low efficiency speaker will 'rob' you of the volumes. Efficiency, large and numbers of speakers could probably blow the others off the stage :) Hope it helps... and don't read everything in to just watts.. I know you didn't - I mention it for others benefit... Let me know how it goes and what you end up doing. The PRS MT15 btw would blow your head off :)
Just picked up the combo which seems to divide people a lot more due the the speaker size but all things given I really like it. I take the view that this tiny amp combo is Marshall’s equivalent of Fenders Princeton! Make of this what you will
Good to hear you have one! Great little amp I think. When I use this head through the 1x12 speaker cab (for the Stealth JCM version) it sounds really good... and through a 4x12 can be loud! :) Thanks for posting your opinion Nick - and for watching. Stay safe.
@tonymckenziecom Just how bad was the Friedman? I was either going to buy one of those or a 20 watt JCM800. I ended up going with the Marshall after watching your review, but was still wondering just how bad the Friedman sounded in comparison.
Well the 'Cantrell' switch (I'll call it that) hardly did anything... but worse than that by a long way... I can tell you that I doubt a single person on here would have been happy with the main board - and I'm being serious about that. I had to return that amp. I did make a video at the time but have not published it for regular viewing. Thanks and stay safe.
I had a DS-mini and while it sounded great, it was super sensitive to what wall circuit I plugged it into -- some caused a weird noise, others did not. Power conditioner between the wall and the amp cleaned it up for every circuit. But I still found it really annoying that an amp that cost as much as that one did, given its diminutive size/weight/wattage, had to be plugged into a power conditioner to perform properly.
That seems weird! My studio voltages are nothing special for sure but I have not seen that sort of thing. I do have a noisy light though and that can affect some gear... you might notice some PAR lights on the wall.. they are there for when that problem happens so I can turn off the strip light. Interesting stuff... I have seen other gear (in my day job) suffer from noise but not really so much in my studio... stay safe.
I found your video to be very informative and done very well. I also would rate the amp at 10 out of 10. I had a Marshall Major and that is the sound that I'm comparing the Studio Vintage to. The sound is very much like what I"m accustomed to, the biggest difference between the two is a "0", with the SV at 20 watts and the Major at 200 watts. I did come away with one disappointment. You pointed out that the transformer doesn't have different taps. I have the UK version and live in the US, so it looks like I'll have to get a different transformer put in, as I don't want to carry around a voltage converter. Do you know of where one would get a transformer to make the switch?
Thanks for watching and great that it's a helpful video. It's a cool amp for sure. Marshall Major! :) Richie B machine :) The transformer sadly does NOT have any taps as is common these days in most Marshall and indeed Mesa Boogie and most other amps. Try tubeampdoctor.com they 'might' be able to help but I can't be sure... Stephan is the man you need. Do come back and post here if you do find one! and thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial I got lucky and found a local shop that can get me the transformer. They didn't know the model for the US, but gave me the email for the Marshall rep. I wrote them and they confirmed the model number for me and I was able to order the transformer. Word is that Marshall is rather slow to respond(ship) so I was told it could take as much as 3 months to get the transformer. It's OK, I can wait.
Well done in getting one :) Hey and do let me know how it goes. Watch the protection and fuses won't you...
Great review as usual, I didn't know that about Friedman. I wonder if he outsources his guitars also.
I really don't know about the guitars but maybe so... others might know more about the guitars than me. But that amp was disappointing for sure.
Hi Tony! I use to watch your videos. Can you review the Marshall DSL20HR?
Cheers from Portugal 🤘🍺🇵🇹
:( I don't have one! Its one of the only models I don't have - no reason except I have too many amps :). If I find one I'll do it... and thanks for watching.
Great video again. Love Marshall. Hope they will make a studio JVM . 2 channels 6 modes . Noise gate . Mid shift. 😆
A great idea actually... and certainly one that did not cross my mind.. what a good point! Stay safe.
tonymckenziecom pls tell Marshall that . I think many ppl are waiting for that studio jvm .
Ha Ambrose... they won't listen to little old me! Who knows, it might be in the works... Santiago Alvarez is back at Marshall they say and he developed the series I think.
tonymckenziecom no. If they don’t listen to you . They are making a big mistake .
Great to hear that he back at Marshall . Marshall 60th anniversary should have something very interesting coming . Looking forward to it . Stay safe
Tony your the cooooolest older, I did not say old, geeeze on youtube for Marshall and music and being smart in general. I would love to jam with you one day and visit the Marshall factory with you. I got a 59 Plexi and it is well a real amp. Looking forward to your analysis of this baby amp.
Ah 59 Plexi... a real amp :). I have the reissue HW and that's great too. These little amps (the 20w studio series) are really great as you can drive them easily. Appreciate the comments and thanks for watching.
Thank you for this outstanding and honest review! The quality is insane. I've heard people say it's really loud amp. Do you happen to know the approximate Db level when the amp is cranked even a little bit (around 5-7, just enough for these slight breakup Hendrix kind of tones) ? Stay safe!
Don't know the DB's sorry - but it CAN be loud. I recommend either reactive load or drive pedal... :) Join both channels... instant Hendrix :) Thanks.,
Hello great video! It has automatic bias adjust? What do you think the combo version of it? Chears
The amp is Cathode biased and check here for a demo: ruclips.net/video/m3EuPmog-24/видео.html Hope it helps... and thanks for watching. BTW I have not seen a combo here...
Just bought the sv20 “snake” sssssssss and matching cab. I sometimes will need to keep this rather quiet in the old bedroom.
I have a ,don’t laugh, Harley Benton attenuator 60 quid which has been brilliant surprisingly on my vintage modern 50 watt amp.
My question is if I want a better one, which is the one to go for, I haven’t got that much left after my recent purchase.
I agree the snake can be loud... I usually drive it with a ts808 or something myself which helps but still loud. I know of the HB attenuator and if it seems to work well that's probably all that matters. It will change the tone though. And there lies the problem. What you really need if you want an excellent replication of the real sound 'but lower' is a 'reactive load' type of attenuator like the two-notes unit I recently reviewed here: ruclips.net/video/9UyQzMqnFPM/видео.html but that is not exactly cheap (compared to the HB unit). But it does have many advantages in that unit over and above regular attenuators. Check the review... but you can buy one any time so why not wait a while and save up a bit... the HB will work in the meantime... but expect a massive upgrade if you get a Captor X. They might drop in price a little or look for a second user one. If I was looking and budget was important that unit is honestly better than most and with those extra features it makes it all great value. Hope that helps and I can't really advise on others because either they cost more or I have not tried them. I trust you love the amp and cab? So was I right about the amp? Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial hasn’t arrived yet.
I will get back to you I’m excited, got it from fair deal music and I told them about you. I just wanted the ultimate Marshall. This seemed it.
Oh Fair Deal... I bought both the snake and the sc20 from them... and I liked how they literally went out of their way to help me. They did not have to. So I bought as a regular customer just like you and they were literally 'fair' on the pricing and shipped fast. I relate highly to dealers that are like that because some dealers are just not really customer focused in the way they should be - Fair Deal were on two purchases and other stuff I bought before including a Laney Tony Iommi head which was exceptional deal. When I want to review something new that is important to me. The 'snake' is a great amp and hits the tones that a plexi would and dies but lower volume (the 100's are really loud). And of course there really won't be many of them around (or the stealth amp) and that's a good thing. I don't know about you, but I like to have something like that finished a bit different - it separates that amp from the myriad of others out there. When you get it all going and stuff come back on here and tell it as you find it... it helps other guys... and that's always a good thing. And don't let that snake bite :) Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial got the amp for 699 and the 212 upright got 479
Seemed a good price
Yes that was a great price... at £699 that's also what I paid but if you look around they go for more generally. Not sure of the cab price (I bought the stealth 1x12 cab) but knowing Fair Deal that will be a pretty good price I'm sure. What I found was that they had the amp actually there... in the case of the Stealth SC version it was (if you watch the video) very early and one of the very first few. But this one was early too and I like them both because of the lowered outputs. Made well too :) Thanks.
You were at the Isle Of Wight 1970?!? I've seen that movie a hundred times. Free, Ten Years After, The Who, Hendrix... amazing stuff. One my of my favorite classic rock documentaries.
Oh how I wanted to be there. I planned to go because of Hendrix... but there was a problem a few weeks before the IOW. Cutting a long story very short - I would have been fired had I gone... so I needed the money and the job. Sadly I missed my one chance of seeing Hendrix before he died. Some say Hendrix was this or was that... etc. but to be honest, I loved the film and the music. I'll NEVER forget the intro to Foxy Lady where that guitar starts below talking level and slowly increases until the 100 Plexi amps would have blown away most people. BTW If you ever get the IOW original vinyl recording it is mixed for Foxy Lady in a different way than with the other digital stuff. At one point Hendrix says something like 'if you want the same old stuff'... etc. and that has a huge reverb over his intro vocals... quite incredible. One of the few things I regret not going to. I did however go to the 'weeley' pop festival here: www.ukrockfestivals.com/weeley-festival.html and distinctly remember watching Rory Gallagher humping his gear out of an old 'Bedford' van on to stage - doing the set and then lugging it back off. Then he was gone up the road :)
The kind of amp I dream of.
It's not bad... but it does bite :) regards... and stay safe.
Great video Tony 👍that is one slick looking and sounding amp. I still don't know whether to get the 20w silver jubilee or the plexi. I hear the drive on the jube can be fizzy. What's your preference? I have a Carvin Legacy 2x12 combo, remember them?? Wonder if they were well made in their day. Sounds great but so so loud, I'm thinking one of these 20w Marshalls will be a good addition. Thanks for keeping us entertained and keep up the great work.
I have not tried the jubilee in the 20w stable, but I did try the 100w amp and while many liked it (the build was incredibly good overall) for my own style it is not that suited to me. The sound was OK though. Some did comment on the 50 watt (I think it was) and how it sounded different, so best to check in real life if you can. Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Hey Tony, received one of these today.....just wow. Sounds fantastic, a lot louder than I expected even on the 5w. Will need an attenuator. Thanks for the hot tip ;)
Well done... I think they are pretty cool amps really. The finish is far nicer in real life than on the vid I thought too. Yes just 5 watts can be loud, but you can also take a ts808 ond put that in the front which can reduce that volume a little. The Two Notes seems well matched to this amp too. Stay safe and come back and write a bit about your experience with the amp too.
@@tonymckenzieofficial I've ordered an attenuator (Harley Benton) to help with the volume. I've been driving it with pedals for now and it is a LOT of fun. I just want to keep playing it. Very easy to dial in great tones. There is one one thing that is a bit of a worry. The high treble channel when turned up even the slightest bit above 0 introduces a significantly loud hiss/noise. The guitar can be heard fine but the hiss is off putting. I've tried this with jumpered inputs and without. The hiss has rendered the channel unusable to me and I dial it down all the way. Is this the way they are? Part of the design? This is the first plexi I've ever used, so am not sure? Thought it might be faulty tube but from what I've read, the plexis have an ungodly amount of treble. Would love to get the matching vertical cab but I broke the bank getting the head. I was thinking of getting one used a re-tolexing but I doubt I could match the make skin used on the head!! Name dropped you at FDM btw and I think that helped with getting a bit off 👍👍👍
There will be noise particularly when using the treble and the presence through top channel and turned up. If that is off putting you can use a noise gate... but maybe there could be a tube problem? Probably not... but easy enough to fit a tube to the V1 socket and see if it changes anything. Plexi amps do have lots of treble, but they have a pretty unique tone style also which really is that 'plexi' style. But it should not be where you can't use the channel. My 1959HW can be noisy but that's 100w and I expect that. Their tolex work is excellent and I often look at the corners etc. and its all perfect. The red snake is nice in reality as opposed to the videos I think too. I would try a noise gate on the amp if the tube changes nothing... let me know how that goes... stay safe too.
Great review Tony, just out of curiosity do you still have the amp? And have you ever tried the combo version (SV20c)? Cheers
Indeed I still have the amp yes. I'm not a combo guy so sorry on that one. I have the JCM800 stealth version too... all good and surprisingly affordable.
Tony, to make your review complete. The big thing these days is being able to use loud tube amps at indoors and baby asleep in the next room volumes. A further video of that amp:
i With a passive volume box in the loop, the cheapest way to reduce the volume
ii With a reactive attenuator between amp and spkr cab
iii Into a loadbox with impulse responses
The above elements would make this a 100% comprehensive review and pssssst, I know exactly which amp has the pair of cement resistors mounted which destroy the board traces lol. Keep up the good work Tony.
These are fair enough points of course. I have reviewed two reactive load boxes of recent times with Marshall amps, one the Roland TAE and the other recently the two-notes Captor X and both made the amp sound pretty good to be honest. I have used them also direct, through real mics etc. and either way they are pretty cool. As for these amps in a recording situation, I never really found the need for load boxes and I showed on this vid at least just how low they were on the 5w position. But you're right it would enhance the review. Maybe on another played review showing those two reactive load boxes might be a good idea. Often it all relates to time if you want the truth... and over the last three weeks my life has been hell with two PC's giving me real aggro. Nearly fixed now... :) Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial at least its only pc's giving you gip tony, imagine it was the wife, thats a whole new kettle of fish.
OMG... you MUST know her :) I am continually 'reminded' about the 'front room' where I record about what a 'pig sty' it all is :) Ha I must be doing something right :). Actually she is a bit like back ache it only gets annoying from time to time, and no amount of cream from the pharmacy will help it. Not gold, silver, leather bags, shoes... well you name it! I even offered an amp at one time and she was NOT impressed. It was OK until I told here where I would put it. :) If ever she reads this I'll be someone's garter... made from my guys. :)
tonymckenziecom Tony, I’m throwing in my change here too. When you do the straight through to PC, the recordings are much brighter., fuller.
Interesting comment... my ears are not so good these days (side effect from a pill!) but clearly the mic will have an effect whereas a DI type of input would be using some speaker emulator of one kind or another and maybe simulated mic etc. you know what I mean. Then there is the Ozone final I ram it through that will level things nicely that might change things a little, but I don't really hear that other than volumes etc.
Would love to see you review the jtm45
I don't think they make a JTM45 Studio? Maybe I'm wrong but even if they did I don't own one. However, I do own a JTM45 that you might like to see here: ruclips.net/video/MesLdo5zIDU/видео.html and that's basically an amp I assembled some while back as near to original as I could get... worth a look at least. And thanks for watching.
Keeping snake's 🐍 and playing blues/rock on a marshall im pretty sure this amp was made for me. Are you keeping that one tony.
Hey Dean... Well I like the 'STEALTH' version best (jcm900 type) as the drive is not quite right for my own style - if you look at the playing on here... and look at the stealth one playing you will immediately see a difference. An interesting amp though and I'm sure they will sell many. It looks great too :) Stay safe....
@@tonymckenzieofficial I really like the tone offered here. I use my dsl on clean channel to get as close to a plexi tone as it can muster.
And it was not cranked too high either. Thanks...
Great Video. Looks like the typical Marshall board.
Yes it looks very like the stealth board...
These are the amps home players and people who do small gigs were waiting for. Good to see the quality and tone is still there with Marshall. Gotta love the Snakeskin too....lol Thanks Tony!
Yes they are a bargain (at least in the UK) and are made well with a nice presentation too. Sound great. Limited editions so what's not to like! Stay safe!
would it kill Marshall to use a different color pcb? that green brings back horrifying experiences with my dsl
Good point... indeed they DO use other colours on some amps... the 2555X and the 2525H (Studio) has a sort of black colour :).
@@tonymckenzieofficial they should make em all black they look cool and the components have better contrast against the black
Another great vid Tony. I see you didn't mention if there is a cover with the amp. Also what do you think of 1000 quid guitars without a case PRS in particular. Maybe you could do a wee thing on that Cheers
Good question... I did not see a cover in there so I would assume it has none. My box was sealed on delivery. I think for £1000 and no case they want their heads looking... what a P take. I could make a video on the things we really pay for but never get... that's a good way of looking at it I guess. Makers make stuff cheaper and cheaper and charge higher and higher with lower specs... in some cases. Is the world going mad? Maybe - but a great point. Stay safe.
Cheers Tony l was particularly thinking of the prs s2 594 which is nearly 2000 quid. I think that now they are having a laugh
While the gear is 'good', I sincerely think that there are a number of makers that could make that for half the price really. At £2000 it's a bit like Mesa amps now in the UK... the price becomes unreasonable for sure. I love Mesa gear, but would I buy a new one? Unlikely today. Stay safe.
How would you compare this to the CeriaTone Chupacabra? I just came from that video, you’re very interesting!
Tyler, the Chupacabra is an entirely different beast - more akin to a Friedman (the driven ones) I think but for the great price they are. However this amp and the Studio JCM800 Stealth I reviewed are both great amps... one for the vintage (this one) and the JCM for more driven stuff. I liked the JCM better than this amp, but its all a matter of what someone likes and the styles they play I think. Pretty much all these amps are really good. Thanks and stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thank you! If I was shooting for more early Van Halen, Randy Rhoads and George Lynch tones which one would you suggest? Stay safe too!
Well they all seemed to be PLEXI at the time especially earlier on. The SV20 is a contender for those tones and you could drive the amp with a pedal? The 800 has a different sound than the Plexi type as this amp is. The real plexi is of course the answer :) but probably too loud and heavy for most stuff without a reactive load. My guess is that you should try these amps out... only you will know if it's right for you and no amount of other guys views are ultimately what you need. We're all different, and for me the 800 was a nicer tone for my playing... but the real Plexi has no real contender no matter what some say. Theres a review on my channel of the hand wired 1959 amp. Thanks and stay safe.
This seems like just the amp im looking for my friend . ..correct me if I'm wrong , but it's seems to have more all round usable tones then the " 800 mini "...the cleans of the sv20 are lush as well as incredible dirt too...can this be played at " home " volume s too or will I need an attenuator ? I'm here in Nova Scotia , Canada and both the stealth and snakeskin amps are in stock ...awesome . The sv20 head is $ 1499 cdn here and it's $ 300 more for snakeskin but it's a 2 month wait for black so I may just pay the 300 more...excellent video my friend and be safe.
Well... heres the Stealth 800: ruclips.net/video/spmM0DQgDIg/видео.html personally I like the stealth because it suits my style of music better... and thats the point... you need to check regarding your style of music... we're all different. But either amp is exceptional at what it does! Stay safe.
Another GREAT review, Tony! Good job. I was wondering, could you do a review of the Suhr SL67 (or even the 100W SL68)? It's one of the best (in my opinion anyway) Plexi clones out there and it's a hand-wired amp. I own one and I'm absolutely in love with it. But I would very much like you to review it if possible. Cheers, mate!
Hi Ben, I don't have either of those Suhr amps. If you're in the midlands I would review yours! But I doubt I will invest again in a Suhr. To be honest... I felt 'scolded' by Mr Suhr for making a 9/10 review of their products. Who knows why, but I thought the review of the PT15 was very thorough and a good reflection of the reality of the product without the hype of others. Oh well... Thanks for asking though... it is something I appreciate and if you are near enough then contact me via my website and I would do it... :)
Stay safe!
tonymckenziecom I understand. I’m in The Netherlands, so it’s not very practical to send you my amp. But thanks for considering this. It is much appreciated. Who knows what the future holds? ;-)
Oh I agree... it would be the wrong thing to do. Obviously if I find one or swap one for something then I'll do a review... every amp in it's own way is interesting - whether good, bad, indifferent etc. and I never really get bored of looking at them :) Stay safe Ben.
Thank u Tony!! BTW u still own the YJM?
:( unfortunately I don't... and I regretted selling that amp... they are also going up and up. Singular thing I did not like was it's size... like a 200w Marshall.
Great job Tony!
Thanks... and stay safe. Great amp.
Hi, loved your quite extensive reviews of this amp and also the Laney Tony Iommi one.
I currently own a DSL20HR, and planning to purchase the SC20H; apart from the sound, how do they compare as far as the quality of the components and the overall fit and finish go.
Glad you liked the reviews and thanks for watching them. The DSL20 might be made abroad (I think some are these days) but that should still be a well made amp. I don't think the SC20H is inferior in any way from my experience. The SC is also one I have reviewed here: ruclips.net/video/spmM0DQgDIg/видео.html and that amp is the same quality as you will see as this SV version. Mine is a 'Stealth' version, but basically the same amp with different livery. The SC plays rock really well and has a very great sound. I still own the one in the review. Both the SV and the SC are made in England at Milton Keynes and the quality is excellent. Hope it helps and stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Thanks for the reply, looking forward to buying the SC20H; by the way, the DSL20HR is made in Vietnam, and as you have already guessed, it is made quite well.
Well when you get it do come back and post your opinion - remember that real owners opinions are worth 1000 of those fake videos and reviews out there!. Stay safe.
@@tonymckenzieofficial Definitely; once again really digging your reviews, I have been watching AMP reviews for quite some time, but wonder why RUclips did not recommend your channel early. Keep up the good work and stay safe.
Well I think that some don't like to see real reviews? There are so many fake or sales reviews and very few people show exactly what they find. It's really because I'm not sponsored in any way by those companies etc. so its half expected really. BTW once you watch a couple of my videos they will 'magically' then start to list them for you. Make sure you have the 'bell' ring on the sub and thumbs up then they will send you a note when I upload... otherwise its luck of the draw. Thanks.
Is the 20wt head and a good cab enough to gig with a rock band? I'm talking Zepplin -
Well 20w is 20w - but honestly, I tend to think of it like this... if you go a gig with a 1x12 cabinet and the rest of the band is stonkin... then you might suffer a little. But I think that its all about moving air really. If you use a 4x12 decent and efficient cab then I think you would be fine... Zep is classic rock and ha it's not the death metal stuff :) so my guess is you would be fine in that situation with the right cab. While it's true that this is 'only' a 20w amplifier, if you have a 100w sitting at the side while there clearly is a difference, its NOT five times louder. If you took the same 100w amp and put that through the 1x12 cab, and the 20w through the 4x12 my guess is that the 4x12 gear would be the choice. Thanks for watching and great question.
That Send/Return ON-OFF switch will create another dirty contact to clean later on top of the common known SEND/RETURN dirty jacks. I have a question.
Is the RETURN input goes through a pot or straight out no holds barred to the power tubes and speaker? Great video sir.
Good question about the return. I can't tell without the schematic... so I would have to look further on that. If I find one I'll post the answer here. At least its a serial loop! Thanks and stay safe
Is there a bias pot or is it set bias?
Good question - I don't remember seeing a bias pot on any of the Studio series so probably set somewhere... it would be a guess if I said more! stay safe and thanks for watching.
Bright cap location?
Across the volume pot and 4n7 NF I believe...
You’re the best man
Ha - unfortunately RUclips don't think so :) Oh well... stay safe and thanks for watching.
Hey Marshall...how about a Studio JCM 900 SL-X?
Who knows what will come from Marshall...
It would be awesome if a fully hand wired version existed. No pcb's and full turret board construction.
Indeed it would. And also awesome if they released in this studio size all the amps that they made for artists over the years... I sincerely hope that they do that one day. They would sell thousands and thousands. Thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial It truly makes my blood turn cold looking inside amps these days and seeing valve bases stuck on pcb's. Not condemning all pcb builds though, a look into an English made hiwatt is like looking at a pcb work of art, done to the level of a 1st class hand wired amp they are. The offshore ones, different story altogether.
Well I guess the days of amps made to last are not maybe priorities for some makers. There are many amps out there that are reasonably made and some that just are clearly developed without the longevity in mind that perhaps maybe they should have. And the price is far from the general rule either...
Wild.. 🎉
Sssssss :)
@@tonymckenzieofficial
Ya know Tony..
I have some Celestion speakers with a snake decal on the large ceramic magnets called "Sidewinders". Some were for regular guitar, but most had bass cones and were inside of JCM 800 ported bass cabs.
I have searched high and low for proper reviews and found none.
Only a few poor demonstrations and comments. I've read that some newer metal players anxiously seek them out.
According to Dr. Decibel and others, this speaker was Celestions answer to the great EV speaker that many power house players use. Some love this Snake back Celestion and others find it anemic. Do you have any experience with these speakers?
Thanks
You know, I have not seen those. But I DID find info as follows:
“Until now, guitarists have had a choice. Either Celestion’s classic G Series with their rich, gutsy rock ‘n roll performance, or American made units with edgewound voice coils and a cleaner, country feel to their sound.
Now there is no choice: the new S12-150 does it all! From the open bluesy riffs of country music to the deep dark snarl of Heavy Metal….” The copywriting is questionable, but the purpose of the Sidewinder was unmistakable. The message was clear, finally a Celestion guitar speaker that was able to produce “American tone”. The Sidewinder came in three different variants. The S12-150PE was purely a guitar speaker (denoted by PE = Paper Edge), offering 150-watt power handling. S12-150CE and S15-250CE were for more general musical instrument purposes, largely for for use with bass guitar and keyboards (denoted by CE=Cloth Edge), offering 150-watt (12″ model) and 250-watt (15″ model) respectively.
And there is also a data sheet here: celestion.com/blog/from-the-archive-the-sidewinder/ and sincerely hope it helps... thanks for the info and for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial
Yes, that's the same information I came across years ago. However, there's not a lot of information from even bass players about them.
Guitar players rule the Internet, but you hear little to nothing about bass players and bass innovation. About seven years ago on a Marshall amp forum of some sort, I came across a thread about the Sidewinders and several metal guitarists were very quick to jump in the thread offering to purchase any that were for sale and giving them high praise. Maybe someday I'll have to do something about this myself.
I found one RUclips video years ago of a man playing in his back yard, Sabbath songs through a single Sidewinder in a 1-12 cab and it was quite good.
I was most surprised.
Anyhoot, thanks again and keep up the interesting videos mate!
👍
Tony!! o ya
Sssss :) Stay safe
Wow.. Awesome review. You have really changed my opinion of these little Marshall heads. I was laughing when you were talking about Friedman amps.. They are so overhyped!!
Now my only problem is deciding which 20W Marshall to go with. I generally like the JTM tones, maybe the SV20 would be best. At least now I got Friedman off my list of alternatives, lol. I live in Canada and they are way overpriced compared to Marshall.
It's a cool little amp. The Friedman I briefly had was not for me and never will be from what I saw. It was not as good as this in either the quality or the sounds that came out of it. And the SC20 Black STEALTH amp was even better (at least for my playing style). If you like older style amps (sounds like you do) then this is the best of the two in the series for sure. But remember there is no master volume, you could control that with a pot in the loop, or an attenuator... these are pretty loud even on 5 watts. But great amps and Marshall should have done this years ago. And I hope they carry on with other Studio series of the great amps they made. I don't think on the 'runt' type of amps that Friedman make that you would be missing anything. Others might disagree. Of course the top end Friedman are a different proposition, but the prices are pretty silly over here. So post the pricing on here if you will that might be useful to someone... thanks and stay safe.
I have an SV20H and they sound great. If you're looking for JTM tones, many SV20 owners have
replaced the stock EL34's with KT66's to get closer to that sound. No bias needed as it's a cathode based amp. There's debate on whether or not swapping the tubes to KT66 will work the transformer harder, but many have done it (at their own risk) and are very happy with the results.
Great info and thanks for posting that. The 66's usually have a 1.5K screen resistor though? am I right on that? I remember working on a Berman amp years ago that had the 1.5k's in there. Thanks for the info.... and stay safe
So I think it's safe to say you like the amp.
Generally it is great value for the money and tames some of the volume of the daddy HW amp I have.
No bias pot?
Not on this or the Stealth amp. Seems designed the other way (cathode bias??) I'm not an expert on that but there was no bias adjuster - of course they could have done a Mesa... :) Stay safe.
Psst. Tony I see you found your wifeys plastic card again, order me one of these quickly before you put it back in its hidey hole ok.😂 🕊🏴❤️
I wish. Unfortunately I had to pay myself... it puts a damper on it really... but... I have the amp to show for it :) Stay safe.
Rock On!!!
Sure will :) and check the SC20 video I did similarly but with JCM800 style... here: ruclips.net/video/spmM0DQgDIg/видео.html Thanks.
Nice amp! Nice playing!
Playing was average really. But the tones can be heard :) well... at least the ones I would use :) Thanks for watching and stay safe.
I have a 5 year warranty here in the USA :)
Thanks for the info on the warranty for the USA. I was not sure what they did there... and thanks for watching too. Stay safe.
I would buy a Ceriatone amp before buying this amp, I like point to point wiring. I think it sounds better and is more durable.
Well they are different I agree... but for the price its pretty cool. I have had a number of Ceriatone amps and they too are really good.
@@tonymckenzieofficial I no this is a thing you do, rolling amps to look in side review, but dose Marshall have a hand wired 20 watt amp still? I just herd th ceriatone demo, it sounds like a real Marshall from the old days.
I do not believe they make a hand wired 20w tube amp currently. But Marshall from time to time do return with different stuff so who knows what could be around the corner. Ceriatone make some high quality stuff and often based on the 'older' style designs. But the likes of this SV20 and the SC20 amps do sound particularly good and are at a great price. I'm not really biased for or against either maker and they both certainly have a place.
@@tonymckenzieofficial British Style 20W Lead & Bass Lunchbox, ,, google should take you to the site on this model, also there are new Amps on the site.
I would have said that, but I believe it was discontinued? I don't know of 20w Marshalls that have the old style non-pcb builds... they all seem to be pcb currently for the 20w stuff. Next nearest is likely the JTM45? A reissue but those are PCB?
Huh? A classic tube amp but the sound demo is drenched in backing tracks and FX?
Than listen to it elsewhere? Thanks.
@@tonymckenzieofficial
Don't need to, thanks.
This industry is catching up to the audiophiles with their $2,000 AC power cords for "greater spatial definition".
The T&E house wiring doesn't count because it's hidden.
20 years from now, we'll still be getting modelers that "sound better".
I haven't found anything that can touch my Digitech GNX4 and so I snapped-up a further five of them.
Cheers 😁👍
Sadly, the music industry is riddled with lots of people/companies/reviewers/music retailers that try and somehow mislead musicians for their own benefit. It's a sad situation IMO, and its also sad that you or most don't raise that point about some of what is on YT hiding in plain daylight but few actually comment about all of that do they. Ha $2000 cables don't make me laugh, I stopped at about $25 or so with lifetime guarantee. So you don't like my playing? So? The review is all about a product and not me. My guess is that also there is lots of 'other' music that you don't like? But the artists might well be in the top 1% of successful musicians even in the world. So? There's nothing new about any of that and I can name loads that I think are not for me to listen to, but they are successful nevertheless. Take the time to watch the review and hey you never know, you might learn something about this really great Marshall amp. Thanks for watching.
This looks exactly like the JTM20H ST WTF?
It's not. Thanks fir watching and maybe I'll make a video of a real comparison...
@@tonymckenzieofficial honored by the reply. Question is $2550.00 us over kill to pay for this amp i am in the US. That would be 2039.10 british pounds with the 2/12
Don't be - I'm just like you :) And you know, the price in the USA for the Studio series (not just the ST20) needs to be addressed a little. I can't tell you what Marshall might say on the subject as I honestly don't know, but if ever they would tell me then I would offer the info. Having been involved with technology and shipping the difference seems high to me. But no different than what Mesa Boogie, Fractal Audio, Friedman and others certainly try to charge customers in the UK. Importantly, thanks for watching...
I heard this gossip about some amplifier maker including that in the project of synergy amp which is we know what amps are there...were outsourcing their product because their company were sell to a one richest jewish and he owned them all....i dunno if its true or not
I don't know about all of that... based in the UK and have had a sheltered life :). However, it appears Synergy and a few other brands are all made in the same place (or at the very least were developed by the same company) and it seems outsourced to a company in California. My inspection close of one brand ensures I'll never buy another. In fact I returned it. Thanks for watching and stay safe.
I like your stuff, but Marshall is about the worst amp company there ever was and I do not care a twit about their amps. Sorry.
Ha that's OK... we have spoke for a long time :) and remember it's just a personal opinion... there are also amps out there I don't like too! The great thing is though, that there ARE many amps rather than just a few. In any case I really do think I beat the rest out there with this amp... and interesting to see. Stay safe too!
@@tonymckenzieofficial I watch your stuff even when I don't like the product...usually. I thought I'd be honest as to why I wasn't watching this one. I support your reviews 100%. I like honesty more than anything else :O) (actually, I let it run in the background just to give you a view).
I love Marshall amps.
Can't deny the sound of a Marshall! For the kiddie 8 string metal crowd, probably not a favorite of theirs 😃
So thedogpa what’s you too three Amps then buddy