While I’ve owned JCM 800’s, 5150’s, and Rectifiers, the Marshall 8100 has a special place in my heart and was my go-to amp for a number of years. I still miss it. I actually use the Master Effects Martyr pedal now, which is the preamp of the 8100 in a box with impulses and sounds sick.
i've been using a valvestate all my life. I've gotten so many different types of tones out it. though i recognize it's not tube amp, it's still good for what it is
Love it. Especially for low tunings. Super tight and aggressive. Just keep the treble below 9. Works great as a power amp as well. And the spring reverb is also really good. If it works.
With just a simple EQ pedal, I feel like the Valvestate would stomp a lot of tube amps in a blind sound test. Definitely gonna be looking for one myself!
Im a 47 yr old guitar player and I still own my early 91-92 vs100 head and cab!! Still use it and still get comments about my tone! I will never get rid of this its been gigged and thrown around its partied for the last 30+ yrs and is still rocking!!!🤘😝🤘
@@KohleAudioKult you try it with different speakers? Lol I use a homemade 2×12 I built with pine and put wgs speakers in it. Also the jvm sounds like another video lol
Its seems like there is a lot of gear (not just guitar gear) that people just looked passed and missed out on experimenting and getting good sounds. I'm honestly impressed with this one.
Nice video! I've been preaching for years that these are absolutely usable amps and even great for the money. Many people badmouth them because they don't manage to make use of that contour control.
The secret to Valvestate Marshall amps, are cranking the effect loop knob all the way between 3 - 5 o'clock to get the most from the preamp tube! Thank me later! P.S. All those 80's metal hits..... Solid State Amp
I've been blending tube and SS amps lately. Best of both worlds. My Randall RG100 has the conture knob... really helps shape the tone. Great demo brother 🤘
On the VS100, I always prefer the OD1 which sounds a lot more like a traditional Marshall amp. You can get great sounds out of it. The VS65 is actually very good as well, especially after a speaker change. The Contour Knob has to be dealt with very carefully, as it contributes to a very scooped, gainy and fizzy sound when turned clockwise.
My mom got me this amp in the late 90’s as a Christmas gift. I’ve used it on all sorts of music. It takes pedals well, has a great clean tone, and the drive section is versatile. In the mid 2000’s I had it modded by a local tech to reduce the highs and boost the mids a bit. It really helped but it was still a great amp before the mod. The mod if anything made it more versatile.
And he unlocks greatness again! This is something I've been doing recently as well, mixing a tube amp with an actual distortion before the preamp such as a MetalZone and it sounds great to my ears! Set the Metal Zone level as your wet/dry mix and crank it up! You rock man
The VS100 was my first Marshall and amp head when I was a teen. I remember buying it from guitar center like if it was yesterday. I was so proud to finally own a Marshall, I thought I made it in life lol The dimension button is interesting. I usually use the dimension button to add bass/thickness. And yeah the 8000 models have way more problems than the 2nd gens. I have five 8100 and they're all broken. I'm hoping to fix them one day
I have heard that the VS100 doesn't sound as good as the 8100. I have liked every VS100 I have played so I am curious if you thought the 8100 was better or not.
@@brpadington Its hard to choose. They're almost similar. The vs100 has a slight modern touch. It can get dark and thick with that dimension button. The 8100 can clean up more. U can get a more 80s Thrash or Glam brightness if u want. But I always going to the vs100. Is more reliable and i can get by mimicking all the styles I like (punk, glam, thrash, death & black metal). And I use no pedals but I'm definitely going to get some
Man my first 'real' amp was a valvestate too! A 8100 head to be precise. I love that thing, used to play a lot of gigs on it and never had any problem. But then i got my hands on a jcm2000, did a direct comparison through the same cab and the jcm2000 blew the valvestate away. The VS sounds pretty harsh in comparison. So there is that. Still love the valvestate, but it is not the same as a 100watt all tube amp. Jcm2000+valvestate in stereo is pretty nice. Scooped sound from the VS and crushing mids from the jcm
JCM2000 is a monster, love the tones Karl Sanders from Nile gets with those. But the Valvestate can be made sound all middy and honky, and the JCM2000 can be made sound scooped like it's 1989, too.
I purchased a TSL 100 in a local store back in 1998 and they had to ship me one so they let me take a VS100 head home for 2 weeks. I had never had a real tube so I though the VS sounded great....until I unboxed that TSL. WOW nothing was ever the same as that tube distortion.
Ha! I got a Valvestate 8100 literally last week. Plenty of gain on it so no reason for a TS. With an eq pedal going into the preamp you can take out the hi fizz and boost the mids. Awesome amp. Super tight and choppy. Great video as always 🤘💀🤘
I love using my 31-band DBX equalizer in the loops of my amps. Ultimate tweakability of problem frequencies (i.e. the VS' "hissing" high end). The Valvestate is monstrous in conjunction with other more mid-focused amps. Great video!
Prong's Cleansing album made a HUGE difference for me back in the day. As did any Death album. It was also very cool hearing them absolutely kill on gear that I could actually afford. Great tones man. I appreciate this experiment. People need not get so hung up on gear. Who cares what the amp costs. If it makes YOUR sound, then it's worth everything.
Consider the Master Effects Martyr, it's basically just the preamp in a pedal so it might be easier/more convenient to incorporate that into your setup.
You could use an 8200 live, as rare as they are. Its only difference is the power amp wattage, unlike the 2nd gen Valvestates. I can't believe people still claim 8100 and VS100 to be the same amp, despite all the preamp schematic differences.
@@Admiral_Bongo I have the 8100 and 8200. I love the flexibility of the 8200 much more and the on board chorus is amazing! The 8200 can run 2 4x12 cabs in stereo and with the chorus it is a wall of sound! Nasty amp and was highly underrated. I love my 8100 too but the 8200 holds a special place in my heart! And you can't beat all the options it has!
I love Valvestate's tight low end and how cutting it is. IMO, with right settings and a boost it's great for straight up brutality. And I don't want it to sound like a tube amp. If I go solid state, I do it because I WANT SOLID STATE (not necessarily talking 90s scooped Morrisound style). Sometimes tubes are just too polished. Besides, transistors have much thicker, aggressive, almost screaming mids (especially noticeable on Ampeg VH140C and Crate GX130C/XLP). Dialing in the Valvestate can be a pain in the ass, cause of how bright it is and how sensitive the contour knob is.
I still have a 8200 head on my bench where only one output side is working properly. But that thing is already crazy loud and pretty brutal with a TS in front, can't wait to finally fix it and plug it into my 4x12 for the full 200W+ Chorus!!
Kristian . . . what's your opinion on swapping out tubes on these? Mine still has the same 25 year old Marshall tube. Do they wear out in this application? I've watched a few comparison videos and I like what I hear with JJ and/or Tung-Sol
@@KohleAudioKult yeah it wasn't a very big difference at all. Just slight shift in overall "voice" . . . again from what I heard on RUclips comparisons anyways So with that said - do you think the 25 year old original Marshall tube is still good? And Is it even being used in a way that it would "wear out"?
Just bought a vs100 head and matching cab that had 1 owner and had played it for around an hour .the tones bring back so many memories and with a few pedals before it you can get any tone you want
Yeah, same combo as my former fellow axe wielder in our first band. I was stuck with an Boss ME-5 through a JCM800 stack. One effing big wall of sound when combined though. We tore a few places up with that, haha!
I think most "kids" did back then. It seemed to be a common theme when money was an issue. The crazy thing is noone in the local bad scene at the time really knew how to make either sound to it's potential. I've still got my stereo twin Valvestate and plugged it back in after about 20years a few months back , along with my Metal Zone still with its settings from those years dialed up n yep .. I had zero idea how to get either to sound good! Having said that, now I understand how to use a semi-parametric EQ ive got the Metal Zone sounding bad ass running directly into my Triple Rectifier power amp stage into the 4x12 cab. I now just wish I was still playing in heavy bands to light it up!
I remember being 16 and never even seen an overdrive pedal and a friend leant me a metal zone and I thought it was the best thing ever haha. How times change
I sold my Blackstar HT club 40 to get an 8100 earlier this year and I absolutely love the Valvestate. I use a 31 band eq and an Aphex 104 type C2 in the fx loop and I'm done chasing tones by now.
Great video! I liked the slaving into the Engl output stage. This is the the VS100 (2nd generation Valvestate series), correct? IMHO the original Valvestate amps like the 8100 (100V) or 8080 (80V) sound better than later Valvestate amp generations.
Have to thank you for this instructive video. I bought a VS102R in 1999, but only since last year I started to dedicate myself seriously in learning to play guitar. No matter how I tweaked the EQ I never liked the sound of the OD channels, so I only used the clear channel with a boss metal core. But searching for tones online I ended up in this video and gave a try to your settings at 9:40, and DAMN! 😀in all these years was the first time I started to like the OD2 channel. Thank you very much for your work.
I’ve got the latest fender and Marshall amps. And one day I found a valvestate 2000 100 at a garage sale down the road, in immaculate condition. Since then i haven’t used my new Marshall or fender amps. The valvestate is perfect for playing metal, thrash
I used to own a 8100 head and I loved it. Although I find that using a TS to boost it sounds like the drive from the pedal and the drive from the amp don't blend. What about an MXR Micro Amp or Line Driver to boost the front end, something that doesn't add any drive? I remember playing an Epiphone Explorer with the passive stock pickups through mine and I never needed anything to boost it when in OD2 mode. Thoughts?
I had the 3210 Lead 100 Mosfet. That was a pretty decent amp when i was younger and playing thrash. I never had the chance to try a valvestate. I am still waiting for my DV-77 speaker I have had on order for a long time now. I have you IR pack and it kicks ass.
Hey man, great video. Was wondering of you or someone here could explain how you connected the Valvestate into the Diezel. Id like to put my old Valvestate into a 6505+. Would I need to connect the speaker out to a Torpedo Captor or something and run from the out into the 6505's effects return? Is this the slaving technique? Sorry for my ignorance, can you explain how you blended them together? Thanks!
I put a JJ ECC 83 in the preamp , and it made it more edgy , without a tube screamer. A sonic stomp (BBE Sonic Maximizer) took away the harsh high tones that are associated with this amp in the effects loop . The clean is very good with reverb going a little bit . Mine has an accutronics reverb tank , sounds noice .
My 8100 was the first half stack I bought back in 1995 since everything else halfway decent was way out of my price range, and I still have it. Learning that Chuck Schuldiner used it, and that it was widely used in Scott Burns' productions at Morrisound Studios, was probably the reason I hung onto it for so long. It can definitely sound good though.
That sound with no mids totally takes me back to my teenage times. For my friends it was the next best thing for getting a real tube amp (as a bass player a didn't really look at valvestate amps). But in today's time you get some very affordable tube amps or even transistor based/modeling amps sounding a lot better than this. And for mixing it in in parallel I think it's overkill. For getting some dirt I would rather use some HM2ish or fuzzy pedal in a parallel signal path. Never the less a great video Kohle. BTW I hope the rain or the Beerbach (just noticed how the name sounds in english...lol) didn't flood you studio.
I own an 8100 and a VS100. Both just make me smile when I play them. Totally a nostalgia feeling. Glad to see them finally getting some love in the last few years.
@@REZNAP Biggest issue between them as far as i've been told is the design of how the 1 pre amp tube was used. But for the sound the 8100 sounds a bit more tube amp like. You can more or less can get the same sounds at certain settings. I liked the 8100 gain just a bit more, but the VS100 has more flexibility with options with both channels.
Mine also needed some repair but I got it to a local amp builder and he got it right (some bad capacitors and loose solder joints) but not I have it going and already took it to my first gig
The Valvestate 100 watt head was my first "real" amp back in the early 90s. I bought a full size 1960A Marshall cab to use with it rather than the Valvestate one. After a while though I wanted something similar but with more gain and having tubes. The answer wasn't in the Marshall amps available at the time so I turned to the Peavey 5150. That did the trick. :)
I really enjoy the valvestate sound. It's kinda nasty and cold and dirty all good things to me. I'm a tube guy like most of us but have always dug what the Valvestate and solid state Randall heads have given us over the years. Audiority makes a great plugin version of the Valvestate with some boost and pre-EQ stuff as well as a post EQ. Get anything from gross doomish things to thrash and beyond without setting up a huge virtual pedalboard. Great demo as always! That DMoll poweramp really helped warm up this amp. edit: Ah good. You mentioned the Audiority vs8100 haha. Peace 🎸💀🍻
Ive had a Valvestate 2000 ive had it since 2008, its the best practice and studio amp i have had I have the 50 watt and i put in a 1x12 Celestion Heritiage G12H Greenback That one Preamp Tube makes all the differnce, and the amp works allot like a DSL EQ very similar to a Marshall Tube amp and upgrading the Speaker gave it authentic Marshall tone,. Been recording with it for close to 20 years
I have the 8100, 8200, 8080 and VS100. They live in the studio permanently. Glad I scored them all 15+ years ago because the prices today are stupid high! The 8100 is my OG that my father bought me when I was 14.
I played Valvestates exclusively from when I started playing in 2003 until I finally got my JVM 2 years ago. I have the 8100 and the VS100. I personally live them. I even did a mix of my JVM and 8100 on my bands newest EP.
I have a Valvestate VS30R which has no actual valve, and a real spring reverb, I LOVE IT! such a fun practice amp. I made it a head and play it through a 2x12! Sounds amazing honestly
I sold my full stack with VS100H after I’d had since new in the ‘90’s. I constantly had to lube/replace pot’s, re-tension 1/4” jacks. My friend’s newer version was always accepting radio signals even in a full metal building. And they both got QUIETER as they played for an hour + because they’re Solid State output. But… I miss the amp, the sounds that could only be achieved with a Valvestate amp from back in the day. I have a pair of tube amps, now😁
I found a valvestate vs65r at the only guitar center in a 100 mile radius in the used section. $100 with no issues and just a little dusty. I’m able to pick it up December 24th. This is only the second amp I will have ever owned. Technically third amp but the second amp I got was a bass amp. The first ever guitar amp I had/have been using is a Crate 10w practice amp so I’m happy with this new amp. At least when I can go get it
i got the valvestate vs100, and it sounds sooo fffff awesome, i love it. no effects, just the cable in and youre fine. but i guess that the 4 speakers play a big part in the sound i get
I have a 2x12 I bought in 1995 with a red power switch which is the first version and it sounds really good with the original celestion speakers. I think it sounds better than my DSL 15 tube head
Loved my 8100 in the 90s. V30 speaker fixed the fizzyness. My first marshall was a 8040. Used all my money to buy new (instead of a peavey bandit that everyone else could afford) Loved the smell of those amps, a real tolex high. Ultimately all the amps failed, probably needed a service to replace the 'valve', sold em both when they became unreliable. Bought a 4100 after that, very interesting about the power amp section revelation in the video.
Yo, if you used the Line Out jack from the Valvestate to the Diezel, then you've also filtered it heavily. The Line Out on the Valvestate VS100 has a cab sim filter permanently in line. The tone I'm hearing in this video is basically exactly what I'd expect to hear if you put a cab sim between the Valvestate and the Diezel. Nothing to do with it being a tube amp! You could plug the line out of the Valvestate into a solid state amp and get that same tone. The cab sim cuts all the fizzy highs and bumps up the lows; exactly what we hear when it's plugged to the Diezel.
The VS for having a valve still dominates it's clipping texture and EQ range as a solid-state amp. I remember Wayne Static saying what made these amps great is if one blew out they could walk into any guitar store anywhere and replace it. I'm the oddball in that I'm a sweep and shred player *and* I went to college for electrical/electronics engineering, *and I prefer solid-state.* It's for the same reasons Dimebag did, in your face raunch, sleaze and burn the house down grind. I have 2 reputable all tube heads, but they leave much to be desired in the search for a pedal to push the valves into saturation and the dirty channel into hard clipping. They're not boutique amps, so they are what they are. *You also called it in sound. My rhythm is deeply scooped with insane bass chunking, but for shredding solos and sweeps, I'll likely need to step into a midrange dominant tone at least 1/2 the time.*
My first amp was a Squier Sidekick, 15 watt combo, I loved that thing for what it was and what it did. (I lost it when the then lead singer from my band borrowed it from me and I never saw it again) Around a decade later I was using Marshall Valvestate amps, Mostly the 80 watt 2x12 combo with Stereo chorus, they were perfect for the Punk rock bands I was in. And seeing how omnipresent the valvestate was in that scene, many others agreed with that. But as I grew older, my taste began to change, and I began to hate my own tone, I kept a Valvestate head as a touring amp, plugging it into whatever cab was available, but found that I could NEVER get that headroom I was hearing in my head. So, on a whim, I bought a Fender Red Knob 85 (The Radiohead amp) and there it was, that lush headroom that the Valvestate never had. I'm not sure I'll ever go back to playing a Valvestate.
After too many years in storage, I recently took my ‘91 8280 bi chorus combo out of the flight case again. Time had its effect on the pots so had to replace all of them, but what an amazing amp this still is today! This one will never leave my studio.
Valvestate AND Fernandes guitars. An absolute winning combination. I have a first edition Valvestate 8100 and 2 Fernandes guitars they sound incredible together. Great video 👍
Had an AVT20 combo as my first amp back in the day. I couldn't play for shit at the time and couldn't appreciate it. Within hindsight it's actually really underrated. They're still going for decent prices on Reverb.
This was a pretty validating video! My current project involves me setting up tone-shaping transistor preamp pedals, to put them into tube power amps I get the flexibility of using whatever preamps I want, but I don't have to deal with the harsh fizz that's inherent in transistor power amps. I'm curious why so many people don't bring the gain down on the amp though! I feel like taking away some of the amp gain removes a lot of fizz, and when the amp distorts an already lightly distorted sound, you still get the extra sustain and gain
1.3k views in 2 hours and Marshall still hesitates to reissue the valvestate 🤬 edit meanwhile martyr is cashing in on their circuit and everyone can bitch about reliability dum dum dum Your move Marshall im 👀
OMG Kohle, I own two of these (a VS100 head and a combo) and people always gave me a hard time because "It's not a real tube amp". Yet, people always said they loved my tone! I also have a Lead 100 MOSFET. You can get some GREAT tones out of it. Thank you for making this video!!!!
I had an AVT50 head back in 05 and it was pretty awesome. Got a lot of hate for it back in the day but it sounded pretty good with a good head. I wish prices would come down on these guys.
Great Vid - I appreciate your efforts to describe in detail, the nuances of the distortion characteristics with different settings. One of the big challenges of getting someone elses help with dstortion tweaking is the verbal communication of the tonal goal vs current tone being achieved.
I used a Valvestate 120w stereo combo for a rehearsal once in my death metal band. It sounded great...until the rest of the band started playing. Then it was inaudible. I kept turning it up until I could feel my ears tickling inside, and a faint raspy hiss. At that point I realised I needed to haul the Triaxis rack back out because I was wrecking my ears, and it was STILL not loud enough. Great for recording though...and its clean sound and stereo chorus sounded luscious!
I got a 8100 last year. I think it’s great but actually from the tone problems I have similar in this video and what I’ve been thinking, I don’t think EMG’s work well with the valvestate because EMG’s already have a compressed top end and so it makes the amp sound double stale/flat. Definitely think a passive or x2n is key for dope valvestate tones
man I had the head and matching cab, played many gigs with it and recorded an album. Wish I had never sold it :( Still have the combo version AVT50 which is a great little practice amp. Highly enjoyable video thanks man \m/ They sound much better with decent passive pups
I've got the AVT150 half stack. It can sound pretty good when tweaked and running tube screamer through it. Seems to suite EMGs rather than passives though, as you need to drive the tube screamer harder with passives
I still own an AVT100. I didn't know shit in 2000 so I tuned it super scooped to play with the band and live 😅 I wonder what the audience was really hearing...
@@bretolson8484 mines actually the avt2000 or something like that but I imagine the technology is similar. There was 2 chips soldered to small boards suspended from a heat rail korg part # tda something. Went from shooting fire out the top to screaming again lol. I heard of capacitor swaps n stuff. I just wanted it to work again.
I still love my Bi-Chorus 200 (8280) 2x12 combo, I bought new in 1995/96. I would plug into a 4x12 cabinet (L & R separated) and run a 3/4 stack live. It has 160 watts stereo and the chorus is awesome. Yes, I run my Contour at 2 o'clock, but I'm old school.
WoW! The video I was looking for! I have the exact same amp and pickups. I don't like my tone, and this guy put words on what I hear, explains in detail why it is, and he shows how to actually improve things. I've been searching a heavy metal distortion pedal to put in front, but I didn't know what to get since I didn't know exactly where I'm at. Most useful video ever for this situation! Thank you!
@@KohleAudioKult Thanks for your unexpected quick answer! Would you have a Heavy Metal pedal to suggest for good bottom punch and rather defined rounded distortion ( no fizz/fuzz). I like to chugg back guitar I am not a lead. I like Metallica MoP era. Tanks!
My one guitar player used that but he put one of those yellow boss overdrive pedals in front of it and magic! For some reason we tried other pedals and we couldn't get an acceptable sound and make it blend with our other guitarists jcm 800. The sound together was awesome metal.
I would assume the tube is used in the V2 position on other amps, the DC coupled cathode follower driving the tone stack? A lot of people say that's the source of the Marshall crunch. EDIT: I decided to stop being lazy and look up the schematic. I was right, but theres a lot more tone shaping going on around that valve to get it to sound like a Marshall, I assume to simulate the phase inverter and an EL34 output stage driving an undersized output transformer.
Valvestate! Love or hate? Let me know!
LOVE! ATV-50
💚😎
While I’ve owned JCM 800’s, 5150’s, and Rectifiers, the Marshall 8100 has a special place in my heart and was my go-to amp for a number of years. I still miss it. I actually use the Master Effects Martyr pedal now, which is the preamp of the 8100 in a box with impulses and sounds sick.
it's the only Marshall that I try and is really good, I enjoy a lot play with Valvestate!
Wow that's awesome to hear these side by side
Chuck Schuldiner used it, hating this amp is a crime
+1
Haha! He actually got some great tones out of it.
@@KohleAudioKult Tones on Individual Thought Patterns and The Sound of Perseverance have a special place in my heart.
@@Admiral_Bongo it was on Individual really the Valvestate or Randall? I know that JCM 800 was in Scream Bloody Gore
@@szveszs Yeah, Individual was Valvestate. Randall was mixed with JCM800 on Spiritual Healing and the first 2 were JCM only.
i've been using a valvestate all my life. I've gotten so many different types of tones out it. though i recognize it's not tube amp, it's still good for what it is
It has a tube-based preamp with single 12AX7 and solid state power amp section.
It’s a good amp period. All that matters is that you like it, tube or not, expensive or not
I actually love the sound of the valvestate. super aggressive sounding
Tighter. Less high sizzle. Sounds like it's already been mixed in post, without doing post production. Tubes sound less focused.
Appreciated seeing how you got usable tones from an amp that’s not “top tier”. Maybe more videos like this?
absolutely!
I second this, expanding also on things like bass and drums as well.
@CLINT that's how it goes lol so start buying the gear you want before the price jacks lol
@@KohleAudioKult does it have an fx loop?
@CLINT I'm sorry!
Love it. Especially for low tunings. Super tight and aggressive. Just keep the treble below 9.
Works great as a power amp as well.
And the spring reverb is also really good. If it works.
With just a simple EQ pedal, I feel like the Valvestate would stomp a lot of tube amps in a blind sound test. Definitely gonna be looking for one myself!
It won't sound better than a tube amp. It sounds more like a Boss Death metal pedal.
Im a 47 yr old guitar player and I still own my early 91-92 vs100 head and cab!! Still use it and still get comments about my tone! I will never get rid of this its been gigged and thrown around its partied for the last 30+ yrs and is still rocking!!!🤘😝🤘
I have a valvestate and I absolutely love that amp. Sounds incredible with a Gibson Les Paul
The valvestate price just shot up lol. The used market prices have been going up a lot lately. I'm glad I got my Marshall jvm410 when I did.
I'm actually selling a 410 at the moment. Never really got into that amp.
Too much stuff done ok but not great it seemed.
@@KohleAudioKult really? I love mine. I think it's brutal like arch enemy lol
@@KohleAudioKult you try it with different speakers? Lol I use a homemade 2×12 I built with pine and put wgs speakers in it. Also the jvm sounds like another video lol
How much do they sell for? I think i paid 120€ for my 1989 8100 Head in 2006
really, I've seen some locally listed for 200 bucks
I tried someone’s Valvestate a few years ago. You can definitely dial in some good tones. Use your ears and not your eyes when adjusting the dials.
Its seems like there is a lot of gear (not just guitar gear) that people just looked passed and missed out on experimenting and getting good sounds. I'm honestly impressed with this one.
Nice video! I've been preaching for years that these are absolutely usable amps and even great for the money.
Many people badmouth them because they don't manage to make use of that contour control.
My first amp 🙌🏼 still used, still slays, still appreciated in a collection of mesas, framus and oranges 🔥
The secret to Valvestate Marshall amps, are cranking the effect loop knob all the way between 3 - 5 o'clock to get the most from the preamp tube!
Thank me later!
P.S. All those 80's metal hits..... Solid State Amp
I’ve owned one of these heads and cabinets since they were new in the late 90s. Still works.
Cool! I really like how when you blend the the Marshall in, the pick attack comes out a bit more, but in a natural way. 🤩
I've been blending tube and SS amps lately. Best of both worlds. My Randall RG100 has the conture knob... really helps shape the tone. Great demo brother 🤘
The valve State 8280 has got a contour knob as well.
Ok! Jetzt dass selbe mitt dem Peavey Bandit Transtube, red or grey stripe ;)
Klasse video
The blended sound of a tube amp + the valvestate sounds really good to me. Nice!
On the VS100, I always prefer the OD1 which sounds a lot more like a traditional Marshall amp. You can get great sounds out of it. The VS65 is actually very good as well, especially after a speaker change. The Contour Knob has to be dealt with very carefully, as it contributes to a very scooped, gainy and fizzy sound when turned clockwise.
Kohle, DO NOT lose the squeeky chair! It's hilarious!
Also Valvestate prices go up in 3... 2... 1...
Damn! I noticed it while I was filming. Haha!
Ive got an old 40w Combo that broke down on me like 3 times, had to replace the knobs too as they started making strange noises 😂 do you want it? 😂
Glad I just got the head yesterday for $180!
My mom got me this amp in the late 90’s as a Christmas gift. I’ve used it on all sorts of music. It takes pedals well, has a great clean tone, and the drive section is versatile. In the mid 2000’s I had it modded by a local tech to reduce the highs and boost the mids a bit. It really helped but it was still a great amp before the mod. The mod if anything made it more versatile.
When you tweaked the EQ, you picked EXACTLY the settings I use on my Valvestate.
My EQ taste: validated!
i felt flattered when he position the contour knob where i have it, lol
And he unlocks greatness again! This is something I've been doing recently as well, mixing a tube amp with an actual distortion before the preamp such as a MetalZone and it sounds great to my ears! Set the Metal Zone level as your wet/dry mix and crank it up! You rock man
The VS100 was my first Marshall and amp head when I was a teen. I remember buying it from guitar center like if it was yesterday. I was so proud to finally own a Marshall, I thought I made it in life lol
The dimension button is interesting. I usually use the dimension button to add bass/thickness.
And yeah the 8000 models have way more problems than the 2nd gens. I have five 8100 and they're all broken. I'm hoping to fix them one day
I have heard that the VS100 doesn't sound as good as the 8100. I have liked every VS100 I have played so I am curious if you thought the 8100 was better or not.
@@brpadington Its hard to choose.
They're almost similar. The vs100 has a slight modern touch. It can get dark and thick with that dimension button.
The 8100 can clean up more. U can get a more 80s Thrash or Glam brightness if u want.
But I always going to the vs100. Is more reliable and i can get by mimicking all the styles I like (punk, glam, thrash, death & black metal).
And I use no pedals but I'm definitely going to get some
@@ant_yep Thanks for sharing your experience.
@@brpadington you're welcome
Man my first 'real' amp was a valvestate too! A 8100 head to be precise. I love that thing, used to play a lot of gigs on it and never had any problem.
But then i got my hands on a jcm2000, did a direct comparison through the same cab and the jcm2000 blew the valvestate away. The VS sounds pretty harsh in comparison. So there is that.
Still love the valvestate, but it is not the same as a 100watt all tube amp.
Jcm2000+valvestate in stereo is pretty nice. Scooped sound from the VS and crushing mids from the jcm
JCM2000 is a monster, love the tones Karl Sanders from Nile gets with those. But the Valvestate can be made sound all middy and honky, and the JCM2000 can be made sound scooped like it's 1989, too.
I purchased a TSL 100 in a local store back in 1998 and they had to ship me one so they let me take a VS100 head home for 2 weeks. I had never had a real tube so I though the VS sounded great....until I unboxed that TSL. WOW nothing was ever the same as that tube distortion.
Wow, impressive. I have the same VS8100, 10 years, 100 gigs, in a car wreck, few minor repairs- still kickin ass
Ha! I got a Valvestate 8100 literally last week. Plenty of gain on it so no reason for a TS. With an eq pedal going into the preamp you can take out the hi fizz and boost the mids. Awesome amp. Super tight and choppy.
Great video as always 🤘💀🤘
I love using my 31-band DBX equalizer in the loops of my amps. Ultimate tweakability of problem frequencies (i.e. the VS' "hissing" high end). The Valvestate is monstrous in conjunction with other more mid-focused amps. Great video!
Exactly !!! Eq a little before the preamp or in the fx loop. Why people dont do that ?!🤔 It has gigantic effect on the tone
@@jorrickthole6505 Fully agree with ya, my Bro put a Behringer ADI21 in the fx loop of his VS65R and it was brütal as fuck!!
@@danmaycock9238 Awesome experiment !
@@jorrickthole6505 suuuuuurrrrre was :D
Prong's Cleansing album made a HUGE difference for me back in the day. As did any Death album. It was also very cool hearing them absolutely kill on gear that I could actually afford. Great tones man. I appreciate this experiment. People need not get so hung up on gear. Who cares what the amp costs. If it makes YOUR sound, then it's worth everything.
Wayne STATIC of Static X also loved and used a valvestate and he was a huge prong fan 🤘🤘
I really do love this amp-I hope to have a real one some day. The one that Audiority emulated will suffice for now. Great video as always my man!
Consider the Master Effects Martyr, it's basically just the preamp in a pedal so it might be easier/more convenient to incorporate that into your setup.
There's one on eBay UK right now for £300. Recently serviced apparently.
Only the 8100 is real. And it's one of my favorite amps to record bar none, but they're fucking hell to try using live lol
You could use an 8200 live, as rare as they are. Its only difference is the power amp wattage, unlike the 2nd gen Valvestates. I can't believe people still claim 8100 and VS100 to be the same amp, despite all the preamp schematic differences.
@@Admiral_Bongo I have the 8100 and 8200. I love the flexibility of the 8200 much more and the on board chorus is amazing! The 8200 can run 2 4x12 cabs in stereo and with the chorus it is a wall of sound! Nasty amp and was highly underrated. I love my 8100 too but the 8200 holds a special place in my heart! And you can't beat all the options it has!
I also had the 8100, made in Britain even I think
I love Valvestate's tight low end and how cutting it is. IMO, with right settings and a boost it's great for straight up brutality. And I don't want it to sound like a tube amp. If I go solid state, I do it because I WANT SOLID STATE (not necessarily talking 90s scooped Morrisound style). Sometimes tubes are just too polished. Besides, transistors have much thicker, aggressive, almost screaming mids (especially noticeable on Ampeg VH140C and Crate GX130C/XLP). Dialing in the Valvestate can be a pain in the ass, cause of how bright it is and how sensitive the contour knob is.
tubes are harder to record properly also, in fact, to me in the mix the valvestate sounded better, tube amps charm is in live playing IMO
I still have a 8200 head on my bench where only one output side is working properly. But that thing is already crazy loud and pretty brutal with a TS in front, can't wait to finally fix it and plug it into my 4x12 for the full 200W+ Chorus!!
Kristian . . . what's your opinion on swapping out tubes on these?
Mine still has the same 25 year old Marshall tube.
Do they wear out in this application?
I've watched a few comparison videos and I like what I hear with JJ and/or Tung-Sol
I haven’t tried another tube.
I doubt the tube has a huge influence on the sound, but I’ll try!
@@KohleAudioKult yeah it wasn't a very big difference at all. Just slight shift in overall "voice" . . . again from what I heard on RUclips comparisons anyways
So with that said - do you think the 25 year old original Marshall tube is still good? And Is it even being used in a way that it would "wear out"?
Just bought a vs100 head and matching cab that had 1 owner and had played it for around an hour .the tones bring back so many memories and with a few pedals before it you can get any tone you want
I had a Valvestate in the late 90's but I ran a damn Metal Zone in front of it so I clearly had no idea what I was doing, or how good of an amp I had.
Yeah, same combo as my former fellow axe wielder in our first band. I was stuck with an Boss ME-5 through a JCM800 stack. One effing big wall of sound when combined though. We tore a few places up with that, haha!
I think most "kids" did back then. It seemed to be a common theme when money was an issue. The crazy thing is noone in the local bad scene at the time really knew how to make either sound to it's potential. I've still got my stereo twin Valvestate and plugged it back in after about 20years a few months back , along with my Metal Zone still with its settings from those years dialed up n yep .. I had zero idea how to get either to sound good! Having said that, now I understand how to use a semi-parametric EQ ive got the Metal Zone sounding bad ass running directly into my Triple Rectifier power amp stage into the 4x12 cab. I now just wish I was still playing in heavy bands to light it up!
MT-2 can make a hell of a boost with gain dialed down and mids cranked.
I remember being 16 and never even seen an overdrive pedal and a friend leant me a metal zone and I thought it was the best thing ever haha. How times change
I sold my Blackstar HT club 40 to get an 8100 earlier this year and I absolutely love the Valvestate. I use a 31 band eq and an Aphex 104 type C2 in the fx loop and I'm done chasing tones by now.
Great video!
I liked the slaving into the Engl output stage.
This is the the VS100 (2nd generation Valvestate series), correct?
IMHO the original Valvestate amps like the 8100 (100V) or 8080 (80V) sound better than later Valvestate amp generations.
I like the VS100 (2nd gen) more than the 8100. It's a bit warmer and less fizzy imo.
Have to thank you for this instructive video. I bought a VS102R in 1999, but only since last year I started to dedicate myself seriously in learning to play guitar. No matter how I tweaked the EQ I never liked the sound of the OD channels, so I only used the clear channel with a boss metal core. But searching for tones online I ended up in this video and gave a try to your settings at 9:40, and DAMN! 😀in all these years was the first time I started to like the OD2 channel. Thank you very much for your work.
what valvestate is that? I got '93 8100 100V and I think it sound better than the newer versions
I’ve got the latest fender and Marshall amps. And one day I found a valvestate 2000 100 at a garage sale down the road, in immaculate condition. Since then i haven’t used my new Marshall or fender amps. The valvestate is perfect for playing metal, thrash
I used to own a 8100 head and I loved it. Although I find that using a TS to boost it sounds like the drive from the pedal and the drive from the amp don't blend. What about an MXR Micro Amp or Line Driver to boost the front end, something that doesn't add any drive? I remember playing an Epiphone Explorer with the passive stock pickups through mine and I never needed anything to boost it when in OD2 mode. Thoughts?
I had the 3210 Lead 100 Mosfet. That was a pretty decent amp when i was younger and playing thrash. I never had the chance to try a valvestate. I am still waiting for my DV-77 speaker I have had on order for a long time now. I have you IR pack and it kicks ass.
Hey man, great video. Was wondering of you or someone here could explain how you connected the Valvestate into the Diezel. Id like to put my old Valvestate into a 6505+. Would I need to connect the speaker out to a Torpedo Captor or something and run from the out into the 6505's effects return? Is this the slaving technique? Sorry for my ignorance, can you explain how you blended them together? Thanks!
The vs plus tube power amp sounds amazing. I liked that combo the best
I put a JJ ECC 83 in the preamp , and it made it more edgy , without a tube screamer.
A sonic stomp (BBE Sonic Maximizer) took away the harsh high tones that are associated with this amp in the effects loop . The clean is very good with reverb going a little bit .
Mine has an accutronics reverb tank , sounds noice .
My 8100 was the first half stack I bought back in 1995 since everything else halfway decent was way out of my price range, and I still have it. Learning that Chuck Schuldiner used it, and that it was widely used in Scott Burns' productions at Morrisound Studios, was probably the reason I hung onto it for so long. It can definitely sound good though.
That sound with no mids totally takes me back to my teenage times.
For my friends it was the next best thing for getting a real tube amp (as a bass player a didn't really look at valvestate amps).
But in today's time you get some very affordable tube amps or even transistor based/modeling amps sounding a lot better than this.
And for mixing it in in parallel I think it's overkill. For getting some dirt I would rather use some HM2ish or fuzzy pedal in a parallel signal path.
Never the less a great video Kohle. BTW I hope the rain or the Beerbach (just noticed how the name sounds in english...lol) didn't flood you studio.
I own an 8100 and a VS100. Both just make me smile when I play them. Totally a nostalgia feeling. Glad to see them finally getting some love in the last few years.
I love my VS100! What are your thoughts between the two if you compare them?
@@REZNAP Biggest issue between them as far as i've been told is the design of how the 1 pre amp tube was used. But for the sound the 8100 sounds a bit more tube amp like. You can more or less can get the same sounds at certain settings. I liked the 8100 gain just a bit more, but the VS100 has more flexibility with options with both channels.
@@xanthicsnow Thank you!
still have one of these sitting in my room, needs some repair work but i honestly love it
Mine also needed some repair but I got it to a local amp builder and he got it right (some bad capacitors and loose solder joints) but not I have it going and already took it to my first gig
The Valvestate 100 watt head was my first "real" amp back in the early 90s. I bought a full size 1960A Marshall cab to use with it rather than the Valvestate one. After a while though I wanted something similar but with more gain and having tubes. The answer wasn't in the Marshall amps available at the time so I turned to the Peavey 5150. That did the trick. :)
Great vid!I played the 2x12 combo, 8240 for several ears in the 2000’s and that thing would crush. The effects loop was a boost to.
"several ears". That sounds like an experience, heheh. That was what it was about these days.
I really enjoy the valvestate sound. It's kinda nasty and cold and dirty all good things to me. I'm a tube guy like most of us but have always dug what the Valvestate and solid state Randall heads have given us over the years.
Audiority makes a great plugin version of the Valvestate with some boost and pre-EQ stuff as well as a post EQ. Get anything from gross doomish things to thrash and beyond without setting up a huge virtual pedalboard.
Great demo as always! That DMoll poweramp really helped warm up this amp.
edit: Ah good. You mentioned the Audiority vs8100 haha.
Peace 🎸💀🍻
As always - interesting, unique and informative. My absolutely favourite producer-youtuber 👍
I found a Marshall Valvestate and I absolutely LOVE IT , it has amazing Sound and goes great with my Gibson Les Paul .
I Love it! The Marshall Valvestate vs100/8100 is Legendary.
Ive had a Valvestate 2000 ive had it since 2008, its the best practice and studio amp i have had
I have the 50 watt and i put in a 1x12 Celestion Heritiage G12H Greenback That one Preamp Tube
makes all the differnce, and the amp works allot like a DSL EQ very similar to a Marshall Tube amp
and upgrading the Speaker gave it authentic Marshall tone,. Been recording with it for close to
20 years
I have the 8100, 8200, 8080 and VS100. They live in the studio permanently. Glad I scored them all 15+ years ago because the prices today are stupid high! The 8100 is my OG that my father bought me when I was 14.
I played Valvestates exclusively from when I started playing in 2003 until I finally got my JVM 2 years ago. I have the 8100 and the VS100. I personally live them. I even did a mix of my JVM and 8100 on my bands newest EP.
Which did you prefer? 8100 or vs100?
I have a Valvestate VS30R which has no actual valve, and a real spring reverb, I LOVE IT! such a fun practice amp. I made it a head and play it through a 2x12! Sounds amazing honestly
I sold my full stack with VS100H after I’d had since new in the ‘90’s. I constantly had to lube/replace pot’s, re-tension 1/4” jacks. My friend’s newer version was always accepting radio signals even in a full metal building. And they both got QUIETER as they played for an hour + because they’re Solid State output. But…
I miss the amp, the sounds that could only be achieved with a Valvestate amp from back in the day. I have a pair of tube amps, now😁
I found a valvestate vs65r at the only guitar center in a 100 mile radius in the used section. $100 with no issues and just a little dusty. I’m able to pick it up December 24th. This is only the second amp I will have ever owned. Technically third amp but the second amp I got was a bass amp. The first ever guitar amp I had/have been using is a Crate 10w practice amp so I’m happy with this new amp. At least when I can go get it
i got the valvestate vs100, and it sounds sooo fffff awesome, i love it. no effects, just the cable in and youre fine. but i guess that the 4 speakers play a big part in the sound i get
I have a 2x12 I bought in 1995 with a red power switch which is the first version and it sounds really good with the original celestion speakers. I think it sounds better than my DSL 15 tube head
Loved my 8100 in the 90s. V30 speaker fixed the fizzyness.
My first marshall was a 8040. Used all my money to buy new (instead of a peavey bandit that everyone else could afford)
Loved the smell of those amps, a real tolex high.
Ultimately all the amps failed, probably needed a service to replace the 'valve', sold em both when they became unreliable.
Bought a 4100 after that, very interesting about the power amp section revelation in the video.
I had the valvestate 100 back in the late 90's .. now im playing a revv 100p mk3 generator. Love the more modern tones
Yo, if you used the Line Out jack from the Valvestate to the Diezel, then you've also filtered it heavily. The Line Out on the Valvestate VS100 has a cab sim filter permanently in line. The tone I'm hearing in this video is basically exactly what I'd expect to hear if you put a cab sim between the Valvestate and the Diezel. Nothing to do with it being a tube amp! You could plug the line out of the Valvestate into a solid state amp and get that same tone. The cab sim cuts all the fizzy highs and bumps up the lows; exactly what we hear when it's plugged to the Diezel.
The VS for having a valve still dominates it's clipping texture and EQ range as a solid-state amp. I remember Wayne Static saying what made these amps great is if one blew out they could walk into any guitar store anywhere and replace it.
I'm the oddball in that I'm a sweep and shred player *and* I went to college for electrical/electronics engineering, *and I prefer solid-state.* It's for the same reasons Dimebag did, in your face raunch, sleaze and burn the house down grind.
I have 2 reputable all tube heads, but they leave much to be desired in the search for a pedal to push the valves into saturation and the dirty channel into hard clipping. They're not boutique amps, so they are what they are.
*You also called it in sound. My rhythm is deeply scooped with insane bass chunking, but for shredding solos and sweeps, I'll likely need to step into a midrange dominant tone at least 1/2 the time.*
My first amp was a Squier Sidekick, 15 watt combo, I loved that thing for what it was and what it did. (I lost it when the then lead singer from my band borrowed it from me and I never saw it again)
Around a decade later I was using Marshall Valvestate amps, Mostly the 80 watt 2x12 combo with Stereo chorus, they were perfect for the Punk rock bands I was in. And seeing how omnipresent the valvestate was in that scene, many others agreed with that.
But as I grew older, my taste began to change, and I began to hate my own tone, I kept a Valvestate head as a touring amp, plugging it into whatever cab was available, but found that I could NEVER get that headroom I was hearing in my head.
So, on a whim, I bought a Fender Red Knob 85 (The Radiohead amp) and there it was, that lush headroom that the Valvestate never had. I'm not sure I'll ever go back to playing a Valvestate.
Your amp playthrough videos are SO good. Another great one. Thanks, Kohle!
Oh yeah , I had a peavey xxl and that thing being like a (valvestate). I loved that frickin thing.
I've still got mine fortunately. Sure there are amp that sounds "better" but one you get it in a mix is not that big of a difference at all.
This one was my first amp with more than one channel back in the 90's. Great video Christian!
After too many years in storage, I recently took my ‘91 8280 bi chorus combo out of the flight case again. Time had its effect on the pots so had to replace all of them, but what an amazing amp this still is today! This one will never leave my studio.
Valvestate AND Fernandes guitars. An absolute winning combination. I have a first edition Valvestate 8100 and 2 Fernandes guitars they sound incredible together.
Great video 👍
@@nexuspolaris2419 I love my Valvestate and will never sell, trade or get rid of it...EVER!!
Hope you get to purchase one soon Nexus 👍
Had an AVT20 combo as my first amp back in the day. I couldn't play for shit at the time and couldn't appreciate it. Within hindsight it's actually really underrated. They're still going for decent prices on Reverb.
Sounds so good mixed. The tube amp on its own sounded like there was a blanket over the speakers
This was a pretty validating video! My current project involves me setting up tone-shaping transistor preamp pedals, to put them into tube power amps
I get the flexibility of using whatever preamps I want, but I don't have to deal with the harsh fizz that's inherent in transistor power amps.
I'm curious why so many people don't bring the gain down on the amp though! I feel like taking away some of the amp gain removes a lot of fizz, and when the amp distorts an already lightly distorted sound, you still get the extra sustain and gain
1.3k views in 2 hours and Marshall still hesitates to reissue the valvestate 🤬 edit meanwhile martyr is cashing in on their circuit and everyone can bitch about reliability dum dum dum
Your move Marshall im 👀
Great video! Very interesting and useful! Definitely gonna get a valvestate now! Love the sound of it mixed with the tube amp.
OMG Kohle, I own two of these (a VS100 head and a combo) and people always gave me a hard time because "It's not a real tube amp". Yet, people always said they loved my tone! I also have a Lead 100 MOSFET. You can get some GREAT tones out of it. Thank you for making this video!!!!
I also have the Lead 100, bought it used for 100 bucks, best 100 bucks spent!
You’re welcome! ❤️🍺
I had an AVT50 head back in 05 and it was pretty awesome. Got a lot of hate for it back in the day but it sounded pretty good with a good head. I wish prices would come down on these guys.
The Brunetti sounds like there’s a party going on in each tube
Great Vid - I appreciate your efforts to describe in detail, the nuances of the distortion characteristics with different settings. One of the big challenges of getting someone elses help with dstortion tweaking is the verbal communication of the tonal goal vs current tone being achieved.
I used a Valvestate 120w stereo combo for a rehearsal once in my death metal band.
It sounded great...until the rest of the band started playing. Then it was inaudible. I kept turning it up until I could feel my ears tickling inside, and a faint raspy hiss.
At that point I realised I needed to haul the Triaxis rack back out because I was wrecking my ears, and it was STILL not loud enough.
Great for recording though...and its clean sound and stereo chorus sounded luscious!
I got a 8100 last year. I think it’s great but actually from the tone problems I have similar in this video and what I’ve been thinking, I don’t think EMG’s work well with the valvestate because EMG’s already have a compressed top end and so it makes the amp sound double stale/flat. Definitely think a passive or x2n is key for dope valvestate tones
I used to play a 8080 Combo with Celestion… the first generation of Valvestate… the next generation was not so good.
man I had the head and matching cab, played many gigs with it and recorded an album. Wish I had never sold it :( Still have the combo version AVT50 which is a great little practice amp. Highly enjoyable video thanks man \m/ They sound much better with decent passive pups
It seems that everybody who got into electric guitar in the 90's got the Valvestate combo as a starter. :-)
In Germany the Hughes & Kettner Attax amps were the only alternative. And they kinda sucked. 😜
@@KohleAudioKult You're right! 😅 How could I forget about the Attax series covered in blue carpet. 🙈🙌
🤪
I love my Marshall AVT 100 Valvestate 2000 combo amp. I don't have any problems getting a great tone out of it.
Same. Do you use the amp's overdrive or a pedal?
I've got the AVT150 half stack. It can sound pretty good when tweaked and running tube screamer through it. Seems to suite EMGs rather than passives though, as you need to drive the tube screamer harder with passives
I still own an AVT100. I didn't know shit in 2000 so I tuned it super scooped to play with the band and live 😅 I wonder what the audience was really hearing...
My valvestate blew up once, rebuilt the whole power side for like 20 bucks.
Modding with better output transformer and caging both transformers would be cool
@@bretolson8484 mines actually the avt2000 or something like that but I imagine the technology is similar. There was 2 chips soldered to small boards suspended from a heat rail korg part # tda something. Went from shooting fire out the top to screaming again lol. I heard of capacitor swaps n stuff. I just wanted it to work again.
I still love my Bi-Chorus 200 (8280) 2x12 combo, I bought new in 1995/96. I would plug into a 4x12 cabinet (L & R separated) and run a 3/4 stack live. It has 160 watts stereo and the chorus is awesome. Yes, I run my Contour at 2 o'clock, but I'm old school.
WoW! The video I was looking for! I have the exact same amp and pickups. I don't like my tone, and this guy put words on what I hear, explains in detail why it is, and he shows how to actually improve things. I've been searching a heavy metal distortion pedal to put in front, but I didn't know what to get since I didn't know exactly where I'm at. Most useful video ever for this situation! Thank you!
Great to hear that! Thanks a lot!
@@KohleAudioKult Thanks for your unexpected quick answer! Would you have a Heavy Metal pedal to suggest for good bottom punch and rather defined rounded distortion ( no fizz/fuzz). I like to chugg back guitar I am not a lead. I like Metallica MoP era. Tanks!
My one guitar player used that but he put one of those yellow boss overdrive pedals in front of it and magic! For some reason we tried other pedals and we couldn't get an acceptable sound and make it blend with our other guitarists jcm 800. The sound together was awesome metal.
It's weird, I've also found the Boss SD-1 to boost solidstate and modelers better than a tubescreamer.
Totally: SD 1 all the way🤘💀🤘
I had this amp, I replaced the 12ax7 every 3 months and it sounded just fine. Especially before a show. It sounded as good as the rest every time.
I would assume the tube is used in the V2 position on other amps, the DC coupled cathode follower driving the tone stack? A lot of people say that's the source of the Marshall crunch.
EDIT: I decided to stop being lazy and look up the schematic. I was right, but theres a lot more tone shaping going on around that valve to get it to sound like a Marshall, I assume to simulate the phase inverter and an EL34 output stage driving an undersized output transformer.
Love them! I had the 2 x 12 combo with stereo chorus. 40 or 80 watts, I don't remember. I sold it and have regretted it ever since!
I have a Marshall Valvestate Avt 20 and I think it's a great amp. Good enough for me!