Never Expected That

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daveyhdaveyh Frets: 681
I've been looking for a Randall SS head for a while to get a certain late '80s sound but no luck. A Marshall Valvestate mk1 2020 came up at a good price so I thought I'd take a punt for the hell of it.

Well fuck me if the little bastard doesn't roar.
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Comments

  • relic245relic245 Frets: 944
    Yeah, I played one at a jam night last friday and was very pleasantly surprised. The next night used a borrowed blackstar id60 at a gig and was impressed with that too...

    Good find and enjoy your gas. I bet it didn't cost many pounds either.
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  • thermionicthermionic Frets: 9499
    Is that the 20W 1x10 combo? I had one of those and it did a great Marshall sound for recording. No valve in it, the sound came from a Guv'nor-like circuit (set it up semi-clean and you can see the LEDs glow as it clips when you dig in).
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    All the old Valvestates use that Guv'nor-type circuit with the LEDs, and they all sound good. The bigger models also have a valve for mysterious tone reasons :). But that's not where the sound really comes from…

    'Valvestate' actually refers to the way the power amp was designed to mimic the response of a valve amp, not that it has a valve in the preamp.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • NeilNeil Frets: 3594
    They are OK aren't they?

    I retrieved mine after 15 years in the shed. A bit of help on pulling apart from @ICBM,  a bit of spray into the pots and it's as right as rain now. 
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    I played my biggest ever gig at Au Pont du Rock in Malestroit with a borrowed one of those in the late 90s. I didn't have my wireless system either, it felt like I was trying to take a chihuahua for a walk on that stage! It sounded great though.
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  • The older ones do sound nice :)

    My mate has one of *those* Randall heads. And he plays a USA custom shop razorback in natural maple.

    And bugger me if he doesn't rock like a bastard.
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  • IanSavageIanSavage Frets: 1319
    I remember rehearsing for a show at school through my old Valvestate 8080; I was doing the intro to 'Since You've Been Gone' on a Strat and a teacher came in thinking we were just playing the record.
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  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    edited May 2014
    I bought an AVT 20w from a friend when he had his shop about 18 years ago. I had an issue with it not liking condensation going from cold cars/garages to warm humid rooms but otherwise it has proven to be a sound investment. It sits in the front room unless I take it to a rehearsal or jam. Mines a bit road-worn because I never bothered with a case/cover. @Phil_R will probably attest to it's tonal abilities having hear a few guitars through it. There is no footswitch and the drive/more drive button is manual only. Used with generally clean sounds by me I have to say I've pleased with my purchase ( I have a real 50w small box marshall from 1968 for comparison too).

    There's one up for grabs on the bay, worth a punt if you like that sort of thing.

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Marshall-AVT20-20W-guitar-amp-/131177838415?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item1e8acef74f
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  • daveyhdaveyh Frets: 681
    Is that the 20W 1x10 combo? I had one of those and it did a great Marshall sound for recording. No valve in it, the sound came from a Guv'nor-like circuit (set it up semi-clean and you can see the LEDs glow as it clips when you dig in).
    'Tis indeed, got instant Marshall as soon as I plugged it in. I remembered it had the Guv'nor circuit in, never having tried one now I know why they're popular.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    daveyh said:
    Is that the 20W 1x10 combo? I had one of those and it did a great Marshall sound for recording. No valve in it, the sound came from a Guv'nor-like circuit (set it up semi-clean and you can see the LEDs glow as it clips when you dig in).
    'Tis indeed, got instant Marshall as soon as I plugged it in. I remembered it had the Guv'nor circuit in, never having tried one now I know why they're popular.
    In case this causes another Internet Myth ;) - it's not "the Guv'nor circuit"… it's just a vaguely similar circuit using ICs and LED clipping. But in detail it is no more similar than (say) a Rat is to a Boss DS-1.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • daveyhdaveyh Frets: 681
    ICBM said:
    All the old Valvestates use that Guv'nor-type circuit with the LEDs, and they all sound good. The bigger models also have a valve for mysterious tone reasons :). But that's not where the sound really comes from…

    'Valvestate' actually refers to the way the power amp was designed to mimic the response of a valve amp, not that it has a valve in the preamp.
    I believe that, to me it definitely seems there is more going on than with normal SS amps. I like it so much I'm considering getting a big one as a spare
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31368
    daveyh said:
    ICBM said:
    All the old Valvestates use that Guv'nor-type circuit with the LEDs, and they all sound good. The bigger models also have a valve for mysterious tone reasons :). But that's not where the sound really comes from…

    'Valvestate' actually refers to the way the power amp was designed to mimic the response of a valve amp, not that it has a valve in the preamp.
    I believe that, to me it definitely seems there is more going on than with normal SS amps. I like it so much I'm considering getting a big one as a spare
    Funnily enough, after my experience with the 2020 I bought an 8080, and didn't like it nearly as much, the cleans felt sort of "rubbery" to me. It just didn't seem to have the same response as the little'un, and didn't mic up nearly so well either.

    They're generally well-regarded though so don't take my word for it, you may like it. They're pretty reliable too, though a lot are now old enough to have a few crackles and creaks.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    p90fool said:
    They're generally well-regarded though so don't take my word for it, you may like it. They're pretty reliable too, though a lot are now old enough to have a few crackles and creaks.
    Yes, the earliest ones are over 20 years old now - vintage amps! And while they have held up quite well for budget amps, they do have a fair few known problems and service issues. The trouble is that they're not worth very much financially, and so if you get a bad one with a lot that needs doing it can be uneconomical to fix… although that said, at least you have a reliable amp then, if you bought another one it could also have the same issues.

    The best for reliability are the original 80** series. The VS series aren't bad, but have poor quality pots and can become almost uneconomical to repair on that issue alone if it needs most of them replaced. These ones also have headphone jacks which are a common source of trouble, although easily fixed. Avoid the later AVT and MG models with fan cooling. This is when Marshall switched over to the 'power module' design, and is notoriously unreliable. If the fan fails - and sometimes even if it doesn't - the power module goes up in smoke almost immediately. I no longer even accept MG models with power module issues for repair they're so bad.

    But it is funny when a young chap phones the shop to ask if he can bring his dad's vintage Marshall in for a service (I assume an old valve one obviously), and when it turns up it's a Valvestate 8080…!

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • I suppose they are vintage, at that...

    Can't wait till my bandit is more than 20, only about 5 years to go and I'll own a vintage amp :D
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  • timmysofttimmysoft Frets: 1962
    I had 2 8040s, absolutely killer amps. Im a big valvestate fan though.
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  • BidleyBidley Frets: 2912
    I've had two 8080s, loved them both but they both broke within months :(
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