Astoria blowout

Moe_Zambeek

Guitarguitar appear to be blowing out the Marshall Astoria range at reasonable prices.

This amp line has been a disaster for Marshal. Personally I quite liked the look and was keen to try one, but it took ages from the announcement to them being available, and even then there were never any in the shops to try. I feel like Marshall snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with these. 

Anyway, at around a grand for the combo these sound like decent value now.

olafgarten

Moe_Zambeek said:

Guitarguitar appear to be blowing out the Marshall Astoria range at reasonable prices.

This amp line has been a disaster for Marshal. Personally I quite liked the look and was keen to try one, but it took ages from the announcement to them being available, and even then there were never any in the shops to try. I feel like Marshall snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with these. 

Anyway, at around a grand for the combo these sound like decent value now.

These were crazy prices before, people might actually buy them now.

Bygone_Tones

Wake me up when they come in around the 400 quid mark.

FreddieVanHalen

Bygone_Tones said:

Wake me up when they come in around the 400 quid mark.

Really? I know they look a bit odd, but aren't they essentially JTMs with some modern features? If so, what's not to like?

Admittedly I haven't read all the reviews and youtube reports but if my JTM assumption is correct I'd buy them all day long at anything under £800....

GoldenEraGuitars

They look amazing. Johan Segborn just did an amazing video with one 

Strat_a_tat_tat

If the colours aren't to your liking... Andertons claim to have an exclusive on black ones...

https://www.andertons.co.uk/p/AST2C-BLK/combo-amps/marshall-ast2c-astoria-the-black-custom-combo-black-tolex?_ga=1.172580902.444125547.1490183134

impmann

Over a grand for a head... and that's reduced?

I'm truly not surprised they haven't sold at that money.

FreddieVanHalen

impmann said:

Over a grand for a head... and that's reduced?

I'm truly not surprised they haven't sold at that money.

It's cheap compared to the popular "boutique" builders that we all know and love though, no? Like about a third to half of the price of Friedman et al.?

Even a JCM800 reissue is advertised at £1600 many places...

impmann

FreddieVanHalen said:

impmann said:

Over a grand for a head... and that's reduced?

I'm truly not surprised they haven't sold at that money.

It's cheap compared to the popular "boutique" builders that we all know and love though, no? Like about a third to half of the price of Friedman et al.?

Even a JCM800 reissue is advertised at £1600 many places...

But its not a boutique amp. No matter what they tell you!!

And I don't understand why anyone would pay £1600 for a JCM800 reissue when you can *EASILY* find the real thing for less!

FreddieVanHalen

impmann said:

And I don't understand why anyone would pay £1600 for a JCM800 reissue when you can *EASILY* find the real thing for less!

Well, I know what you mean but I guess some folks do pay it...perhaps it's that new amp smell vs. the beer and fag smoke of the originals ;-)

impmann

FreddieVanHalen said:

impmann said:

And I don't understand why anyone would pay £1600 for a JCM800 reissue when you can *EASILY* find the real thing for less!

Well, I know what you mean but I guess some folks do pay it...perhaps it's that new amp smell vs. the beer and fag smoke of the originals ;-)

Are they paying it, though? I'm not convinced they are...

FreddieVanHalen

impmann said:

Are they paying it, though? I'm not convinced they are...

Somebody must be as they pop up reasonably frequently in the second hand market (reissues that is).

Whether they are big sellers compared to everything else on offer, I have absolutely no clue or hard data!

clarkefan

There's a big thread on TGP about the Jubilee reissue being seriously marked down in the States. Haven't noticed that happening here? 

ICBM

lonestar said:

They look amazing. Johan Segborn just did an amazing video with one 

It looks even worse when you can see the off-centre speaker through the cheap-looking black grill cloth…

I'll have a listen later.

(Edit)

Hmmm… it's OK I suppose, although there is an irritating transient 'clack' sound in the picking attack, and a buzz that overlies the notes and then cuts off abruptly as they decay. But most of all, it just doesn't sound really like a Marshall. I don't really know what it *does* sound like… if I didn't know what it was I would have no idea.

Sorry, but it's a fail for me.

jpfamps

Moe_Zambeek said:

Guitarguitar appear to be blowing out the Marshall Astoria range at reasonable prices.

And thus shafting all other Marshall dealers who are selling the Astoria.

Moe_Zambeek

 jpfamps said:

Moe_Zambeek said:

Guitarguitar appear to be blowing out the Marshall Astoria range at reasonable prices.

And thus shafting all other Marshall dealers who are selling the Astoria.

I think Guitarguitar are the main blowout channel for Marshall, though Andertons also seem to have deals.

Adamski

Disaster. 

I was at Musicmesse the year they launched. I walked over to the Marshall booth eager to hear them only to find that all the amps weighed about 1kg as they were just shells. No actual sounds in sight! The Marshall guy then popped along and I asked the price to which he replied "in line with the boutique amps out there today". I knew then this was gonna fall on it's arse, especially with the,erm, different? Styling. 

I also asked him him whether they were anymore 'boutique' than any old made in England Marshall prior to production mainly moving to china, to which he couldn't reply.....

shaunm

Oh Marshall, why don't they just make their old amps with modern features and leave it at that.

dindude

Financial year end looming, any sales (even at vastly marked down prices) are better than no sales I guess for Marshall. And whilst they've dicked around with Astoria, Friedman have cornered the market they should have had.

Sassafras

The heads don't look too bad but, oh dear, those cabs!

ICBM

Sassafras said:

The heads don't look too bad but, oh dear, those cabs!

One of the heads on top of the little handwired-series cabs - the 1974CX or the 2061CX - would probably look quite decent, even without matching the colours.