MA, VM, Haze

[thrawn86]

Could someone please begin commenting on these three particular newer amps? When tax time comes around next April, I may be looking for a new head and I'd like to see what everyone thinks of these. Thanx!

 

[357mag]

If it were me I'd probably go for the Vintage Modern. It's made in England so it will have higher grade parts and wood. The Haze series is made in India and it's definitely noticeable that the materials are lower quality. I would guess that the MA series will also be made in India. The sound of all these amps is still genuine Marshall but if you got the dough and want not only great sound but also good build quality go for the Vintage Modern.

 

[thrawn86]

If it were me I'd probably go for the Vintage Modern. It's made in England so it will have higher grade parts and wood. The Haze series is made in India and it's definitely noticeable that the materials are lower quality. I would guess that the MA series will also be made in India. The sound of all these amps is still genuine Marshall but if you got the dough and want not only great sound but also good build quality go for the Vintage Modern.

The VM takes KT66 power tubes; any idea if these are hard to come by? This goes for all these amps.

 

[357mag]

You should be able to get them at TheTubeStore or TubeDepot.

 

[steelhorse]

KT66's are common.

 

[crossroadsnyc]

Hard to describe tone, and even harder to tell you what you'd like ... best bet is to try all of them out and see what you prefer. Though, asking the differences between these three amps, to me, is the equivalent of asking peoples preferences between a Corvette, a Sonata & and Prius .... the Corvette (VM) is in a class by itself when compared to the affordable "get you from one place to the next" Sonata/Prius.

 

[MonstersOfTheMidway]

Sup. If you are only looking at these three, I'd say the VM is the excellent. I've tried the 100 watt head VM with its matching 425 cabinet in the past and it's got a incredible sound! It's a single channel amp, but if you know your way around tube amps, there really isn't anything this thing can't do except very high gain, aggressive metal tones (a good distortion pedal could get you there, though. It has a very thick tone when used with some gain. It has an FX loop and options for cab hook up. If you can, go down to a music store and check one out for yourself. Strats and Les Pauls sound great with these, but I've also heard it with hollowbody guitar as well and it's produced a great sound every time! Good luck in your decision.

 

[spikei]

it depends if you want to gig with it or just use it for pure pleasure at home, both of these amps will do that (VM 50c & Haze 40c). the tone from the VM is great but its not as versatile as the Haze, the Haze is a good buy for the price. its down to wot sound you want, vintage kt66 or vintage El34.
i have both and i will be gigging with the Haze because its more versatile with two channels and on board fx,oh yeh it wont break my back carrying it. but i may use the VM in the future. both good choice amps IMHO.
good luck
spike

 

[gastoon]

i want to buy my first marshall amp but i cant take a decicion..
i don´t know which is better between:
marshall ma 50c or marshall haze 40c

i like hendrix style, frusciante (RHCP) i don´t know who is better to have this sound with my stratocaster...
please help me, if you can

thank for looking

 

[Lespaulnmarshall]

I like the VM a lot better than the other new heads by Marshall, the best marshall ever in my opinion !

On the MA it is realy easy to find a nice tone, it doesent sounds as bad as I expected, actualy it's pretty good !

My only comment to Marshall is that the heads they made since 2008 aren't the Marshall's I'm used to.

 

[StratMatt]

MA series. The best advice I can give is, DON'T! I had a MA100C for 10 days, it was, without doubt, the worst amplifier I've ever used. They're made in Vietnam, the cabinets are particle board, and they sound terrible. On mine (and, this does not seem uncommon), the clean channel was extremely quiet, and, the o/d, whilst more respectable in volume, provided more clicks & hums than a geiger counter/kazoo symphony. The reverb also has two exciting settings - none & too much. Seriously, if you have any intentions of buying an amp suited to gigging, avoid the MA like the plague.

 

[HOT TUBES 70]

I didn't want to post cause i have nothing good to say about the VM & the MA series
amps . The MA series could be some of the worst tone of any all tube amp i have ever
heard IMO , and the VM !! well tons of guys say they are the best amps ever but its
just not been the case with the last 2 of these amps i have heard , if your going to buy a Marshall , tread lightly with these two amps IMO !!!

 

[dkbarnwell]

Hey Thrawn,

These are such subjective waters it's hard to weigh with out someone else having the exact opposite take or experience but.... I have two VM #2466s with matching 1960AV cabs and I love'em. Actually, I bought one and liked it so much that I convinced my wife that I should have another one!!! I also have a JCM #2555 and I use all three together.

It's true that you have to spend some time learning how to use the VM and I wouldn't suggest one demo at Guitar Center to test drive a VM. You need to be able to play it loud to see if it suits your style and taste. If you don't use your guitar's volume knob regularly, (it seems to be a lost art with the young'ns) you won't be using the VM to it's fullest capabilities. I would say the VM has expanded my playing style greatly and I am constantly finding new ways to make cool sounds with them.

That's just my experience with them, HOT Tubes has a whole different experience and there you go. You owe to yourself to try as many out as possible...and then you owe us a full report!!!

Now go out and stimulate the economy damn it!!!

Derek

 

[MKB]

+1 on try them all out to see what floats your boat. I have a 2466 Vintage Modern and a Haze 40, they both are great amps (if you can find a Haze 40 with the problems straightened out). I love them both, but the Haze gets a lot more gigging time as it is the perfect size for protability but sounds 2X its actual size. Get the 4 button footswitch with the Haze as it makes it the perfect grab-and-go channel switcher amp. The Vintage Modern does sound much better in absolute terms, but if I had to get rid of one it would probably be the VM as the Haze is much more usable overall. Both are very sweet amps.

 

[gastoon]

so.. the haze serie is better than the ma series...????
ok...
thank for your help

 

[Ken]

No one who has a Marshall tube amp seems to like the MA. The Haze are generally well liked but they seem to have some quality control issues; I would be sure to buy new and have a warrenty rather than go the eBay route. The VM is regarded as one of the best Marshalls, along with the JVM and DSL. You might consider a DSL as they are cheap, reliable, sound great and have the VM vibe on the green channel and have a ton more gain on the red. The JVM may be the best of the three but is also the most expensive.

If I were you I'd try and play a DSL, a VM and a JVM and see which you like the best.

Ken

 

[Vince]

I dig the MA and I have owned allot of Marshalls and hand wired clones. I have a MA50H running it through the MC412 cab. Like most Marshalls, you are not going to know the amp in 1/2 hour. You need to spend time with it to get to know all it can do.

The first thing I did is replace the V1 preamp tube with a TungSol 12ax7 and the power tubes with some NOS RFT EL34's. That seriously improved the tone of the amp but I knew that tone was in there to begin with.

Regardless of what the cab is made of, the PCB and components are of quality like all the rest of the modern Marshalls. I think people who own UK made Marshalls tend to turn into cork sniffers and do not want to accept the fact that this MA series amplifier can and does sound as good if not better than their 1K plus Marshall. I dare you to find a Marshall that has a better clean channel. Also the separate tone controls for the clean channel is something that is always lacking in high end amplifiers. Marshall broke the mold with this line of amplifiers and I am very impressed personally. I am not saying it is for everyone but it's time for people to be honest with themselves.

 

[MKB]

I haven't played a MA but am looking forward to doing that. One thing I've learned is if Marshall puts their name on a tube amp, it will sound at least good if you give it a chance. Also you have to get the volume cranked up to get the best tones out. Most Marshalls I've used sound poor at very low volumes, the Haze and VM included. Finally, resist the temptation to swap the Celestion Marquee speaker in the Haze combo, at least until you have broken it in. It's perfect once you break it in.

 

[StratMatt]

"The first thing I did is replace the V1 preamp tube with a TungSol 12ax7 and the power tubes with some NOS RFT EL34's. That seriously improved the tone of the amp but I knew that tone was in there to begin with."

And there lies the heart of the issue. Unless you're prepared to throw money at it, it's a bad sounding amp.
I've never understood why, if you're buying a budget amp, you would be spending more cash on modding/upgrading. Why not combine the original purchase & upgrade cash to buy a decent amplifier?

The clean channel on the one I got rid of was appalling. Admitedly, I've been using Fender amps for over 20 years, so perhaps I'm used to a great clean sound...but, the MA just didn't cut it.

 

[Vince]

All amplifiers come with crap tubes stock!

Just a fact...

You should always plan on replacing the tubes when buying a tube amplifier. NOS or proven quality tubes that give you the tone you want.