Marshall Valvestate VS100R Demo & More
![Al Verdura Tone Junkie] [ALVER Amps](http://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AIdro_mjZJXaquC11tDdui_3teQ6pOJWu6HKpGMsKSuV6qlHEQ=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video we will have the Marshall VS100R, a hybrid amp from the 90´s that can be found today used for a great price. I have owned 3 of these amps so we are going to talk about the pros and cons, we are going to compare the tones you can get on recordings and more.
- Intro 0:00
- Playthrough 1:28
- Recording Comparison 12:53
- Conclusion 14:31
- Repairs that I did to this amp 16:37
Thanks for watching
I bought one of these when it first came out. Oh boy you brought me back 20 years when you started playing. Such a good amp.
Lol, yeah true. I've had four of these and never let me down
fantastic demo, would love to see more!
Thank you. I´m preparing myself to upload more content
Thanks for this video. I've had one of these VS 100 Rs for 24 years and until I saw this video I knew next to nothing about it. I bet in the 24 years I might have used it for maybe an hour. Thanks again!
You're welcome!!!! It's never too late to enjoy playing
Thank you for the video..i had one in the 90s it's one of the best amps I ever had.Your Awesome man..Keep up the good work..thank you again
You're welcome my friend!!!
This was awesome to watch. Just bought the head version can’t wait to dig into mine.
Do it!! You will love it
thanks heaps, best demo vid for my amp i've ever seen. cheers
Thanks man. More to come. Pickups, my prototype amp, covers, etc
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 i also have the red button AVT tribute as my 100r also has issues but i might change out the valve as you suggested. thanks again.
@@MrRustypete I had the 4 channel AVT head and it was very nice. I preferred the AVT over this one honestly
just bought the vs 2000 avt 150 and i love it. i play only 80's stuff so its right in my wheel house.
Totally!!! I had the 150 head and had a lot fun with it!
Great video. Good demo. Thank you.
Thanks, I appreciate that!!
This is one of my practice amps, but I had the back closed up. I love it!
Awesome!!! I also prefer close backs!!
I like it when mic'ed in the mix.
yeah
ive had a vs102r for 22 years and i love it
Yes man, they are very good and reliable
I just brought one today for 20quid off Facebook mate plc. 😄 loving it, i got a marshall ! 😃Only had a lil Park marshall up till now. this amp rocks my street, waking up the neighbours 🎸 💥🤪
@@leencand 20 quid thats a bargain mate, my nan bought mine for me! Funnily enough it was my first big amp too after a 10w Park. Rock on
I have three of these myself, practice and gig with them regularly. Amazing amps that are criminally underrated and surprisingly versatile. All three of my VS100s come with Celestion speakers, no idea why yours doesn't.
True man!!
The marshall gold back speakers are eminence 121502
@@PoCiLga cool I didn't know that
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 I did so much research on this amp hahaha...I know there is a head version, but it's not the one you showed on your video, and I know that the band Death have recorded with one of those, the emulated output, emulates the sound of the vintage speakers witch the vintage 30 are based
@@PoCiLga I heard that the amp was used for several death metal bands and now some people are trying to get them, John Browne from Monuments is one of those
The line out is emulated, which means it has speaker emulation, so putting cabinet impulses onto an emulated signal is not advisable since the line out is already emulating a speaker cabinet. Other than that, good review and very nice demo. You're one of the only people who have done a thorough look at this excellent amp. The MGHDFX line was basically this minus the preamp tube, and included better reverb and built in effects. I can't speak about the MG lines after that since I never played any of those.They phased out these Valvestates because the MG took its place. I have an MGHDFX100H and it sounds better than the VS100r that my friend has, believe it or not. His also has the noise issues that your VS has.
Thank you Danny!!! Yes they are good amps. I prefer the ones with the red power switch (not the avts) Happy New Year!!
Great demo and opinions...I bought a 1993 VS100 about 3 years ago in like new condition, although I needed to replace the power button because the original one was faulty. I also had to re-solder one of the condensers after discovering that it was the reason for some very loud noise. All in a lovely amp. But now I'm faced with the dilemma of deciding which one to keep of two amps...The VS 100 or my Peavey Red Stripe Bandit (".)
I had recently resolder the electrolytic caps on another VS and it fixed the hum like in 80%, the customer was happy so we left it that way. I´ve had several peaveys and they are really good amps, I like peavey cleans and the overdrive is also good but different compared to Marshalls
I had the one with the black switch and it always had a noticeable hum as well.
Thanks for mentioning, I always wondered if it was just my Model, The 12ax7 I had or just a grounding issue. This confirms its just par for the course with this model.
It's a very common problem on those amps
Good video !🎸
Thanks!!!
Good news a guy helped me out with v30
I used to have a valvestate mini stack in my living room. I put a Boss super overdrive in front of it and wow........pretty cool lil stack.
Those were super rare!! I know they existed but never saw one in person
im having one for 22 years and it is indestructible..just change a tube..i have giged it.played at rehaearsals ..played it constantly..but..it sounds really good now.because i have s.d.invader pickup on bridge position and it cannot be beaten.on ibanez sv sabre ..for me it is perfect
No doubt about it!!
Hola! Encantado de ver la review del VS100, tengo uno que compré nuevo allá por 1997! Y aún funciona muy bien. Me quedé con ganas de entender un poco mejor cómo usar el loop de fx pues últimamente quiero conectar una pedalera multiefectos al amplificador. Dado que utilizo el volumen bajo, la puedo usar directamente a través del input del amp, pero me gustaría entender todas las posibilidades que existen para tomar una mejor decisión. Desde ya muchas gracias por tu video!!
Gracias!!!! Pues nada, basicamente el fx loop es para poner efectos despues de la distorsión del ampli. Normalmente se ponen alli los reverbs, delays y modulaciones aunque es cuestion de probar
Excellent video dude. I'm very interested in buying one of these amps, and I'm currently bidding on one. The emulated line out is not working, but i will not use it anyway.
Exactly, the emulated output is not a deal anyway, just check that the amp doesn't have hum and that's it. Good luck and keep rocking!!
I just bought this amp on Reverb a little bit ago. The VS100H is great! I love the OD2 for extreme metal but I have to put the mids at almost 5oclock to actually cut through in a mix.
For your recording, the senheiser really made your guitar tone sound like AC/DCs, whereas I feel the lineout made it muddy
Yeah man, the line out is not good but for all around tones and not a lot of money is still a great amp
Try this trick to make your mids pop: Turn up the FX loop volume all the way, then hit the button on the side of the knob and turn the FX loop off. It sounds like proper Marshall midrange when you do that.
sounds great...bit of Panama as well...nice review!
Thanks!!!!
good review, spot on.👍
that scooped contour always makes me play Metallica riffs too!
i still use mine to gig with, usually using just the clean channel pushed to crunchy for almost all my sounds, and roll off the guitar volume for clean sounds... lead channel just for fuzz chords or solos (too fuzzy and compressed for regular covers band!).
Yeah totally LOL. I never used OD2 either
Fantastico! Excellent review. Just bought the 8080 myself. Btw the first generation (8000-series) mostly does not have a red power switch. It´s just the 212 version that I´ve seen. There are 8010, 8020, 8040, 8080 and 8100 that don´t have red. The way I tell them generations apart is the Valvestate-logo: 8000-series has an airy outline font and VS has a Black Label (Society). AVT I don´t care about. Also 8000-series combos have more connectors on the front, as both footswitch and fx-loop connectors are there. And line out.
Awesome!!!! I didn't know that. I remember that the first I had was the 8240 I think, 2x12 combo with chorus and the red rocker power switch as you said. Most of the ones I have seen that come with the black push/push power switch are the VS series, I don't recall having seen any 8000 series with black switch though. Glad that it was helpful man, enjoy!!!
In a mix, the 609 mic’ed cab sounds the best. The impulses and emulated out sounds fizzy and thin. My thoughts. 🤘🏻
Totally agree bro!
You really do sell this amp!
And I have owned one since 1996 ..
Imagine piping a REV 3 or 4 through the clean channel ..
Now you are talking modern ..
thats a different story LOL. Actually in the circuit, the OD2 engages a TS type boost, I guess they were trying to achieve the 80´s recipe. I personally dont like Marshall high gain sound, I prefer soldano or mesa mark instead
You have to push the power dimension button to play at low level. Sound is amazing.
But yeah reverb is lame.
Yes it adds some bass
Such a good review Al, but I have to say that FX Mix knob is actually one of the VS100's best kept secrets (it's definitely not boring). I don't think any of these are design features as there is no mention of any of this in the product manual, but anyway.....
First trick, if just playing through the input (nothing connected to SND/RTR jacks)...push in the FX Level button and the FX Mix knob works as a 0 to 10db booster.
Second trick, when using the FX Loop (without sending signal to the front input, say a GT-1000 or similar in 4CM or direct to FX RTN), the FX Mix works as a master volume...and then if playing through the input only, in 4CM, the FX Mix will work as a master volume in reverse (lowers the volume as you turn to the right), which allows you to crank the Channel Volume and Gain but roll down the overall volume with the FX Mix knob (very useful). This also opens the door to putting the Clean channel on 10 to get some knarly break-up and crunch tones while using the FX Mix to lower the overall volume.
Also, if playing through the FX RTN, if you use the Clean channel you get a direct unaffected signal through to the power section/speaker (good for consistently reproducing your patches), but if you use an OD channel, the OD tone controls still function on the FX Loop signal which allows you to EQ your multi-effects or whatever is connected, with the Overdrive EQ on the front of the amp.
Once you get your head around what you can do with that FX Mix knob, it opens a whole heap of additional ways to use these great amps.
Thanks man!! You really know those secrets LOL. I never used it like that, just used it to match unity level 😄
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 Yeah, but it took me over 20 years of owning that amp to discover all those nuances lol
Awesome video man, very informative. I went and picked up this same amp based on your demo and I love it. I noticed I had a loud hum also at first...but that's only when I have pedals connected, one I removed them and started running just a Sonicake Black Hammer the hum went away on both OD channels. Very odd indeed. Then again I'm not that big of an amp user, I have AmpliTube Max and I use the Mesa Boogie sims for all my recording. But I wanted to have a go at putting together a small live rig so I grabbed the ValveState, a Rat, Boss NS-2 and TU-3, and the Black Hammer for the effects loop. I'm also going to swap out the tube for a low-noise unit...which one would you recommend?. Again, thanks for the vid, it was a huge help!
Cool man, I'm glad it was helpful!!! Those valvestates are still great amps for the money
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 Yep, great amp, I use mine for the clean sound on pedal steel guitar.
It may be a few years late, but to answer your question, I popped a 7025 in mine and it lowered the noise floor considerably...that being said, pretty much all the extra features add noise...fx loop, reverb, power dimension switch, blah blah...but these are nice sounding amps
There is also the VS V series - the earliest ones I think.
I've seen 3 different ones. Valvestate 2000s, VSs and AVTs
i just bought the vs102r for 60usd , what's the difference with vs100? also when i dial the clean and overdrive reverb channel, i didnt notice any changes on the side? do you think the reverb tank is busted?
very nice demo,best demo if this amp so far i watched in YT. THANK
Thanks man!! Well the reverb not working can be caused for a bunch of reasons, tank, cables, dirty connectors and so on
This amp would would give that angus tone really well with the schaffer replica pedal
Totally agreee
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 i actually just bought this amp yesterday for 200.00 made in England in 1996 speaker is a Marshall gold back, and it sounds really good
I've got this amp but it's orange - it's called orange crunch. It's great but I have no idea why it's orange! Great video.
Really??? LOL I have never seen one
I had the Marshall VS102R version of the Orange Crunch for years. Great amp, but a bit heavy with twin speakers.
@@darrendavidson3269 Mine just has one speaker with the three channels. Great amp, just don't know anything about why it's orange or called orange crunch. Can't find any info. Cheers.
What's the difference between the Vs100r and the Vs102r? Is the second one too different in comparison to the one in the video? 🤷🏻♂️ thanks
The VS100 is 1x12 and the VS102 is 2x12
Mid 90's I had the vs100r head with a 4x12cab..
Shit I forgot how good these sounded
Yeah man they do!!!
I have a rare one of these..it's made in england... but it has an grey grill on it..I have looked on reverb and EBay and haven't found one like the one I have...its a good amp..not a great amp and there is a difference..but like any tool knowing how to use it makes all the difference....on the first overdrive if you back the gain way down to about a third you can really nail that AC/DC tone....🎸
I think pretty much the same as you. They are good amps but not great tonewise. They have a sizzle that tube amps don't have
Al, you got to the point with your comments, these VS100 models got radiofrequencies around, did you know how to reduce this problem ? or it also improved when you changed the Tube ? which model of Tube by the way ? (no idea) ..... I also need to ask, where was the problem with your damaged reverb ? my 2 reverbs dont work at all and I checked and I see the reverb box and springs in perfect condition, cables working, and no signs of lacks of led in the terminals,.... thanks for your great help
I think there is nothing we can do to improve these amps because they have too many components. One thing I know for sure is that the tube is a low noise tube. I believe it is a 12ax7wa
Ahhh and I remember that the one on the video the reverb wasn't working because it had a broken cable in the reverb tank!!!
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 Thank you for your kind answer
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 Thank you so much for the answer, I will try to find that tube and check if its the correct one
Excelente review. Yo tengo el vs65 y no tiene tantas opciones como este. Aun así en Argentina no es conveniente comprarlo ya que vale lo mismo que un valvular de 15 o 20w
Si de estos hay un montón de modelos. Los precios dependen mucho también del sitio donde vivas, normalmente usados se consiguen a buen precio. Obviamente, si uno de valvulas de 20watts te vale lo mismo pues entonces mejor el de valvulas no?
Muchas gracias Mati, saludos!!
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 i like the review a lot ! but i dont think theres a much better options on tube amps for the price, i mean, maybe a chinese or taiwanes option, but this one is made in england, the DCL for example is maybe the same prize at this one, but you cant argue that the valvestate gets the "Marshall" sound better than the DCL, and its the same brand!
@@guidosblues yeah exactly, it's a Marshall, sounds like a Marshall and they ate built to last. I recently fixed a hum issue on another valvestate but the 80 watt version and the owner was very happy. That one even came with a Celestion GT12T-75 speaker!!! That's an incredible deal
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 im thinking on getting one (VS100R) thats why i ve watch this video, its really worthy the speaker upgrade? like you said, putting a GT12 instead the GB
@@guidosblues well it depends, you should have to try both and decide. I have always played through G12T-75s, V30s and also G12H so my ear kind of like the celestion sound. Another thing to consider is that if you buy the amp for like 150 euros a new speaker costs 100-150 euros. It depends
Hi I got the Celestion G12 Vintage 30 8 ohm but it's 60 watt
That’s a great review, good amps for practice at home. Can you make a review on a Marshall JCM 900? Thank you!
REPUBLICO JOSUE BALBAS thanks man, yes they are great amps for the price. I would love to review a JCM 900!!! When I get one for sure I will!!!!! Now I have to start working on the next demos that are the two notes torpedo captor and the digitech drop that I got 2 days ago and I haven't had time to even touch it!!!! LOL
Al Verdura Tone Junkie thank you! I just got that beast and want to learn how to properly operate it. Have a great day!
REPUBLICO JOSUE BALBAS you will see, I even recorded two songs to show how it sounds in a mix with the built in analog cab sim and with the Wall of Sound digital plugin
Dont know if you were talking about the Marshall or the Torpedo Captor 🤣🤣🤣
Al Verdura Tone Junkie the Marshall 😂
own this one from 25 years, footswitchs not working, great for small rehersal room , hums as well, nothing intolerable.
Check with another footswitch or open yours and see if all the wires are connected. First valvestate I got had the same issue and it was very easy to fix the footwitch
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 thanks for the answer dude!, insides look ok, probably the jack and old age in gral , would any other fooswitch work as a replacement?
@@katahajimeudegarame2397 yes, any other will work.
so the tube act only on the clean channel and od1 and 2 are solid state?
If I remember correctly:
- the overdrive channel has a chip (tube screamer type) and other transistors but the tube es at the end in charge of the last gain stage and the cathode follower (driving the tone stack)
- clean channel is all solid atate
- power amp is all solid state
I hope I didn't get too technical here 🤣🤣
He Al, you changed the tube, do you have a vid when you are doing that? Or do you have a link maybe?
Well, in reality preamp tubes don´t need to be changed unless there is a problem with it. Changing the tube is pretty easy, you just open the amp, rock the tube while pulling and it will come out. The new one you do it backwards and be careful not to bend the pins, they have to match the holes in the socket
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 Thx!
I had a wicked hum in my VS102R. A new power supply fixed it.
Man I think that's a common thing on those amps. Mine I ended up trading it for a strat but I've heard more people with the same issue. Cool that you fixed it, did you replace the power transformer?
I love you video I have the Marshall valvesate vs100 it doesn't have the r but it's the same amplifier what speaker did put into yours
Mine had the original Marshall gold
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 I'm looking to replace the gold back inside my amplifier and you are a guy who knows his stuff and I was just wondering what would be a good upgrade for it
Also, VS100R speaker upgrades, many people think you have to use high power speakers as it's marketed as a 100W amp...but you only ever need a 100W speaker if you are fitting a stand alone 4ohm speaker. The amp is 100W into 4ohm, 50W into the standard 8ohm speaker, and if you connect to a 112 cab, you get 100W into 4ohms (2 x 8ohm parallel speakers), which gives 50W to each speaker. So 50W speakers are ok, can even go lower if you don't drive the amp super hard.
Mine was purchased in 1998/99 and It had a celestian in it 112 vs. maybe it was a celestian gold. Is that the same?
Yeah the ones with black/gold label are the celestion golds. The ones with white label I believe they are G12-75Ts
What's your LP pickups? I have a LP Epiphone too, with Probuckers pickups..
On this video I was using seymour duncan alnico ii pros
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 Thank you... I have a VS100, too... Great amp... I replace the 12AX7 tube for a ENGL...
I have a VS265 w/ Chorus (UK1998) and i love it! Change the 12ax7 tube for Sovtek and fly!
The hum was in mine, I opened it up and it was very clean and new looking, so checked the valve/tube and it was a Philips NOS, switched it out
for a Harma ECC83 which was fine in another amp but made mads sounds and increased the hum, so swapped that for a decent no brand china 12AX7 valve/tube
and it cut the hum right down, gonna try a12AY7 to see the effect it has, meanwhile I will keep the China valve in it as that hum was too much as I play low volume.
Enjoyed the video :)
Thanks man!! The hum on some valvestates are still a mystery to me
The speaker on my Marshall is a bit tattered with quite a few holes I wondering if celestion g12t-hot 100 would be any good
I'd try a v30 or a creamback
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 I tried looking for a vintage 30 I can't find one in 8ohm
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 gt12 vintage 30
Jensen mod > hod rod. Not saying one company is better but those 2 come in similar prices and one is way better sounding than the other. Hot rods are too hot at 5k and 200h. I base this on nothing but my ears.
Please tell me which is that footswich?
That amp had a 2 button footswitch, one for channel and one for OD1/OD2 if I remember correctly
PANAMA!!!!!!
Yeahhh
May I ask what speaker was in there for this demo?
It was the original speaker, a marshall gold back series. I think it was made by Celestion
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 Ok, thanks. I've got this exact amp and I can't dial out the super harsh highs, even with an eq pedal. And both overdrives sound depleted and weak even at 10 gain. Could be my guitar, I dunno. Yours sounds so much nicer.
@@jacobplatt393 That doesn´t sound right. Check the cable and the guitar
what issue You had ? Maybe buzzing ??
Yes, it had a horrible hum. I ended up trading it for a strat LOL
@@alverduratonejunkiealveram1017 so the hum is not fixable ?
@@nowaeratv well it depends. The one I got I changed the electrolytic caps and nothing, I tried different tubes and nothing, I even supplied 12 VDC to the filaments and nothing. I checked all the places that you normally check to solve hums and it didnt get any better. I noticed though that the hum level depended on the place I plugged it in. So in the end I could not determined if it was a bad transistor or sonething else. Later on I was called to repair another valvestate and I resolder the electrytic caps and it got like 70% fixed but remained a background hum like the amp on this video but way lower and the customer was happy so I left it like that. I hope this can help!!!
does it have send/return ?
As far as I recall yes
Yes it does, i owning one.
please tell me w is a difference betweene vs100 and 100r
I guess the 100r has reverb, but I'm not sure
thanks .Which one is better? vs 100 or vs100R
@@jerrymoe2113 I suppose they are the same amp
My friend had vs100 while i have vs100r and i think the difference is that you can connect head on vs100r that's why is called combo
@@Justmeyes thanks
I own a VS102R and mine is not even close to being as noisy as your VS100. It is in fact a very quiet amp. That amp of yours has issues.
It is true. I had two of them before an 8240 and an avt150h and both of them were super quiet. But this one has to have something else that isn't working properly
Shame not foot switchable od1-od2
True, that would be helpful!
Awesome review man!! I've been wanting to get a small Marshall amp for sometime.. I'd appreciate if you check my channel, I post guitar videos!! -Jose
Thank you very much my friend!!! I´m glad you liked it. Of course I´m going to check it right now!!!
Mashall valve amps are no good now .due to being made in China.
Yeah, I had several marshall amps but their tone wasn't something great