Marshall Haze or...?

[Ray K.]

I dropped by a local shop today during lunch. Finally got a quick test drive of a Marshall Haze (15W, dual channel with built in FX). I was using one of their "beater" guitars, and as always, I truly dislike demo'ing gear in most music stores.

Having said that, I was impressed! It does seem to have the Marshall "vibe," though I won't claim it to be a Plexi or any such thing. I personally could do without the onboard effects, but they did sound rather nice. Could be a convenience thing, but you can only turn them on/off from the footswitch (included). The clean and dirt channel share the EQ, which I don't think is necessarily a deal breaker.

I've been wanting a low wattage Marshall head or good clone. Or, better yet to build my own.

I was wondering if anyone has had any quality play time with one of these, and what your thoughts are.

Also, does anyone know of a better bang for the buck Marshall/clone/kit out there?

Thanks,
Ray K.

[guitarzan]

I've used the Haze for in-store clinics quite a bit and I'm always happy with it. It's hard to know what it would sound like at gig volumes, but for the bedroom or lower-volume gigs, I think it's a very cool amp.

You might also try the Class 5. It's a simple and straightforward single channel amp that sounds really cool.



I dropped by a local shop today during lunch. Finally got a quick test drive of a Marshall Haze (15W, dual channel with built in FX). I was using one of their "beater" guitars, and as always, I truly dislike demo'ing gear in most music stores.

Having said that, I was impressed! It does seem to have the Marshall "vibe," though I won't claim it to be a Plexi or any such thing. I personally could do without the onboard effects, but they did sound rather nice. Could be a convenience thing, but you can only turn them on/off from the footswitch (included). The clean and dirt channel share the EQ, which I don't think is necessarily a deal breaker.

I've been wanting a low wattage Marshall head or good clone. Or, better yet to build my own.

I was wondering if anyone has had any quality play time with one of these, and what your thoughts are.

Also, does anyone know of a better bang for the buck Marshall/clone/kit out there?

Thanks,
Ray K.

[Ray K.]

Thanks for your take on this amp, Corey. I didn't really get to spend much time with it, and especially the clean channel. How well does it work?

In reading around on the Net, supposedly the clean channel has some nice clean tones to it, but will also break up nicely. How much will you need to turn it up to get to that point though?

What did it for me was when I switched to the overdrive channel and hit the first chord...whoa, we're definitely in Marshall land! I'm tempted to take my Les Paul back for another test drive. But...I really, really don't need another amp. :cool:

Thanks,
Ray K.

[guitarzan]

Thanks for your take on this amp, Corey. I didn't really get to spend much time with it, and especially the clean channel. How well does it work?

In reading around on the Net, supposedly the clean channel has some nice clean tones to it, but will also break up nicely. How much will you need to turn it up to get to that point though?

What did it for me was when I switched to the overdrive channel and hit the first chord...whoa, we're definitely in Marshall land! I'm tempted to take my Les Paul back for another test drive. But...I really, really don't need another amp. :cool:

Thanks,
Ray K.

I hear you. Another amp right now would be ridiculous for me, but I'm still always looking.

The Haze was cool in the cleans, but I never had an opportunity to push it up high enough to get it to break up. Maybe next Spring... :)

[Ray K.]

Man, I've got a terrible case of G.A.S. and an twitchy "trigger finger" so bad for one of these right now. I am desperately trying to resist, but it may be futile. :cool:

I'm at least trying to be a good boy and wait through Christmas. Maybe some payola will show up under the tree...

Ray K.

[Ray K.]

I am desperately trying to resist, but it may be futile. :cool:

"Ah hem...Well, see I went by that music shop again today at lunch...just to look! Really! I meandered around the store for a bit before skulking up to that cool amp I told you about. Know what? They had it marked down to $650! Not just for the amp head, but for the whole stack! New (floor model) with full warranty and both cabinets. These go for $1,000 anywhere else!. So, I really thought it was meant to be. I played it awhile. The owner came by and said he was willing to take a loss on it to sell it. So, I know I didn't really need another amp, but...but, this was on SALE!! Aren't you proud of me?"

Oh, sorry guys, but I'm just rehearsing for when I get home later today. ;)

Yes, the above is for real. I was planing just to buy the head ($600 new) before I even got to the store. I couldn't believe the "$650 For Full Stack!" tag when I saw it. Remained cool about it, of course. Got one of their cheapy LP models and noodle for a little while, then calmly asked the sales guy if he'd like to sell the whole rig to me. He didn't stay so calm... :)

Funny...in all honesty, if you had told me just six months ago that I'd be slinging another Gibson Les Paul and playing through a Marshall "stack," I would have looked at you like you had just lost your mind.

We'll see if or how long before the new wears off.

Oh, by the way, the clean channel does sound sweet as well. Crank it and it overdrives nicely, if desired.

Ray K.

[Ray K.]

I had time last night to pull the chassis for a looksee and to check the bias.

This amp looks well made and I can tell you the "iron" (transformers) are quite heavy and beefy in looks.

Everything is on PCB, of course, but it seems well laid out and easy enough to work on, if ever needed.

So, I checked the bias and it was a cold 19ma! I wound up setting it at 30ma, just above Marshall's recommendation of 25ma.

I then replaced the stock Chinese tube set, which are all branded "Marshall." I installed a set of JJ's. Matched set of 6V6, balanced ECC83 (12AX7) for the PI and Gold Pin ECC83s in V1 and V2.

After firing it up, I noticed right away that the note clarity and definition was much better. I can understand now why some reviewers haven't cared for these out of the box, while others love them.

Anyway, I slowly took her up all the way to "eleven." This is one loud 15 watter! But, it held together with no hint of ugliness going on. I'd say this amp would hold up well in most gig situations. The power tube soak and saturation sounded really good as well, but my ears could only take so much of a beating.

I'm still not ready to claim this to be 100% plexi, but it is quite close and does have the Marshall vibe. The breakup is smooth and sounds great at lower volume settings, which is a plus for a non MV amp.

I'm still getting acquainted with this head and cabs, but so far I like what I'm hearing.

I'll try to post results when I get around to taking it to a rehearsal or gig.

Thanks,
Ray K.

[guitarzan]

These reviews are right on. Thanks so much for taking the time, Ray. I really appreciate it.

[bruce]

I had time last night to pull the chassis for a looksee and to check the bias.

This amp looks well made and I can tell you the "iron" (transformers) are quite heavy and beefy in looks.

Everything is on PCB, of course, but it seems well laid out and easy enough to work on, if ever needed.

So, I checked the bias and it was a cold 19ma! I wound up setting it at 30ma, just above Marshall's recommendation of 25ma.

I then replaced the stock Chinese tube set, which are all branded "Marshall." I installed a set of JJ's. Matched set of 6V6, balanced ECC83 (12AX7) for the PI and Gold Pin ECC83s in V1 and V2.

After firing it up, I noticed right away that the note clarity and definition was much better. I can understand now why some reviewers haven't cared for these out of the box, while others love them.

Anyway, I slowly took her up all the way to "eleven." This is one loud 15 watter! But, it held together with no hint of ugliness going on. I'd say this amp would hold up well in most gig situations. The power tube soak and saturation sounded really good as well, but my ears could only take so much of a beating.

I'm still not ready to claim this to be 100% plexi, but it is quite close and does have the Marshall vibe. The breakup is smooth and sounds great at lower volume settings, which is a plus for a non MV amp.

I'm still getting acquainted with this head and cabs, but so far I like what I'm hearing.

I'll try to post results when I get around to taking it to a rehearsal or gig.

Thanks,
Ray K.

Ray.. What was your plate voltage when you re-biased?

[Ray K.]

Bruce,

I'm not sure, I didn't take the time to measure it - sorry. I have it buttoned back up, but when I have time I'll be glad to measure it for you.

My best guess is it's around 500V...for whatever good that is.

Ray K.

[Ray K.]

These reviews are right on. Thanks so much for taking the time, Ray. I really appreciate it.
Corey, Glad to do it anytime...when I have said time! :cool:

Ray K.

[bruce]

Bruce,

I'm not sure, I didn't take the time to measure it - sorry. I have it buttoned back up, but when I have time I'll be glad to measure it for you.

My best guess is it's around 500V...for whatever good that is.

Ray K.

Just wondering because the bias is measured depending on the plate voltage. 30ma sounds very very high for 6V6's.

[Ray K.]

Ah, I thought you were just curious about the plate voltage of this particular amp.

So, you want me to give away all of my secrets, huh? Well, here goes... ;)

If you're not already familiar with JJ Electronics, their 6V6's are very stout valves and can handle being pushed harder with little to no effect on their service life. Things might be different with other brands of tubes.

I've been ordering JJ tubes from Bob Pletka/Eurotubes for more years than I care to remember. Bob is a friend as well and knows his way around a tube amp. I went on his recommendation as he has yet to steer me in the wrong direction.

I'll still measure the plate voltage when I get a chance and post it here.

Thanks for the concern.

Ray K.

[Ray K.]

Guitarzan,

Since you've had your hands on both, I'm curious about which amp you would select, between the following only. Marshall Haze 15 or Reason Bambino. Both heads.

I realize I have stated in the past that I'm not particularly crazy about channel switching on amps these days. I've been in a phase for awhile where I like running a single channel just on the verge of breakup and using pedals to drive or push the amp. But, I'm having fun right now with running straight into the two channel Haze. The clean is nice and pleasing, almost "fendery" sounding to my ears. The OD channel is certainly Marshall in flavor.

The Bambino, which I have not had an opportunity to play, seems to be a single channel amp. But, it is foot switchable which is where I get a little confused. I think it allows changing between different "flavors" of settings.

Obeid's demo sounds like the amp can cover quite a bit of territory. It even sounds like it can get in to Marshall territory as well. But, I'd rather not have to tweak the amps controls during a set if it can be helped.

Your demo is helpful as well, but I would have liked to have heard someone using humbuckers.

You thoughts, please?

Thanks,
Ray K.

[guitarzan]

My take is that the Bambino is a more mature sounding amp. The cleans are really inspiring and the edge-of-breakup and overdrive tones are also really musical sounding.

The Bambino is switchable but I was using it more like a single channel amp with a boost. It's a really really great amp. Don't get me wrong, the Haze is also a very cool amp, but the Bambino seems to do some similar things with a little more pizazz.

[tom]

mature, like old guy amp? i resemble that remark!

[guitarzan]

mature, like old guy amp? i resemble that remark!

hahaha. Mature... like WISE, COMPLEX... as if Yoda were an amplifier...

[Ray K.]

Thanks "Zan,"

I was afraid you were going to say all kinds of nice things about it...but, I had to ask, didn't I? :rolleyes:

Thanks,
Ray K.

[Ray K.]

Just wondering because the bias is measured depending on the plate voltage. 30ma sounds very very high for 6V6's.Hey Bruce, I only just realized my typo. I meant to say 30mV! Big difference, sorry about that!

Ray K.

[Ray K.]

I'll still measure the plate voltage when I get a chance and post it here.
Hey Bruce,

I finally have the amp chassis on my bench doing some minor tone tweaking.

While I was in there, I measured the plate voltage as promised. It is 340VDC.

The max. dissipation of the JJ 6V6 tubes is 14 watts.

14w/340 = .040 or 40 mA, which is the max. Using the 75% rule of thumb - .040 x .75 = .030 or 30mA. This is where I have the bias set as Bob had recommended.


Just wondering because the bias is measured depending on the plate voltage. 30ma sounds very very high for 6V6's.Again, I appreciate your concern, but as you see the bias is set in a safe range.

Thanks,
Ray K.