Bedroom amp

[Duff]

Bought a new Marshall MG15CDR for 148, possibly a little much, but it works really great at the head of the bed when I play myself to sleep.

Works good with single coils and HB's. Last night I played myself to sleep with my newly set up Squire "White Out" Deluxe and it sounded great. I sued both my RP350 tweaked on Fuzzkng with the spring reverb cranked up a bit and the amp overdriven some and the amp level up. I alsu played it straight into the amp and it sounded sweet.

The MG15CDR is a cosed back amp, which I like, and it sounds great with a real spring reverb, not digital in this little gem. People complain about them but for a little bedroom amp it has a great clean, not associated with Marshall and the gain goes from classic old school to metal. The contour knob is awesome and I'm getting into it.

I was debating bringing it back and getting the microstack with two ten inch cabs instead of the built in eight inch speaker, but I think I will leave well enough alone. This is portable but the microstack is probably great: a head just like my combo and two ten inch cabs that could be used for other things as well.

I also thought of getting an MG30DFX but they have all digital effects including reverb and I have a RP350 for effects.

Looks like I'll keep the MG15CDR, it seems really good to me.

Anyone have any experience with this little practice amp?

Bet a high quality, super sensitive eight inch speaker would open it up big time.

Duffy
Peace

Feedback greatly appreciated, even on this minor little amp that probably doesn't draw much interest or acclaim. Thanks guys/and gals.

[markb]

The old Marshall Lead 12s (reverb or not) are much nicer if you can find one. They don't need a replacement speaker either. I've had one of those and an MG15DFX. I much preferred the Lead 12. Remember that I play mostly clean, I find the OD to be way OTT and fizzy on recent Marshalls.

[Duff]

That's one of the things I like about this little amp. It has a reverb tank and no effects.

The clean channel got my attention instantly when I first plugged in after playing a Peavey Vypyr 15 for 45 minutes. The vypyr lit up like a Christmas tree in "Christmas Vacation", but it was pretty awesome with the amp models and effects and tweakability. It was neat but had a bad rattle vibration coming from behind the control panel which was flimsy as well as the rest of the Vypyr 15 build. It is an open back, open back for sure, completely open, no bracing at all just an open box with what looked like no bracing. It wasn't visually pleasant to look at.

So I plugged into this little Marshall that I had been wanting to try out, simple and nice looking with a "closed back" which I have been wanting for a while. The tone was immediately and strikingly superior to the Vypyr. I switched to the drive channel and it was way superior and the added reverb was just like I like it, real chimey. I switched back to the Vypyr very quickly to A/B the clean channel and there was no comparison. The Marshall had an almost Fender clean and the Vypyr obviously was made for it's meta modelling features.

If I get the Vypyr someday I'll get a bigger one with more substantial build quality.

Anyone else try a Marshall MG15CDR? Mine is a very cool bedroom amp and the drive sounds really good from old school to metal.

Duffy

[wingsdad]

I had an MG15R about 1995 or so when Marshall first came out with the MG series under the subsididiary 'Park' brandname, made in Korea, Marshall's first Asian imports, and Jim Marshall didn't want his name on them. I think there was only the 15 and 30 at the time. Looked just like a Marshall, with the 'Park' logo on the face in the same typestyle. They went with the 'Park' gambit until they caught on, a year or so, then dropped it and rechristened the expanded MG Series as 'Marshall', at this time adding the CD input to the MG15R, and FX to that to be the MG15DFX.

Oh, yeah...they also jacked the prices since they were now 'really' Marshalls.

[oldguy]

I had an MG15R about 1995 or so when Marshall first came out with the MG series under the subsididiary 'Park' brandname, made in Korea, Marshall's first Asian imports, and Jim Marshall didn't want his name on them. I think there was only the 15 and 30 at the time. Looked just like a Marshall, with the 'Park' logo on the face in the same typestyle. They went with the 'Park' gambit until they caught on, a year or so, then dropped it and rechristened the expanded MG Series as 'Marshall', at this time adding the CD input to the MG15R, and FX to that to be the MG15DFX.

Oh, yeah...they also jacked the prices since they were now 'really' Marshalls.

Naturally.............

[tunghaichuan]

The old Marshall Lead 12s (reverb or not) are much nicer if you can find one. They don't need a replacement speaker either.

Respectfully, I disagree. The stock speaker on those Lead 12 amps is kind of thin and tinny sounding. When upgraded with a good sounding speaker, the amp sounds much better. From what I understand, a lot of LA session players used the Lead 12 head as the basis for their studio recording racks.

Another one to look out for is the Lead 20 of the same era. It has a larger cabinet and a 12" speaker instead of a 10" like the Lead 12.

tung

[Duff]

I could see someone else besides me liking the MG15CDR, very simple amp. Only reverb and a good sounding tank reverb to my ear, not digital.

Wonder if a replacement 8" speaker from Eminence or Celestion is available and which ones would be good to blend in with the Marshall circuit to get that tone like mine has, or if it is even important. Maybe just a better speaker of any type would be sufficient. I doubt that though. Speakers are voiced for different type amps and you have to know which are which, which I don't know. I really like the closed back sound that this little amp has.

Any experienced help on which speakers, 8" would be great at eight ohms would be appreciated. I'm sure the stock one, although it sounds great, isn't really a great speaker. My other Marshall has a really nice real Celestion ten inch speaker in it.

Suggestions appreciated.

Duffy

[Blaze]

I dont know about Eminence 8 '' speakers but The 12'' GB 128 is just incredebile..

[wingsdad]

... My other Marshall has a really nice real Celestion ten inch speaker in it.

Suggestions appreciated.


Well, if you like the Celestion (which model 10" is it?) in that Marshall, maybe this one:

Celestion Super 8 (http://professional.celestion.com/guitar/products/originals/detail.asp?ID=11)

[schenkadere]

My favorite bedroom/practice amp is the Roland Micro Cube. Sounds amazing, built in effects and you can carry it to any room in your house. The batteries last forever! Headphone jack, CD/MP3 in...and you can record direct out too...can't beat it. The tone will blow away most bigger, more expensive practice/small gig amps.

[Duff]

Wingsdad,

It is a Celestion G10-C. A real sensitive speaker is what I want to get the most volume out of the fifteen ss watt amp but with good tone of course.

Duffy