troublehead
New member
Just got back from a 3 hour jam session which was my first time to open up the amp. I'm going to have to walk out on a limb and say this is the best amp I have ever owned. No use for OD pedals anymore as it sounds best plugged straight in. I used both my strat and a Gibson SG through the cab in my sig. It sounded phenominal. It does a variety of sounds extremely well. And I didn't have the feeling that the sounds were "almost there" but missing something (as with many amps).
The only mode I find useless for me is Overdrive Red. It is a bit over the top and fizzy for my tastes. But here is my breakdown of each of the other channels. I can't compare it to the original JVM as I have never played one. I did find the amp pretty bright in all modes and had to go easy on the Treble control (9-10 o'clock). Too much treble and the fizz creeps in.
Clean Green - good for blues and what not using my single coils. Not extremely clean, but slightly dirty. I'm assuming this is different from the 410 as I hear it stays very clean.
Crunch Orange - Supposedly similar to the 1959/Plexi and one of my favorite modes. I can nail Hendrix type sounds using my single coils split with the gain set at noon. Crank the gain a bit and switch to the humbucker and I get a nasty AC/DC crunch
Crunch Red - Similar to Orange, just a bit more gain.
Overdrive Green - Great for classic hard rock like UFO, Lizzy, etc. Plenty of gain but very open sounding with plenty of dynamics. I would comapre this to my old Superlead when boosted.
Overdrive Orange - Huge step up in gain from green. Perfect for old school metal. Drop the mids and crank the resonance and it takes on a very modern metal sound. Very forgiving and easy to play as the sustain goes for days (even unboosted).
The amp trumps my old Voodoo modded DSL and hangs easily with my old Splawn Competition. Where the 205 outdoes the Splawn is at low/medium volumes. I can't say enough about the master control. It really sounds the same at all volumes. On the other hand, the Splawn was really thin sounding unless it was roaring. The 205 also has a much smoother mid response than the Splawn. The Splawn always sounded nasal and grinding while the 205 sits just right.
Compared to the Blackmore, the 205 is just "raunchier". The Blackmore sounds a bit smooth and processed in comparison. Not that the Blackmore is a bad amp at all. Just a different vibe. The Blackmore also has a much tighter bass response.
I have gone full circle back to Marshall since my first tube amp was an old Superlead back in the 80's. I can't say enough great things about this amp. I still love the Blackmore and VHT CL, but the 205 just better suits my needs. And I love the fact that I can do away with any OD pedals and external EQ's to get me there.
The only mode I find useless for me is Overdrive Red. It is a bit over the top and fizzy for my tastes. But here is my breakdown of each of the other channels. I can't compare it to the original JVM as I have never played one. I did find the amp pretty bright in all modes and had to go easy on the Treble control (9-10 o'clock). Too much treble and the fizz creeps in.
Clean Green - good for blues and what not using my single coils. Not extremely clean, but slightly dirty. I'm assuming this is different from the 410 as I hear it stays very clean.
Crunch Orange - Supposedly similar to the 1959/Plexi and one of my favorite modes. I can nail Hendrix type sounds using my single coils split with the gain set at noon. Crank the gain a bit and switch to the humbucker and I get a nasty AC/DC crunch
Crunch Red - Similar to Orange, just a bit more gain.
Overdrive Green - Great for classic hard rock like UFO, Lizzy, etc. Plenty of gain but very open sounding with plenty of dynamics. I would comapre this to my old Superlead when boosted.
Overdrive Orange - Huge step up in gain from green. Perfect for old school metal. Drop the mids and crank the resonance and it takes on a very modern metal sound. Very forgiving and easy to play as the sustain goes for days (even unboosted).
The amp trumps my old Voodoo modded DSL and hangs easily with my old Splawn Competition. Where the 205 outdoes the Splawn is at low/medium volumes. I can't say enough about the master control. It really sounds the same at all volumes. On the other hand, the Splawn was really thin sounding unless it was roaring. The 205 also has a much smoother mid response than the Splawn. The Splawn always sounded nasal and grinding while the 205 sits just right.
Compared to the Blackmore, the 205 is just "raunchier". The Blackmore sounds a bit smooth and processed in comparison. Not that the Blackmore is a bad amp at all. Just a different vibe. The Blackmore also has a much tighter bass response.
I have gone full circle back to Marshall since my first tube amp was an old Superlead back in the 80's. I can't say enough great things about this amp. I still love the Blackmore and VHT CL, but the 205 just better suits my needs. And I love the fact that I can do away with any OD pedals and external EQ's to get me there.
