I play 6 the stringer too. Back in the 80's I had a Marshall Mosfet 100w 2-4x10 cabs. It definitely didn't sound nearly as well as a JCM but it was light and portable (compared to my regular Marshall stack) for what was out at the time. Out of all of the legendary brands that have come out with their own state of the art bass amp/cab lineups(Ampeg, Fender, Mesa, Peavey, etc), why hasn't Marshall gotten more involved in the bass gear market?
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Why doesn't Marshall make hi-tech lines for bass amps/cabs?
- Thread starter Lo Ki
- Start date
Thanks, but I meant under the Marshall brand like Fender, Ampeg, etc. does.
Their real last try to crack the bass market seemed to be the mid 80's with the Integrated Bass Systems line. I had the 400 watt head and various cabinets. I liked it. Seems few others did. After that they had a few tube heads, VBA400 and the Lemmy sig, and a few others, but "smaller is better" was becoming the thing and people looking for tubes were sticking with Ampeg. The last batch of Marshall branded bass amps was meh, IMO.
Maybe another Lemmy model with Aguilar, Darkglass, Orange technology all in one? Maybe still not enough power!
From a business standpoint, I would imagine the Marshallians regard it as a low-to-negative ROI proposition.
(Wonder if they're having this conversation about Ampeg over at talkguitar....)
(Wonder if they're having this conversation about Ampeg over at talkguitar....)
That would be like Metallica doing an album that sounds like Infectious Grooves.Thanks, but I meant under the Marshall brand like Fender, Ampeg, etc. does.
I have an '87 Marshall 2554 Silver Jubilee guitar combo amp.
That made me pay attention and notice a Silver Jubilee Bass head some years ago (that I just couldn't afford then), chrome face, silver Tolex and all.
Now, I can't find one. here's a pic:
1987 Marshall 25/50 Silver Jubilee Model 3530 IBS 300W 2x15 Bass Amp Stack
That made me pay attention and notice a Silver Jubilee Bass head some years ago (that I just couldn't afford then), chrome face, silver Tolex and all.
Now, I can't find one. here's a pic:
1987 Marshall 25/50 Silver Jubilee Model 3530 IBS 300W 2x15 Bass Amp Stack
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Because they are all about their heritage.
Just like all the Eden is about the same as before they got them. Their top of the line amps are heavy as are their top of the line cabs, the same D series cabs from the 90's. They were great back then, they still are today. seems the attitude.
Yes, Eden have the Nova line, but they tend to be there as an "We got some light stuff also."
But all of their eggs are in the past, while everyone else passes them by with their light cabs and amps as the top of the line gear.
Just like all the Eden is about the same as before they got them. Their top of the line amps are heavy as are their top of the line cabs, the same D series cabs from the 90's. They were great back then, they still are today. seems the attitude.
Yes, Eden have the Nova line, but they tend to be there as an "We got some light stuff also."
But all of their eggs are in the past, while everyone else passes them by with their light cabs and amps as the top of the line gear.
You either haven't been paying attention, or you are just a little too young. The VBA400 is a very serious amp. One of the loudest tube amps you can find and it sounds pretty darn good. If you want vintage tube, consider a Marshall Major (200W) or Super Bass (100W).
Back in the 80s Marshall offered a line called Integrated Bass System (IBS). See this thread: About Integrated Bass System amps... | MarshallForum.com
I used one of the 3540s for a couple of years, and I remember it as a great sounding amp with lots of features. To my ears, this amp was very HiFi and clean. The link above lists this amps as 400W, but it's actually 2X200W at 4 ohms. The channels can be run full range in dull mono or biamped using an internal crossover. I believe there are separate Master Volume controls for each output section.
The only reason I quite using the amp was because it was fairly unreliable. To configure, the amp there is a patch panel on the back, and the jacks use switching contacts. I believe the contacts in the switches of my amp caused most of the problems, but eventually something more serious let out the smoke and we wrote the amp off.
AFAIK, neither the VBA400 or IBS amps were big sellers for Marshall. Rather than being trible and only buying products from one company, consider all of the other great bass amps you have access too. Seriously, there are and have been tones of great amps on the market for a long time. This is part of the reason why Marshall stays out of the market. There is lot's of competition and it's hard for a company know for making guitar amps to make money, selling bass amps.
I don't really the impression that Eden is a huge player anymore.
Was, for me, Eden is one more brand absorbed into a big corporation with none of the inspiration or creative design when it was in its' original ownership. One more 'used to be'. How it survives after the initial train wreck of the sale is beyond me, the handoff was disastrous. I bought a brand-new Metro and 115 cabinet in the midst of that, and it was simply the worst purchase I EVER made.
I still play guitar, as it was the instrument that I started.
Have a ton of equipment BUT..........out of everything, I only have two Marshalls, both early units, one a flats plate logo.
One characteristic of them I despise, is the lack of a clean tone that doesn't break up at low volume. Yes, the gain and master are optimized t capture this. For some reason, this seems to be a standard thing for them and I saw all of them when I worked part time in a music store.
They had one model that escapes me. Not a traditional looking Marshall amp, tubes viewed through smoked acrylic in a gold anodized frame and chassis. Liked those, but they were pricey and did not sell well, believe they discontinued them.
I ended up with Hiwatts and Fenders along with some interesting boutique amps.
Love me my Hiwatts, even played bass with them on occasion. Don't like to move them.
Plenty of other options out there that are far lighter. But I don't expect anyone to have or run those for 30 years. Why, easily replaced and repairing sort of a return on investment thing.
We can all name guitar players, bass players, not so much. Can't see anyone pushing to sponsor someone especially now in an era so sensitive on behavior. Just too risky.
I can't really argue your point, but my impression is Eden may have crested the peak and started the downward slide before the sale occurred.
I also don't hear a lot about DNA, which is the previous Eden owner's current company. DNA Amps - David Nordschow Amplification - Bass AmpsDavid Nordschow Amplification
Not saying DNA or Eden are not great, just that they are not the huge players that Eden was back in the day. I have never seen a DNA product. I played a WT800 for awhile and it was not my cup of tea. I ran the D210XLT and D410XLT for several years after and moved on from the WT800. I struggled a bit with the high mids and treble of these cabs, but otherwise thought the worked pretty well. I primarily used the 210.
Smooth_bass88
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Marshall is so NOT associated with bass. Go Eden!
It's funny. I had it in the 80's and was chasing a cleaner tone as I also had an SWR and an Acoustic 370.That does not surprise me a bit. Probably too HiFi for your taste.
I could never figure out how to get the midrange I was looking for but I must not have hated it as it got used on a number of gigs!
