Marshall Studio Vintage SV20H

Als liefhebber van oude rock begon ik pas laat (lees: twee jaar geleden) aan mijn eerste Marshall. En dat terwijl zoveel van mijn gitaarhelden op een plexi speelden, mannen zoals Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Duane Allman & Dickey Betts. In de zoektocht naar die sounds kon ik uiteindelijk niet meer eromheen eens voor een Marshall te gaan. Dat begon met de Marshall Origin, vervolgens verschillende MIAB pedalen en toen ontdekte ik deze kleine Super Lead '59. Dit moest hem worden.

In het begin is het even wennen en zoeken qua settings en patchen van de kanalen. Laat je oren echter het werk doen en niet je ogen. Toen ik de amp een keer doorhad, kreeg ik er het beste geluid uit dat ik ooit van mijn leven gehad heb. Jarenlang speelde ik enkel Fender, van Hot Rods en Twins tot aan vintage amps van hen. Nog nooit klonk en speelde een amp zo fijn als deze SV20H, zeker in combinatie met een (of meerdere) Celestion Greenbacks. En geen overdrivepedaal klinkt en reageert zo vet als een amp die écht de eindbuizen laat oversturen.

Vergis je niet: voor een 20 watter nog steeds loeihard, ook op 5 watt. Van de 100w versie moet je haast wel doof worden. Zowel voor op podia als in de studio is dit meer dan genoeg! Hij blaast mijn 50w Origin omver, zelfs met half zoveel speakers.

First of all i have to say a big thanks to Thomann employs for the fast delivery the safe package and the perfect Greek customer service,I was a little skeptical for something so expensive and fragile...... but the anxiety was just a waste of time.
The building quality of the head is perfect, outside/inside everything is very carefully made ! Just a beauty !
The tone character is exactly like the big Marshall , sweet "Marshall" cleans and the absolute crunch with unlimited clarity even at full blast ..........but the wattage difference between the original and that model changes the overall fullness feeling.... and the KICK to your back from the moving air .
If you play on small/medium gigs the MKII studio is perfect , the big one needs attenuator (I don't like attenuators). But don't be fooled this amp is LOUD , on << 5w >> shakes the wall of 5th floor and I living at 2nd.
Takes pedals like a dream... tried with wah , fuzz ,drives, booster....
I don't like effects loop in general but i have to admire the way that takes a big delays and reverb on full volume.
The 5w mode is pretty good ,less bass , less open sound ,more compression but very enjoyable for home or small party
I have nothing to complaining about. I am very impressed with that 20 watt amp after all that toys from Marshall the latest years.sound/tone ,features ,power, ... everything perfect! now the only that remains is to show how good this amp is on the road .

I shall start this review by thanking the Thomann teams. Always the best packaging, the fastest shipping, the best prices, the best communication. They've set the bar so high and have kept maintaining it at the top for years and years.

As for the amplifier. What can you say ? It's what it's meant to be : a plexi in a 20W package. Simply, the greatest rock'n'roll machine in the history.

And I really don't understand some reviews telling that it's only good for "Home use". This thing will tear off your wallpaper as soon as you go past 1-2 on the volume. Even on the 5 watt mod. And it's really greatly built and sturdy. Really, as long as you're not playing Madison Square Garden, this head will cover all your needs on a stage.

As for its features, It has the tone, the looks, and the controls of its bigger brother. With some nice modern additions. Like the 5W-20W switch and the effect loop. Tone wise, Van Halen, ACDC, Randy Rhoads, Mick Mars ... you name it, you have these tones covered of course. But not only ! You'll also be able to get beautiful blues, jazz clean tones from this head.

If I had to find a bad side to this product, it's the fact that it's non-master volume. But that's really not a "default", as it's part of the "plexi package". It's rather a downside to big tones greatness. And that doesn't even concern me, cause I use it at home with a loadbox and IRs ... but if you were to buy this amp and didn't have something to attenuate it, don't expect to make the amp naturally crunch without causing trouble with your neighbours.

In conclusion, for me this is a complete "home run" for Marshall. They've finally delivered their most legendary head in a less bulky format. People are saying that these heads don't have enough "headroom" or some other magical aspects. But in reality, you won't hear the difference. And nowadays, who really needs a wall of cabinets and 100watts or more heads ? So don't hesitate, go get this head if you don't have it yet !