Marshall Code50
The classic Marshall
gold control panel is
present and correct
It’s not just amp models
here – there’s a variety
of effects on board, too
It’s great to have all the power of
a modern digital signal processor
inside your amp, but you need to be
able to harness that power creatively
and musically, rather than having
to wade through pages of preset
parameters, by which time you’ll
probably have forgotten what you
were trying to do in the fi rst place.
Marshall’s Gateway app (available
in Android and iOS fl avours) is a
brilliant piece of software that lets
you access amp models, effects
and cabinet simulations in real time
using Bluetooth, so no fi ddly cables
to lose or break. Gateway lets you
edit and save one hundred presets,
which you can then upload onto
any CODE amp, making it easy to
share patches with your friends. It’s
actually easier to use than the amp’s
real controls. You can also stream
audio from the Gateway app through
your amp and jam along to your
favourite tracks.
Gateway to tone
The CODE’s controller is
more than just another app
YAMAHA THR100HD
£729
Yamaha’s THR100HD takes a di erent
approach – it’s a head so you need a cab,
and there are actually two amps running
simultaneously for dual-amp fun.
BLACKSTAR ID:CORE BEAM
£229
This desktop-
orientated amp
features a stereo
output stage
and Bluetooth
connectivity. It’s
much more compact
than the CODE and not as loud.
LINE 6 SPIDER IV 75
£244
The latest
incarnation of the
Spider remains one
of the CODE’s hottest
competitors, with 16
amp models and 20
e ects, which can be
used four at a time.
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
accurate and fl atter every guitar
we try out, without robbing the
guitar’s character: a Strat still
sounds like a Strat, and a Les Paul
still sounds like a Les Paul.
The tones are at least as good
as the competition, and although
streaming music into the amp via
Gateway or USB sounds okay, you
face the limitation that the amp
speakers are for guitar, not
full-range hi-fi . As you might
expect from a Marshall, the
CODE50 is loud and very giggable,
with plenty of clean headroom as
long as the effects are kept back
in the mix. Used with a full band,
the CODE50 easily keeps up
with a powerful drummer and
keyboards, but with a caveat. In a
live setting, the PEDL-91009 foot
controller is really essential – this
comes free with the 100-watt
models, but will set you back an
extra £39 with the CODE50.
The digital modelling arena is
packed with lots of very clever
products all fi ghting for your cash,
and other manufacturers are now
going to have to fi ght harder still.
The CODE is packed with great
tone and likely to win a lot of
friends; it’s competitively priced,
looks good, sounds great out of the
box and it’s ridiculously easy to
use, even for a complete beginner.
Nick Guppy
ALSO TRY...
76 JUNE 2016
MARSHALL CODE50
REVIEW
TGR280.gear_lead.indd 76 20/04/2016 11:27