Marshall Code50 1x12 Combo

FEBRUARY 2017 TOTAL GUITAR
the tg test
97
o
kay, we all love vintage valve amps, but let’s be honest, the
technology that makes them work is yesterday’s news. Valves
stopped developing in the mid-1950s; and ever since it’s the
transistor that’s benefi ted from continual improvement – with
the quantum leap of integrated circuits or chips in 1960 that made
today’s computers and mobile phones possible, not to mention digital
modelling guitar amps. Early transistorised amps had a reputation for going
up in smoke; however, modern designs are bywords for reliability and
gig-to-gig consistency, something even the best valve amps struggle to
match. It’s inescapable: valves wear out. Every time you switch on your
valve amp, it will sound imperceptibly fl atter and noisier compared with the
last time, while a digital modeller will faithfully repeat your killer solo patch
night after night. Early modelling products sounded okay on recordings, but
lacked warmth and dynamic range when used live. However, modern chips
and vastly improved software have given today’s amps a sonic power-up
that narrows the gap to the point where it’s almost irrelevant, at a price that
would have been unthinkable 20 years ago. Here are four aff ordable combos
that not only off er programmable convenience, but mighty tone, too.
Great, authentic tone is mainstream
digital modelling’s bold new frontier.
We check out four affordable contenders…
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