Marshall Studio Classic Head

Photography: Olly Curtis
I
f you always wanted to own a
classic Marshall stack, but
were put off by the sheer
power and weight, your
prayers have been answered
by the folk at Marshall, who just
unveiled the new Studio range,
featuring three scaled-down
20-watt versions of some of
Marshall’s most famous designs:
the 1959 Super Lead is recreated as
the Studio Vintage, the Silver
Jubilee becomes the Studio Jubilee
and the mighty JCM800 is the
inspiration behind the amp
we’re looking at this month – the
Studio Classic.
Each design is available as a
head with matching 2x12 or 1x12
cabs, or as a combo. Visually, the
Studio Classic head is roughly
three-quarters the size of the
original 2203, with a full-width
gold control panel, black cloth
grill, white piping and a re-sized
Marshall logo. Inside the tough ply
cabinet, there’s a steel tray
chassis, which supports two
relatively small transformers and a
large high-quality PCB that holds
most of the electronics, including
the valve sockets. Smaller boards
support the knobs, input jacks and
rear panel connectors, with wiring
bundles terminated by Molex
connectors. It’s typically Marshall:
neat, businesslike and built to
handle the rough and tumble
of rock’n’roll.
The controls are self-
explanatory: a pair of high and low
sensitivity inputs feed a simple but
eff ective preamp design with
knobs for preamp and master
volume, bass, mid, treble and
presence. The standby switch has
two output options: full power is
around 20 watts while the low
setting tames the Studio down to
around 5 watts. On the rear panel,
fi ve speaker outlets handle any
cabinet connection with a simple
series eff ects loop that can be
switched in or out of the circuit. An
unbalanced DI output can be used
to feed a desk for live or studio use.
As you’d hope, the Studio
Classic sounds just like a proper
JCM800, with (slightly) more
polite volume levels. Like the
original, the treble response is on
the bright side and the preamp’s
medium gain is best suited to
beefy humbuckers in a mahogany-
bodied guitar, like a Les Paul. Use
single coils and you’ll fi nd yourself
turning off most of the treble and
presence to get a balanced tone,
losing precious gain in the process.
At higher volume settings, the
Studio Classic’s two EL34s begin to
stamp their authority on the
sound, thickening things up to
produce the JCM800 midrange
grunt for which these amps are
world-famous. Even using the
lower power setting, the Studio
Classic is seriously loud – after all,
it is a Marshall. Plugged into the
matching 2x12 vertical cabinet, the
20-watt full power rating is more
than enough for most small to
medium gigs, while the 5-watt
option is ideal for studio and home
use – providing you have
understanding neighbours.
Using an SG loaded with a
Seymour Duncan Jeff Beck
TYPE: Valve preamp, valve
power amp
OUTPUT: 20W, switchable
to 5W
SPEAKERS: Matching 1x12
and 2x12 Celestion
V-Type-loaded cabinets
available
VALVES: 3x 12AX7, 2x EL34
CONTROLS: Preamp
volume, master volume,
bass, mid, treble,
presence, effects
loop on/off
SOCKETS: High/low
sensitivity input, speaker
outx5, effects send/
return, DI out (unbalanced)
WEIGHT: 9.3kg
DIMENSIONS: [HxWxD]
240x510x235mm
CONTACT: Marshall Amp;
marshall.com
EVEN ON A LOW POWER SETTING,
THIS IS SERIOUSLY LOUD...
1
POWER SWITCHING
The Studio Classic’s
standby switch provides
20-watt and five-watt output
power options. It’s loud by
any comparison, with plenty
of volume to handle most gigs
2
INPUTS
The high-sensitivity input
jack is the gateway to classic
JCM800 tone; the low gain
option provides all the
headroom you need for
effects pedals
3
EFFECTS LOOP
The simple series effects
loop is great for hooking up
chorus or delay pedals and
can be switched out of circuit
if it isn’t needed
MARSHALL STUDIO CLASSIC HEAD
A new compact version of one of the biggest-sounding amps in history
£849
AT A GLANCE
1
2
3
REVIEW
93
MARCH 2019 TOTAL GUITAR
TGR316.gear_lead.indd 93 1/31/19 7:16 PM