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Hi!
I have a marshall amp, but I heard that this kind of amp is bad for those who want a jazz sound.
my questions: why marshall doesn't serve to play jazz?
I should continue to use this, or buy another amp?
Is there any famous jazz guitar player who uses marshall?
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01-12-2009 05:50 PM
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I don't know, I think any amp can be used in a jazz setting. I think the combination of a guitar/amp might not work, like a Charvel or Jackson through a Marshall might not give you a jazzy tone, but I bet a Gibson archtop, or Telecaster through a Marshall would give you a jazz sound.
MW
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The first amp I bought (not knowing much about amps) was a 15w Marshall practice amp that I bought because of the 'name'; and then I got a Fender frontman, because the clean sound is supposed to be better. Eventually bought a Roland Cube 30, but all three sound OK to me. Turn the knobs and experiment and see what sounds you can produce - you learn a lot that way. I suppose the Cube is better, but it's very easy, particularly at the beginning (and I'm very much a beginner) to worry about gear - as if the answer lies in this or that brand name. If you have the Marshall, play the Marshall - who's going to come along and tell you to stop playing jazz until you've got an expensive jazz amp? Eventually, if you buy a second amp, maybe get a Cube or something better; but in the meantime I think the idea is to learn jazz and enjoy yourself.
Raq
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I agree with both guys above. Unless an amp is so inferior as to give everyone a crappy sound, it can be used for any type of music out there. To me, it's a matter of correctly dialing in your sound and adjusting things until YOU get what YOU want. Too often, we allow our instruments to tell us what we're going to get when we play them. We need to make them do what WE want, where WE want. Now before anyone goes further, I need to let you know that I don't believe all amps and guitars are equal. I believe that there are some badly made amps and instruments out there that will never sound good no matter who plays them. Marshall has been around for a very long time and I really don't think they're badly made. If I were you, I'd experiment with the Marshall for now. Like was said before, when the time comes for a new amp, you can get something that works better but don't just go for a name because someone else says what it will do. Try out a good number of amps in different stores if you can with your own guitar extensively and see where the best sound comes from. That would be making an intelligent choice rather than an impulsive one. Don't forget, there are players out there that seem to make even the best amps sound like crud.
Last edited by hot ford coupe; 01-12-2009 at 06:49 PM.
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Not sure what Marshall you own presently but I had a JTM 60, and a DSL-401 that got a great Fender clean sound, which is a staple for jazz tone.
Even the cheapest practice amp will suffice if you turn down the treble and midrange and/or boost the bass and use a relatively clean setting (unless you're going for a Mike Stern sort of sound, then use distortion).
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I recently played my epi 175 into a small marshall combo during a lesson. The sound was really great and enjoyable. I don´t see any reason why a Marshall should not serve as a jazz amp.
Theo
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i think an amp is an amp and they do all the same thing. If you worry about the words MArshall on the front of your amp then take it off cause somebody says its a marshall.
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I have a Marshall tube amp and it sings man. Who gives a crap about what is traditionally labeled a "jazz amp." If it sounds good and you dig it, chances are an audience will too.
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Marshall and a telecaster, good combination, it's what I have
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Do you like what you hear using the Marshall? Just keep it. If not, there are plenty other possibilities. Once I saw an old photograph of Joe Pass using a Marshall stack. If you're into Jazzrock/Fusion, there are plenty well-known guitarists using Marshall.
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Ok. I asked this, 'cause I played once in a Roland and I think this amp really sounds better for what I want. I think my Actual set up ( an epiphone Les Paul and a marshal JCM 900) sounds better for hard rock or jazz fusion. I want to trade my marshall for a Roland.
thanks for the tips
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Interesting thread. I change my amps like a girl changes clothes. Tried several Hughes and Kettners, Roland Cube, Polytone, old Dynacord Jazz but I keep coming back to Marshall. Allways thought I was a bit silly, but now I read more people in Jazz dig Marshall.
I think this big fat Marshall logo looks really cool btw, but the main thing is, there's a certain warmth in the tone.
And their buildquality! I like to be able to stand on top of my amp. Is no problem for my Marshall, never dared to do so on most other amps.
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Some of the sweetest jazz tones I ever got were from a Fender Jaguar through a Vox AC30, but you won't find that in any jazz text books!
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I agree with a lot of the responses here. If you can get a sound you are happy with out of an amp - ANY amp - why not play through it?
The first Marshall JTM45 was based on a late-1950s Fender Bassman circuit. There was plenty of great jazz performed and recorded using tweed Fenders. I haven't seen the photo, but supposedly Grant Green used a tweed Bassman on Stanley Turrentine's live at Minton's disc, for example. John McLaughlin used Marshalls early on in his career in London - playing fairly clean & straight-ahead at the time. My point? Marshall has a lineage that isn't as far off the jazz path as some might think.
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Amp shmamp. You don't see a sticker on a Les Paul saying "Warning - only for Hard Rock Lead Guitar playing", and I bet there isn't a sign on your Marshall saying "Do Not Use For Jazz".
Perhaps the Authentic Jazz Police will give you a hard time, but truth is man, if it sounds good to you, play it. If you prefer the Roland, trade the Marshall in. But that's the only criterion - how good it sounds to you.
IMHO.
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Interesting thread to stumble across... I'm only new here but perhaps I can add some color to this discussion. I have owned a number of Marshall's, all tube amps and I found they were are all great with solidbody guitars - the Jimmy Page/Angus Young/70'S rock sound I was going for.
Whilst I didn't play hollow bodied instruments at the time, I did play friends guitars thru a Marshall DSL 50 stack and a TSL 60 I owned and I found that they fed back very easily when I tried to crunch up the distortion even just a bit. The Peavey classic 30 I had sounded ok though.
I've recently moved from my native New Zealand to Australia and sold my Marshall's and bought a Fender Pro Reverb which is again a tube amp. I'm waiting for it to be shipped to me so I'll provide an update in time.
I've just started learning jazz so I figured a Fender would give me a better clean and I could use effects for distortion when going back to playing rock etc.
Looking at stuff on the web and reading guitar magazines the Roland Jazz Chorus amps seems to have been a Jazz staple for many years. Is this because they are solid state - at least I think they are - I wonder?
My point in this digression is that gain on my tube amps seemed to be the key, if you keep that low I'm sure you can dial in a good tone for yourself. The badge on the front shouldn't matter.
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Welcome to the site Philmayo. I always find it ironic that many of the people who swear by the Rolands, have music collections full of Wes, Kenny B, Jimmy Raney, Tal, all recorded before the Roland (or any solid state amp) was invented. Simple logic says that Wes' entire career must have been played through tube amps yet people buy a Roland to imitate his tone.
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i dont know dudes ive heard old eric clapton play some pretty sweet jazzy type chords tru and old marshall blues breaker amp. depends how you like your jazz.
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I have a marshall dsl401 (40 watts, all-tube, 1x12 combo) that I use on wedding gigs (jazz for dinner into rock for dancing) and get compliments for my jazz tone from everyone else in the band every time. A lot of people have posted that it's going to matter mostly how you set the eq on the amp and the tone controls on your guitar, and I'd have to agree with them.
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I think that this proves that SOUND is first of all in your fingers, no matter what gear you use. The DSL401 is a good sounding tube amp which with certain settings (find your own sweet spot) will give you a good "jazz" tone.
Originally Posted by bkdavidson
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There are a few photos of Wes on stage with a mid-60's Standel amp behind him; solid state.
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Hey Mango, I really like the way you put that. You speak the musical truth. Originally Posted by mangotango
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the only times i've played marshall amps, i was in rehearsal spaces, and they had very little headroom, these were not jazz bands though... i've been itching to try another one for home use and recording, i wonder if the class 5 would be something worth checking out
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One of the nicest amps I ever played
was an old marshall 50 watt head with a 4x12 cab
superb clean sounds on chords , and fabulous punch
when you dug in ....
bright enough , warm enough , lovely singing voice
when playing a melody
it didn't have a master volume , it didn't need one
i tried to buy it from the rehearsal rooms it lived in ...
no dice ...
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I saw Wes many times; he almost always played through a solid-state Standel, and always sounded like god. He used a lot more highs than pick-style players do, his sound live had a real sparkle to it, well-defined but rounded. The Standel had plenty of headroom as well, his chordal choruses jumped out of the speakers, clean and clear. I asked him about it, he said he liked its reliability, but that most amps sounded the same once he dialed in what he needed. He had no problem with Twins or Deluxe tube amps except the reliability factor of the tubes.
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