MG15CDR Review

Already hailed a classic, the MG15CDR adds a natural sounding Spring Reverb to all the outstanding features and tonal flexibility of the MG15CD. Twin channels, CD input, 8" custom-voiced speaker, Emulated Line Out and Headphone jack.

Features:	8.4
Sound:	8.2
Reliability:	8.6
Impression:	8.4
Overall rating:	8.4
Users rating:	5.8
Comments:	40

overall: 8

Featured review by: hokiecmo, on september 13, 2006

Price paid: $ 120

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I got this amp back in early 2005 as my first amp to go with my Squire Strat (which I have modified with new high output pickups)and it's great. It will work for almost any kind of music, but it's best for metal and rock, although you should use a pedal for the distortion. The overdrive channel leaves something to be desired, but with my Boss MT-2 Metal Zone pedal, it's perfect. This is the edition with a spring reverb feature added to the MG15CD. It has a 3-band EQ, 2 channel system with FDD function, clean and overdrive separate volumes. I wish I had bought the one with the effects loop, but this one is fine for a starter amp. // 8

Sound: I use this amp with my DiMarzio Fast Track pickups and it makes it sound pretty good. It's got a great clean channel which I like to use for a lot of Chili Peppers songs and the overdrive is ok for more bluesy tones, but it's still not great. The OD channel is a bit noisy when the gain is turned past 7 or 8 too. It's a very mild buzzing noise, but it was annoying for me. I just add a distortion or overdrive pedal and keep the amp on clean. The reverb can be a bit too much at times, so I have to keep the setting rather low (as in 1-3). // 6

Reliability & Durability: As far as I can tell, this amp is solid as a rock. It's taken a lot of abuse as my practice amp (originally as my main amp) and looks like it could take a lot more. I've never had a single problem with it or heard of anybody with a problem with this amp. I travel with it all the time and it goes well. Sliding around my trunk without breaking, this thing is solid. // 10

Impression: I play mostly metal and rock and this amp works fine for it. Bluesy tones aren't so great on it, but I still use the amp to practice some blues. I've been playing for a year and a half and also own a 50-watt tube Marshall. If this was lost or stolen, I wouldn't buy another one because it's pretty generic. I wish it had some effects, but I actually like using pedals better anyway. // 8

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: calsurfer93, on september 25, 2006

Purchased from: muisiciansfriend.com

Features: This amp is good for a lot of kinds of music. I use it for classic rock, but it is good for soft rock, heavy metal, and and anything in between. If you are looking for an amp for country music, you should get an acustic guitar or look for some other amp, because it doesn't have that kind of sound acustics have. It has two channels, clean and distortion. It has reverb, but no other effects. It's better to get pedals anyways. This amp is good for small gigs and practice around the house. It does have a headphone jack, which makes it great for practice. // 8

Sound: As I said before, it is great for almost any kind of music. It can be soft enough so you can't hear it outside of one room, or you canmake the whole house hear it(considering that you don't have a giant mansion). The distortion can be made how ever you want it to br, from light distortion to really heavy. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This is a great amp. You wouldn't need any other amps unless you are a big rockstar with millions of dollars and is going on a world tour. I have had it for about two years, and it has never broken down and I don't think it will for a long time. You could depend on it for at least 10 years I would say. // 9

Impression: This amp is best for any type of rock. After looking at many other amps and different companies, I got this one because it was perfect. I would deffinetely get this one again, or one a little bigger but basically the same. If you are a future musician wanna be, you should get this or at least get a Marshall, because I have tried other amps likr Fender amps, but this is the best yet. // 9

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: the_guy, on october 23, 2006

Price paid: $ 146.4

Purchased from: Andertons

Features: This amp has a clean and distorted channel, a headphone jack, a reverb function, 15 watts, and 3 EQ settings (bass, contour and treble). Solid state with 8" speaker. It also has a volume control for distorion and a volume control for clean. There is also a dial for controlling the amount of reverb wanted. The dials are situated on a gold painted piece of metal which looks cool. // 9

Sound: I use a Yamaha Pacifica 112 with 2 single coil pickups and a humbucker. It doesn't really suit my style due to the very gain heavy distortion, which is only really suited for metal. I use a Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal to improve things It is a bit staticy when the amp distortion is used, but with the pedal there is no noise. This amp can produce a good metal sound, but it is hard to find classic Vintage light distortion, because the distortion is a bit grainy and heavy. The clean channel gets a bit distorted at high volumes but it still sounds nice and bluesy. For a 15 watt amp though it sounds pretty good. // 8

Reliability & Durability: The amp hasn't failed on me and the fit and finish is good. The speaker isn't kick proof and is protected by this material which I don't like as it is a bit flimsy. I wouldn't use this particular amp as it isn't powerful enough but I think it is a good sign for other Marshall products. // 8

Impression: I play standard rock and this amp is a fairly good match. It works well with a distortion pedal as well. I wish I had tried out some other amps such as a Roland Cube 15 or a Orange Crush 15 but this amp is very good for a beginners amp. I like it because it feels and looks like a proper piece of kit rather than a useless little practice amp. I also like the reverb function, nice touch. I don't like the amp distortion much because it is a bit harsh and grainy. If it were stolen or lost, I would try out the amps mentioned first before coming back to this one. Overall this is a very good practice amp. Lots of people hate MG Marshalls, and they aren't great amps -- the 30 watt version is a pile of garbage. But this 15 watt reverb amp is the eception. Consider this amp for your first one. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: mattylaneguitar, on december 18, 2006

Purchased from: guitar teacher

Features: The amp has the normal jack inputs, headphones input and line out input what most amps have. I only use this amp for practice never for gigs because obviously it's not powerfull it does give the sound I want for some music I play beacuse the overdrive feature is very powerfull but as I use an effects pedal I don't need any of the effects it comes with (clean and overdrive). // 8

Sound: The guitar I use is a Les Paul styled guitar with humbucker pickups and it sounds perfect for just jamming or practicing in a small room like mine. The amp does suit some of my music styles (heavy metal, punk) but when I want to play indie or funk I need to bring out my effects pedal as it only has two features clean and overdrive. The distortion of the amp has a variety as it has a gain control the lower the gain the more clean it sounds and the higher the gain the heavier it sounds but if the gain is at full you get a lot of feedback. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on this amp for a band practice at one the members houses but I couldn't use it at a gig only because it's too small. The amp has never broken down or not worked as I keep it in good condition apart from when I dropped it once while it was on it made an echo or crash but when I tried it, it sounded fine. // 10

Impression: I really like this amp as it's probably the best practice amp out there that's in a decent price zone but as I got it second hand I got a discount I would reccomend this to anyone looking for a small practice amp that is reliable and not that crap you get with a guitar pack. If this amp was stolen or lost I would buy it again. // 9

overall: 8

Reviewed by: acdcrock2000, on june 09, 2007

Price paid: $ 181.17

Purchased from: Gloucester Soundhouse

Features: This amp is a great amp for peopl that want a little step up from a 0 Watt practise amp. It had two channels; clean and overdrive. The clean has a volume control. The overdrive has volume and gain control and they both share an EQ which has a bass, contour and trebel controll on them. It also has a fdd (frequency dependent dampening) which simulated a all valve amplifier when you push it in. This is a great feature of the MG series. It also has a CD in and emulated line out. This is great if you want to record or use your amp as a speaker which does work well. It also had a emulated headphone out so you can listen to your playing without anyone else hearing you. // 8

Sound: This amp was built in mind of the little people that wanted great sounds without having to pay for a 100 watt valve amplifier. This does exactly that. It provides a great tone with a great price as well. The clean channel provides a nice cleany/buesy sound and the overdrive can provide you with everything from classic cruch to full on metal distortion. This amp has it all and is very small at the same time. The only problem with the sound is that if you start to turn the overdrive over half volume you haave to watch out for feedback but apart from that, soundwise it's great. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This is a Marshall people. They are built here in britain and are made to last. I would trust y life in this amp. I wouldn't really use it for a gig because it just isn't powerful enough. If I were to gig I'd use the MG100HDFX or any Marshall stack because you can get a much louder sound. // 9

Impression: This is a great amp to use in your bedromm if you don't have a lot of room. that's the reason I got it and not the MG30DFX. This amp has sttod by me for meanrly 8 months and it's still going strong and probably will do for years to come. Great sound for what I play (AC/DC, GN'R, Ozzy, Queen, Metallica, Eagles, The Who etc.) This amp is well worth the money of your starting out and want a better amp than the 0 Watt one you get in starter packs. // 8

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: untitled039, on january 18, 2007

Price paid: $ 164.6817

Purchased from: Ionnou Music Center

Features: I got this amp in late 2005 so I suspect it was made some time in 2005. This amp is pretty good for most styles of music, particulary good for rock and punk because of its clear distortion. It has one clean channel and one overdrive channel, it has bass, contour and treble controls and a reverb control as well. It also has separate volume controls for the clean and overdriven channel. It has a jack for headphones/external speaker etc. and a jack for a CD player, mp3 player etc. This amp features an 'FDD' function which simulates the sound of a Vintage tube amp. I use this amp for absolutely everything, for practicing, rehearsing with my band and gigging. It does fine for all of those things and even manages bigger gig venues like auditoriums. // 9

Sound: I use this guitar with my Epiphone Les Paul Junior (humbucker version) and my Zoom G1X. When you have the Gain at more than 6 in overdrive mode, it can get quite noisy when you are not playing, but because I always use this with my Zoom G1X, so there is next to no noise. It can make a few different sounds, but not that many different sounds. The manual has said that when the volume is over 5 in clean mode, it adds a 'slight bluesy crunch', which isn't true unless you crank the volume over 7. The amount of distortion you can get on this little thing is unbelievable. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I've been playing with this amp for a year now and there is only a little rip about 5mm long in the top of the amp. I don't see why you wouldn't use this without a backup while gigging. The amp has never broken down and there has never been any noticable problems that I have had with it. // 9

Impression: This is a good amp for a very affordable price and suits a lot of different music styles. If I got this lost/stolen I would think about about buying this again, but I would see what else is on offer first. The thing I like about this amp is that you can hear low notes very well, even if there is a lot of gain added to the sound and the 'FDD' feature gives it a brilliant sound. A good amp for a good price. // 8

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: UG Team, on july 25, 2003

Price paid: $ 162.87

Purchased from: RGM Music

Features: When I Bought my Fist Electric Guitar & Amp last week, I bought a Fender Frontman 15R, which broke down the next day. I went back to the shop and replaced it for a Marshall 15CDR, which had pretty much everything the Fender had:- 2 channels (clean & drive) gain, equaliser, reverb, audio input and headphone input. As this amp is bigger & heavier than your average Practise Amp, it is very heavy and is not something you would want to be carrying around. // 8

Sound: The amp gives a really good friendly sound for acoustic-style songs, using reverb & the FDD switch (Frequency Dependant Damping) through the clean channel. When using the Drive Channel, you will need to turn the volume down to about 4 or 5 on the guitar, otherwise there is a lot of feedback. once you have the guitar at the right level, it gives a good, clear, yet heavily distorted sound. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This 15 watt amp is powerful enough to use in small gigs, for example, i used it in my bands first performance, to audition for a "Battle of the Bands" contest (which we completely messed up because we didnt have a singer until 15 mins before it, which wasnt long enough for him to learn all of When I Come Around by Green Day) the song was going good until about 1/2 way through the first verse, which was as much as the singer knew. // 10

Impression: I dont really have much more to say about this amp, except its the best one under 50 watts that i've ever used. // 10

overall: 5.5

Reviewed by: nadavnaz, on november 12, 2007

Price paid: $ 200

Purchased from: Halilit, Israel

Features: Don't mind the wicked price tag. Israeli prices, go figure. The MG15CDR has two channels. Clean, and OD. Non-footswitchable, both go through the same EQ and power amp. A basic headphone+line out (they both sound incredibly noisy, wouldn't count on it to record anything). 8" speaker, I'm not sure which. FDD feature, designed to emulate tube sound. Actually just gives a bit more punch to the deal. Not useful at all. // 8

Sound: I've tried this amplifier with multiple guitars. I mainly use my (horrible) Ibanez SA260FM. It sounds amazingly bad, small, characterless and dull. When you use the clean channel, at mid volume, expect shaking, and ratteling. That's how it is for me, with any guitar whatsoever. It's just the cheap manufacturing. That's all. Don't get me wrong, I know 15w 8" amps won't sound huge and great, but I've heared the peavy transtube Rage 158, and It blows this Marshall away. The OD, is horrible. But yet again, I don't judge OD's on small amps like this. Seriously, don't expect killer dist' tone out of any amp this size (except modeling amps, Roland cube etc). Compared to the Rage 158, it has higher overall gain, but it sounds horrible in all states. The Rage 158 sounds nice for mild-medium od. To conclude it all, sounds bad, horrible, small, it shakes! The reverb is pretty standard. I guess they could through in the effects chip they have on the MG15DFX. It's an ultra cheap-chip, they're just sucking money for the dfx. Distortion wise: Cube 15X>Transtube>MG. Clean wise: Transtube>MG>Cube (though the Cube doesn't shake). // 4

Reliability & Durability: Up to now, I haven't had any problems with it. But generally, it's built bad. Doesn't feel solid (seeing the plastic is weak enough to shake), but I can't complain. I've had it for almost a year and it haven't broke on. Yet again, the transtube, and Roland Cube 15X are both better built. // 6

Impression: For practice at home, it'll do the trick. Don't count on it for anything else. And even if you're just beginning, give the transtube 158/cube 15X a look. Both higher quality amps (in their own aspects. Transtube=real amp, Cube=DSP amp), which will give you better sound versatility, are both built smaller, and both sound better (Trastube sound better in clean mode, cube in dist). I bought this when I just started playing, and regret it up to now. // 4

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 23, 2004

Price paid: $ 228

Features: I purchased it about half a year ago and it was the 2003 model. I play pretty much all styles of music, from jazz, rock, metal, funk, punk, and pretty much you name it. It handles all pretty well, except for when you turn the gain up for a bit of distortion, wich like many smaller Marshall amps, is pretty crappy. I don't really use the line out very often except if I want to do some pretty low rate recording, hooking it through a hifi, wich it does surprisingly well. I tend not to use the headphone jack as I find it restrictive, but that also works as well as can be expected. As its the only amp I own I use it all the time and it definetly has all the power I need. It's been bumper around a bit moving it to and fro, but its still in good condition. // 8

Sound: Iuse an Epiphone studio ii with the original pickups, and it does a good job of keeping the tone, but it culd be better. With the gain up it sounds pretty terrible, to much fuzz. So if you want to play metal or rock, definetly think about a pedal as well. It doesn't have the richest tone, but for a cheap 15 amp, the sounds is better than expected. The clean channel is distorted at really high volumes and if you have got the equalization right, it can sound pretty lousy, but once you work them out, its easy to work with. The reverb on it works really well, and definetlyputs and interesting spin on most styles, especially with a bit of acdc on distortion. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I haven't had it for a really long time, but I've never had it break done on my once, being a Marshall you expect that reliabilityof the brand, and this one certainly lives up to its reputation. // 10

Impression: I was surprised at how much power it had for a small amp, it makes everything in my room vibrate only on half volume, its pretty bassy too. If it was lost or stolen, I probably wouldnt buy it cause I'd want something bigger, but with out the money, it certainly would be a hard choice, the gain let me down, I wasnt impressed with its huge amount of fuzz, but with the pedal it goes ok. For that amount of money it's a pretty reliable buy, a good practice amp. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 06, 2004

Price paid: $ 140

Purchased from: Planet Music (now Muziker)

Features: This is a nice practice amp, good for everything except metal if you don't own pedals. There are not any effects, except string reverb, but for practice, I think you wouldn't need them anyway (kill me if I'm wrong). It has 2 channels, nice clean, overdrive is nice too, but you won't get any sound you want, but f'me it's enough. Has a eadphone jack and a socket named cd in and emulated line out. The "in" works, but I don't know how to use it as an out. I played two guitars in it at a time and it could handle it no problem. Kind'a proud of it. I wish it had a footswitch. Solid state, of course. Has a FDD button, and I always play with it on, it makes the sound much nicer. // 8

Sound: I use an Epiphone EA-250 mostly with theneck pickup. I play almost everzthing except numetal or heavier stuff. Even if I wanted, I couldn't, cuz I don't have gear for it. It is loud enogh to play with drums, but the drummer can't go too wild. The clean channel isn't wery loud, but if you use a pedal, it can get even twice the loud, but if you turn the clean volume all the way up, it gets reallz distorted. But for a 15watt baby it can handle a lot. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I definitely can depend on it. It once fell from a table (about 0.75cm), but the amp was like nothig happened. It's Marshall and it means dependable and built like a block of concrete. But it isn't too heavy. 7.5Kg. // 10

Impression: If it were stolen I wouldn't buy it again, but not because I don't like it, but because I'm saving up for something bigger right now, and the money from insurance would be a nice help. I would like some things to be improved on it, but for the money, and the use it is dedicated to be used it is perfect. I don't think you could buy a better one for the price. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on may 19, 2005

Price paid: $ 89.99

Purchased from: Davis

Features: I got my Marshall MG15CDR in 2005. It was two channels. Good clean and distortion. There is a headphone jack and the cd imput is pretty useful too. The reverb on this amp is also very useful. I use it most of the time and it adds unbelieveable depth to the sound and makes it richer even though the sound from my Epiphone is already rich and full. // 8

Sound: My main guitar is an Epiphone SG Special. However I also own a Ibanez RG7620 and a Squier Fat Strat. All three guitars sound really powerful when played through this amp even though its pretty small. I play mainly rock and nu-metal and this amp does not suit my style at all. Its overdrive is very fuzzy and unclear for the thicker strings. I play through an Epiphone Special SG and most of the time I use drop tuning. Therefore I would love it if the bass strings are more clear in tone but this amplifier just gives it a very fuzzy wazzy sound. So I run it through a Zoom 505#2 and thankfully, it sounds much better. There is a good point though, it is very versatile and I can play all types of music from rock too jazz to classic rock. Very good sound if you have a good pedal. Otherwise, hope you have fun enjoying the fuzz from the overdrive. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Well, it's still very new but give Marshall's durability I would say it is qutie durable. I am planning a gig soon and I would use this amp. I would diefinetly use it without a backup! // 10

Impression: Overall I find this not such a good match to the metal that I play. Thankfully my Zoom pedals resolves that problem. Other than this, I own a Ibanez 10 watts that is pretty crunchy but not as powerful as the Marshall MG15CDR. If it was stolen or lost, I may go for a bigger amp but give then really low price tag I think I would choose this again. I would diefinetly recommend it as a practise amp or for use in a small gig. Small but powerful! // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on july 26, 2005

Price paid: $ 189

Purchased from: Local Music Shop

Features: // 10

Sound: I use a Epiphone Les Paul Special II with this amp and it sounds pretty good. This amp suits my style, I play mostly punk, emo, screamo, hardcore. It is perfect for jamming in my room, I usually leave it on about 2 but if I turn it on 3 it starts getting loud. The clean channel is not very loud when it is about 8, the distrotion channel on 3 is just as loud. The distortion seems real muddy so I turn the gain on about 2 or 3 and hook up my DigiTech Bad Monkey and set it about 5 and it works out good. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Well I've had 2 of these amps, the first one lasted about 6 months (the speaker went bad), so I had to wait a month to get this one and it is great. I wouldn't use this live, but I would depend on this live cause it's a Marshall. // 4

Impression: I love the amp, I hated to not have an amp for over a month when my first ones speaker blew. My over all impression is great of the amp, but bad of the service and the wait. // 6

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Donkey Fly, on march 06, 2006

Price paid: $ 128.1

Purchased from: Spectre Sound

Features: This amp was made in 2005. I play Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Rise Against etc. (rock, punk rock or whatever you want to call it) and I can get a decent sound for them but when I am playing with distortion I just turn the EQ contols on to 10 and then just edit tone on my Boss MT-2 and Behringer OD100. It has 2 channels, clean and overdrive. This amp doesn't have foot switchable channels, so if you want that you need a 30 watt+. The amp has reverb, which is good, it gives more depth to your solos, so it's great for lead. It also has a headphone jack and CD input/emulated line out which are useful. I wish it had some digital effects but I didn't want to spend loads just for the same amp but with some effects for like an extra 20 - 30 pounds. I like the effects on my multi FX anyway. I don't use the FDD feature when I'm using headphones with the CD input. The sound from the CD is a little fuzzy with headphones when I have FDD on. I use this amp for band practise and home use. It could be used for live performances in pubs or other places similar to pubs as 15 watt is very loud when you use full gain on pedals etc. It does have enough power for me for the time being. It has a feature called FDD (Frequency Dependant Damping) which adds depth and width to gives a sound 'never bfore chievable in a solid state amp'. // 9

Sound: I use a 220 Pounds Richwood R125 Which has high output pickups. I play rock music mainly and it suits it extrememly well. The amp is a bit noisy when using Overdrive and when you have gain on full but that's expected, it's is really nosiy when you se overdirve full gain near like a computer or TV. The amp produces a good rock sound which suits me well. You can also get a metal kinda sound and a bluesy sound. The clean channel is slightly distorted on full volume but it isn't noticable if your playing a song at all. The amp has Overdrive. It is pretty brutal on full gain so you can get a real rock/metal sound. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I can depend on this amp for sure. I wouldn't need to use a backup at all. The amp is still in pristine condition and seems to eb shwoing no signs of wear and tear at all. // 10

Impression: I've been playing 11 months now. I have a cheap Strat copy and a Richwood RE125. A Boss MT-2, Behringer OD100, DigiTech RP50. I also have another amp which is a Behringer GM108. If it was stolen I wouldn't buy another, I'd save up and get a 50 watt Marshall MG series as I think the MG series is great. I love the tone control and flexibility of the amp. I can't say I hate anything. My favourite features are the FDD and spring reverb. Really top notch amp. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on october 02, 2007

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I got this amp about a year ago and it's not bad considering how much I paid for it. It has one channel, a CD & Headphone jack, FDD, overdrive and reverb. The overdrive is pretty bad, it just sounds fuzzy and I get way too much feedback. I was disappointed, especially from a Marshall. You can fix that with a good pedal, though. Other than that, the amp is great. The cleans are nice and clear, perfect tone. // 8

Sound: I use an Epiphone Les Paul-100 with this, and it works pretty well. I play pretty much everything, mostly classic rock, metal, and Indie-rock. The sound is pretty powerful from a small amp, although, as I said, the overdrive is horrible. I get way too much feedback, it's noisy, fuzzy, and just sounds awful. I don't even touch the overdrive anymore, I just use a pedal on clean. Other than that, it sounds great, and it's pretty loud for such a small amp. // 7

Reliability & Durability: Unfortunately, this little guy can't take too much abuse. I dropped HIM on my floor, which is carpeted, and knocked something loose. Now the line-in is no longer working, so I have to get that fixed. Of all things, the line-in has to break. I was furious. Plus, it has been dented several times, it just doesn't take abuse very well. I'll admit, I don't take very good care of it. // 4

Impression: I've been playing for about 3 years, and play pretty much every style of rock there is. I really wish the overdrive was better and that it was a bit more durable. If it was stolen, I would probably replace it, because it's a great practice amp. I would not gig with it, it's just too small. I love the cleans on this amp, they just sound perfect. For a solid state/digital amp, this little guy is great. I would suggest you buy one for a practice amp. It's small, but powerful. // 8

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 14, 2006

Price paid: $ 499

Purchased from: Riff Music Shop

Features: The amp was made in 2005. I play mostly metal (Metallica, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath) and this amp is very good for what I need. It has 2 channels, clean and overdrive. Clean has only volume regulation, while OD has gain control too. It has a 3-band EQ (bass, contour, treble), spring reverb with level control. It also features a CD-in, emulated line out and a headphone jack. I use this amp for playing with my friend behind the drums, and I must say that It has enough power and is clearly audible an half volume. The amp also features FDD (Frequency Dependant Damping) circuitry which emulates a valvestate amp, and it does it pretty good. However, it lacks a footswitch input. // 9

Sound: I'm using an old GRX series Ibanez with H/S/S pickup setup. I mostly use the bridge humbucker, and I must say that the OD is fantastic and brutal. It is however hard to control it at times, so I had to get used to it. The clean channel distorts to a bluesy overdrive when over half volume, but that is mention as a feature. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It's very dependable, however I'd use a backup on a gig. Just for the hell of it. It has never, ever broken down, and it's very durable. The front panel is virtually indestructible. Well, tis is just what you would expect from a Marshall. The power cord is also fixed to the amp, so it will not get lost. // 10

Impression: I play mostly metal, so this amp fits just in. If it were stolen, I'd definetly get another MG series amp, but probably an MG30, as it is footswitchable. And That is the only pain about it. My impression is great, and really recommend this amp to every metal player out there. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on april 05, 2006

Features: The amp is the 2005 model and I've had it for 6 months. It owns! It can play pretty much any genre os music. Its really good for metal, I play ltos of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, GN'R, Jimi Hendrix and other rockn roll bands. I mostly play rock 'n' roll (obviously) and it's really good for that. It's got a clean channel and overdrive channel, just like any other amp, and they both sound amazing. It has a really good spring reverb witch really does jsutice to a solo and even some chords but its a pane to switch on and off every 5 minutes but it's worth it. It's got emulated headphone jack and CD jack and you can plug it in to record what you're playing, lots of amps have that so its not significant. It would be good with some digital effects but if you want that get the MG15DFX for just get a pedal. This amp has a ton of power and I use it for room practice so far but I would definately use it for band practice or gigging in a small place like a pub or garage. // 9

Sound: I use a crappy Peavy raptor plus and it sucks with the amp it came with but on the MG15CDR it sounds amazing. It really suits my style of music, mostly rock 'n' roll and a tiny bit of metal. It sounds really good on any setting so far and I've had no problems. The reverb effect is amazing and really give depth to what ur playing and sounds amazing. The clean channel has some distortion when you put it past half ways but its not that noticable and its supposed to eb there as it is called the "crunch mode," mostly for blues. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Well it's a Marshall so its abviously very dependable and I might gig it without a back up, I don't have much gigging experience. Never ahd any problems with it. I treat it like it was my child. // 9

Impression: This is a good match for rock 'n' roll music, I've been playing for 14 months now. I have a Peavey Backstage amp which sucks ass, they even took it off their website, and I ahte that amp. I also have a Peavey Raptor Plus guitar wich is my only guitar but I plan to get a Epiphone Les Pauls Standard soon. If it was lost I'd deffintaley get the same one again, if it was stolen I'd cry then get another one. I love the distortion, it's perfect and pulling off a sollo with thie amp is so easy it's just so fun to play on. I didn't compare it 'cause I already knew I wanted it I chose it 'cause it was perfect for me 'cause it wasn't to loud for my room practice, to old people next to me and it is very good for everyhting. It would be swet with some DFX but tis ok without them, I mean I'll just get a pedal. // 9

Comments

[benjy118]

Yeha i have this amp and i dont think its so good, the tone is just bad i have to use a distortion pedal because the distortan on this amp is so terrible

[treagar]

This amp sounds awful. The cleans are mediocre at best and the distortion is terrible.

[Weybl Himself]

I don't know what you guys expected, it's a practice amp, for practicing, not performing, not recording. It doesn't need beautiful tones, just good enough to give you an idea of how you're playing, hence, practice amp.

[markazord]

who piad 499 for a 15 watt mg??
they saw him coming

[King ofKumbucha]

markazord wrote:

who piad 499 for a 15 watt mg??
they saw him coming

HAHAHAHA

[i'm a noob]

499 dude? you got ****ing ripped.

[High_o]

yeh 499 is pretty bad...but maybe its some currency where 499 isn't much.

[MIK4YC]

wtf man 499. i got mine for 200 aussie bucks.
next time shop around abit

[Westie]

i got mine for about 200 nz$ in december i think and its been a reliable little unit dispite the beer spills and knocks shes taken here and there.

[Dannychords]

Haha, the amp aint THAT bad, but it is pretty bad, though i think i probably killed it =/, i got mine for only 120$ XD

[BlinK-Kid182]

I have it , i think its ok but i savin for a Crate FXT120 and then after that i wana get one of those vox DA5's, they look like good portable amps

[dantiberian]

This is meant to be slightly distorted at full volume. It's meant to simulate a tube

[benjy118]

Mine was £90 I think i baught it only because it was a Marshall and cheap

[l3xbi]

was told when i bought my first guitar "you can't go wrong with marshall" LoL what a fool i was. mmm peavey valve king 212 on the way!!!

[Hells_Bell]

Man this amp is horrible. The tone sucks no matter how you set it. Don't buy this amp. I owned it, and i was so disapointed. It sucks even as a practice amp.

Checked.

[nik_I]

i have this amp and it sounds fine to me. it is a PRACTICE amp after all.

[Sebara]

This is a good amp, I own it along with many other considerably large amps, and I have found its tone very good, taking into account its size and price etc.
Some other people have commented that it is rubbish, well... if they want better amps perhaps they should earn some more money, buy one and stop whinging! This is a good PRACTICE amp, not a gigging amp. (although it works fine in them)

[Karol1701]

I think it's 499 in Polish money I know Riff Shop And it costs something like 499=over 100$

[llanafreak44]

its shit

[zakattak_]

even for a practise amp its pretty rubbish, i got an old marshall reverb 12 from the 70s and its soooo much nicer. maybe things have gone downhill since then. im gonna get rid of this n stick to my old one

[pl0x]

mine was £80.00 arr yeah!

[megadeth_online]

well...
this amp sucks...
dont buy it...
unless u like punk rock...
its not 4 heavy metal...
if u want something really loud and good distortion...
get line 6 spider III 15...
4 the same price or less...
anyway...this is my advice...
cuz i tried them both...
MARSHALL GOOD AT STAGE
LINE 6 GOOD AT HOME
for 15 watt
get the spider

[ninjakarl]

i...
can't quite seem...
to talk in...
complete sentences...
i feel like...
william shatner in...
...
star trek

oh and for something relevant, i had a choice between this and a roland cube 15 watt-er.. i chose the roland thank god

[billybob13]

if you look at the od buttons when its on you can see a green and red light

[civildp1]

how can there be so many high ratings for such a terrible amp? Don't buy this thing unless you play numetal.

[metaldud536]

Weybl Himself wrote:

I don't know what you guys expected, it's a practice amp, for practicing, not performing, not recording. It doesn't need beautiful tones, just good enough to give you an idea of how you're playing, hence, practice amp.

There are better practice amps than the MG's. I know comparing a Roland 15x to a MG10CD..(which I have unfortunately)...

[willy_99]

i own the MG15cd and its so bad. even for a practice amp its just not good enough. its impossible to get a good tone out of

[Lotz222]

Yeah i got the MG10CD and it is what you pay for ($80-100 something like that). Not the best Tone at all and the Distortion is 2/10 but its for practice. I just dink around with it. I always say if you can make a guitar sound good on things like this then when you get money for better equipment it will be a breeze.

[mdoz07]

Well, this is a practice amp.. I really got dissapointed when i bought it, I expected something better from Marshall, its distorted tones are not as "heavy" as I need them, but I don have a lot of money so, I will have to stay with this amp some time... Besides it has almost no use to play live unless it is in a place with very good acoustics, it does not work well with distortion or effect pedals, but i think it is ok for begginer guitarists.

[Dnalrafcmb3]

SOMEONE PAYED $500 for a 15 watt amp!!!!! What a rip off!!!!!

[k1ng_pooh]

lmfao 500 bucks i paid that for teh MG100DFX, what a n00b

[henza_x]

Practice amp. All it should be used for, i like the reverb, its shit, but at least its there,
doesnt work too well with pedals.. so yah all good. Clean volume won't do well soft drums but od is alright volume wise. thats all.

[Anjohl]

I disagree, I think this amp is great. I had a 15 watt DFX before this, and the only advantage that one had was that the reverb was more dynamic and noticable. I thing the MG15CDR is a great amp for it's price, it has a great Marshall crunch. I am playing a Samick HSS strat copy through it, and the thing sounds fantastic.

[nadavnaz]

Just fyi... This amp is complete rubbish. I have it, it literally SHAKES when I play on half volume on the clean channel. I don't ever expect good Dist/Od from small amps, but this one's really poorly made and constructed. (Even for a 15w... I tried a peavy rage 158, and was amazed to see it DIDN'T RATTLE/SHAKE, and sounded way better.)
Two best options instead: Peavy 158, Roland cube 15x. If you're gonna get an od/crunch/dist pedal with the amp, get the peavy. Sounds best. The roland sounds worse on clean but has modeling.

[akaDan]

I don't understand what everyone's problem is with this amp, I got it and its great. The sound I get from the distortion is just the trebley, crunch that I wanted for my music. The cleans aren't half bad either. Don't trust reviews, test it yourself and decide.

[Sublimeluvs420]

Its's a practice amp not a 2 50 watt speaker amp. Its built for its job, not for gigs.

[wardwares]

Trust me this amp is good for a 15 watts can't go wrong

[Baasoromyuu]

I played on this amp at my friend's house using one of his B.C. Rich Warlocks. It sounded pretty good to me (after all the only other amp I've played is a Yamaha GA-10 that I got with the starter kit) but he had a Digitech RP 250 which may have improved the sound alot.

[The_Un4given]

People! People! What are you whining about?! You all guys play on JCMs and huge amps on stage and stuff and then you come to us little people and tell us how this amp sucks. Shut UP! You haven't played on a bad amp. When you play on "Aster LK-GodKnowsWhaT" "20w" with something I thought was "nice" overdrive. I used that before (not mine tho). And I wanted to buy it. And then I got opportunity to play on this amp and I can tell you its amazing comparing to other 'amps' I played on..This amp turned on 1/4 is louder then all the other amps that we have at our rehearsing room (Regent, Aster and stuff). And after I played on this amp I cant stand playing on Aster again. One dude said this amp has crappy sound and stuff.GET BETTER GUITAR. I own Duncan's humbucker and it rules If you expect something masive go for some JCM or stuff like that and stop eating crap..It's Marshall after all.