MG30FX
Reviewed by:
gradcore, on january 28, 2011 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: C$ 235
Purchased from: Long & McQuades
Features: This amp was made in 2009 and considering all of the people bashing on this amp; I've been playing for 3 years now and I actually quite like it for its affordability for a Marshall, even if its Solid State. It has a 3 band EQ (Bass, Treble, and Middle), gain, reverb, Master Volume, Volume, and four build in FX; though the FX are rotten. This amp has 4 channels: Clean, Crunch, OD1, and OD2.
To sum up the features I would have to say it has a decent amount for the price paid, but the quality brings it down a lot. // 6
Sound: With this Marshall MG30FX I have three guitars: an Epiphone Les Paul Custom (stock pickups), an Ibanez RG370DX (EMG 81 + 85), and a Jay Tursor Strat Copy (Stock Pickups). For some reason I get a lot of feedback from this amp with all of my guitars except my Ibanez but I assume this is because it has EMG's in it. I've tried my other guitars with my other amps and I don't get nearly as much feedback.
Surprisingly this amp actually suits my playing style. I play a limited few genres from Guns N' Roses to Metallica and that's about it; they all seem to sound relatively the same. I can easily tap into the sounds I play but if you are into some extreme Deathmetal or Trashmetal this amp is definately not for you. Its good for hard rock\heavy metal but not much else. Very limited versatility.
The Clean Channel is horrible compared to other solid state amps around the price range. Crunch is surprisingly not that bad, you can get some neat sounds out of it. OD1 I don't use too much so I can't say anything bad and OD2 you get a really good Slash tone out of it. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I've had this amp for almost two years now and the only problem I've had sofar was when on the clean channel when you strum your barre chords "hard" it cuts out on me. But the amp has been like that since new so I would say it could just be mine? Other than that this amp is build like a tank. Its been thrown into snowbanks; fell down stairs; survived a ride home sliding around in the back of my truck and much much more without any problems. // 8
Impression: This is actually a great practice amp for me. It fits my sound perfectly but I know for a fact it does not suit most other guitar players needs. For other amps I own a Fender Frontman 10G which used to be my practice amp until I got this and I own a Peavey Valveking 112 50 watt tubed which I use as my main amp. I wish I would of returned this one and got another before the warranty ran out just because of the clean channel issue I've been having but other than that no regrets. If it were stolen or lost I probably wouldn't replace it at all; it has no soft spot in my heart, it isn't great; its just an affordable solid state Marshall amp. // 8
MG30FX
Reviewed by:
Explorer939, on january 05, 2011 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 450
Purchased from: Music Centre
Features: This amp is great! It is 70 watts and I reckon this was made in 2009. This is really versatile: it has 2 distortion channels (OD1 & OD2), 4 effects, and clean and crunch channels. I play Metal and rock, and this amp is perfect for these styles, although I would recommend you add a distortion pedal, as the distortion isn't that harsh. It has 4 channels-clean, crunch and 2 distortion channels. There is a headphone Jack and an mp3 Jack. There's a tuner in the amp, and an optional footswitch. The cool thing about the amp is that you can 'dial' in your tone, and save it. I wish the distortion would be heavier, though... // 9
Sound: I run a Yamaha ERG121c through mine. Like I said earlier, this amp suits the styles that I play. There isn't any noisy feedback at all, and the sound quality is excellent! This amp can be used for a variety of styles, rock, metal, blues, country, you name it! All you have to do is just tweak the controls a bit, and, voila, you'll have the sound you want! The manual that comes with this amp shows you how to get different sounds, e.g- High gain solo, raw crunch.etc. The amp has 4 effects: chorus, phaser, flanger and programmable delay. The distortion isn't that mean. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I can definitely depend on this baby, and I'll use it without a backup, if I ever perform live, or in a gig. I got this new, like, a month ago, so it hasn't really broken down yet, but I'm sure it'll never do so. // 10
Impression: Like, I said, my amp suits my styles of music. I've been playing for over a year now, although, I've had this for about a month, now. If this were stolen, I would hunt down the cheap person and, well, you get the picture. I love everything about it: the looks, the sound, the features, it's just awesome!!! I just want harsher distortion, I have no other complaints.
Well then, that's about it. Hope you this was comprehensive enough! // 9
MG30FX
Reviewed by:
loserke30, on july 23, 2010 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: € 199.99
Purchased from: Thomann
Features: Marshall MG30FX is great! I think it was made in 2009 but I'm not shure, most of the time I play Heavy-Metal, Punk, Hardcore and Punk-Rock but you can use it for everything! It has 4 channels (1 clean, 1 crunch, overdrive 1 and overdrive 2 ( OD1 is the more heavy one)), when I recieved it after 2 days from Germany (wich is really quick) it came in a box full of bubblewrap and a handling guide. The amp is 30 watts but I compared it to a Line 6 Spider 3 60 watt and it's almost the same. You can also use a Marshall channel pedal for €40. // 10
Sound: Since I play more of the heavy stuff (Heavy-Metal, Hardcore) I use OD2 or the clean channel with a distortion pedal and it's just awesome. You can crank the amp really loud but when you have a cheaper guitar (like me, a epi Special II that soon will be an ESP) I can give a buzz or a really high squeak, you should play in a closed room or if you play outside when it isn't moist.. But if you got a decent guitar it should work just fine. You can get a really nice clean sound from it or a nice crunch sound or a high scooped distortion and many more! // 9
Reliability & Durability: I allready used it on a gig and I didn't had any problems with it. But you need to use correct settings to get a nice live sound. You can use this amp for private use or you can play it just fine in a band. So far I didn't have any problems with it and I play it for about 8 months. // 10
Impression: I play Heavy-Metal, Hardcore and Punk and this amp is a great match. Even with a cheaper guitar you can get the quality from the amp! If it was stolen I would probably get a marhall stack becaus it can pump some air, but if I didn't had the money I would definatly buy it again. I kinda hate the high squease when it's moist but with a better guitar you won't have that problem. It's a great amp for it's price and I recommend you to buy it! (Sorry if I spelled alot wrong but I don't live in America or England) // 9
MG30FX
Reviewed by:
Viotto, on june 16, 2010 2 of 5 people found this review helpful
Price paid: € 235
Purchased from: Local shop
Features: The MG FX series have been developed by Marshall and released in 2009, in order to replace the older MG DFX series.
It has got 4 selectable and programmable channels, organized in 2 buttons.
Left button is used to Switch between:
-Clean (green light)
-Crunch (red light)
Right button is used for:
-Overdrive 1 (green light, less heavy sound)
-Overdrive 2 (red light, heaviest sound)
This amplifier has got also 5 effects:
- An independent reverb, with its own knob;
- Chorus, Phaser, Flanger, Delay, on same knob so it is not possible to use more then one of them at same time.
The delay interval can be adjusted using the Tap button.
Each channel can be used in manual mode, or you can adjust your settings and save them with Store button (preset mode). Presets will record all knobs positions except Master Volume knob, which value is not changed among presets.
So since you have 4 channels, you can store 4 differents presets, so you can configure each channel with the sound you like most. It has got a jack input, an MP3 line in, a headphones line, and a foot controller input, that can be used with the MG Footcontroller (not included).
This amplifier is not so loud being a 30W, volume range is perfect for home use but I don't think it is able to reach high volumes compared to other 30W amplifiers. // 7
Sound: Clean channel is good, even better sometimes if used with some reverb / chorus. I am using a not expensive Ibanez but quite reliable and suited for metal too. Since I play mostly metal and metalcore, I wanted also a good distortion. And here comes the problem: distortion is way too light. Even with Overdrive 2 channel (the heaviest of the 4 channels) I can't manage to obtain a powerful distortion, I expected more from a >200€ amplifier.
Its bass is powerful and you can easily feel it, by the way you can turn it down if you want to obtain an harsher, less soft sound. I felt the reverb and flanger effects too light, even turned at maximum they aren't so much intense. Volume is not so powerful either, there are much louder amplifiers in its same power range.
Maybe with overdrive or similar effects pedals you can obtain a good powerful distortion, but I didn't plan to buy all different kinds of pedals while there was the Peavey Vypyr 30W at the same price. // 7
Reliability & Durability: In the only day I've been testing it, it seemed quite durable, not many bells & whistles, covered back, robust knobs. I feel it can last for long, seems quite sturdy. // 8
Impression: Good clean, organic sound, but bad distortion and few tone variety.
I think if you play lighter music (jazz, blues, up to rock), you will like it, but if you want more distortion, heavier sound, I would go for a different amplifier. In fact, the day after I bought it and spent much time testing it, I was unsatisfied and decided that this amplifier wasn't for me. I returned to the shop and exchanged it with a Peavey Vypyr 30W and now I am happy, more variety of sounds and much more features.
If you are a Marshall fan and don't play heavy music I guess you will like it, but its tones variety is quite limited, exspecially compared to the Peavey Vypyr, which can produce a wide amount of different sounds, being a good modelling amplifier.
In the same range (30W, around 200€) I think the Peavey Vypyr 30W, exspecially if you play metal and similar genres, is a better choice.
But if you want a standard, sturdy and durable amplifier, without lots of effects and features for you unnecessary (or you already have all the pedals you need) then go for it. // 7
MG30FX
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 09, 2012 0 of 2 people found this review helpful
Features: I was pleasantly surprised with the features on this amp. It is 70W and I think made in 2009. It has a clean and crunch channel, plus 2 overdrive channels. There is a 3 band EQ (bass, mid, treble), gain, master volume, channel volume, FX (chorus, phaser, flanger and delay). The effects aren't the best so I would suggest adding pedals to it if you need any. I play metal and rock and to be honest the distortion isn't too bad although not particularly 'heavy'. There is a headphone jack and an MP3 jack, the MP3 jack being quite useful for playing along to songs or just listening to music in general. There is also a tuner and a store function where you can select the default effects added to each channel.Lastly there is a foot controller option. // 7
Sound: The sound is really quite good on this amp. I mainly run two guitars through it, an Ibanez SAS36QM and an Epiphone Les Paul Custom. Both sound great. I don't get much feedback despite often practising quite close to the amp. I also do not get much buzz either. I would say the easiest sound to get out of this amp is a 'blues' kind of sound but with the right settings, you can play pretty much anything through it. The clean channel does not become too distorted when you crank up the volume but the distortion is pretty mild so for playing heavier rock/metal, you may also want to invest in a pedal. // 8
Reliability & Durability: So, this is the point that lets the entire amp down for me. I cannot depend soly on this amp and if I were to play it at a gig, I would definitely feel the need for a backup. The input jack falls through constantly. Which wouldn't matter too much but it literally takes forever to fix. Once you have fixed it again, you have about 3 hours max before it decides to fall through again. In terms of wiring, I haven't had a problem and I guess it may be a one off problem but just something to bare in mind. // 5
Impression: I play rock and metal and although this amp probably wouldn't be my first choice for these styles, it would be up there. I have been playing for 8 years and I also have a Line 6 Spider IV 150 watt. The Marshall does not compare to the Line 6 but there is a severe difference in price between the two. If this amp were stolen/lost I would probably look to buy a different amp. The falling through jack input is a pain but overall it is not a bad amp however I would prefer it to have more effects (not something you often get on a Marshall). // 6
I had an Marshall MG30DFX a few months ago, but I sold to one of my friends. Because I didn't was pleased with the sound of this amplifier.
I was rather bought an Fender Frontman 65 R and I'm satisfied with the sound now!
If you don't want an amplifier with a lot of effects, you should buy an any Fender Frontman series.
This amplifier can be perfectly combined with pedal effects, and the quality sound is awesome!
Also I'm agree with derpdragon!
baldeaguirre wrote:
I was rather bought an Fender Frontman 65 R and I'm satisfied with the sound now!
If you don't want an amplifier with a lot of effects, you should buy an any Fender Frontman series.
Dude, those amps fcuking suck balls. The Peavey is better, and the Roland Cube 30X is the best of the lot.
No mate in my review it wasn't my intention to promote the vypyr...my intention was to write about my experience. It is true what people here say on Peavey Vypyr's review, it is a great amplifier, I am very happy with it. And I wasn't happy with that Marshall, sound / variety is quite poor in my opinion.
I played one in a shop today. At least I think it was this one. I quite liked it. The only problem is that I have been hearing that they are notoriously unrealiable.
hey i have one of this clen is good , but OD isnt , so i bought the mt2 metalzone and in my opinion sounds better , do you think it is a good combination ?
I have one, and it's just AWSOME!!!!! But I really want a distortion pedal, as I play Heavy music and the distortion isn't that heavy.can you recommend a good distortion pedal that is below $100 dollars?
Thanks!
I am a Marshall fan ("was" is the more appropriate tense), and because I'm a fan I want to tell you I'm utterly disappointed by their new line. It seems that the riot that made the development team move to Blackstar has left deep traces into Marshall's policies.
MG 30FX is a toy, not an amp. It doesn't have that "cranked" Marshall tone, nor the fabulous boost for which Marshall was famous in the '70s. Instead, they've installed a lot of useless stupid effects and pre-sets. Now why would anyone buy a Marshall and then seek for other amps in it? It is clear that the guys that run the company have decided to ignore the flock of fans and speculate company's name and fame, selling toys to kids who know nothing about music. It may be a way of doing business, but I'm sure it won't be paved in gold. Quite the contrary.
its a great amp to play classic metal, like early slayer, metallica and megadeth. but for new sounds i recommend a nice quallity distortion pedal like a Boss Metal zone it sounds really nice. the clean is just amazing especially if you through a little bit of flange in it. the crunch is perfect for clssic rock bands like the who or led zeppelin. overall its a great amp to play!
I am a Marshall fan ("was" is the more appropriate tense), and because I'm a fan I want to tell you I'm utterly disappointed by their new line. It seems that the riot that made the development team move to Blackstar has left deep traces into Marshall's policies.
MG 30FX is a toy, not an amp. It doesn't have that "cranked" Marshall tone, nor the fabulous boost for which Marshall was famous in the '70s. Instead, they've installed a lot of useless stupid effects and pre-sets. Now why would anyone buy a Marshall and then seek for other amps in it? It is clear that the guys that run the company have decided to ignore the flock of fans and speculate company's name and fame, selling toys to kids who know nothing about music. It may be a way of doing business, but I'm sure it won't be paved in gold. Quite the contrary.
Well, some people know good sound unlike you. EVOLVE DINOSAUR
I'm so pissed off I didn't read these reviews before buying this amp (lucky I got a refund)... but most people are right... the worst thing about this amp is the overdrive/gain/distortion... it sucks!
The best I got out of it, with a BRAND new 2011 Epiphone Zakk Wylde with Active EMG 81 & 85 PUs was a heavy ACDC Sound. WTF!
Marshall should be cranked and insane with distortion, with the ability to pull back and get the more classic rock sound... this amp FAILS HARD!
I somewhat agree about the useless effects, but If you know how to use the amp it is really good for the price. I think it does the best with reverb at 3/4 and just a little Delay. The other effects suck, mostly because they are weak and can't be programmed into the pedal. Overdrive could also be stronger, but the clean channel is nice.
P.S. ignore the username
rv_phoenix wrote:
I am a Marshall fan ("was" is the more appropriate tense), and because I'm a fan I want to tell you I'm utterly disappointed by their new line. It seems that the riot that made the development team move to Blackstar has left deep traces into Marshall's policies.
MG 30FX is a toy, not an amp. It doesn't have that "cranked" Marshall tone, nor the fabulous boost for which Marshall was famous in the '70s. Instead, they've installed a lot of useless stupid effects and pre-sets. Now why would anyone buy a Marshall and then seek for other amps in it? It is clear that the guys that run the company have decided to ignore the flock of fans and speculate company's name and fame, selling toys to kids who know nothing about music. It may be a way of doing business, but I'm sure it won't be paved in gold. Quite the contrary.
This is actually a very nice amp if you are going to play metal, hardcore, or anything that is heavy, but there are a few things I would recommend for use of this amp, one thing is that you should never use the effects knob because the effects that come with it sound really cheap, also if you want a very good distortion than you should buy a distortion box MXR is the best for this, and after some time has gone by and you think that your solos could sound better than buy an equelizer, it really helps and you can get a good MXR equelizer for about 80$, all in all great amp, and DON'T BE DISCOURAGED METAL LOVERS
I'm so pissed off I didn't read these reviews before buying this amp (lucky I got a refund)... but most people are right... the worst thing about this amp is the overdrive/gain/distortion... it sucks!
The best I got out of it, with a BRAND new 2011 Epiphone Zakk Wylde with Active EMG 81 & 85 PUs was a heavy ACDC Sound. WTF!
Marshall should be cranked and insane with distortion, with the ability to pull back and get the more classic rock sound... this amp FAILS HARD!
Yeah I bought the Amp for £90 new with the foot pedal/tuner.. (Shop was going out of business) and I must say that the three drive channels aren't great they're no complete shit to be fair. The Clean however is Ok use a decent drive pedal with it and you could do a lot worse.
I would say the easiest sound to get out of this amp is a 'blues' kind of sound but with the right settings, you can play pretty much anything through it. The clean channel does not become too distorted when you crank up the volume but the distortion is pretty mild so for playing heavier rock/metal, you may also want to invest in a pedal.
I have to disagree. I think it has too much gain, even if the gain is at 9 o'clock. The distortion is passable. It's OK if you play hard rock/punk but this amp really lacks variety. It has that one kind of distortion sound. Only when you tweak the contour knob, you can get different sounds (though I think the only setting that sounds good is contour at 0). The clean channel is very boring sounding. It's bland and lacks the warmth. Chorus helps it but really it just sounds bad. And also it distorts too easily. This amp should have a low gain input so the clean stayed clean. Compressor pedal helps it a bit so it doesn't distort if you hit the strings too hard. Seems like they tried to make too fine amp for too cheap. I have read that the clean channel was made to distort in high volumes because then you get that "blues crunch." But the "blues crunch" sound sucks. Solid state clean channel should stay clean, that's where it's at its best. Really, if you want to get a cheap solid state amp, buy an old Peavey. They are not as "fine" amps as this but at least they are not full of BS. Or then just invest some more money on a real tube amp and you'll never regret buying it (you can find tube amps for pretty cheap if you go used). Why can't people make simple amps any more? Everything has to have digital effects etc. crap that doesn't work properly and nobody uses. Don't buy a pedal before you have a better amp (when you might not even need the pedal).
I'm so pissed off I didn't read these reviews before buying this amp (lucky I got a refund)... but most people are right... the worst thing about this amp is the overdrive/gain/distortion... it sucks!
The best I got out of it, with a BRAND new 2011 Epiphone Zakk Wylde with Active EMG 81 & 85 PUs was a heavy ACDC Sound. WTF!
Marshall should be cranked and insane with distortion, with the ability to pull back and get the more classic rock sound... this amp FAILS HARD!
Yeah, the distortion is too heavy for classic rock but you can't kind of get any heavier with the amp. Hard rock is the only thing this amp can do. The gain at 9 o'clock sounds almost the same as gain at full. And it's not about the amount of gain, the EQ controls pretty much suck. The only control that really affects the tone is contour. But I think you should keep it at zero. Otherwise it doesn't sound any good, it sounds too scooped. But the clean sucks much more than the distortion. The distortion channel is just a one trick pony but the clean just sounds so bland, dull and boring. No warmth at all and no dynamics. And it distorts because of a "cool" feature that tries to mimic a cranked tube amp clean channel. Solid state clean channels should stay clean.
But what do you expect from an amp that costs less than € 200? Though it seems like people are trying to do too "fine" amps for too cheap. They should make a simple amp like the solid states from the '80s. No BS inside, just everything you need for practice. But every amp today has to be loaded with built in effects and amp models and some crappy "tube amp" emulators that make your clean sound distorted (and it doesn't even sound like tube amp). They could throw all those BS features away and make a decent practice amp with the same money.
I think it is a pretty nice practice amp, but it doesn't last too long. We had one in our rehersal space, and it broke ~one month. They had to get a new one. I don't like it.
Bought this MG30DFX for my Grandson for a early X-mas gift..hes started up a band and the Marshall name is famous for sound quality..but WTF happened to this model??
After I heard him play through it, I broke out my old Frankenstrat and tryed it out myself..what a POS!! Boxed it up and took it back!! He's using one of my amps..its only a loner until I can fix him up with something with better quality!! Was a real let down!
Yea..the shop where I bought the Marshall from was really POed that I brought it back and pitched a fit about giving me a refund...but hell, I live in Texas and we got the lemmon law here..if you do not like something you got 72 hours to return it..period!! Got my cash back and we went to another store and I got him the Vox 100watt SS with all the built ins. I own several Marshalls..WTF happened to this model???
