58 • SPRING 2001 • GUITARIST

IF YOU’RE A REGULARreader of this magazineyou’ll be aware we’ve

already given Marshall’sAdvanced Valvestate Technologyamps a lot of space recently –and with good reason.

With digital technologycurrently producing amps thatseemingly do everything, baractually playing the guitar foryou, it’s easy to get blasé andforget what the electric guitarwas, and should be, all about.Plugging in, winding up thatvolume control and letting ripwith a tone that makes the hairs

stand up on the back of yourneck. Yes, tone. The connectionof fingers to strings, which issensed by the pickup thatoutputs a signal down yourguitar lead to your amp and outthrough its speaker back to yourear, is often underestimated.

While many amps promisesonic nirvana, it’s so often thecase that once all the digital ear-candy is stripped away you’releft with a tone that’s often flatand uninspiring. And becauseit’s so commonplace today we’rein danger of accepting this asthe norm.

AVT 100Marshall’s AVT series is a timelyreminder of what a real ampshould sound like. It’s difficultnot to get excited about it: notone person we’ve demoed themto has been anything less thanamazed at the sheer depth andquality of tone they kick out. Ofall the amps in the range, this isperhaps the one that Marshall isexpecting the most from, as theAVT100 is the successor to oneof Marshall’s (and the world’s)most popular amps ever – theoriginal Valvestate 8080.

Sitting smack

in the middle of the range, theAVT100 has a lot to offer foryour wedge. The basic deal isone clean channel, with adedicated EQ and a gain controlthat can push it hard enough forsome serious crunch, and twolead channels: one for the morevintage Marshall tone and one

for really serious modernhigh gain. Both

lead channelsshare a three-band EQ. Theypack increasedflexibility in theform ofindividual‘scoop’ switchesthat create twocompletelydifferent takeson that no-midsthrash sound.

The AVT100 isalso the leastexpensive amp inthe range tobenefit fromdigital effects.There’s a choice ofsixteenstraightforwardmixes of reverb,chorus, flange anddelay that have allbeen voiced tocomplement, ratherthan pad out, theamp’s naturalsound. In additionto these features,

there’s a parallel FXloop, with switchable levels andfront panel mix control, aspeaker-emulated line-outputand a headphones socket.

➤

Marshall AVT 100Price: £439 The Bletchley company’s most popular amplifier is reborn, as amiddleweight cruiser with a knockout punch...

• Trace Elliot Super Tramp £399

• Fender Dynatouch Stage 100£449

• Laney TF320 £484

• Peavey Special Transtube £569

The rivals

REVIEWS Marshall VS2000 AVT 100 combo

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GUITARIST • SPRING 2001 • 59

When we reviewed theAVT150, we commented thatthe range represented a newbenchmark for allmanufacturers, causing at leastone reader to write in askingwhether this spelt the end forvalve amps. Not at all, is thesimple answer.

All the AVTs use an ECC83preamp valve and Ian Robinson(the amp’s designer) is quiteadamant that it had to be usedto deliver tonal elements thatsolid-state electronics can’t. As aresult, the preamp architecturediffers significantly from theearlier VS range. The soundsgenerated by the AVT’s cleanchannel and OD1 are

predominantly valve-based,whereas OD2 employs extrasolid-state circuitry. And as thissecond lead channel wasdesigned to sound like astompbox plugged into a valvehead, that’s entirely valid. TheLED-based limiter circuit used onOD2 defines the tone of thischannel with a precision thatwould be difficult to achievewith a valve. And incidentally, ifyou look closely at OD2’s ‘scoop’switch, you can just catch thepulsating red light of the LEDthrough the gap around thebutton. A little quirk, andprobably not part of the AVTdesign process, but we likethings like that.

The power stage is anotherexample of the new Marshallphilosophy. Many othermanufacturers – Marshallincluded – have made the‘sounds just like valves’ claim fortheir current feedback powerstages. But we all knew therewas still a big difference. Thatdifference was one of the majorresearch elements that formedthe basis for the AVT’s design.

“We took the Marshall 100Wvalve power stage and decidedthat if we were going toduplicate that circuit’s behaviourwe had to look at it completelyafresh,” Robinson explains.“One thing we discovered wasthat the valve amp’s negativefeedback presence control was amajor part of that circuit’sdynamic behaviour. So, again,applying pragmatic design weput a real negative feedbackpresence control on the AVT,whereas other hybrid amps aresimply applying a fixed EQ tosimulate a presence effect. TheAVT replicates not only thecurrent but also the voltagebehaviour of the valve design –

with the values obviously scaleddown. We put in countlesshours of very sophisticated A/Btesting, and eventually arrived atthe point where people simplycouldn’t tell which was which.”

Wherever you look – or listen– it’s evident that the AVT’ssuccess is a result of gooddesign, and almost fanaticalattention to detail. “Take theloudspeaker-emulated line out –something that was a revelationon the JMP1 preamp,”continues Robinson. “When wewere talking to Celestion aboutthe Extended Bass Responseloudspeaker that was designedfor the AVT series, a commentfrom one of their engineerscame up purely by chance: thatthe dust cap on a loudspeakerstarts to behave like a tweeter atcertain volumes. We listened toour existing emulator circuit andcouldn’t hear that; so we refinedit. It’s mainly a psycho-acousticthing but if you listen for it,you’ll hear it.”

SoundsAs you would expect, both leadchannels deliver all the classicrock guitar tones that anyMarshall fan could ask for. Theyrange from vintage Hendrix orPage to Iron Maiden on OD1,while OD2 can push the limits

for that singing, hyper-gained sound – thinkSatriani or Vai; pushin the scoop switchesfor instant Metallica.

It’s all there on thosetwo lead channels butit’s the AVT’s cleanchannel that’s the realjewel. Past Marshallamps have rightly beencriticised for a harsh

and unforgiving clean sound,with little in the way of subtlety.The AVT’s juicy and sweet,Fender-influenced tonality is areal revelation. With the gaincontrol full up, there’s justenough distortion to push thingsinto a smooth break-up for oneof the best classic blues tonesyou’ll ever hear from any amp.Back the gain off until you findthat perfect break-up for aconsiderable range of rhythmsounds – jangly Pretenders-styleringing open strings to choppySRV comping are delivered withstunning authority.

VerdictNot only is the AVT100 a worthysuccessor to the 8080, it alsoblows away everything in itsprice bracket. The AVT range is,if anything, under priced,especially when you comparethe features on the AVT100 andits big brothers, the AVT150 andAVT275 to the competition.According to private sources,Marshall is slightly embarrassedto have a hybrid amp thatalmost outperforms its currentall-valve models. “Er, yes...”admits Ian Robinson wryly.“We’re going to have to dosomething about that.” Youhave been warned...

Nick Guppy G

MARSHALL AVT100 COMBOPRICE: £439 ORIGIN: UKTYPE: Hybrid valve/solid-state,three-channel preamp withsingle-channel digital effectsOUTPUT: 100W RMS VALVES: One ECC83/12AX7preamp DIMENSIONS: 530mm(h) x 595mm (w) x 280mm (d)WEIGHT: (kg/lb) 26/57CABINET: 18mm particle board,sealed baffle loudspeakerenclosure LOUDSPEAKER: One12-inch Celestion EBR(Extended Bass Response)special design CHANNELS:Three CONTROLS: Cleanchannel gain/master vol, brightswitch, OD1 & OD2 gain/mastervol, scoop, dual bass/mid/trebletone controls, FX loop mix level,DFX level, adjust and selectcontrols COVER: Subject toconfirmation FOOTSWITCH:Four-way footswitch included –selects 3 channels and togglesDFX ADDITIONAL FEATURES:Parallel FX loop with selectablelevels, loudspeaker-emulatedline out, headphone socketOPTIONS: None RANGEOPTIONS: AVT20 (£230), AVT50(£329), AVT50H (£289), AVT150(£499) AVT275 (£549),AVT412A/B cabinets (£299)CONTACT: MarshallAmplification 01908 375411WEB: www.marshallamps.com

Spec check

BUILD QUALITYFEATURESSOUNDVALUE FOR MONEYVERDICTWE LIKED The tone – there’s nocompetition anywhere at this price

WE DISLIKED Nothing, really. Like theother AVTs we’ve seen, it’s faultless

MARSHALL AVT 100

Genuinely fab tonewith sensibleonboard effects

Simple, but no simpleton;the AVT blows others inits class away

Marshall VS2000 AVT 100 combo REVIEWS

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