Marshall Microamp MS-2 or MS-4 personal reviews?

[Number Of The Priest]

What do JCFers think of the little Marshall Microamp series, models MS-2 and MS-4, construction-wise and tone-wise? Yes, I saw RacerX's thread about the guy plugging in a whole bunch of these tiny amps all at once.

I personally need a small amp that can sit at my computer desk while I'm learning songs off the computer. I don't mind the "acoustic" unamplified electric guitar sound but some basic plugged-in tone would be nice.

Feel free to compare it to other pocket-sized amps... I don't need anything loud or powerful enough to drive speaker cabinets. It just has to be louder than an unplugged electric guitar but no need for anything with a full-sized speaker.

Thanks!

http://www.marshallamps.com/product.asp?productCode=MS-2%20and%20MS-4

MS-2:


MS-4:

[krimson]

I used to have one and it sucked. How about one of the Line 6 Toneports or a Smokey Amp? I have a similiar problem and have considered running one those original bean PODs straight into the computers Line-In.

[levantin]

The micro stack is a gimmick. I has one many years ago. It sounds like a guitar-fly hybrid. Get a cube or another bedroom sized amp, or if you're really on a budget get a 10 watt marshall and put a distortion pedal in front of it.

[DonP]

The problem I found is that small speakers suck. I don't like anything smaller than 10". That said, why not get a Marshall Micro Stack? 2 10" cabs and a head. I have a Silver Jubilee that kicks major ass. I also have two other ones that are ok, but I'm rebuilding the plexi one into a low wattage tube amp.

The thing I think that makes the Silver special is that it has only one output in the front. The other two have two (direct out and headphone). The circuits are different. The Silver with one output jack on the front sounds more "out of control" in your face. The other two sound tamer.

I've never tried the re-issues that are newer, just the old ones from the 80s.

[DonP]

The micro stack is a gimmick.

The tiny one is a mini stack, not micro stack.

[levantin]

The tiny one is a mini stack, not micro stack.

Yep, you are right. I must be high on something.

[quiksilver]

You'd be 1,000 times better off with a Line 6 TonePort, using computer speakers or headphones. It sounds great and also lets you take advantage of the fact that you're sitting at a computer.

[lerxstcat]

The MS-2 doesn't have enough drive and sounds good at first, but the tone becomes annoying pretty fast. It's cute and that's about it. I would get a Toneport or a POD into your computer as said above. It will sound much better.

I have 2 of them and blew the speaker on one. The other one is basically a knicknack now, though it works perfectly. I guess if I wanted to take a walk with a guitar and attact attention I might take it for that. It IS cute and has a similar effect on rocker chicks as a puppy dog, but it really doesn't sound that great.

[VitaminG]

dude, don't those have, like, birch cabinets or something? I've heard that with an LTD KH-202 & one of those you can totally nail the Black album sound!

[lerxstcat]

That's only on the custom MS2-FP model.....