Marshall or Fishman amp?

[Cheetotoe]

Originally Posted by mutantrock

The Ultrasound DS4 is another one that many including myself love. Very natural and full sounding.

I agree. In fact, I now have a DS4 after not one, but TWO Fishman loudbox minis were returned for being defective.

[247hoopsfan]

I have the Marshall. As others have said, it is great, with nice effects. Nothing like having 2 8" speakers....this thing has volume. I have used it at outoor weddings and it carried to the back row and beyond. It is great for vocals too.

[ChrisDowning]

I had a Marshall amp in 1964 and didn't have another one till quite recently. I suppose I though of Marshall as loud big rock amps. And of course they are - as that's what Marshall markets to us all. However.

The AS50D is a whole different beast and with its dual 8" speakers and 1.5" tweeter it certainly packs a low punch. Not super loud as you might need for a 200 person audience but plenty for a group of say 100 who don't want to be blasted. So for the average acoustic wedding gig where you find yourself playing what is essentially background mood music and singing, or a coffee shop gig - just fine. (More than that and there's a Marshall 100).

The AS50D isn't really a 50 watt amp as its rated at 50 into 4 ohm - which is a bit of a cheat because most of us rate amp's power as into 8 ohm - so it roughly halves the loudness. But its plenty loud enough for my work and singing, and you could always DI out to a PA if needed.

Chorus and Reverb are on hand and whoever worked out those channel controls knew what a gigging musician would want - they are both channel assignable - chorus with a switch button and reverb with a balance knob. And these's also a notch filter to keep feedback under control.

The AS50D is well though through and for the price a good starter pack for anyone going live for the first time. I know there are better amps out there for a lot more money - but hey - if you are a working musician you need to be making money not spending it all. After all, very few members of an audience can tell you are playing a $1500 amp anyway - so why buy one?

[Hotspur]

I went through the whole acoustic amp choice thing not that long ago, considered the Marshall, ended up with a Loudbox Artist.

It seems to me that the Loudboxes have really nailed the combination of price, portability, and good-enough tone. I'm sure if I was spending a ton of money on a higher-end pickup and signal chain that I'd be running into the limits of the Fishman, but with an UST it's clearly not the limitation I'm dealing with.

(I picked the Artist over the Mini mostly because I wanted the bigger speaker for vocals.)

This doesn't exactly solve your problem, but between the Marshall and the Mini, my sense is that the Marshall sounds a (very) little bit better, is more expensive (especially when you consider that you can usually get a mic/stand/cable deal with the mini. Somebody's always offering that deal for no extra money), and is a lot less portable.

If you already have a mic/cable/stand, and don't plan on taking the amp anywhere, I'd probably grab the Marshall. But I also really value low weight in amps, so if I was expecting to take it places, I'd get the Fiashman.

That being said, I don't think the sound improvement is particularly meaningful with a typical mag or UST pickup. If you've got a dual source, or a Tonedexter, or any of that stuff, maybe it is.

[windfall]

I had the Marshall 100 for a few years. I auditioned Fishman Loudbox Mini and Artist at the same time alongside it. Last year, I sold my Marshall and bought a Loudbox Artist. The Marshall definitely has a slightly more natural tone than the Fishman (to my ears) but the size and weight of the Marshall had become a real problem.

I miss its warmth, but not its weight or general inconvenience!

[Nailpicker]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I for one love the Marshall.

Bob

+1

I recently purchased a Mesa Boogie Rosette amp, but I really struggled with myself to do so. I like my Marshall AS50 so much, I thought, why not save $750 and just get another Marshall? Part of my plan is going thru two amps through a Radial ABY box. I play guitar, I don't sing, so I can't say about vocals thru any amp. But for guitar playing the AS50 is IMO wonderful. I can only hope that when it arrives the Rosette is at least somewhat better sounding (to my ear), even if not $750 better. If not I may just return it and get a second AS50.