This is my recommendation as well, you want a Quick Rod.
A Marshall for All Seasons
- Thread starter Wiltonauer
- Start date
Looks fine to me.
If you're really really worried about serviceability, just have someone assemble a 2203 kit for you. There are plenty out there.
MatrixClaw
Whoaaa No Way!!!
A Marshall 6100 and a boost will basically get you all the Marshall tones in one package. I liked it better than the JVM and DSL, especially if you're looking for more of the classic tones. The Vintage Modern would be a good one, too... But it's only one channel, so s bit more limited.
Wiltonauer
SS.org Regular
I’m not sure I want a 30-year-old amp with MIDI. 🤣
Kosthrash
SS.org Regular
A Marshall DSL20hr is pretty versatile for everything you want to play (has presence & resonance pots), and you can buy it brand new...
Jon Pearson
SS.org Regular
There are two ways to think about it - one is that it's OLD and it's going to break. But the other thought I usually have with older amps that have known problems is after a certain point, the likelihood that the known problem has been fixed increases.
Now if the construction in general is shit, then it's a different story - but if it's one particular, know issue?
Just my thoughts. I used a TriAxis from the 90s for a good while gigging with no issues, and in addition to midi that thing had a pile of electronic doo-dads and bits that are known issues. I'm not really convinced that Mesa makes a more reliable product than Mesa inherently, either.
Point being, I think sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes shit ends up on the tech bench. Any old amp that I bought would likely go for a check up anyways, I had a mint Mesa Mark III that I just got back from Mesa to make sure all the fixes from 30 years were applied and caps got replaced.
But also if reliability is that much of a concern, buy a JCM800 and get some cool pedals.
If that's all that's stopping you, there were a few guys flashing the chips for those, maybe check to see if any are still in the game.
Wiltonauer
SS.org Regular
😍😍😍😍😍
Is that what the new ones look like? I don’t see ‘nary a chip, ribbon cable, or tube socket soldered to a board in there. A tidy PCB and a lot of hand-soldered PTP for pots and sockets. This looks like an amp that would (a) be easy to work on, (b) be easy to find parts for, and (c) probably outlive me.
And yet.
So this costs more than a JVM410H? Comical. That’s probably why the cottage industry for cheaper clones is so robust. Who wouldn’t rather build amps like this for a living?
Wiltonauer
SS.org Regular
I played a Studio Classic 20 head today through a 4x12 cab. Sweet Baby Jeebus. 😮 Not a toy. Very easy to get great sounds. And then they have Plexi and Jubilee flavors of that. OMFG.
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You kinda replied yourself with your drooling.
Wiltonauer
SS.org Regular
The drooling over the gut shot of the 2203, or the drooling over the SC20H?
It's almost like I recommended it for a reason.
Again, less is more. All kinds of channels and switches and modes add complexity which means either stupid expensive, built cheaply, or both.
With a 2203 your volume knob is basically your channel and mode selector.
"So this costs more than a JVM410H? Comical. That’s probably why the cottage industry for cheaper clones is so robust. Who wouldn’t rather build amps like this for a living?"
Your (and others) drooling at those simple designs is what supports the industry of clones.
Wiltonauer
SS.org Regular
I don’t think the drooling alone would help that much if it didn’t lead to buying. It seems like the desirability of the circuit, combined with what I’m assuming are relative ease and low cost of copying, are also factors.
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Wiltonauer
SS.org Regular
Of course they are, which make boutique clone industry ever more offending
For people buying clones of say, a 2203 type of amp, how would you say price compares with other factors in the decision to buy a clone? I bet a lot of people looking at clones would just snap up a new 2203X instead if it were an easy spend for them. (I’m not criticizing Marshall for pricing them that way. They can’t ignore things like exchange rates and the payroll hours it must take to wire up those controls and tube sockets.)
I feel like a new ceriatone 2203 will cost about the same as an actual 2203 around here, but its been a bit since I have been on their site.
I sold my 2203 with road case for $1550? Cdn 2019 and the cheapest i can find (not dinged up tolex thankfully) is $2500cdn. Not sure what they sell for because Im not sure who all is buying them these days.
If you want a 2023 just get a Laney VH100R. It's basically a 2023 circuit with a gorgeous clean channel and boost modes for either channel with independent volumes (essentiallty making it a 4 channel amp). It's also made in UK and can be found dirt cheap.
Kosthrash
SS.org Regular
sonoftheoldnorth
Well-Known Member
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I'm in the UK the newer 2203s seem to be priced about £1600. The Ceriatone 2203 is £1,108.39 according to currency exchange, which IIRC doesn't include shipping and the import fees. It probably makes more sense to get the Marshall for UK buyers. But in the US aren't Marshall's priced a bit silly? Like Mesa's are here. Then it's probably cheaper for the clones. Those Wang's look great too, check out Jon's Sonic Drive Studio playthroughs.
