Why Did People HATE The Marshall Valvestate 8100 So Much?!

[@marciocunha2639]

I have my Valvestate VS100 since 1997. I bought a few more amps for my collection but kept it. For me it is as iconic as a Dual Rectifier and very representative of what bands were using to record, especially within the black/death metal community.

[@alexanderschubert9975]

The VS100 and the VS65 are awesome. Their clean channel is also really good.

[@jasondorsey7110]

@@alexanderschubert9975 I prefer the vs100 over the 8100, but then again I don't play metal...popping in the right tube can really make a world of difference with the vs100, I use old american 7025's in mine, helps reduce hum greatly too

[@ianedmonds9191]

@@jasondorsey7110 I've got a Valvestate 8100V. My first named amp was a Valvestate 20 I got for Christmas when I was 16 or 17. Great amp and I still have it. I always wanted one of the valvestates with a Tube. I got the 8100 a few years back and liked it but way to loud for my application. I bought an Origin 20 and Godamn that is the best sounding amp I've played. I've got an audiostorm powersoak on it so I can run it with the power amps overdriven too. Sounds amazing. Luv and Peace.

[@jasondorsey7110]

@@ianedmonds9191 With the 8100, the tube is only active on the overdrive channel, so it's not always gonna color the tone very much, you'll get much more tube tone out of that origin...I've heard good things about those, glad you like yours

[@woodward_alan]

I owned this at one point and hated it. Eventually blew it up. Later realized that the cab it was pared with was utterly crap and probably main reason for hating it. I kept the cab through the next amp head and sold it too before realizing the root was the cab. Lessons learned the hard way.

[@DreadNovella]

You have it right. This amp really shines depending on the cabinet. But when you do this amp is amazing.

[@soulsonicfx3826]

The stock cab was terrible. I even swapped out the speakers in mine and it sounded a bit better, but the low end was still weak. So much better sounding with a good full size 4x12.

[@ballsofdoom3124]

I disagree. Imo, the cab is not that bad. The speakers are better than the g12t-75 but not as good as a v30 so you really need to dial it in. Eq in the loop and boost the front is crucial. The stock speakers have a decent amount of low end and good mids. They break up pretty early which is nice being only 35 watts each. They are like a higher wattage greenback in character. But yeah... the cab construction is mdf and it's a bit smaller than a full size 1960

[@woodward_alan]

​@ballsofdoom3124 i was good at dialing it in. The speakers weren't my taste. I was after the v30s. Replaced with a Mesa cab and bingo. Even with IRs I cannot stand those style speakers. I only regret selling amps not realizing the cab makes up majority of the tone.

[@CoreyHunter]

I had one way back when I played in bands. It was great for Metal.

[@SkyMethod]

Excellent video, thank you! I have had my 8100 since 1995...recently I bought the 8412 cab. My settings are nearly identical to what you used...I essentially play 2nd wave Black Metal. Your composition and recording methods have inspired me as continue the process of my first solo project! ⚔💀⚔

[@vertabraille3709]

Love the Dusk and Her Embrace drapery, your grandma is a gem, and happy birthday! We all appreciate your advice, input, and help with achieving the best mixes we can!

[@hardydrachmann8038]

Cool video. Also to add to this, if you can only find the 8080 combo model, that will sound equally awesome (same circuit).

[@CryptToneMusic]

Kinda like it without the boost, i like the chunkier low end since i play more loose punk riffs. But it sounds amazing with the boost as well

[@j.d.791]

Happy Birthday, buddy!

[@spoonerluv]

Intro song reminds me of Woods of Ypres, miss that band

[@johnwilliamdaly7453]

Yups! Me too.

[@InTheSh8]

I upvoted at the ad before the actual video! I know this is great content!

[@JimmysGuitarGym]

Happy birthday man! (Mine is tomorrow!) I owned one of these back in the day….REALLY regret selling it!

[@carlsefni]

A Valvestate 8080 combo was my second-ever guitar amp back in the early '90s. It was a pretty cool amp -- or, at least, I remember it fondly -- and I recorded my first-ever demos in a studio with it. If I hadn't swapped continents several times since then, I'd probably still have it!

[@MrTheog1989]

woohoo! Happy birthday Scott!

[@MortuusMachina]

You definitely nailed the “cold“ black metal sound quite well Happy birthday by the way!

[@leearmitage]

never understood the hate for this amp, pair it with a good cab/IR it's a beast I keep looking out for one and hopefully one day I'll get one

[@LarryWilliamsArtist]

Great vid. I had one of these back in the day and always loved it. I believe Chuck used one of these on the Sound of Perseverance, and some other Death albums. Good enough for me. Killer riff in the beginning-happy belated 🤘

[@clintmapes8454]

HAPPY B-DAY!! Hope u have a rockn day

[@soulsonicfx3826]

As some other people already said here, I think the stock 4x12 cabs these were usually sold with were the main reason they got a bad rep. They were slightly smaller than a usual Marshall 4x12, and the speakers were low powered with small magnets. I swapped the speakers out of mine for nice Webers and though the basic tone was much improved, it never got the big low-end happening. The undersized cab was a convenient size (fit into the back seat of a Volkswagen Cabriolet with room for me to squeeze next to it still!), but it really made the low end anemic and weak. The stock speakers seemed to emphasize the harshness as well. Playing it through a full-size 4x12 with nice speakers makes a world of difference and probably why so many folks are digging these amps now.

[@mcinen67]

My first guitar amp was valvestate 8080 and it soundet awesome but I sold it. Damn. I could now, when I have more knowledge about speakers, keepet the amp section and connected with my Hesu Demon cabinet. Damn, damn...🤬 🤘😄

[@DJ33]

HappyBirthday!!! I still have the 8100 I bought new in 96. Just love that amp.

[@StigmatizedProductions]

Happy birthday Scott!...Very nice sound with the Valvestate and a very good melody...Keep the nice work going my friend.

[@bebopsamurai_music]

That amp is a true gem and absolutely underrated I think the reason why many people hated that it were 1. no real tube amp you noob lol 😒 2. They didn’t know how to dial in that amp correctly (especially with the contour knob) 3. Guitarists are idiots 🤔🤔🤔 Love your demo dude Your content rips and your mixes are getting better and better with every video 🤘 Love it!

[@boersesaisonal]

Happy birthday Scott, healthy and .. all your wishes come true

[@caozana]

As for Marshalls I remember the JCM 900 was cool but couldn’t get any great tones with a Valvestate.

[@krogwaugh]

My first valve amp, nobody I knew hated it

[@DavChops]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BALDY BEARDY MAN

[@Epochstudios]

It's got that classic tone for sure. It's sounds okay, definitely not bad. But yeah I just prefer a more modern tighter tone. Need to pick one up though to have in my studio for those who want this particular sound.

[@ughleegamer5598]

Happy birthday! mine is sept 8! lol

[@TheGreatBaronOBeefDip]

I have never heard of anyone hating these, these along with the ampeg crate and randall solid states are the sound of death metal.

[@matthewearl9824]

To make this thing shine you also need high output pickups. I have two of these and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

[@bradzillarocks]

Only half stack I ever bought. For a broke teenager in 1995 it was great to get a Marshall half stack for $800. Unfortunately I'm not much of a guitarist. Great demo, shows what a good player can do with it. And happy birthday!

[@mauricesanguinette8178]

Great video as always, happy beerday Scott, cheers!!

[@PooNinja]

Mmm blackback pack attack, Pete Thorn uses a blackback loaded 412 a lot, they are cool drivers. Contour , I thought only bass amps got those controls. If tubes were required for tone why is Ery bodys on tour using lil digital box’s ? Tone is in the mind! Have a great week Sir

[@PooNinja]

Happy birthday Sir 🤘🏽

[@stacy_greyko]

Happy Birthday Scottланд 😁😘LU❤️

[@depthsofdarknessofficial9677]

Got mine on doing a cover up tattoo and I boost it with the maxon od808 too suck a sick sound you got

[@Zaspor]

Sick video as always dude! Have you thought of seeing how the Audiority plugin version compares to it? Just curious, sorry if you already made a video doing exactly that and I missed it

[@maraudermusic2714]

Hate??? Thought this was one of those hidden Death Metal amps? Sounded great!! Thanks for the demo!

[@chriscarpenter8122]

ive had a vs102r since 98 and i still love it

[@caozana]

An amp I own since 1995 o 1996 and nobody talked about ever and you can’t find anywhere is Carlsbro glx 150.Its a solid state and it never had any issue since I bought it. It could have separate EQ for channel 3 but it shares the same with channel 2 and only has a separate Clean Eq and separate volumes for the 3 channels.That is the only bad thing about it. It can sound a bit like a Randall. I remember Napalm Death used it around the Diatribes era.

[@VincentVegardSvart]

Metal Zone and Valvestate was my artillery 😁🤘🏻

[@themixmusicandmore6280]

What are the chords used in metal that sound all eery and dreamy like the one in the intro to the song you played here? And how are they used?

[@cdawg-switchhitter2473]

Dude that song in the beginning is sick!

[@caozana]

Happy birthday,Scott!

[@eightymusic]

Got mine for 70€ because "sold as defect". Amp-tech of my trust another 70€. Now it's like new and has killer sounds. Such a great amp!

[@dryzd]

OMG! That song is amazing! I love that kind of black metal.

[@alexanderschubert9975]

Could be straight from a Mgla album or one of those albums uploads on "Black Metal promotion". Really well done.

[@akosfarkas1159]

Happy Birthday :)

[@devilreaper_inc6364]

I don't know why people hated this amp so much when I was growing up I had one and loved it and wish I still had it but mine was stolen eventually I will get another one.

[@JackGraves]

Scott I’d think you’d a perfect person to do a comparison of this and the Audiority Solidus VS8100

[@zAvAvAz]

i love this amp and the ampeg VH140C, i feel the VH140C is better, its just they have different characteristics in sound really and this one you get the marshall name its a good amp better than digital thats for sure not only that it has even order harmonics in there for being a solid state that is hard to come by and it has a real tube quality in the sound as far as the preamp is concerned

[@tobins6800]

Happy birthday. One of the reasons why this amp and the other VS ones got so much hate, unreliability. Some of them bonked out when you looked at em cross eyed. Others, still going strong.

[@Shawnmakesmuzic]

Amp sounds killer. I'd love to get my vs100 like that. Unrelated but is that a Dusk and her Embrace artwork flag under it?? I need one of those in my life

[@boreanwisdom946]

Definitely one of your finest mixes! Cheers!

[@cmd_f5]

Honestly there's probs some hate because it's not all TUUUBE. This tone is killer bro And happy birthday 🍻 🥃🤘🎸

[@Anthoniexg]

Great now I need one

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

I love my Master Effects Martyr. 8100 in a box.

[@EgoPhagist]

Dusk and her embrace \m/ what a sick record

[@MK-oz2lf]

You’re way better off with the Martyr preamp pedal from Master Effects. It’s more reliable and same tone. Scott, you should also check out the Quilter Overdrive 202

[@Metaldad87]

Yeah forget those mids lol But seriously the only marshalls I owned or played that I was just really disappointed in were the MG and the Code. No matter what I did those two never sounded good to me.

[@pianoatthirty]

It really seems like an “overdrive pedal doing very little” is that secret ingredient that can make any distorted guitar amp sound good. At its core I know it’s basically a gentle high pass filter(cutting the lows) with some kind of mid range boost and a pinch of saturation/compression, but has anyone ever done a deep dive into recreating these pedals with just EQ and saturation/compression plug-ins? Would be interesting to know how to do this effect without having to rely on an ‘overdrive emulation plug-in’. Happy birthday by the way!

[@andrewreichert15]

Dimebag Darrell did essentially what you’re describing

[@FyreofShadow]

^ What this guy said, Dimebag used a 6-band EQ to boost the mids in front of his amp to push it harder and get more gain out of it before cutting the mids again on the amp's dials.

[@leongrinberg8758]

Hey Scott! I hate that amp and I hate that thrash metal but I love your channel))

[@francismcfadden3305]

The only reason I didn't buy one of these is because I've heard it has reliability issues. Considering how cheap they go for though maybe I should reconsider... I honestly don't know what there is not like other than that.

[@leongrinberg8758]

That's what the audiority solidus is??

[@Suelo82]

Love your videos, man. I had a question about your DAW. Why do you prefer Cubase over the other options? No wrong answer, obviously, Im just trying to research before I commit. I used to use Ableton back in the day. I just downloaded Reaper to try it out but havent used it yet.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Hey man, thanks for watching! 🤘🏻 I use Cubase because it has great MIDI writing functionality and capabilities, as well as easy automation writing. Also, drum editing and the "Events to Part" feature is something I couldn't live without!

[@Suelo82]

@@ChernobylAudio666 thanks for your insight. I appreciate it. Have a good one, man.

[@kimo63kimo1]

I still have mine and I love it!

[@FartCoffinStudios]

That’s a grim friggin’ tone! Cheers!

[@cultshakere]

Do a spectre digital chernobyl amp sim with this. Make a cool s.t.a.l.k.e.r Black metalish ui and knobs representing your mix moves

[@satarello]

great sound. !! How you connect marshall to the interface? Are you using rective loader or what? all the best for you..

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Hey man! In this video it was probably the Two Notes Captor-X 🤘🏻

[@satarello]

@@ChernobylAudio666 thnaks bro !!! I have this unit and this maxon. Great sounding gear. You made o good sound.. I really like it..

[@Lukasz_KLAT]

People hate that amp because it's an amp that sounds great in mix, not in live band/rehearsal situation. It has kvlt status because of Death records and that's all. H&K Attax 93' and Randall RH100 G2, not to mention real kvlt status ss amp Ampeg VH140 or newer amps like RG1503 - those amps sound so much better and fuller than Valvestate.

[@michaeledge7897]

Do you go straight from the lineout to the interface ?

[@dhplayground]

I would not say I hated it, as much as I had a real Marshal already... JCM800 :) Good luck hearing yourself through a valvestate when jamming with a guitarist with a 100W tube amp and a drummer pounding 2 bass drums! And back in those days, everyone jammed with other musician, we had no artificial bands(DAW) to play with at home, As far as boosting with an Overdrive, pretty much every metal guitarist I knew from 1986 and on, used one in front of their tube amps. But, I don't remember boosting being a thing in front of transistor pre-amps.

[@gregmccourt4730]

I don't. I love it.

[@garretnelson2771]

There's still people in the comments refusing to accept that the Valvestate sounds good lol.

[@CrushingAxes]

Cool! Those amps definitely have some sort of a voice, some people hate it, but I think it's kind of cool!

[@danmenez]

"Why Did People HATE The Marshall Valvestate 8100 So Much?!"...Well I'm definately one of them

[@zKySe]

where was the amp connected?

[@ChernobylAudio666]

With a speaker cable to the Two Notes Torpedo Captor-X

[@TheDeedeeFiles]

Cool amp

[@bloodwork100a]

try to play it with band :D

[@shaunlafountain7189]

Guitar players just need watch that treble knob... you can accidentally dial in some seriously wacked out tones if you're not careful! Lol.. definitely use your ears! 👂

[@galactusfortifier]

I have the same amp, and yeah. I think it has that odd "gonk-gonk-gonk" sound and its bit too nasal. For the price what it cost its was an ok amp when compared to amps that they had in stores back then in that price range. To be honest most ppl just think they like this amp cos it was in some 90's records. That preamp tube is a joke and the poweramp section is just so cold... doesnt have the "Oompf". I hate that amp :D

[@marcuslangford4679]

If you live in the UK ignore the numbers he gave, they're about £120.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Wish I lived in the UK then!

[@liaa5655]

nu metal bands dont boost their amp. so i boost it with the maxon i get the tone right :D:D:D: lol

[@liaa5655]

nice vid actually dont want to cringe keep it real youare good player good channel

[@liaa5655]

yes things you boost is probably was deal with the studio for eq i know that , sorry for the comment

[@stacy_greyko]

Excellent video 😍 Now I know that you are good at joking 😂🗿

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Thanks 😅 I try very hard!

[@DreadNovella]

There's not enough double picking. Lol just messing with your.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Yeah it's a technique I was never really able to do, so I barely do it. 😂

[@edwardcullenhotass]

I don't think anybody hated those other than the people who like weak-minded music, LOL

[@krezorrr]

two words for haters: git gud

[@SvrgitAbsvrdvm]

Who hated it? I don't recall a bad reputation. Yes, it was a cheap alternative that some metal bands found really usable in a professional scenario. In my experience, you need to know how to dial every knob. You can get it to sound really great and with the same unit you can get an awful tone. Also, all the different models are very their own unique sound.