The Quintessential Tube Amp Tone Barre None! 
by Big Daddy from Chicago, IL USA, June 2008
Music Background:  Contract guitarist with several touring Chicago blues artists

Words really cannot express the complexity and beauty of the pure tone that exudes from this baby. The early Marshalls were based on Fender tube amps of the day and this amp has plenty of Fender influence, more than any other Marshall that I've heard or played. Now, let me say that I also own real black faces from the sixties along with a few Fender "Vintage Reissues" such as the '65 Twin. I was disappointed to discover (on a gig) that my '65 reissue had circuit boards and I had a heck of a time finding a cold solder joint that was causing some extremely unmusical honking at arbitrary intervals! I had it fixed and put it up immediately on eBay! The 1974x, on the other hand, is all hand-wired. No circuit boards, which is what we guitarists expect in a vintage reissue. Simplicity, reliability, and tone up the yin-yang. The 1974x has a thick, warm, and round tone that has a creamy edge - Not chimey like Vox (which I also love) but focused, distinct, warm, with that edge, that can be controlled by the way the guitarist plays and by the level of the volume control on the amp. Very responsive to your playing style and loud for 18 watts. This amp can easily handle a small to medium sized room with no mic. The sound disperses nicely from the cabinet and fills the room evenly - This is a feature missing from my Mesa Mark III combo. My Mark III would decapitate anyone in the path of the speaker throw. I love this amp. You can hear my 1974x here on YouTube.

Simple Perfection 
by Chris Craig from San Francisco, CA, May 2005

I've been playing since the early '70s, through many amps. I've simply never (in my 32 years of playing) experienced so much sensitivity to playing style in my life. Pick hard and it's chime and bite. Play softly and it's round and warm. If you need a bunch of effects, you'll have to go to the pedal board, but all that does is dilute the absolutely ambrosiac intrinsic tone quality of this masterpiece of equipment.

This is a fantastic sounding, rock-style amp - I wouldn't suggest it for classic jazz as it gets dirty (yet still articulate) quickly. There are other choices out there, or you could build your own 18-watter. But if you want an out-of-the-box, no-brainer hit, this is it. In an age of modeling amps (which are convenient but fall woefully short of capturing the excitement and nuance of the originals) this amp will revolutionize the way you sound, and the way you play. It just makes you a better player.

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