Marshall Code100H 100-watt Digital Head Reviews

This is a great amp! I do have to tweak it a little bit but I like that I can do more than a 3 band eq adjustment. It's not a tube amp nor is it a perfect amp but man I can really get those 80's metal tones and that was what I was looking for. I'm sure it does way more but that's all I need.

You will probably want to return it if you don't have the patience to sit and program it to your liking, but if you do the rewards are endless tonal possibilities. Hook it up to a good 2 12" cab, like Celestion Vintage or Warehouse 12's and you're going to Marshall heaven...I already own the Katana 100 watt combo with a swapped out Celestion and a Fender Mustang4, 100 watt head with a 4 12 celestion cab. They're great because I took the time to program them on their web-sites. Same idea here , but pure Marshall tone which the other 2 can't come close too. I play professionally and have my all tube combo's but I can't wait to take this lil' beast out in public....Best Deal Ever...

I"ve had quite a number of Marshall"s over the years. Back in the 70"s it was the heavy valve and battle ready cabs. I still have a double stack - the only downside is this head only has one speaker output. I used the "send out" into another Marshall amp In. That way you can get a different sound from each 4 speaker cab. And a fun filled 200 Watts. +-

If your using the Aux send to feed another head"s in, a simple noise gate is needed as it is a bit noisy. But again for the price, who"s complaining, it"s not a Dumble nor is it supposed to be.
Using cabinet mode into a cabinet just muddies things up in general. Best to leave that off in my humble opinion unless your playing through a headset.

Again for $... it"s freaking a blast. Over the years I have accumulated many pedals as guitarists do - this eliminates quite a few. Less hassle. A wah and a compressor in and your good to go. Have fun !

Why
Marshall tone! I have a Carvin combo which is great! However, I sold my Marshall Valvestate a few years back and missed the Marshall crunch unattainable with pedals. After researching amps, I settled on the Marshall Code "clever name". Now I feel complete with the Marshall crunch!

Minimize
The goal was to minimize the pedals I use. I only wanted a tuner, the foot-switch and "maybe" a wah but my band likes the wah so - cool! I'm just happy that I don't have to haul around a heavy pedalboard anymore. All of the necessities are loaded into the head! Knowing which tones I need, I just duplicate the settings of the three nearest to each other and add reverb, delay or modulation as needed. This way, its easy to switch up in the provided foot-switch.

Compact
I use a Carvin 4x10 which is smaller than a 4x12 (obviously). The Code is actually about .75" smaller all around fitting nicely in the middle so I don't have to worry about it falling. It is also light to carry.

iPhone (Android) Tweaks
Ohhh my freaking - dude - total deal topper! Download the app, sync up your amp to your phone "via Bluetooth / YouTube it" and geek out! You can totally customize your setting right from your phone! No knob tweaking and looking at the LCD screen! I was tripping out hard once I got this going. It reminded me a bit of my TC Electronics pedals which was cool but this is even cooler!

Straight out of the Jetsons! Made to order tones. Seriously? I've yet to use the MP3 play-along plug in. You can also download settings onto your PC and I've found all kinds from the tones of popular artists. I've yet to unleash more of what this amp can do.

Non-Techies
You don't have to be a techie to use this amp. Just turn the knobs and find your tones! Easy.

Loudness
Yes, it is loud! Combined with my 4x10, it is punchy, very loud and clear!

I have read some pretty bad reviews on this amp....but I think it is really a great product....yes there are some settings that are pretty unusable.....that being said after you sit down and take some time learning how to edit settings and create your own settings and tone the possibilities are endless....and the tones you can achieve are so close to the real thing it's scary....take some time to check it out....great amp at a great price.

I really love it. Its got more than I could ever ask for. Glad I stepped it up a bit. Thank you Sweetwater.

Totally unexpected and amazed by this unit! Being one in search of "That Tone that lives in my Head", this amp has aided in getting me there! However there are a couple of "Musts" if you really want to take advantage of all the REALLY COOL features this amp offers! 1). Get yourself a handheld device that is Bluetooth capable. 2). Download the Marshall Gateway App. 3). Join MyMarshall 4). Have the time to get creative!
I've been creating and saving my own Presets, plus sharing them with the MyMarshall community (which are downloadable into your amp). This gives you an unlimited options of setting and tones.
Want that Motley Crew sound? Log into MyMarshall, go to Preset Tab, click on Motley Crew Preset, add to your Library and BOOM you sound like Motley Crew!!
Time for me to go...and have some more FUN!
Thanks Josh, my Sweetwater Rep!

I recently purchased the code 100 head and matching cabinet and am super happy with it. Can"t compare the amp to a tube sound because that"s not fair, but as far as modeling amps I personally wouldn"t want any other amp. Only recommendation I can make would be to get the foot switch made for this amp. You"ll be glad you did. And as always, Ashton at sweetwater was super helpful and provides second to none customer service. That"s half of why I always do business with sweetwater!

This amp is everything I'd hoped it would be, the JCM 800 and Silver Jubilee are spot on. Thank you Sweetwater and Ty for your great service, and the candy too.

It is very good love it

I purchased two of the Code 100 bundles and am very pleased with all aspects of the amp...They are power house units and while I only play them in my home music room, they deliver everything I wanted...a lot of possibilities in creating the perfect sound!

The flexibility of the sounds you can dial in is limitless. It's like having an amp with a dozen stomp boxes inside. Start with 00 - JTM Chill then 35 - JVM Clean then 41 - Bluesbreaker so it sounds familiar. Then start selecting and tweaking the parameters within those 3.. This is important. I'm a tube junkie like you, but have learned the transistor amps can sound fantastic if you get a modern one. A tube amp you just dial in the gain and reverb to your likes and you're done. A transistor amp takes much more work finding the sweet spot, but the payoff is worth it. I used an old smart phone and downloaded the Marshal Gateway app via WiFi. Then read the instructions on pairing the amp to the phone via Bluetooth. After that I sit with my phone in front and try the endless sound fields you can dial up. No getting up to mess with the dials on front of the amp. The Bluetooth does it for you. If you have one transistor amp it should be this Marshal, trust me and be patient and you will be happy camper. And yes, it can sound like a tube amp if you make the time to experiment like Dr Frankenstein did. :) P.S... it's a steal. Get it while they last.

I can't say anything that hasn't already been mentioned in any of these other reviews. This is a great head. The emulation of the cabinets and other various heads is spot on. This thing screams. I paired it with the Code 4x12 speaker cabinet. Perfect for anything I'll ever use it for. If you want Marshall quality for a fraction of the price (with literally almost every popular Marshall combo programmed into it), this is the way to go. There are so many ways to get whatever sound you need without spending $100,000. It's perfect.

I have a code 50 and LOVE it so much I am also buying the 100 watt head! Most people like this "Paul" person here (I hope not Paul Stanley but I would not be surprised since he would most likely not think to apply it in the way I have either) that complain it is not great are just plugging it in and using it through their cab... not even using the cab SPECIFICALLY made for this amp. Furthermore, the real magic is the USB 2.0 connection. I put it into my PC use ASIO4All to interface it and then open up my DAW. Now I select an audio track and take my pick of any virtual amp or effect. I like the Code sound so I use that as a basic tone then run the DAW out back to the Code. So the signal path goes "guitar-Code-PC DAW-back to the Code" or if you want a pedal you just plug it in between the guitar and amp as you normally would anyway IE Badhorsie 2 Wah Wah in my case. I am using Studio One 3 Pro which comes with many many many effects and VST's. I also bought GuitarRig5Pro, This comes with even more effects and great amplifier sims plus looping possibilities and works as an effect plugin with my DAW. I start with a great clean tone with the Code which mimics my JMP Plexi Super Lead 100 head (yes I have played one for over 20 years now) and the code comes REALLY close to that sound by itself even though I model the JMP with an ART DST 4 and a sonic maximizer. So the Code amp substitutes thousands of my hard earned $$ and gets pretty close to my tone (which is to die for) and I do not want to take my highly collectible never gonna replace it rig to live shows. The Code solves this issue also since I have a difficult time telling the difference by the sound alone. So once I get that sound I love I put it into the DAW on an audio track as I said... then I go to the effects and put GuitarRig5Pro on top of it. I level the signals in the DAW and then go to the Master and the regular volume knob on the Code.I balance the signal so that the DAW tone rides just a bit over the already great tone. Then I began to go through the different things in GuitarRig5 and get literally the best sound I have EVER HAD EVERY TIME!!!! You know how when you change venues or turn up the volume or down the volume and your tone suffers or changes.... not anymore!! See I save the DAW and it saves GuitarRig5 settings and levels etc so now when I want to go back it is the exact same sound even if I remix the Code signal and the PC Daw/GuitarRig signal differently it is still the same sound!!!! I can even name it on the Audio track IE "Code amp channel 44" so I know which sound I wrote to go with it in the Code. Using this method... I make several great sounds in the same DAW project naming them so I can tell which is which. Then I can mute the ones not needed at the time and play the one I want. Or you can mix different great tones this way also. If you have a midi pedal to your PC now you can do this in a live situation to! GuitarRig also goes by default to the 2nd and 5th sounds in your banks so you can use the Code midi pedal to automatically go to your GuitarRig sounds by making them in GuitarRig the 2nd or 5th setting depending on which button you want to assign it to. If you want to model a famous track sound you load the actual track into the DAW project as an audio track then match it and hit save. Now you can recall it in an instant! These Code amps also connect via bluetooth so you can do many cool things there via a phone or tablet. Then there is the signal in. If you have practice or performance tracks you have in your DAW just run them off as wav or mp3 and you can now transfer them to your phone or a tablet and play them through the amp. No need for a band of backing musicians to perform anymore. Recording is soooo much easier and the sound is sooooo much better than actually recording a real head via a microphone. I know, remember I have done this for MANY years at home and in several studios. You just go directly into the PC via the USB2 and you got it! No need for additional equipment. I also record my bass through a clean channel and run GuitarRig5 bass amp sims. It sounds better than ANY other bass sound I have ever had or known anyone to have. If this is not enough... remember all those midi files that sound like an icecream truck? Not anymore! I assign the Presonus VST sounds or Addictive Drums2 for percussion and then drop in GuitarRig5 on the bass and guitar tracks. Since it is midi you can load this into your DAW go into the parts that are not quite correct and cut copy paste etc or change the timing to what you need (like if you want to learn a solo that you cannot play to speed yet). With minimal effort you can get them to sound like the real deal! No more torrenting illegally for studio tracks so you can practice a hit song!! This all is played back through your Code amp. Your Code amp is the key for interfacing your guitar to your PC. Without that function you still have a great little amp but if you are not doing these other things I am talking about you are like a person driving a Ferrari at 20mph on the autobahn and everyone asking you to race you are turning down. Open up the throttle and race! Don't be the old guy with the expensive car that never drives it to its potential because he has not learned to use it! This Code series is indispensable! I play it as a practice amp, record with it and as a studio monitor for playback when tracking. I turn on the headphones and more expensive stuff when I mix but for tracking and timing purposes this is FAST, EASY and CHEAP! I cannot believe how much this amp has moved me forward as a musician and increased my productivity! The only way I can tell it from my actual classic JMP PLexi Superlead is that it sounds better when I record, can play the same tones and feedback at ANY level and it does not have a nice tube smell. (yeah I have come to love the smell the tubes make when they get warm and the wood in the head gives off a pleasing aroma... I know this is petty but I really like that smell!) Oh yeah... and when you set it up correctly if you stop playing to talk etc it is a ghost of a quiet amplifier. The only way to get my JMP that quiet is to hit the standby switch. Get this amp in either 25, 50 or 100watts! Better yet, do like me get a small one for home and tiny gigs and a big one for large gigs. An added bonus is that you don't need to maintain like a tube amp (mine costs about $400 every 4 years or so) and you use less electricity when you play! The effects in the amp are pretty good but when you double them via the DAW signals they are phenomenal Most of the other products I mention here you can get through Sweetwater. I recommend it since they have a great tech service for people if you have difficulties installing or making things connect with eachother. This service is free for customers and they are the ONLY retailers who currently offer it! The techs are all US based so no almost english or bad accents issues there either! Get this amp and use it like I have told you how to!

Amazingly verstaile head. I play a bunch of different styles and this does them all. The headphone jack is a nice touch too so I don't have to have a seperate practice amp taking up space.

After having a jvm410h, a 2555x (silver jubilee head) and a dsl20hr I bought this being tired of changing tubes and maintenance issues. My idea was to buy something that doesn"t have tubes inside and something that can sound only close to what I have. I can definitely say that the jvm and jubilee emulations are not close to the real ones but they are indistinguishable in a record! But there are some mustsss, you should be having some basic technological skills and a nice cab. I have seen so many videos on youtube showing this is a useless product but they first don"t know how to use it, secondly they are not used with a digital product and they also don"t know what to compare it with:) Tweaking the amp, the power amp, sending the signal without a cab simulation to a 1960a 4*12 cab and miking it gives you exactly a jvm and jubilee head sound. You should be a beginner high school kid if you try sending the signal to a guitar cab with cab sim on, which is done in many videos I watched, hahahahah incredible. Also expecting a cab sim to sound like a 1960, is very dumb since none of the cab sim products available to human being is even comparable to the real thing, I tried hundreds of things and finally decided not to loose time anymore. The dsl sim was not that much wowww for me since it wasn"t as successful as the others but definitely very nice again. It worths every penny only for the jubilee and jvm models.

This is THE right rig to buy if you already have an enclosure to play through! Massive amounts of Marshall history in one little package! JCM800 & JCM2000's are my fav's, but there's just to much going on inside this monster to list here! I will say if you're a fan of the JTM45, it's here - as well as the vaunted Silver Jub series and all the goodies you expect from say: (line something or other, it's a number!) FULL fX suite to choose from, no matter what amp you choose! I LOVE MINE!!!! Had it for a year now, & couldn't be happier!! Buy one! (I think you should be able to get the price down some too! When I got mine, the demand superseded available units, & it was still less than what I see here and other places. But believe me, Sweetwater wants you to be happy, & a return customer, so.... Heads-up!) Nuff said! V⚡

Amazing amp,amazing deal.
It"s exactly what I wanted and needed.
Fantastic sound it was delivered in two days.
Just an all around great experience and product.
Also a follow up call asking if every everything was as expected.

Rock on Sweetwater

This is the best $... you can spend on your sound. This amp (like all other modeling amps) comes with 100 preset sounds. There are 2 that alone are worth the price, # 05 Plexified Lead- sounds like an old tube Marshall stack turned up to 11, and #75 Rock God- that sounds (with a little fine tuning) like Robin Trower on a great day. Also, it gets that sound at a low volume too.

Marshall Code 100 watt head
Is what every guitarist should have.
Giving you all access to original Marshall heads that you can think of.
Plexi
JCM
You name it... It all right here..
Do yourself a favor a plug in to one..
Go big or small.. It doesn't matter..
Marshall Code delivers..

Great amp. Clean sounds of Marshall and crank it for the sound of ROCK. It has 100 presets that cover the range of sounds needed for making legendary tones. Value as always its a Marshall.

Totally blown away at the sound this has. To be honest, I never expected it to sound as good, the Plexi Lead sound is to die for! The JCM800, the Silver Jubilee, the DSL, they are all there and then some. I have lost so much sleep and and most likely either converted the neighbors over to rock"n Roll or they hate me now. Worth every penny and then some.

First, I have to say that I've owned several tube amps over the past 30+ years of playing guitar (as well as a couple of solid state amps and modelers), and this Marshall half stack easily stands tall amongst the best of them. Modelers tend to, at the very least, "nail" the sounds of their own company's classic amps, and the Marshall Code is no exception. Although some players seeking modern, super high-gain tones may require more, I've always just wanted to own a Marshall Plexi half-stack for years because I absolutely adore that tone (both clean and pushed)! However, an actual Plexi is: A) very EXPENSIVE to buy, B) a bit HEAVY to lug around, C) must be insanely CRANKED to achieve that "golden" tone, and D) can be very TEMPERAMENTAL in differing situations. With the Marshall Code, I can get an extremely close proximity to that Plexi sound (which I use 80% of the time) in an affordable, fairly light 4 x 12 rig, that is consistent, and can achieve classic tones whether I have the volume low or cranked up! So for those who love the sound of classic Marshall amps, but either don't want to spill the cash on one, or simply don't want to lug their own vintage amps out, the Marshall Code 100 is the perfect amp! It has great, easy to tweek tones, is affordable, portable, and reliable. Also, the app is great, and works easily for changing and saving presets via your smartphone or tablet device (even though you can do it on the front panel as well)! Another bonus are the high quality, built in effects, enabling me to also leave my pedalboard at home. HOWEVER, buying the 4 button footswitch (which allows you to digitally store presets in up to 10 banks) is a MUST for using this amp in live situations, as the included footswitch is merely a scroller. Overall, the CODE 100H and matching 4 x 12 is an awesome sounding rig (especially for the price) that I would recommend to any intermediate to advanced player out there who loves classic Marshall tones with modern reliability. Finally, thanks to Sweetwater, and my sales rep TJ Jackson, for keeping me updated on my order and making sure that my rig was packaged well enough to arrive safely!

A very versatile amp with plenty of power to gig with. While you don't need to use the Gateway app to dial in your tone, using it makes it fast and easy to get the sound your looking for. If your a fan of Marshall tube amps they are all here. Who better to replicate the Marshall sound than Marshall themselves. I have the Code 50 and now the Code 100 head with the new 2x12 extension cab. Best sounding amp in this price range.

The Marshall Code100H is a must have for any guitarist. High quality design, incredible and easy to use features. I've been shredding on the guitar for 30 years and I've finally found the perfect amp. This amp offers you the full spectrum of settings from bone crushing metal distortion to classical clean guitar. A special thank you to the entire Sweetwater team. I had a Professional sales engineer interaction and the logistics team ensured this beautiful amp was properly packaged and shipped.

You should try it. Its really better than u hear on youtube. A little eq tweaking and its fine. i got some HEAVY METAL tones to Country twang..to Pink Floyd cleans and echos..to VAN HALEN flange..... its AWESOME..the app needs some work but it does work but not on android phone for some reason. A tablet with usb is fine and blu tooth music is killer also. Try it with the new foot pedal. ITS A MUST HAVE. The 100 watt iS LOUD. i turned mine all the way up to max and the cab didnt blow or amp. Under warranty...so works great. TRY IT.

I have the code head and cab and its truly dynamic. I dont have to second guess what sound ii want, its all there.

I bought this as replacement practice as my old 100hdfx took a crap.I wasn't really expecting a lot but I got a nice surprise.I have several Marshall tube amps and these tones are pretty much spot on.I always play live with a 1960 cab and 1 of my Marshall tube heads and. Line6 M13 for effects.So this week I showed up too band rehearsal with the code 100 head an old Marshall mg412a cabinet and my buddy's laughed at me...till they heard it.Gonna try it live this week it's much easier rig to move around.

This IS IT. You want Marshall tones on the cheap??? with effects u can turn off and on ???? For cheap price.?? I have the cab and head. After a few monthes. Its great. Its loud as a marshall should be.Get the good foot controller. Ive had A sit ton of amps. This one is a keeper. No its not tube. But who cares

I think the title says it all, packed with features and super customizable. I have the head paired with the Code 412 cab and it sounds great. I love playing my electric guitar and am amazed by how easy fine tuning my sound. Just for fun I plugged in a ukulele and was able to dial in the tone for a great sound but then decided to see how well it handles a bass and again was very impressed

Marshall code 100 w head is great tone for a
limited budget . Programable footswitch is a nice addition too !
Pair it with a British made used Marshall 8412 8ohm four twelve cabinet and you have a killer half stack !!!
Rock on !!
Big thanks to Bob Mondock and his pro sales team !!!!

awesome awesome awesome amp. more than enough tones that can be edited and stored

This is one of the best modeling amps on the market right now that wont break the bank. Your tone options are limitless, so many to choose from that can be customized. No need for a rack of effects or pedals. I am using this in place of my Marshall MG100HCFX now. There is not much I can say that hasn't been shown in review videos, you just have to play through this amp to see what it's capable of. I can't believe this amp doesn't cost more (not that I'm complaining). Marshall knocked it out of the ballpark with this amp. We've tested every genre through this amp between Hardcore Death Metal to Jazz to Country and everything in between. You can't go wrong with this amp. This is a must buy!!! Did I mention my Sweetwater Sales Engineer Ryan C is the best?

After spending some quality time listening, editing, and programming my brand new Marshall CODE Series CODE 100H 100-watt Digital Modeling Electric Guitar Amplifier Head, I have to say that: (1) The Marshall-Softube (MST) modelling sounds are absolutely stunning, fantastic, and phenomenal! (2) The look is über-sexy ― and all the controls have a logical layout ― including the order of the effects ― along with the digital modelling in the circuit topology. (3) The ease of use is almost a no-brainer. (4) The MADE IN VIETNAM build quality and fit & finish is top notch! And, (5) This is now my favourite sounding amplifier head! Marshall-Softube ― a match made in the hard rock heavens! Thank you, Marshall, and thank you, Softube. And a very special thank you to Justin, Andrew, and to Sweetwater. Cheers!

I've been playing guitar for 29 years & have had my share of tube amps and rack systems. This amp has truly blown me away! I'm not going to say that it is great for the price...it's great period!! I like the code series so much that I have the code 50 and code 100 head. I could afford higher priced amps.
If you can't get a great sound out of this amp then you may not understand how to tweak it properly.
The key with these types of amps is to chose the amp model and adjust it to your liking before adding any effects. That's how you would adjust a regular tube amp. Get the sound then add the effects. I've owned some Line6 stuff and all I did was tweak and tweak and was never happy with my sound. That is not the case with this amp!! Stunned at the sounds I have & I don't keep re-tweaking. I actually play!!!
There's always going to be tube amp guys that aren't going to like these types of amps no matter what, & you can't change their minds. In the end, If you like it, that's what matters. That being said, guaranteed that these amps will get compliments at gigs for sure!
Sweetwater's service is second to none!!

I bought the code 100 head and code 412 speaker cabinet and I can't believe how good they sound at first I didn't know if I would like it but after downloading the app and playing with the settings its the best sounding amp I have ever owned you can play any style of music with this amp I also bought the code programmable footswitch its a must have with this amp I also seen questions about if it has a fx loop it does but I don't need any foot pedals anymore I can get the sound I want out of the head

This head has a world of Marshall packed into it! So many combinations of Marshall tones, and the tons of presets are a great place to start before tweaking. Big thanks to Charlie Davis at Sweetwater!

Marshall hit it out of the park with this one!!! I have owned several Marshall tube amps and this one nails the tone perfectly, I would even go as far as to say this amp has better tone than the amps it models!!! The presets are just a starting point so don’t expect them to be spot on but with a little , very little, tweaking you will be creaming your jeans over the sounds coming out of your amp!!! The best part? $ !!!!!!! Well worth 4 times that amount, hell, I’ll probably buy another for a back up but doubt I’ll need it! Marshall quality at its best!!

Hands down the best bang for the buck on a quality head. The range and depth of the sounds you can get out of this is mind blowing. You definitely want to get the programmable foot switch to go with it. It's perfect for playing at home or small venues. Unless your a professional guitarist, this is a no brainer. I'm extremely happy.

I Love This Amp! Well, I do now, but I times, I've hated it too. I've had this amp for nearly a year and have probably spent upwards of 100 hours trying to dial in that just right tone. That was fun at times but also frustrating at times. But the end result has been well worth it. So I can see why a lot of people don't like the amp.

Here's my review:

The power is nice and it get's super loud! Can easily hold it's own in a loud band. The App is great and extremely useful. The 3 button footswitch is also highly recommended. The tonal possibilities are nearly endless - can be frustrating to dial in your desired tone. It's built really well, but not overly heavy. The front panel is a bit confusing, therefore I use the app almost exclusively. It has an FX loop which allows you to add your external stomp pedals. It also accepts pedals in the front end really well.

The main thing I can say about this amp. Try not to get frustrated. It's going to take some time to dial in your favorite tone. Just know what sound you are looking for and keep working at it until you find it.

What a great little head! At first, I connected it to a different brand cabinet with Celestion speakers and it didn't sound quite like I expected it to. But, rather than sending it back, I decided to try it with the Marshall CODE 4x12 enclosure and, man, what a difference this made!!! The cabinet is, for sure, designed to work with this head by not coloring the tone. After a couple of evenings tweaking the amp, I found that leaving the CAB sim "On" works best for most of the amp tones when you're using the matching CODE cabinet. But, if you use a different speaker enclosure with it, definitely try it with the CAB simulator "Off" too, and find out which is best. What I'm saying is, there's no set rule here. Just set the amp for what sounds best to YOUR ears. I have some presets where I leave it on and a few where I have it switched off. Honestly, I was frustrated with the amp on the first day I had it. But as I spent more time with it, I quickly got to where I knew what I needed to do to get the tone I was wanting, and now I am pretty happy with this head and think I'll be keeping it for a long time. I have to grin a little every time I strike a chord through the "Plexi" patch, which I have adjusted to my own liking - same for the JTM45 setting I customized. They both are very closely modeled tones of their namesakes. Now that I know what I'm doing, I will go back to the first JCM800 setting I made and adjust it too. I'm seriously thinking of taking some vacation days off from work just so I can see what other great tones are hidden within this little jewel! By the way, the amp is very responsive to the volume changes you make on your guitar - and with pickup selection as well. It just sounds and feels very close to a Marshall tube amp. The great thing is, you don't have to turn it up past 3 to get to its sweet spot, whereas, with a 100 watt tube amp (like my DSL100), you may have to turn up much higher to get to that sweet tone - and that's way too loud for practicing in a smaller room! Comparing the price to what you are getting, there's a lot of bang for your buck here. Plus, it has lot's of fully adjustable effects that sound excellent. The built-in Guv'nor overdrive effect is pretty spot on to the actual Marshall pedal. To sum it it up, I am finding that I just can't wait to get home from work every evening to play this amp! Go beyond the factory presets and build your own settings, making sure not to neglect the "presence" and "resonance" controls while adjusting the EQ knobs, and give it enough volume to really let the tone develop. Also, try to resist the urge to max out the Gain. If you want your good tone to be heard, back the gain down and depend more on the Volume and MID control. Listen to Joe Perry's tone for example. You can get real close to that with this amp. (Didn't mean to write this much, but I'm just excited about this amp. I hope you get one before they're gone, and that you find the tones you want in it!)

just got this. still learning all the sounds and options available. this head has allowed me to eliminate all my foot pedals but wah. so many configuration possibilities. very pleased.

Great service and fast, these guys are the ones we all need to buy from period!

Why another review? So many others. But fine-tuning the sounds with the software is fast and yields better sound to my ears than the presets. I've been testing the Helix Native which costs more than this for only the software, but when you use that with an amp, it doesn't really sound better than this does. The Helix has way more models and effects obviously. But for pure sound out of the amp with a cab, the software in the unit sounds great. I haven't used it with the Code cab, but with a 2x12 cab with Celest V30s.

Let me start by saying I am a Tube amp purist. I have been playing electric guitar for over 30 years. I have accumulated and collected some very nice tube amps during those years. I"ve always loved the old Marshall amps. I was looking at something I could use with headphones and play and practice to music using my iPhone. This was the reason I purchased the Code 100H. This is a really great platform for what I want and need. Would I hug this out? Probably not but have gotten some good sounds out of it. Learning isn"t to bad and have made some really good settings for everyone from Page to Young to Bonamassa to Clapton. This amp has some pretty decent presets but will reward those that tailor the tone to what they have in their head. It"s not hard to figure out. The Jubilee setting is really good as is the JCM800. You can dial in any of the amp/cabinet combinations to suit your taste.

I bought the 4x12 cabinet just to match. It sounds pretty good as well and would recommend it to anyone that is used to pushing 4x12.

All in all I"m happy with this purchase. The Marshall Gateway app is super nice to dial in the amp tones. This is a great, well thought out idea. I think the app really makes it easy to adjust settings and think this is key to fine tuning the amp though it can be done without it however I wouldn"t want to do it without the app.

Yea I"d recommend this to someone wanting a great platform that sounds great with headphones and as a practice tool to jam along to with your favorite songs.

Awesome amp! The tonal possibilities are endless and of all the modeling amps out there this one nails the tube tone perfectly! BUT, be ready to do some major tweaking. Most of the presets sound similar and be sure to download the manual, but the interface with your computer or phone or notebook is awesome! You can sit across the room and make adjustments to your sound! The only con I can find is it only has one speaker out so can only half stack it! Other than that, super sounding amp super awesome price! Win, win.

From Sweetwater, as a matter of fact. I'm a tube amp guy, and that's all I have played since the 1990s. I've had four Marshalls (two JCM800s and two JCM900s). I really had no use for a digital modeling app. Well, to make a long story short, I do now! Let me say right off the bat that the presets suck! This is the case with pretty much all digital gear. The good news is that it does not take a whole lot of work to get a sound you want. Simply pick one of the sucky preset locations and overwrite it: choose a preamp, a power amp, and a speaker cabinet. Congratulations, you're done. From that point you can add Reverb delay all kinds of stump boxes like overdrive. Another thing I should mention is that there is a cabinet simulator which defaults to the ON position. If you are playing through a speaker cabinet, you obviously do not need this so you should turn it off or it will sound terrible. I just ordered the four button foot switch for this amplifier, and you really need it for the amplifier to be useful in a stage setting. And either turn the noise gate off, or down to a minimal setting or it will choke off your notes if you pick lightly. With those things out of the way, this amplifier does a terrific job emulating classic Marshall amps. The JCM800 model is spot on. I've read negative reviews of the Code series elsewhere, and upon careful analysis it appears these were customers who simply did not know how to properly use the amp. It's not difficult, and the tube amp sounds you can get out of this thing are well worth the $$.

After a couple of weeks tweaking it and using it at band practices, I am really starting to love this head. At first though, I was thinking of sending it back. I"m so glad I gave it some more time to figure out how to make the adjustments it needed. Today, I don"t see ever getting rid of it. It"s such a "Swiss Army Knife" of Marshall Amps. I"m currently getting some very convincing JTM45 and Plexi tones out of it and just loving it. The guys in my band say it sounds great, and "full", so I know I must be doing something right with it. My old DSL100 is great for gigs, but it"s just too freakin" loud at band practice to turn up to its sweet spot. So this CODE 100 head and matching cabinet is just about perfect because you can get the sweet spot at lower volume. But it can get really loud too, if needed. At this point, I"m planning to gig with it as well and save my Marshall DSL for on down the road sometime (or maybe just sell it). If you get this amp, spend some time tweaking it and I think you will be surprised... in a good way!

I took a chance on this Marshall Code Head and am glad I did. I have a DSL40Cr and have had other various Marshall amps, other tube amps and this little gem really gets me to all the Marshall amp and clean American tones and effects I need for practice and live shows. I'm running a few pedals on a board to enhance some of my preferences along with the on board effects. This set up is really efficient and good. I have a THD 2x12 paisley colored cab I use with this head and this is a great combination for tone. I have had all the modeling gear out there including my Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II and this unit really satisfies my needs relatively easy in comparison. Does it sound as good as the Axe-Fx II? No not quite but very close for what this amp is all about. You have to know how to set these modeling units up to your liking, that goes for all modeling gear. If you don't have the patience to work it then just get good tube amp and a few pedals. I prefer either midi or just a minimal amount of tap dancing. This Code amp does it for me. Thanks to my sales tech Bob Mondok and his assistant Seth Hughes for all your help. Thanks Marshall and Sweetwater!

Tried this out for a week and was definitely impressed. There are a lot of presets, but I found the best were the Plexi and Jubilee based ones. ALSO: I thought there was something really wrong until I discovered through the net that turning down the Noise Suppresor helped a lot with the fidelity. *You need to do so through the app, though. There didn't seem a way to do so through the front.

The other BIG thing one needs to do is to turn off the CAB SIMULATOR if you're going through a proper cabinet. It brings the amp to life in fantastic fashion.

At lower volumes, the CODE got me pretty darn close to some great tones. When it was turned up to gig volume? I noticed fidelity loss in the deeper low end and the high end sounded brittle. I had to turn the treble almost to zero. There was still some ice-picking to my ear.

In the end? This felt a lot like something like AMPLITUBE put into a power amp box. Pretty darn close. I swear if they put a tube in this like the Valvetronix from VOX, it'd be even higher. There was just a lack of smoothness to a lot of the frequencies.

The other two things: there was a pronounced lack of natural sustain, especially in the clean and semi-clean tones. Notes fell off. With the distortion pedal engaged and maxed, that helped, but still, not quite like a true tube amp.


In the end? For the price? Pretty awesome. I wish I had this when I'd first started. You can get some really great and inspiring sounds at normal listening volume. It's got a lot going for it, but for me? I needed to have that extra ten percent of tone and sponginess only a real tube amp can give you at the moment. Looking forward to CODE 2.0!


Thank you to Jacob, who put up with me!

I get some good tones out of this into a 4x12, does a decent job in a mimic of various other Marshall heads. I use more cleaner sounding tweaked in presets and use pedals. The on board reverb and delay are usable, I do not use the front end effects. This is a secondary amp for me runs off a A/B/Y split for an added amp dimension.
Watch out on the VietNam assembly, first one I got, no power on the speaker jack, second one dead effect loop jacks. I kept the 2nd one despite no effect loop, just too much of a pain to return another one. Does fine just no loop on mine. You can get an Eleven Rack on sale for this cost but you will need a power amp for it. This is a nice contained 100watt amp. You could do worse. If your's is working on all fronts it is a pretty cool little deal to mimic various Marshalls and even a few others in there. Artful use of the preamp gate and power amp thump adds to the sonic quality. Don't know about the low priced 4x12, mine is loaded 75watt Celestions on a 16 ohm load, does fine.

After all the push back dates, my Code brain is finally here. While I haven't yet had the time to assess it's value as a gigging amp, I do have some first impressions:
Pros: It has all the features advertised, amp model, effects, presets, Bluetooth app, etc. It's also quite loud hooked to my Carvin 2 x 12" Celestion v30-equipped cab. Haven't yet tried it with my 4 x 12".....
Operation is similar to an earlier Fender Mustang, similar led lighting, editing, etc.
Cons: The whole thing is housed in a cheap looking, Vietnam-built, tiny little box. I had expected it to have two speaker outlets on the back, but it only has one, which would kinda bother me if something went wrong with it. There are no extra switches in the back. It's very, very basic.

Overall, I like it, although durability may be an issue in the future. It provides a good selection of Marshall amp models, with a lot of tonal flexibility. WhIle it's advertised as stackable, it's really built for a single 8 ohm cab, not a full stack.....It does have some Marshall magic to it, the grind, the bloom. But what it's also shown me so far, is that some of my other cheap amps (my Peavey Bandit, and Fender Champion 100, specifically) do at least a more than passable impression of various Marshall tones, albeit they're solid state. It's a matter of the 'sweet spots' on each amp as to which Marshall model they emulate (the Fender tends to sound great as a scooped Plexi, while the Peavey sounds more like the jcm800, comparitively). And now I know which full-sized tube amp to go for when the time comes.

In the meantime, this one will do. Great portability, tones, and the price is right. Kudos to Caleb Lowrey, for service. Wife loves the candy. I'll post an update, later....

Sounds pretty good when its working. Marshall is having Viet Nam assembly quality control issues.
This is OK for the cost and kind of fun. I had some problems w 2 of them but others have not I guess or they are not printing their review. I use a BlueGuitar Amp1 rig as my main deal so this was just a secondary goof around amp. The headphone out actually sounds pretty good (for no air really moving and the fullness interaction of real speakers) but OK for late night tone fest. I like it, don't hate it, but I thing Marshall took a bad turn with the VN assembly thing, maybe for low cost I imagine but boys and girls we get what we pay for. It's not high end, probably could have been and really I would have paid 2-3x for something more top shelf really state of the art modeling. It is a full 100 watt amp though which is nice. Amplifire and what not require power amp and they are better. This is also designed for 8ohms not a std 16ohm Marshall like I have. I had to rig up a 8ohm twin for it. They probably wont post this anyway, everybody rates everything they just got 5 stars. Might be true of a few things but not everything and this ain't one of 'em.

I got one of these just to goof around with, not for any sort of main amp. It's OK but don't expect super level models. The effects are not great. You can only pick one of the upfront effects. They are OK but let's not kid ourselves that pedals aren't so much better. The comp is OK workable, the gains drive the amp models pretty good, the phaser is usable, the chorus and flange sound rather metallic. Delay and Reverb are usable but not great.
I mean if this is all you have and you are looking for an inexpensive rig, this puppy is OK.
Word to the wise, it is an 8ohm load, you have to match it. I had all 16ohm speakers so I had to rig two in a 4x12 for 8 ohms. The headphone out actually sounds pretty good. You have three basic levels of amp models from clean, crunch and gained they are all pretty good. Speaker IRs are OK, no 3rd party add-ons.
You can get some tones out of it if you work at it. The models do not have much in the way of a tube feel or tone. The high gains are pretty good, low gains a little stale don't expect any tube glass in the model.
The overall amp is really bright focused. I tended to cut the treble almost off entirely and just use the bass and mids, crank the res on the power amp for more low end thump. For the money this is not bad but it is for sure not on the par with several of the higher end modelers. If you really want to explore state of the art amp models hit on Fractal or Kemper, I am not a big Line6 fan myself.
If you are on a tight budget and this is all you have get yourself the 8ohm cab and you have a workable rig. It s fun to goof with but it is like $ head and a lot of that is to have the Marshall name on it. It's better than their previous models of non tubers. Some models are very quiet others have a fair amount of noise hiss even at lower gains. It seems to be marketed toward the intermediate player, to sum up I'd say it is a workable amp. Probably nothing in this price range that could touch it for sure.

I got the 4 12 slant cab that goes with this and feel the two are a great value. I've used at a couple rehearsals and live at a gig. Before the gig, I sat across the room with my ipad to even out some preset volumes and lower the treble on some clean sounds as they can get very shrill as you bring the master volume up from bedroom level to stage volume (I use a fender strat plus all single coil).

PROS:
- If you leave your 4 12 at the rehearsal space, this amp is light/portable for moving
(for my situation this is important).
- The app/bluetooth is a great feature so you can stand away from the amp and tweak the sounds on your phone or ipad.
- Having a headphone output and 1/8" input on front panel makes it convenient for home practice.
- The amp is plenty loud, so the 100w isn't fairyland watts - it's a real 100 watts, sounds very good through the matching 4 12.
- The quality of sound is very good right out of the box through headphones

CONS:
- No manual shipped with the amp, not even a simple one page start up guide.
- The display on the front is so small, it's useless for editing, so if the app stops working you lose your ability to edit easily.
- Really wish this amp had midi so I could use my own foot controller. Sending the amp with the basic footswitch I feel is bad for the environment since most all of those will end up in a landfill. The only other option is to purchase the PEDL 91009 that Marshall offers... This pedal is ok, but will only give you 3 sounds per bank and one switch to move up and down through banks, so it's one click to go up a bank and holding down that same switch to move down through banks - really? They couldn't put one (or more) switches in?? I'm used to having 6 - 10 presets in front of me plus separate bank up/down switches so this was kind of a pain, but not a deal breaker at this price point. It is nice how the pedal is powered by a 1/4" cable and is small and light.
- No amp cover included or made by Marshall - had to buy one from custom cover place...
- The clean sounds are ok through headphones, but when you go live and have to bring the master volume up, they become shrill and the treble has to be brought down. This seems to be the case with all modeling amps I've tried under $1000.

So, overall this amp is worth the $. I spent $ for the amp, matching Marshall 120w 412 speaker, Marshall 3 switch pedal and custom amp cover. It's a fair deal as long as the amp keeps working. So far no issues as other reviews have mentioned, but I've only had it for a couple months.
Unfortunately, I will still want to use higher price modelers for playing out live - was hoping this could be used for that too, but my standards are just too high for live shows. I'll keep this rig since it was affordable and suits my needs for band/home rehearsals.

Don"t look for an owners manual it doesn"t come with one. Mines 3 mths old input jack acting up lots of static in some fx

I bought this expecting for it to work under almost all my needed conditions. I use it in my room and tend to play metal/post hardcore music. This amp is NOT suited for the aforementioned genres UNLESS you get a pedal. There is a horrible fuzz sound in the background when holding chords In situations where you have the in amp distortion pedal on. To play metalcore or any genre requiring high gain and beefy tones you will need to have/buy a distortion pedal. Otherwise you will get the buzz sounds. I settled on a Maxon od808 and it works brilliantly in high gain situations with this amp.