This is the amp that I have been searching for I play a lot of acdc and classic rock and this amp nails it, I have a origin 20 head and a dsl1 head and I think that they are both decent heads but this sv20h is way beyond either one, I play through a 2x12 greenback cab and this setup absolutely rock's you will not be disappointed getting this head

This did not work for me in an old school "live" music setting - the tone was just too thin. I bought the SV20H and the SV212 cab from Sweetwater a few years ago. I used this set-up for several months with a full band (2 guitars, bass, drums, and vocals) in a practice room (with an Ironman attenuator – but a few times without) and a few times playing out (no attenuator). I played a LP and the other guitarist played either a Tele or a LP Jr. We played classic rock from the 70's. The other guitarist had a Marshal DSL40c, I don't know what the bass player had for an amp but it was nothing major, a no-frills PA, and a drummer that can hit it pretty hard. We did not mic the amps.

Whether in the room or playing out, most of the SV20H tone just got washed out – leaving a very thin tone. This amp is plenty loud – especially for its 20-watt rating. However, it would sound incredibly thin and just lacking in tone once the rest of the band kicked in (especially the other guitarist, vocals, or cymbals). When I'd roll the volume down for some cleans, the frequencies that would make it through the mix were not great (and believe me – it was plenty loud). The other guitarist's tone (with the DSL40c) sounded full and punched through fantastically (clean or crunch). It sounded full whether the rest of the band was playing or not.

I worked the various knobs on the SV20H and tried the different channels and combinations of channels – no luck. I then tried different pedals (boost, ODs, and EQ) – no luck. I'm going to play with these guys again and traded the head in and got a Marshall DSL40cr. I did keep the cab, which I will run the DSL into. The SV20H is light weigh, well made, and looks the part. Perhaps this works great in a recording scenario? However, for me, in a live setting, it just didn't cut it – especially given the results from the DSL40c.

Amazing amp that is the sound of RnR.It takes a little time to understand this Amp and it's many Tonal variations.Ask your Rep or talk to Richard Grainger!!!Also this Plexi Marshall is The Plexi sound.Start shopping they go Fast.

Fantastic 20w version of a plexi. I just wish it had a master volume, as even in the "low" setting it's still ripping loud

I bought this because I realized I should just have a real Marshall instead of plugins and pedals and amps that "sound like a Marshall". My life is complete.

The tone stack is very responsive like its big brother. Soon after getting it I put a Fryette PS-2a power station on it. Really helps with home use. Yes it's loud but aren't all the Marshall mini heads? This combination will do me just fine. Yes it sounds like a plexi but you have to crank it like a plexi. The power station allows me to enjoy it without losing more hearing. Also in the right situation to increase the output.

This amp is great. I play it through an old Marshall 4/12 cab. I use various drives and eq to get monster tones at lower volumes. With pedals there's nothing a super lead can't do. Also has one of the best clean tones there is. I've owned a 100watt 73 super lead for years and that tone is alive and well in the 20 watt.

Killer amp. Been gigging with it now and have gotten comments on my sound and how it really cuts through the mix. The only thing that's a bummer is... believe what everyone says... it's loud AF. I had it for 2 days and I went out and bought an open box Tone King Iron Man. You'll need an attenuator if you play it at home without a band, trust me. You CAN play it quiet, of course, but you won't get the cranked vibes out of it. But the blessing is that the Iron Man gives me a lead boost with a foot pedal which basically makes it a two channel amp now. But that thing weighs as much as the SV20 so it's another thing to lug around and set up. Overall extremely happy with my sound.

I absolutely love this amplifier. It's incredibly versatile and fits perfectly in my studio setup. Compact and lightweight, it's easy to take to jam sessions or gigs. I run a JHS Little Black Box in the effects loop as a master volume, which lets me dial in any tone at any volume.

This is easily one of the nicest amps I own—second only to my Fender Deluxe Reverb, though they're completely different animals. Between the two, I can cover just about every tone I need. Hands down, the best gear purchase I've made in the last 20 years. And as always, the service from Sweetwater is outstanding. Peace to you all...

First, this is a LOUD amp. By itself, it is not Bedroom/Apt friendly, even at the 5 watt setting. It's a Non Master Volume amp, that gets it's best tones with the volume(s) up. If you wan the tones, and that level of volume, then yu will need a loadbox/attenuator.

The SV20 is a fantastic amp. It's a great size and weight for home, studios, or us older folks to take out and about. The amp is well-built. For a constant tube roller, the stock tubes fit and work well with this amp. And, yes, it looks cool.

It nails the Marshall Plexi tones, that the OR20, I had/have only came close to. Anyone that knows me, knows I have been digital/modelling/profiler in a big way, for a long time. One amp, that they never quite capture the entire experience, of tone, response, feel, note attack and bloom, sag, etc is the Plexis. Some come very very close, like the Axe FX, tonex,and Kemper (never had a neural, so can't say. But this head does. Is it the same as a 100W 1959? In tone? No, it just doesn't have the same big transformer iron to do that. But the tone is darn close to the big brother, and it matches the rest mentioned above.

Having not really played an OG Plexi for any extended period of time, I was very happy to find how versatile this amp is, and Plexis are. With the 4 inputs, different jumper possibilities and blending the 2 volume levels, as well as combined with your guitar's volume knob, this amp covers quite a lot of tonal ground. It's also a lot more versatile than that OR20. The SV20 is also more responsive to playing dynamics, less compressed than the OR20 even at most cranked. Less than a JCM800 as well. Fantastic string separation.

This really is a joy to play. Unlike many amps over the years, the SV20 really becomes an extension of your guitar and playing. I took a half star off, because dang it, in Europe, the amp costs a lot less than here in the States.

My favorite go to amp for getting that Marshall sound on my recordings.

it do the plexi thing nice, but its so loud its a bit tricky to use live.

eq its very bright, but turn the treble and presence down and get some killer old school sounds.

looks cool as hell!! killer amp

As a platinum RIAA producer this amp is a no brainer.
Plug, play, record and sound like the pros without wasting time and money on pedals and devices to get that amazing Marshall Plexi sound at a low volume.
I own one and planning on getting a second one.
No wonder why it's on Reverb's top 20 best seller in 2023.

Most versatile amp I've ever played. EVH. Hendrix. Angus. SRV. Checks all the boxes. It's the real deal Plexi sound.

Loud. Like stupid loud. 5 watts for bedroom / studio usage? Not so much…. This thing still peels the paint off the walls at its lowest setting. Had to put a Torpedo Captor between the amp and cabinet to be able to really get the tubes cooking without making my tinnitus worse.

The cleans are surprisingly lush, especially with a reverb pedal in the FX loop.

A magnificent tube amp. The best feature that is very useful in small room amplification is the effect loop on that Model SV20H, and that is where to place the attenuator. That is how to get the actual overdrive Marshall sound without damage your hearing or others.
I love that Marshall amp! It's good for practice and good for the stage.

The tone I've been searching for! This head sounds AMAZING. I'm fortunate enough to be able to play this bad boy wide open at 20 watts (when my wife isn't home) and man this thing will blow you away!! I have an attenuator I use when the wife is home and it still sounds fantastic. I don't lose too much tone when using the attenuator either. This is the only Marshall head I have and I will not look for another. I have been around a lot of different Marshall heads and combos and for the sound and the price, YOU CAN NOT GO WRONG! I paired this head with a Mesa 2x12 cabinet with Celestion Vintage 30's and man, I cannot stop grinning every time I hear it! Buy one I promise you will not be disappointed!!

After owning a Marshall 2203 back in the 80's, I have been searching for that sound, again. I pulled the trigger on this amp. First thought was that it was too loud and couldn't achieve the sound I wanted without blowing out the eardrums. I have this particular amp and a 1960A cabinet for this setup. I purchased a used Marshall Power Brake to lower the volume. Lo and behold, the sound and tone was perfect without any pedals in the loop. This amp rocks when you can lower the volume out of the cabinet. It rocks!

Thanks to my Sales Engineer Mike Godlove for all his help!
The SV20H is absolutely awesome! I now have the tone, breakup, crunch, as well as clean tone that I have searching for!
You hear folks talking about Holy Grail amps? The SV20H is is one of them!
My Strat sings through this amp and my Les Paul now has all the tonal variations they are famous for.
Thanks Mike and Sweetwater!

I always used the Plexi to base my distorted sound in effect simulators, I never had a real one to try and couldn't afford it, until this amp arrived, it's even better than I imagined, it still cracks your ears from how loud it is that sounds but trust me it sounds great i wish this studio 20w amp was made 20 years ago

This is THE tone I've been wanting! Incredible! Just wish it had a master volume as another $800 for a quality attenuator makes this that much more expensive. But, MAN, DOES IT SOUND GOOD!

I have a Friedman Runt 50 and EVH 50. This amp to me is just as loud. Played a gig in 5 watts. It was mic but so so loud and the tone. Amp alone gets you that classic tone. Boost it with a SD1 and the tone is to die for. Reid Bright hooked me up. Best salesman at Sweetwater

Sounds great, OCD,tube screamer. Plug your strat into input 2 nice fat cleans volume for home on 2. Tried the little black box in the effects loop sounded like a Kazoo you don't need that and you really don't need to jump the inputs. Why would anybody want to plug into the high treble side maybe you would jump the inputs if You are playing really loud and needed a little more treble Once again thanks to Matthew and Sweetwater for the great service

20 Marshall watts = LOUD. I use a Rivera Rockcrusher to tame this beast in my home studio because it RIPS! This little dude will cure your Plexi fix, no doubt. Zep, Hendrix, AC/DC etc., it's in this amp. For my style of Randy Rhoads tones I put the EQD Plumes in front up front and get those tubes wailing. It takes pedals beautifully. The SV20H produces very nice cleans, though you need to use a single input in lieu of jumping inputs to achieve said tones. Might I add, if you don't know how to use your volume knob(s) on your guitar, it would behoove you to learn how as this will take your tones from "Marshall clean" to crunch with the turn of a knob. Volume knobs are on a guitar for a reason - USE THEM! I sold all my Plexi-in-a-box pedals and put the SV20H on order, and I'm SO glad I did. No pedal can reproduce the tone of the real-deal Marshall Plexi sound. Stop fooling yourself, save your $ and buy this amp if you want REAL Plexi goodness. As they say, buy once, cry once. I never cried though, I smiled, and I smile EVERY TIME I fire up this little 20 watt hell raiser.

Last and certainly not least, thanks go out to my Sweetwater Sales Engineer, Nick "Saint Nick" Rice. He's my go-to guy at Sweetwater and I call him Saint Nick because he makes it feel like December 25th with each order!

Ive had this for a day and a half and have about 5 hours with it. If you are looking for the 70s JMP sound this is it by the boatload. Never had an amp that "settled" as fast as this did. within 10 minutes I was close to what I wanted out of it. Super responsive to the volume and tone on your guitar and goes from full roar to clean quite easily when you bring it down on the guitar. It will shrink your pedalboard by losing the eq and OD. A verb and delay is all you need unless you want a serious grind tone in which case you should look elsewhere. One caveat, this thing is LOUD!!. I am running it through a Fryette power station thats barely cracked open for home use. Set at 9 o'clock it has as much volume as i will need for a good sized stage. Set at noon i could play anywhere.Thanks to Mike Griebe for recommending i try this.Its a bit pricey but worth every penny if this is the sound you are going for.

Buy this they are awesome! Ask for Taylor!!!
Shanks Guys!

First, I'm in agreement with people that say the amp sounds great. It does, but my experience hasn't been good. After a few months of owning it I started to experience audio dropouts, which steadily got worse over several weeks until the amp was unusable. Neither Sweetwater nor Marshall was helpful. After several efforts with my local music hardware repair guy I discovered that Marshall appears to now be using the cheapest version of speaker output jacks that amp makers use. In my case the output jack was the failure. My local guy changed the jack and now, over $200 out of my pocket later, the amp is working.

Before making the decision to find local help I was faced with a choice. Either deal with my local Marshall "authorized" repair center and their several months backlog, or send the amp back to Sweetwater. In both cases it would have cost me more money and time.

I'm disappointed with Marshall for costing me the money and time with their decision to lower their COG (pennies?), and I'm disappointed with Sweetwater for not being more supportive of a long-standing loyal customer. My only sin was buying the amp in the first place.

In the future I will think twice before buying a new Marshall product or anything from Sweetwater.

First impressions after firing it up weren't great, the treble channel on it's own was very shrill with no bottom end running through a 2 x 12 greenback loaded cab. I then switched to a 1 x 12 cab with a vintage 30 & that seemed to tame down some of the highs. I then tied the channels together and with the treble channel almost off running through the 1 x 12 vintage 30 cab I got a good usable tone.
Then a read where somebody switched out the Marshall(JJ) El34 power tubes for a pair of Svetlana winged C's and it tamed down the high's and he was right, I happened to have a pair of winged C's and that totally transformed the way the amp sounds. The amp sounds not just good but great now, with the treble & bass volumes turned down you get great cleans with good note separation & detail then just use a good dirt pedal, or crank up the treble & bass channels and rock out.

I've had it now for about two weeks and just love it. You have to jump the other channels to get different wonderful tones. I've been playing all my best and fav electrics through it. My Firebird sounds excellent through it. My Chris Shiftlett Deluxe Telecaster has an incredible sound going through it. I've also now get to see how good all my pedals sound through the beast. If you are looking for 60s/70s type what they call Classic rock tone, this may just work for you. I'm waiting for the SV-212 Cab to get sent to me. I've been playing through a 12 inch WGS 16 ohm speaker until I get the cab. Both single wounds and humbuckers sound good through it, as well as P90 type pups. The send/return works well on it so far for me also. In the future I may also get an SC20H.

Contrary to most Marshall amp lovers I do love the classic Plexi amps for their clean (Normal) tones. Thanks to the 5/20 Watt SV20H release I now also have come to appreciate the high gain tones of the Plexi amp. I played my first Marshall (1987x) in about 1980 thanks to a loaner from a good friend. But the insane loudness of even the 50 Watt Plexies never made me commit to finally purchase one for myself. The SV20H is still very loud, but a bit more manageable. As some mentioned before, the Bright Gain channel indeed is very bright, but only at low volumes. Once the volume is set to 12 o'clock and beyond, the brightness goes away and the amp delivers the gritty, well defined and balanced distortion that the Plexi is loved for by many. Even for the 5/20 Watt version I find it's true that Marshalls sound best when played loud. (Also consider that most Celestion speakers put out 100db at 1Wm.) To tame the beast one might still want to employ a speaker attenuator, or an attenuating effect in the effects loop. Yet, I always find that the classic, traditional non-master amps sound at their best without any of this. Guitar-cable-amp still delivers the tones that I love most.

I Got this because I love Plexi's I have recorded 3 songs with it, The Song Sarah Blackthorn is just the rhythm Track and drums using a 1961 Les Paul Jr and be warned I am Driving the amp hard with a PS1 Power Soak and Driving the front with a Wampler Tumnus the other 2 Songs I used a 1961 Les Paul sg and a Epiphone SG Custom Electric Guitar - Ebony so it can be vary hairy if you want it to you just have to trust it.....

You can hear it at,,, Joseph Sanita Reverbnation 3 songs Sarah Blackthorn

line in the Sand

Mermaid

This is the real deal Plexi sound. Love this amp. Made in the U.K. I can dial in great sound for any guitar I've plugged into it. The secret is to jump the channels, and use the 2 volumes to balance the sound to your taste. There is a ton of options for tone with this amp. Also the 2 volume knobs are very sensitive and a little goes a long way. From my Gibson Slash LP to my Fender Strat pro and everything in between. It is a amazing amp head with great tone and flexability. It is a keeper, and also looks awesome. Make no mistake this thing is loud even at 5 watts but is manageable in my small studio. And at 20 watts, well... WOW. I did not opt for the matching Marshall speaker cab because of the speakers in that cab instead I went with the Peavey 212 invective with a V 30 and a creamback and for me its a match made in music heaven. the Invective is a awesome speaker cab. I am very happy with both, no regrets...Thank you Scott Augustyniak for all your help and input. SWEETWATER ROCKS. If you are looking for that Marshall sound with lower watts and cost this is it. I do not gig but easily could with this in a small venue. Highly recommend for the Marshall fan.

Pros- very loud (gigable), tone identical to 100w plexi, easy to use, tone is fantastic, says Marshall on it, less expensive Than the big one

Cons- too loud for bedroom volume, lacks the sub low end of the 100w (still has a lot of low end)

I got this head about 2 months ago and can only describe it as awesome. It has enabled me to have the tone of a Plexi at volumes that don't infuriate my neighbors. So far I have zero complaints. This amp has become like a friend...
Tone wise it compares with my 100 watt nicely. Not exact, but as close as can be. The 5 watt mode works well too, though at the lower wattage, the tone becomes a little flat? 2 dimensional? That makes sense?
Overall I couldn't;t be happier. Jacob was awesome in getting this all set up too. I love Sweetwater.

This amp flat out kicks total butt. A big thank u to Austin Zachrich for helping with all my gear. I will end up with the 800 as well.

I cannot believe how good this amp sounds.

From vintage to modern, I've had so many marshalls I can't even list them all here and don't want to try but this one is the standout favorite for tone.

It's not as versatile as the modern channel switchers but versatility is not the reason I love this amp. It is the tone. This amp has that beautiful, bone-crushing crunch that inspired many of us to pick up the guitar in the first place. Don't let its low wattage rating fool you, this amp is loud, which isn't surprising since it's powered by EL34s, not EL84s - not that 84s are bad, they just produce about half the wattage as an EL34, which, again, isn't a bad thing, it's just a thing.

I feel like I need to buy another one as a spare because this amp just slays and I never want to be without this tone. Ever.

I recently purchased the Marshall Studio Vintage SV20 head and cabinet along with a 59 Les Paul Reissue from Sweetwater and my sales engineer Ian McGhee. I am extremely happy with these purchases. Put together these bring back memories of the good old days for me. Nothing beats the sound of a Les Paul cranked up through a Marshall. Thanks to Ian McGhee, I have reached the goal in my life of owning this setup. I have purchased many things from Ian and he has been so cool with my nit picking. Thanks Ian for the great advice and for becoming a friend over the years.

Matched with a 2x12 celestion greenback and g12h30.

Although the amp is single channel, it offers so much versatility. I play strats, traditional and others with bridge humbucker as well as Ibanez AZ 2402... however this amp has me thinking to go back to a LP.

The bright channel is just that very bright with a strat. The normal channel is thick and really adds the heft in tone. I have mostly played jumping the channels together.

I find the amp is most versatile with both channels around 7 ish... that is- you get good grind that can clean up well with volume roll off and still incorporate an of pedal(I am preferring my ocd over the Macon od808 at the moment. I will try my best to describe the tone setting and what I have found. If and when you take one control and span it's entire range, it seems like there isn't all that much range... however I believe the tone knobs may be interactive with each other as it's seems you can always find what you are looking for. The best part, all the settings are usable, I mean I think it hard to dial in a bad unusable setting. The other thing to note, the distortion range is smooth as there seem to be so many in between settings you can dial in from the amp and the guitar volume.

Volume. Volume. Volume.
I play mostly in my home office at loud tv volumes. This amp is very loud and cuts. No two ways about. I bought a bugera attenuator as I new this would be the case. Even Marshall's idea of 5 watts is really loud. I have never used an attenuator so I can't compare the bugera to pricier units. The sounds gets compressed and gain needs to be dialed back when you go past 50% attenuation. I really think the bugera unit is a fine choice for people in my situation and looking to tame the amp but may play from time to time with a band.

Although the amp is pricey ( and recently jumped up a cool 100) I feel it's well worth the price as it is a very solid unit. Not a one trick pony by any means and delivers everything from fat cleans to gritty rhythm to familiar Marshall growl/grind and crunch. The effects loop is nice (boss rv6) and the amp supports multiple ohm cabinet options.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge my sales engineer Charlie Davis. He always takes my questions and relates his experience to what I am after. He does a great job making suggestions and recommendations without overhyping or speaking beyond his experience with particular gear(honest). Sweetwater is by far the best online company to do business with... i have told others that I can't think of any way they could improve their service or follow through.

Bottom line: if you are looking for classic Marshall tones but understand the volume levels it come at... and either are willing to use attenuation for practice settings... you will be very satisfied with this amp and it's wonderful complex tonal pallet.

The rave reviews are spot on. All the tones are there. My playing goes back to the early 80s. This is the best amp I've bought since those years and the icing is it being usuable at this power rating. I've totally fell in love with it. So many tonal options. I've been rotating several cabinets and speakers but have settled on a Ruby Alnico with it. I can get a great rock vibe with ceramics but going with Alnico gets a great blues tone which i prefer and keeps with my usual being different than most.

Awesome Amp!!

If you want a plexi, without literally blowing your windows and doors off your house or apartment, this is the plexi for you. It functions just like an old one would. It does tend to distort faster than its larger siblings, because there's not as much headroom. One thing Marshall does not include in the manual is the replacement of tubes/valves. This is a cathode based bias, so there's no biasing of the tubes after installing. Literally a plug and play situation. Just do the research on which EL34 and 12AX7 tubes you'd like. Different tubes have different ratings. Awesome amp, the tone I've always dreamed of.

This thing is a beast. First plexi for me and I'm hooked. I absolutely love this thing! Sounds glorious through my Mesa 4x12 with all my guitars, not just the Strat and Les Paul. Highly recommend!!!!

This is the real deal. Prepared to be completely ROCKED.
The matching SV2X12 Cabinet sounds excellent.
My cab is broken in and sounds great. Hard hitting base,
singing highs, you won't want to stop playing.
I was going to replace the V-Type speakers but absolutely
No reason to do so.

Just what you think it should be it kicks

Ok so I'm a Marshall FB. Marshall, Marshall, Marshalllllll
JCM 800 check, JCM 900 MK iii. check, Marshall 2000 check, Marshall Jubilee. Check, Marshall DSL check
Ok so why get a plexi ...isn't it redundant? NO!
This crisp clear articulate amp brings out such detail in your playing you really gotta clean up and lazy delivery but
what it rewards you with is harmonically rich Tone!!
As we all do jumping the two channels allows you to dial in an amazing range of tones ...things happen to the
circuitry that I don't hear in my other Marshall amps.
I use a Friedman BE deluxe in the front end and it just sings....
When this baby warms up it gets even better....can't be beat
Turn down the guitar volume and the cleans are super sweet and clear...
Super versatile amp that sounds great through a Strat or Les Paul

Just got mine today, I have owned more than enough of my share of amps. Mesas, Fenders, even a 800 and a Silver Jubilee, Never had a Plexi. This amp nails it! I LOVE this TONE! If your looking for authentic Marshall Plexi tone w/o paying too much SV20H is it! I was a bit worried cause not a bunch of samples w Strats but my old girl sounds incredible.

Sounds exactly as I remembered Only complaint is the face decal is bubbling up under mains and low high switch. Expected better from Marshall quality control.

Admittedly, I don't own a vintage Plexi, nor have I played through one. However, I can tell you that as a person who's played guitar for 30 years, and recorded many, many bands, and as an owner of many boutique amps (Mesa, Dr. Z, Rivera, vintage Fenders) that this amp is the real deal. It's very loud for 20 watts - even at the 5 watt setting, it's way loud once you get it into the overdrive sweet spot. I tamed this little beast with a speaker attenuator, which completely did the trick and allowed me to get the amp into overdrive at bedroom volumes. Of course, it sounds better if you allow some volume.

The amp is just plain heavenly to play through. I've played more guitar since I got this amp in than I have in years, just enjoying effortlessly great tones. The amp is very touch-sensitive - it's not just one tone. I can endlessly dial in more or less gain with just the volume knob on the guitar. Bridging the channels with a patch cable provides a lot of different options in terms of blend; for a single-coil guitar I've found that the high-sensitivity side of channel 2, briged to the low-sensitivity input of channel 1, provides a fantastic body with a great, fat overdrive. For a humbucker guitar, I reverse that and plug into channel 1's high-sensitivity input and bridge to channel 2's low sensitivity input. It just sounds great.

Kudos to Marshall for making a truly great amplifier.

As many have said, this amp really sounds great and I am very happy that I have it! I got the matching SV212 cabinet to go with it. This is a loud amp. I borrowed a calibrated Metrosonics DB-2100 Sound Level Meter from work and took some readings at a distance of 1 meter from the cabinet. Note that the inputs were jumpered and the volume settings listed are for both volume knobs being turned to the same setting. All other knobs at 12:00. Here is what I got...

Settings Volume at 5W Volume at 20W
0.5 111.0 116.5
1.0 113.0 119.0!!
1.5 113.5 118.4
2.0 114.0 118.0
2.5 114.5 118.3
3.0 114.6 118.7
3.5 114.8 118.5
4.0 115.0 118.3
4.5 114.0 118.0
5.0 113.0 117.6
5.5 113.0 117.3
6.0 113.0 117.0
6.5 112.8 116.6
7.0 112.4 116.1
7.5 112.0 115.8
8.0 111.5 115.5

I only went up to 8 on the volume knobs. I generally play about 15 feet away from the speaker cabinet and with the settings at 3, where it starts to crunch nicely, the volume was 101.5 dB on the 5W setting. Definitely too loud for me to play at for extended periods and no wonder I felt the need to wear earplugs until the attenuator I ordered showed up. I hadn't seen this data posted anywhere else, so thought I would take some time to collect it. Hope it helps!

Yeah Marshall nailed it , this is my first tube amp that I've been able to get that power tube saturation , it's a loud amp , and I'm using a Weber Mass attenuator to tame this beast,even at 5 watts it can get loud, it sounds really good with a 1x12 closed back cabinet as well as my 1936 v 2x12 cabinet,it's simple stupid, but can really do alot if you take some time , and play with the controls , oh yeah ya gotta jump those channels together thats part of the magic

Typo: My review for my SV20H should say "NAILS". I've been playing this amp thru 2 Celestion G12 30 Heritage Greenbacks (55htz). It really does nail the tones I get from my Marshall 1959HW thru my 412AHW, just not as loud. Not sure how they did it. PCB is Mil-spec. This amp is built like a tank,but its also very light weight.

The wife and I are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in England this year. We'll be touring the Marshall factory in Bletchley while we're there. I have a small list of questions...:-)

Incredible! I've been playing guitar since 1972. I own a 1959HW Marshall 100 watt head and matching 412 1960AHW cab. This little SV20H watter ails the classic Marshall plexi tones. It's loud and crisp, but very manageable too. Love it. I'm ordering the matching SV212 cab next.

I didn’t want the overpowering 100w nor the price tag of a plexi. I can get all the great cleans and crunch with this amp. Takes pedals great and gets loud. No problem playing with a drummer or live. Finally Marshall listened and came through. Btw this thing is pretty to look at too.

Every video/ review says this thing is LOUD. It’s really not. 12x12 bedroom with both volumes on 10 and it’s not very loud. 4x12 cab or a 2x12 and it just doesn’t do it for me. It’s very heavy on the bass/ low frequencies. Didn’t handle my fuzz pedal worth a ****. It does clean up nicely. If I plug straight in it sounds pretty good but add any pedals and it all goes to ****. I was hoping to love this amp but I’ll be sending it back. :(

For years I have been a guitar volume on 10 guy, this amp is teaching me there is another way. Great dynamics, cleans up brilliantly and FX loop is a charm. It's loud enough for inside gigs but not enough for larger stages and outdoor shows. As the loudness controls get above 3 o'clock or so, it starts to flub out a bit.

I play in clubs where volume is ALWAYS an issue. I've been playing for a minute (I was playing back when the original Plexi's were new). I know, I'm old.

But here's the deal. This amp sounds absolutely awesome. Even at ("Hey can you guys please turn it down?!?!?") club volumes.

Yes, you can get the typical Marshall crunch, of course. But what you can also get out of this amp that you'll never hear from a JCM 800 (and OMG don't get me started on the fizz monster Jubilee), etc. is the beautiful clean, edge of breakup tone that plexis excelled at. It's what I've been lusting after for years. If you hate pedals (for OD/Dist, etc) and want tons of touch sensitive tone with oodles of harmonics, BUY THIS AMP.

For lead tones, it just SINGS. I am now just using the volume on my guitar to get everything from chiming clean to super singing lead tones. Amazing.

A super big shout out to Sweetwater and especially my man Mason. You guys are the best and I always buy everything I can from you. Sweetwater seriously overpacks when they ship and that's a very good thing.

Very important. The magic in this amp comes from jumping the channels, and there's like 4 different ways to do it and all give different tonal options. Please ignore the forums with people talking about modding the amp, etc. Just play it.

I"m a metal head but i also love 60"s and 70"s music, I have an EVH 5150S and for metal it does the job but I wanted something with less gain, something classic, timeless...
A lot of my fav tones are from Marshalls, from Hendrix to ratt or Van Halen this thing with a little help from pedals can take you almost everywhere it"s an awesome amp with great tone

Been waiting for this a few months, and it was worth the wait!!! Fabulous tone, I have mine connected to a custom 2x12 cab with greenbacks. I use an active attenuator with bypass to give me the flexibility to drive it hard for rich Hendrix tones, or clean it up as a pedal platform. Amp runs on 20 or 5 watts(I generally run on 5). Perfect for studio or gigs.

My whole life I have been a fan of old school Marshall tones. If you love rock from the late 60"s, 70"s and into the 80"s, it"s hard to not love old Marshall tone. Let"s face the Plexi is just flat out iconic.

I"ve owned a lot of great amps over the years but always mostly avoided the old Marshall"s because even with attenuators they were just too massive and loud to have in the situations I found myself in.

Until now.

This new studio vintage is pure plexi. It has the woody baseball bat up against the head tone. Pure Marshall tone that we"ve all heard our whole lives. I couldn"t be any happier.

I currently own a Mesa Mark V and a Friedman Runt 20. I"ve owned many other high end amps and I consider myself to be a bit of a tone snob. This Marshall absolutely lives up to the name.

One warning. You may think 20 watts with the ability to switch down to 5 Watts means bedroom volume. IT DOES NOT. This amp is loud as hell. BUT it is much more manageable than a 50 or 100 watt amp. In my opinion, in most applications, you will still either need or benefit from an attenuator.

If you are on the fence just buy it. There are tons of great YouTube videos out there and I can verify that the great tone you hear in those videos is authentic.

I want to end with this. For nearly 20 years I had the luxury of having a great Sweetwater rep. A few months ago my guy left the company. I was devastated to say the least. I"ve been a loyal and long standing customer. After his departure I was assigned my new rep. Richard Whittington! All I can say is "what a great guy!!!!" Richard has stepped in and taken over my account and has been absolutely wonderful. It feels like we"ve been doing business together for years. So thanks Richard! And thanks to Sweetwater for continuing to be the best in the business!

I waited three months before I got one. I was PAYING for it while I waited! So I had pretty high expectations! Well, let me state that Marshall delivered man! This amp is pure old-school Marshall goodness! It's got that certain Marshall "growl" that only real Marshalls have. It's pretty loud too! I keep my speaker cabs in a separate room mostly, turn the volume(s) to seven, and wowzaa man! It's what I expected! It overdrives sweetly with the volume on the guitar up full and cleans up sweetly when you turn the volume on the guitar down! All the same characteristics of an old-school non-master volume Marshall!

With this said... It's NOT a gain monster. But if you want to go there it takes pedals as good as any amp I've EVER owned! In fact, it could be the best pedal amp MADE! I have a few overdrive pedals that I've used and they all make the amp sing! Anyway, I'm pretty drunk with love for this thing.

Bottom line is: If you want the early classic Marshall tones, you aren't looking for anything else, this amp delivers in a big time way. I don't own a 1959/1987 Plexi but I do own a JVM205. This is a different beast. The JVM covers that great Marshall crunch but it doesn't clean up and chime as nicely as this amp. This is a Plexi copy of a big brother Plexi made by the cats who invented Plexi's.

Pair this with a Strat, you'll experience psychedelic rock ecstasy. Pair this with a Les Paul, you'll achieve all the 1970's Bad Company tones you could ever dream of, it's truly an excellent amp, even if it's a bit pricey, and not actually that small of a head for something that's marketed as a smaller head with lower wattage rating. Speaking of wattage, if you're wondering if this keeps up volume wise with your drummer, it definitely does, even if you play with a terribly loud drummer with no volume dynamics in his/her repertoire. Highly recommend this head to all who are willing to spend the cash on it!

I'm sure the reviews here will be massive. I will keep mine short and sweet.
Authentic Plexi Tone!
Thank you Marshall!