Al Heeley Posted November 9, 2009 Share Posted November 9, 2009 My overheating issue was linked to the failure of the crossover inductor coil, coming loose from the little crossover pcb in the extn cab - the amp was trying to push a cab with intermittent connection. Once that was fixed, a different component on the combo's crossover pcb also failed on me by same method - soldering c=of the fuse legs came loose due to vibrations. This component within the combos and the extn speaker cabs is not well-enough designed to stand up to the rigours of regular pub & club gigging. Such a simple little problem but potentially rendering the whole rig unusable. Very disappointing. Since resoldering myself, I've not yet had any further problems in 3 gigs and 3 practice sessions. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 [quote name='PaulWarning' post='645449' date='Nov 4 2009, 04:51 PM']Marshall have now had my amp for 4 weeks, when I rang them they said they were waiting for the designer to get back to them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote] Just heard from Dolphin music who sold me the amp, Marshall have sent me a brand new one, which is a bit of a result cause the one I bought was an ex demo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonshelley01 Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I just wish they did a cover for it. They only one I can find on the web doesn't leave access to the side handles, rather defeating the point when carrying the amp into a gig/rehearsal in the rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkonthehill Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 regarding reliabilty of these amps please [url="http://http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=61840&hl=4210"]read[/url] this. I would advise everyone to stay well clear after having 2 that failed at the first hurdle. I now run an ashodown 600h with an ampeg 4x10hlf cab and backup is a hughes and kettner BK200. I can now breath easy and not worry about ruining another gig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted November 10, 2009 Share Posted November 10, 2009 I've sold plenty of these, and had no issues. The only ones I've returned have been smashed in transit. I like them. I'm considering an MB60 for the house. Ugly, and a bit cheap looking, but love the sounds.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I think the trick with new Marshall models is to wait about a year till they've managed to shake any bugs out, viz the notorious VBA. Reasonable amps for silly money. Put it another way, they must presumably be keepers because you see so few f/s on here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 [quote name='PaulWarning' post='650726' date='Nov 10 2009, 03:19 PM']Just heard from Dolphin music who sold me the amp, Marshall have sent me a brand new one, which is a bit of a result cause the one I bought was an ex demo.[/quote] was in the studio on Sunday and the engineer says "you do realise only one of your speakers is working" so I've took the front off and sure enough one of the speaker spade connectors has fell in half. Do I repair it myself and risk the warrantee or go to all the hassle of sendiing it back to Marshall? These are marvelous amps for the money but make sure you have a back up for gigs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkonthehill Posted December 8, 2009 Share Posted December 8, 2009 [quote name='PaulWarning' post='677724' date='Dec 8 2009, 11:51 AM']These are marvelous amps for the money but make sure you have a back up for gigs[/quote] exactly my point, you will always be worried it will let you down. STAY CLEAR AT ALL COST, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 [quote name='munkonthehill' post='678334' date='Dec 8 2009, 07:19 PM']exactly my point, you will always be worried it will let you down. STAY CLEAR AT ALL COST, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/quote] You're right of course, but if you're on a budget the Marshall has an awesome sound and is seriously loud, but people should be aware of the build quality issues, personally I can put up with them because I have decent backup and hopefully any reliability problems will surface while under guarantee, and I can use a soldiering iron! Lets not forget Ashdown have more than their fair share of critics too. You pays your money, it's just a question of how much you've got Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Heeley Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 Latest count: 4 separate failures of crossover cards on either MB4210 or MBC115 cab in the 11 months since I bought them. I kicked up a fuss and Marshall agreed I could return them for a refund, only the internet store where I purchased them kicked up a bigger fuss about accepting them back for repair/replacement since they are now reparied and functioning. I had to point out very firmly it was refund I wanted. I have lost confidence in them after 4 failures during gigs, sodering of crossover card components was the culprit each time, rendering the amp unfit for use (it doesn't like vibrations much). With the help of Marshall, the retail outlet finally agreed to credit me, so I'm just getting then packed up for return. Sad, they are a lot of power for the money, and some good tones can be had, but reliabilty has been a big issue for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted December 9, 2009 Share Posted December 9, 2009 [quote name='Al Heeley' post='678753' date='Dec 9 2009, 07:57 AM']Latest count: 4 separate failures of crossover cards on either MB4210 or MBC115 cab in the 11 months since I bought them. I kicked up a fuss and Marshall agreed I could return them for a refund, only the internet store where I purchased them kicked up a bigger fuss about accepting them back for repair/replacement since they are now reparied and functioning. I had to point out very firmly it was refund I wanted. I have lost confidence in them after 4 failures during gigs, sodering of crossover card components was the culprit each time, rendering the amp unfit for use (it doesn't like vibrations much). With the help of Marshall, the retail outlet finally agreed to credit me, so I'm just getting then packed up for return. Sad, they are a lot of power for the money, and some good tones can be had, but reliabilty has been a big issue for me.[/quote] 4 crossover failures eh, I can see why you want a refund. I'll keep everybody posted if I get anymore faults with mine, or even if I don't Just a thought, I've never quite understood the need for tweeters on bass cabs, what would happen if the crossover was bypassed and the cables were connected straight onto the speakers? I did that on my Carlsbro combo and couldn't tell any difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmaker13 Posted December 13, 2009 Share Posted December 13, 2009 I was looking at the Marshall MB 4410 450 watt 4x10 in my locashop the other day, tried it out and fair play there was a nice tone on it. The bloke in the shop told me for what it is, it's a pretty loud B***ard too. Even offered me an extra 15" cabinet to go with it for £500 in total, saving about £90. If id had the cash i'd have bitten his arm off. I'm def getting it in the new year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 [quote name='bookmaker13' post='683499' date='Dec 13 2009, 10:38 PM']I was looking at the Marshall MB 4410 450 watt 4x10 in my locashop the other day, tried it out and fair play there was a nice tone on it. The bloke in the shop told me for what it is, it's a pretty loud B***ard too. Even offered me an extra 15" cabinet to go with it for £500 in total, saving about £90. If id had the cash i'd have bitten his arm off. I'm def getting it in the new year.[/quote] I was tempted with the 4 x 10 but it's bloody heavy, didn't fancy lifting it into my car! don't know how you'd use an extension cab with the 4 x 10 cause that one is already running at 2 ohms, be aware of build quality issues though but hopefully Marshall have got it sorted by now, brilliant amps for the money though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmaker13 Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 [quote name='PaulWarning' post='683664' date='Dec 14 2009, 08:22 AM']I was tempted with the 4 x 10 but it's bloody heavy, didn't fancy lifting it into my car! don't know how you'd use an extension cab with the 4 x 10 cause that one is already running at 2 ohms, be aware of build quality issues though but hopefully Marshall have got it sorted by now, brilliant amps for the money though[/quote] Yeh, it is a tad on the heavy side, but nowhere near as heavy as the old peavy im using now. Ive been asured that the cab is built especially for this amp, so it should be fine, but then is it really needed, i saw a local pub band using one on sundayand for a 450 tranny combo it cuts through quite nicely, And for the price i'd say go for it. A good "starter model" if you will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted December 16, 2009 Share Posted December 16, 2009 [quote name='bookmaker13' post='685964' date='Dec 16 2009, 12:56 AM']Yeh, it is a tad on the heavy side, but nowhere near as heavy as the old peavy im using now. Ive been asured that the cab is built especially for this amp, so it should be fine, but then is it really needed, i saw a local pub band using one on sundayand for a 450 tranny combo it cuts through quite nicely, And for the price i'd say go for it. A good "starter model" if you will.[/quote] Just checked and the 4410 is only 300 watt at 4 ohm same as the 4210, so an extension cab would be needed to take it up to 450watt at 2ohm, I use an 1 x 15 extension cab (not a marshall) with my 4210 and it certainly gives it more grunt although the extra volume's never been needed yet! Just a footnote on build quality, further to my earlier post when I connected the 2nd speaker up it sounded terrible, eventually sussed that it had been wired up out of phase, not by me, the amp came with the black speaker lead connected to the + terminal on the 2nd speaker. I may be wrong but most of the faults seem to be caused by dodgy speakers rather than the amp section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Heeley Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 ...or crap crossover cards. Incidentally, since I have now sent mine back i'm left with a couple of spare crossover cards that marshall sent me, if they are of use to anyone, let me know and for the price of the postage I can send them on to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmachine2112 Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 hiho,it seems that all the problems are cab/speaker related as I use the head I,ve had no problems at all.I do use peavey cabs though,maybe not the best sounding but bullet proof,nuclear proof,heavy and just keep going-luckilly you can turn the tweeters off. The muddy reference is to me a low mid heavyness to the sound that is old school sound on the classic channel,ie not scooped like a lot of the modern amps. The upshot is that most of us will never get the ideal sound in our heads but when you play live the sound in the mix is the most important thing.I,ve heard cracking bass sounds on a song in the studio and when you hear it soloed it sounds terrible,this applies to guitars as well and I wish guitarists would take heed of this one and stop drowning everything out with their all frequencies big guitar solo sound. I feel better for that little rant. all the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Heeley Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Here's the Marshall crossover card, showing the vunerable points where I've had failure of the solder contacts at various times. These 2 components have enough mass to exert the necessary leverage under vibration to crack the solder underneath causing intermittent contact. This will render the cabs useless and overload the amp trying to drive them. One solution is to dispense with the crossover altogether, which means you can't use the horn (so why buy a cab with a horn in it?). Another solution is to reinforce the fixing of the components to the board, reducing their ability to move under vibration. My 4210 amp card had the inductor coil loop secured very badly to the card as the epoxy had been bodged on it. It took very little time playing a few gigs before the strees fracture caused the failure of the wire where it enters the PCB. Not sure why the white fuse block has to be on such long legs sticking out of the board but obviously the longer the legs the greater stress is exerted on the solder points during gigging. A couple of strategically placed cable ties might reduce the chance of failure again if the solder joints are less than robust. Shoddy design in my view - pity as the amp is a cracker for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbytodd Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 guess what yet another failure of my mb115 same probs as last time the solder on the inductor coil broke third time this cab has failed.not good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmansky Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 [quote name='bobbytodd' post='688979' date='Dec 19 2009, 11:56 AM']guess what yet another failure of my mb115 same probs as last time the solder on the inductor coil broke third time this cab has failed.not good[/quote] Sorry to hear of all your problems.I had a look at the mb range when they first came out and was tempted to buy one until i found out where they were assembled.Not really giving marshall a good name in their bass department are they!At least they have their guitar amplifacation sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 [quote name='bobbytodd' date='Dec 19 2009, 11:56 AM' post='688979'] guess what yet another failure of my mb115 same probs as last time the solder on the inductor coil broke third time this cab has failed.not good [/quote I touched on this before, would it really matter if the crossover and tweeter were bypassed in the extension cab, can't believe it would make much difference especially if used in conjunction with a combo, I know it's not ideal but at least it wouldn't fail in the middle of a gig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbytodd Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 gonna bypass the pcb fortunately i was running two cabs so just took the lead out and used my 410 but this changed the sound levels in the mix.im really considering going for the peavey tour cabs never had and probs with peavey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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