marshall MB450H

[hitchy64]

Hello out there,
anyone using a Marshall MB450H amp head and a MBC410 cab. I was wondering what they were like .
I would be greatfull for any comments. Thanks

[bassmachine2112]

hiho,I use a mb450 head and 2 2x10 cabs ,4 ohm each and it is massive.The only problem I had was a microphonic pre amp valve(ecc 83) replaced this with one from a marshall geetar amp and away we go.I would like to stick a 4x12 on it with a 2x10 but it,s a lot easier to move 2 2x10,s than a 4x12 or a 4x10.
modern channel is very clean.classic channel is classic,loadsa thump and volume.
hope this helps

[bobbytodd]

i was unlucky enough to but the mb115.i have now decided that the mb stands for made badly.ive not long had the cab and its packed in twice.as it was going to cost £50 postage to send it back to nevada music i opend it up it see if i could find the fault myself.i took the plate off the back and it looked like it had been soldered by i blind monkey there is a thread somewhere on this site from folk who have had the same problem.by the way the head is ok but just ok

[leonshelley01]

I use a Marshall MB4210 and I'm really pleased with it. Having tried an Ashdown, Peavey and Line 6 in the shop when I bought the Marshall, it had the sound I was looking for and is hugely versatile. I have had no problems with it either gigging or rehearsing in the past 18 months and am now getting the matching 1x15 extension cab just for giggles.

[Guest MoJo]

I used to run two MBC410's (or one MBC410 with one MBC115) and powered them with a Laney B1 head (1500 watts into 4 ohms). IMHO the cabinets were poorly made with cheap inefficient drivers in them. Even with all that power running through them, I wouldn't say they were any louder than the 122H Trace Combo I currently own (2 x 10 300w into 4 ohms)

Prior to that I had the MB4410 combo and that was equally disappointing

[font="Century Gothic"][size=4]POOR[/size][/font]

[font="Century Gothic"][size=4]JUST AS BAD[/size][/font]

[font="Century Gothic"][size=4]LOOKS IMPRESSIVE BUT IS ACTUALLY PANTS[/size][/font]


Unfortunately the old saying is true: [b]YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR[/b]

Edited July 19, 2009 by bassman2790

[dudewheresmybass]

recently, i had the opportunity to ab the mb head and the VBA head at the marshall factory.
whilst there was a noticeable difference between the two, i was able to coax some tasty tones from the MB, even getting close to those emanating from the VBA.
it has to be said that the VBA is streets ahead in all areas but i found the MB to be extremely capable at the price point.
the 410 i used at the factory was obviously a demo cab but i found no issues. I have no experiece of the 115 though.

hope this helps

[Al Heeley]

[quote name='bobbytodd' post='544661' date='Jul 19 2009, 01:19 PM']i was unlucky enough to but the mb115.i have now decided that the mb stands for made badly.ive not long had the cab and its packed in twice.as it was going to cost £50 postage to send it back to nevada music i opend it up it see if i could find the fault myself.i took the plate off the back and it looked like it had been soldered by i blind monkey there is a thread somewhere on this site from folk who have had the same problem.by the way the head is ok but just ok[/quote]
That was me, i got the blind monkey solderer and his friend the clueless gluer - the inductor coil was loose and vibrations from playing/transporting severed the copper wire connecting it to the pcb. i have now removed the inductor and replaced by a short wire, which has solved the issue - i never use the horn anyway.

[bobbytodd]

the inductor coil was loose on my cab poor design.i had expected more from marshall but then again they make them in india or some far off place where labour is cheap.as soon as i can palm it off on anyone I'll be buying hartke or genz benz but not marshall ever again

[leonshelley01]

There seems to be a pattern here. Maybe I won't buy the 1x15 cab then! I don't really need it as I've never had the volume on the MB4210 past 4 anyway and I love the tone as is. I was only going to get one to raise the height of the amp. Maybe I should just get one of those Quicklok amp stands instead?

[Al Heeley]

well a couple of chairs would be a good potion and cheaper. the 115 adds a lot of depth to the sound which i like, but Marshall really have to brush up on their quality control - sending manufacturing off to asia is often the only way to remain in business nowadays but once the brand image has degenerated dur to lapses in quality/reliability there's nothing left for your company, and Marshall have such a great brand pedigree it is a shame to see another British company falling foul of these sorts of issues.

[xgsjx]

I think in this economic climate they could build Marshall gear back in the UK & still have cheap labour but with higher skilled staff (people who know what a soldering iron is or what "Quality" actually means).

[Al Heeley]

Coming from an industry where most of our uk and Germany manufacturing has already been closed down and now run out of India, the accounts guys say the labour charge is about 1/4 of the UK costs - its not just salaries, its cost of living, pensions, insurance, healthcare, etc.
When the labour cost of a manufacturing organisation is about 70% of the entire operating costs, this is a no-brainer. However, few industries manage the relocation well without impacting the quality or reputation of their brand. Very sad to see another great British company heading down this road too, but I guess it's better than seeing them taken into receivership - not that I want to imply that Marshall Amplification is in any way suffereing from financial instability. If we hadn't moved manufacturing, we'd be probably bankrupt by now

Edited July 21, 2009 by Al Heeley

[Al Heeley]

I thought it worth mentioning my phone call today with a very helpful person at Marshall spares who offered to put a new inductor coil in the post to me with no more questions asked. (once I said that shipping back a huge heavy box instead of a 2 minute solder job on a postcard sized simple pcb was not practical) They said they were not permitted to send out parts for amps to unqualified/unregistered people due to the potential electrocution hazards, which is fair enough. The extn cab does not carry potentially lethal currents

[leonshelley01]

I've never had a problem with any other Marshall product I've previously owned (AVT100, DSL401) and the amp itself has never been an issue, so I may well get the MBC115 anyway seeing as their service department has always been helpful and I live within 20 miles of Bletchley anyway if there is a problem.

Whilst moving production overseas is bad for the British economy, I completely understand it may be essential for some brands to survive. What I fail to understand is the poor quality control in some cases. You hear about some really dodgy MIM Fenders, but I have yet to hear a complaint about Chinese VM or CV Squiers.

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='leonshelley01' post='545961' date='Jul 21 2009, 07:13 AM']There seems to be a pattern here. Maybe I won't buy the 1x15 cab then! I don't really need it as I've never had the volume on the MB4210 past 4 anyway and I love the tone as is. I was only going to get one to raise the height of the amp. Maybe I should just get one of those Quicklok amp stands instead?[/quote]
I would urge anyone who has one of the MB combos to get the 1x15 extension cabinet. BUT I will also give you some words of warning!

Firstly, I bought a 2nd hand (2 years old) MB4210 (2 x 10 combo) from a local recording studio. It was in perfect cosmetic condition. It's a great sounding amp and 300 watts. Very flexible, loads of great sounds available - and plenty loud for just about any size gig.

I bought the 1 x 15 extension, partly for the fact that it gives an extra 150 Watts (boosting the whole thing to 450 watts) .... and partly because it makes a cool looking stack. I've gotta say, I loved the sound of the 2 x 10 combo on its own, but the MBC115 1 x 15 cabinet brings it to a different level. It brings a lot more warmth to the sound - just makes it sound fuller. ... also, it looks like a proper bass stack.

There is such a range of sounds, that I am sure, whatever you play, that you will find the sound you are after.

I would go as far as saying that, I think, it is not possible to get a better bass sound ..... especially as I play either a USA Jazz or Precision through it. PERFECT.

Now here are the words of warning !!!!!

When I first used the combo, I noticed a slight ringing sound whenever the classic channel was engaged. This is quite a common issue according to all of the posts I have seen in various forums. No doubt a valve problem I thought and I resolved to investigate that later.

Next thing I know, the amp fails on me during a band rehearsal. It started "farting" (another common thing I have come across in forums). It got worse and worse until the classic channel failed completely. HOWEVER, you should note that this was ONLY the classic channel. The modern (solid state) channel was completely fine - so the amp did not fail totally. I just switched to the modern channel and continued.

I bought a new ECC83 valve (the amp only has one valve - a pre amp valve) for £12 and decided to replace it myself. Accessing the valve isn't easy. You've gotta remove 8 bolts and extract whole amp chassis from the cabinet - which stubornly wants to stay in. There is a speaker lead that gets in the way too. When I got the amp out, I saw a possible reason for the ringing sound. There is a rather flimsy valve retaining clip, which wasn't clipped in properly and could easily have been vibrating. I also noted that the whole amp looked rather flimsy on the inside. The PCB that the valve connects to is not very substantial. Also, a few of the retaining nuts used for the chassis bolts had disintegrated. I had to replace the errant nuts and i seated the valve and fitted the retaining clip properly - and all works well again.

So, it has a GREAT sound, but is definitely built down to a price. Having said that, at less than £450 new (or £300 used like me) it is incredible value.

I'm gonna add the MB450H head to my stack and that should give me the added security in case I get a failure during a gig. It will also look extra super cool.

I really recommend this amp to everyone - but recognise the pitfalls and build some failsafe into it .... and you'll be fine.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='mercuryl' post='903578' date='Jul 23 2010, 09:19 PM']I would urge anyone who has one of the MB combos to get the 1x15 extension cabinet. BUT I will also give you some words of warning!

Firstly, I bought a 2nd hand (2 years old) MB4210 (2 x 10 combo) from a local recording studio. It was in perfect cosmetic condition. It's a great sounding amp and 300 watts. Very flexible, loads of great sounds available - and plenty loud for just about any size gig.

I bought the 1 x 15 extension, partly for the fact that it gives an extra 150 Watts (boosting the whole thing to 450 watts) .... and partly because it makes a cool looking stack. I've gotta say, I loved the sound of the 2 x 10 combo on its own, but the MBC115 1 x 15 cabinet brings it to a different level. It brings a lot more warmth to the sound - just makes it sound fuller. ... also, it looks like a proper bass stack.

There is such a range of sounds, that I am sure, whatever you play, that you will find the sound you are after.

I would go as far as saying that, I think, it is not possible to get a better bass sound ..... especially as I play either a USA Jazz or Precision through it. PERFECT.

Now here are the words of warning !!!!!

When I first used the combo, I noticed a slight ringing sound whenever the classic channel was engaged. This is quite a common issue according to all of the posts I have seen in various forums. No doubt a valve problem I thought and I resolved to investigate that later.

Next thing I know, the amp fails on me during a band rehearsal. It started "farting" (another common thing I have come across in forums). It got worse and worse until the classic channel failed completely. HOWEVER, you should note that this was ONLY the classic channel. The modern (solid state) channel was completely fine - so the amp did not fail totally. I just switched to the modern channel and continued.

I bought a new ECC83 valve (the amp only has one valve - a pre amp valve) for £12 and decided to replace it myself. Accessing the valve isn't easy. You've gotta remove 8 bolts and extract whole amp chassis from the cabinet - which stubornly wants to stay in. There is a speaker lead that gets in the way too. When I got the amp out, I saw a possible reason for the ringing sound. There is a rather flimsy valve retaining clip, which wasn't clipped in properly and could easily have been vibrating. I also noted that the whole amp looked rather flimsy on the inside. The PCB that the valve connects to is not very substantial. Also, a few of the retaining nuts used for the chassis bolts had disintegrated. I had to replace the errant nuts and i seated the valve and fitted the retaining clip properly - and all works well again.

So, it has a GREAT sound, but is definitely built down to a price. Having said that, at less than £450 new (or £300 used like me) it is incredible value.

I'm gonna add the MB450H head to my stack and that should give me the added security in case I get a failure during a gig. It will also look extra super cool.

I really recommend this amp to everyone - but recognise the pitfalls and build some failsafe into it .... and you'll be fine.[/quote]
I recommend them too. I`ve used the MB450H with the MB410 cab for the last 18 months, and its been great. Am in a punk band, was previously in a heavy rock band, both with 2 guitarsists with half-stacks, and never needed the amp on more than 5, on the classic channel. Lovely warm vintage sounds.

Am in fact selling this set-up at present, on Basschat, £300 for both head and cab, full dust covers included, castors added to the cab for increased portability.
Check it out

[bassmachine2112]

I forgot to add that the cabs I use are good old peavey 2x 10s,maybe not the best sounding(sound fine to me) but bullet proof reliable and solid made .
For the price the head is good value and so far reliable.

[CraigPlaysBass]

I currently own the mb450h and the mbc410 and am hoping to soon be buying another mbc410, bringing the output of the amp to 450 watts

There are a lot of useable sounds, it can take a fair bit of tweaking to get what you really want but once you're there, some really very nice sounds come out of this setup. Oh and it is loud, yeah, very loud!

[CraigPlaysBass]

Forgot to add, the first time I gigged it, it broke, yeah...

Basically the bypass between the effects in/out broke. This was easily fixed by just leaving a patch cable plugged in at all times.

[bassmachine2112]

hiho,It seems to me that the heads are pretty good and reliable and the combo,s but the cabs are pants,that,s a no brainer to rectify if you don,t mind not having matching logos on your cabs.
Old peaveys for me ,never missed a beat

[grenadilla]

My Marshall MB450H {made in Vietnam } sounds good and the two channels get different sounds. Only one speaker jack is working. I was able to connect four 8ohm cabinets because they have two jacks on the back.

[danhkr]

I think the bigger MB series stuff sounds great for the money but I'm not sure about build quality and reliability. Mixed reports.

[hillbilly deluxe]

Not a patch on the Marshall DBS gear.

[PaulWarning]

I've got a MB4210 which I use with a 1x15 extension cab (not a marshall) and agree with comments made on here, great value for money, very loud good sounding amps with build quality issues, mine had faults when I first bought it, Marshall gave me a replacement which also had a broken spade terminal on the speaker wire, but since then I have not had any trouble at all in about 50, 2 hour gigs.

[Bigjas]

I bought an MB4410 combo 15 months ago, it was great for about a month and then started to make crackling noises from the gain pot. I sent it back and now have a replacement one. This one has been great, not missed a beat and as mentioned before, it makes some great noises when you tinker with the settings. I use both channels for different songs (I'm in a covers band) and it also has a 'Blend' channel that blends both the classic and modern channels, which is great. The amp has clearly been made on a budget, but it has great sounds and is quite versatile. It is bloody heavey at 51kgs so would recommend the head and cab stack.

Would I buy another? ............................... Yes I would, I love it and I always have my Peavey as a back up

Jas