Marshall Code25, Code50

review
MARSHALL CODE25 & CODE50 COMBOS
98
Guitarist july 2016
MARSHALL CODE25 COMBO
& CODE50 COMBO
£169 & £299
CONTACT Marshall Amplification PHONE [phone] WEB www.marshallamps.com
What You Need To Know
What’s a modelling amplifier?
A modern type of guitar amp that
uses a DSP (Digital Signal Processor)
chip to generate a wide range of
preamp sounds and effects, with the
convenience of programmability and
stored patches. A modelling amp
is usually connected to a sonically
transparent power amp and specially
designed loudspeakers to coax the
best sounds from the preamp.
And what about MST modelling?
It’s Marshall’s own method of
duplicating its legendary valve
amplifiers in the digital domain.
It’s been developed jointly with
Softube, who are the world leaders
in software plug-ins for digital audio
recording and music production,
hence MST, which stands for Marshall
Softube Technology.
And the Marshall Gateway?
This is a powerful app for mobile
devices that connects to the Code
amps using Bluetooth. It can be used
to edit all the amp’s parameters in
real-time, as well as stream audio
and edit/store all the patches. It’s a
brilliant piece of design – and actually
easier to use than the Code amp’s
own controls.
Marshall devotee at ease. The cabinets
are a mix of particle board and MDF, with
the electronics mounted on four PCBs.
There’s one for the built-in power supply
screwed to the inside of the cabinet, while
the other three are for the controls, digital
preamp and solid-state power stage, all
connected to the underside of the control
panel. Everything looks typically neat, with
minimal wiring between the boards.
On the Code50, we have familiar rotary
controls for gain, bass, mid, treble and
volume, which are all programmable,
together with a non-programmable
master volume and two more knobs to
scroll through and edit presets. Sitting
over the top of these knobs is a row of neat
illuminated push-button switches, which
access the Code’s preamp, power amp and
speaker cabinet models, along with the
built-in digital effects.
Marshall has collaborated with software
plug-in supremos Softube to create the
amp models. There are 14 MST preamp
choices, four MST power amp models and
eight MST speaker cabinets, which can be
N
eil Young released an album
with Crazy Horse in 1979 called
Rust Never Sleeps. The words in
this title ring true with technology, and
it’s just as relevant for guitar amps, as it
is for television sets or mobile phones. In
recent years, there’s been a jump in the
quality of digitally modelled sounds, with
several manufacturers incorporating a
Digital Signal Processor (DSP) front end
into a head or combo format. Most major
manufacturers now have a product such
as this in their catalogue. One exception,
until recently, was Marshall. But that’s now
changed with its latest debut, the all-new
Code series, and here we place the spotlight
on the Code25 and Code50.
Both Code amps have a sleek, modern
look about them that’s still unmistakably
Marshall, with ‘none more black’ vinyl
and grille cloth, topped by the famous
white script logo. An anodised gold panel
fitted with slightly squatter versions of
Marshall’s standard gold-top control
knob sits in a cutaway on the cabinet top
panel. All familiar stuff, which puts any
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VIDEO DEMO http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT408.rev_marsh.indd 98 5/12/16 3:49 PM