Marshall Code25, Code50

99
july 2016 Guitarist
review MARSHALL CODE25 & CODE50 COMBOS
combined for an almost unlimited range
of tones. There are no less than 24 digital
effects, including overdrives, compressors,
delays, reverbs and modulations, which
can be used up to four at a time. As you’d
expect, all the classic Marshall tones
are represented, alongside some more
USA-influenced sounds. The push-
button switches also operate secondary
functions including the guitar tuner, tap
tempo setting for the delay and the Code’s
Bluetooth feature. There’s a mini USB
socket for connection to your computer
that’s used for firmware updates and
duplex audio streaming. Other panel
connections include a single input jack for
guitar, a 3.5mm aux in for mp3 players, a
headphones socket that also doubles as a
line out, and a jack for the optional four-
button programmable foot controller.
The Code25 comes with a slightly
rearranged control layout, with one knob
doubling the preset and edit functions,
together with a smaller LCD display.
Otherwise, the controls and features are
practically identical.
Perhaps the most interesting connection
on both Code combos is the one you can’t
see, which joins the Code to any mobile
device running Marshall’s Gateway app,
via Bluetooth. Gateway allows instant and
precise editing of all amp parameters, as
well as streaming audio from your mobile
device to play along with.
Sounds
The first contact any potential buyer will
have with the Code amps will probably be
using the factory presets, and the Code’s
‘out of the box’ sounds are mostly very good,
with several excellent and immediately
usable emulations of classic Marshall
tones. The all-important preset 00 ‘EL34
Heaven’, which is the first one most new
users will hear, is instant guitar warrior
self-gratification, with tons of distortion,
sustain, reverb and delay blended into a
truly epic solo sound! Meanwhile, preset
01 ‘Plexi Classic’ is a superb stripped-back
emulation of a 1959 Super Lead plugged
into a 1936 cabinet, enhanced with a touch
of room reverb, which we instantly put to
use on a recording project.
The preamp, power amp and cabinet
models are equally rewarding to use, while
the Code’s built-in effects generally live
up to the same standard, with excellent
studio-quality reverbs and delays. Some of
the modulation effects could do with a little
You can edit the amp’s
parameters using the
Gateway app, which
connects seamlessly
via Bluetooth
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GIT408.rev_marsh.indd 99 5/12/16 3:49 PM