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Marshall MG30DFXCan you do better than a Marshall MG30DFX electric guitar amplifier? It has the Marshall name, after all, and Marshall is the king of amps -- or at least one of them. Maybe you can actually do better, though. 
If Marshall is an amp king, this model is merely a courtesan or hanger-on. This isn’t the amp upon which the Marshall dynasty rests, according to most equipment reviewers. Sure, Marshall sold plenty of this low-end, relatively low-powered amp before replacing it in 2009 with the MG30FX. But one word doesn’t crop up very often when describing it: reliable. Low-end MG series amps have a reputation -- deserved or not -- for being unreliable. While people have a higher regard for its replacement model, reviewers often comment that the MG30DFX cuts out and suffers from other sound issues. Relying on the brand name as their guide, however, some players purchased this model expecting the same sound quality and dependability that Marshall offers to high-end purchasers. It’s just not going to happen on the lower end of any company’s product line. Still, many guitarists make great practice amps or small gigging amps from this 30-watt box. A solid-state combo amp, the MG30DFX features a 10-inch speaker that puts out more sound that you would expect for its power. Two channels -- a clean one with decent sound and a distorted overdrive channel -- give players a flip-of-the-switch style choice, and the channels have independent tone and other controls. Add on a footswitch if you like; that’s supported. The drive channel has a gain knob, too, to allow you to dial-in just the right level of distortion. Expand the thickness of the tone, if you like, with a built-in contour control as well. It also offers CD input and digital effects. Now comes the hard part: Should you buy one of these used if you get the chance? You get the Marshall name and a pretty decent array of features. And some say the reliability problems are overstated. Either way, you can get one pretty cheap. Here’s the thing, though. For the same money, you could get any one of several other low-end amps… a Fender maybe. Without the question of reliability issues hanging over its head, does the Fender look a little better than this Marshall MG30DFX? And there are plenty of other down-market amps that perform reasonably well. Whether you choose this Marshall amp or something else is up to you, but you know what you really should do. Tell us what you know about this ampUpload your images, or send us the url to your video. We'll embed it on this page, and give you plenty of feedback. Marshall MG30DFX to Marshall Amplifiers |