Marshall Valvestate VS100H/8100 Love Thread

[jgcable]

Just want to profess the love. Year after year... practically decade after decade... this amp never ceases to amaze me. Bedroom levels, home jamming, recording, rehearsing with a loud band, gigging... the reliability.. the features.
I vote this amp as the best solid state high gain amp for metal players ever made.
3 channels. All are totally useable, user friendly effects loop. I don't use the contour knob or the dimension buttons on the later VS100's.

Every time my metal band rehearses (we rehearse loud in a very very small room), the other guitar player uses a VS100 into one of those cheap Valvestate 4 x 12 cabs. His tone is fantastic at every rehearsal. He puts a LPB1 in the loop for solo boost and a wah out in front.
Great tone and he is REALLY EASY to hear because the VS100 on OD1 has a ton of midrange.
When we play live he breaks out his expensive high end half stack. I can rarely if ever hear him. It just doesn't cut like the VS100.
Now I am using a VS100 live through a Randall 2 x 12 slant cab loaded with Peavey Sheffield speakers. I put a carbon comp delay in the loop and I use clean, OD1 for heavy rhythm and OD2 for solo's. I can finally hear myself no matter what room we are gigging or rehearsing in. Maybe its just me... but.... the inexpensive VS100 is extremely easy for me to hear live.
Anyway.... you can pick one of these 3 channel heads up for $100 all day long. It will be the best $100 you ever spent.

[asix]

I lusted after the (i think) 8080 combo as a teen never tried one other than in a shop. i wonder how one of the newer modelling pre amps would work into the power stage?

[toejam]

Nice. I've still got my old 8240 stereo chorus 2x12 combo that I bought new in the early '90s.

[markD]

I was always a big fan of the 8100. I still get excited whenever I see one for sale. I just have no reason to buy one anymore, other than to just have.....

[jgcable]

I was always a big fan of the 8100. I still get excited whenever I see one for sale. I just have no reason to buy one anymore, other than to just have.....

Mark, we had rehearsal last night. Of course, the other lead guitar player used the old 8100 head through the cheap undersized Marshall valvestate 4 x 12 cab again. Again.... fantastic tone. I told him I really think he should leave his multi-thousand dollar rig at home for gigs and use the 8100 instead.
I have 2 of the VS100HR's which were the last of the 8100 based heads. The ones I own are 3 channel and to my ears they sound exactly like the old late 80's 8100's. I love em.

[DRM]

"BEHOLD...the 8100...and the power it holds"

Chuck Schuldiner's tone slayed with those old Valvestates.

[kamanda]

Love my little AVT20 for practice. The 8100's are great as well. Might pick one up one day as a backup.

[toejam]

I have 2 of the VS100HR's which were the last of the 8100 based heads. The ones I own are 3 channel and to my ears they sound exactly like the old late 80's 8100's. I love em.

Not in the late '80s. I'm pretty sure the Valvestate series didn't start until 1991.

[straycat]

Its funny you mentioned the VS 100 and solid state Marshalls.
I went to a band practice with a friend and he needed an amp to use.
He didn't care what it was but it had to have a 4X12 cab.
I took my Behringer GMX 1200H half stack for him to use.
Between the Behringer GMX and the other guitar players VS100 we all were floored how tight the overall guitar tone was.
This band is more of a thrash metal style and both amps kicked ass all afternoon.
Like you I could hear each guitar player separately no matter which side of the stage I was on.
I never knock a solid state amp because I happen to like them.
Yes some SS amps have a better OD than others but there are pedals to get the OD you like.

[RR2772]

My first amp was the 8100 which I got brand new back in 1993 with a 1960 JCM 900 cabinet as I had already upgrade for later in mind and the 8100 got traded in for a 4100 Dual reverb so no need to upgrade the cabinet and I had that cab for at least a decade.

The gain of the 8100 was not what I was after back then and it took a decade to find a Mesa/Boogie Quad to end the hi gain tone hunt.

[PowerTube]

Never used a Valvestate, but I've always felt that solid state amps generally have have a prettier clean sound than tube amps. My Carvin X100B is an exception to that rule.

[Rich#6]

I miss my 8100 when I see threads like this, bought mine new too. Never should have sold it. (Didn't like the vs100 I had). I have 2x12 combo from the series that all the pots crackle but I'm playing through that more then my Bugera 333xl tube head.

[jgcable]

I miss my 8100 when I see threads like this, bought mine new too. Never should have sold it. (Didn't like the vs100 I had). I have 2x12 combo from the series that all the pots crackle but I'm playing through that more then my Bugera 333xl tube head.

I have an 8100 and I have 2 VS100 heads. They all sound absolutely identical to me.

[jgcable]

UPDATE.... in case anybody is interested.... last night I brought one of my VS100 heads to rehearsal. I plugged it into an old crappy Line 6 4 x 12 cab which had fairly questionable worn out speakers. Anyway... I used all 3 channels on the VS100. Clean, OD1 for heavy rhythm and OD2 for solo. At the end of rehearsal both the bass player and the drummer commented that I had REALLY good guitar tone and they really liked the sound of that amp. They know nothing about amps and didn't even realize that the other guitar player has been playing an 8100 for the last 2 years at rehearsal. Anyway.... I thought it sounded fantastic and it was VERY easy to hear because of all the mids. Also.. because OD2 has a lot more saturation its a great channel for soloing. Very thick and very clear. The one thing about the VS100/8100 that really stands out is these amps have literally no buzz or fizz. They sound exactly like a Marshall.
Rehearsal was really fun last night. Good guitar tone tends to help out on that.