BARON or SPLAWN for the best Marshall Killer or modern...

  • Thread starter Thread starter richedie
  • Start date Start date
R

richedie

New member
...Marshall type amp?

I decided I just love the Marshall vibe but I tend to like modded Marshall and tweaked Marshalls so I decided I am going to look for a Marshall killer. Best I have found so far is the Splawn STreetrod, nice managable 50 watts, killer tones all around. But, more and more friends and people on forums are recommending the Baron B series.

So, I would love to hear from guys who have owned/played both.

Looking for decent cleans, can be somewhat broken up...I don;t need pristine cleans. Gains tones from Led Zep, Rush, Van Halen, to 90s STP, Jerry Cantrell to APC Billy Howerdell tones...just killer Marshally tones.

I am on the fence now with the Splawn SR or Baron B60.

I would prefer to keep the price at $1600 or less.....so mostly will search for a used one.
Aplwn amps are getting up there in price - the SR head went from $1500 to $1850 in a year! If I go by clips since I can;t try em all, the Barrons do it the most for me.

I keep hearing of harsh mids with Splawns but the Streetrod is supposed to be smoother.

Would love a Soldano HR+ but can't live with the line level loop.

Surreal amps looks interesting.
 
harsh mids in splawns has never been my experience with them. every quickrod i have played was extremely picky about the speakers you used. the ones i have tested were loud as fuck, extremely stupid loud - louder than my 5150 by far. they had an ice-pick character to the top end that would pierce your skull no matter where the presence or high's were set to. again, this just means that they are speaker specific, so i suggest you evaluate what speakers you plan to run, as a splawn through celestion 75's or CL-80's would be a no-no from my experience with QR's.

Baron is a great guy and builds great amplifiers, but his amplifiers are a take on marshalls, not marshall-esque directly like a metroamplifier build persay. you can hear a character trait in all of his models. either you love it or hate it. of the baron amplifiers i prefer the B60 model the most.

if you arent throwing speakers into the consideration, i would suggest a B60.
 
Yeah I own a K88 and it's just killer. Maybe a bit too modern for what your talking about but the B60 sounds like what your looking for.
 
Ask me in July, had a streetrod and now have a B120 on order. :D
 
Thanks guys. Actually I find the THD Longhorn classic lead 80s in my THD to be thick, sweet and warm and a little dark.

I use Celestion heritage g12-65s, k-100s, THD Longhorn CL80s and sometimes Greenbacks.

I hear the Streetrod is much darker and warmer than the QR.

Funny, before I went this route I was about to get a Mesa Mark V till I realized mesas are too stiff and all preamp, lacking that creamy Marshall compression.
 
Mudder":223t49nx said:
Neither. Go Freidman.
Click to expand...

I went the Friedman route after contemplating a lot of options, but I am still waiting on the amp...

Its hard to find a Friedman modded Marshall for the money you speak. They are usually a tad higher priced, not so much so...
 
The Friedman 2 channel amps are too expensive and I never like their clips.

Yes Marshall compression
 
BrokenFusion":17nxw6rl said:
Marshall compression?
Click to expand...
You are incorrect. Compression exists in all tube amplifiers, once you reach a certain level of volume. Some have more than others depending on the tubes and the class of operation.
I think when we're getting EQ and compression confused. Truth be told, Marshall, Bogner, Cornford, Splawn...etc are really no more compressed than the other. Compared to Mesa (front end saturation), the Marshall tone-stack is a different design, and lends itself to a more "compressed like" tone. The cathode-bias / Class A amplifiers are going to be even more compressed, due to the very nature of the circuit design.

Friedman Naked is about $3500 for a 2 channel head! Yikes! Splawns and Barons sound as good if not better for much less money!
 
Yeah, I've played Marshalls that were on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to compression/feel. Some JTMs have that squishy-"play itself" type of feel going on, where some NMV Marshalls are so open and hard sounding that there's hardly any compression at all (short of maybe cranking it all the way up).

Same with Fenders. And probably a bunch of other amps.
 
I agree, Baron sounds like best Marshall I have ever heard! But I have an opportunity at a good deal on a Serreal 50 watter that is tempting.

I had wanted a PWE Event Horizon but they ate too expensive.
 
steve_k":3h267p5g said:
Why not just get a killer Marshall?
Click to expand...


I have owned lots of Marshalls, I have found I like other companies takes on the original even better....kind of like taking a Marshall and improving it. To find a Marshall with agreat clean channel that balances well with tne gain channel and has the features I like was near impossible. My favorite Marshall are old JMPs of which I have one but just hasn't worked for me in a gig situation.

Most newer Marshalls that have the featues I like, don't sound that great to nor are they built that well.
 
I'm with you on the Baron though. Serious K2 gas......but not for anything resembling Marshall.
 
After reading all the posts by the OP...the decision has been made. :)
Pull the trigger Bro. :doh:
Baron................................................... :yes:
 


I have to admit, the Baron B60-120 amps have really had my attention for awhile now. They seem like a killer take on the aggressive british modded-marshall vibe, but have an original voicing of their own.

The only thing I'm unsure of is if the amps can attain that certain "rawness" of a JCM or JMP. The Baron has such a cool sound, but it seems to always have a certain "sheen" present. Kind of like a really polished sort of grease in the tone that seems really desirable for some rippin leads, but may get a little old after awhile...not really sure without playing one myself, but it sort of seems like an "idealized" british hot-rodded tone if that makes any sense. :confused:

Either way, they are high on my list right now of amps that I want to play. I've spoken with Dave over the phone and he's a genuinely great guy and very knowledgable. He knows his shit!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top