MKibanez
Member
Someone knows this amp? Any sample, opinion?
blackba
Well-known member
Its a SS preamp and tube power amp. Not a bad sounding amp, especially the gain channel. I heard it around the time I had a dsl401 and preferred the artist. Have read about some transformer issues with these amps, but other than that, they are worth a shot if you can get one at a good deal.
R
Racerxrated
Well-known member
I've had one and a 4203, the combo version. Nice amps, little darker than a JCM 800 but same DNA with a solid state pre. Maybe a little more compressed sounding. Takes boosts well. 2 el34s but 30w, plenty loud through a 4x12. Get the volume up and they sound nice. Better tone IMO than a DSL.
Beyond Black
Well-known member
I played one for a couple of years 25 years ago. Great little amp. Ran a parametric in front and a graphic in the loop through two Marshall 4x12's and it sounded killer. Like Racerxrated said, it's plenty loud enough in a band situation.
Loudness250
New member
I had one and it sounded really good, I just wished it was a tiny bit louder. I had a 2204 also at the time and it was so, so much louder than the 3203. It is loud enough to be heard well over drums but it's pretty cranked to get it to really cut. Depends what kind of band situation you have, if it's speedmetal or something it won't quite be enough, if it's Hair Metal covers or something like just hard rock it will work. imho.
rupe
Active member
I bought one new in '86 and still use it weekly for rehearsals. Great amp.
Clip one of the legs on R13 and you'll get a nice, Fender-y clean sound as well.
Clip one of the legs on R13 and you'll get a nice, Fender-y clean sound as well.
cardinal
Well-known member
I've read that there are two versions: one where you pull a knob that lets you use the TMB controls with the boost channel and one that does not. The reviews say you really want the one with that pull function as the circuits are entirely different.
Rick Lee
Well-known member
I gigged with one for about a year in the early 90s. I wasn't as much of a tone freak back then, but I recall it being a very competent amp.
R
Racerxrated
Well-known member
I read that too..I don't think they exist. I've never seen one and I always look for a used one, whenever I find one none have the pull out tone control. The MOSFET 3310 has that, and looks just like the 3203...same layout on the front panel. Some have suggested that the coveted pull out tone 3203 is really a 3310 MOSFET.cardinal":l91hwayv said:
cardinal
Well-known member
^ could be. I have one of those MOSFET heads and it sounds killer. Not sure what the Artist sounds like.
rupe
Active member
I've never heard of a 3203/4203 with a "pull" function. The dirty channel EQ is a simple tone knob, but it dials the amp in pretty well. If you need more control or want more extreme tones, just add an eq.
I
Iron Dog
Member
Mine was my first good amp, bought it new and still have/love it. Mine is paired with an old beat to hell Ampeg V4 cab and it sounds great. If you're looking for the Marshall sound it's great, if you're after high-gain than not so much. The actual spring reverb is nice also.
I use mine with a TU-3 and NS-2 in through the front and a BBE Sonic Stomp, GE-7, & Nova Modulator through the loop. I find the BBE Sonic Stomp/Maximizer really helps, they work better with solid state preamps, same with the Rocktron Voodu Valve in my midi rig.
The best thing I can say about the amp is that it's never made want another Marshall or Marshall style amp.
Below is a review I found from a guy Warehouse Guitar Speakers
Vaughn's Musical Notation
Marshall's great sleeper amp - the Artist 3203/4203
Possibly the best Marshall deal out there? The Marshall Artist 3203 (head) and 3204 (1x12 Combo). Great Marshall crunch, superb Fenderish cleans, and best of all, they can usually carry a very reasonable price tag.
If you’re like me, you love the amazing crunchy power that only a full Marshall stack can deliver, but how often do most of us wind up on a stage where we can crank a JTM 45 through a full stack? In my case, nearly never! That, my friends, is why I’m so crazy about the 3203; read on and I’ll make my case for this little sleeper amp.
The Artist 3203, and it’s combo cousin the 4203, were made in the early eighties. Like Leo Fender’s Music Man amps of that time, they are a hybrid amp with a power section that consists of a pair of EL-84’s with a 12AX7 phase inverter and solid-state rectification. The pre section is all solid-state, but I gotta tell ya, it sounds friggin awesome. The amp is rated at 30 watts RMS, which makes it perfect for club gigs, plus the 34’s are running so cool that they last forever in this amp.
The boost channel has only controls for tone, gain, and volume, but that’s all it needs. This channel produces pure Marshall crunch in spades, and what’s really amazing is that it can do it at any volume. This is the holy grail of Marshall crunch tone; sounds like a full stack on the bleeding-edge, yet at a volume that is perfect for a club gig, or for recording!
The clean channel is equally surprising. In addition to a gain control, it sports a full bass-mid-treble tone stack. I’m a died-in-the-wool Fender amp guy, and I can honestly say that this channel can deliver some very nice Fenderish clean tones. Bring this amp to your next gig and you will have a single amp that does Yankee clean and British crunch with aplomb.
The amp is rounded-out with master controls for volume and Reverb, which feeds an actual long-spring Accutronics tank. There is also an efx loop, a line-out, and multiple output impedance taps come standard; all in all, a well equipped little amp!
I usually run my 3203 through a Marshall 1965B 4-10 cabinet. I’ve also tried it out in my Burriss 1-12 cab, and I really love it with the Vet 30 in closed-back mode, although open-back is also very nice. The 4203 1x12 combos came with Celestion G12’s stock, which don’t sound too awful, but I’d say that if you picked one up and put a Vet 30 or Retro 30 in it, you would have one very cool little Marshall combo for clubbing!
I use mine with a TU-3 and NS-2 in through the front and a BBE Sonic Stomp, GE-7, & Nova Modulator through the loop. I find the BBE Sonic Stomp/Maximizer really helps, they work better with solid state preamps, same with the Rocktron Voodu Valve in my midi rig.
The best thing I can say about the amp is that it's never made want another Marshall or Marshall style amp.
Below is a review I found from a guy Warehouse Guitar Speakers
Vaughn's Musical Notation
Marshall's great sleeper amp - the Artist 3203/4203
Possibly the best Marshall deal out there? The Marshall Artist 3203 (head) and 3204 (1x12 Combo). Great Marshall crunch, superb Fenderish cleans, and best of all, they can usually carry a very reasonable price tag.
If you’re like me, you love the amazing crunchy power that only a full Marshall stack can deliver, but how often do most of us wind up on a stage where we can crank a JTM 45 through a full stack? In my case, nearly never! That, my friends, is why I’m so crazy about the 3203; read on and I’ll make my case for this little sleeper amp.
The Artist 3203, and it’s combo cousin the 4203, were made in the early eighties. Like Leo Fender’s Music Man amps of that time, they are a hybrid amp with a power section that consists of a pair of EL-84’s with a 12AX7 phase inverter and solid-state rectification. The pre section is all solid-state, but I gotta tell ya, it sounds friggin awesome. The amp is rated at 30 watts RMS, which makes it perfect for club gigs, plus the 34’s are running so cool that they last forever in this amp.
The boost channel has only controls for tone, gain, and volume, but that’s all it needs. This channel produces pure Marshall crunch in spades, and what’s really amazing is that it can do it at any volume. This is the holy grail of Marshall crunch tone; sounds like a full stack on the bleeding-edge, yet at a volume that is perfect for a club gig, or for recording!
The clean channel is equally surprising. In addition to a gain control, it sports a full bass-mid-treble tone stack. I’m a died-in-the-wool Fender amp guy, and I can honestly say that this channel can deliver some very nice Fenderish clean tones. Bring this amp to your next gig and you will have a single amp that does Yankee clean and British crunch with aplomb.
The amp is rounded-out with master controls for volume and Reverb, which feeds an actual long-spring Accutronics tank. There is also an efx loop, a line-out, and multiple output impedance taps come standard; all in all, a well equipped little amp!
I usually run my 3203 through a Marshall 1965B 4-10 cabinet. I’ve also tried it out in my Burriss 1-12 cab, and I really love it with the Vet 30 in closed-back mode, although open-back is also very nice. The 4203 1x12 combos came with Celestion G12’s stock, which don’t sound too awful, but I’d say that if you picked one up and put a Vet 30 or Retro 30 in it, you would have one very cool little Marshall combo for clubbing!
K
kalt
Member
Iron Dog":2kw6m3g1 said:
Similar to above, was my first decent amp. Bought new from GC in 89 and still have it. Still have the matching 212. Kind of cool 212 as they are on a diagonal so it looks sort of like 2/3rds of a 412. Nice amp for classic marshall tones. Doesn't get much play anymore because of my other amps so I've been thinking of moving it on, just hard to for sentimental reasons.
Overall, great budget classic Marshall tone
