Marshall 6100 LM Anniversary Model - Experience?

Bad.Seed

Well-known member
I have a 2005 Gibson SG standard in excellent shape listed for sale locally for $850.

I've had a guy hitting me up frequently, trying to trade me a really clean Marshall 6100 LM straight up for the guitar. I am interested, but it seems these amps have a track record of having issues, and are really difficult to work on.

On top of that, one of the issues I remember reading about was a board frying that can no longer be replaced.

I feel it's a risky trade, but people who own the amps seem to really enjoy them.

Thoughts or feedback on these amps? It seems to be a fairly even trade.
 
Buddy of mine is very passionate collector of 6100 series. He has all 4 heads and combo. Problematic part is midi circuit but there is guy from who is possible to get parts. I dont had problems with mine.
The amp has great, maybe greatest clean channel, of all Marshall multichannels. Great JCM crunch and JCM900 meets Recto lead channel.
But for trade, I think SG have little bit more value (200-300$) , at least in EU.
 
bubucci":38jc0oix said:
Buddy of mine is very passionate collector of 6100 series. He has all 4 heads and combo. Problematic part is midi circuit but there is guy from who is possible to get parts. I dont had problems with mine.
The amp has great, maybe greatest clean channel, of all Marshall multichannels. Great JCM crunch and JCM900 meets Recto lead channel.
But for trade, I think SG have little bit more value (200-300$) , at least in EU.

Thanks for the actual helpful feedback.
I'm still reading up on this model, but it seems what you say about the cleans is a popular. I'm guessing the lead channel has more of a modern voicing to it?

Over here they seem to be about equal. The cheapest 6100 LM I can find right now is $899, most sold listings are between 800-1000
 
LM mod have more gain but even nonLM have enough. Lead channel is kind of DSL Lead channels voicing not classic 80’s Marshall. There are some minor changes in poweramp if it is 5881 version. I personally rank it above DSL, Jcm900, equall to slightly moded JVM’s or 2 channel JCM800.
 
I would definitely pass in your situation.

Amp is probably hard to sell, given that he wants to trade rather than just selling it outright himself.

It's an old amp that hasn't really developed a big following or outsized reputation despite having plenty of time to do so.

And even if you do end up liking it, there's the reliability and repairability problems you mention.

I'd wait and get another Marshall if that's the type of tone you're looking for.
 
cardinal":3gtrsym3 said:
I would definitely pass in your situation.

Amp is probably hard to sell, given that he wants to trade rather than just selling it outright himself.

It's an old amp that hasn't really developed a big following or outsized reputation despite having plenty of time to do so.

And even if you do end up liking it, there's the reliability and repairability problems you mention.

I'd wait and get another Marshall if that's the type of tone you're looking for.

I agree, I'd pass as well. It's too risky, and it's been my experience that they are problematic. There's parts in there that are near impossible to get, if something happened.
 
Thanks guys. You're all pretty much confirming my fears. I'll pass on this one. Even if it works well now, no telling what can happen down the road and I don't want to be up an $850 shit creek.
 
This thread came up at the right time as I was considering a 6100LM that came into my local store. The manager let me take a look at it before they put it out and it looks like a clunky nightmare inside and out. Tons of lights and knobs, and tons of tubes (7 preamp tubes!). Plus I think this one is the non-EL34 one from that 90’s tube shortage era.
Having said that the clips I’ve heard online sound great, but it doesn’t seem worth the hassle.
 
Bad.Seed":1jx3pen1 said:
I have a 2005 Gibson SG standard in excellent shape listed for sale locally for $850.

I've had a guy hitting me up frequently, trying to trade me a really clean Marshall 6100 LM straight up for the guitar. I am interested, but it seems these amps have a track record of having issues, and are really difficult to work on.

On top of that, one of the issues I remember reading about was a board frying that can no longer be replaced.

I feel it's a risky trade, but people who own the amps seem to really enjoy them.

Thoughts or feedback on these amps? It seems to be a fairly even trade.

From personal experience (I have a 6100 Anniversary, not the LM), yes they have a lot of stuff going on inside and can be prone to failure. Mine shit the bed and took many months and dollars to fix, but that's on the shop I took it to. All parts were available for mine, including the original chip which was ordered directly from Marshall. Having said that, it's a great sounding amp and very versatile.
 
Bad.Seed":2fpy2mz5 said:
I have a 2005 Gibson SG standard in excellent shape listed for sale locally for $850.

I've had a guy hitting me up frequently, trying to trade me a really clean Marshall 6100 LM straight up for the guitar. I am interested, but it seems these amps have a track record of having issues, and are really difficult to work on.

On top of that, one of the issues I remember reading about was a board frying that can no longer be replaced.

I feel it's a risky trade, but people who own the amps seem to really enjoy them.

Thoughts or feedback on these amps? It seems to be a fairly even trade.
I have a friend who loves his, and have gone up to play one or two with his band over the years...he says the one to get is the EL34 version, hands down. I though it sounded good, takes boosts well and he hasn't had any problems over the years. He's had it since the mid 90s. I have seen them for less than 850 from time to time though.
 
I owned the el 34 version for abourt a year. Had no problems with it but in my opinion a jvm will sound better and can be purchased for the same or less $$$
 
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