Code 25 1x10" 25-watt Digital Combo Amp Review

Great little amp if you take the time to learn it

Purchased this amp from Sweetwater about 3 weeks ago after doing a fair amount of research. I bought this amp for one reason only, to get a** kicking saturated cranked hard rock Marshall tones at low volumes. When I initially received the amp, I was disappointed with it's sound and considered returning the amp. But, I kept playing with it and learning its features and realized my… read more disappointment was based not on the actual capabilities of the amp but on the poor sound quality of many of the presets, many of which to my ear sound way less than stellar. They say there is a use for every type of tone but I think whoever created some of these presets was really pushing it. Once I started treating it like any normal amp and just simply adjusted the controls so it sounded good to my ear, I was able to dial in some really excellent tones. In fact, within a few minutes of learning the controls, I had an excellent early 80's EVH hard rock tone that put a smile on my face, harmonics just jumped out of the guitar with little effort. Even if that was the only sound I could get from the amp, I would keep it, it sounds that good. I installed the Marshall app on my Iphone 12 and it makes it really easy to make adjustments, I've never had an issue with the Blue Tooth connectivity although I've read other's have. Haven't had a need to use the Marshall website on my computer yet, nor have I used the amp to record anything, so I can't speak to those features. The pre amp and power amp models as well as the built in effects sound very good to my ear, and just like regular amps and effects pedals, if you try, you can dial in some less pleasant tones but set them appropriately and they will sound great. There are some great clean tones in this amp as well, although to be honest that's not why I bought the amp. Amp sounds great with strat single coils and humbuckers. I haven't used all of the pre amps, power amps, and speaker configurations yet, I haven't really needed to as I was able to quickly create several excellent sounds and saved them as presets and that's what I've used. I do look forward to finding some time to explore the other sounds the amp has available.One thing I noticed is that the firmware version on my amp is 1.4.5, which is apparently the latest version. The presets in the amp did not match exactly those shown in the phone app, but as soon as blue tooth paired to the amp they changed to those in the amp itself. If for some reason you liked some of the 1.4.4 or earlier version presets, you could simply copy the settings from the app prior to BT pairing and adjust the amp to match. All in all, for about $, you are getting a lot of amp that can sound excellent if you take just a little bit of time to learn how to operate it. If the thing died (outside of warranty), I'd buy another one.

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Best all around amp ever!

I have played guitar for many years and own a 100 watt mid 70s superlead. This thing sounds just like it but I can play at ANY volume!! It also has a USB so you can direct into your DAW. These people saying you have to mic it are mental you do not have to mic ANYTHING just plug in you code to a PC and open up your DAW then feed your computer a line to the sound board boom! No mic… read more needed and sounds GREAT! Plus you can record your performance. This amp sounds great by itself but when you use the USB function it unlocks a whole universe of possible sounds, tones and effects. I could say more but why? Just buy one of them or do like I am and buy all 3 of them for specific reasons. I like using my 100 watt head at home but the 50 is good for small clubs and having a 25 is great for less space like trips in hotel rooms. If you do not have one of these yet your missing out! They also can be used to record/play bass and keys through. Seriously it is awesome! Why would they not put USB on ALL OF THEIR AMPS??!!

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Incredible

Marshall has out done themselves with this new amp 25 watts is enough to blow the walls down in a studio but big enough to gig with and mic it through the PA system and away you go even in large venues. If you are well known enough to play a 30,000 seat venue yeah buy a stack of 100 Watt Marshalls . With 100 presets and 7 parameters to infinitely set including 8 amp styles and as… read more many speaker cabinets you can spend hours or weeks exploring all the combinations. This is a world away from dirty and clean and a built in reverb play techno to disco and everything else in between there is a sound for everyone. As usual built well and kudos to Marshall the father of LOUD

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Great inexpensive complete rig

Head, cabinet and effects rack all in 1. Bought it on a hunch. With foot controller. Amazed by the sound quality. And loud if you need it to be. It's a little bit of a learning curve but once you dial it in, nice! The lag is fixed by building your presets using common heads. I get best tonal results with the 112 cab. 10 banks of 3 with the footswitch allows you to literally build… read more 10 different Marshall amp configurations. And save presets with effects on or off when you select them. Bank mode on the controller allows you to turn each effect on or off individually. I'd recommend this code 25 for beginners for sure. But it's a grab and go unit that delivers on the fly regardless. Again, the foot controller unlocks the full potential of this amp. I bet the 100 is boomy. Hi Pat!!! Thanks again...

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Code 25 kicks AMP!

I've always been a Marshall and Fender freak, always playing a valve amp, and since I've been playing for 50 plus years that's a lot of amps. About 15 years ago I decided that a Marshall head with two 1960 cab's were too much to lug around. I decided to down size and to experiment with different named amps at the same time, from Egnater to H&K to my latest Mesa Boogie Mk-V-35,… read more all in which are valve, using 1x12 cab combinations. But with some of the smaller venue's we've been playing lately I started experimenting with the digital amps, from blackstar, to Orange, to the Vox VT series, and finally This Marshall code 25. Let me start off by saying this; don't let the size of this little amp fool you, and I mean LITTLE, "Check the dimensions." It's powerful, the 10" speaker is clear and the sounds are as authentic as I've EVER heard a digital amp be to a valve amp, especially Marshall. It's easy to program and stores a lot of sounds so you can be creative, and has every effect you would ever need right inside. I do recommend getting the foot switch with it if you gig and YES, the foot switch is simple and fast so you can go from clean to scream quick and return just as fast, plus you can store a lot more sounds. I can see now that I'm gonna be using this amp more and more in the shows we do, possibly selling a lot of my higher end gear in the future. there's no line out so you will have to mic it or use a direct box. I guess what comes around goes around, started with Marshall and will be ending with Marshall. Let me also say this, you can buy your gear wherever you choose but for me It's only Sweetwater. Why? Because they stand behind what they sell. There sales staff and tech support are the best and you can count on your stuff getting there quick and safely packed so it's perfect when you open it up. Also, if your a guitar freak as I am, you can bet that the guitar is already set up pretty much spot on. So there's my 2 cents, take it or leave it, I'm just trying to save you wasted time going to other places for you gear when you can start here and end here. Rock on my fellow Gearheads!

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