Ep23 Marla S10V

Today we look at the Marla S10V, a new amplifier by a new company. Based out of Asheville, North Carolina, these are American made, hand built amps using good components and build techniques. Even better, these 10 watt vintage-sounding amps sell for under a grand, just $800 during their promotion. The amp is a class A 6V6 powered, tube rectified 10 watt amp using Hammond transformers and a Mojo Tone speaker. There are a few small details about the amp that definitely indicate a hobbyist builder taking things to the next level, such as the transformer and speaker choice, but honestly these are still decent quality parts that are going to be cheaper than Heyboers or Mercury&thus keeping the price reasonable. Sound-wise, these are American voiced amps, much in the Fender, Gibson, Harmony tweed realm. Without looking more closely at the circuit, my initial reaction was that this looked and sounded a bit like an old tweed Princeton. I run through a few sounds on the amp, plugging straight in and adjusting both tone and volumes, with and without an attenuator. I also demonstrate it using a few popular styles of dirt pedals, a Klon style (JHS Notaklon), Big Muff Pi style (EarthQuaker Devices Hizumitas), and a Tube Screamer (Ibanez TS9). I also talk about the build quality, both in and outside of the amp. There are, however, a few quibbles that I have with this otherwise excellent amp. 1) there are no cup washers on the bolts holding the chassis in the cab. Being pine...