The Studio Vintage Head sells for about £739 (roughly $920) in the UK. It's not bad value over here, where the Suhr and Friedman's are about twice that price for the head versions. So it has much less competition at the price here. In the UK, it lives in roughly the same price range as Fender Blues Jr, Bassbreak 30R, Orange Rocker 15, Blackstar HT-20R, EVH 5150 40W, and Vox AC-15 C1 combos as well as Marshall's own DSL40CR. And I'm thinking of those it's probably best to go Marshall (DSL40/SV20) or Vox here. At least the SV20 head can be partnered with a cab with bigger and better speaker(s). Then the head can be upgraded over the years, for tone and reliability improvements, as the warranty runs out.

I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for all of the fantastic insight and explanations. Your videos have answered some of the things I hav wondered as a guitarist who looks to understand more completely what is under the hood. I'm looking forward to the continuing journey of your examinations on the different tiers of amps, their involved components, and the insight into the schematic layout of materials to construct the sounds.

Your vids are always interesting. Thank you for your time and your expertise!

A few of us changed the 4.7na bright cap to a 100pf to cut down the 'hiss' with the High Treble channel. Love mine, a great amp.

I’ve a spine injury from an accident, and some orthopedic ones as side orders. I’ve recently do e into music and guitars specifically as both have always been passions unfulfilled. Your channel is extremely helpful with both! I learn so much? I e a tiny wee bit of electronics background so I can follow a tad, and it makes sense. Not just helpful with what to purchase or the fascinating inner workings and how it all blends, Pain can get a little daunting, and just the whole manner of the presentation y the almost ASMR quality of it, it’s very soothing , even your exasperated moments! Thanks for the information and escape into the adventure if it all.

A number of years ago I built a Trinity TMB kit head. Bluesbreaker 18 watt style amp but with no tremolo. One channel is tone control only the other it treble middle bass - and you can jumper them. If it breaks I can fix it. I run it through a 12 inch speaker acquired on sale from Carvin. Built an open back plywood cabinet for the speaker. Great Marshall tone in a rig that's easy to carry. Everyone should learn how to solder and read prints.

Love your detailed look at the amp, so insightful, look forward to more of your videos 🍻

Thanks for the review great job! I was curious about your take on these now I know. You answered a lot of my questions.

I recommend trying these amps before writing them off, they sound great in the flesh. Thanks for the video, very enjoyable👍

I have been looking into Marshall amps of late and am really happy I ran across your channel. Really nice informative work. Will stay tuned. Cheers.

Love these reviews. Also love the Finding My Way bit!!!

The pricing of these in the States is crazy. Of course you can only compare them with similar priced amps in your market, but here in Europe they are under $1000, about half the price of the Suhr and Friedman, which is probably a more accurate reflection of their quality.

Excellent learning experience. Thank you Sir

Love the SG thanks for the information

The Studio Vintage 20 is a fantastic amp and my main gigging amp....never had any issues with it and sounds amazing. Just look at what most owners are saying about these amps...that speaks volumes.

Thanks again for a great review.

Hi Lyle, another great review. Interesting about the pricing in the US. Here in New Zealand the Marshall 20 watts are around 2k NZ$ new. The only new 20W Friedman I can find here is a JJ Jr head for $3600. Saw a Runt 20C for sale recently 2700 used. Exchange rate and freight (particularly in the last couple of years) are killer. Here, compared to marshalls Friedmans are rare and Suhrs are like hens teeth.

Love this!

The idea of putting the extra washer under the dress washer is fantastic!

Great video, i was curious about this amp. In Germany this amp costs 900€ while the Suhr Hombre 2150€ and the Freedman Runt 20 head 1700€ . The exchange rate is almost 1 to 1 so the Marshall is a much better deal.

Educational video love the video!

Damnit! I just bought the sv20h not too long ago. Validate my purchase!!! ;) I play it through a 4x12 and it does sound good, though. Was just bummed it was not of better build quality. I also picked up a slo30 though so I can't really complain. Pretty much set on amps for my style. Really enjoy your videos.

You’re doing the Lord’s work, sir. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🤙🏽

I had the bright cap on the high treble volume removed and it improved the amp considerably. Still bright enough without being unpleasant and shrill.

Very nice review! It would be nice to see an in-depth look for the Studio JTM.

Really looking forward to the amps under $2k video. Thanks for all the work you put into this great channel!

Sounds great! Glad I bought the head & matching cab! I do need a guitar with humbuckers though.

Hope you and yours are safe and healthy!🇨🇦

Hey now! These are great videos and helped me decide on a used Swart Antares (pristine like new actually) after watching a Swart inspection and review from you, very cool. Price was in this particular range of amps coming in at $1500. Love this amp .. Fender guy Tele and Strat and this, to me, sounds like a more articulate brown deluxe, love this amp! That 3-way switch has that pop you pointed out on the space tone. Anyway, price used was in this in-depth look range, hence the comment. Thanks and keep on keepin' on!

That little bugger sounds amazingly good through the studio speakers... RJ

Awesome video, I always get excited when I see a video of yours pop up that's of an amp I own or have owned. I picked up my SV20C when they released a few years ago and still love it. I've used it for countless gigs, recording sessions & rehearsals with no issues. I echo the sentiments about it sounding bright and the 10" speaker being a bit of a let down. My main complaint is how much volume is needed on the Normal channel to counter all the brightness that is added with small adjustments of the bright channel. I find it to be a difficult amp to dial in on the fly because of that. Altogether though, it's great as my grab & go for rehearsals & shows. I've noticed these have also undergone a price hike, this was $1499 when I picked mine up and I got a little off of that from my local music store, so I do think there are better options out there when you start approaching the $2k price point.

Just a heads up everyone, Russian tube's have long been back and were only subject to the embargo for literally about a week and are really getting great....tung sol and exh have been awesome..also Svane a Chinese co. That was an offshoot of shuguang (much more high-end) came online in late may, enjoy!

I took the 500pf peaking capacitor out of the board where the two 47k mix resistors feed into the first pre amp stage and replaced the 5nf bright cap across the bright volume pot with a 250pf one - it instantly made it sound more JTM45 -like and got rid of a lot of the nasty metallic fizzy-ness. I then replaced the speaker with an old 70's Celestion (G10 55 I think?) and it certainly did the trick. - great video as always!

Yeah..Oh Yeah! Whooo!! I'm coming out to get you!!

The clean tone is very nice

Hey Lyle! My favorite part of your videos is seeing the insides of these amps. No amp company highlights that the guts of their amps look like personal computers. You’d think more of these amp companies would be bending over backwards to show their amps are the best built, toughest for gigging guitarists, and most straight forward to maintain and repair. That Suhr Hombre you showed us before seems to win the PCB stakes!-a PCB that still somehow looks rock’n’roll. I have a mid-eighties Marshall 5005 and it’s PCB looks rather luxurious compared to this Marshall amp-and it’s a cheap (though UK made) solid state practice amp! I had been in the market for a lower wattage Marshall type amp … I opted for the last of the new Friedman Pink Tacos. A few years ago I bought two low wattage Marshall tube amps (class 5, and a 1 watt anniversary) and it’s pretty difficult to pull a “Marshall” sound out of them! They are off to the chipper!

Great video, Lyle. I had been lusting after a plexi... but this one (and the head) definitely don't seem to be the way to go.

Great review, Lyle! Wow, trippin' on the U.S. price tag also. Been in Czech Republic for the last year and even with their 21 percent VAT tax I saw a used SV20 on the local buy and sell asking less than 800 Euro. Beautiful Marshall dress on the outside, Blackstar uber cheap on the inside.

I own the head version of this amp. I run it through a G12M or a Scumback 1265 clone 4x12 cab. It sounds way better than the combo. With that being said, years back Bob Reinhardt built me a hand wired 1987x clone with Heyboer iron that sounded way better than my SV20. Lesson learned: When you have a kickass sounding Marshall clone, don’t sell it.

It took some time to dial in the sound of this amp. Ultimately the amp needs the SV112 cabinet which I purchased from Thomann. Thomann sells the cabinet for under $400.00 plus shipping to the US. The combination of the combo and the cabinet looks cool and sounds great to my ears. Agreed the combo is only worth buying at used prices.

Hi. I really enjoy your videos - thanks for putting them up - very informative, and your baritone voice has a relaxing quality to it... I have one of these amps, a head, that I run into a 1×12 Reverend cab loaded with a Celestion G12M Greenback. With Hendrix as my first love and Eddie as my second, I'm digging how I can get in the ballpark with those and other classic tones. My question is, what would YOU do to one to make it sound better? 🙏🏻

I got one for 750€ in Belgium and i played for about 40 min in the store . It sounds good it feels good it looks great offcourse i don't have a techicians ear but it feels a lot of good tone for the price , unless you wanna talk Boss katana price/tone . Since it gave me all sounds i wanted from An Amp i'm glad i got it

Hearing "Finding my Way" was a bonus to an already great video

I owned one of these for about a year. I was able to get great sounds at home but never really liked the way it sounded on a stage. The salesperson where I bought it told me that Marshall had specifically spec'd it with a 10" speaker because they thought it cut a bit more. I felt it was a bit strident in the top end. It did take pedals pretty well.

Leafblowers are really annoying in my neighborhood. Really appreciated and enjoyed this video. Unfortunately, Marshall like many others, have gone "corporate" but the brand is so strong, it still sells.

In spite of the price that is a good amp, at least to my ears. I am looking for my first tube amp an am between this and the DSL40CR… Well, My heart fells to a tweed blues deluxe, specially because of the set in reverb (it’d be good if it had tremolo but…). Of course I can always change speakers on those Marsha’s to my taste with green or cream. Thanks(again) for the Fiat Lux on the behinds and honest pragmatic reviews, your channel is a true jewel in YT. Cheers m8.

I paid £599 for mine when they first came out. I replaced for a 12" v type. I was a very tight fit! The only speakers that would fit were the v-type or a neo cream back.

You seriously have the best reviews on YT and you don’t mess around. I love it. What’s crazy is I was looking at those Origin amps coming out. They’re only $750 in the US. Would you be able to review the Origin 20?

Wow wealth of info there thanks

Thanks for showing us the inner workings of these newer amps, it does help with eventual basic servicing. It would be good to see the chassis etc on the new Gibson Falcon amps. The Marshall does sound amazing though , that 10" works petfectly with the circuit. Looks cool too. Expensive yes, should be 1400 max.

Love the work you're doing here, and hoping there are executives at Marshall taking note. For the price point in the US, this amp doesn't seem to be in the same league as it's competition.

I really like your channel. I just subscribed! Keep up the good work. 👍

Rush, now and forever!

Very comprehensive review. The Marshall SV20 and the entire Studio Series from Marshall are pretty good amps despite the build issues that you've pointed out. The cold power tube biasing is quite perplexing though. The problem I have with them is not so much that and not that Marshall themselves is charging too much for them, it's more the tariff and import/export issues that drives the pricing up on all Marshall products. This should really be about a $1300-1500 amp and at that price point it would be a great buy.

Cool to see that a 12" would fit that cabinet. I would definitely route it, and put a greenback in there.

Would be great to see a video on the Marshall SC20, but I suspect it’s a very similar build to this. Enjoyed the video.

I have the head through a 1974cx, sounds really good. Prices in the states seem way off so I can see why you are critical on components.

I really like mine. Here in Singapore it cost me half of what you guys are paying in the US. I got the head and the 12” cab - and then put a ‘70s Celestion G12H 30W 55Hz in it. Sometimes I also run into another 1x12”: the 1974CX with the Celestion Heritage G12M 20W. Both cabs together with that head sound absolutely huge! Longevity is a bit of a worry but it does sound and look great to my ears. Sadly never got to play a genuine vintage Marshall Plexi!

Hi Lyle - enjoy your in-depth reviews and tinkerings. You mention the 'fizziness' about this amp, could it be the speaker itself? I've had new 12" Vintage 30s which have sounded fizzy at first, but get fuller sounding after being played-in.

I’ve watched the price with both the SV20c and SV20h (head) increase 150-200 in price since the COVID related supply line issues and the Russian/Ukraine madness causing an apparent tube shortage. I’ve played both versions of this amp and they do a pretty good job IMO of accomplishing what I think Marshall tried to do, a smaller, less loud, home friendly Plexi. Personally, I was left scratching my head as to why they elected to go with a 10-inch speaker and not a 12-inch. It’s closest competitor the Blues Jr has less power (15watts) and a 12 inch speaker. I think that is the first thing I would do if I get this amp is swap the speakers out and then address the bias issue. Overall I’ve been waiting for you to do a review on this amp, great review and Thanks for doing it!

Finding my way. Yeah Ooooo yeah. I caught that early Rush lick

A little off topic maybe. But my two absolute favorite AmpTubers (just made that up) are our host here, Lyle of Psionic Audio and Jason from Headfirst Amplification. Oh, there are others I really enjoy such as Uncle Doug for example, but Lyle and Jason are such a joy to watch and we are privileged to a lot of the knowledge they share. Thanks Lyle!

It actually had quite a bunch of gain/crunch for no pedals. Usually stock plexi amplifiers I have heard sound quite a bit cleaner than all the Marshall lore I have heard of over the years.

This is a plexi combo I own it and its true sound comes out at higher volumes Great amp!!

Finding My Way!

I can't help but look at that 10" speaker and the pcb guts of the amp and think "where is $1900?"

i had the head version of this and it was soo bright (through vintage 30's) i thought it was broken and i returned it. Maybe some greenbacks would smooth it out? I ended up with a Friedman Pink Taco. Couldnt be happier.

Hi from Scotland. Love these videos. I would be interested to hear your views on the PRS HDRX models. Thinking about buying one. The 20 watt version, just for home playing.

would love to see your review on a fender custom pro (the 1x12 version that came out recently)

Love to hear your thoughts on the build quality of the Marshall Class 5 that was trying to do a similar low watt Plexi style sound that came out years ago.

Thanks. , Makes me wonder if the new JTM Studio suffers the same drawbacks…..the heads and 2x12 cab rigs certainly look good…

Great video thank you. If you had one and it was outside of warranty would you change to make it great?

Looks like an Origin inside. Same quality at a premium price? Great info on here

I have this amp, but in a head. I play it through an Orange 1 x12 cab and it sounds 'bigger' and more open with the 12. Also, i dont think this is a great bedroom amp, but opened up with a full band it kicks big time! Easy as loud as my old 50w jcm 800( 1x12) if that helps

amp sounds good!

The silver jubilee studio combo has a 12" speaker. You could definitely cut the stock baffle out for the bigger speaker.

My first tube amp was a Marshall JTM 30. Have you ever worked on the JTM 30 or 60s? They had a reputation for overheating. My amp was fine though the reverb never worked.

Your amp reviews are always spot on. Based on the Asian sourced components, I'm convinced that the PCB assemblies are manufactured in Asia for the Studio series. The chassis and cabinet are most-likely made in Asia too. Marshall is currently charging $1,800 for the heads in the US. That's a huge markup for an amp that's only assembled in the UK. Construction and quality are the same as the DSL and origin amps that cost way less. Friedman, Splawn, & Suhr offer better quality in the price range of the Studio series for sure!

Crazy. I got one earlier this year off of a forum. 900 shipped. I will never sell it. I don’t use it for everything, but when I need Marshall… I get Marshall.

Appreciate the tutelage …yr in depth knowledge…helps with the overall realistic value of the product….the sound is of course at the players discretion…yep these aren’t hand wired ..and damn expensive…

Lyle, thank you for your perspex-tive on these......😆

I have the head version; that 1x10 combo configuration was not an attractive option and I already had a fairly nice 2x12 cab loaded with Heritage Greenbacks to run it through anyway. Great amp...I love the snot out of it.

Exchange rates or import duties must play a part in the price.. if you buy one brand new in Australia and simply convert to USD it will be much closer to $1100 USD, which is exactly price point you talk about

That's my understanding. These come from Vietnam, and final assembly and testing is done in the UK. Probably not so with their higher priced amps. I just fixed a 6100 from 92, it had samhwa caps in the low voltage supply for the midi / recall section. So, nuthin new there. For the record, I always thought Marshalls were too damn expensive. I killed myself as a kid buying one second hand...$1000 for a jcm 800 half stack. $1 k was a lot of $ back then.

I'm curious about the Low Voltage (was that 253vdc?) on the EL34s vs more normal Voltage on a pair of 6V6s. I'm under the impression that the EL34s may seem to give more highs and lows, and the 6v6s would seem to have more midrange in comparison. Anyway, the amp sure is good looking.

I just bought the JTM Studio combo sounds great but the amp rattles when you hit it hard with a pedal I think speaker is to close to the tubes. I hooked up a speaker cab and no rattle I love Marshall so I may try the head/cab set up

I own one. Snakeskin tolex, for 900€ it's a bang for the buck. It's built wonderfully and it sounds great both clean and crunch. I don't understand the hate for this amp, It's one of the most dynamic and at the same time portable amp ever made. It sounds a lot better than a deluxe reverb 65, which here in Europe costs 1900€ (2000$).. anyway good job with the in-depth review

2x10" would easy go in there with a new plywood board as replacement. and that would be my first tweak. cheers from germany.

Id love to see you do the new JTM Studio as well (the ST20C)

Great Videos, it would be awesome if you could get your hands on a PRS HDRX 20W

As it has been stated the price of this amp in the states is not caused by quality of the part. Most likely it’s distribution and such. In the uk this and the import PRS HRX 20 are the same price for example

Iv'e been able to take all 3 models of the studio series home and try with my cabs at louder volumes and returned all 3.- I really wanted to love these amps but this video confirmed everything I suspected

Here in NZ it costs $1177 USD including tax. Friedman is currently out of stock, but usually costs more than twice that just for a Runt 20 head. I suspect import costs are messing with prices. The reverse situation in the 1960s is why Marshall, Hiwatt and Orange exist. It was too expensive to import Fender due to tariffs, so English amps appeared (I grew up with the Marshall factory just down the road in Milton Keynes). Other stuff made in the USA is super expensive here too. It was a while ago, but a AxeFX was also double what US folks pay and you lot get free shipping as well. Another example is my Freyette Power Station PS-2A. It cost a small fortune to import. Fender, Gibson and EVH tend to be more expensive here too. Computer parts as well.

Debating between this, a 1959HW and a Friedman (small box or little sister) - curious which you’d go with. Which one is built the best and most importantly does “the thing” the best . Thanks

I want to fix the bias on my amp. What value resistor should I change it to or does it have a potentiometer?

I just got the new PRS HDRX 20 head and cab. It is phenomenal! One of the best tube amps I've owned. You should do a review . Price is $1200 for both.

Looks almost identical to the "JCM800" version. Like they designed the template, then tailored it to each amp in the series.

Have you ever been really happy with the build quality/ specification of any amp out there ? 🤔

I was able to buy the SV20 Head at cost through a buddy who worked at a big box music retailer. For my needs, it’s a fantastic amp at ~$1000. I run it exclusively through my Iron Man mini attenuator and into either a 4x10 or 1x12 cab. I was much happier with the head and running it into my choice of cab than when I played the combo, for sure. Perhaps I should have it serviced by my local tech to take better advantage of those EL34s and get even more satisfaction out of it 😎 Great video!

kinda weird comparison but what do you think compared the build to DSL40CR?