Specimen 517

MS-2C Micro Stack

A 1W battery micro amp with its own speaker and a belt clip — the smallest and least expensive way into a Marshall sound.

Watch

PMTVUK's review works through the volume, tone and voice controls before showing how the overdrive voice reacts when you turn the guitar's own volume up.

Why it matters

It is the entry point of the Marshall range at $54.99, below the larger MS-4 micro stack at $64.99, and the only Marshall that plays through its own speaker on a 9V battery with no mains lead. The MS-2 line ships in three finishes — black (MS-2), classic dark grey (MS-2C) and white (MS-2W) — so the suffix is the colourway, not a different circuit. It is a practice and headphone amp rather than anything you would take to a rehearsal.

Note

A 1-watt battery-powered micro stack with a built-in 2-inch speaker, switchable clean and overdrive voices, and a headphone out that doubles as a preamp. The MS-2C is the classic dark grey finish.

Specifications

• 1W
• solid state
• 1x2 in speaker
• 2 channels (split)
• volume, tone, and a voice switch for On or Overdrive
• 1x 1/4 in instrument input
• 1x 1/4 in headphone out that doubles as a preamp out
• runs on a 9V battery or mains (power cable not included)
• belt clip
• 110 x 140 x 60 mm
• 0.34 kg (0.75 lb)
• designed and engineered in the UK, made in Vietnam

Before you buy

• 1W into a single 2-inch speaker — a practice and headphone amp, not one for playing alongside anyone
• the mains power cable is not included, so budget for a 9V battery or an adapter
• there is no aux input, so you cannot play along to a backing track through the amp