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The digital plate reverb is one of the only slight disappointments

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For many people - guitarists or not - the Marshall amplifier is virtually synonymous with rock guitar. And when you mention the words 'Marshall amp' to a guitarist, most will have some preconception of what sort of sound you're talking about: big, ballsy, cutting treble, punchy mid-range and grinding distortion.

It's the sound most people equate with the EL34 output valve when trying to describe it, and that's hardly surprising as most Marshalls have been powered by this workhorse pentode. But what constitutes the archetypal classic Marshall sound? Well, everyone will have their own ideas, but for many, Eric Clapton's contribution to the Bluesbreakers' 'Beano' album represents a crucial turning point and is still the quintessential British blues-rock guitar tone. And this is one occasion where the Marshall sound wasn't delivered by EL34 valves. So here is Marshall's bid to recreate that classic '60s tone, the Vintage Modern series equipped with the 'Beano' KT66 valve as standard.

Both stack and combo follow Marshall's traditional styling cues: tough ply cabinets with large radiuses on all the edges and gold control panels. However, the Vintage Modern's vinyl covering sets it apart - it's a subtle black and purple fleck that looks (and is) very exclusive, changing hues from blue to purple to black, depending on the light. The electronics are housed in a typically oversized heavy steel chassis - inside which there are three main through-plated PCBs that support nearly everything, including all the valves and front panel controls.

Because of the PCB-mounted valve bases, the four ECC83 preamp valves are recessed and will be somewhat fiddly to replace. A smaller daughter board holding the digital reverb circuitry sits atop the effects loop PCB. All the internal wiring is neat and tidy, as you would expect. Overall, it's a tough and hard-wearing package that's designed to handle relentless gigging and will undoubtedly wear well. The KT66 output valves are protected from knocks by Marshall's bulletproof perforated steel rear screen.

The Vintage Modern is specifically designed for those players who like to drive an amp from the guitar - so as a result it's not a multi-channel, multifunction design, but it does have some very interesting features. Next to the single input jack are two preamp gain controls labelled body and detail that aren't cascaded but work in tandem. This is a more sophisticated version of what you would have on a Super Lead if you used a short jumper lead to activate both preamps. Here, the two gain controls are frequency selective, letting you precisely tailor the amount of drive for the guitar's upper and lower registers. Next to the preamp gains are two pushbuttons: one activates a healthy mid-range boost, the other is called Dynamic Range and activates a gain boost for increased distortion. The rest of the front panel is self-explanatory - three-band EQ, presence, a post-phase inverter master volume and a level control for the Vintage Modern's digital reverb. On the back panel, there's a series effects loop with pushbutton switches for loop level and bypass, a jack socket for the two-button footswitch that controls the gain boost and reverb, and a pair of speaker jacks with an impedance selection switch.