Marla Amplification S20V 2024 - Natural

22 watt hand made in the USA all tube tweed circuit! GREAT pedal platform and loud enough for a band setting. This one came from my local shop with a big scrape on the side (pictured). Sounds great!

From Marla:

All the tweed-era tone. None of the compromises.

The S20V delivers the warm, gritty American sounds that made the 1950s the golden age of amplification—but designed for how you actually play today. Handwired point-to-point in Asheville, North Carolina, this is an American-made tube guitar amp built for working musicians.

Voicing

The Marla S20V is my take on all the best Tweed Era sounds compacted into one gig-worthy combo. Think 5E3 DNA with modern refinements.

At first glance, it looks much like the old Tweed Deluxe. But that's where the similarity ends. Unlike a typical tweed deluxe, the S20V gives you more clean headroom and drastically less compression at low volumes. That means sparkling cleans that stay clean until you decide to push it, and a pedal platform that plays nice with everything on your board. If you're looking for a Fender alternative with real boutique quality, this is it.

Two independently-voiced channels, each with high and low sensitivity inputs, give you a wide variety of jumping-off points for your signature sound. The channels run separate signal paths, so jump them with an ABY or jumper cable to blend both worlds. Jumping the channels creates a sensational amount of midrange overdrive and top-end sizzling distortion—the kind of harmonic complexity that made those old Fender circuits legendary.

And at under 36 lbs, the S20V is one of the lightest 20-watt tube combos on the market. Your back will thank you.

Channel One — Bright & Bassy

A loose, open feel that reminds me of a 5D5 Pro Amp mixed with a '59 5F6-A bright channel. Extended low-pass cutoff like a Bassman, but paired with a 12" Greenback-style speaker that brings enhanced low end—much like the old Pro Amps delivered. A modest bright cap adds just enough crispness for cut and clarity. This is your channel for single coils and rhythm work. Perfect for blues, country, and classic rock tones.

Channel Two — Tight & Narrow

Voiced like a Princeton, but with a wider-than-average tone sweep that can cut well beyond typical high-end frequencies. More control over your sound when you need it. Great for sparkly cleans, humbuckers, and sculpting lead tones.

The Speaker

The Mojotone 12" British Invasion was an easy choice. Lower power handling that almost matches the amp's output wattage encourages pushing the speaker near its limits. This gives the amp that '70s fuzz-rock feel when cranked and makes it sound larger than it looks.

In my opinion, the British Invasion balances all frequencies evenly at all volumes—it doesn't "come to life" after you hit a certain volume threshold. This makes life easy when mixing in the studio or on stage.

Tube Layout

Ships with JJ 12AX7s for pre-amp and phase inverter, JJ 6V6GTs in the power section (fixed bias—plug and play), and a JJ GZ34 rectifier for high plate voltages and low sag.

Want a tamer sound with less top-end hair on the overdrive? Swap in a 5U4GB rectifier to drop the voltages for a more modern, compressed character without losing notable power.

The Cabinet

20" x 20" x 9" solid pine with a 5/8" semi-open back baffle. The oversized cab produces robust low end, the solid pine keeps top end pronounced, and the semi-open back makes notes feel more resonant than anticipated.

Hand-stained with polyurethane finish to handle the elements.

Studio tip: Mic the speaker from the front AND the back. It's an old '70s trick—the mix of cab and speaker cone sounds like a freight train.

Technical Specs

Input Voltage: 120V

Ohm Rating: 8ohm

Power Output: ~22 Watts

Inputs: Channel 1 - High & Low Sensitivity / Channel 2 - High & Low Sensitivity

Controls: Channel 1 Volume, Channel 2 Volume, Channel 2 Tone

Tubes: (2) 12AX7, (2) 6V6GT, GZ34

Speaker: Mojotone 25W British Invasion 8ohm

Weight: ~36lbs Unboxed, ~38lbs Boxed

Dimensions: 20" x 20" x 9"

Components

Orange Drop 715 Series caps

Sozo NexGen Yellow Mustard coupling caps

Sozo NexGen Blue Molded coupling caps

Metal film resistors

Metal oxide resistors

Mojotone KingCap filtering caps

Hammond 290 Series power transformer

Hammond 1750 Series output transformer

Switchcraft jacks

Alpha pots

Marla Speaker Cabs and Chassis are also Made in North Carolina