The Marshall Valvestate VS100 is a 100-watt hybrid guitar amplifier from the early 1990s, combining a valve-driven preamp with a solid-state power section to deliver classic Marshall aggression, high-headroom cleans, and the scooped high-gain tones that defined much of the era's heavier rock and metal sound.

Available as both a 1×12 combo and standalone head, the VS100 became popular for offering much of the feel and tonal character associated with larger all-valve Marshall amplifiers while remaining comparatively affordable, reliable, and practical for rehearsal rooms, live performance, and recording setups.

At the heart of the amp is a single 12AX7 preamp valve paired with Marshall's Valvestate hybrid architecture, delivering a responsive front end with substantial gain on tap alongside tight low-end control and articulate attack.

Clean Channel

The clean channel is known for its strong headroom and clarity, making it particularly effective for: - Pedal platforms - Chorus-heavy clean tones - Funk and pop rhythm work - Clean arpeggios - High-volume rehearsal and stage use

A dedicated Tone Shift switch acts as an upper-mid boost, helping clean sounds cut through dense mixes with additional presence and articulation.

Overdrive Channels Overdrive 1 (OD1)

OD1 delivers classic Marshall crunch with a more traditional midrange character and dynamic response.

Suitable for: - Classic rock - Hard rock - Punk - British-style crunch tones - Tight rhythm guitar work

Its voicing sits closer to classic JCM-style overdrive, with punchy mids and responsive pick attack.

Overdrive 2 (OD2)

OD2 pushes the VS100 into more aggressive territory with significantly higher gain and deeper midrange shaping capabilities.

This channel became particularly associated with: - 1990s metal - Death metal - Industrial - Alternative metal - Scooped rhythm tones

A dedicated Contour control adjusts the midrange profile: - Clockwise: - heavily scooped mids - tighter modern metal tones - Counterclockwise: - flatter EQ response - smoother top end - fuller midrange character

Power Dimension Control

The Power Dimension feature functions similarly to a pseudo-attenuator, altering the amplifier's feel and response at lower volumes.

When engaged, it: - Adds additional low-end weight - Reduces available headroom - Creates a more compressed pushed-amp feel - Allows more saturated response at lower listening levels

Reverb

The VS100 includes built-in spring reverb with independent controls for: - Clean channel - Overdrive channels

This allows different ambience levels to be dialled in separately for clean and distorted sounds.

Features

• 100-watt hybrid guitar amplifier
• Single 12AX7 preamp valve
• Solid-state power section
• Clean channel with high headroom
• Tone Shift upper-mid boost
• OD1 classic Marshall crunch channel
• OD2 high-gain metal channel
• Contour control for midrange shaping
• Power Dimension pseudo-attenuator
• Independent spring reverb controls
• Available as combo or head format
• Known for aggressive early-90s Marshall gain character

Designed For

• 1990s and early-2000s metal tones
• Hard rock
• High-gain rhythm guitar
• Rehearsal and live performance
• Pedal-based setups
• Budget-conscious Marshall valve-style tones
• Alternative and industrial guitar sounds

Features Metallica insignia on speaker grille. \m/

Found Sound Australia Pty Ltd.
110 Albert St
Brunswick East, VIC 3057
Australia