Astoria – Marshall

Marshall made the Astoria between 2015 and 2017. It’s an unusual amp in the Marshall stable – more the Marshall Amp you buy when you’re looking for something a bit different, boutique-ish, with very sweet cleans and amazing overdrive.

I think it’s a really pretty amp. Am I allowed to say that? It has a beautiful 1920s NY building look to the shape of the cab and the bi-coloured Tolex and metal findings. Not bad for an amp built for rocking nearly a century later… And the lettering of the logo is a perfect finish – it has always looked like it belonged in a musical number with Bertie Wooster (from the series written by P.G. Wodehouse and brought to life by Stephen Fry & Hugh Laurie).

Then I wondered, was it built and named after the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York? The outside of the building has very clean 20’s lines, structure and repeated features that are classical and calming, the inside is busy, lavish, with decorative styles from throughout last century. I think, “Ooooooh WOW!”, but also, “no”.

Greg tells me Marshall built the Astoria series to compete with the boutique amp business, and the outcry when the Astoria was discontinued is out in the internets for all to see, hear and commiserate with. Yet there are plenty of the nay-sayers too – who don’t love this amp because it looks so unlike other Marshall products. Still, it’s short production life makes this very boutique, and mainly where love is lost for the Astoria, is when you can’t forget it was made by Marshall.

But you don’t have to miss out on the beauty of this polarizing amp! There’s Full Set up captures for you to explore right now, and DI so you can use your impulse responses.
Jump here to listen to the audio samples and see the list of captures.