Surprisingly I agree with DMP
p), I have played for seventeen years and only bought my first Marshall a couple of months ago.. oh how I kicked myself for not getting one sooner! I play full-on metal (a la BLS, ZW, Pantera levels etc) and it's THE amp for me.. short of getting a Triple Rectifier (which is a totally different sound) there's nothing else I'll play again. I do also play other styles and can dial them in completely with the same amp..
Oh yes, I'm selling my "horrible pointy" Rhoads V and getting a LP Custom (Epi, can't afford a Gib) - I think I've grown up and realised it's not about flash guitars or multi-fx pedals, I've sold all that and am now using a guitar->wah->chorus->marshall and it's absolutely
killer, pure tone you can feel and I don't recall hearing a better guitarists sound around these parts (not blowing my own trumpet, a lot of other people have said so).
To the OP, if you need to do the heavy thing even occasionally then get a Marshall - they are versatile and can do other sounds but it's also down to your guitar.. a Les Paul will sound
completely different than an Ibanez or Jackson through the same equipment
