Slash Replaced Marshall on a Guns N’ Roses Tour: Why the Guitar Icon Switched to Magnatone

Few images in rock music are as legendary as Slash standing in front of a towering wall of Marshall amplifiers with a Gibson Les Paul in hand. That visual has become inseparable from his identity, which is why his decision to move to Magnatone amps came as a major surprise.

What makes the story even more fascinating is that after making the switch in 2023, Slash quietly took the new amps on a Guns N’ Roses tour without drawing attention to the change.

For decades, Marshall amplifiers were responsible for much of the signature tone heard on both Slash’s recordings and many of Guns N’ Roses’ most celebrated albums. As a result, his move to Magnatone, inspired by sessions for his blues-oriented album Orgy of the Damned, caught many fans and gear enthusiasts off guard.

“It was a major moment for me,” Slash explained in a recent issue of Guitarist magazine.

“When we started working on the record and entered the pre-production phase, I began jamming through the arrangements and realized I didn’t want to rely on my usual Marshall sound. I had a couple of Fender Twin amps, some Fender Deluxe models, a Vox half-stack, and a vintage Vox combo.

I spent time moving through different amplifiers, and when I eventually plugged into a Magnatone that had been given to me years earlier but had barely been used, I ended up using it on every single track.”

That moment became a turning point.

“It was a huge revelation because it brought a level of clarity I hadn’t experienced before,” Slash continued.

“I think I was beginning to grow tired — as difficult as it is for me to admit — of the very predictable Marshall tone that people have always associated with me.”

His signature 100-watt Magnatone amplifier, designed with a distinctly British-inspired voice, arrived shortly before the release of his blues-focused solo album. The move placed him alongside notable Magnatone artists such as Billy Gibbons and Mike Campbell.

Earlier this year, the company also introduced a compact practice amp featuring a striking purple snakeskin-style finish.

Yet when Slash returned to touring with Guns N’ Roses after completing Orgy of the Damned, the amplifier change happened with very little publicity.

“Without anyone else realizing it, I actually replaced my Marshall amps with Magnatone units on the next Guns N’ Roses tour, and that became my new thing,” he revealed.

“Later on, I worked directly with Magnatone, and together we developed the 100-watt SL-100 model, which is the amplifier I use today.”

Orgy of the Damned served as a creative detour that allowed Slash to reconnect with his blues influences. During that process, he felt free to experiment not only with amplifiers but also with different guitars — including, surprisingly, a few Fender Stratocaster-style instruments.

The situation was different when it came to Guns N’ Roses. Preserving the band’s recognizable sonic identity remained essential, so Slash found a way to blend the familiar elements of his playing style with the new tonal possibilities offered by Magnatone.

For one of rock’s most influential guitarists, the move appears to have been far more than a simple equipment upgrade. While Marshall will always remain an important chapter in Slash’s musical legacy, it seems that a new source of inspiration has emerged in the form of Magnatone.