The most obvious evolutionary trait, and the one most amp fans will point to first, is the move from the 5881/6L6/KT66 output tube types of the JTM45 (and Fender Bassman) to European EL34 tubes, bottles that became synonymous with British rock tone from 1967 onward. heads on the other hand, while unusual to find, are probably the most affordable in the bunch and are quite a good choice for those looking for an original plexi on a budget. Originally named Jim Marshall & Son, Jim and his son Terry Marshall opened their doors in July 1960 at 76 Uxbridge Road in Hanwell, England. 50 watt heads were tube rectified. First, the tone just loses punch because youre no longer running the power tubes into distortion because if you try to do just that, your hot-rodded Marshall will start to squeal uncontrollably. The 12AX7s became ECC83s, including the input tube for which Fender had used a lower gain 12AY7. What differentiates these between the later JMP plexi Marshalls is the fact that they employed very large transformers and the filter caps for the power supply were all placed underneath the chassis. With the additional of a split cathode preamp for different levels of brightness between channels, a modified tone stack for higher gain and a new Dagnall transformer, these JMP 100 Superleads were louder, more aggressive, more crisp. Beware as some unscrupulous people have re-dyed the factory solder joints after changing parts. The intention of this guide is simply to provide some input and experience about what has seemed to work and not work for me over the years during a period of many purchases and playing experiences through various Marshalls. That said, if you have concerns or excessive worries about potential problems and just have a worrying personality, you may be better suited to purchasing a reissue model or modern boutique clone. Email us: mariotejeda@acrylicdisplayinc.com. From my experience, the higher prices paid for plexis come from vintage amp dealers and the lower prices are typically found from private party sales. I only know of two in existence One of which was wrecked (but still survives) by The Who And those who dont really want to pay a kings ransom to own a Plexi and are concerned more with the tone rather than the value should check out Metropolous amps. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. on that note, there are a few other things that one can look for if youre more of the technical type including the type of bias selector used and board color and whether its perforated or not. In any case, the basic Super Lead and Super Bass circuit are both extremely similar and conversion to either type is very easy to do. Regarding cabinets, since writing the tips and tricks for the Super Lead article, Ive had a chance to aquire and play through two basketweave style cabinets. Just making sure I am not getting scammed before it shows up. Marshall Plexi guitar amps: everything you need to know Thats when he purchased the iconic 2x12 combo on credit from Jims shop. While the new heads moving into the 70s would have brushed metal gold faceplates, they still used mostly late Plexi-era internals. This Marshall Studio Vintage Plexi Guitar 20 Watt Amplifier Head delivers the unmistakable tone shaping and harmonics that are expected from the 1959SLP in a . With rock bands hungrily chasing ultimate volume, it was only a matter of time before a 200-watt head came to fruition. 100 watt amps can be generally thought of as punchier with a tighter bass response and of course more headroom. The T.C Electronics Spark is a great unit. These changes led to a brighter, louder sound with a different distortion character. These amps were hand-wired point to point, feature vastly superior transformers than production models of today and while its a clich, its never been more true: They dont build em like they used to!. The low-wattage speakers of the era meant the amp needed at least four of them, giving rise to the first Marshall cabinet design: closed-back with four 20-watt G12-15 Alnico speakers made by London-based Celestion. Review: Rob Marshall's 'The Little Mermaid' Enriches the Original. 888-738-7990. He entered the London music scene as a drummer, first gigging with a local big band and eventually giving lessons out of his house. This stood in contrast to the Jensen speakers found in open-backed Fender Bassman 4x10s and added one final element to the Marshall sound. Since its glory years, the Plexi has been reintroduced as part of the Vintage Reissue series and also in the Handwired Series. The name originates from its shiny, Plexiglas panel, commonly used on Marshall amps between 1965-1969. Generally speaking, the older they are, the more collectable and valuable they are. With the demand for a new sound and the cost of importing amps from elsewhere, Ken was convinced they could and should produce their own. Its cabinet has less depth than the original Blues Breakers and hence bottom end suffers just a hair. Finally, certainly something special, but not unique to the plexis, is the build quality. Artists began to explore this threshold territorylong before rows of 100 watt stackswith the humble blues-rock voicing of the JTM 45. Both will be powerful and of course loud. Lewie Allen, guitarist with Sam Smith tests out the Studio Vintage series. Former Prisoner of War Tony Marshall - See California With that paradigm shift, the stage was set for an entirely new type of music to take root. Messages. To complement the unprecedented wattage of the new 100-watt head, Townshend asked for a single cabinet with eight 12 speakers. This worked together with an attached two-prong AC cord and was used to eliminate any hum caused by a ground loop from the line. Marshall Plexi 1968 - no need for jumpered channels!? - The Gear Page Some of this may be due to aging since speakers will roll off some of their highs after years of use. In 1968, the JMP-marked plexi amps arrived and had reduced plate voltages that were easier on the power tubes and a bit more brightness in the circuit to add some crunch. So with that all said, the purpose of this article is to simply cover a range of various Marshalls made throughout the years, discuss some of the good as well as the bad of the most popular, or well-known models. When we think of electric guitar these days, we often think of the icons of your local classic rock radio station or modern hard rock bands. We cant talk about Marshall history without mentioning the Marshall Major (aka The Pig), a 200-watt version of the Superlead introduced in 1967 for players like Ritchie Blackmore who needed exceptional volume. Marshall 1968 plexi(original) vs Marshall 1968 Plexi Clone Youve got all sorts of options when actually looking for a plexi Marshall you can check your music stores in your area, possibly the classifieds in your local paper, but beyond that you also have the Internet as an option which can open up new possibilities. Nonetheless, these are still considered desirable amps, largely due to artists like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Johnson using them. Valvestate technology altered the way everyone viewed solid state amplification. Paired with an era-correct, brokenin Marshall 1960BHW 4x12 cabinet, the Plexi Super Lead 1959 plugin delivers the same snarl, sustain, smoothness, and raunch as the original amp. Call us: 714-738-7990. 1968 Marshall Major Plexi 200 Watt KT88 Genelec Vintage Tubes, Blackmore -Dawk $200.00 shipping 1965 leather Marshall JTM-45 plexi era strap handle 8" Rare Original People dont usually think about swapping output transformers, but especially when you play these amps hard, the tonal coloration of the transformer definitely comes into play. Are they worse amps to have? Plug style voltage/impedance selector continued. Eventually the store changed its name to J & T Marshall and opened a second location across the street. One area I WILL cover is the birth of the reissues, both the JTM 45 head and 1962 BluesBreaker combo. Marshall SC/SV and Friedman Combo Fastening System for LegendaryTones Mods! A History Of Marshall Amps: The Early Years. The Navigator and Veteran of 266 missions in Southeast Asia told a spellbound audience at the Western . A Super Lead or Super Bass will have three preamp tubes and a Tremelo model will have a 4th tube. Again, they were available in lead and bass versions that were somewhat similar, many of the smaller differences disappearing after the volume was cranked up. Early plexi-panel amps still wore the JTM prefix, but their rating was bumped up to 50, although for a time they simultaneously carried EL34s and a tube rectifier. Cheap Marshall Plexi alternative : r/GuitarAmps - Reddit Though the logos on the faceplate changed from JTM 45 (1965) to the Black Flag (1967) to the JMP logo (late 1967), these are all considered part of the Plexi family. This site uses cookies to improve your experience. This article is by no means made to cover oddities such as Marshalls Club and Country Combo, Capri or others like it, and at the same time, theres no point in discussing the first series of early badge logo Marshalls made in the early 60s. Find out how Natal's founder, Alan Sharp, revolutionised percussion manufacturing empowered drummers to take centre stage. There are some however that we have NO problem recommending, including those built by George Metropoulos. Some work well with high-output style humbucking pickups, others really come alive with PAF (i.e. Keep in mind that in these days players still used their stage amps for all of their volume. But back to the first question regarding what kind of Marshall to get That isnt such an easy question to answer because the various Marshalls over the years have been really each optimized for particular types of tones and guitar types and have changed both due to the tastes and demands of musicians as well as for cost or manufacturing reasons. By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. Back off your playing and the amp will respond, and move into lighter shades of overdrive. And the transformers manufactured by the specialty companies mentioned have done a fantastic job recreating them and are a great way to add tone to a struggling reissue amplifier. Celebrating 25 years of Marshall whilst also ushering in a new era of tone, we look at the history of the Silver Jubilee. McLaren have recruited senior Red Bull designer Rob Marshall as part of their restructure aimed at turning around their fortunes in Formula 1. But the changes from JTM45 to JMP50 are certainly more impacting on this amps performance than those from 5F6A Bassman to JTM45, and while indeed relatively few in number, are indeed significant.. Enjoy! The standard of the day was the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Boost. Sounds great and better to my ears than any of my other cabinets, even when playing newer Marshalls! JMP plexi Marshalls are the most commonly available and are certainly the most affordable of the Marshall vintage plexi amp lineup. No, not the 1989 animated classic - he revisited Hans Christian Andersen . If you see plain silver solder, its the mark that some work has been done. Obviously condition and originality are some key factors and if youve got a nice original plexi with all the components in place, those will command a premium over one that has had holes drilled into it, replaced transformers, etc. If you want to get the best out of a Plexi (or any pre JCM 900 Marshall) then a power booster is a wise investment. Solidstate rectification took care of that, so while the rectifier isnt in the signal chain, it still contributes in a very real way to the sound and feel of the amp. Like someone says Its never too late!!! The Vintage Reissue has done incredibly well and is favoured by Kevin Skaff from A Day To Remember, Dan and Justin Hawkins from The Darkness and many others. In my experience, the term point-to-point refers to circuits where the components are wired directly to each other on a wiring strip, as opposed to the tag boards used in amps. I know my original wasnt Anyhow Have a good one. Perhaps the next most obvious change from Bassman/JTM45 to Plexi was the move from GZ34 tube rectifier to solidstate diode rectification. Marshall JMP 2203. That said, these are certainly the least bright of all Marshalls and are again known for their rounder, warmer sound. Oct 17, 2013. The 68 specification amps were a hit with Jimi Hendrix, Cream and The Who, creating huge amounts of exposure and marking the Plexi sound as the sound of rock. It was November 1965 when Clapton came back amp-less and poor to start his second stint with the Bluesbreakers. presence) within the circuit than the Bassman. The earliest plexi 100s were actually those that had the same front panel as the JTM 45, and are known as the JTM 45/100 heads. Relive the amp that defined a generation. Note that Marshall had already upped the gain at this stage in the JTM45 by using the higher-gain ECC83/12AX7 instead of the mellower 12AY7 found in the Bassman. If you wanted to be loud, you couldnt rely on the venues PA to magnify your amp. By not modifying the amp, but rather some of the items around it that was plugged into it, I found that I was and am able to achieve the smooth rock Marshall tones Ive enjoyed listening to over the years. Townshend refused, so they initially built six of the cabinets (two for Townshend, two for Entwistle and two went to the Small Faces). Four tubes in a Super Lead or Bass means an extra gain tube was added or possibly its a tube for a tube-driven effects loop. Because these classic amps were built well and use good components in the first place, Marshall plexi amps are overall very reliable and can take a beating. We don't usually think of Charlie Christian, T-Bone Walker or even Les Paul (as a player), though they all had considerable parts in moving the instrument forward. It takes some time to really get used to playing a basic amp such as a Marshall plexi. All of these PDF files are available for free download. including those built by George Metropoulos. Full details and photos are available at the companys site. Look for it everywhere. The tale of the most iconic tone in rock history. The O100JM brought back the low-end warmth, made the top end smooth and the famous Marshall midrange crunch was back in the equation just like the original models. In 1966, Marshall began building their already respected brand with more powerful amps and several cosmetic changes. In general, the earlier boards were all perforated and a dark tan and brownish color. The actual volume difference between a maxed 50 or 100 watt is only about a 3-4 dB difference! Jim Marshall - the Father Of Loud and namesake of the company - was not a guitar player. From the early JTM 45 prototypes to the Bluesbreaker combos and later innovations, Marshall stood for a particular sonic response, a brand of British rock quite separate from the jangly tones of Vox amps. There also consisted of Tremelo and Super Tremelo heads that of course added you guessed it a Tremelo effect that could be footswitched. The front faceplate on these early models still read JTM-45," but on the back a new white panel read "Super 100 Amplifier," giving rise to the popular name "JTM-45 100." Lewie Allen | Sam Smith | Studio Vintage Playthrough. For those looking for vintage Marshall sound without paying the Plexi premium, specimens from 19701973 are great candidates. The Vox AC4, for example, is considered point-to-point. ), but the JTM 45 had a bit more grit and top end brightness to the tone, thanks to use of more negative feedback (i.e. Who cares about originality? A Super Lead 100 sat atop two 4 x 12 Celestion-loaded cabs is still for many players the definitive rock guitar rig. 1) I invested in a 4 x 12 Marshall basketweave cabinet loaded with Celestion Greenback speakers and 2) I invested in a quality pickup and tossed the high-gain ceramic pickup that was in my guitar. A stock Super Lead from this era will give a nice full-sounding crunch chord at high volumes and while these arent the most valuable from the plexi 100 and 50 lineup, theyre my personal favorite. These are a cleaner speaker that still retains warmth. This is the more commonly seen iteration of the JTM 45, as it represents the fully realized and standardized version of Marshalls first amp.