Marshall Plexi ?'s

[amishsixstringe]

I'm looking for examples of different models of marshall plexi heads. Preferably 100w heads. I have begun searching eBay and such, and the results come up with tons of models and reissues and whatever. I'm not against buying a reissue if it gives me the tone I'm into.

Examples of famous recordings with specific models?

I'm looking for something for punk rock, but not the really heavy junk. I have a mesa dual rectifier that i'm getting rid of right now. It's just too boomy and fizzy in the top without enough mid range tone.

There's a band called the super suckers that I believe uses a plexi amp, but I have failed to find a picture.

MySpace.com - Supersuckers - Seattle, WASHINGTON - Rock / Country / Punk - www.myspace.com/supersuckers

Can anyone confirm that? I love the super mid (700-1K it sounds like) bite.



Thanks!

Neil

[theGeek]

Just curious... why are you looking for 100watts? I've played 100watt plexis and they are just way too loud for most use. So I went with the 50watt.. but you know what you're looking for.

The reissue plexis aren't very good. They use EL34 tubes instead of KT66s and you have a thinner tone. They also use PC boards instead of PTP wiring which sacrifices tone. If you look at CeriaTone.Com - DIY Guitar Tube Amp they have complete plexi clones that are PTP for about $700. You'd have to get your hands on a cabinet for it but those are relatively cheap. These use EL34 tubes but sound WAY better than the reissues.

metroamps.com is a bit pricier but people seem to love them. Never played through one so I can't say too much about them. You'd have to assemble it yourself or pay someone to do it.

Weber Speakers - Making the world a bit louder each day. has the best plexi kit in my opinion. You get KT66 tubes, a cabinet, and pretty much everything you need (minus assembly) for about $500. They will help you get in contact with a builder that can assemble it for you. More than likely you have a guy relatively close that can build it for you.

I hope this points you in a good direction. I strongly recommend the weber kits. I have a matchless and a plexi clone. Great amps!

[amishsixstringe]

I'm not really looking to build one, but thanks for the offer. The kits do look cool, but I just want to buy a used old one if I need to and was looking for examples of what the different year and models sound like. I have heard good about the 1959 SLP's and 1977 and 79 models.

What is a JMP? Jim Marshall Plexi? no?


Neil

[theGeek]

Not sure what JMP stands for.

[BLUElightCory]

You might want to check out the Marshall JMP MKII heads (70's, early 80's predecessor to the JCM800). They have a master volume and are much more manageable than Plexis, and they sound amazing (think AC/DC or Green Day-ish, very full and thick, a decent amount of gain, open top end with no fizziness). You can usually find them on Ebay for $750-1200.

[Jonboy79]

I know this is a totally different sound from a Marshall but I've had a boat load of success using Vox AC30's on punk and punk'ish style songs. If dialed in right the overdrive can be fat and sassy and the clean is probably my favorite of any amp I've ever worked with.

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by theGeek

Not sure what JMP stands for.

It simply stands for 'Jim Marshall Products'.

[theGeek]

Originally Posted by Jonboy79

I know this is a totally different sound from a Marshall but I've had a boat load of success using Vox AC30's on punk and punk'ish style songs. If dialed in right the overdrive can be fat and sassy and the clean is probably my favorite of any amp I've ever worked with.

Or a matchless... those are based off the Vox circuitry.

[mml]

Yeah, a Matchless just screams "Punk Rock Cred".

[mml]

I second the JMP recommendation. A 100 watt amp without master volume is just stupid loud. And you really want a little power tube saturation if you can get it, so I'd recommend a 50 watt JMP. Hendrix made the 100 watt plexi super lead famous, so there's one example. But the studio stuff had all kinds of other amps, so you're better off checking out live stuff for the sound from him. If you're going for that '77, raw midrange punk sound, I've heard good tones coming out of a Boogie SOB combo. I believe it was the Humpers that used one of those when I saw them. If you want something more Sex Pistols sounding, then Marshall it is.

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by mml

yeah, a matchless just screams "punk rock cred".

rotflmao!

[AllAboutTone]

I have played Marshall's all my life and i can say that the Plexis are the best of the best, and yes go for the 100 watt, i would rather have the headroom than not, plus i think the 100s sound better with that headroom, i just owned a MK ll 1974 and it was just ok, i had to run 6550 tubes in it to half way sound good, other than that i like the 100 watt JCM 800s, stay away from any TSL/DSL, thats real crap....if you do not believe me pop the top and take a look, a real turn off and a nightmare for a repair man and you get to pick up the tab.

[paulscape]

The re-issues are fine, especially if you know how to work with them, like internally jumping the channels, cutting the bright etc. You can still pick up early 70's mark II's though pretty cheap.

Id go for the 1987x RI 50w personally. I have one modded by David Bray and it kills.

[Jonboy79]

Originally Posted by mml

Yeah, a Matchless just screams "Punk Rock Cred".

If you're worried about your "cred" when it comes to selecting an amp then you should probably just stick to flipping burgers and perfecting that perfect shade of purple to put in your hair. And don't forget, your mohawk better be at least 10" tall or nobody will take you seriously ever.

[theGeek]

Originally Posted by Jonboy79

If you're worried about your "cred" when it comes to selecting an amp then you should probably just stick to flipping burgers and perfecting that perfect shade of purple to put in your hair. And don't forget, your mohawk better be at least 10" tall or nobody will take you seriously ever.

seriously, if you want "punk rock cred" maybe you should just buy yourself a solid state piece of shiite and turn it loud as h*ll and enjoy watching people leave your shows.

What ever happened to buying an amp because it sounds good? Who gives a crap what brand it is?

[Yuri Kogan]

Marshall do make a handwired version of the plexi, which is much better then the standard range. That has similar construction to the old ones. Sound-wise its abit different but then we have 7 JMP's and they all sound different while still unmodded. JCM800 sound thinner and grungier, less punch then the JMP. Plexi is abit less tight then the JMP and abit more "electric". If you want boutique then Germino is one of the better ones out there. Great copies of the originals (better then the handwired marshall we have)

Yury

[IPLayHamers]

Real Plexi's are getting stupid expensive. If you can afford a good one, I say buy it, but beware. Because of the loose tolerances of the day, not all Plexi's are created equal. I would stay away from ones that are too clean. Usually this means that they weren't played alot, because they sounded sub par.

If you really want that sound and want to save some money, you should look into a old Traynor 100 head. A couple of different caps and you can have a Marshall killer. I currently own a early 70's Mark III combo that I had totally redone and it sounds amazing. Through a 4x12 with greenbacks or 30 watt Celestions, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between it and a vintage Marshall.

I'm also fond of the metal panel Marshall amps from 71' through 74'. These have more gain than their plexi counterparts, but sound equally as good, IMO.

Check out the Splawn Super Stock as well. It may be right up your alley.

Clips on youtube.

[amishsixstringe]

Wow, I'm becoming overwhelmed by all the options you guys are throwing out. I appreciate it. I do believe the Plexi is what I'm after. I have seen live bands play with them and I fall in love with the sound every time. I was more interested in hearing about the differences between different models and years of PLEXI amps, not so much about what alternatives their are, however I do appreciate that, and I have looked into everything mentioned here. Matchless amps are great, but not really what I'm looking for. I want the midrange HONK that the plexis seem to generate.

So, the consensus is that the reissues are bad or good? I've gotten both answers. To me it seems the reissue will be more consistent, while the originals could be a bit of a gamble without hearing the amp first.

My thoughts are to at this point look for a reissue (saves $ and more reliable?) 100 watt plexi with a master volume control.

I'll be buying in a day or so, so please let me know any thoughts on this.


Neil

[velvetgeorge]

The reissue 100 watt Marshall is way brighter than the original plexis. And kinda two dimensional sounding by comparison.

If you get one, plan to have a tech check the bias right out of the box. It is typically low.
You can also have the master volume installed and try a lower value "bright cap". The tech will know what this means. The stock value will not let that "honk" that you're looking for come through.

George

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by IPLayHamers

Real Plexi's are getting stupid expensive. If you can afford a good one, I say buy it, but beware. Because of the loose tolerances of the day, not all Plexi's are created equal.

That's very true, every older Marshall sounds different. And though they seem to have become quite expensive as well, I'd also consider the Super Lead models that followed the Plexis from 1970 or so on. The one I have is from 1971 and I wouldn't part with it for any amount of money (well, almost.....).

The beautiful thing about these non-master volume models is that they sound great even at 'low' settings, though it gets very loud even then. The tone controls are super primitive, basically I set everything to 'O' except the bass which is on '10' but the sound is just oh-so-right....

[theGeek]

Originally Posted by doorknocker

I set everything to 'O' except the bass which is on '10' but the sound is just oh-so-right....

I think that's my favorite thing about my plexi. the controls are very simple and they aren't touchy at all. This limits the tonal range of the amp but it just sounds so good and reacts so perfectly to whatever you put in front of it. I think that's why its such a versatile amp. I love how it makes all of my guitars and effects sound the way they should.

[paulscape]

Originally Posted by theGeek

I think that's my favorite thing about my plexi. the controls are very simple and they aren't touchy at all. This limits the tonal range of the amp but it just sounds so good and reacts so perfectly to whatever you put in front of it. I think that's why its such a versatile amp. I love how it makes all of my guitars and effects sound the way they should.

+ 1

Marshall plexi's also have underated clean tones in my opinion. Get a nice gritty dirt tone and then roll back the guitars volume. Its so expressive, chimey and open. Plus they just look timeless.

[theGeek]

yeah!!

[wesarvin]

TheGeek--

Sorta unrelated, but what are your takes on the Ceriatone kits? How's the sound, and how's the ease of building (assuming you've had experience with them)?

[theGeek]

Originally Posted by guitarwes

TheGeek--

Sorta unrelated, but what are your takes on the Ceriatone kits? How's the sound, and how's the ease of building (assuming you've had experience with them)?

I've never made one but I have played their tweed, bassman and plexi kits. Very nice. The plexi uses EL34 tubes vs. KT66 (like the original Plexi's used... EL34s are used in the 1987 models.)

The tweed and bassman WAY better than anything coming out of fender these days.

I play two weber kits. The Ceriatone kits can come partially assembled (or even fully assembled) which makes life a ton easier.

[wesarvin]

Sweet. That's good to hear. The idea seems kinda neat... to have a wall full of vintage amps for the price of just one. All you need is some time, patience, and solder.

I was toying with the idea of ripping the guts of my Hot Rod Deluxe and putting in some Matchless SC-30 clone juice in its place.

Was the hardest part of your Weber kit the circuit board or the mounting/ connection of the trannies, chassis, and such?

[theGeek]

Originally Posted by guitarwes

Sweet. That's good to hear. The idea seems kinda neat... to have a wall full of vintage amps for the price of just one. All you need is some time, patience, and solder.

I was toying with the idea of ripping the guts of my Hot Rod Deluxe and putting in some Matchless SC-30 clone juice in its place.

Was the hardest part of your Weber kit the circuit board or the mounting/ connection of the trannies, chassis, and such?

I'll be honest... I didn't make my kits. I had it done. Total price was still only $900 each.

I think when I have money for a bassman I'll get the ceriatone pre-assembled kit and put it in a 410 cab. I estimate a total cost of about $900 for that

[CapnMarvel]

I think after a Mesa, any vintage Marshall (say Plexi to MV MK II) you'd pick up would blow your doors off. IMHO, an "actual" (i.e. '68-'72) Plexi is probably too expensive and dear to consider gigging around with regularly. The metal panel PCB non-MV ones ('73-'76 ish) and the MV ones ('76-'80 whatever) sound close enough to the Plexi years that I think you'd enjoy them just enough. If you've got the dough, go for it. I certainly wouldn't gig with a true Plexi, though.

Don't be afraid of the MV version. You won't crank a Super Lead in anything but an ampitheatre and live to tell the tale anyway. 50W are effectively damn near just as loud as the Super Lead (like, say, Jupiter may be the biggest planet of them all, but Neptune is fretty effing big as well), but break up earlier. The 100W and 50W models do sound noticeably different than one another though. IMHO, this is FAR, FAR more important of a decision than which year you buy your Marshall from. The Clash, the Ramones, and the Sex Pistols didn't necessarily use Plexis, they used whatever was around, which probably meant circa-1975 MKIIs, which is pretty far from the 'holy grail' Plexi Super Lead.

Voxes rule on punk stuff too, BTW. Also, don't discount clone makers, either.

[CapnMarvel]

Originally Posted by guitarwes

Sweet. That's good to hear. The idea seems kinda neat... to have a wall full of vintage amps for the price of just one. All you need is some time, patience, and solder.

I was toying with the idea of ripping the guts of my Hot Rod Deluxe and putting in some Matchless SC-30 clone juice in its place.

Was the hardest part of your Weber kit the circuit board or the mounting/ connection of the trannies, chassis, and such?

Don't die of electrocution, either. Building an amp is not a weekend project for the unawares.

[velvetgeorge]

If you attempt a kit build, have a look at my step by step instructions for Marshall clones:

JTM 45:

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50 Watt Plexi:

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100 Watt Plexi:

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George