Just bought a Marshall Lead 12

[Dismalhead]

Just paid for this guy on Reverb $279 in excellent condition, $330 with shipping and tax. Very exciting!

Been poking around looking at them for the last couple of months; asked about them online and watched a bunch of videos - almost all positive. I had a JCM 900 as my main amp for a long time and I miss that distinctive Marshall tone. Just got this guy on Reverb $279 in excellent condition, $330 with shipping and tax. Very exciting!

Now I gotta wait for it to get here.

 

[gridlock]

Congratulations and welcome to the club. Great little amps. Yours looks to be in really nice condition and a few years older than mine (older = better).

I put a Greenback in mine (still have the original speaker).

 

[Ed Driscoll]

Sweet! That was my first amp (with a Hondo Les Paul clone and Banana tuner plugged in), in December of 1982:

 

[gridlock]

Sweet! That was my first amp (with a Hondo Les Paul clone and Banana tuner plugged in), in December of 1982:

An even older Lead 12.

These things seem to keep going up in price. I bought a Reverb 12 (Lead 12 with a little reverb tank) about 8 years ago for $100. I gave the Reverb 12 to my brother.

A few years ago, I got lucky and spotted a Lead 12 a Music store that I frequent and my wife bought it for me ($100).

I’ve seen these for sale with an asking price of $400.

 

[marshman]

I have the head/2 cab stack, in white. Pots need a good cleaning, and I'm not that much of an 80s metal guy, but it'll make get those tones with ease.

 

[gkterry]

I have a head and a combo Lead 12 and they are great amps. I would suggest changing the awful stock speaker for either a Celestion Greenback 10 or a WGS Green Beret 10. They are both greenback type speakers. Given a choice of those two I would choose the Celestion GB. Marshalls and Celestions are just made for each other. No other changes are needed. Just crank it and play the snot out of it!

 

[Mike_LA]

Good thread @ MF
https://www.marshallforum.com/threads/perfecting-the-lead-12.129970/

 

[Teleskopic]

Thanks Mike, great thread!

 

[Teleskopic]

Just paid for this guy on Reverb $279 in excellent condition, $330 with shipping and tax. Very exciting!

Been poking around looking at them for the last couple of months; asked about them online and watched a bunch of videos - almost all positive. I had a JCM 900 as my main amp for a long time and I miss that distinctive Marshall tone. Just got this guy on Reverb $279 in excellent condition, $330 with shipping and tax. Very exciting!

Now I gotta wait for it to get here.

Congratulations - let us know when it arrives and you've tried it out.
There's a few of us on here: https://www.tdpri.com/threads/marshall-lead-12-5005-club.566068/

 

[Wildeman]

Nice, enjoy it. I have a Lead 12 and love it, I also just got a Bass 12 for a living room thumper.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

Nice! I’m still kicking myself for passing on a head and mini stack quite cheap at a pawn shop a few years ago. When I decided to come back for it, it was gone.

I did get both of my 2x10 cabs with CTS drivers there for $60 when I saw the Lead 12. That was part of the reason I initially passed on the lead 12.

Anyway, congratulations!

 

[TheCheapGuitarist]

Somehow throughout the years, Marshall has been able to make solid state amplifiers that sound just like their tube amps.

 

[jackleg]

are the lead 20s just as popular?

 

[Dismalhead]

are the lead 20s just as popular?

Yes, they're going for about a hundred more than the Lead 12s on Reverb. I think there are less of them out there.

 

[7171551]

Somehow throughout the years, Marshall has been able to make solid state amplifiers that sound just like their tube amps.

I share this belief.

Over the years I've owned various versions of 12's (with the Reverb 12 being my personal favourite) and other Lead versions too.

Other (slightly newer) solid-state Marshalls that can still be found cheap over here are the G80R-CD or G100R-CD. I've owned both, and both come as either heads or combos. Either would likely be cheaper than a Lead 12!

With a great clean channel (which can be set to crunch) and a selectable "okay" OD-1 or OD-2 dirty channel, more power, plus a quite nice reverb and a front mounted FX loop, I think these are the best of the bunch for cheap amps.

 

[ce24]

So…ican pick up a Marshall lead 12 for prolly $50…..but the pots should probably be replaced….how easy would that be. I would try and clean them first….but for 50$ im not out much…it does produce sound…the treble pot had nor effect on tone…any help would be great.

 

[2HBStrat]

Just paid for this guy on Reverb $279 in excellent condition, $330 with shipping and tax. Very exciting!

Been poking around looking at them for the last couple of months; asked about them online and watched a bunch of videos - almost all positive. I had a JCM 900 as my main amp for a long time and I miss that distinctive Marshall tone. Just got this guy on Reverb $279 in excellent condition, $330 with shipping and tax. Very exciting!

Now I gotta wait for it to get here.

View attachment 1057210 View attachment 1057214 View attachment 1057215

That's cool. Mine is the Reverb 12 which I think is the same except it has reverb. It's my living room amp.

 

[Dismalhead]

So…ican pick up a Marshall lead 12 for prolly $50…..but the pots should probably be replaced….how easy would that be. I would try and clean them first….but for 50$ im not out much…it does produce sound…the treble pot had nor effect on tone…any help would be great.

No idea. I've never really worked on amps except replacing tubes, reverb tanks, and speakers. That's why I bought one in like-new condition.

 

[7171551]

So…ican pick up a Marshall lead 12 for prolly $50…..but the pots should probably be replaced….how easy would that be. I would try and clean them first….but for 50$ im not out much…it does produce sound…the treble pot had nor effect on tone…any help would be great.

Without exception, every used ss Marshall I've ever bought has had at least one or two dirty/scratchy pots... Most (but not all) have responded to Deoxit.

As far as the Lead 12 is concerned, you'll be leaving both the gain and volume pots permanently around 9 and 9.5 (because that's where the magic happens ) so there's two less to worry about...

 

[muscmp]

I have a head and a combo Lead 12 and they are great amps. I would suggest changing the awful stock speaker for either a Celestion Greenback 10 or a WGS Green Beret 10. They are both greenback type speakers. Given a choice of those two I would choose the Celestion GB. Marshalls and Celestions are just made for each other. No other changes are needed. Just crank it and play the snot out of it!

it comes with a celestion. not a greenback but it is a celestion. i have one but usually run it thru a larger cab with a 12". great little amp.
play music!