Marshall 1959 Super Lead - Opinions?

[Telekarster]

Hey all! So lately I've been GAS'ing for experimenting with different sounds, tones, speakers, amps, etc. I've been thinking about these Marshall heads and wondering if I should invest in one or not, and/or whether or not I should buy something vintage or get a reissue? Truth is, I have plenty of amps now and I don't really need one. But, given their historical importance and how many great artists use/used them, I'm wondering if I should add one to my collection or maybe it's overkill. I don't plan on playing any arena's so I'm wondering if I even need such a powerhouse amp. Maybe one of the smaller styles like the Origin 50 or something would do just as well?

Any thoughts, advice, experience comments are most welcome and thanks in advance!

 

[Dacious]

All the reviews say the new Studio Vintage 20 amp is a fairly genuine take in a far more user friendly size. 5 or 20 watt switchable.available as a head.

The Reissue amps are as close as most reissues but need cranking through at least a half stack.

The Origins aren't bad but not quite the same thing.

 

[Lynxtrap]

I think you need to decide if you are a collector or a player.
IMO, nobody "needs" a Plexi stack these days.
There are many ways to achieve a very similar sound by more quiet and less expensive means. Or one could buy a Plexi and use an attenuator.
The physical sensation of standing in front of a 100W stack on full tilt might be missing, but who gets to experience that nowadays anyway.

Would it be nice to have one in the collection? Of course it would!

 

[uriah1]

Few combo style out there
Some great 40 watt small combo from 80s
For other Marshall sounds
Silver jubilee combos
18 watters and blues breaker styles

 

[The Ballzz]

All the reviews say the new Studio Vintage 20 amp is a fairly genuine take in a far more user friendly size. 5 or 20 watt switchable.available as a head.

The Reissue amps are as close as most reissues but need cranking through at least a half stack.

The Origins aren't bad but not quite the same thing.

^^^^^^^ What He Said! ^^^^^^^ X2

And while the Origin is not a bad amp, it won't come as close to a 1959 as an SV20, which nearly nails it!

Just Sayin'
Gene

 

[nedorama]

A 1959 is a great amp; you'll need a speaker emulator like the Torpedo Captor as the only way those sound good is to crank them up loud... Using one playing out you'd need a speaker emulator or load box to lower the volume - it's way too much.

There are so many amps nowadays that do a great job of that plexi sound but at reasonable volumes - even things like the Dr. Z Remedy, which gets the sound with 6V6 tubes...

Don't buy an amp just because it's legendary. Sure, I'd love a 100 watt Hiwatt DR103 with a Fane-loaded 4x12, but when will I ever get to play it, and will it be better than the amps I already have?

 

[middy]

You don’t have to crank them. The cleans you get from the normal channel with just a little bit of the bright channel mixed in through four G12H30s are glorious.

 

[middy]

 

[drmordo]

I had a 50w Plexi as my main amp for several years. I sold it almost 20 years ago after I got my Line 6 Flextone II, which sounds every bit as good.

That said, about the only actual tube amp I would still like to own is a Marshall 18w.

 

[Whatizitman]

Opinion? Probably the greatest amp ever made. And totally unusable for the vast majority of guitarists.

“Great cleans” aside, like most iconic amps, it was made in another date and time that made sense for its purpose. It was also during that time that the amp became most iconic for its particular sound properties, namely when cranked to ungawdley loud volumes human evolution did not properly prepare us to endure. Not to mention the matching with a large cabinet or two with 4-8 12 inch speakers, which serve the purpose of maximizing the volume potential.

The Marshall Super Lead sound was not bred in a basement or bedroom. It was meant to be loud and full enough to fight with live drums, amplified vocals, and big audiences.

It’s not a good deal for a playing amp. It’s very expensive for both vintage and reissues, and cannot be used for anything outside of a studio without an attenuator and/or pedals, neither of which will create the same experience as playing one at full tilt.

Being the gear heads we are, no one is going tell you not to get one. Everyone needs to play on one at some point in their life. Just know what you’re getting into. Or just as important, what you’re NOT getting into.

 

[middy]

We’re not all into Free and Cream. There are lots of killer recordings with clean Marshalls.

 

[tweedman2001]

I've had one for years and every time I think about selling it, I just caaaaaan't do it. Still play it with the master volume but once in awhile I crank it for a few minutes. Love the interaction between jumped channels.

Nothing else really nails it. Some comes close. Impractical....Absolutely. but daaaaaam!

 

[ReverendRevolver]

Test drive the sv20 and see if it gets you there. The origin series is more jtm adjacent than plexi.

 

[D_Malone]

The SV20 is great. You’ll still need an attenuator.

 

[Telekarster]

You guys are so flippin' awesome.... I love all the comments and thank ya'll so much!!!! Very very good insight here. Wow... Well, I would say that I'm primarily a player BUT I also recognize the collectability at the same time. BUT! I'd say that split is mostly 70/30 and heavy on the player side. So.... having said that, I don't "need" it to be legit vintage 1969 etc. etc. but mostly what will get me there, understanding that I will likely never achieve the likes of Jackson Browne (LOL!!!) let alone Hendrix, nor will I be playing an arena packed with 60K people, but the ability to understand that I have basically "the equip needed" etc. to get the jist.... if that makes sense. Maybe I already have the gear... don't know for sure but.... if there's something out there in some of the models mentioned then maybe all I need to do is focus on them and forget the Super Lead thing?

 

[nedorama]

We’re not all into Free and Cream. There are lots of killer recordings with clean Marshalls.

That's like buying a Ferrari and spending forever in 1st gear. Plenty of Marshalls with a master volume do great cleans, and lower wattage Marshalls do great cleans. Same thing with Fenders - yes, a Twin Reverb has a glorious clean, but so is a 35w Tremolux, or a 22 watt Deluxe Reverb. You can also turn both of those up, not so much with a Twin Reverb.

Buying a 1959 just for the cleans seems a waste IMHO.

 

[GAS Giant]

We’re not all into Free and Cream. There are lots of killer recordings with clean Marshalls.

Andy Summers used Marshalls all over Police records...

 

[clydethecat]

Bukovac likes big Marshall heads.

 

[GAS Giant]

Super Leads...can certainly be harmonically complex and rewarding amps. I have owned a good range of Marshalls and had definite favorites. (74 50 watt JMP)... When I last was gigging with a psychedelic rock type band (Black Angels, Spacemen3) it got the sounds that I needed. In a loud rehearsal environment you can work out the dynamics and really enjoy playing. I was playing single string leads trying to get over someone playing open string chords through a cranked 50 watt 2x12 set up in the air. I needed the volume.

I wish that we had learned to moderate, even going down to 20 watt type amps. I have a lower wattage Reinhardt now and it is dead on, just perfect Marshall mid range and overdrive. I don't use it it very often, however, I am just into other tones these days.

Sound engineers hated us live...most of the time. Definitely did the turn the cab around thing...no master volume

The amps are heavy, the cabs are huge, the volume is just too much. I can get killer Marshall tones through some smaller amps and even UA plug ins. I was never satisfied with any attenuator I owned...(THD, Marshall, even the super detailed Weber Mass attenuator)... The OX system + large amplifier heads is just a lot of money relative to what I want out of the sound. For all of the incremental tone gains that we rationalize exponential expenditures to achieve, so much is lost in a larger mix.

It certainly makes one feel good to bask in the swagger inducing aura of a big ol Marshall super lead. If you have the space and the hair cells to burn in your ears...there is a very good reason why they are famous. My tastes have continued to gravitate away from that sound and that type of music, so I have sold off all of the Oranges, Marshalls, etc... every time I see an old Orange cab or a JMP in a used store I still have to look closely, hard wired into my id.

 

[tweedman2001]

PLAY A PLEXI 16 guitarists play a Marshall ON 10! GuitCon 2017 - YouTube