Marshall Lead 12 - what?!

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clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
Wanted to check out some pedal order options last night and my DSL is currently up on the blocks, so I plugged into my old Lead 12 combo, which has seen service only as a footstool for donkeys years.

Yep, just like I remembered, all trebly and solid state-y.  

I set treble and bass to zero, maxed the mids, gain at 3 o'clock,  plugged in an SD-1 set to max level no gain, and, fuck me, nice!

There's a point on the gain control about 3 o'clock, it basically does nothing before that then this snarl kicks in, really cool, and plenty loud for home use :)

It'll be back to being a footstool soon but it's going to get cleaned up, such a brilliant thing to have around :) Next up mod it for an external speaker jack :)
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  • ennspekennspek Frets: 1626
    They are great. Even better with a boost in front.
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  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    Yep, that's how I was using the SD-1, will have to experiment with a couple of other options at some point, like a GE-7, or the Guvnor 2.  Hell I have a Jackhammer on the shelf as well, hmmm :)
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    clarkefan said:

    I set treble and bass to zero, maxed the mids, gain at 3 o'clock,  plugged in an SD-1 set to max level no gain, and, fuck me, nice!
    Try turning the bass up full, the treble off and use the middle control to find the sweet spot - fuller sounding than turning the bass off.

    They do need a much better speaker to get the best out of them too, it has to be said. You can actually get a 12" into the original cabinet if you're prepared to do a bit of woodwork, but a speaker jack means you can run it through a 4x12" :).

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    Ok cool thanks, I didn't spend a lot of time on it cos it was just for a test, but I'll give your settings a go next time :)

    Interesting a 12" would fit in there, you wouldn't think that looking at it, but the speaker jack has to be a runner, I sort of can't believe it sounded that good with the tiny Celestion in there.  Through the 1936 2x12 should be fun :)

    Ahh you have thinking now, I've got a couple of unused 12s on the shelf :)
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  • ennspekennspek Frets: 1626
    They really are very good amps.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    The 12" does fit if it's the original 'tall' Lead 12 with the 10" speaker - not if it's the later 'short' one with the 8". You can either take the baffle out and re-cut it (or make a new one), or just screw the bigger speaker over the top of the 10" hole, which works surprisingly well.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • timmysofttimmysoft Frets: 1962
    i have broken one here that i should really get fixed up!
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  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    ICBM said:
    The 12" does fit if it's the original 'tall' Lead 12 with the 10" speaker - not if it's the later 'short' one with the 8". You can either take the baffle out and re-cut it (or make a new one), or just screw the bigger speaker over the top of the 10" hole, which works surprisingly well.
    Had a proper look and of course you're correct, there's definitely room in there for a 12.  Tempting... :)

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  • ricorico Frets: 1220
    edited April 2017
    Johan S has done a couple of demos of these. They sound pretty damn good for such a small and cheap amp!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-5IaYOvmjQ
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    They aren't actually cheap, if you look inside - top-quality components throughout and the same basic chassis and board quality as a JCM800 valve amp. I've seen weedier power transistors in some 100W amps too!

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    That's pretty cool :)  I have to put that speaker jack in, hear it through a proper cab, it can only be better than the 10" Celestion in what looks like a chipboard open backed box :)

    Wonder how loud it gets? :)
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    Through a 4x12", loud enough to gig with.

    Unless it's a very late 'tall' one - and even then I don't think so - the cabinet shell and baffle are ply and the back panels are MDF… I think the first use of MDF in a Marshall, so it's not all good ;). I suspect the 'short' ones are all-MDF, but I can't remember for sure.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    ICBM said:
    Through a 4x12", loud enough to gig with.
    You are joking???
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    Wellll… maybe it depends on the gig. You're not going to be playing Download with one I don't think - even with two 4x12"s :).

    But it should comfortably handle the average pub gig where you want a typical 'Marshall sound' - ie not too fussy about a lot of clean headroom.

    Speaker efficiency is actually as important as amp power to final volume - maybe more. The stock speaker can't be any more than about 93-94dB I don't think - which means that if you plug the same amp section into a 4x12" with four V30s (100dB each, the total in a 4x12" will probably be about 103-104dB), that's literally the same as multiplying the amp power by a factor of 10. Obviously it still won't be even close to as loud as a 100W amp through the same 4x12", which will be around another 10dB louder again, but a cranked 100-watter through a 4x12" is almost unusably loud for any gig these days.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    I'm very surprised, thanks @ICBM, I don't think I've fully appreciated the db difference in speakers before,  I'm looking forward to hearing this little box properly now :)
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  • Any suggestions about how to cleanly do the speaker jack socket mod? I keep thinking about doing it on my Lead 20 but am in two minds how to go about it: drill the chassis for a socket or make a little breakout box connected to the current speaker cable, with a speaker socket on it.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    Drill the chassis out where the wires currently go through the cable hole on the bottom. From memory it doesn't need to be opened out much.

    Use a plastic 'Marshall style' Cliff jack so you don't cause a potential ground loop.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • FelineGuitarsFelineGuitars Frets: 11497
    tFB Trader
    I had it done to my old Lead 12 and used it as a rack mounted head in the workshop for years. Think I sold it to someone on here in the end.

    Many guitars have a re-sale value. Some you'll never want to sell.
    Stockist of: Earvana & Graphtech nuts, Faber Tonepros & Gotoh hardware, Fatcat bridges. Highwood Saddles.

    Pickups from BKP, Oil City & Monty's pickups.

      Expert guitar repairs and upgrades - fretwork our speciality! www.felineguitars.com.  Facebook too!

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  • clarkefanclarkefan Frets: 808
    I was thinking I'd use the existing Line Out socket, save drilling?
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  • ICBM said:
    Drill the chassis out where the wires currently go through the cable hole on the bottom. From memory it doesn't need to be opened out much.

    Use a plastic 'Marshall style' Cliff jack so you don't cause a potential ground loop.
    Thx for the tips.  I'll have to pull the chassis out and take a look.
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