Is my old amp worth bothering with? (Marshall Master Lead Combo)

pmbomb

Pic below. Owned by me since about '83 but never used (long story).

Pretty tatty, makes odd crackling noises and hums especially when plugging lead in. Presumably that can be fixed by taking it to bits and re-doing soldering.

Serial A 15671.

However is it not, even in great condition, basically worthless and near useless in modern terms?

Or should I sort it out? (In which case how ...)

Thanks.

lovestrat74

Wait for Johan Segeborn to do a vid on youtube telling the world what a great amps they are, then it will be worth 200% more

pmbomb

lol well there's one on eBay, much better condition, £32 with 2 days left!

I shan't be retiring on this one.

ICBM

They're quite cool in an authentic 1970s glam-punk way . They sound more like a fuzzbox with speakers than a classic Marshall valve amp, but they're quite light for their size and less unreliable than the similar 100W Lead & Bass series amps, I think largely because the speakers are hardwired so they can't easily be connected to the wrong impedance cabinet.

That one is not actually in bad condition - assuming it's not much worse round the back and sides - with a new handle it would be one of the best I've seen, they're often a lot worse than that because they got dragged around by young bands who couldn't afford anything better, flightcases or even proper transport...

They're probably worth about £150 in that sort of condition and a bit crackly etc, up to about £200 in serviced working order.

But if it hasn't been used since 1983 it will quite likely need the electrolytic caps replacing, which may well be why it hums. It could cost about £100 or so for a full overhaul, so if you're planning to sell it it may be best to as-is, if it at least works.

57Deluxe

lovestrat74 said:

Wait for Johan Segeborn to do a vid on youtube telling the world what a great amps they are, then it will be worth 200% more

in fact why not msg him to do a review!

I did to do one on the little Fender Frontman amps and he obliged.

impmann

I had one of these! It was my first "loud" amp and I gigged it with a heavy rock/metal band back in the late 90s.

When they're working properly they are 'interesting' - they sound great for that Wire, PiL post-Punk sort of slightly scratchy, clanging guitar. They have massive headroom too. Paging @HarrySeven ; ;-)

I'd agree with ICBM's value - but I'd say it would be a hard sell unless you can ship... which may be a bit of a game!!

pmbomb

Thanks all.

So barely worth doing up (financially) but given its vintage seems a shame to bin it ...

57Deluxe

well at least its earning its keep as a shelf for your garden pots and compost...

Funkfingers

Exactly what loudspeakers are inside it? The Celestions might be worth something if they are period correct for restoring other Marshall amps of that era.

ICBM

Funkfingers said:

Exactly what loudspeakers are inside it? The Celestions might be worth something if they are period correct for restoring other Marshall amps of that era.

They're not the same as any other Marshalls - they are Celestions, but they're small-magnet G12Ls with grey or black plastic magnet covers. As far as I know the only other models that used them are the Mercury 5W hybrid amp and the 30W vertical-cabinet Lead and Bass solid-state combos. They may be worth 'something', but not a lot.

The amp is worth servicing. Even at the worst, it's unlikely to cost as much as it's worth if it is currently basically 'working'.

pmbomb

I'll get it serviced. 

How does an amp like this, without an fx loop, go with pedals? Nothing fancy - just reverb and a bit of drive. Shouldn't the pedals work on the signal after amplification rather than at input?

RandallFlagg

Jake Burns used one in Stiff Little Fingers with his Yamaha SG2000. Sounds great on the live album Hanx! not so good on the studio albums if that's what he used in the studio

ICBM

pmbomb said:

How does an amp like this, without an fx loop, go with pedals? Nothing fancy - just reverb and a bit of drive. Shouldn't the pedals work on the signal after amplification rather than at input?

No, it will be fine to put them in front, since you're unlikely to want to use the amp's own overdrive. (Unless you like giant farty buzzy fuzz sounds...)

You wouldn't want to put a drive pedal in the loop anyway.