If you were to buy one Marshall amp.. what would it be.. and why?

Alex335

50 watt super bass plexi hands down best do everything amp for me.. 
super cleans to rival and fender, best pushed hairy cleans and put a boost, od, fuzz in front and it’ll literally be anything you want it to be.. 

I love fender and two rock amps but the super bass really is the best do anything amp! 

Lestratcaster

randella said:

Lestratcaster said:

randella said:

Lestratcaster said:

JCM800 for me. Tried and trusted for all great rock tones.

And that would be second, vertical input 2203. Basically the same amp (although I'll be corrected on that one).

Reissue is fine, Vietnamese transformers and all

Actually I'll add a 2nd, some form of Marshall Plexi or SE Lead with the famous 'Dookie' mod (adding an extra gain stage). Glorious with open chords.

I'd be interested to know about that circuit. The 2203 was basically two-thirds of a Plexi with a master volume and an extra gain stage (the 'cold clipper') added to generate the distortion that happened in the phase inverter of a cranked 1959 and would have been lost by attenuating the signal with the master just before the PI.

Any links for the curious? Genuinely interested in this stuff.

I've got no idea about the circuitry, only that it cascades the front end of the amp, the Green Day guitarists have had their Marshalls modded, and they use 2 together, SE Lead and a Plexi I believe. The SE Lead is setup more high gain with more mid scoop and the Plexi bit more vintage with more bass. Combined it sounds so heavy but you'd be surprised with how little gain is needed.

TimmyO

I've owned:

a 1977 JMP 2x12 combo - sounded glorious, great for loud pub gigs, hideously impractical to carry - so tall! I once (!) Turned it up full with a Blues Driver engaged at home - thought my insides were going to fall out.

and a 2203x (I think that's the number - the 50w reissue) and old 2x12 - that thing could do anything. 

DiscoStu

I don't know much about Marshalls but that new ST20H looks gorgeous.

FelineGuitars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5VuzP1kesA

FelineGuitars

I would probably go for a Synergy 50w head with a couple of modules 

Or the Syn 2 preamp and a Fryette power station power amp

plexi module and maybe BE DEluxe...lots to choose from though

equalsql

mudslide73 said:

Being your ex-neighbour and having heard you play @equalsql you're hiding your light under a bushell a bit there.. I've often described living next door to you as being as disheartening as living next door to Larry Carlton

I've played a few JMPs and 800s but never owned either. I'd be looking at an early 70s metal panel JMP or an MV JMP from the mid-late 70s.

At the moment I have a mkiii JCM900 2502 with V30s which can cover most things - I think they sound a lot better without the G12T-75s. The 18 watters are worth a look if you're not playing out (mine needed micing up in a 5 piece band).

Thank you for your kind words  @mudslide73 old fruit.  The missus always reckoned you sounded ike Robben Ford where as I often thought I heard Jimmy Page in your style   

shaunm

TimmyO said:

I've owned:

a 1977 JMP 2x12 combo - sounded glorious, great for loud pub gigs, hideously impractical to carry - so tall! I once (!) Turned it up full with a Blues Driver engaged at home - thought my insides were going to fall out.

and a 2203x (I think that's the number - the 50w reissue) and old 2x12 - that thing could do anything. 

@TimmyO like this? https://youtube.com/shorts/duqhXA6klJ4?si=RnkV8w3P3cJMh2s3

ICBM

Yes, those 50W master volume combos are pretty much as good as the 2203 with a 4x12”, but marginally more manageable volume-wise. Debatable if they’re any easier to move though…

shaunm

ICBM said:

Yes, those 50W master volume combos are pretty much as good as the 2203 with a 4x12”, but marginally more manageable volume-wise. Debatable if they’re any easier to move though…

I think I got that one because you and @shugz told me i should. 

Jonathangus

Seeing as we're posting clips - a quick snippet from soon after I got it:

Edit: it's not working for some reason.

@shaunm - I think it was you who had one with some 'interesting' styling.  Do you still have it?

shugz

'Best' one I've ever heard was a '68 50w plexi. But they all sound different, or can have nuances due to original build and/ or what's happened to them.

2104's are the greatest all rounder as that covers basically every 70s/80s famous Marshall tone out there. Thin Lizzy in a can.

Early vertical input JCM800 was by far the loudest I've ever heard barring a 200w Selmer PA head!  Modern stuff, junk barring the Bluesbreaker/ JTM45s. No pleasure at all in saying that.

The one that got away? My mad old mongrel Park 50w from mid 70s!

H 

shaunm

@Jonathangus no sadly not and honestly that was the better sounding one. Something about the stripped cabinet maybe? No tolex

Kebabkid

A JTM45 would be nice but I recently heard Welshboyo's sounds from a JVM 410C with a Fractal FM unit for effects and they were absolutely brilliant! For weight reasons and portability, the head version would be more preferable. Good cleans, excellent range of drives and MIDI

Jonathangus

shaunm said: 

@Jonathangus no sadly not and honestly that was the better sounding one. Something about the stripped cabinet maybe? No tolex

That or the purple velvet...    I nearly made you an offer with a view to putting it in a headshell.

shaunm

Jonathangus said:

shaunm said: 

@Jonathangus no sadly not and honestly that was the better sounding one. Something about the stripped cabinet maybe? No tolex

That or the purple velvet...    I nearly made you an offer with a view to putting it in a headshell.

Ha! The best thing about that and somewhat typical of velvet is that when you turned it up the velvet flapped.

Nerine

It’s nice to see the Marshall love IMO. 

TimmyO

shaunm said:

TimmyO said:

I've owned:

a 1977 JMP 2x12 combo - sounded glorious, great for loud pub gigs, hideously impractical to carry - so tall! I once (!) Turned it up full with a Blues Driver engaged at home - thought my insides were going to fall out.

and a 2203x (I think that's the number - the 50w reissue) and old 2x12 - that thing could do anything. 

@TimmyO like this? https://youtube.com/shorts/duqhXA6klJ4?si=RnkV8w3P3cJMh2s3

Yep!

Traded mine to @stonevibe iirc 

Lestratcaster

In reference to my Marshall Dookie mod post this is the one:

Kalimna

shaunm said:

I adore JTM45’s, maybe the best clean tone in any amp IMHO. 

Then there’s the “Marshall” rock sound and JMP 50 waters are perfect. They record incredibly well too. Just the right EQ to get through a band mix

Very interesting you say that about the cleans. Ive not played a JTM45, but a BlackFlag JTM50 i built from a Modulus kit (and a lot of help from Michael) has the most glorious clean tones in it. Even though it has none, it almost sounds like it has reverb.