It's Really, REALLY hard to beat a (Well-Tuned and Maintained) Old Plexi

[hellzington]

Sounds good to me

Was the backing track also the Plexi?
Not modded but has the fat cap mod?
Everything at 10 huh?

Thanks for sharing

Thanks man!

The backing track was just some random YT VH style backing track. You can find it here:

Not modded, just a few component values changed, like the 4700pf bright cap (which is actually on a push/pull in case I want warmer tones from the lead channel) and the fat cap.

Yep, everything at 10. Literally. I don't normally run it this way, though. I usually run at 117v and keep the volume of the lead channel around 7. Tightens up the bottom end while keeping a lot of gain and cut.

 

[phil b]

Sounds great! Now is this modded a bit to your liking or bone stock?

 

[hellzington]

Sounds great! Now is this modded a bit to your liking or bone stock?

I guess it depends on what you consider a "mod."

The circuit is bone stock. It has not been modded for more gain or had any circuit tweaks or anything else like that. Just component value changes.

The amp's bright cap had been cut when I bought it so we reinstalled a 4700pf bright cap which is what this amp would have come with stock. Then we put it on a push/pull so that I could go back to the non-bright sound if I wanted. We added the EVH "Fat Cap," which I didn't think I would want but it did improve the thickness of the amp a small amount. We also moved the NFB from the speaker jack to the 4ohm tap so that the NFB amount would not change if you ran the amp at different ohms. We also bumped the NFB resistor from 47k to 100k. That's it.

 

[Racerxrated]

Truther post.

Sounds killer! I will always say that whether you have a newer production Marshall NMV, or an early 70s metal panel they are simply killer stock, some have THAT tone without adjustments and others need just a few components changed to get a close early EVH tone.
I've had my 72 Supertrem for a few yrs now, with pedals I can get almost any tone I want. I recently traded for a 72 50, it came as a bass circuit with lots of vintage parts gone. I found a set of yellow chicklets (which my original 72 Trem is loaded with) and re did the circuit...also, re doing it with the 68 EVH specs which consisted of lowering the PI/Preamp filtering, adding 2 fat caps to V2a cathode and changing the V1b cathode resistor from 2.7k to 820 ohm. Also adding a 5k bright cap. This amp now DRIPS gain immediately when I turn up the treble vol.
After hearing how gainy it is now, with basically a stock 12 series 68 circuit, I have no doubt EVHs amp was stock. I used to think it had to be modded. Not anymore.

 

[Racerxrated]

I guess it depends on what you consider a "mod."

The circuit is bone stock. It has not been modded for more gain or had any circuit tweaks or anything else like that. Just component value changes.

The amp's bright cap had been cut when I bought it so we reinstalled a 4700pf bright cap which is what this amp would have come with stock. Then we put it on a push/pull so that I could go back to the non-bright sound if I wanted. We added the EVH "Fat Cap," which I didn't think I would want but it did improve the thickness of the amp a small amount. We also moved the NFB from the speaker jack to the 4ohm tap so that the NFB amount would not change if you ran the amp at different ohms. We also bumped the NFB resistor from 47k to 100k. That's it.

Go a step further and change the V1b cathode resistor from a 2.7k to 820 ohm, like EVH. More gain to be had. I tried the 100k NFB but I put the stock 51k back in. It's stock to the 4ohm tap as is.

 

[phil b]

I guess it depends on what you consider a "mod."

The circuit is bone stock. It has not been modded for more gain or had any circuit tweaks or anything else like that. Just component value changes.

The amp's bright cap had been cut when I bought it so we reinstalled a 4700pf bright cap which is what this amp would have come with stock. Then we put it on a push/pull so that I could go back to the non-bright sound if I wanted. We added the EVH "Fat Cap," which I didn't think I would want but it did improve the thickness of the amp a small amount. We also moved the NFB from the speaker jack to the 4ohm tap so that the NFB amount would not change if you ran the amp at different ohms. We also bumped the NFB resistor from 47k to 100k. That's it.

Thanks. I meant modded a bit by some values being changed and not bone stock. It does sound great though with such minimal tweaks!

 

[Northwinds]

Sounds great man but how your not getting major feedback blows me away. I have a 5061 and I can't be within 8 ft of it without it screaming! My first amp was a dual KT120 JMP. Another amp you coukd not be in same room with full volume. My Dad hated that amp. I didn't detect a noise gate or mention of a power brake hence ny comment. I just had eye surgery so hard to read a bit

Love the vid man, makes me want to pick up the Explorer in clean channel of my 205H

 

[PurityS.L.G]

Very nice man. And you said it...a properly maintained vintage Marshall is a thing of beauty. Nothing else like it.

 

[Racerxrated]

Thanks. I meant modded a bit by some values being changed and not bone stock. It does sound great though with such minimal tweaks!

Changing an early 70s circuit to 68 spec filtering, fat cap(s), NFB, and V1b cathode resistor, even though technically IS a mod, I still consider my 72 a stock amp but with the occasional factory 68 Superlead values. I never went on the EVH spec amp quest, but ended up there when I realized I had to do some work to 'restore' the 72 50 to stock lead spec. Went down that EVH rabbit hole and I'm amazed at the amount of gain this amp has now.

 

[anomaly]

Dial it in?? Don't you just crank it as loud as possible and any settings sound good?

My question is, how do you get a unique sound out of these amps?? A Les Paul into a plexi sounds like rock and roll, i know, but getting a unique tone you can call your own seems kinda hard to do with these amps IMO.

 

[SFW]

Sounds great!

 

[Racerxrated]

Dial it in?? Don't you just crank it as loud as possible and any settings sound good?

My question is, how do you get a unique sound out of these amps?? A Les Paul into a plexi sounds like rock and roll, i know, but getting a unique tone you can call your own seems kinda hard to do with these amps IMO.

Well, speaker choice for one...then, a boost pedal or any pedal if that's a thing you like. Although straight in is great. The thing is, all these old Marshalls sound a little different from one another..and, diming it doesn't always work best. Both of my 72s, dimed doesn't sound that great vs lowering some controls a bit.
It's just as easy to get your own tone with one of these, compared to any other amp IMO.

 

[hellzington]

Sounds great man but how your not getting major feedback blows me away. I have a 5061 and I can't be within 8 ft of it without it screaming! My first amp was a dual KT120 JMP. Another amp you coukd not be in same room with full volume. My Dad hated that amp. I didn't detect a noise gate or mention of a power brake hence ny comment. I just had eye surgery so hard to read a bit

Love the vid man, makes me want to pick up the Explorer in clean channel of my 205H

Thanks man! It's running into a UA OX Box. No noise gates. (You can hear some of my clunking around on the strings here and there.) I'm sure if there were a 4x12 cranked next to me, there would be a tone of feedback!

 

[hellzington]

Dial it in?? Don't you just crank it as loud as possible and any settings sound good?

My question is, how do you get a unique sound out of these amps?? A Les Paul into a plexi sounds like rock and roll, i know, but getting a unique tone you can call your own seems kinda hard to do with these amps IMO.

I'm not sure what you mean? I didn't do any dialing in. Everything is on 10.

I feel you that it's not an "original" sound, but it's "that" sound if you know what I mean. If you wanted to get a more original sound, you'd have to do something like choose an unconventional speaker cabinet, jumper it and set the channels unusually, change more values more drastically, or mod it. Super Leads kind of just have one sound, then the rest is up to you (hands, speakers, pedals, etc.)

 

[phil b]

Changing an early 70s circuit to 68 spec filtering, fat cap(s), NFB, and V1b cathode resistor, even though technically IS a mod, I still consider my 72 a stock amp but with the occasional factory 68 Superlead values. I never went on the EVH spec amp quest, but ended up there when I realized I had to do some work to 'restore' the 72 50 to stock lead spec. Went down that EVH rabbit hole and I'm amazed at the amount of gain this amp has now.

I am all for tweaking to taste or completely modding the shit out of an amp if its not delivering what you want. Then there are the guys that if one resistor is changed on a vintage amp they go nuts. There are some killer completely untouched vintage amps out there and then there are a lot of amps that need a tweak. Values drift over time..etc. Then there are amps that no matter what ya do thy just sound like ass. Thats when ya mod dramtically. LOL . I had a 68 Super Trem that was perfection but I was a kid and stupidly sold it. Over the years I had some great early metal panels that I just had a master volume added that sounded great. I have a 71 Super Bass that was untouched but no matter what that amp just didnt sound good. Those are great donor amps, which I sent it to Shea. Now its a monster!

 

[hellzington]

I am all for tweaking to taste or completely modding the shit out of an amp if its not delivering what you want. Then there are the guys that if one resistor is changed on a vintage amp they go nuts. There are some killer completely untouched vintage amps out there and then there are a lot of amps that need a tweak. Values drift over time..etc. Then there are amps that no matter what ya do thy just sound like ass. Thats when ya mod dramtically. LOL . I had a 68 Super Trem that was perfection but I was a kid and stupidly sold it. Over the years I had some great early metal panels that I just had a master volume added that sounded great. I have a 71 Super Bass that was untouched but no matter what that amp just didnt sound good. Those are great donor amps, which I sent it to Shea. Now its a monster!

Guitar players have this weird thing where they want an item (amp, guitar, etc) to be "bone"/"dead" stock; BUT, they also want it to sound incredible (to their ears). It's a very weird phenomenon that's not common in other industries. For example, we don't say, "I had my kitchen remodeled and now my house lost value because it's not all-original anymore. I should return it to stock before I list it on the market." We usually look at those types of things as benefits that increase the value, not as "mods" that decrease the value. But with guitars, if I take the shitty Burstbuckers out of my Gibson Les Paul and put in a $500 pair of Lollar Imperials, the guitar actually loses value. It makes absolutely no sense.

This is especially tough with old Marshalls because Marshall used whatever components they had on hand at any given day. Fender did the same thing frequently too. (How many Fender Bassmans marked AA165 are actually AB165? Exactly.) So what is "stock" on an old Marshall where one day they were using 4700pf bright caps and the next day they weren't? What is "stock" when they were using 25k Mid and Presence pots one day and 50k the next? To that end, what is a "Plexi?" Is it just ones with a plexiglass panel? If so, is an early 90's 1959 reissue with a plexiglass panel a true Plexi? What about modern 1959HW reissues? Is it just 1959's with plexiglass panels or does it encompass 1987's? JTM45's with Plexi panels? Different circuit but still technically a "Plexi." Is my 1959 a Plexi even though it has a metal panel? You get the point.

So what is an "all original" old Marshall? What is "bone stock?" It's a bit of a pointless conversation. To me, if the circuit in an old Marshall is stock, then the amp is stock. The component values are all flexible because the original buyer could have gotten any variety of component values from the Marshall factory.

 

[Racerxrated]

I am all for tweaking to taste or completely modding the shit out of an amp if its not delivering what you want. Then there are the guys that if one resistor is changed on a vintage amp they go nuts. There are some killer completely untouched vintage amps out there and then there are a lot of amps that need a tweak. Values drift over time..etc. Then there are amps that no matter what ya do thy just sound like ass. Thats when ya mod dramtically. LOL . I had a 68 Super Trem that was perfection but I was a kid and stupidly sold it. Over the years I had some great early metal panels that I just had a master volume added that sounded great. I have a 71 Super Bass that was untouched but no matter what that amp just didnt sound good. Those are great donor amps, which I sent it to Shea. Now its a monster!

Well said!

This 72 50 that I traded for, it had most of the good stuff in the circuit removed in favor of orange drops. And, it was a bass circuit. I should have asked more questions lol, but that's on me. But, I thought I'd start finding and putting back the yellow Philips Chicklets that it would have come with. As I did that, I looked into the whole 'EVH Circuit' thing which we all know is never ending lol. I went ahead with changing the filtering, adding 2 fat caps and changing the V1b cathode resistor to 68 EVH spec and damn, it just breathes fire now.

 

[Racerxrated]

Guitar players have this weird thing where they want an item (amp, guitar, etc) to be "bone"/"dead" stock; BUT, they also want it to sound incredible (to their ears). It's a very weird phenomenon that's not common in other industries. For example, we don't say, "I had my kitchen remodeled and now my house lost value because it's not all-original anymore. I should return it to stock before I list it on the market." We usually look at those types of things as benefits that increase the value, not as "mods" that decrease the value. But with guitars, if I take the shitty Burstbuckers out of my Gibson Les Paul and put in a $500 pair of Lollar Imperials, the guitar actually loses value. It makes absolutely no sense.

This is especially tough with old Marshalls because Marshall used whatever components they had on hand at any given day. Fender did the same thing frequently too. (How many Fender Bassmans marked AA165 are actually AB165? Exactly.) So what is "stock" on an old Marshall where one day they were using 4700pf bright caps and the next day they weren't? What is "stock" when they were using 25k Mid and Presence pots one day and 50k the next? To that end, what is a "Plexi?" Is it just ones with a plexiglass panel? If so, is an early 90's 1959 reissue with a plexiglass panel a true Plexi? What about modern 1959HW reissues? Is it just 1959's with plexiglass panels or does it encompass 1987's? JTM45's with Plexi panels? Different circuit but still technically a "Plexi." Is my 1959 a Plexi even though it has a metal panel? You get the point.

So what is an "all original" old Marshall? What is "bone stock?" It's a bit of a pointless conversation. To me, if the circuit in an old Marshall is stock, then the amp is stock. The component values are all flexible because the original buyer could have gotten any variety of component values from the Marshall factory.

Honestly, Jeremy simply changed/tweaked a few components to resemble a stock 12 series 68 superlead. So, one could argue it IS stock, but stock from 1968 vs 71. To me, that's not really a mod, just a more desirable earlier version circuit. Which is what I did, and have no regrets at all.

 

[braintheory]

Dial it in?? Don't you just crank it as loud as possible and any settings sound good?

My question is, how do you get a unique sound out of these amps?? A Les Paul into a plexi sounds like rock and roll, i know, but getting a unique tone you can call your own seems kinda hard to do with these amps IMO.

Yes, I agree. I have a 1972 Superlead 100 myself. It's not a unique sound, but simply a great sound that I find surprisingly hard to rival for all things rock (wouldn't choose it for metal). Personally I prefer to just have as good of a sound as I can even if it's not unique, but it's of course great when I have an amp that does both and that happens too sometimes (less common though)

 

[heavision]

I’m curious: how do amps such as the SL68, Plex, Germino, Dr Dan etc compare to an actual, vintage Super Lead?

I would guess most guys would say the ones I just listed are better in the reliability, practicality department; but what about just straight up tone?

I’m trying to “poke the bear” here, just really, genuinely curious.

Clip sounded great, by the way!!