Morris Perplex'd

[BlackRose]

Wow, just played one of these.
Did not expect so much ear candy.
Not just the tone, but the feel, love it.
That rhythm channel gets very close to my ideal Marshall tone, similar to my '72 JMP50.
The additional clean & lead channels + a great loop is a nice bonus.

Anyone here play or have one of these ?

 

[jape23]

I've never tried a Morris Perplex'd, but I have a GCM 008 from Glen that I really like a lot. The Perplex'd is 3 channels right? The GCM 008 is a two channel amp that Morris designed subsequent to the Perplex'd. I would be very curious to know how similar these amps sound.

For reference, here is a clip of Glen's final version of the 008. It's just some disjointed noodling I spliced together, but it gives you an idea of what the amp sounds like on the drive channel.

https://app.box.com/s/vy55lio3zja0iuxmv1mtinojxbpdu78z

 

[BlackRose]

I've never tried a Morris Perplex'd, but I have a GCM 008 from Glen that I really like a lot. The Perplex'd is 3 channels right? The GCM 008 is a two channel amp that Morris designed subsequent to the Perplex'd. I would be very curious to know how similar these amps sound.

For reference, here is a clip of Glen's final version of the 008. It's just some disjointed noodling I spliced together, but it gives you an idea of what the amp sounds like on the drive channel.

https://app.box.com/s/vy55lio3zja0iuxmv1mtinojxbpdu78z

Yeah, it's 3 channels.
His GCM-008 sounds interesting.
I could probably live with the 2 channel design, would just commit channel 1 to clean & use a boost on the drive channel for leads.
That Rhythm channel on the Perplex'd I played was tuned perfectly for my favorite 70's Marshall based tones.
Budgie, RUSH, Thin Lizzy & UFO.

 

[SavageRiffer]

I have heard great things about their amps but don't know what kind of support I could expect from a Canadian builder. Domestic shipping has gone through the roof lately so who knows. Lucky for people who live in Canada though because all of the sounds I have heard on Youtube are pretty outstanding.

 

[BlackRose]

I have heard great things about their amps but don't know what kind of support I could expect from a Canadian builder. Domestic shipping has gone through the roof lately so who knows. Lucky for people who live in Canada though because all of the sounds I have heard on Youtube are pretty outstanding.

That is a serious concern & resale value is 40% of list at best

 

[EyesOfTheSouth!]

I have heard great things about their amps but don't know what kind of support I could expect from a Canadian builder. Domestic shipping has gone through the roof lately so who knows. Lucky for people who live in Canada though because all of the sounds I have heard on Youtube are pretty outstanding.

That is a serious concern & resale value is 40% of list at best

I live in Dallas, Texas and have owned 3 Morris amps (Grinder, Perplex'd, and 008). I still have the 008 and LOVE it ! I would stop flipping his amps, but he keeps coming up with new designs that I want to try....lol. Glen really is an unknown amp genius in my opinion.

You will not have to worry about support or resale. My Grinder sold for 75% of what I paid for it. And I didn't lose a penny on the sale of my Perplex'd after I used it for about 3 years. The only problem is the shipping............but I live all the way in Texas. There are ways around it, but you can talk to Glen about that.

 

[BlackRose]

I have heard great things about their amps but don't know what kind of support I could expect from a Canadian builder. Domestic shipping has gone through the roof lately so who knows. Lucky for people who live in Canada though because all of the sounds I have heard on Youtube are pretty outstanding.

That is a serious concern & resale value is 40% of list at best

I live in Dallas, Texas and have owned 3 Morris amps (Grinder, Perplex'd, and 008). I still have the 008 and LOVE it ! I would stop flipping his amps, but he keeps coming up with new designs that I want to try....lol. Glen really is an unknown amp genius in my opinion.

You will not have to worry about support or resale. My Grinder sold for 75% of what I paid for it. And I didn't lose a penny on the sale of my Perplex'd after I used it for about 3 years. The only problem is the shipping............but I live all the way in Texas. There are ways around it, but you can talk to Glen about that.

What made you decide to keep the 008 & sell the Perplex'd ?

 

[EyesOfTheSouth!]

I have heard great things about their amps but don't know what kind of support I could expect from a Canadian builder. Domestic shipping has gone through the roof lately so who knows. Lucky for people who live in Canada though because all of the sounds I have heard on Youtube are pretty outstanding.

That is a serious concern & resale value is 40% of list at best

I live in Dallas, Texas and have owned 3 Morris amps (Grinder, Perplex'd, and 008). I still have the 008 and LOVE it ! I would stop flipping his amps, but he keeps coming up with new designs that I want to try....lol. Glen really is an unknown amp genius in my opinion.

You will not have to worry about support or resale. My Grinder sold for 75% of what I paid for it. And I didn't lose a penny on the sale of my Perplex'd after I used it for about 3 years. The only problem is the shipping............but I live all the way in Texas. There are ways around it, but you can talk to Glen about that.

What made you decide to keep the 008 & sell the Perplex'd ?

Mainly my curiosity and the sound clips Glen sent me. I miss the Perplex'd every day.........but I really like the 008 better. My Perplex'd was different from his current production model. It was single channel (lead channel only) with a few switches/options to get great cleans as well. But not a "true" channel switcher.

I play hard rock/classic (70's/80's stuff) and the 008 just fits me better. The 008 sounds better at lower volumes and is more OD pedal friendly than the Perplex'd in my opinion. But man that Perplex'd is awesome when cranked into natural compression. I just couldn't do that every day. The 008 is really just a great sounding JCM800 with extra features (a clean channel, options for way more gain, a few different voicings, and a loop). I really couldn't ask for more.

 

[BlackRose]

I have heard great things about their amps but don't know what kind of support I could expect from a Canadian builder. Domestic shipping has gone through the roof lately so who knows. Lucky for people who live in Canada though because all of the sounds I have heard on Youtube are pretty outstanding.

That is a serious concern & resale value is 40% of list at best

I live in Dallas, Texas and have owned 3 Morris amps (Grinder, Perplex'd, and 008). I still have the 008 and LOVE it ! I would stop flipping his amps, but he keeps coming up with new designs that I want to try....lol. Glen really is an unknown amp genius in my opinion.

You will not have to worry about support or resale. My Grinder sold for 75% of what I paid for it. And I didn't lose a penny on the sale of my Perplex'd after I used it for about 3 years. The only problem is the shipping............but I live all the way in Texas. There are ways around it, but you can talk to Glen about that.

What made you decide to keep the 008 & sell the Perplex'd ?

Mainly my curiosity and the sound clips Glen sent me. I miss the Perplex'd every day.........but I really like the 008 better. My Perplex'd was different from his current production model. It was single channel (lead channel only) with a few switches/options to get great cleans as well. But not a "true" channel switcher.

I play hard rock/classic (70's/80's stuff) and the 008 just fits me better. The 008 sounds better at lower volumes and is more OD pedal friendly than the Perplex'd in my opinion. But man that Perplex'd is awesome when cranked into natural compression. I just couldn't do that every day. The 008 is really just a great sounding JCM800 with extra features (a clean channel, options for way more gain, a few different voicings, and a loop). I really couldn't ask for more.

I'm looking at a used 008 right now.
If I understand the layout, on the AC channel you have a switch to choose between clean or dirty, correct ?
That limitation is why I'm leaning towards the Perplex'd.
I prefer a dedicated clean, rhythm channel for AC/DC tone & 70's/80's high gain lead channel.

 

[EyesOfTheSouth!]

Channel 1 (AC) is a true clean channel. It's about as close to a Fender sound as you can get in a British/Marshall inspired amp. It is brighter and has less mids than channel 2. The switch just bumps the gain up some........like you added a clean boost or mild overdrive.

Channel 2 (DC) has more of that British "aww" sound and is darker. The 3 position switch just takes it up more in gain. In position 3, even more mids are added and the bass is cut back a bit.

I do exactly as you described like this:

AC as a dedicated clean
DC (position 2) for hard rock rhythm
DC (position 2) and step on OD pedal for leads and heavier stuff.

 

[bbaug14]

I'll chime in here. I had a GCM-008 for quite some time. It's an awesome amp. After going back and forth with Glen about some of the things I'd like to see in the amp, he actually added a bright switch on the DC channel to the latest production amp to balance that channel with the AC better for overall brightness depending on how much gain you are using on the DC side.

Anyway, the AC side can be very clean and nice and chimey. With second position, it'll do AC/DC all day long. Very Plexi like. Not Fender to my ears at all in that position. I rocked this channel the most when I had it. It was my go-to channel for Kossoff and Allman stuff.

The DC channel is very 800, but less thin sounding than a typical 800. Imagine the best 800 tone you've heard and that was it. The 3rd position added some gain for a sort of modded-M type thing. Not as much gain as a Landry or Friedman, but enough for anything I did.

Glen builds an amazing product and he's very accessible. I bought mine second-hand and he still went above and beyond discussing the design with me to get what I wanted out of it. Just great amps and a great builder. You really can't go wrong. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Morris.