The PLEXI is a HARSH MISTRESS

I’ve owned three plexi type amps. They were hand wired 50 and 33 watts, and a Marshall VS20. They are all unholy loud, and live, they highlighted every mistake in a big way. There was no reverb, gain, or compression to hide behind.

Amazing video. I owned a 72 small logo hand wired (one of the last) 50 watt Bass head a few years back. Wish I’d never let it go!! Most touch sensitive amp I’ve ever played

Great tones and explanations. I have a JMP 2203 head that I had Lee Jackson (of Metaltronix amps) do a tube buffered effects loop mod on, I use the "4 cable" method with my pedal board for amazingly clean delays and modulations while in the high gain input; something that was not possible before. So now I can get all that organic Marshall tube overdrive crunch yet with wonderfully ambient multi-dimensional and undistorted delays and reverbs! Simply phenominal!

Angus, loved you're playing on Kitaro's live album, pure greatness. Loved you and Kitaro together as well, your polished aproach against his organic aproach is amazing to hear, it worked so well.

What you said at 8:25 is EXACTLY how owning my Plexi relatively early on in my musical adventures made me feel. There’s just a certain vibe and attitude that gets added to your playing when you’re used to playing a real Plexi. Peace man.

Angus you are so right! I had to wait until the family was out and no neigbors home, all because my playing was so average. But whenever I did, it felt like getting getting a recharge. Id be happy as for days after. Last year I got an Ox box. Best investment ever - those cabs take up so much space too.

I've owned a re-issue 50 watt Plexi and I loved it. The only problem was you need to turn the channels up to 5-6 for it to really sound good. Bridging the channels, of course. I also blew the transformer on mine, replaced with the same one you did. Aside from that, it's the second best amplifier I've owned. First being a Traynor YBA-1A, which I currently own. Thanks for the video!

Good demo....The reissues sound really good! Used to have an original 1969 Marshall 50 tremolo head that was amazing. I bought it for a steal when I was 20. I just got sick of playing it clean with the volume on 3 and still getting yelled at to turn down. Ended up selling it and buying an original 68 deluxe reverb that's great for clubs. Would love to get that Marshall back someday though....

My main amp is a 2203, but I'm really curious about whether a Plexi would be better for me. So many great guitar players from the '70s and '80s were Plexi players and the tones were legendary.

Harsh mistress indeed! I've had a 1974 metal panel 50 watter for about 10 years now. Coming from being a JCM800 guy I had a bit of a learning curve, but once I got used to it I'm in love. It's impractical and loud as all hell and I really have to be on my toes to sound good through it....but when I'm in the zone it's an amazing feeling.

Hey dude, thanks from all of us on the heart felt rundown. Many of us bedroom rockers want to hear the realities of gear and how to get those tones. Its not as simple as it had seemed when I was young and couldn't afford anything. Thanks again.

One thing that is really overlooked is the 4X12 cab and speaker type and the microphone/s type/s and position/s is ....super critical to the sound especially when everything is distorting. It can get too bright and ugly fast. then theres the room

🔊🤠👍I was surprised by the sound and feel of the first plexi stack I played through. It was not what I expected. You feel totally exposed. I completely agree that you become and must become a better player. Nowhere to hide.

That's the tone for me. It's great there are so many Marshall's out there. They really made a lot of these amps and you can get this tone like you do without buying a vintage amp. I also really love the M160 mic.

It's always fun playing with another guitarist and watching them set up an elaborate pedalboard only to have their jaw thrown to the floor with Super Lead growl.

Absolutely amazing description of the Plexi. I'm not up to snuff to safely operate my SLP100 without a crash helmet.

Great video Angus. Im using the studio vintage, great to have a smaller 1959 type amp. Works great and sound great. Love your tones 😎

Through being able to model amps on an axe fx and on a line6 pod go, I have discovered plexi's and pedals are the way to go I was all about 800's and I still love them, nothing sits better in a band and gives you the feel of an 800. But discovering that a plexi and pedal or pedals of your choice is perfect has swain me to the plexi side. I don't currently own one but the origin model I've recently grabbed is damn close and the price is ridiculous I am really happy with my rig. Sooner or later I'll get a plexi but I'll keep using the origin so I don't have to be concerned with damaging a plexi.

In my Marshall days I was using a 100 watt head. What I loved using with it was the Tom Scholz "Power Soak". Could maintain the great tone and control the volume beast with ease. Don't know if they're still around on Ebay or not but there are surely some power attenuator devices out there to use instead of having to add master volume controls. Your Marshall sounds great!

Have a 1987 small box jmp Plexi from 68 with a 69 cabinet. Sweet stuff. Amazing how all the Plexi players in 60’s all sounded different on the same amp. And at the same time sounded fantastic.

I have a 1974 mk2 and an mid 70ties Stramp which is a Plexi Clone. Both are without Master and insane. With a good Pedal you can really get this incredible ACDC Sounds. Love these kind of amplifier.

I had a 1966 JTM45 and a 1968 50 watt Plexi and they were both glorious. They are both gone now but they were incredible amps.

Great video. Very useful info. The JTM 45 is a bucket list amp for me. 🤞🏻 one day I’ll have one. Thanks for posting.

Yes, there's no where to hide. I had a '68 Plexi and it was very harsh and loud, even for a 50 watt. It was not the best sounding one. My brother had an early '69 metal panel and it was way better sounding and user friendly. It had that Electric Ladyland Voodoo Chile Steve Winwood tone. So all Plexi's do sound and behave differently. I've never heard a reissue that sounds like an original Plexi.

All great advice & stories Angus. I got my first real amplifier back in 1976 (a brand new Fender Twin Reverb). The only reason I ended up with the Twin was because I didn't have enough money saved up for the Plexi Half-Stack sitting next to it on the display floor. I was 14 years old at the time and had worked multiple Summer jobs to save up the $400 for the Twin. I always wanted that Marshall though.
Fast forward +40 years, I'm still playing through that Twin Reverb as well as a few other vintage amps but still no Marshall for me as I just didn't need one for the playing I do.
So I decided to place the 1987x on a Bucket List and picked up a used/early 1987x with a nice Bluesbreaker extension cab loaded with a pair of greenbacks. I've since replaced the Transformer, added a PPI MV and in general just kick myself for not getting one of these decades ago!
Couldn't be happier with this amplifier. She does really need to be played loud and in that respect I'm blessed with a home studio that allows both the Twin Reverb and Marshall to both be run dimed out.
I laughed at your comment about being naked, so true. After all of these years of playing being naked is a somewhat normal feeling for me as this small box Marshall is every bit as loud as my Twin. Anyways, I've gone on long enough. I subscribed to your channel, thank you for the great content.

If you watch live classic rock videos, you’ll see what makes them sound good is how cleanly they play, and they mute well

Played a JMP-1 with JFX-1 into a Valvestate 8008 power amp with a Marshall 1978 4x12 with black back Rola G12H30s. It was a good rig (the cabinet is amazing). I never fully bonded with it (lots of op amps in a JMP-1) but the flexibility was a nice trade off. Played it for ten years. Went back to tube amps. I have a 1990 JCM 800 Super Lead 1987. Great amp. I like it just as much as any of the classic or reissue Super Lead amps I have heard or played.

I’ve had quite the number of Marshall amps over the years. Metropoulos, Germino, and the usual suspects. The 1987x is a great amp. Probably one of my favorites along with an old 2204.

Hi Angus,
Cool video. I've been getting into The SG/Marshall thing too.(Dsl40cr) at one time I had a 1987x it was
awesome but in my situation I couldn't use its dynamic range. The NMV Marshall are a completely different feel like you said!! The punch is massive!
Keep rocking!

I think your commentary about buying used gear from a local retailer that also acts as a musicians hub being a place to give your business was absolutely spot on

I bought the new studio version and even that was too much amp for me. I had no idea how to tame it, and I'm not a very good player, anyway. There was too much volume and nowhere to hide, so I returned it. I regret that, but then again, it was so loud.

Absolutely right; with a plexi there’s nowhere to hide lol
Practicing with an acoustic helps

I have a 1987x with factory effects loop. First time I played through it with jumpers was a "that's it!" moment - no reverb or effects. Same even when "clean" although that term means something different on these amps. It's exactly that raw immediacy that I like - even though being, as you say, naked. That's a good thing eventually.

The reason for the quick volume jump is the 500pf capacitor across the bright channel volume pot. When I build them I use a 250pf and it really helps make the amp more manageable. I am a Mercury dealer and yes, there products are excellent.

Absolutely true about revealing every little mistake in your playing! I have a 1980 1959 MKII Superlead NMV that was getting some weird ghost notes and weird phasing sounds when doing long slow bends etc. Figured the original capacitors were shot so I replaced the big power section caps & while I was in there put a Point to point turret board in it with all fresh Sozo preamp caps, new resistors, set the bias etc etc.. the thing is So clear, warm, crunchy, sensitive to touch and natural sounding... it hides NOTHING. Painfully LOUD amps!!

You are 100 percent spot on about this amp making you a better player. When a mistake is made- it’s OBVIOUS with these amps (unless you have loads of effects running) .... so my opinion is that you better get used to it before playing out ... because it can make a good guitar player sound not good at all!!!
For example , a player may sound like a 10 on a Princeton reverb, but sound like a 5 on a plexi!!!!! I know 😉😉

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I can't believe I've owned a JTM45 for so long and never knew about/tried that low input trick for playing at low volumes. With a pedal, it sounds AWESOME. Life changing. Wow.

Nothing like a Plexi! Sounds great!

Plexi's sound different through the years. Marshall was a nickle & dime operation back then. They sourced their parts from the cheapest parts/vendors available. RS transformers were off the shelf transformers (1962-65), then Drakes (1965-68), then Dagnalls (1967-72?) with plenty of overlap & variations (plus other vendors).

Great demo, you’re a gifted player, and nothing beats that AC/DC classic rock tone.
Gibson SG + Marshall = Rock n Roll Heaven.

Haha fun to see here the same stack of Blackstar and Marshall standing at my home!!! :)
I made the same experience with the jump on volume controls but later used a volume control on the fx-loop to get rid of it.
To play a Marshall purely with a Guitar is unbeatable. Such sweet tones, dynamics and response, but it also rubs your fails directly into your face and forces You to play accurate, as You described it, I totally agree!!!
That Marshall is a very good instructor... :)
From the issues You explained, I'll be warned to play it cranked up completely for a longer time, thx for that!!!
Btw: like AC/DC and from only listening to Your licks can't say its the original or not... :)

Plexi always have that in our face tones ... i used to be a high gain amp player for 25 years, but switched to the angry growl of the Plexi.

I own three 100 watt 1959 model Super Leads from 1970, 1973, and 1974. They're incredible sounding amps and they are incredbly LOUD.

Have had a early 90's Marshall 1959 Reissue SLP for about 10-12 years. Absolute amazing tone but so, so (so so so) loud. Had to get an attenuator to keep it reasonable at home and most gigs. I use a THD Hotplate that has done me well. Important to keep your servicing up however if you are gigging with it. I prob use my Deluxe Reverb more now because I gig less and play a lot more around the house (w/ wife and kids). But nothing will beat those large stage mic'd Marshall experiences.

Killer tone. Do you still play live w it? You didn’t mention attenuation, cab sim, or iso box. Would be interesting to know what you’d recommend to your “same self” if you wanted the same tone and were starting in today’s lower stage volume demanding world?

Great video, Angus. I'm a long-time Hot Rod Deville player and it's sort of defined me too. and I don't really like me ;) Now I'm thinking of getting back into Marshall (this or the SV20) as I love the cleans as well as the "concussive" punch you talked about. But tell me, is that "concussion" the plexi or is it perhaps a 4x12 cab going with it? In other words, pushing it through a 1x12 is more likely where I'd want to be... Thanks!

A bit of advice for anyone owning a Plexi, or planning on owning one.... Remove the rear panel from the amp head. Why? These amps run a bit hotter than most, and are poorly vented without top vents. The ventilation grill on the back is small in comparison to other Marshall amp heads, and don't allow for good convection air flow. After playing mine at moderate volume level for an hour or so, I noticed that the rear and top of the amp were hot. After removing the rear cover I placed my hand on the output transformer, and you could fry an egg on it. Smoking hot. Have since been playing it without the rear cover and everything (other than the tubes of course) has been just warm to the touch. Night and day difference. No doubt this has an effect on the life of these amps.

This why I bought a metropoulos metroplex, you get the plexi tone at low volumes, you don't have to crank it all the way up.

Great thoughts sir. To your question, in 20 years of playing this year, I can say confidently that most players I have met have talked about the sound of this amp, but have not plugged into one for themselves, so they don’t have a real reference point. Pretty sure only a couple of pros that I know have played one, or good examples of vintage guitars like ones from the fifties. I have only been able to play one once at Chicago music exchange, and it was amazing to play with this huge sound, but not practical at all for someone like me. Amazing sounds though! Nice video. Peace!

Sound that hits you in the chest! That's how you know you're doing something right.

Nice video! At 07:12 U talk about channel bleed. First time I heard about that was in an interview with Yngwie Malmsteen’s former sound guy (Pontus Norgren). Pontus said that Yjm uses the treble channel only but turns up the bass channel which bleeds in with sound.

I've owned and played about everything and I knew as well as all my friends telling me "dude get a plexi and be done with it".🤘💪🎸

The 1987 reissues are especially harsh. Fantastic amps once you get used to them though!!!!

"it takes from you any hiding place" Truth.
For an even more "no place to hide" experience, play a Telecaster through a Plexi. Or a Hiwatt.
One thing that lots of players don't know is that the old 50 and 100 watt plexi panel amps get very nice clean tones at low volume.

Cool video. Good honest info. Great playing, sound and great solid advice. Thanks.

just wanted to say that if you play the model 1967 200w bass major plexi,...the sound is quite a lot smoother and not as harsh 🙂

Great info, we need more of these videos.Thanks man!

I also had a non-MVolume JMP in the late 80's made in the 70's. I got it with a blown power transformer. Good amp but one dimensional even tho it did that one sound great.
The actual plexi was not an original Marshall product but made by Ken Bran, Jim Marshall's repair man. The design was stolen from late 50's Fender Bassman. Check the old schematic and compare. They are identical. Fender amps were very expensive in England so Marshall had Ken making them in the repair shop of his music store.
Fender changed the topography of their preamps in the early 60's to a cleaner sound by putting the EQ after the first triode stage rather than after the third triode as in late 50's. They also got rid of the emitter follower feeding the EQ section. The sonic differences are notable. The original design is very basic. Almost anyone with soldering and able to read a schematic can easily build one.

30th Street Guitars was the best guitar shop in NYC...is still great, and have a great boutique pedal collection, but when they moved to 27th street they had to downsize and no longer have much of an amp collection.
I use a 1959 reissue (2007) attenuated with a Rivera Rock Crusher and it sounds beautiful, RC does a great job of holding the tone and taming the beast. The difference between the Lead (1987) and the Superlead (1959) in volume difference is nominal, about 3 dB, that's it...the difference with the 50 watt Lead is it has less clean headroom, that is: it takes less volume before you saturate the tubes and it begins to overdrive. Plexis are just tone beasts...sweet spots all over them. I like the effects loop in the back of the reissues, I run a rack mounted reverb through it...but it takes pedals in the front beautifully.

I was lucky enough to own one of these in the seventies, I also had a 100W bass head and a regular 100W plexi too, sigh... don't have any of them now. And yes my hearing has suffered.

I'd love to hear and see more videos like this. Articulate, knowledgable and chops to boot!
I own a JTM45 and while it sounds wonderful it doesn't have that Plexi "thrak" you've got going on here.

Love me some Plexi!! I had a 74 pre voltage drop, but with circuit board...the hybrid!! I loved it...regret moving it!!

The reason the HI treble channel affects the LO channel is due to the way the amp is wired, so the bright circuit on the HI channel volume control acts as an adjustable treble bleed on the LO channel, somewhat similar to the way the tone control works on the guitar. Both volume controls are wired in parallel into the next gain stage, and are not isolated from each other, unlike more modern designs which typically would have a switching circuit to remove one channel's control's from the signal path at a time.

Great explanation I hear you. I want to get one. I had two in my life but when I'd play gigs they'd fail and never make the whole job. I still wants one bagginses!

I still use a JMP-1 along with numerous others. I think it'll exceed the 74 JMP 50W, based on flexibility. It has more gain, and the volume is controllable. Its also MIDI switched. I have it connected to Marshall EL34 50/50, Mesa Stereo 2:100, and Peavey Classic 50/50 for 34/6L6/84 options. I like the JMP-1. That said, the old Marshall is loud, has tons of bottom end, and records amazingly well every time. As though they tailored one killer voice, at one loud volume. You sound GREAT man! Love the ACCA DACCA.

Hey Angus, awesome vid man! I own the XL (has the loop bulit in) version. Wanted to gig with it but got a little alarmed when you talked about all the repairs you have had to do on yours. In your opinion Is this amp reliable?....or were you just cranking this baby on a regular and blowing shit up?! I appreciate your imput as I have some gigs lined up in the near future. Any suggestions are welcome. Blessings and Rock on Bro!!

this is one of the best demos/ explanation of Plexi style amps. Thanks. 🤟✌👆🤘

What's sad is every time that I hear a popular song being played on guitar the first thing I think of is "that video is demonitized" 😕. I don't listen to mainstream music myself but I know the music and I feel for all you guitarists that are getting hit with strikes.

Your Plexi sounds great btw. You def got that Angus tone happening. Rock On!

I’ve never played a real Plexi. But I have a Friedman smallbox and I LOVE the plexi channel on it.

Hey Angis, The way you turned The High Channel up meanwhile being plugged into The low Channel, do you know if this works on all plexi’s?
I bought a 1959HW and found it to be either too bright or too bassy as you rightly pointed out.
Great video though, an eye opener for me, and Definately a morale booster for playing more with pedals through my AMP (if this trick works on my AMP ofcourse)

Greetings from Ireland, enjoyed the info, thinking of going for the 20w version, even that might be too loud for home use 😂

Hi I'm absolutely in love with these things! Never understood from which came the name of 1987 and 1959 of those ampli since they where made in the 60's and 70's... 🤔

Awesome demo! You should demo that EVH 5150 as well! :)

Harsh mistress, but sounds glorious in hands of a master like Angus! Thank you so much for really great video!

If the Plexi sound is what you like... Would you attenuate it down to a quiet level or get a master volume amp?
I'm beginning to believe there's no just replacement for the Plexi.

Very well articulated. What are your thoughts on this circuit in comparison with the dsl?

Great rundown. You're right about what these things will do to your hearing. Wear "protection."

You can get any sound out of a plexi if you know what you are doing. Best amp design of all time.

Really appreciate your vid. I am an older player, not a pro, but make my own recordings of my own stuff. Ive always played on fender amps, solid state then tube. Ive recently purchased the Frampton custom pro copy and have been eyeballing the studio classic heads and cabs that Marshall has out now. Im really drawn to the Studio Vintage Plexi 20 watt. Do you have an opinion on the 20 watt heads? Im also looking at attenuators, not the ox, i dont have that kinda bank, but something decent to keep my neighbors as friends. Thanks for your video great info.

This dude & i have a very different opinion of a bone crushing tone! In this day & age just pick up a JVM for "that" Marshall tone! It pretty much covers every relevant Marshall amp!

Awesome tone Angus...love the SG Custom

You are correct sir they are so loud that any mistake is out there!

I'll stick with my JCM800 4212 combo. It's a beast. I've never had the master volume anywhere near all the way up, and I've never had to mike it up at gigs. It's never let me down in 30 years of hardcore metal playing. I've only ever had to retube it occasionally from new. After years of abuse, I did take it to Marshalls at Bletchley (just up the road for me), and they replaced the tolex, the speaker cloth, the logo, the feet, the corners, the knobs and the handle. It still has some battle scars, but it doesn't look like a derelict.

i use mine with a Fryette Power station. cant beat it. Also have put two transformers in it over the years

I built a jtm 45 clone. At least I think I did. I just bought a bunch of parts online and slapped them together. I nearly shit myself when it actually worked.. It's got it's quirks. Very bassy but cranked the mofucker will drown out a drum kit and make your hair stand up. Never played an actual plexi but I'd like to just to compare and see how mine stands up. There's definitely a reason why so many great guitarists play them from Angus to frusciante.

If your tired or just not into playing it will show in your playing. In a soldonal high gain type amps you can get away with little mistakes.Maybe why eddie gave up his plexi

I have only bought a couple new pieces in my time playing guitar...not a professional so I always gravitate to used gear myself to justify picking up something....I do a fair amount of trading also

Another reason to buy used gear and the main one for me is the environmental benefit of reusing something instead of making another.

Hey jw does the normal gain have a "phasey" sound to it? Or does either gain sound different when played together Like it's moving in and out of phase?

Fantastic video! I love the real-world information. Could you a similar vid about the 5150?

Volume pedal in the FX loop is a great bedroom hack as well.

Playing a Plexi isn't irrelevant, just ask JD Simo. You rock!

Soldano are the same...so clear and articulate, nowhere to hide. Forces you to raise your game.

Plexis can sound like crap because of not having the ideal component values. Bright cap, NFB etc. It can be very personal and very specific to the gear you use with the amp, guitar pickups, pedal, speaker etc. You can have a plexi style amp that sounds like absolute garbage if the output transformer isnt reacting correctly to signal coming out of the tubes. It can be extremely spikey and harsh if the transformer isnt absorbing/cushioning those voltage spikes. But if you have some really dark speakers and dark sounding guitar/pedals, more brightness could be also desirable.

Great tips!
I got mine just 5 days ago, and fell in love.

What is the difference between the 1987x and the JTM-45? What types of musical differences are there?

Fantastic vid! Thanks for sharing. Love that tone.

When you crack them you can control the gain with your guitar volume rolled to 6 or 7 8or 9 for solo

I really enjoyed your video, very informative and entertaining at the same time! Moar please! :-D