NAD, or hey, how did that 1987x end up in my Jeep?

  • Thread starter Thread starter M@tt C
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M@tt C

M@tt C

Well-known member
So, perusing the used amp inventory of a local GC I came across a 1987x in what looked to be great shape for a reasonable price.

I’ve been wanting to check out a NMV Marshall- in 40+ years of playing I have never played one, so I figured I would scope it out, and if it looked good, take it home for a more thorough workout.

The amp was in mint condition with the hang tag and the all stickers in place- nice! The previous owner had also made a little channel jumper, which was cool too. Plugged it in to a cab and played at super low levels just to make sure it worked, which it did.

Got home, plugged it into my Iron Man II attenuator then into my EVH 2x12 with a Scumback M75/ BM75 mix.

Oooooh yes. yes, yes, YES!

I played it for a couple of hours with different guitars, pedals, gain levels, etc. and it was just killer. Super responsive with that awesome Marshall crunch. My Splawn Quick Rod gets in the ballpark, but the Marshall just sounded- well, like a Marshall! Rolled back dirty cleans were just amazing, then go full volume for a great rhythm tone. Hit it with a pedal for more juice. Super easy and no channel switching needed.

I popped the back panel off and was surprised to see Genelex gold pins in the 12ax7 slots and Mullard reissues for power tubes. AFAIK those weren’t the OEM tubes- regardless, they sounded great.

The only negative is the FX loop is somewhat useless with any sort of volume- but I knew that going in. I ran my Micropitch and El Capistan in front and it sounded good to me.

I ended up with my Secret Pre with about 3db of boost for crunch, and add my Rockaway for leads. Both off for lighter crunch/ dirty clean.

All in all I’m really impressed with it, and I’m looking forward to rehearsal this afternoon.

Now I gotta sell some stuff!
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With a good attenuator an NMV with your favorite boost and a little experimenting with the volume knob really does become a legit 3-channel amp. And with so much power stage engagement, you really do get an entirely different sound and feel than through an amp that does everything in the pre-stage.
 
What plexi style amp would you guys recommend to someone looking for one? Suhr SL68, Marshall, Germino?
 
if buying used, any from the reputable builders will work...I’m really happy with my Sl67, I use the variac feature most of the time.

a good attenuator is a must though...I use a ps2.
 
M@tt C said:
So, perusing the used amp inventory of a local GC I came across a 1987x in what looked to be great shape for a reasonable price.

I’ve been wanting to check out a NMV Marshall- in 40+ years of playing I have never played one, so I figured I would scope it out, and if it looked good, take it home for a more thorough workout.

The amp was in mint condition with the hang tag and the all stickers in place- nice! The previous owner had also made a little channel jumper, which was cool too. Plugged it in to a cab and played at super low levels just to make sure it worked, which it did.

Got home, plugged it into my Iron Man II attenuator then into my EVH 2x12 with a Scumback M75/ BM75 mix.

Oooooh yes. yes, yes, YES!

I played it for a couple of hours with different guitars, pedals, gain levels, etc. and it was just killer. Super responsive with that awesome Marshall crunch. My Splawn Quick Rod gets in the ballpark, but the Marshall just sounded- well, like a Marshall! Rolled back dirty cleans were just amazing, then go full volume for a great rhythm tone. Hit it with a pedal for more juice. Super easy and no channel switching needed.

I popped the back panel off and was surprised to see Genelex gold pins in the 12ax7 slots and Mullard reissues for power tubes. AFAIK those weren’t the OEM tubes- regardless, they sounded great.

The only negative is the FX loop is somewhat useless with any sort of volume- but I knew that going in. I ran my Micropitch and El Capistan in front and it sounded good to me.

I ended up with my Secret Pre with about 3db of boost for crunch, and add my Rockaway for leads. Both off for lighter crunch/ dirty clean.

All in all I’m really impressed with it, and I’m looking forward to rehearsal this afternoon.

Now I gotta sell some stuff!View attachment 192898View attachment 192901
Click to expand...
Congrats!

Every Marshall fan should have one....vintage or RI. No master mod, just straight stock. Use with an attenuator, or if you grab a distortion pedal like the BE OD, Dist +, or in my case the 40$ Joyo Uzi you can use the Vol on the distortion pedal as a master, if the pedal is right before the amp.
I can get classic crunch, to 80s hard rock and even super heavy tones with the Uzi stacked with my OD1X.
 
I got my 1987xl for $627 on eBay, late night, drunken bid, amp was listed as "not working, parts only." It just needed tubes and I had it running five min. after unpacking. I got a new headshell from Sour Mash for it and it is such a killer amp. It responds well to tube rolling. I had a MV installed and I don't ever use loops. But I usually keep the MV dimed and just wear foam earplugs, run it at full tilt when Mrs. Lee isn't home. I love this amp and will never sell.
 
If I were on the hunt for a boutique NMV Marshall-type and were on a budget, I'd go Ceriatone. If not on a budget, I'd probably go Germino. I have about $1300 into my '69 1959SLP clone build and it has Merren iron.
 
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