So how close are the 1959SLP and 1959HW to the real deal?

[Digital Jams]

Been thinking hard and right now I cant justify 2K for a clean original SL, came this close to unloading 2K for a real good one but my guts were in knots over the amount. I can score the 1959HW for around $1300-1400 and well I dont sell amps at this time due to being lucky and free of bills. So the investment part is null and void even though that is still a good reason. I could see the HW slowly going up many years from now anyways.

So.....can I capture the magic of the old SLs once the caps are broken in with the reissues???

6-700 bucks can get lots of other little toys as well, have to think about that.

 

[Digital Jams]

Are you talking 2K for a late '60s Super Lead? If so, I'd snag it.

The last one was a 71 pretty freaking clean, real clean really.

I look at that the same way I would look at a classic matching numbers muscle car, if I smoked the OT or had a tube really go south I would lose value to the amp. I was planning to remove the OT and put a MM in there so I would have the original in a box. Due to lots of hotplate work I would be afraid of smoking the OT.

I would not worry with the reissue, OT blows up no harm and just replace it.

 

[Greazygeo]

Id just score a HW and call it done. There are tons of old Marshalls out there, but not that many of them are "good" ones. FInding clean ones are pretty tough these days. I know I went thru about 25 or so to find two......just because someone is asking a high price and says its a great sounding amp doesnt mean it really is....maybe it is for them, but not what you are looking for.

Luckily, I've only had one OT go up in smoke....with the diode protection circuit on the tube sockets, never had another problem (so far...knock on simultated wood product).

What about building a plexi kit?

 

[Digital Jams]

Id just score a HW and call it done. There are tons of old Marshalls out there, but not that many of them are "good" ones. FInding clean ones are pretty tough these days. I know I went thru about 25 or so to find two......just because someone is asking a high price and says its a great sounding amp doesnt mean it really is....maybe it is for them, but not what you are looking for.

Luckily, I've only had one OT go up in smoke....with the diode protection circuit on the tube sockets, never had another problem (so far...knock on simultated wood product).

What about building a plexi kit?

That is another thing, finding one from someone I trust and likes the same tones I do. Say I score one from TGP and the guys loves it but only used it as a pedal platform for lightly overdriven tones and the thng fell apart while driven hard like I would want to??

Build...............the reason is time George I have a pre-amp kit I have looked at half completed for damn near a year. This week I have 3 soccer practices, 2 away games and two home games alone.

 

[ratter]

Been thinking hard and right now I cant justify 2K for a clean original SL, came this close to unloading 2K for a real good one but my guts were in knots over the amount. I can score the 1959HW for around $1300-1400 and well I dont sell amps at this time due to being lucky and free of bills. So the investment part is null and void even though that is still a good reason. I could see the HW slowly going up many years from now anyways.

So.....can I capture the magic of the old SLs once the caps are broken in with the reissues???

6-700 bucks can get lots of other little toys as well, have to think about that.

They're a lot closer than some people would want you to think, IMO.

I sold my HW due to volume issues and later decided I wanted the tone back. I could have very easily just gotten another HW (mine is probably still sitting at the GC I traded it to...), but I had never owned an original 4-holer, and came across a decent deal, so I went for it. About a grand less than what I originally paid for the used HW.

But I'd be willing to bet that the difference between any given reissue and any given original is no greater than the difference between any two original samples.

A lot of people who claim that the reissues suck because they're too bright, too thin, too harsh, etc., probably shit their pants as soon as they crack the volume open (like the guys at GC did with the aforementioned HW), and they'd do the same with an original too.

The only things I did to the HW were clip the bright cap and bias it. Factory bias was crazy hot.

 

[ratter]

That is another thing, finding one from someone I trust and likes the same tones I do. Say I score one from TGP and the guys loves it but only used it as a pedal platform for lightly overdriven tones and the thng fell apart while driven hard like I would want to??

See, IMO, I wouldn't sweat that. Yeah, there will be differences from amp to amp, but I think that aspect is overblown too. If it's in proper working order, it will do Jimi, Jimmy, EVH, EJ, and Lynch all from the same amp. It's all about how you set it, the rest of the rig (boost, speakers, etc.), and how you attack it.

The advice I got from my buddy Scott (sickboy79) was to just look for the best condition I could afford in terms of originality, make sure the trannies were original (largely for $ reasons) and then have at it.

 

[Gainfreak]

Dude,

Get yourself a Re-issue or whatever is the cheapest incarnation, crank the shit out of it with a hotplate on it and if it doesn't have the tone, send it to Dave friedman or even Mark(Rockstah) on the Metro board.
Done deal.

 

[Digital Jams]

That is another thing, finding one from someone I trust and likes the same tones I do. Say I score one from TGP and the guys loves it but only used it as a pedal platform for lightly overdriven tones and the thng fell apart while driven hard like I would want to??

See, IMO, I wouldn't sweat that. Yeah, there will be differences from amp to amp, but I think that aspect is overblown too. If it's in proper working order, it will do Jimi, Jimmy, EVH, EJ, and Lynch all from the same amp. It's all about how you set it, the rest of the rig (boost, speakers, etc.), and how you attack it.

The advice I got from my buddy Scott (sickboy79) was to just look for the best condition I could afford in terms of originality, make sure the trannies were original (largely for $ reasons) and then have at it.

YOu are probably right, amps that I do know I know what is truth and what is forum myth but I am a noob whe it comes to plexis.

I need to learn how to play an amp and get away for awhile from the auto-pilot monster gain stuff.

 

[yngzaklynch]

Mike's (ratter) 1959HW was flat out AWESOME for classic Marshall crunch.

 

[Digital Jams]

Dude,

Get yourself a Re-issue or whatever is the cheapest incarnation, crank the shit out of it with a hotplate on it and if it doesn't have the tone, send it to Dave friedman or even Mark(Rockstah) on the Metro board.
Done deal.

I love how you talk dirty to me

 

[Gainfreak]

Dude,

Get yourself a Re-issue or whatever is the cheapest incarnation, crank the shit out of it with a hotplate on it and if it doesn't have the tone, send it to Dave friedman or even Mark(Rockstah) on the Metro board.
Done deal.

I love how you talk dirty to me

 

[Rufus Leaking]

This is exactly why I sold my '71 Super Trem. It had great tone but I knew if I tweaked the circuit at all (like trying a couple of Clay Finleys simple mods) or blew a tranny the value would drop precipitously. Plus being that old, it just seemed kind of fragile to me, like something could go at any moment

If I were you Scott, I'd advertise a WTB for a Metro build. You can find them with Mercury trannys for $900 - $1200. You can tweak to your hearts content and everything's new so you don't have to worry about degradation of the components.

 

[tweed]

59SLP freaking rip!! I have wanted one for a long time after borrowing a friends for a while. Great roar and tons of balls. I say forget the HW due to price and get a nice used 59SLP. You can always take the iron to it and change stuff pretty easly. Oh and you can slam it with a pedal till you get used to playing it Scotty

 

[Digital Jams]

This is exactly why I sold my '71 Super Trem. It had great tone but I knew if I tweaked the circuit at all (like trying a couple of Clay Finleys simple mods) or blew a tranny the value would drop precipitously. Plus being that old, it just seemed kind of fragile to me, like something could go at any moment

If I were you Scott, I'd advertise a WTB for a Metro build. You can find them with Mercury trannys for $900 - $1200. You can tweak to your hearts content and everything's new so you don't have to worry about degradation of the components.

I am not the biggest brand label flag waver on the board, well other than Hamer , but I have to get a Marshall bro! I figure if it is not up to snuf then Ugly Betty will go under the knife

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Any luck with that 73' I sent you?

 

[Digital Jams]

FWIW, they are not even close IMHO. They have the "sound" but there is that certain something that the original transformers have that the new ones doesn’t. Ralph named a few guys who can get somewhat close, but in a side by side comparison you can easily pick out the original. When I have another HOM gathering I will have my 67 plexi up and running (right now it needs filter caps) and will have my 71 and 74 SL right next to it to compare. Even a deaf person can hear the difference.

Now why do you have to go say this?!?!?!!?

 

[Digital Jams]

Any luck with that 73' I sent you?

I looked at both, thanks for the heads up Paige!!

That said I was not getting a good vibe from either listing

 

[Copperhead]

FWIW....
OT's are everything to the tone. I can add nothing of value to this discussion regarding direct experience with the vintage Marshall amps referred to, however... I just replaced the OEM tranny in my Rev with one from a brand new 120w Plus model, and the difference is astounding. It's a whole new amp.
So what Dave is saying is probably completely accurate.

 

[Digital Jams]

FWIW....
OT's are everything to the tone. I can add nothing of value to this discussion regarding direct experience with the vintage Marshall amps referred to, however... I just replaced the OEM tranny in my Rev with one from a brand new 120w Plus model, and the difference is astounding. It's a whole new amp.
So what Dave is saying is probably completely accurate.

Oh I have no reason to doubt Dave, I know the stock pile he has been around I dont think I would really mind though since I dont have the time in the seat he does.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Any luck with that 73' I sent you?

I looked at both, thanks for the heads up Paige!!

That said I was not getting a good vibe from either listing

No problem Scott! The guy with the 73 is real close to my house. I could check it out in person for you if you want...