Marshall 1959 SLP Reissue

It features ROCK!!!

IT SOUNDS INCREDIBLE!! I just had an opportunity to hear it for the first time from the crowd perspective when I lent it out to the opening band this weekend. I was blown away. It BLOWS AWAY any JCM 2000.

THIS IS THE TONE!!! I don't know why so many people bash this amp. Maybe they just can't play guitar.

You just have to fuss around w/ the knobs, and as the review below says, a Hot Plate Attenuator is a must. I use one as well, and could not live without it.

I also find that backing off the Tone knob on the guitar really warms up the sound and actually sounds amazing. In fact, on no other amp have I ever gotten great tonal varieties with the Tone knob -- it's always been "10" or mud. Not so on a Plexi!

I also agree w/ the below review -- no need to change tubes and all that BS. I feel the same way about pickups. I believe that STOCK is usually the way to go and all that pick-up tube change, etc. crap is for geeks. Just play your friggin' ax, and play it loud!

Here's where I had a problem. The casing came undone. Didn't damage anything inside, and a bit of Gorilla glue did the trick.

Never called 'em.

I've been playing for 23 years, and I know how to rock. I've used every amp and every guitar. This amp is the best (save for maybe an original). Any guitar will sound awesome.

Don't listen to all the geeks who bash this amp. It is phenomenal. Again, get a Hot Plate Attenuator with it.

Amp was made in 1995. The versatility in this amp comes pretty much completely from volume adjustments and your selection of speaker types. Most players would benefit from learning to be creative in just these 2 aspects - no choices helps in becoming truly proficient at using this as a musical instrument - not just an amp.

The amp does have "normal" and "high treble" inputs. Many players including myself patch the 2 channels together to get a blend of both channels. When blended equally - the sound is perfect to my ears.

Amp really has no features except fabulous tone.

Using stock American strats and Les Paul Standards. Both guitars sound fabulous through this amp. I am using this amp with a THD Hotplate (this is something you just have to have with this amp - nothing to "think about" - you just get one of these - it's like a speaker cable - you have to have it). This amp is as quiet as a mouse. Fully cranked, you are reminded about a thing called power tube distortion to which there simply is NO substitute.

This is a classic Marshall. The distortion is not brutal - it is warm and beautiful. Makes you want to play the guitar. I love that this amp rewards a guitarist for playing well.

After going through the tone search again - I tried many amps - Fenders, Bogner, Mesa, Hughes and Kettner, and even newer Marshalls. Call me crazy - but when you hear the plexi reissue cranked up - nothing comes close to the amazing tone - mesmerizing tone. And you don't need to mess with the tubes, the transformers, etc. These reissues sound amazing right out of the box. I am using a Fender Tonemaster closed back cabinet 150 watts (2 Celestion Vintage 30's wired for 4 ohms). Sounds excellent with the amp. I would also like to hear the amp with a standard Marshall 4X12 1960 cabinet loaded with 25 watt greenbacks.

Although you don't need any effects (just ask Angus), I am currently using a Hughes and Kettner Replex (Echoplex simulator) and an "Analog Man" TS9 Tube Screamer only because I already had these effects. Just when you didn't think the distortion could get any better, kick in the Analog Man and you won't believe it.

This is a reissue of a very, very simple amp design. Not much can go wrong. I would love to gig with a backup no matter what I was using, but I would not worry too much about using this amp without a back up - especially if I had a few extra tubes and fuses with me.

This is Marshall. Made in England. They've been doing it for 40 or 50 years. They know amps.

I called Marshall (not Korg...I mean Marshall) one time. They were very polite and helpful. I don't know if it was because I was calling from America, but they will go get whomever you need to speak with to get the help you need. Very nice people.

I am getting a little worried about qualified tube amp techs here in America. It is getting harder and harder to find good techs. If you find a good one, he is so backed up that it can take way too long to get your amp repaired.

I've been playing for a million years - owned everything under the sun. The only other amp I have truly loved was my original 1973 100 watt Marshall Mk II (which is what this amp is a reissue of).

I am so glad that these classics are still available. I'm sure they are not for everybody but these are the models that put Marshall on the map and it is simply because they sound fantastic.

If somebody stole it I guess I would just steal it back if possible. If not - I would go buy another one.

2001 Marshall 1959 SLP Reissue. No Effects Loop. 100 Watts. Very Loud.

I have had this amp for three years, and it has been three of the most frustrating because of trying to get a decent sound out of this head. I have tried every combination of my 20 guitars, and four different Marshall Cabinets. I have tried it with two different THD Hot plate attenuators, and various Fulltone and Keely effects. I have tried changing the tubes, pre amp and power amp. I just had an amp tech look at it, and the only thing he did was to remove the bright caps at c 17 and c 18. This helped, but it did not make enough of a difference for me. I play in two different bands, one is an old school band where we play a lot of Cream, where I wanted to use it, I couldn't. Maybe I got a bad one, I don't know. I have two other Marshall heads, a JCM 900 and a DSL 100 that I have used for years, and they work great. This head to me sounded lifeless. The last rehersal when I used it, I wanted to smash it to bits, but decided to sell it instead. Maybe I'm really picky, but I have been playing for 30 years, and all I could get was one flat tone out of it. Linking the channels helps slightly only if you get the exact microscopic zone of the two knobs. I really hate to say anything bad about this, but I am just being honest and have got to let go of this beast because it has caused me a lot of headaches. It has been basically unuseable for me. I'm not going to give it a super low rating because there was a sort of AC DC crunch in there, but nothing close to the sounds I have heard on records.

It worked when I turned it on.

Are you kidding me? They seem not to care.

I am giving this review to exorsize the bad demons from inside of me. I think I only bought the hype, and I have no one to blame but me. I'm going to take my time and really look for something that will live up to it's reputation, or at least sounds good to me.

The 2003 reissues has few features but what it has suits me:
1. Voltage in selection (very versatile between UK, continent, and North America)

2. 4 - 16 Ohm speaker select, good feature for changing cabs in clubs and such or matching for studio work (driving through a Hotplate works well enough for DI)

3. Effects loop - simple with clean switching (manual). I do not like the voltage boost.

4. The rest is all duplicated from the original and is simple to the max.

2003 - I play from clean to distorted between a Fender Deluxe and the reissue through a custom 1995 Lado (dual Humbucker) and an original 65 Fender Strat. I have the SLP going through 4x12 Greenbacks and usually hot-rod between high-2 and low-1 with a tube-screamer for added lead OD. The tone is delightful and with thinner speaker cables gives less of a boomy low end, but still tasty violin-like distortion with a bit of compression (for me: scoop it and set everything else to 8, then let her rip). The presence really cuts through in both outside/tent gigs and loud bar environments. The amp will deliver whatever you are looking for if you spend a few minutes working through the range of controls.

Overall I am very impressed with the sound and have discovered original tone along the way.

Haven't had it long enough to judge.

I have dealt with Marshall customer service in the past and was not that impressed (AVT 50). To be fair I have not tried with this amp... but who is fair?? Next time they should fix what is covered under the warranty without hassle.

I've played for 22 years (professinally for 10) and have this as part of a larger group of working amps (Marhsall, Peavy, Fender, VHT) depending on the gig. I would recommend the VHT over the lot if I could have only one, but VHT are also twice the price. For the dosh, this amp is everything I could hope for and has added some extra tone to my back line for heavier outings.

I purchased this amp package off e-bay about 6 months ago. Its a 1966 slp. It has had some modifications done to it over the years. It has a master volume control know in the back. There is also some holes that look like the were for some other knobs at one point. I purchased it with the cabinet. I believe the speakers are original celestion 20 watters. The whole things looks pretty beat up but sounds awesome. After doing alot of research trying to figure out how to get Eddie Van Halens tone from the first record, I purchased a variac transformer to crank the voltage up to about 140. It actually works. I mean I still have to turn it up to about 7 or 8, but it has an awesome overdrive to it, still maintaining clarity though. Hook a delay pedal and an MXR phase 90 up and its all good. Very loud..but good.

I use mostly a texas Fat strat. I use the humbucker most of the time.
The amp setup is awesome. When you have it cranked up with the variac you really cant get a good clean sound. Well worth the $3700.00 I paid for the setup.

Had to have to tubes changed once and burn fuses out often but only because I crank the voltage up.

N/A

Ive been playing for about 10 years. I own 2 texas fat strats, one with a floyd rose, a gibson EDS-275 double neck, and a kramer 1984 van halen re-issue. If this amp got stolen...well I have to get another one and hope it sounds the same. Oh yeah let me say that I think the floyd rose system sucks. A fender strat with an LSR roller nut, locking tuners, and graphite strings saddles stays in tune way better than the floyd rose.

3-band EQ w/presence. Volume 1+2. No master volume bullshit. This is a ATTEPT at trying to make a reissue of the original plexi's. ATTENTION! You don't need a bunch of extra knobs like gain, depth...etc to have a good amp. Power tube breakup is the way to go. Now suck on it Triple Recto Freaks!

I'm updating my review that i did a while back when i first got this amp. Now that i'm much older and wiser (and have heard a REAL plexi) this amp doesn't sound a damn thing like one. Even when cranked to 10, the amp is way too bright, mushy, and overly saturated to the point where all clarity is gone.

Since the last time i reviewed this amp, i've totally revamped my amp thanks to my friend George Metropoulos who built me the original p2p '69 SuperLead board and scrapped the shitty PCB that comes in every reissue. We also did the amp a favor by trashing the Output Transformer and replacing it with a Mercury Magnetics Axiom OT. I still have to replace my Power Tranny with a Heyboer PT but PT's don't effect the tone of the amp as much as the OT does so i'm not rushing to do that.

If you don't wanna listen to crappy reissue sound's and want to hear what a real plexi sound's like check George's site out - www.metroamp.com

Marshall's as usual are like tanks. Tube's go bad every 6 months and that is to be expected. All in all, this amp is a workhorse.

I've called up Marshall once and it's a pain in the ass to get someone to talk to. They might as well save some more money and not have Customer Service!

In case you think i'm uneducated on this area, i've been playing for 10 years and have also played MANY shows live. I've seen and heard a TON of amps. Formally working at dirty Guitar Center is proof of that. Reissue heads sound bright, nasal, harsh, and like a horror icon is going to stab you in the ear with an icepick.

Please e-mail if you want more info, or for that matter you can Instant message me!

AOL SN: FunkyTwangFool

Newish w/ 4 inputs, two for bright sound and two for the dark. Daisy chain the two sounds for blend. The dude just below didn't do this, it seems. That's why he thought one input too bright and the other too dark. Whatever. Anyway, I don't ask for versatility in an amp. Simply tone. I hate amps w/ too much crap.

This is the tone I have been looking for for 20 years. Why did I never own one of these? It's got that amazing Angus midrange growl. Not lots of crappy distortion that sucks out all tone and clarity. Just excellent tone w/ great break up when set up right. Perhaps some of the reviewers below don't realize that since it's a cleaner amp, you actually have to be able to play your instrument well. Yes, this new one probably doesn't sound exactly like an original, but it sounds damn good to my ears. The singer of my band is also the nitpickiest person I've ever met when it comes to tone, and he loves this amp. I use a Hot Plate attenuator to get the cranked sound at a lower volume. All the people who claim the attenuator sucks just don't get it -- the Hot Plate is great. Of course it sounds different than fully cranked -- that's because it's not as loud! A loud amp blows your ears off. It sounds great in the next room, but who wants to stand right next to one of these cranked full tilt?? Not I. Of course, if you get a cranked sound you love and then attenuate, it's gonna change some things. Big deal!!! I simply adjust the tone knobs AFTER I attenuate. Doy.

Seems reliable.

Don't know.

I've been playing for 22 years and have been in tons of bands. I play an SG and a Guild electric. Both sound tits through this amp. The other guitarist in my band plays a JCM Slash. The blend of the two amps is orgasmic.

1997 Limited Edition (White)

It appears that the reviews that say the 1959 SLP Reissue is a piece of crap seem to stem from the models from the late 1990s and more recent models, especially the 2003 model. I play my 1997 reissue almost every day, whether rehearsing, gigging or recording and it still sounds as good as when I bought it. Play Strat/Tele/Kramer through a Aphek Peanut Butter pedal / MXR Phase 90 and all is very, very good. My mate was warming up for a gig on the weekend and plugged his PRS straight in - sounded sweet and he was very impressed.
Is there a theme with later models that the tone does actually suck? I can't say, but this is the sound I have been searching for for many years. Maybe Marshall have changed something.....

2003 Marshall SLP. There isn't much too it which makes it sweet. This may or may not suit some people. You can focus squarly on the amp itself. But on the flip side your going to spend hundrends on pedals that may or may not improve the tone.

Okay, first off, judging by what people are writing in here I'd say only about 30% of you have actually tried this amp. People that say it sounds like Page or Hendrix obviously work for Marshall and are in here to make this amp something it's not.
Now, on to the tone. When I first plugged my Les Paul into input 1 and cranked it to 10, it had the tone of someone scrapping their nails against a chawkboard. Insanely bright and absolute torture to listen to. Then I plugged it into channel 2 and cranked it. It was warm and great if I played jazz or something like that. But alas, I don't, I play classic rock, blues, and occasionally metal. To give the warm channel some life I plugged in a single coil Fender. The single coils made channel 2 sound alot more 'alive' without the harshness of channel 1. The problem is channel 2 was still a tad too bright with any of the single coils below the neck pickup so I couldn't get a hot enough output.
Needless to say I was very upset with this overly bright (and over priced) amp. I had a tech rebias the tubes of the amp and put in high quality Mullards and JJ/Tesla's. There are rumors going around that say this amp is getting it's bright tone because the factory biased them too cold. Funny thing is when I got it back; it was even brighter than before. The tech was sorry and gave me a free wireless system, (having pity on me from being ripped off by Marshall) explaining there wasn't much I could do with the amp besides take the guts out and start over.
Another note: people who say this amp doesn't have any clean are morons. Try rolling the volume knob down on your guitar! The clean is quite good and has a retro vibe to it. The amp is alittle noisy too when the tubes are warmed up.

Didn't keep it around long enough to break it.

Never dealt with them. I'd ask them for my money back and start making true reissues that sound good. I could care less if it had P2P wiring, I just want Marshall to make amps with sweet tones again. But who am I kidding? Marshall only listens to important people like Slash and Lenny Kravitz.

I've been playing for about 9 years now. I've owned alot of equipment over the years. All of which were better and cheaper than the reissue plexi. I'd only recommend it if you play heavey blues or 60's rock. But then again if you play that kind of music you can get a Fender for cheaper. I only wish I could go back in time and undo this purchase...now the best I can sell it is for 1/3 of the price I bought it for. What a shame :(

I bought this 100-watt plexi reissue in 1999. The amp lacks the bells and whistles of modern amps, especially models like the Fender Cyber-Twin. But, considering that Hendrix achieved the sounds he did with this rudimentary array of options - "normal" and "high treble" channels with two inputs and one volume knob apiece, plus bass, middle, treble and presence controls - how can I give the amp a low rating for its features?

I pay bills by playing in a very well-known swing band, but I grew up on the rock and roll of the 1970s, and I've made a life-mission out of mastering that Tommy Bolin/Joe Walsh/Duane Allman approach: simple, lyrical blues phrasing with a tough but sweet distorted sound. I use primarily a '76 custom Les Paul with new '57 classic pickups, which compliment this amp perfectly. The sound is a vast improvement over everything I've used in the past: Fender Tone Master, Mesa/Boogie 50 Caliber, a'67 Blackface bassman with various distortion pedals, and a Mesa'Boogie Dual Rectifier. I'm using a 16ohm THD Hot Plate Attenuator and running through my old Fender Tone Master cabinet, which has two celestion 30's (16 ohms). (I've been told that Plexis are happiest at 16 ohms, which may be a wive's tale but my tone seems to bear the notion out). I removed two tubes and set the amp at 8 ohms, under the advisement of my tech guy, and I like the result - I can push the amp harder at 50 watts and get the desired sound at lower volumes. As to the heated debates about this amp's merits, I often wonder if people's comments are not coming from some weird, ego-driven place. I'm sure my amp pales compared to a '67 Plexi, and I have no doubt that if it were hand-wired it would sound better or that it would benefit from modification. But still, it comes much closer to the 70s rock sound I grew up on than anything I've used before. It sounds a lot like Page's tone in The Song Remains the Same, Joe Walsh's James Gang sound, Angus Young's early tone - you get the picture. I'd call it "organic" in that it responds remerkably to pick attack, and for the first time in my 20 year career my Les Paul's volume knob is a useful tool. It has re-energized my playing and brought me back in touch with why I picked up the guitar in the first place.

It's a tank. I've had no problems with it.

I use local techs for repairs and modifications, so if I had a problem with the amp I would only call Marshall if I absolutely needed to. I haven't heard anything bad about the company's tech support.

I would replace this amp. I may also look into having it modified. As to he complaint that this amp has to be modified, I see that as a plus. It's not perfect, but it's an empty canvas on which you can project your particular style via the various ways you can tinker with it. Keep in mind that Hendrix didn't run his vintage Plexis as they were - he had them hot-rodded like crazy. If you want an amp that's perfect as is, well, good luck and I hope you have plenty of disposable income. The 1959 SLP reissue provides, for not too much money, a great foundation on which any player can build a sound that transcends the sterility and blandness of the typical modern, channel-switching hi-gain monstrosity.