Marshall 1987X "plexi" Reissue

2001 made. You probably already know the features...pretty Spartan and they're all you need...Some will be bothered by the lack of master volume etc...I give it a 5 because there aren't many. I think that's how it should be

I play in a classic rock and rockabilly band. I can dial in beautifully complex clean tones by keeping the guitar volume down and it'll shimmer. Of course cranking the volume on the amp volumes (channels jumpered) past 50% and like wise on the Les Paul volume gets me into crunchy Brittish bliss. The first thing I did upon acquisition of this beauty was to replace the power tubes with JJs and throw in three GE 5751 mil tubes. This combined with running my amp into a greenback loaded Marshall AX cab gets me the all the sound combinations I need. My effects board is really bare, basically I use a Maxon delay and that's about it. When I use my tele I can get a sparkly nashville sound or crank it a bit for a nice overdrive. I use my ES-175 and play all that old Elvis stuff. It's very versitile.

So far so good. I think Marshall could have used better components...Mesa really smokes them in parts quality..ususally but it hasn't failed in many many long gigs. Besides this thing has MOJO baby, yeah...

If you can only have one amp (and you tend to blues/classic rock or 50s music this thing is perfect

all you'll ever need

58 LP RI with duncan 59's The amp is so in your face and classic rock. It's a blast to play, every tone it it (there are many) Reminds me of another song or artist. like hedrix, clapton deep purple, zep ECT. I love playing this amp.

to early to tell, but looks tough inside, with no extra crap to go wrong. I opened the inside to my TSL 100 (it's gone) and it looked just like a computer inside(crap).

don't know and hope I never have to find out.

playing for 30 years and have owned a lot of amps Fender soldano Mesa (crap)Line 6. One thing the amp is sooooooo loud so if you want to you it in your house you'll need a hot plater or better IMHO put in a master volume. I put a master volume in about 30 min. all you need is a 1 meg pot and solder iron and three wires and your done.

My amp is an early 2002 model. Basic eq controls, ohms selector switch, 4 inputs, high treble & normal channel. Simple setup that is straight forward, without the complex hassles of too many features.

I used a 1974 strat, & 1993 Gibson Les Paul Studio through the Marshall. My style is a fast melodic, classical influenced rock ala', Yngwie Malmsteen, Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, George Lynch, Steve Vai, etc. Before I purchased this amp, the sales guy who I was friends with, set me up to play it cranked up all the way. Needless to say, after a 30 min. test play through the 1987X, I was sold! All the classic rock tones and sounds are within this head, waiting to be plucked out on the guitar. Using a treble booster, I copped a cool Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell riff and used my DOD 308 YJM Preamp Overdrive pedal for the Yngwie-like arpeggios & speed picking. This Marshall is very tounch sensative and articulates notes extremely well! I bridge the 2 channels for a heavy duty, and crunch heavy sound. I'm basically addicted to this amp now!

Although there are mixed feelings in regard to Marshall's reliability, I feel this amp is built like a tank. Other than the pcb instead of the ptp technology, its basically built identical to the late 60's - early 70's versions.

This is another area where I have seen Marshall rated rather low. I rated it higher than normal because of the new warranty for 5 years and the fact that it is transferable. If there ever were a problem that needed to be fixed, I'm sure there are plenty of Marshall affiliated repair shops in my area, including the shop where I purchased the amp.

I have been playing for almost 20 years. Aquiring this amp has made my dreams come true! I wish I had bought one 10 years earlier, when they had the anniversary, white tolex editions. Currently, aside from the Marshall I own a Soldano HotRod 50XL head, Carvin Legacy head, 60's BF Fender Vibrolux Reverb, original EP-3 Echoplex, Fender Lead III guitar, LTD GL500K, Guild D-25, Marshall Power Brake, & an assortment of effects pedals. If someone were to steal my Marshall I would have to buy another 1987X & get a 1959 SLP as well!

Not much in this catagory , 4,8,16 ohm selector switch ,
2 speaker out jacks , a strong 50 watts , three 12xa7s
and two el 34s

l am using a 1980 gibson custom les paul , SIB varydrive ,
fulltone choral flange , crybaby wah pedal , This amp is
THE shit man , such a sweet lush tube driven sound . l will
tell you this , l find myself playing straight out of the amp
with no effects pedals quite a damn lot . think ac-dc , zep ,
nugent , [ l Like that old time uh rock an roll ] ya gotta love it
this amp just freakin rocks . . . . .

l have'nt had it long enough to know , but being a marshall
enough said .

Ditto from above , hope l never need to .

l have been playing for 28 years its a damn shame l did not have
this amp all them years until now , but hey live for the time and the
time is here now . lf it was lost or stolen l would be heart broken ,
l would replace it , but comming up with the money is a bitch .
l would also like to add , the speaker cabinet you use is just as
importent as the amp if not more importent ,
marshall 1960 AV caabinet : perfect combination , AH YES...........

4 input, no master volume 50 watt head. PC board innards. Smaller box than 100 watt 1959 SLP. Completely simple compared to all the multi channel amps out there now. Has dark green tolex and small script logo.

This, my friends, is the quintessential rock and roll amp. This is the one, and maybe it's 100 watt brother, that literally DEFINES hard rock and roll. Trust me. I have, at this time, the following amps sitting in my basement: Marshall JCM800, Soldano Hot Rod 50, Harry Joyce custom 30, Boogie Single Rectifier, Sunn 1200S, Green Matamp S2000, and this puppy. Now, don't get me wrong, these are ALL kick ass amps. They all have their unique tone and personality, and I love them all like children. However, the amp I find myself playing thru most, the one with the most BALLS and TONE and RAUNCH is the 1987X. I guess it's subjective and just the tone I prefer. You need a line boost pedal to get the most out of it....I use a RAT, BOSS super overdrive, DOD 250, or DOD equalizer, they all do the job. Just don't set the distortion too high, let the amp do that! There is a reason Marshall is the reference standard hard rock amp, and this is it. I don't know about the new ones, I've heard they suck and that they are great. But the reissues kick ass. OK, so the guts aren't as pretty as my Joyce (Harry, RIP). But I find it harder to get a tone I like out of the Joyce, whereas the Marshall it's plug and play. For anybody who complains that you get a generic sound.....this is the sound of rock! Blackmore, Malmsteen, Clapton (cream era, not the crap now), Page, Slash, Tipton, Schenker, well, the list goes on and on.
There is a reason everyone plays Marshall, and this is it. Amen.

Too old to gig. I hope the amp holds up sitting in my damp basement. I only have a few more years left, so it should outlive me.

Don't know.

Well, let's just say that I'm well into middle age and have been playing half as long. My mid-life crisis prompted me to acquier GAS...gear acquisition syndrome. (If I could afford cars, I'd get them, too) My case of GAS has driven me to get every axe and amp I've ever dreamed of owning, hence the above list. How ironic that now that I can afford to get this stuff, I don't play out. Back in the day, all I had was my trusty JCM 800 (another great amp)and SG.
But I digress. This and the 100 watt are the Kings of Amps. If I had to keep one and sell the rest for my retirement home expenses or triple by-pass surgery, this would be it. Tone to the bone, max crunch, all you need is a cab and a boost pedal. All Hail the King!!

I recently bought a used 50W Plexi on an auction site, and this one is about 2 yrs old, and in great shape, almost mint. As far as features, yeah, not much, no effects loop, no reverb, no master volume, and no channel switching, but all that stuff usually hurts the sound anyway. It's easy to add a master volume mod, and also an effects loop mod, but the latter does hurt pre-amp gain a lot from my experiences.

Tone galore, man, this amp has more punch, knock down, in your face tone than my Mesa Boogie or any other amp I've played, including my old 80's JCM800 Marshall 100W amp. One could spend months playing with the interaction of lows, mids and highs between the two master volumes and the the standard 4 tone controls. Did I say crunch?
Wow, incredible, and more treble than any amp I've ever played bar
none. The amp is also quiet, which is suprising for a high-gain amp.
The raw sound is awesome, but using pedals it also sounds great.
I've tried using a tube screamer with it and it also sounds good, but
it's not as good of a volume control as I'd hope. It hurts the gain too much when lowering the volume on a humbucker type guitar. My strat sounds awesome thru it, as well as a custom Kramer VH guitar
using the Seymour Duncan pickup. With the Strat it gets the Hendrix and Stevie Ray sounds well.

I'm sure it's reliable being somewhat new, and that's one of the reasons I didn't buy a 30 yr old version for 3-5x the money. Transformers tend to blow out over time, but I've never had any problems with newer Marshalls, and on this one the jury is still out
I suppose. I don't expect any problems.

Never had to deal with the company before. No issues.

I have been playing over 33 years, and I consider myself a guitar god
(ha). Okay, I'm kidding, but I can play Eruption just about note for note, if that matters, which it doesn't, truly. I own a Mesa Boogie DC-5, four electrics, a PRS, custom Strat, Eddie VH custom Kramer, and a Fender Tele, not to mention acoustics, keyboards, etc. I am a semi-pro musician at present, and engineer (dayjobber) by day, so I know a wee little about electronics and music.

If this were stolen, yes, I'd buy another Marshall. Why, for tone, sound, and the same reason every other guitar god maniac has owned one the past 40 yrs. They sound great and make a statement. Period!
Great amp. Jim Marshall, we're not worthy, we're not worthy!

The only thing to hate about a Marshall such as the Plexi, etc. is it's lack of clean tone ala Fender/Boogie. Ya gotta have non-EL34's
for that I guess, such as the 6L6, etc. I wish the Plexi did have
one thing- a push/pull master volume switch to engage and disengage the circuit, if that's possible. (I plan to add something
along these lines next). Probably will fore-go a circuit for effects loop since it loads down the input stages too much with most rack gear.

All in all, a wonderful amp for rock, classic rock and blues. I still need the Mesa/Fender tone for the other styles, but as most know, it nails the one sound better than any other amp, pod, or gizmo
out there.

I'd like to add something about the sound, The 50 with the el-34's breaks up very nicely, and early, allowing you to play at a very reasonable level, i was always into the '70's heads with the 6550's (U.S.models),but these el-34's give you that nice topping of smooth distortion at a lower vol. than the 6550's, i highly reccomend the re-issues w/el-34's. You'll wet your pants! Also, if you have old ears, you'll appreciate the lower vol. you can run at.

Do the jumper thing with the channels,go from your guitar to a Rat to the amp. Use the Vol. on the Rat to control your overall vol.,Power brakes dont do anything to tighten up the sound, dont bother with them. The boss pedals,even the lowest on the totem pole that they have make too much gain, You want to use a Rat or a DOD OD 250 or the new 380. On the Rat, your distortion should be at the second mark for starters, the vol. should be between the first and second or a little lower, filter between 1&2 or as high as half depending on how loud you play,kinda acts as a presence buffer but you should still run the presence on the amp half to full.see review below on setting up the amp

never any major problems in 30+ years

never called

The best friggin amp you can get for the money!

This is a 2000 model year mfg. amp.You can tell the year on any of these re-issues by looking at the s/n on the back of the amp/chassis.I play ROCK and this has the sound. You know the features of these amps and you by 'em for one reason only, SOUND. This 50 is as loud as any amp you compare it to.

I play mostly Gibson guitars that are varied in their pickup configuration, from stock humbuckers to my Les Paul Special w/P-90's. The amp is a little hissy when you run it loud in a live gig but you dont notice it as everything else is making noise all 'round you. Marshall also runs the pre-amp section flat out, one of the reasons for there sound. These are very clean amps contrary to what others say, and you have to play clean loud which is easier said than done. You add your distortion with a pedal, i prefer a Rat and a D.O.D. OD-250. You jump the from the bottom input on 1 to the top input on 2 and from your guitar to one of the mentioned pedals and into top input 1. Then your volumes become your tone control/volumes. set vol. 1 0-2 and vol.2 5-7. Then adjust your vol. with the Rat or DOD, also like i do with my JTM 45,i back the vol. down on the guitar itself, then theres headroom for leads, this works best with the 45 though. Somewhere in there is the tone zone and you'll have to spend a bit of time finding it, be patient , may take years to find and some never will. If you havent got the patients , Might i suggest you get a master vol. and dont kobb up this with some fool hardy circuit someone is trying to sell you on, your amp will be worth less and you still wont be pleased, go get a master vol. You really have to try what i suggest with the Rat or D.O.D., Power brakes are a load. Dont bother with them, you really need to try what i suggest, its also cheaper and gets you to the sound. You can buy a Brand New Rat at American Musical for $64.95 plus shipping, alot less than a used power brake which you will not be happy with. I recently sold my SLP re-issue, great amp but its rather heavy at my ripe old rockin age of 46 soon 47 year old bones. And, if your a Tech, you know that eletricity cant tell the difference between point to point versus circuit board. I've owned these Marshalls Mk II's,Super Leads from the mid 60's,70's and now the re-issues. The old stuff starts making little pop-fizz-noises and the dreadful breathing drones (a weird sound that fades in and out,kinda sounds like the amps breathing)You will find if you go straight in,the bass will be a bit loose,so go get a Rat and do what i said. All the great guitar palyers use these amps and they all go thru some kind of out board pre-amp first, Michael Schenker goes thru a wah,Malmsteen goes thru a DOD OD 250, Now There bring it out again under his direction and its a 380,Black and grey instead of the old OD 250 yellow.

Easy to fix if a part goes,but usually absolutely reliable!

Never bothered 'em

The way to go, try the Rat(not the turbo) or DOD 250 or 380, Dont bother with a m.v. mod or a power brake. The pedals will allow you to control your volume somewhat but you still have to get the amp up enough to get it working but not overbearing,you'll have to experiment. The tones there, it may really be GODS amp, if he wants you to find it you will find it. I've owned expensive botique amps and sold 'em. You gain freaks,of course you should go for a Mesa Triple rectifier, but here again, if you cant play cleanly at a huge volume level,its not going to sound good with a hugh amount of gain and a huge amount of volume. You gain players should dig up UFO's double live album from the '70s and give a listen to Michael Schenker playing thru a couple of Marshall stacks, cranked, going from his guitar to a wah to the amp as he fills the arena with Musical Notes from heaven. No power brakes,no master volumes,no parametric eq's,nor rack effects- just a guitar genius at work.

I purchased a 2000 model from Guitar Center. It came equipped with
Svetlana EL34's output tubes. Two channels, no switching. Perfect
clean sound...bright channel volume control tapers between 1 and 2
either full on or off. Marshall has these reissues distorting early! a simple mod made it more tameable. It has perfect power for a medium
size venue. You can get it just on the edge of breakup and yet you are rattling any innocent eardrums.

A lot of times I use pedals with a stock Strat (Hendrix and Eric Johnson covers) and a PRS (Satriani and heavier stuff). The 1987x
sounds cool with the old Arbiter Fuzzface or a regular old Boss DS-1. It's very cool when I plug into the "normal" channel 1 input and dial in the perfect amount of sparkle with the "bright" channel volume. (You don't have to bridge with a cable unlike the original ones). This amp seems to be the sound that everyone's guitar sound stems from
A very articulate clean sound starting point. I use the normal channel at about 4.5, the bright at about 1.5, the bass at about 9;30,
mids vary with the room, treble at 12:00, and presence varies with the room. Different shades of distortion start to happen as I crank the normal volume past 10:00.

no problems......I also know how to fix this amp, and it is very easy to service!!!!! It's also well vented.

The guys at Guitar Center fully back the unit up. They have authorized facilities or ties with the factory/reps they can send it back to.

I have 3 vintage 100watt SuperLeads and that's the basis for my tone,
but the "plexi" lines sound a little darker and have a ballsier breakup. I wanted a 50watt head and this is almost as cool as my Silver Jubilee 25/50 watter.

Just dime everything ... It has everything one would need to obtain classic Mashall tones

This submissin is a warning against that would pass themselves off as know-it-alls .A lot of younger Cats will look at this crap & believe they have to take on 2nd jobs to afford good tone...This is not the case ...Tone starts with your hand & the strings, hence the differece in opinions on this amp. Get a Twin Reverb & a RI Plexi & rest assured that you have the equiptment you need to create awesome tone.If your not getting it, it's you. It's time to hit the woodshed . What comes out of these amps is for the most part, what you drive into it. The fact of the matter is, when it comes down to "hand-wired" vs. PC board, there is absolutely "NO" effect on volume,balls or tone ...If you take a "hand-wired" circut from a good plexi & tranfer it the PC board, the 2 circuts will be indistinguishable ... the RIs are right on !!! Also, with any amp, don't take it home if don't like what you hear in the store. If those Cats won't let you crank in the store ...WALK !!! Spend your grand somewhere else...

Seems sturdy enough ...a printed circut board is only a small liability if your gigging constantly at extreme volumes ... most folks will never experience a problem with the circut...

Let's face it corporations suck...