Marshall Lead 12

The other reviews cover the features. Why anyone would give this amp a "9" for features is beyond me... it's got one channel, no reverb, you get the idea. The amp is pretty weak in terms of overall value. My 6w champ is louder.

The clean sounds are VERY sterile. We're talking no warmth at all. They're not terrible but not what I would consider good either. The top end is very brittle. With the gain up the amp is better; it's got fairly tight bass and crunches OK but the high end is still kind of buzzy. The EQ section is not very flexible. Even with the treble all the way down you can't roll off the sizzle.

Seems like it's built OK. I pulled apart the chassis; everything is mounted on a PCB; drop this sucker on it's face and it could toast the whole amp. The pots were very noisy but a little Caig De-Oxit fixed that.

I've been playing for nearly a decade and have owned a lot of amps. This one happens to be a friends which I had for a weekend while I was fixing it (the previously mentioned noisy pots). It's not the worst amp I've ever played but it's hardly the best. I'm baffled on why the other reviews rave about this amp. It might be worth $50 or $60 but my SF Fender Champ is much better.

This is the musician's plug-n-play type amp. Gain, Volume, B/M/T is all you need. Lo and high inputs; HP/Line out. This is the combo model. Opened her up and found the inspection date of 3/24/86. I use this amp primarily for practice but have also used it for small gigs with a full band.

Great Marshall sound. Crisp highs and punchy mids. I generally like a tighter bottom end, but sounds great never-the-less. It's a little dificult to find the sweet spot. The transition into saturation is transistor sharp.

Never had a problem with this amp. Built like a rock.

N/A

I've been playing for about 8 years. This was the first amp I purchased. After three other amps came and went, I'm finally playing a Fender 70's Silverface Bassman 100 into a Fender 2X12. My guitar of choice is a Gibson Les Paul Custom of unkown origin. After a few years in the closet, I was able to resurect my Fender from the dead. Damn Kahler bridge! I've also been known to use the DigiTech RP2000 for home recording or dinking around.

I will never willfully give up this amp. If by circumstance we should part company, I would look at a small tube amp.

1985 Lead 12. (mod.# 5005)Features include pre and post gain, treble mid and bass eq, a line out/headphone jack, and a on/off switch that doubles as a power indicator. 12 watt solid state amp and a 10" Celestion Speaker. Barebones, to say the least, but it's the TONE that makes it great.

This amp was seemingly designed to be played in conjunction with my '56 Les Paul Junior. It sounds okay with my other guitars, but my Jr. SCREAMS, when played through this amp. Great hard rock tone, (Bad Co., etc.) The clean tone is okay, but when you push the pre gain to about 9, and the post on 3, it sounds fantastic. I've been reading that this amp is strictly a practice amp, and having used it in a couple of studios, it is very much at home in a digital studio environment. Playing lead really cuts through the mix, and the rhythm crunch is awesome.

I bought this from the original owner, who had had it just a few months, and have played the dog out of it ever since, and I've never had any problems with it. I lost a knob cap once, and that's the end of it. (This just adds character!)

I've never dealt with the company, and I've owned several Marshalls, although I've bought it all used.

I've been playing guitar since 1974, and have owned many amps, but I've kept this one through it all. I own a 50's Gibson, a Johnson Millenium 150, a Marshall JCM800, a Marshall Lead 100, and a Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 Caliber+, but I will never get rid of this Lead 12. It just has a tone that I love. The only thing I wish they had done with this amp, is to add a presence control. Other than that, this amp is fantastic.

This is a pretty good amplifier for its day , it has the standard array of knobs to get you started , Including , gain , master ,treble , middle and bass and a 20w celestion speaker to boot , two independent channels of high and low , pa out , and headphone in . and marshall namesake to boot , what more could you want? is it really a practice amp?

It is a marshall , what could i say ? clean overtones of the sizzling celestion speaker , plus the great distortion if you crank it up loud . I have been experimenting with the tones of this amp and it has a great range , good stage amp , who needs a p.a , just crank up and let loose , I am currently using a 1957 custom shop strat , B.c rich warlock , and Hohner st viper 2 , and it just keeps rocking , who needs tubes when you can just open wide with this puppy and let it roar.

Bloody reliable it is a valvestate aint it? you think as you turn the Gain to 10 , surprise ! it anit a tube and it gives you the crunch to divebomb your neibours. I have had it only 1 week and i will never get another , all i need now is a effects box and im on fire!

Who needs it , marshalls outlive the bands that made them famous!

I have been playing 7 years , and I have always wanted a marshall amp , now that i have one that i can play every day at home or at gigs where I need a great sound ill use the marshall! , If you find one keep it , they are one of a kind , also if you put an electro acoustic through it , make sure gain is never over 2 , and remember have fun . Im a professional guitar player , and in my opinion , any amp with the marshall name is a good amp.


The Other gear I own:-

Guitars.
57 custom shop strat
hohner st viper , locking tremlo custom with slash,s signature
Bc rich warlock us standard thru neck
Maton 1949 alver originial #1 off production in aus (rare)
Velencia 1980 custom made classicial 3/4 body full sized neck
Spandeshca Guitarra classical full size (rare , made in iran)

Amps:-
Yamaha Budokan 10g ( 50 watt speaker fitted , custom circuitry)
Guyatone 40w bass amp
Carson 10w practice (dont ever buy one)

i bought this cool little mini-stack cause it looked cool.it's pretty good though.it doesn't work when it's broke.go figure.

only one channell but i called the ghostbusters and they said they couldn't help me.it sounds like an ambulance on tuesdays!

very dependible.i've gigged with it for a year when my big amp broke.
just took a lead from the line out to the p.a and i was set.i've noticed that it doesn't like it when you throw your guitar at it.it tends to break

i called them up for no reason whatsoever and they offered me a job.
i said no.

i've alson noticed that it's small enough to put in a corner and laugh at.i once threw it at an old lady.she wasn't impressed

Not sure what year it was made, but Im sure in the early 80s. I play all styles. Kiss to blues to rock. This is single channel amp. Dont need that much power, I use it as a preamp. No features on this baby or Reverb but thats no problem cause I just use the line out into my all tube Vintage Club Crate amp !!!

Well I mostly use a Les Paul copy and play mostly rock with some blues and grunge. Works great !!! Dont use this amp for clean sounds !!! Distortion is great, gives me that Marshall sound !!!

I havent had it for that long, but Its a Marshall and Its a solid state amp, so Im sure I will not have any problems !!!!

Havent worked with Marshall so I dont know?

I have been playing for 11 years now and have had several guitars and amps,but I love this new set up. Ive got this baby lined into my Crate Vintage Club 6212. Ill tell you this Ive got all of the different sounds I want plus the Marshall sound from this amp that I use and like the most. Im telling you that this combo works out great. Turn the Gain all of the way up and use the line out into the Crate Amp. Its a good combo for the Marshall sound without the Marshall big price. Im sure this would work good lined into just about any tube amp!!! What can I say Ive got $375.oo into my two amps and it rocks !!!! I just have to have that Marshall sound and this worked great !!!!

This is a VERY early Lead 12 combo (I droped the chassis to clean the pots and found the inspection sticker for 1/3/84) Doyle lists production as '84-'91 so this must be one of the first ones made...

One channel: H/L inputs, Master, Gain, T/M/B no presence:( similar to most other MV Marshalls. wide range of sounds, great clean 4-6, crunchy on 7-8, roars on 9-10. Has cobmination HP/LO switch. 12 ss watts, loud but not overbearing perfect for recording, small clubs etc.
I play mostly English blues but this baby will cover anything short of thrash meatal.
9-10

Great with a Strat, awsome with my SG. A little noisy up high but not bad IF you take some time with setting it. DON'T stick a high output box infront of this.. you WILL blow it up. It's a MV Marshall not a JCM 900... To really make this baby happen try the following...Put a LOW gain box like a Blues Driver or a ORIGINAL Bluesbreaker (my box of choice)into the high gain (I) input, set the amp for a decent crunch sound
open up the pedal volume all the way, tweak the gain and tone just a bit... and stand back! I also replaced the stock Celestion with a 40 watt Silver Series.Makes the low end tighter, and the whole amp louder. Good deal!

It's lasted ths long.. I really would go for a new speaker.. new designs are much more efficent plus that way you won't blow the original.(only 25 watts) Also pay heed to the warning about the High Gain boxes. I read a interview with someone at Marshall(Steve Grinrod?) that claimed that many many failures of early ss amps were caused by runaway pre amps caused by using "unstable" distortion boxes... be careful out there

Never contacted them

Great Amp; really great with the new speaker, and the BB pedal. It's not tubes, but hey for 195.00 (including speaker and BB) what else is there.. except Valvestate...yeech. Yea I'd like a 18 watt combo or a Studio 15,or a 20 watt half stack .... but I like to eat too, so this works for me.

I am still learning to use the amp, in terms of settings. I find when you have it set right it sings and sings, but can also sound semi flatulent, if something is not adjusted "right"..

This amp likes life at 60 to 70 percent, seems more controllable. Bass notes can be fuzzy, and too loud, means loud humm.

I have had mine about 9 years, and it was no spring chicken then. I bought it with a scratchy hi input, and vol, and gain pots. It still has them, suppose I should get around to fixing it. Any tips on how would be appreciated. Otherwise turn it on, and crank.

Am moving from accoustic to electric playing, blues, rock etc. This is the first amp that I have spent a lot of time playing with. I think in the final analysis great amp, but I think whats missing makes you move on. Tubes next...

Basic but sufficient. Lo and Hi inputs, gain, master, treble, mid, bass, DI, phones. Reverb would be wonderful but let's be realistic, guys.

I use a '52 RI Tele, 1973 Guild Bluesbird, and a variety of other axes. The Lead 12 seems to work best with buckers; certainly, it's far louder than with single coils. The best thing? The way you have dynamic control over distortion. Fiddle with the gain (about 1/4)and master (about 3/4)and you can get clean tones when picking softly and breakup when you dig in. I thought only tubes could do that. Clean it's got, but not at high volume.

I've only had it a few weeks; bought it in a New Hampshire pawn shop. It's given me no worries so far.

What customer service?

What do I love? It's cheap and cheerful and sounds better (and louder) than amps twice it's rating. The 10-inch Celestion speaker kicks butt, but is a little upset by LOW bass notes. Killer value.

I have heard about a 2x10 mini-stack version, a half stack version, and mine is the combo 1x10 version. Its more than 20 years old and has a Celestion in it. No channel switching, that means clean sounds are hard to get at high volume. So I have to watch out not to raise the input level too high, like on the stompboxes, or there will certainly be distortion. No reverb too. This is just like one of those old Master Volume amps with only one channel.

Really, it what a JCM would have sounded like with 100% diode clipping. I guess the name 'Lead 12' was meant to emulate the Lead channel on the more expensive JCMs. And the sound from this 1x10 is awesome!! Full bodied bass and piercing treble. And of course the famous Marshall midrange. The ultimate practice amp!!! Only thing is that the distortion is solid state and is harder to clean up with the guitar knobs. Obvious huh?

20 years old. Just like brand new.

Only wish it had channel switching and reverb. I will never sell this, maybe for $1000. This has got to be the greatest practice amp of all time, makes the Valvestate 15R look like a shoerack. They don't make things these days like they used to...

12 watt head, two 10" cabs, Gain, Volume, Treble, Mid and bass controls. Also has Low/High inputs and direct and headphone outs.

This little amp is impressive. I bought it back in 1990 or '91 for $250 when I was in high school. I play a '69 thinline Telecaster and a Fender Performer with it using a Rat distortion pedal. At the time a bought it I played mostly heavy metal (Slayer, Pantera, MegaDeth, Overkill, ect..). The amps own gain is very nice. It is very bluesy and warm, especially through the low input. Using the rat pedal I could achieve some very heavy sounds. You do have to watch out for feedback when using lots of gain at higher volume settings with this amp. You can get some really nice clean sounds with it also. I actually gigged with this amp, Although i had to mic it through a P.A.. But it done the job.
Nowadays I play mostly blues and mainly use it as a practice amp. It is still, however, an excellent amp. Perfect for jamming with your friends.

Although I love this amp, I did have one problem with it. Shortly after I bought it, the power transformer burned up during a performance. Luckily, I had shop in high school and was taking electronics. I got a transformer from the class surplus of junk parts, quickly replaced it and have never had a problem since.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for about 11 years now. This was my first real amp, and i still use it on a regular basis. if it were to be lost or stolen I would be very upset. I would try to get a replacement. Although I do not use this amp for gigging any longer, it is very possible to be used as a gig amp under the right conditions. It is a great practice amp and I will never give it up. Overall rating = 8... I would have gave it a 10 if the factory transformer hadn't blown up while peforming 'Be Quick or Be Dead' (Iron Maiden)..;)

this amp is good for practicing it is a 12 watt amp that sounds good when not pushed to extremes. the features are mid bass treble gain volume (of course). its good start with but not to be used in public. it doesnt really blend with my type of music (punk, ska, metal) in my mind.

i use a gibson junior, with a single humbucker. It doesn't suit my style very well but for others it may. IF you Turn it up past 7 or so with a little gain it sounds horrible, it hums nonstop, and the distortion is decent. the clean channel is distorted a fair deal wen pushed to high volume.

i wouldn't use it at a gig no matter what. but it is durable. it's been neglected and abused with music for years. it never broke down i'm suprised but you wouldn't want it as a back up no never. in my eyes i would go for a marshall 30w tube. they are nice.

i've been playing for 3 years, i'm getting a jcm 800 combo 2x12 50w lead hopefully today. and i got a korg ca tuner its very nice but a little expensive. if this amp was stolen (marshall lead 12) i'd probably dammit, oh well. I don't particulary like the amp, but it stuck by me for some good and some bad times. If your looking for a good amp, get a laney, or marshall. preferably get tubes.

The Lead 12 has features as any normal amp. But the 2 10" cabs blow you away. I use this amp mostly at home. This solid state, but sounds as good as a tube amp. If I took this on a gig, all you'd have to do is sit a mic in front of it. That things cranks. If you play blues like in a bar, you probably would be fine without miking it.

I have a Fender American Deluxe Strat. (with Lace Sensors) and I play mostly blues and rock. If you have the gain and volume up, my amp doesn't buzz..(zzz..) It sounds really great. My friend, he has a Marshall JCM 900 (combo) and we compared. It sounded just as the JCM. Only thing-power. It's only 12 watts, but I also have a Peavey Audition 110, and it's louder than that and it's 20 watts.

You can really depend on this amp. I would take it on a gig without a backup. It doesn't have tubes so I am not worried about it.

Never dealt with the company. But I did have it serviced. When I bought it, It wasn't working right so I got it fixed. That's the only time in the 2 years I've had it.

Yeah, I compared it to the ol' JCM. I really love this amp, it's so so so so so so dependable. I mean the only time it would break down is if we have a power-outage.

pretty simple bass/treble/volume/mids/ and a gain which is the secret ingredient to this, i hate to even call it a "practice amp". it was given to me used by a friend.

fender standard strat, ran into a danelectro daddy-o
sounds great distorted, playing anything from zep to metallica. perfect to stick in your bedroom, sit at the end of your bed and rock and roll. im sure if you were feeling strong you could gig with it too.

a friend of mine who gave it to me, had learned on it a few years ago, had since bought a roland tube. he went in his closet cleaned the dust off and handed it over. since then its rocked and rolled. i dig it

no experience w/ them yet. they must be a lonely bunch

its been a reliable amp for me, im sure eventually ill graduate to a marshall tube but until then this little guy gets the job done. a perfect starter amp for anyone, and is even good enough to be a good permanent one.

What would you expect from a practice amp? Two input (high and low), gain, volume, bass, mid, treble, direct out and phones out, right? And this is what you'll find. So what's the matter? This amp is not simply a practice one, believe it or not I succesfully used it in small clubs, with full loaded drums and everything. I wish it had an effect loop, no one can expect to find a built-in reverb on this kind of product, but I really lack the possibilty of adding it.

I'm using it mainly with an old squire strat. Messing with all the possibilities (built in tones, pickups and guitar tone) I manage to play live almost everything from acoustic (with light chorus upstream) to Led Zepp, passing through Santana. To me sounds best for blueish solos but lacks something for playing as a second guitar.

Perfect. Got it second hand, in 5 years now I had no problem with it.

The best possible ever: not needed at all.

It has only 12 W? It's amazing! The perfect practice amp. You need to learn playing? You want to have fun making noise at home? Just want a handy amp to jam with your friends? It's for you. Of course it's not made for real live playing but if you don't have any other you may manage.

What would you expect from a practice amp? Two input (high and low), gain, volume, bass, mid, treble, direct out and phones out, right? And this is what you'll find. So what's the matter? This amp is not simply a practice one, believe it or not I succesfully used it in small clubs, with full loaded drums and everything! I wish it had an effect loop, no one can expect to find a built-in reverb on this kind of product, but I really lack the possibilty of adding it.

I'm using it mainly with an old squire strat. Plaing with all the possibilities (built in tones, pickups and guitar tone) I manage to play live almost everything from acoustic (with light chorus upstream) to Led Zepp, passing through Santana. To me sounds best for blueish solos but lacks something for playing as a second guitar.

Perfect. Got it second hand, in 5 years now I had no problem with it.

The best possible ever: not needed at all.

It has only 12 W? It's amazing! The perfect practice amp. You need to learn playing? You want to have fun making noise at home? Just want a handy amp to jam with your friends? It's for you. Of course it's not made for real live playing but if you don't have any other you may manage.

It has 12 watts, features are pretty simple (gain, treble, bass etc.) your tipical features on a practice amp.

I've only been playing for about 6 months, so I don't know alot about sound. I play with a Mach 1( If any body knows who makes this guitar please let me know, It looks like a Les Paul exactly). The sound is real smooth and the tone is great. It sounds great to me. I give it a 9 because I don't know much about sound.

My Dad bought it at a Pawn shop about 6 or 7 years ago. It's still going.

Never dealt with any one.

Like I said my dad bought this thing 6 or 7 years ago used, and it is still running. I've only been playing for about 6 months but I've heard good guitar sound, and this baby is a great little practice amp.

Well I bought this amp for practising at home, the amp has a very simple design with a volume, gain, bass, mid, and treble control with two inputs for two guitars.

Well the first time I turned the amp on I was impressed!!! The amp has a very loud and heavy sound. I mean... for a 12watt amp to pump power like that is just unreal. When I first got it I expected it to be a quiet, low bass and crap distortion amp. I bought it for practice and I ended up doing outside gigs with it, well.. with P.A. of course.

Ive had it for 3 years, cranked up the gain and volume to full, and had no problems at all.

I havent dealt with the company.

I have been playing metal for 4 years and through 1 of those years I have used this amp for gigs. I now own a Marshall Valvestate, but I still use the amp for home practice.