Guys - to be clear, that amp is not a Headfirst amp. It's a DIY build with a Headfirst badge on it, done years ago when we were supplying DIY materials - which are now available under the EvolveDIY brand. Headfirst has it's own amps now, check them out.
Hey Jason! Since you’re familiar with John’s playing, what model would you recommend for him? Maybe work out a deal where he could demo one here on the channel?
Yeah, here. I *mainly* like Marshalls for their clean to edge of breakup tones. After years of mainly being a Fender guy, I recently got the second Marshall I’ve ever owned - an Origin 20, and I love it for the exact reason everyone else says they hate it - the high headroom.
Vintage Marshall amps have great clean tone. The Bluesbteaker and the mini Bluesbreaker (1978x if I remember it right) are great examples of handwired amps with great clean tone. Plexi amps have great clean as well
Glad you're pleased with it, I love my Marshall too. I tell my wife about the guitar gear I'm excited about too and I think she quietly humours me, she's a goodun!
My fav amps are Marshalls (1959HW, JVM410H, Origin 50C and 50H) But I also have a Mesa (JP-2C); and an Engl Artist Edition E561 (EL34s, it's voiced like a high gain Marshall; actually like it better than the JCM 800) I use them for different music; works great for me. Cheers!
Preferred rig: My Helix floor into my Marshall SV20H jumpered inputs get me where I need to be. Super flexible and I run a pedal board in front for drive, chorus and echo options. Don’t forget that Speaker choice is critical for your personal desired tone/response…try various speakers and multiples for a taste of what is available.
If you want a Marshall with JTM flavor…..the Vintage/Modern is the way. It is my favorite amp. Kt66 tubes. 2 gain voicings. Master volume that makes it manageable. They can be a bit hard to find, but probably easier in the U.K. Give one a go……….🤘🏻🤘🏻
@@jdl2180 Because it’s not the same thing. Yes, if you want a JTM45, get a JTM45. But the Vintage/Modern is essentially a “hot-rodded” JTM/Plexi that is “internally jumpered” with an additional gain stage that gets you into the JCM800 territory and then some gain wise, if you want it. It’s “better” than a JTM, in my opinion.
Just a reminder : the TSL 100 has a nice clean channel. Then just set up the crunch and lead channel to taste. Nevermind twiddling with that ill placed guitar volume knob. 3 on the floor!
Old dude here, yes, we have known this for a long time. However, there were two camps amongst the guys I played with. Marshalls with humbuckers only or Marshalls with any type of pickup.
My tone preferences, particularly for leads, have evolved, and I'm definitely all for the Marshall Amp, Bridge Humbucker Pickup combination. The harmonic complexity of a Bridge Humbucker paired with Marshall sonic range sets my playing in fire. I've never had so much fun playing electric guitar until I arrived at that perfect match. 😎
If you like Mesa, I highly recommend trying a JP-2C; three channels, two graphic EQs you can assign to any channel. I have clean, rhythm and lead channels, with the EQ1 on rhythm channel, EQ2 on lead channel. Works great. I have three patches in my HX-Effects, one for each JP-2C channel; I run it in 4CM, and when I change the HX-Effects patch it changes the amp channel. I still dig Marshalls, but my Mesa rig is my go-to prog rig.
My first amp was a Marshall G10 MK.11 with a Limited Park Speaker when I was a kid. Loved the sound from the first time I turned that tiny little thing on. It got loud enough to play with a drummer even when I set it on a coffee table in my first garage band. Since then I've played dozens of amps, I've owned quite a few, I have gone the modeler route, I have plugin's galore and I always go back to playing a real Marshall amp. It's so incredibly satisfying, either clean or dirty. I have a wall of amps but 9/10 I play through my DSL100HR which is a dirt cheap amplifier when compared to just about any tube amp out there and in particular the plethora of amps that are going for a hotrodded Marshall Tone that you can easily get with a cheap drive or EQ pedal. Nothing is more satisfying to me than warming up those tubes and then playing a big saturated chord and let just let it ring out on a cranked Marshall.
got the 410 H never looking back even though i do have 6 other marshalls 2 blackstars (crap customer svc and reliability) and 1 surprising amp a fender frontman 25 way better than it should be
I remember when Bukovac was talking to Eric Johnson about how they both thought the ‘68 Super Bass was the best amp ever, I think it’s in his PG rundown
You get the dual amp setup by using an amp capture pedal (like Tonex) that can get brilliant captures of all these amps. You have that run into the HX Stomp (or modeler of your choice…I use GT1000core) and you program certain patches to send midi changes to the Tonex and switch the amp and it can also change any effects settings you’d want. If you want the tube amp feel, just get DI amp captures with no cab IR and run direct into the FX return of a tube amp (either head into cab with speaker of choice or Combo). More or less this is just bypassing the preamp of the amp itself and allowing the preamp to be the amp capture.
The Friedman really doesn’t compare. I had the Little Sister and Studio JTM at the same time and the Friedman always sounded thin. The Marshall was always fuller and beautiful sounding. No matter the setting, the Friedman just couldn’t hold a candle to the Marshall!
I always LOVED Marshall tone. I never really owned a real one. I’ve played valvestate range. And get this… they sound really good. I’d say it’s the only solid state amplifier that really does sound good. I’m not the type to collect heaps of gear. I buy what I need… nothing more. I only own one of each item. I don’t keep multiple guitars and amps… pedals etc. I play Mesa mkv. Gives me a version of every tone type but I will say that you just can’t fake a jmp tone. You just gotta buy a Marshall. The entire signal chain is bespoke… even tne transformer effects it. Same way a Schumacher affects a fender.
Here is a thought. I’ve watched hundreds of your videos and your tone is always A1. So the idea that you have suddenly found a new source for your ideal lead tone is a little preposterous. 😮 . I’m not trying to lick your boots, but your tone is in your fingers. For along time I’d didn’t understand that. As guitarists we chase this holy grail of tone but in reality, we will never settle. You get a sound, take five, come back and tweak cause somehow it doesn’t sound as good anymore. Why? What changed? Nothing. We are just preprogrammed to want nice new things. No one buys a car and says thats it I’ve found my ideal car. It’s a wonderful thing this tone chasing. We live for it and we enjoy the hunt. And we will never settle. And we should never apologise for that and we should never under appreciate what we have and what others perhaps don’t have. Love this channel, your tone and your honesty. 🙏
It really depends on the type of Marshall you're aiming for. Most folks tend to go for the gainier models that came out from 70s and onwards. I personally stick to the lower gain models like the JTM or Origin series that don't break up that early. I'm personally don't mind using pedals on my Origin 20. The cleans on that and the Origin 50 are wonderful.
I used a TSL60 for hundreds of gigs and I only ever got compliments on how good it sounded. All I did was set everything at 12 o'clock and tweaked for the venue. When you talk about a clean amp and a smooth sounding dirty amp for leads towards the end of the video, it sounds like what Guthrie Govan and Martin Kidd were aiming for with the Victory V30. I've used a V30 almost exclusively for the last 5 years or so, again I only ever get compliments about the tone. These are a great, Marshall style amp, with a very clean clean channel.
I recently bought an early JCM900 100watt after not using Marshall’s for over 20 years . A pretty hated on amp by the guitar purists, and other internet incels, which is odd as I can’t get a bad sound out of it. I love the option to just turnout and use just a guitar and drive channel of an amp. It’s a heavy bugger, so not for every occasion. But I love it. 🎸😎🙌
I play a 2203 from '84 and will never part with it. Use maybe a boost pedal and your guitar's controls and you can get out of it whatever you need. It's obviously a highly praised amp BUT.... every now and then I go to an open stage event and there's a guy that sets up a JCM 900 Dual Reverb and I usually play his amp for a couple of songs. I put my trusted old Bluesdriver in front of it and it sounds more than convincing. Never understood all that negativity about this amp.
People hate on the 3203 Artist because it has a solid state preamp section, but I took a chance on one and it was worth every penny...maybe those haters were using the wrong speakers with it?
Marshall does good for that. A simple one volume 50 watt works great. I get all my gain from my pedals as well but I’m using an Orange Tiny Terror like that for recording. Not loud enough to keep up with drums but loud enough to get controlled feedback.
I asked a really good Amp tech in Wales, which Marshalls are the best.. his response was anything made before 1983 as that’s when competition starts to kick in and quality went down. I bought a 1979 Marshall JMP. It was the best I’ve ever heard or played, but had to sell it as a broke my spine. 😢
Nahhh I don’t think so. I run an old Guv’nor into my fender and fender style amps for lead tones if I want that sound. I spent a ton of cash on Marshall amps and couldn’t bond with any of them, especially with single coils. The Guv’nor did exactly what I needed it to.
Naahh! Two different monsters. I have 3 vintage Fenders and 1 vintage 100W Marshall and the tone of the Marshall can’t be compared with a pedal and a Fender Amp, can be close, but not the same.
As a tangent, have you considered Hi-watt? I could imagine a Hi-Watt Custom could really suit your lead playing - way more controllable on the clean side. Marshall cleans are great, but they are more what I'd describe as 'clean-ish'. For a Strat tone, my favourite is a Marshall ST20H JTM. It's 20 watt but scales back to 5 watt. I much prefer the JTM sound to the Plexi. The studio heads are nice maneagable amp for practice, recording and live. Reasonably light and portable and very well build. With the Strat, I most often use it on neck pickup. With the bass rolled way back, mids way forward is my favourite. Then I run one of those Pedal Pawn Fuzz, but with Strat volume knob rolled back until it cleans up. It's a great sound, very SRV/Hendrix. I think us players from UK tend to overlook Marshall since many of our modern idols are playing Fenders. But, if you live over here, the access to good value British amps on a healthy second-hand market shouldn't be overlooked. It's also true of Orange and Hi-watt amps.
If you have an attenuator, a plexi like the 1987x can be your everything amp. Great cleans just by backing off the volume, more gain than you’d think when you get the power section distorting. I have two Bogner amps based on Marshall circuits, but I could probably do everything with just my 1979 JMP 2203.
Don't worry, many of us know a 100W Marshall full stack is more than a handful to handle, and takes skill and practice; and clearly it would be too much for you to handle; if you don't believe me, jus ask your girl's boyfriend. 😘
I had an UN-expected great experience at my local Guitar Center recently. I was fortunate enough to have MY guitar with me. (Ironically it’s a DGTSE) when I got to play the DGT 15 head through a Victory open back cab with a vintage 30 in it. I was pretty floored by the different levels of volume and gain I could get out of it due to the way that it’s configured. Between having a volume and a master volume along with a boost provides a lot of flexibility. It never really got terribly “grindy”. But, I was able conjure some very credible “Gibbons” sounds. I also never got it terribly loud because I didn’t want to be “that guy“ in a Music store. The combination of the fantastic sounds I was able to get, along with the fact that it has bias based tremolo and a great sounding reverb, don’t bode well for my bank account. There are also “dingle switches“ which provide options on whether or not some parameters are on in different settings. IE: If the boost is on you can DIS-engage the bright option etc… I also still have a Marshall 2061 Handwired with its open back cab that I love. It’s the 20 watt head. Best results are gotten in smaller spaces or mic’d. I’m thinking it would pair REALLY well with the DGT 15 in a stereo situation with judicious use of dirt pedals and the volume knob on the plank with wires.
Get the Marshall JTM/Studio - its my main gigging amp. It does EVERYTHING and more. Best all-round amp period. I use the combo and its just the best all round amp I've ever played. I've tried a lot.
For years I did everything I needed to do with an old Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Vox AC 30 and a Marshall JMP 2203 (aka JCM 800). If I needed more gain, a judiciously chosen dirt pedal or three got it done.
I think that the Astoria line of Marshall amps would do everything you want, from headroom to classic Marshall gainier tones. They are the last great amps produced by Marshall in my opinion. You can find them second hand for little money for what they are! Of the 3 produced, you will for sure find the one most suitable for you.
If you want classic (and you can crank it up and/or attenuate it) Plexi. If you want a classic rock and hard rock JCM 800. If you want juicy leads and great 80ies high gain (and great cleans!) Jubilee. If you want modern DSL or JVM. It all depends on your taste, but every Marshall does the Marshall thing. Kerrang all day long!
You could look at the Suhr PT 15 (IR or non-IR) It has a Feder style clean channel and 2 Marshall style crunch/lead channels channels. The IR version has a reactive load and an IR loader so you can send direct to front of house/PA or DAW with or without stage volume. It's not cheap, but they make great stuff.
I was into dual rectifiers back in the 90s...since then I've become partial to plexis. They can do whatever you need them to do. Boogies are fine till you need to get them serviced...then everything changes. The service guy is nice till you tell him what you want him to work on. Once you do, he gets frustrated, charges you too much and in the end, he may not have even repaired the freaking complicated nightmare correctly. Plexi style amps all day every day.
Definitely try a Marshall JVM. The 4 channel one does everything. I think you are a JTM45 player tonally though. You just have to look at it as a clean amp that you push with pedals. It will still give you a uniquely singing Marshall lead tone, because it isn't really about the distortion itself, but more about what the amp does with it. The mini plexi is the best of the SV range if you want to check that out. The PRS HDX is amazing, particularly for the clean up, but I don't think the 20w is loud enough to be more than a one trick pony.
I’ve heard great things about the Marshall Studio Series. Personally I’m a fan of the critiqued MG series because they’re so light and sound about the same on any volume.
I bought the 1watt 50th anniversary jtm and jmp amps when they came out… still love recording with those. I had a tsl in my gigging days (not a light amp, lol)… also a Mesa for several years.
Mark Tremonti for a long time used a similar set up. Fender Twins for cleans and a high gain thing for crunch and lead. May be worth looking at. Now he’s got his PRS amps the boast both clean and dirty channels.
Great vid John, it’s been a journey for me back and forth with clean and dirty amps and now I’m really enjoying the Synergy 50 watt head, with the Clean TDLX (Deluxe and Twin) on one side and either Friedman or Soldano on the other. Add in midi switching and I’m set without amp/mic switching issues. 👌🏻
Not sure of the current state of Marshall with the new company take over, but I really do love my 2016 JVM410HJS and my 2009 Marshall Haze 15. Never giving them up.
I started out on Fender amps and still live them. But in the past 3 years I bought a couple amps that are based on Marshalls: a Bogner and Friedman. They were exactly what I wanted after all these years.
For a "real" amp set up which will give you the best of all worlds I would go this way. Fender or Fender voiced amp with an fx loop. All the Fender stuff from the amp as a whole. The dude pedal for Dumble stuff into the amp. Switch to IR-X or Synergy module into the fx loop return for the Marshall/ Boogie stuff or anything else for that matter. Done that a bunch and it's always a compromise but it's pretty good.
For me the best Marshall cleans are the one of the Clean 1 channel of the JMP-1 preamp. Something very unique, warm, balanced, sweet and nevertheless with enough bite. Not the most typical Marshall clean tone, but an excellent one. My favorite clean sound still is the one of a channel linked AC-30, the JMP-1 sounds different, but pleases my ears more than most Tweed amps.
Suhr SL68. It’s a reliable 68 Plexi. The MkII with the switchable bright cap is very versatile. If you need an effects loop get a Fryette Power Station. Incredibly dynamic amp.
The problem with marshalls is, I think, they perform better with the speaker at loud volumes. In the digital era, it's hard to get to the point where you go "oh, here's what it's meant to sound like!"
I have found a fantastic, lightweight combination that hits all the right solutions for me. JHS AT + for my lead tones, split two ways to a UA Lion for mid level gain and UA Dream for cleans, into a Halo and then into a Quilter ToneLab 202 amp (which has exceptional tone on its own, is extremely lightweight and very loud).
You might enjoy something like the PRS HDRX. It's based on the West Coast mod so it's kinda like a Plexi modded to JTM45/100 specs (kinda). PRS says EJ's using it in his home rig now. Plus if you like it and make it a part of a dual amp rig, it's small and light! (This is also me trying to get you to run the tube driver into one so I can hear it)
Hey John, I think I’m close to you in Exeter - saw you from afar in sainsburys recently whilst my kids were going g crazy… I’ve got an SC20 combo you can borrow for a week to try out if you wanted to look at all the Marshall options - am going on holiday after the weekend so you can borrow for a week if you wanted?
Synergy. Get a high end stereo power amp to run the Synergy preamp/modules. If you’re looking to have a multi amp setup, but don’t want all of that heavy and spacious equipment, yet don’t want to use fake modelers, do the Synergy thing.
I've been a Marshall fan from the 60s. A 1987 or 1959 half might fit the bill with a transparent attenuator if there is such a thing. Maybe an ox or torpedo. I use a 5 knob tube driver into a 1959 to a small check 78 60a with black backs. It's the perfect solo tone to my ears and cleans are ok too. I have several Marshalls and love them all except for the Origin 5C I picked up out curiosity on a deal. Pass on that one, Class 5 combo is way better by a mile. I prefer the early 4 holers over all.
I just got a used Marshall DSL 20 and it rocks...my Mesa Lone Star is also super cool with a pedal board..crystal clean...a bit heavy as a 2x12 combo..85lbs...Marshall has that "brown" sound as Eddie Van Halen would say.
That was interesting. Do you think you were trying to back into a clean tone from a driven one on the Marshall? Marshalls will play really nice chubby clean tones - def not VOX lead tones - but you do need to set up the EQ specifically for the clean - then push that tone into crunch and then overdrive. Not the other way round. Perhaps you need to feel confident to really use the tone stack in a much more aggressive way - I've just done that with my Raw Dawg where the tones are now set at 2 10 2 for Bass Mids Treble. Sounds crazy but it's right on the money. If you start with a no holds barred approach to EQ and clean - get the clean tone you want - THEN take it from there for the overdriven and crunchy rhythm tones. Have you looked at a frequency graph for Marshall vs Fender vs VOX? Marshall has masses of mids where the Fender is hollowed out and it's all bass and tops.
Friedman cracked the code of getting the Marshall tone without needing to crank the power amp. A few months back I got a DSL20 to use the power amp either with my HX Stomp or some other preamps into the effects return but this thing is so loud I can't really get it cooking. Not even in my hard rock project😅
John, you should really try a Tonex. But there’s a caveat. It’ll work wonders if you have an amp that you’re really familiar with, and really gel with and enjoy. Im in a very similar situation, work wise, function band, board, rig, guitar types etc. and once I profiled the amp i know to bits, myself, just a 57 on the cab,man, that’s a whole different game. Especially after playing modelers live for such an excruciatingly long time. Stock profiles / captures may not work nearly as well. The key is profiling the amp that you go apeshit about and are really familiar with, can’t stress it enough
I'm with you, I've wanted a Marshall for years but I never really caught on with one so I went with Orange. I'd still like to own something with the Marshall brand though.
JTM 45 head/ Bluesbreaker combo- vintage early to mid sixties - Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page..., 1959 SLP Plexi - monster rocker from Hendrix era over AC/DC and Ritchie Blackmore to Yngwie Malmsteen, JCM 800 - anything rock/hard rock/classic metal from late 70s to late 80s - think Randy Rhoads, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, early Metallica, DSL 900/ TSL - late 80s US Hair Metal ( Motley Crüe etc.), Mode Four - 90s New Metal/Industrial down tuned - MONSTER amp at 400w, 2266/2466 50/100 W Vintage Modern - single channel modern version of original 70s/80s Plexi/JCM80s - fantastic amp for bluesrock/hard rock/classic rock and classic metal- from Warren Haynes and Gary Moore over Angus Young and Thin Lizzy to Whitesnake and Skid Row. Look into the rack units preamp/power amp combo JMP-, JFX-1 and EL34-50/50 - 100/100 too. All of these are fantastic amps,- check out the amps and the bands here on YT,- choose the one that speaks to you. Speakers: Celestion Blue, Greenback, G30H, V30, G12T-75, Seventy-eighty, Creamback, G15-100w Fullback. Rejoice.
I had this feeling after demoing the UA Lion; I've got a room full of old Fenders and some fun Vox-y stuff, but never a Marshall. A Plexi would be cool I think , and could get away with pairing it with the UA Ox.
For dual amp, I have a Radial BigShot ABY right after my tuner which is straight from my guitar. One output from the BigShot goes to my Dry Amp (Blackstar HT-5R - I like both the clean tone and the drive tone. And FOH likes to mic both of my amps). The other output from the Bigshot goes to my pedal board and into a Katana 50 for wet effects and more drive when I want it.
I’ve always regretted not buying a 25/50 Silver Jubilee I tried in the ‘90s - it was amazing, even at low volumes. I’ve not tried the Studio Classic, but have heard reviewers saying they sound different. Another amp I’ve not seen you play is an AC15. With a Blues Driver in front, it’s my favourite amp I’ve owned (which doesn’t necessarily mean you’d like it, of course). It’s hard not to like Marshall, as a Thin Lizzy & Gary Moore fan.
It's been a couple years since I played one, but Silver Jubilees are one of my favorite amps. I have an Orange CR60 currently, which I think gets close from a solid state perspective and is far better than my old Marshall Code, but I still want a Silver Jubilee one day. I also played a Friedman Twin Sister a year ago and it got pretty close to what I remembered of the Silver Jubilee. When I eventually have enough to afford a $1500 amp, I definitely want to A/B the Silver Jubilee and a Twin Sister/Dirty Shirley. I also really like the Marshall Origins for cleans though they don't have enough gain for me. A lot of other Marshall amps, strangely enough, I haven't really liked - I've found DSLs and JVMs, in particular, to be too harsh for my taste.
To me, it seems like you should try the Synergy 50w amp (head or combo) with 2 modules installed: The plexi module (or the diry shirley one) and the Fender blackface/tweed one.
Try the newer dsl40cr modded with a creamback in it , ride the clean channel with the crunch mode engaged, add your fav boost for leads, using the the 6 button footswitch u can individually swicth between both gain modes on both channels and theres 2 assignable master volumes for all 4 of the gain modes.
@funkyfreshgreg the v type speaker in the 40 is def way better than the 70/80 in the OG dsl40. The creamback 65 in the 40 just smoothes out that super sizzly top end. I wish they made the dsl20cr with the gain switches since i live on the crunch mode on the classic channel . Just Guitar volume knob for clean and boost or double boost depending on my needs . Simply for weights sake, this amp is heavy, and the 20 would be choice !
just a quick question about your dsl40cr... on mine my clean, crunch and ultra high gain are all controlled by master 1, and only my gain in controlled by master 2. is yours like that too or does mine have a wiring issue. it just doesn't make much sense to me. thanks!
Do u have the 6 button footswitch? I've always had it, so im not sure if it's needed. Whatever channel u have selected, just hit the master select button to set what master you want to use, and when you switch back to that channel later, it should remember what master volume you chose. It also remembers if the fx loop is engaged or disengaged.
@@fuzzymuppet1990 no I don’t. I looked into it but i didn’t want to invest in it because of that volume issue. i had no idea it remember settings and stuff. That’s actually really cool. Thanks for the reply!
I own a Mesa .50 caliber and a Marshall DSL20CR, with a Greenback rather than the stock speaker. Both are great 2 channel amps and all I need. No point buying a Friedman on this side of the pond at twice the price of the OG Marshalls. Check the TPS episode with Simon Neil. Fender cleans and Plexi for dirt (with a Metal Zone!l). Sounds awesome.
Or just get badcat her jet black that has the pristine clean channel, stellar tremolo, and a sublime drive tone at any volume with a footswitch or with volume pot to go clean if no footswitch. It’s so good.
The day i finally get a Friedman will be a Jerry Cantrell signature or a JJ Junior. Clean channel is a Runt, Overdrive channel is a BE. Bright amp, though 🙂
