The two most classic Rock Guitar Tone Compared! 1967 Marshall 50W Plexi vs 1959 Fender Bassman and 1960 Fender Deluxe. All originals. We're using both Les Paul and Strat in the comparison.
You can definitely hear the relation between them. But Marshall tightened and deepened the sound. Part of that is the cab for sure, but Marshall also made it their own.
John you never cease to amaze me you're always coming up with some cool ass amps to demo, I just love it so much- keep up the good work man it's much appreciated by me and a whole lot of other people.
If nothing else, this video _amply_ (!) demonstrates why Marshall 50 & 100w amps were so critical to the development of modern rock music! _And_, as we all know, how they owe their lineage to Fender (esp the Bassman). Love the sound of all these amps, but there's a very distinct, very tight/percussive bottom end to the Marshall that is unmistakable; part of it is the closed back cabs, no doubt, but it's also the circuit/design. Once again, well done Johan (and Simon), well done indeed! Thank you!
I own a 1959hw reissue, but I’d love to own a Bassman. On a side note, thanks for the consistently great Marshall content, Johan. It’s keeping me sane while my Plexi’s in the shop...
I'm reminded why I fell in love with the tweed Deluxe (5E3) circuit a couple years ago. It's such a raw sound, and now I have my 5E3 clone, and a 1972 1987 Lead for the Marshall sound. I just wish I could play them without the attenuation haha :) Have a great week Johan!!
I don't contest the Marshall sounding great, it sure does buy to me the tweed Bassman is like the ultimate tone for me and I can't seem to get that tweed Bassman tone from my super reverb and it's probably my fault because I've heard plenty of proof that it's possible I just don't know how or something but my Marshall is easy plug and play !
Yeah and the Bassman, since the Bassman and Plexi are almost the same circuit. By the way have you heard the Fender Deluxe Brownface, that is a mini Plexi amp.
I would've loved to hear more from that Twin. I had one of those back in the late '70's. I had a REAL pre-lawsuit Ibanez Les Paul with DiMarzio SDHPs in it. They really kicked that Fender into overdrive. I loved it, my poor mom hated it...lol!!! Great video just the same. Love that plexi!!!
I overhauled/serviced that particular Marshall Plexi from 1968 a couple of years ago. It has always got “the tone” and it’s a favorite of mine. I had to change the big electrolytic capacitors. It also lacks the screen grid resistors like all Marshalls from that period. This one runs on 6CA7 (the American version of EL34). Of course, I could have installed these resistors but they alter the tone and the owner wanted it to be as original as possible. So it’s a must to use old brands of EL34/6CA7. The new ones won’t hold up!
To me, the Marshall wins out and then the Deluxe 2nd. Some of Simon's footage must've been shot a while ago as he had way more hair then :-) Great tones as usual. God bless and rock on.
You know what would be cool (assuming the impedances work)? Running each amp through the other amp's speakers. Have you done that yet? Seems like it would show how important the speakers are to the overall tone. 😀🤘
We do that for a couple of amps including Marshall and fender in this video 5 Classic Guitar Amps at FULL VOLUME through the same FULL STACK! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-424Hv4dg3Yw.html
Wow what sounds . I'd love to be in the room whilst it was being recorded. Something about the live tone , no computer or phone can bring that to the device. All the same we are very grateful of you being there to share this enthusiasm on this subject.
To me, the sound quality and the substance of your guitar amplifier comparisons are by any standard unequivocally the best on RU-vid. And, the split screens with outdoor scenes are also the best on RU-vid, as well. So cool!
great job guys, Johan and Simon play great, I think the Stratocaster through the Plexi sounds great, I also think that the Les Paul through the Deluxe sounded great, most would believe the opposite would be true. Thanks for revealing these secrets! :D
Wow awesome video, how in the world do you continue to have access to all of this iconic gear. This is one if not the only one resource on you tube where consistently put out great demonstrations of unobtainable gear.
To me the bassman and the JMP are very similar. I think the ceramic speakers and closed back vs alnico open back makes a really big difference. Be curious to hear them all through the same cab
Thanks for playing different riffs all the time. I don't watch these videos for tone comparison, but rather just to enjoy your playing. Also thanks for giving us some beautiful scenery to look at. Also, I would like to say that the Marshall sounded the best of the lot. Although I am not a tone snob and have only enough money to have purchased a Boss Katana 100 MkI. Overall, it was an excellent video.
Different animals IMO. It is hard to beat the Bassman. But you cannot go wrong with any of these amps. It is like choosing between blueberries and raspberries, either way your tone will be magic. Great video, definitely to be saluted.
Another cool comparison video. Have you used an early small box Traynor YBA-1? They were also lifted from the 5F6-A around 1964/65-you might find them interesting as well. Also of note is the Fender Deluxe 6G3(61-63). The brown Deluxe has the most Marshall like Fender amp though it has zero in common with a 5F6-A besides the Fender name. The 6G3 has the best overdrive from any Fender amp I have ever owned. I used to use a 6G3 through a 2x12 with greenback 25 for recording all the time. Sounded better than my 67 JMP 50.
Yeah, I have a 6G3 Deluxe Brownface clone, with a Jensen Alnico speaker. It sounds like a mini Marshall, and if I put a Celestion speaker on it, even more.
I'm tryin' to figure out if i should jump to a marshall sound, this shows the comparison and connection to fender.Excellent instruction I haven't found anywhere else.
The Bassman is absolutely my favorite setting on my 2x12 modeling amp! It makes my strat sound thick and sweet (but the deluxe is really nice as well!)... I can't get my Marshall setting to sound as good as yours though :(... Thanks for the video Johan!
@@patricksommer3971 I'll have to try one of those sometime, maybe even get one to round out my sounds. The vox on my fender sounds pretty nice though, one of my favorite dirt apps. What other models does it have?
@@samueljett7807 if you use the toneroom software, it has two clean fenders, two tweeds, two dumble overdrives, two Vox, two Plexis, a JCM800, a high gain marshall, a soldano slo100 and some more high gain amps. It's a VT20X
Fantastic, thank you JS and SK! Fun how different these legends are. As my ear would become acclimated to one amp, I would not prefer the next amp... until my ear was acclimated to that one and I was won over, and then then next amp ... repeat. All in all, I continue to have an affinity for that Marshall sound (though that Deluxe very sweet indeed). Awesome amps, awesome playing - cheers! PS Seriously considering growing my locks out (again), too, SK.
For balls out classic rock the Les Paul and Marshall win. The Strat can make some sweet tones with both PLEXI and TWEED tone, great tone test.......cheers
Marshall is just the sound of rock... the attack and tightness of the sound is just unmatchable, I would dare to say the Plexi amp is the pinnacle of electric guitar tone
Such a useful clip! Bassman and Jtm difference seems to be mostly the speakers. Deluxe has it's own pignose sound to it) Twin is ultimate Fender sound. I would like to own all of them)
Johan good for you for wearing hearing protection. They don't provide enough protection though. When they say they have a 30db NRR rating you would think it's a 30db reduction, but it's not.The way to calculate the decibel reduction is to subtract 7, then divide by 2. So 30db NRR - 7 = 23. Then 23 divided by 2 = 11.5db reduction. If you put a second set of foam plugs in it will give only another 5db reduction. The NRR is the North American standard and in the UK they have the NSR rating system wich is +6db more than the NRR. So you would subtract 13 then divide by 2 for the NSR dbs.
Idk what it is about an old fender combo but there's something special about them. Bought a bassman ten yesterday, been wanting a plexi forever but I just cant commit to the price and loudness. I'm already having trouble turning on appliances in my house accidentally when I crank the bassman, a jmp would compromise the structure of my house I'm sure.
i just used my katana as speaker to listen to the video. sounded great on the acoustic channel, maybe better then my normal speakers. i could even put some effects on the playing and put the sounds through the final decades of the last millenium: nothing : 60s phaser and reverb: 70s chorus, delay and reverb: 80s distortion: 90s it really works. did the actual playing never change?
Great video and all great amps and playing. No losers here, just depends on what you're looking for. Compare 2:35 to 3:00. Marshall is ACCD and deluxe is Stones. Tweeds get the nod for blues and OS RnB but all have great rock tones, just depends on what you want. Thanks for doing this :)
Holy crap that Marshall is unreal!!!!!!! I love tweeds but next to that Marshall and cab they sound like toys. That has to be the greatest Marshall head and cab ever made. In a league of its own really
Love the fact that you turned them all the way up. It’s really the only way to get “that” cranked amp sound. With the volume on 7 or 8 or 9 it doesn’t quite sound right.
Hi Johan very interesting video, but it would be great too if you could play the 59 Bassman as a head, playing it through the Marshall 4x12 Greenbacks loaded, since speakers have a huge effect on sound-tone. And compare that way the Bassman 59 on 4x12 vs Marshall Plexi with the same 4x12 cab. I guess they would sound almost identical. What happens here (this video) is that we are hearing differences on cabinets and speakers, since both Bassman and Plexi are 99% the same circuit.
Thanks! We do that for a 70s bassman and a superbass here 5 Classic Guitar Amps at FULL VOLUME through the same FULL STACK! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-424Hv4dg3Yw.html
I have to say the Marshall sounded the best Probably because of the speakers and extra gain stage ? The 6V6 overdrove the best out of the Fenders but still for American I like the 6L6 tube My all time favorite I have an old Tonemaster 4 6L6s Love it You should do a demo comparison of those vs Marshall So it's EL34's and 6L6s for me Anyway you slice it the Marshall for me when talking RnR 😎 Plus they actually clean up in a very special way Great demo Sedge
I’d love to hear this again but using one 2x12 greenback speaker cab so one important variable is removed. Speaker cabs have a huge influence on the tone, power handling and overall sound of each amp. 2x12’s are my fav. Greenbacks my favorite speaker. 😉
I love this straight ahead comparison between these amps in their intended stock applications but the differences in speaker configurations to me was the most pronounced characteristic my ear was drawn towards. If it isn't inappropriate to ask, I was wondering if a similar comparison of Fenders vs a Marshall could be played in the same manner but through a common speaker cabinet; or all through a closed back 4x12 and then all through an open back cabinet? If you've already done this in another video, I'll watch that and I'll learn to be a less demanding fan ;)
It’s a good request! We do that here. It’s a 70s Bassman and a Marshall Superbass played through the same Marshall cab ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-424Hv4dg3Yw.html
Great video. Idea: People say bar smoke plays a role in vintage speaker sound. Build a smoke chamber and compare a heavy smoker to a healthy speaker. Seriously. I'm a smoker and I've considered leaving my amps in my basement where I smoke, to see if it changes anything. Not gonna do that though
Wow incredible setups, for me the 60 deluxe is overall my favourite however at the end when you were channeling Hendrix through the Marshall your R9 was alive! After watching 100’s of your videos it’s obvious that your tone is all you and not your gear
Cool! Marshall definitely sounds huge and godly. The Bassman sounds surprisingly sterile in comparison. Agree that hearing the Deluxe through a similar 4x12 would be interesting. Also, a brownface Concert would be a neat comparison (hint, hint)
You should do a video with them in stereo! Show the difference between them together and individually. Or at least a Marshall style amp with a fender style amp.
So beautiful that it is difficult to choose .... I am in difficulty..The sounds of KISS and Mike Bloomfield came to mind ... the problem is that I love them both ...
Awesome comparison as usual sir!! 2 questions: 1) On the Deluxe, which input channel where you on (normal or bright) and what were your 2 volume settings? The 2 volume controls are super interactive. 2) Do you have any experience with how the the Deluxe would sound with something like a Weber Mini-Mass attenuator used to tame the volume? It uses an actual speaker motor inside.
Probably would have been a better amp test if you'd run them all through the same cabs and speakers. The real difference (other than the speakers and cabs) between the 59 Bassman and early Marshalls is that the Marshalls were running British EL34s.
