Marshall Amp Forum - View Single Post

Robertf · 06-19-2008, 01:52 AM

Well I got the 1987x 50 watt head home this morning. This is my first Marshall set up in about 30 years, so its quite exciting.

I bridged both channels and plugged my R9 Les Paul into the normal channel, which aside from being a bit darker, is not unlike the the normal channel on my 65 Bassman head. In contrast to the Bassman however, the Marshall crunch comes on almost immediately with the volume at around 2-3, and it took no time to find a spot in front of the amp where harmonic feedback could be easily coaxed. At this point the volume is loud and pushing against my eardrums a bit, but its still tolerable...

Then I brought up the volume on the bright channel and things got real interesting. And loud. This is the channel where Led Zep and AC-DC tones seem to reside. Playing with the presence, bass and treble knobs, I was able to dial in an acceptable '73 era tone for riffs from "The Ocean" and "Bring it On Home". Cranking up the treble more (I know, I know--why would I want to do that...) dialed in that crisp pick attack that is so prominent on tracks form The Song Remains The Same soundtrack.

The amp is incredibly respnsive to your playing. Caress the strings lightly and it cleans up nicely. Dig in with the pick and the crunch is back like a sledgehammer.

I have a large collection of Zep Bootlegs and I have always been partial to the almost electric razor sound of the opening riffs to Heartbreaker that Page got at the Berkley, Ca concert ("Going to California") in 1971. That sound lives in this amp with no pedals in front of it. Really fantastic. But in the close confines of my music room, this tone is like an ice-pick to the eyeball, so the volume had to come down and fun time was over. For today.

I think with a bit of distance between the player and the amp, such volume and tones are perfectly do-able. I also think I'm going to like this amp.

It will get is first real run-through at practice on Sunday, so we will know more then.

As for the speaker mix in my MG-412 cab, I'm going to try swing a couple of the Heritage G-12's that some folks have reccommended. If those prove to be to dear, I'll likely go with two of the G12H anniversary's.

Thanks to all those who responded.

Rob

06-19-2008, 01:52 AM	#7 (permalink)
Robertf Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: SoCal Posts: 14	Re: Speaker Mix Well I got the 1987x 50 watt head home this morning. This is my first Marshall set up in about 30 years, so its quite exciting. I bridged both channels and plugged my R9 Les Paul into the normal channel, which aside from being a bit darker, is not unlike the the normal channel on my 65 Bassman head. In contrast to the Bassman however, the Marshall crunch comes on almost immediately with the volume at around 2-3, and it took no time to find a spot in front of the amp where harmonic feedback could be easily coaxed. At this point the volume is loud and pushing against my eardrums a bit, but its still tolerable... Then I brought up the volume on the bright channel and things got real interesting. And loud. This is the channel where Led Zep and AC-DC tones seem to reside. Playing with the presence, bass and treble knobs, I was able to dial in an acceptable '73 era tone for riffs from "The Ocean" and "Bring it On Home". Cranking up the treble more (I know, I know--why would I want to do that...) dialed in that crisp pick attack that is so prominent on tracks form The Song Remains The Same soundtrack. The amp is incredibly respnsive to your playing. Caress the strings lightly and it cleans up nicely. Dig in with the pick and the crunch is back like a sledgehammer. I have a large collection of Zep Bootlegs and I have always been partial to the almost electric razor sound of the opening riffs to Heartbreaker that Page got at the Berkley, Ca concert ("Going to California") in 1971. That sound lives in this amp with no pedals in front of it. Really fantastic. But in the close confines of my music room, this tone is like an ice-pick to the eyeball, so the volume had to come down and fun time was over. For today. I think with a bit of distance between the player and the amp, such volume and tones are perfectly do-able. I also think I'm going to like this amp. It will get is first real run-through at practice on Sunday, so we will know more then. As for the speaker mix in my MG-412 cab, I'm going to try swing a couple of the Heritage G-12's that some folks have reccommended. If those prove to be to dear, I'll likely go with two of the G12H anniversary's. Thanks to all those who responded. Rob Last edited by Robertf; 06-19-2008 at 09:30 AM.