Marshall Clones-Which to build?

[s.r.v.]

Hey guys,
So I'd like to build an amp. I feel very confident that I could build one successfully. No need to bombard me with "tube amps can KILL you!" I know all about that.

Onto my question....

I need a Marshall-esque amp. I'm thinking of the following:
18watt TMB
JTM45
Superlead
1987 Plexi

or possibly the orange amp over at Weber.

Now, I love the sounds of Led Zeppelin, Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Duane Allman, AC/DC, David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Clapton with Cream, and one of my favorites, Eric Johnson.

In that list, there are Hiwatts, Marshalls, Fenders, Oranges, and Voxs of all kinds.

I'm cool with my Fender Blues Deluxe. It has a nice deep,reverby clean tone that sounds great with a Deja'Vibe :AOK

I need a British-Voiced amp to a/b with this. So, which amp should I be looking at? The only one i have played, or can play in my area, is the 1987 50watt Plexi. Damn loud! Loved the clean and I was to scared to OD it

Thanks for any help guys!

Guitars: Les Paul, and hopefully soon a tele and strat

 

[Steve Dallas]

How much power are we talking?

Probably my all-time favorite Marshall is the 1968 Plexi. IMHO, it is the best circuit Marshall ever made. Too bad it was a transitional amp and not many of them were made.

 

[s.r.v.]

power isn't terribly important. 100watts would be overkill, and i'd have an attenuator. but still, i'd prefer a lower wattage amp. unless one of the 50/100watt amps will sound that much better

 

[ontariomaximus]

How much power are we talking?

Probably my all-time favorite Marshall is the 1968 Plexi. IMHO, it is the best circuit Marshall ever made. Too bad it was a transitional amp and not many of them were made.

Which circuit is that? I had a quick look through the various sources and couldn't determine which one you are referring to.

 

[Steve Dallas]

Check out the Metro Amps site. All you could ever want to know about it can be found there.

I'm not sure what the model number is. I just know there was one version in 1967 a slightly different (better IMHO) version in 1968. After that, Marshall went to the more recognizable Plexi format with all the cap cans, etc.

 

[DGDGBD]

If the 1987 plexi was too loud, then you should think about the JTM45 or the 18-watter. I would think the JTM-45 because its probably more in line with the blues deluxe in output and headroom.

 

[Steve Dallas]

power isn't terribly important. 100watts would be overkill, and i'd have an attenuator. but still, i'd prefer a lower wattage amp. unless one of the 50/100watt amps will sound that much better

Sounds like you could go for a 50W.

The 18W TMB sounds great, but you need to be aware that there are about a dozen versions of it and not all of them sound good.

They sound kind of like a Plexi or JCM800 at lower volumes, but when you crank them up, you can start to hear the cathode bias and tube rectifier. It does not stay punchy like a Plexi, but rather starts to give up like a tweed Deluxe.

 

[5881]

I built a GDS 18 watt trem model, and it sounds great, but very little clean headroom, if any to speak of. Great if you want grind. Does not have the overall balls I think a Marshall should have. Very happy with the quality of parts, unlike the Weber kits, which I feel have cheap switches, pots, etc.

 

[s.r.v.]

after listening to clips and stuff, I think JTM45 is the way to go. i just want pure Marshall tone, and it seems like my best bet. then again, EJ uses the 1967-1968 plexi's
http://www.ericjohnson.com/flash/amps.html

 

[Steve Dallas]

There are only a handful of differences between the JTM45 and '68 Plexi.

 

[Kitarist]

Just get a plexi you wont regret it. Its just awesome amp. All guitar heroes used it and still use it

 

[justonwo]

Metro makes the best plexi replica kit.

This new Roccaforte/Mojo kit looks really cool, as well.

http://www.mojomusicalsupply.com/item.asp?pid=581178&pg=44991&id=5352555

From Roccaforte:

"The control layout is:
pre 1,pre 2,master,treb,mid,bass,pres.
This is a single channel amplifier,
you're switching preamp controls.
So,
you can have two different gain settings
and footswitch between them.
Due to the warm smooth OD this amp has
it takes clean boost and distortion pedals
all day long and never complains.
Just imagine crossing the vox smooth OD tone
with a masterleads gain/cutting ability.
That's exactlly how this amp sounds."

 

[57special]

I've got two Metro amp, a JTM 45 and a 66-67 spec JTM 50. Both have tube rectifiers, and use .1 caps rather than the later plexi spec .022's which make for a brighter , thinner sound. The JTM45 isn't all that loud, but has a nice ragged tone. If you really want a GREAT tone on the JTM 45, then scare up some old Mullards and especially some old KT66's. Very pricey but they make a huge difference compared to the current KT66's. Nice cleans with all guitars. The JTM50 is significantly louder, and has more of a rock tone, but is still very warm and has a great clean tone.
Unless you want to play old 40-and 50's blues i would look into the JTM or JMP 50 done to earlier plexi specs, then get a PPIMV put in. They sound excellent ... much better IMO than an attenuator. The extra volume on the plexi
makes for crisper cleans, if you wish that, but it is by no means thin like the later plexis can be.
Basically, there is no bad choice here.