Unbiased reviews of guitars, amps, amplifiers, pedals, effects all music guitar related. Original close up content by Tony McKenzie including music industry events; guitar shows and points of view.
Are you sick of watching dealer or maker videos that don't show you reality? They say their gear is 'the best' but in reality often it's not? Learn the good and the bad from my experience!
Unbiased reviews giving a 'feel' of the gear just as if YOU bought it yourself. Unlike 'sponsored' reviews these reviews always tell you what is good or bad about the reviewed music gear. If anything is ever provided for review to me for free (very rare indeed) then that is disclosed, otherwise I always buy reviewed music gear equipment personally! Video is always high quality HD or 4K.
Now sit back and enjoy...
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Well I suppose it stops you volunteering at the local youth club.
ugh so much smd. very difficult to repair and super cheap to manufacture
So common today though... but you're right. Thanks for watching.
Wow. This is probably the most informative video I’ve ever seen on an amp I’m considering. Thanks for putting the time in to make it. ✌️
Glad you liked the review. Most of my reviews on gear are like that... and thanks for watching.
Great review Tones, just purchased one, top unit
Yes they are great value for the cost I think. Thanks for watching.
LOVE YOUR MARSHALL VIDEO'S TONY ❤ !!! THIS ONE WAS EXCELLENT!!! 😀
The 1959HW amp is a great amp but you do need to calm it a little :). Thanks for watching and glad you liked it.... thanks Chris for watching.
Yo tengo uno y necesito cada uno de las perillas y canales que tiene ,es increíblemente versátil, en mi caso yo no uso ningun pedal extra solo un wah wah cry baby from hell y una ibanez rg2570ex una gibson les paul, cuando cambio de guitarra solo tengo que cambiar el canal del amplificador y listo tengo desde clean a overdrive ,entiendo que mucha gente prefiera otros amplificadores, pero no entiendo cuando simplemente critican cosas como la cantidad de perillas, no creo que exista amplificador mas versatil simplemente no existe ningun amplificador a valvulas con tantas opciones .
Tienes razón. El HJS es un amplificador brillante y los mandos de la parte delantera no son difíciles. Déjalos probar algunos de los programas para simuladores, eso ES un trabajo duro. Un amplificador brillante y es triste ver cómo está Marshall en estos días. Espero que mejoren. Y oye, gracias por mirar.
A great video Tony,... I bought my 1987x plexi from Veneman Music in Rockville Maryland back in 1994,... when they were still in business,... I'll never forget the day I recieved it,... the thing was (and still is) just beautiful,... it cost me (your going to cry)... $699.95..(I should have bought a truckload of them),...this amp is fitted with Svetlana EL-34's..(before they became scarce),... and ECC-83's which say Marshall on them,... the amp is extremely loud,... and I play it through a 1979 slant 800 cab with 65 watt Rola Celestion speaker's,... it's the most "touch sensitive" amp I've ever played on,... must be why the Pro's like them...(if you mess up... you'll hear it) ,... hard to believe.. I've had it for 30 year's,... it still look's new,... the amp has been flawless,... and when their working... they SMELL great,... like time's gone by,... going price on them now,... in the USA,...is about $2100.00,... like I said,... I wish I could have bought a truck load them,... when Robin Trower say's their loud,... their probobly loud,..... thank's for the video,.... I watch a lot of your stuff,... I have a 65 Bassman also,... I watched your video on that also,... keep doin' what your doin' my friend,... and take care yourself,... it's all good,... 'till next time,.... "NOW GET OUT OF HERE",...... right..... see ya......
Hi - what a great post :) and you have the beast right there :) Well I need not try and convince you - you already know the amp well. This one has the MV mod (or one of the 4 types!) and that helps a lot. Some say the tone changes but I don't hear that, it sounds good to me even with the 5881 tubes (little difference I guess). Ha at $699 buy the factory! Thanks for that great post appreciated and thanks for watching... I'm going now ;-)
I personally wanted to see how the foot switches were assembled.
I have the FC-6 and that review is coming up... thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenziecom thanks. I specifically want to understand what the SSS switches are and how they work. Thanks. 🙏
Thanks Tony for this nice video. Marshall has changed supplier for its power transformers and they are not as good as the old ones (you have to watch the video made by an Australian technician on a new JCM 800, it is very informative). I'm not about to sell my old Marshalls for sure !
I have seen most of Aussies vids - he's a clever guy :) Notice on this amp they are Dagnall. No don't sell that amp they will increase too. Thanks for watching.
I haven't heard of these coming in a Chinese model but they come in an Indonesian and Korean model.
Well they could have lied! :) sometimes I see gear marked wrong. This one is a genuine one though... and the 1999 models come from Japan. I do have somewhere in my back catalog a video of the Chinese one.. but don't ask which vid. Thanks for watching.
It would be good if you talked a little less and focused more on the explanation itself.
I present how I present. Sorry for that, but thats the way it is. Thanks.
Great video Tony ,Marshall’s 1987x is one hell of an Amp, Marshall has and will to me always be the sound of Rock and Roll and Heavy Metal!Great score on your 1987x Tony!
Thanks Ricky... and thanks for watching too.
I have a nux mg30, my favorite effect unit. Sounds great and very user friendly.
They do make some pretty good gear and I have reviewed a few.. all sound quite reasonable. Thanks for watching
Tony… why did you not get the trembucker width JB ? These are specifically designed to work with the wider Fender string spacing at the bridge. With the standard JB. ( unless you are using a very narrow 52mm spaced bridge) you are going to have both E strings sitting outside of the JB pole pieces… will it affect the sound ? .. don’t know , but it looks a bit… odd. That’s why SD made the F-spacing option .
Ill look at that further and thanks...
Its annoying how KZread changed things from being able to rely on your "home screen" to see new content from your subscriptions to needing to actively check for a "red dot" on the list down the left. I've made the "transition" hur hur and it seems to be working for me. I just got in to the habit of checking the list for dots before I started going down rabbit holes via the home screen. Anyway! Great review as ever sir. I saw another review of this amp where it was compared side by side with the JCM 800 studio and it appears they are using the same iron.
Thanks for the info about that. All the Studio series seem to be very sort of similar and I'm not surprised but I did not check so great info from your post... and thanks for watching.
The JVM is an PCB nightmare. When they shit the bed, they are a nightmare. Have an 06 with the floating knobs . Fun for sure!
Never had a fault with the two I had... it can happen I agree and awkward to fix, but STILL a great sounding and versatile amp. Thanks for the post and for watching.
Jvm is a cool amp. The best is personal preference. I truly love the Jubilee. 1987x is a great amp. The HW 1959 SLP is a great amp. The 2203 is an awesome amp.
Ha I agree... stop it ;) I bought a 1987x recently reviewed (1996) and have a 1959HW, JTM45 and a few others ... they all have their place really but can be loud :). Thanks for watching too.
Pull the plug...?.
?? don't quite understand that... but thanks for watching.
Tubes fail because they dont get the right Anode and Cathode resistor values. I dont know how that modern tubetester work, but we need to measure some voltages and currents to know.
That Orange tester is supposed (or was) to test tubes but I found a few anomalies with it, so compared to the old tube testers it's IMO less accurate. Thanks for the post and for watching.
Dan good weed your smoking me duck
Maybe YOU should have bought the 50 model... thanks.
Modelers are the chicken nuggets of fried chicken.
I like fried chicken! And are you SURE they are nuggets and not some other part of the male anatomy? :) Thanks for watching.
@tonymckenziecom lol, I just mean that modeling amps, while decent, are a mediocre version of the real thing. I like nuggets, and fried. But fried chicken is better than the avg nugget imo
I know I watched this video a bunch of times Tony, well I pulled the trigger and bought one finally I’ve always been a Marshall amp user so I’m gonna give this a try especially after I went back to this very informative video that you have done on this Amp! Thanks for this video Tony and for all your videos!!We love you over here in the USA. Please keep giving us these informative videos it really helps when you are looking to buy a new piece of gear!!!
Hey I hope that you love the 5150 III I still have mine, and even my grandson bought one (or maybe I bought it for him:) Thanks for those very kind words... it's pointless making videos if guys don't watch them, and I always try very hard to show the gear as it should be... this amp rocks for sure. Thanks for watching and those VERY kind words.
If guitarists didnt sell thier gear to Guitar Satan for 40% of its worth on trade it this wouldnt be a problem. No longer do I trade in my gear at a huge loss, what I do is sell my gear on a site and say its worth 1000 retail and all the others like it are price likewise, I will sell it a couple hundred dollars cheaper than the other 8 guitars just like it on that site and more times than not it sells in a day or two and if I bought it right I dont lose hardly anything, sell it fast, and get cash to fund the next GAS purchase. DONT sell your gear for pennies on the dollar to a store, have a little patience and in less than a week you can get almost full price for your guitar.
Oh I get that! I also when I sell anything I too look at the price around on Reverb, eBay etc and value the gear a little less... and it does sell for more than any trade in you're exactly right. But overall prices are being a little weird right now. Thanks for the post and for watching.
Nice amp!! And your video shows us all the details as usual. Lots of clarity and weight in your playing demo!!! Thanks again for your videos.
Ha I turned it up :0 and I was inspired by the amp to play better than when demoing some other less inspiring stuff. That's always the case with me. But I have been inspired even by the 'odd' simulator, but that's few and far between. Thanks for watching and I hope you liked the amp... it certainly can do it...
6L6 tubes, interesting. Very nice amp
5881 named also... in a time when EL34 became legends of rocking horses :). Many say that the 5881/6L6 tube driven Marshall amps don't sound the same as the EL34, and that's true but hard to tell really, the essence of the Marshall amp still remains in the amp IMO. Thanks for watching.
Hi Tony. Thanks again for a really interesting and educational video. I learn something every time. Wishing you health and happiness from Oxford.
Well thank YOU for watching the stuff because without viewers there would be wasted time and effort. Some of this stuff can be very time consuming and each week (it rolls fast) as I work on one review I'm already getting the stuff for the next one... its a bit like a hamster wheel... it never ends. :) Thanks for watching...
I was waiting for you to play, and instantly I knew this was a great tone, and great sounding amp! That is the Marshall sound. I gave up on modelers back in 2003. Had a Line6, and even 20 years later those companies are still pushing the same marketing scams. There is no comparison to a good quality tube head! Cheers Tony 🤘!!
Glad you liked it. Ha I guess you heard the hum before I played :) I could have stopped it, but preferred to include it in the video just to show that the amp can hum when cranked up a bit, but I put some down to the lights etc. I still review modelers/simulators and still don't find the 'perfect' pedal from any company. Kemper player was interesting but the 'feel' on all seems missing. I am just reviewing a simulator with AI EQ among other stuff and that is something I have never seen before, but it IS interesting. It however still is not like this amp. I like the Studio amps too which are great value for the money. Thanks for watching.
Nice amp, I have a 1971 Super Lead 100 EL34 and a 1977 50W JMP 6550, both sound classic and very different, would never let them go. The 1971 is point to point and the 77 is PCB, in reality PCB is more reliable so it’s not a negative build spec.
Some do think PCB is less desirable. But to be honest the pre PCB stuff can get mauled by engineers over the years and modded to hell sometimes. I have lots of PCB amps and a few without. I like any that work :) - yes hang on to them, who knows how long amps like that or this one will be made. I sincerely hope Marshall keep that going, although sometimes either investors or take overs can spoil a few things... sadly. Thanks for watching.
That was so nice!! At the end the ibanez hard rock. I need a mr scary on my Mesa
Really? I guess it depends which Mesa... but all mine don't need one... but these are pretty good devices and can drive the 'less driven' amps much harder. I have this one and the earlier unit too. Always useful devices and tend to be brilliant in my Marshall stuff especially the older designs. Thanks for watching.
I will take note of this. Thanks for the feedback!
The best amp ever. All Yngwie Malmsteens albums (almost) were recorded on that monster.
I think he used 50 Watt heads? At the time of the YJM100 I reviewed, there was much talk about the 50 Watt heads. This is basically similar as you say. Yng was/is a brilliant musician and even this morning driving I was listening to that 'Marching Out' album. The 'Marching Out' track is a brilliant piece of music that sadly Yngwie does not typically play more of that style... long sustain and fantastic tones - just incredible even now. Thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenziecom yeah he used 1987 50 watters until 2000s, agree with you - Marching.. is one of his best instrumentals
Hi Tony . I never understood why Marshall would not put corner protectors on a gigging amp ,and why they made the cabinet much longer than the chassis. Unless it's an image thing. Transportation knows many doors jambs and unpredictable objects. "O my back" think 😂 I've just slipped my 💿 📀 disks.😅
Slipped a disk huh :) Hope it was my 'Eniac' album :) and the old cases as shown I guess were created way back 60's and who knows why but they did wake up to the thicker build with the corners. I like the old style of cab actually. I do think the larger head cab as in this amp IS (or was) probably so they looked similar size. Great point you mentioned about that. Anyway, the trick is, if you have a bad back etc. then get someone else to carry it all for you :) I would! And trust you're doing OK. Thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenziecom Hi Tony thanks for you reply. I must admit I'm a big fan of your 👍 thumb over playing technique 😺, something I haven't conquered. The ENIAC project was FAb. My back is fine I don't use the big amps 😁 I'm a PA direct in man. Best Regards 😃. John.
The Owls Are Not What They Seem.
Quiet not... they are supposed to 'swoop in' and grab the prey and this 'evil owl' has the bit hanging, but only because that's how they are sold... :) Thanks for watching.
Great stuff
Well thanks for watching - it IS appreciated.
I got a 1999 JCM 900 and a Suhr Reactive Load/ I.R a few months ago after not having a real amp for years. Not touching modelers or plugins ever again.
The tube amps are very different... some will tell me otherwise and I understand that. But when you use the real deal, those modelers or simulators still lack that feel. Thanks for watching.
Every sound I have ever dreamed of can be found in my Marshall JVM 410 HJS and my Soldano Hot Rod 25 combined with a Boss RV-500 and SD-1, along with a Keeley compressor plus. The seemingly infinite number of guitars and amps can eventually create the sounds we love most. Thank you for all of your amazing videos Tony!
Oh that HJS is a GREAT amp. I own one too. I don't have a Soldano but I do have a Mezzabarba that is sort of similar though... I doubt you will go far wrong with almost any guitar between those amps... and I'm sure you'll probably keep them for a long time... and thanks for watching these... they do take a bit of making sometimes.
Awesome video, thanks again. Super Awesome playing/sound demo! Definitely a man's amplifier.
:) Yes plug in, turn up and go :) it's really that simple. Track is 'Lightpipe AI' from an album called 'Eniac' from back in 2006. I also made 'Berner Street' and later 'Gravity Waves' albums with Alan Bruce and loved creating them all. They can be downloaded from almost everywhere - but these days they pay $0.001 of a cent per play or stream (yes really) so there is little point in making more - and some wonder what's wrong with the music business!. Some tell me 'you can't play' and stuff like that - but people on the internet can be like that when you uncover less than perfect gear and show it in a review. So thanks for watching this review... I liked the amp and it allowed me to instantly play Lightpipe AI :) Thanks for watching.
A year ago played in a bike festival. I was invited the day before. No PA only for singer. I used my dsl20cr with creamback and my charvel socal. And a chinese ts clone. Sounded better than all other band and cut the mix so well that I had to keep the volume down after every song. That's what I find in modellers. Don't cut well. Like they miss some frequencies live unless U have a professional sound board guy
The modelers/simulators do have something missing I agree. I always relate it to the 'feel' when playing, but there is probably more to it than that. At least, anyone that plays a tube amp might not want to 'give it up' anytime soon. Great points in your post and thanks for posting that - and of course for watching.
What comes out is a lot of buzzing.
Hello Tony, is Marshall still selling amps? There are no sign of any new Marshall’s in the USA for quite some time.
They are still selling amps from what I see. The last new amp I saw was a JTM Studio 20 and I did review it here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/Y36D2dafhMede6g.htmlsi=NLaawvyk8W1T7eeB Thanks for watching.
Marketing want us to believe that the digital domain is able to simulate how the analog world behaves. But that a "fraud". Digital sounds good, really good and it's perfect for a lot of applications. But if you're looking for a real feeling you can't use nothing but a tube amp. It's got its limitations indeed but we should start to stop listening to the same old story that digital is able to imitate analog in a perfect way.... so perfect that you can't hear the difference. If you listen through a PA system probably the difference is so small that no one can tell which one is which but... playing is primarily a subjective thing and the difference between a tube amp and a digital modeler (or a capture) is nigh and day under the fingers. And that's it.
I agree with you. The feel is so different and at least for me it sort of inspires you to play differently and while even noodling often it can inspire creative music. That at least for me is harder with the sort of clinical (often) clean sounds and the less than perfect distorted tone and feel from simulators. The tube stuff just does it. However, today there are many guys happy with the sims etc. and sometimes it makes me wonder if they have EVER played through a decent tube amp that's turned up and using those little couple of pedals. It is an entirely different experience. Thanks for the points in your post and for watching.
@@tonymckenziecom Thank you too for the kind words. I always appreciate your videos. They are true to reality. I wish you the best.
I took out a set of Gibson Burstbucker Pro's out of my 2004 Gibson Les Paul Standard and replaced them with the Seymour Duncan Mayhem Set (Seymour Duncan Distortions). Now I have even more fun with my Les Paul as it sounds amazing now!
It can be VERY transformational when you get it right, but get it wrong and you would wish you had not done anything! I have even done that over the years and it's one of the reasons I thought about it a little and made this video. My points are simple enough, but it is surprising just how many guys get it wrong and end up with a pickup(s) that were the wrong choice. Thanks for watching.
Hi Tony i like the review how did you learn the tapping technique, this is more for the younger players?
I just played a bit - my tapping is unorthodox so a little weird. But it does work :) I have been playing rock a long time. Thanks for watching.
When it comes to sim tones, it's not so much the preamps, but the cabinet responses (IRs) themselves that just can't successfully mimic the real thing. The Universal Audio OX stuff seems to have come the closet in terms of mimic'ing the sound of an actual cab, but I still don't think the technology is quite there yet to begin competing w/ an actual cab.
Good point and likely that is the case... I have seen other stuff just like AI on the EQ... thanks for watching.
Nothing beats a good valve amp, with the reissues it gives them a chance to correct what they got wrong with the original. I still have all the valve amps that i have bought over the years except the Marshall JTM 30 it was horrible with clean tones so it was shown the door. The only modelling amp i have is a Vox VT40X and the included amps are ok but no match for the original ones. You can beat that full warm smooth tone that only a valve amp can give.
Oh I agree. I have played with simulators etc. over and over but they are not the same (at ANY price) I think. That JTM Studio 20 is not bad... Thanks for watching.
Michael Schenker uses a Marshall JCM 800 2205 which is the split channel JCM 800. I agree you can't beat a good tube amp when playing, I've tried modellers and didn't like them. I loved it when Gary Moore used a Marshall 1959 SLP live even in a pub gig he did use it. Marshall did develop a Gary Moore signature amp which was a 1959 SLP with power scaling to allow Gary Moore to use them at smaller venues at 50 watts instead of 100. Unfortunately Gary Moore passed away before he could sign off on the amp.
The amp was indeed an 800 (I saw it later in the photos I took) and sounded very good. Thanks for the info re Gary Moore - a brilliant player that I bought most albums etc. and went to see him end 79/early 80's in Birmingham - last thing he played at that gig was the Loner... and I wanted to sell everything :) He was incredible. Sad they did not make the GM amp. On my first tour of Marshall (2010) one of Gary's amps was in engineering for a check over and I showed it (I think in part two) in the video. Wonder where it is now? Thanks for the info and for watching.
I had Marshall JCM 8oo split channel clean/boost , but 1ooW combo, with spring reverb - great amp - and no pedals 😁
@@tonymckenziecom great playing, thank you
It's absolutely true. And it's scary that people don't know this. I build some amazing amps, and I jam with a guy that has a line 6 helix. The difference is so painfully obvious that it is AWKWARD.
Indeed, I have a Helix rack also and while they do have a place, they are really not my idea of 'real' tube amp equivalents. Many might/will disagree, but honestly I have used and tested and reviewed almost all of them. In fact I have another one coming up pretty soon - which for what it is its OK, but it is NOT a tube amp even though it has AI EQ on board! Thanks for watching.
@tonymckenziecom your content helps a lit of people. Always entertaining! You've got some great gear. As far as the digital gear goes, I really feel people are cheating themselves. My buddy asked what I thought of the fender tone master deluxe. I said it's the vegetarian hamburger of guitar amps lol
Modelers sound like tube amps in the way a chicken nugget tastes like high quality chicken parm
noice, 2014 chromebook chip like I've been telling everyone on both Prime and Core lol
Ouch ;-) Thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenziecom Thanks for amazing content! I still love ny headrush Prime and the old gen pedalboard, I gig with it and I've got two titanium rods and yet my setup is not back breaking... Yet😂 I also compared the performance with my brother's Core and as much as I love HeadRush I hate to say that the rigs that use about 88% cpu on Prime are capping the CPU red on Core. Same rigs. Despite the hardware being almost the same I'm not too confident the DSP issue with Core can be fixed with an optimization update. I've tried this with numerous rigs and what I'm observing is that Core doesn't push as much DSP as Prime.
2555x is a fantastic amp. Have a Friedman BE-100 and handwired. They are quite special and neither sounds worse than the other. Cool tools and blessed
I also have the Marshall 20w and that sounds pretty cool too and at a great price (at least here). Hand wired costs but often you get what you pay for in amps some of the time. A brilliant amp - the PRS MT-15 I bought for £450 ($600) and it was/is substantially above its price for sure. PCB but also great value. Thanks for the info and for watching.
Love your tech tips and tricks. I’ve learned a wealth of information from you. Thank you for all you do!
Great to hear that anything is helpful - I'm not always perfect, but at least I try :) and thanks for watching.