Marshall 1959HW Super Lead reissue head

MARSHALL 1959HW SUPER LEAD REISSUE HEAD £1,399
GUITAR AMPS
MARSHALL 1959HW TEST RESULTS
Build quality
Features
Sound
Value for money
■ WE LIKED The classic ‘Plexi’ sound
re-issued to absolute
■ WE DISLIKED Nothing, but it’s extremely
loud so won’t sound its best in small venues
the new Hand-Wired version will be far
more consistent.
“For this amp we eventually
narrowed our listening tests down to
two original heads with slightly
different characteristics that we felt
exemplifi ed the ‘Plexi’ sound – the re-
issue incorporates the best features of
each,” explains veteran Marshall R&D
tone guru Danny Thomas. “One of
those heads was only about 60 serial
numbers away from the amps Hendrix
took to Woodstock – so you can’t get
much closer than that! These amps
have so much character and just
moving a single wire can alter the
sound or response. So, once we’re
certain where everything goes we make
sure it’s reproduced exactly. It’s
interesting to see our production staff
using techniques and skills more
commonplace a generation earlier.”
SOUNDS: Neville Marten once wrote
that every guitarist should experience
playing through a ‘Plexi’ stack wound
all the way up, and he’s absolutely right.
We set up our own listening test,
alongside a late sixties 1959 which was
restored a few years ago and an earlier
version with the fi lter caps contained
inside the chassis. The new amp
excelled with greater headroom, less
noise and a darker, less aggressive
treble that made soloing a sheer
unadulterated pleasure, even using
a Strat’s bridge pickup.
“The original circuit actually
continued beyond the Plexiglas panel
versions,” commented Thomas, “so
there are metal-faced 1959s electrically
identical to the ‘Plexi’ – and they sound
just as good. There was a transformer
change around 1971 that did make
a difference: the lamination specs
changed from standard to high quality
– the reason is lost in the mists of time –
and that gave the amp a harder, more
aggressive edge, similar to our SLP re-
issue. The Hand-Wired 1959 uses the
earlier, lo-fi transformer spec which
gives the defi nitive, darker, early ‘Plexi’
tone. Those very early versions with
the fi lter caps inside the chassis tend to
be the ones with higher noise levels as
the transformers were closer together.
The new model has the wider
transformer spacing and we’re very
pleased with the headroom and noise
performance.”
The 1959’s brutal power and endless
headroom is perfectly suited to big
arenas and outdoor festivals. However,
you can tame it for smaller venues.
Using a small jumper lead to combine
both channels is the secret for real
‘Plexi’ tone. With this plugged in, you
get a thicker sound which can be fi ne-
tuned by balancing one volume control
against the other. An attenuator like
Marshall’s excellent Powerbrake means
you can wind those volume controls up
to get the output valves working
properly, while a small amount of extra
front-end gain from a good overdrive
pedal helps push the preamp. It doesn’t
take long to dial this set-up in, and just
a few minutes work pulled some
frighteningly accurate Hendrix sounds
from a Jap reissue Strat, detuned for
extra authenticity. Switch to a Les Paul,
and every classic riff played on this
combination is unbelievably pure. From
vintage Page or Cream-era Clapton,
through to AC/DC or Thin Lizzy, it’s
almost unreal to hear such great sounds
coming from such a simple circuit.
Verdict
There’s no doubt, having put this amp
up against the best original samples we
could fi nd, that Marshall’s recreation of
its original fl agship is the real deal. You
don’t buy an amp like this for versatility
or portability, it’s purely down to sound
– and the new Hand-Wired 1959 has it
exactly right. Old amplifi ers don’t age
gracefully like guitars, they usually need
a lot of work to make them useable and
safe. So buying an original is for those
who want to make an investment, not
music, and inevitably there are plenty of
forgeries and scams waiting to part fools
from their money. If you want a ‘Plexi’ to
make music with, our advice is to forget
the second-hand market altogether and
get one of these. At this amp’s retail
price, you can afford to buy the head
and both 4 x 12s for far less than the
cost of a tatty original and be assured of
consistently authentic sounds.
The Super Lead’s nature means it’s
not an amp for shy retiring types, but if
you want to make a statement there’s
no better way to do it than by plugging
into one of these. This is the amp that
the entire lexicon of rock guitar was
written with and it’s still in great shape.
Accept no substitute, take no prisoners
– the ‘Plexi’ is back, let’s rock!
132 JUNE 2005
MARSHALL 1959HW
SUPER LEAD REISSUE
HEAD
PRICE: £1,399
ORIGIN: UK
TYPE: All-valve single-
channel Class AB head
with solid-state
rectifi cation
OUTPUT: 100W RMS
VALVES: Three ECC83/
12AX7 preamp, four
selected JJ EL34 power
amp
DIMENSIONS: 250 (h)
x 640 (w) x 240mm (d)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 21/44
CABINET: Birch ply
CHANNELS: Two, non-
switching.
CONTROLS: Volume
one, volume two, bass,
mid, treble and presence
ADDITIONAL
FEATURES: Selectable
speaker impedance
OPTIONS: 1960A/B HW
4 x 12 cabinets loaded
with Celestion G12-H30
speakers (£599)
RANGE OPTIONS:
1974X 18W Hand-Wired
combo (£1,199) and the
2061X 18-watt Hand-
Wired head (£999)
Marshall Amplifi cation
01908 375411
www.marshallamps.com
Marshall 1959HW Super Lead Reissue
RATING
The fi rst step to that
classic Marshall sound?
Switching the amp on!
GIT264.marshall 132GIT264.marshall 132 29/4/05 11:49:42 am29/4/05 11:49:42 am