I Found a Mutilated 69 Marshall, is it worth it??

[Pave Dog]

I found a 69 Marshall, was owned by local musician that gigged with it for 30+ years. Little is left of the original besides the lay down transformer and the choke. It was gooped with RTV and some reddish brown stuff on the power transformer. It even has a Fender output transformer. So what do you think a reasonable price would be?

 

[saxon68]

I wouldn’t touch it myself, unless you’re happy with the sound now and you’re just looking for / paying player grade money.

Just because something is old doesn’t always mean valuable / collectible when it’s been mutilated.

 

[Matthews Guitars]

I paid 600 bucks for a '69 plexi REMNANT that was in comparable shape. I spent more than that getting it back into good condition, WAY more, but it was ultimately worth it.
I would offer between 500 and 1000 dollars for that, but not a penny over 1000 since so much is changed/messed up. And that's what I would offer, being a person who actually knows how to do all the work it would need. Someone without the capacity and will to rebuild it himself should probably consider that it's also going to cost him to get someone to rebuild it.

It has a bad case of what I'm starting to call Orange Drop Flu. That's when any Marshall is full of Orange Drop capacitors.

 

[Pave Dog]

I agree, a lot of orange drop caps and it has more changed than original

 

[playloud]

Looks like a fun project for the right price (<=$1k for sure). I would restore the tremolo circuit too.

If you're patient, a correct-era OT (784-139) is likely to turn up.

Any idea what the reddish-brown goop is? Getting rid of that would make a huge difference!

 

[Scumback Speakers]

Hmm, I've got a full set of mustard caps for it, plus some other goodies. Frankly anything more than $750 is my limit. It will need at least $800 worth of parts to make it close to original, but the OT is the biggest issue. Have to go Mercury or Hayboer for that. Looks like it needs original bat switches to complete it as well. Is it in the USA or somewhere else?

 

[Matthews Guitars]

Here's what I had to start with with that '69....

 

[Matthews Guitars]

After filling many holes....bonus points if you see the one that SHOULD NOT have been welded...

 

[Matthews Guitars]

After...

 

[stickyfinger]

If it was a Plexi with perfboard and paxline selectors maybe but a metal panel? Probably better used as a doner amp.
Id be worried about the board being conductive after all that goop was applied.

 

[hazmat7719]

The paint looks to be Glyptol. It is for insulating electricity. It is used on transformers to keep the coils from vibrating and becoming noisy.

 

[Beryllium-9]

The cabinet looks clean and intact. Hell, if the original feet and handle are there it would probably bring $6-700 on it's own not to mention all of the other salvageable parts. What it actually needs to bring it back to life isn't all that bad. Replaced OPT? Big deal.. This isn't one to geek on with originality and there are great options available.

 

[playloud]

The paint looks to be Glyptol. It is for insulating electricity. It is used on transformers to keep the coils from vibrating and becoming noisy.

That was my first thought, but I've never seen it applied so thickly before! Even Cameron was more light-handed

Hmm, I've got a full set of mustard caps for it, plus some other goodies. Frankly anything more than $750 is my limit. It will need at least $800 worth of parts to make it close to original, but the OT is the biggest issue. Have to go Mercury or Hayboer for that. Looks like it needs original bat switches to complete it as well. Is it in the USA or somewhere else?

Assuming they do the work themselves, parts should cost a lot less than $800 (unless sourcing correct vintage OT - the last one that sold on Reverb from this era was around $450).

There were plenty of 50W heads in this period with the Carling switches. I wouldn't sweat it, personally

 

[Matthews Guitars]

I don't see any extra holes drilled or cuts in the chassis. I view that as a good restoration candidate. Actually better than the '69 I restored, as it was when I acquired it.

 

[Beryllium-9]

I don't see any extra holes drilled or cuts in the chassis. I view that as a good restoration candidate. Actually better than the '69 I restored, as it was when I acquired it.

The OP's example shows a two holes drilled for the FX loop.. You did a smash up job with that purple amp! Very nice!!

 

[Scumback Speakers]

I need another one of these like I need C19...but I have spare parts...

 

[Matthews Guitars]

Yeah, the fx loop holes...they'd never be seen under a replaced back panel. I can overlook them.

Thanks about the '69 rebuild. I could have done a better job if the guy who had ground down the welds had LISTENED TO ME and understood that I wanted the welds ground smooth, flush, and level. As it is, he ground them down with an angle grinder and left an uneven surface. Then he did a half-assed job of trying to cover his tracks. I'd have rather than the just leave the welds unground and leave it to me
to finish them, rather than do what he did.

It came out good but I'll always know it could have been much better.

 

[ronald a aguiar]

I found a 69 Marshall, was owned by local musician that gigged with it for 30+ years. Little is left of the original besides the lay down transformer and the choke. It was gooped with RTV and some reddish brown stuff on the power transformer. It even has a Fender output transformer. So what do you think a reasonable price would be?

I wouldn’t touch it myself, unless you’re happy with the sound now and you’re just looking for / paying player grade money.

Just because something is old doesn’t always mean valuable / collectible when it’s been mutilated.

I believe the first thing to do is to get it to a really good and experienced amp tech and find out what the cost will be to have all of the work done, then find out if the current owner has the original OT , Mercury can rebuild it if he has the trans. I had a 50 watt 69 and it was all original but I bought it in 1973 for $100 and it was the pickiest amp I ever owned as far as speakers went. It hated every 4X12 cabinet I plugged it into but I finally plugged it into an Altec single 15 in a POS home made cabinet and man that little beast just sang! never had quite enough headroom for everything I wanted but very nice grind. As far as resale and value originality is everything when dealing with vintage gear

 

[Jet Bycraft]

I found a 69 Marshall, was owned by local musician that gigged with it for 30+ years. Little is left of the original besides the lay down transformer and the choke. It was gooped with RTV and some reddish brown stuff on the power transformer. It even has a Fender output transformer. So what do you think a reasonable price would be?

I have never seen modifications like that. Has the tremolo circuit been removed and the speed and intensity knobs turned into post and master controls? Also an effects loop, a tone enhancer mod that has been removed and, the ohm selector is gone and it has a fixed 8 ohm output? This amp has really been through some changes. How does it sound?

 

[Mrmadd]

Wow.
Too much bench time for me.