NMD: Lead 12 .... best bedroom plexi!

[jcm800gridlock]

Congratulations on your amp.

I’ve got a little Lead 12, it has some sentimental value, and it’s a keeper. It doesn’t get much playing time with all my other amps, but it sounds good for what it is.

I swapped the original speaker with a Greenback and the Greenback did improve the amp’s tone at higher volumes.

 

[Guitar Rod]

Yeah, I'm still on the fence between getting one of these Lead 12's or a Vox Pathfinder 15 for the apartment...
Has anyone compared the two?

I have both. The Vox has AMAZING cleans, rivals my AC15C1. May even be better. But the drive is not that great. Though if you use the master volume as the gain and the gain as master volume, it's better. The Lead 12 excels at a driven Marshall tone, and the clean is decent. Depends on what you want.

 

[Troy T. Blues]

Were there multiple different models or versions of the Lead 12?

If so, are certain particular models or variants generally considered better, superior, or more desirable than others?

Or were all Lead 12 amps basically the same circuit, throughout their entire run?

Great amp! I have one myself. Mine is an '89 with the separate line and headphone jacks and the Celestion G10D25 speaker. In a nutshell - yes, there are 4 different versions.

I believe the most desirable one is the first version (ca. 1982) which has no line out or headphone jacks. The drive has a fuzz-like character to it. It's the one that Billy Gibbons used on "My Head's In Mississippi."

Version II (ca. 1985) has one combined line out/headphone jack next to the on/off switch.

Version III (ca. 1988) has two seperate outputs - line out and headphone jacks.

The fourth version - made from 1991-92. The speaker is a Marshall S301. The shape of the cabinet and the size of the Marshall logo are smaller than the 3 earlier versions of this amp.

I do not have any personal experience on how they all compare tonewise, but I've read that there definitely differences between the all, especially, versions 1-3. Here's a vid comparing version 1 & 2:

 

[mr_tornado_head]

Green Beret doesn't sound that great in there IMO . I keep tryin it
What I have found to be the best speaker for the Lead 12 combo is the Eminence 1030V (or whatever that ceramic speaker is called that Fender used in the Pro Junior for many years) Its better than any celestion Ive ever put in there

OR

a full stack

I think Alvis could make dog farts smell like roses - he makes everything he plays sound so damn good!

 

[mr_tornado_head]

...0
Now I'm super curious about snagging a Lead 20 and other 80s solid state Marshalls. Is the Lead 100 mosfet have any relation? Transistor or circuit wise? I'd love to have a high wattage version of the 12 for jamming/gigs!

While I'm not certain about the sound of the 100w Mosfet, the Lead 20 and Master Lead 30 were in the same series and have pretty similar preamp circuits. I've recently picked up two of the Mater Lead 30s (model 5010) and am using that now to gig with.

Shortly after those Lead 12 stacks came out, I had two at different times. Was never impressed with the sound, so I sold them. Had I just had the presence of mind to plug it into my 2-12 or 4-12 cabs, I would have kept them! Ugh!!!

 

[Maggot Brain]

Here is brief low volume live Hendrix noodle with the Deja Vibe, excuse the awkward view of my leg... I'm in love with this little amp.

The amp, like most, sounds best with the MV past 8 and of course best dimed. Getting the little 10" pushed really adds that cranked Marshall character and is suprisingly convincing considering this is just a 12w practice combo.

 

[Maggot Brain]

Here's a quick clip of it at volume with a fuzz face, I need to dig a proper microphone because I really want to capture what I can achieve with this amazing little Marshall.

 

[cjs42079]

Here's a quick clip of it at volume with a fuzz face, I need to dig a proper microphone because I really want to capture what I can achieve with this amazing little Marshall.

Wow, great playing...so jealous of that ability... and I think you captured the sound really well! This amp sounds so good. I dunno about bedroom plexi or what else to call it. Don't really care because it's just good. Here is mine, hacking through a RHCP and Pumpkins tunes in iphone quality.

 

[AlvisX]

Here's a quick clip of it at volume with a fuzz face, I need to dig a proper microphone because I really want to capture what I can achieve with this amazing little Marshall.

Is that the G 10 N ?
Sounds perfect

 

[jchrisf]

Here is brief low volume live Hendrix noodle with the Deja Vibe, excuse the awkward view of my leg... I'm in love with this little amp.

The amp, like most, sounds best with the MV past 8 and of course best dimed. Getting the little 10" pushed really adds that cranked Marshall character and is suprisingly convincing considering this is just a 12w practice combo.

That sounds awesome! You've got chops!

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Here's a quick clip of it at volume with a fuzz face, I need to dig a proper microphone because I really want to capture what I can achieve with this amazing little Marshall.

Sounds great brother

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

Wow, great playing...so jealous of that ability... and I think you captured the sound really well! This amp sounds so good. I dunno about bedroom plexi or what else to call it. Don't really care because it's just good. Here is mine, hacking through a RHCP and Pumpkins tunes in iphone quality.

Nice work on both clips bro..

Cheers

 

[Maggot Brain]

Yeah so today I finally got around to playing my LP thru it and just love this little amp more and more. I love how the EQ behaves and I'm getting really familiar now with how it all behaves and interacts together.

I will say treat this amp like a NMV to get the most out of it. It needs the MV past 8 and the Gain around 5ish on the low input to start sounding like the classic plexi/jtm45 sound. I still haven't experimented with the hi input, I tried it once and didn't like what I was hearing, maybe more JCM800 2204 type vibe on the hi input but imo it sounded more "solid state" when it starts getting over saturated in gain.

Also it works phenomenal taking pedals, set the volume low and put a drive pedal infront and it sounds great for low volume middle of the night jamming. I was going to sell my Lovepedal JTM pedal but DAMN it sounds good infont of it for really low volume stuff.... The amp shines at LOUD like any Marshall.

Wow, great playing...so jealous of that ability... and I think you captured the sound really well! This amp sounds so good. I dunno about bedroom plexi or what else to call it. Don't really care because it's just good. Here is mine, hacking through a RHCP and Pumpkins tunes in iphone quality.

Why thank you man! Don't sell yourself short, your rhythm and tone was fantastic I love that guitar! What is it and what color is that?

Imo if you had the other 2 Marshalls turned on and no obvious signs of which one you were playing thru I feel many would be hard pressed to discern which Marshall was being used. I really want to snag a Lead 12 stack now and I would love to have one of the head versions!

Is that the G 10 N ?
Sounds perfect

Yeah man! I keep telling myself that I'll more than likely end up sticking with the N and probably shouldn't buy speakers haha but ... I guess I gotta pass on the electric fence to find out

That sounds awesome! You've got chops!

Thanks man! Ive been searching for my SM57 so I can get a good recording of what I'm getting out of this. The phone quality sucked to begin with then youtube mushed it up even more.

Sounds great brother

Thanks Mitch! Means a lot!

Nice work on both clips bro..

Cheers

Thanks Mitchell! Truly appreciate it! Cheers!

 

[scozz]

Here's a quick clip of it at volume with a fuzz face, I need to dig a proper microphone because I really want to capture what I can achieve with this amazing little Marshall.

Great job Brain, it sounds perfect man!

 

[Maggot Brain]

Great job Brain, like it sounds perfect man!

Thanks Scozz! The first few riffs and chords on it I knew this is what I've always been searching for, I couldn't whip out my wallet fast enough... Legit don't think I've ever been so excited and satisfied with a piece of gear.




Now to somehow take the Lead 12 circuit and successfully make it 100+ watts for gigging/jamming and I'd be in heaven (besides owning a vintage JTM45/100... but not likely any time soon nor very practical). I have yet to wire a external speaker jack and see what this baby sounds like thru my 4x12... Can I use a spare guitar instrument cable jack right? Sufficient? Should I splurge on a switchcraft or equivalent?

 

[purpleplexi]

Hmmm... One of my pet peeves is people using signal leads as speaker leads but you could try it....
To make it 100 watts one of the reampers might be the easiest way but £££££.
Both clips sound awesome btw - suppose I'm gonna have to buy one now.

 

[cjs42079]

Why thank you man! Don't sell yourself short, your rhythm and tone was fantastic I love that guitar! What is it and what color is that?

Imo if you had the other 2 Marshalls turned on and no obvious signs of which one you were playing thru I feel many would be hard pressed to discern which Marshall was being used. I really want to snag a Lead 12 stack now and I would love to have one of the head versions!

Thanks! The guitar is a Balaguer Hyperion Select. They're a local builder near me in PA and they've gotten a pretty big following from the beards, riffs, and gear dudes type thing? I don't know, I don't really follow. I only own a handful of guitars, mostly strats and Pauls, so this is my odd child. Offset, reverse headstock, split coil pickups, that blue color with tortoise shell guard. I love it.

Funny you say that about the other amps in the room! I was thinking the same thing. Like if they all had lights on and cable plugged in, could you tell which it was? I might have to try this head into my 4x12 later. I will report back if the results rule.

 

[Super Blead]

Best speaker with my Lead 12 was a G10F-15 pulled from a Class 5.
It was a 16 ohms so less power but it sounded great. I prefered the G10F-15 over the G10N-40 with this amp. That said, it was already very good with the G10N-40.

 

[Troy T. Blues]

My sons guitar/piano teacher started a "band" with some of the kids he teaches. He asked me to play along, and do the solos to the songs (some are gonna take some work - "Barracuda" Boston, etc...) They play at a pretty low level, so I decided to try my Lead 12 and we'll see how that goes. I will use an OD pedal to kick it up some, and a reverb pedal. Pretty cool and the timing is good because I'm not doing anything musical at the moment. Plus, I get to play with my son. He will be playing keyboards (though he is learning guitar and doing well.)

 

[purpleplexi]

Just got one. Real bargain and looks nice. On it's way. It's the reverb one. Not that I ever bother with reverb.