Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

GAWA

GAWA

New member
Hey I've been looking for a new amp for quite a while now and had always been thinking of getting the Marshall 1987x head but I thought that it might not be suitable for heavy metal. As I've mentioned before in other posts I'm not looking for an amp with huge amounts of gain, just something that will enable me to play metal similar to Iron Maiden or Megadeth rhythm, I have an MXR Distortion+ for a solo boost. Would it give me enough gain or would I need an OD pedal with it? Now that I have a Spina modded SD-1 I am considering this amp again. Would the SD-1 in front of the 1987x give me a good metal sound that I'm looking for?

This is the second topic in about I week I've made concerning a new amplifier so I'm sorry, but I want to make sure I'm buying the right amp! Cheers :)
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

If you are looking for an Iron Maiden-like tone you might want to take a look at the late 70's Marshall JMP's. These are what they used for alot of their earlier albums.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

The SD1 isn't going to get you a metal tone,as it's more of a classic rock kinda pedal...You'll need a tight distortion pedal for that....Something in the lines of a Boss Heavy Metal,Metal Zone pedal....I'm sure your metal guys will chime in...The Marshall 1987 amp is a great platform to start with,providing you get the right pedal in front of it..
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

I love Maiden.... A Boss DS1 does me fine in front of many amps for that type of metal sound..... but truth be known i'd prefer more bottom end....
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

STRATDELUXER97 said:
The Marshall 1987 amp is a great platform to start with,providing you get the right pedal in front of it
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Werd! I've done a recording for a band who's guitarist used an Ibanez Smashbox into a 1987 Plexi and 1960A cab and it sounded absolutely HUGE and CRUSHING.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

The Boss SD-1, modded or not, used as a goose in front of a JMP or 1987x will get some great classic metal tones. The Marshall JMP is a better fit for Maiden type tones vs. the 1987x.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

Yeah, I would go with the JMP over the 1987x too. Thats what the Brent Hinds from Mastodon uses with a tubescreamer, and those are some pretty crushing metal tones.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

Kyuss_Rock said:
Yeah, I would go with the JMP over the 1987x too. Thats what the Brent Hinds from Mastodon uses with a tubescreamer, and those are some pretty crushing metal tones.
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Thanks for the responses everyone. But I can't seem to find a JMP anywhere. I've looked on the Marshall website and an online store but I can't see it. I'm probably not looking in a really obvious place for it so could someone give me a link to somewhere I can buy one of these amps? Sorry! :smack:
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

You won't find any new JMP's, only used. They were made in the 70's before the JCM series. You could also look for an early JCM800 2203 or 2204 as they share the same circuit as the JMP 2203/2204. And if you want a new one, there's the reissue JCM800 2203X. But make sure to budget for an attenuator. You'll need it, MV or not. The JCM800's sound best with the MV up half way or more.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

ErikH said:
You won't find any new JMP's, only used. They were made in the 70's before the JCM series. You could also look for an early JCM800 2203 or 2204 as they share the same circuit as the JMP 2203/2204. And if you want a new one, there's the reissue JCM800 2203X. But make sure to budget for an attenuator. You'll need it, MV or not. The JCM800's sound best with the MV up half way or more.
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Oh I see. I'll try taking a trip down to my local guitar shop in the next few days to try out the 1987x and a JCM800 reissue with my SD-1. Maybe I'll also be able to try a few other OD pedals with them as well. Hopefully I'll get a good tone out of one of them and will be able to make a purchase soon! I think I should also have enough money for an attenuator, I'll definitly be able to get one in the next 2 or 3 months.

Thanks for the help everyone!
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

Adrian and Dave both used 1987s through most of the early years until they got into the GK stuff.

Good tubes, *the right speakers* , good pups (DiMarzio Supers in their case) crank it, and goose it for leads with your box of choice.

Worked fine for me too... Laney cab with CL 80s...Les Pauls w/ Duncan 59s or Customs..plenty of gain and the right amount of crunch. I goosed with a TS or boss SOD for leads

EDIT: Any 2203/2204 (JMP or JCM) will work fine if you get the right speakers. They don't sound nearly as harsh or "hair metal" when you don't run them through V30s or 75s.
 
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Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

It really depends on what type of metal we're talking here, IMO.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

DeadSkinSlayer3 said:
It really depends on what type of metal we're talking here, IMO.
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GAWA said:
...just something that will enable me to play metal similar to Iron Maiden or Megadeth rhythm...
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;)



I think a JMP will definitely get you there. I'm sure the early 800s will, too. Get one of those, a good set of speakers, slam it with your pedal, play with the EQ a bit and you'll be busting those tones out in no time.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

I have a 1987x and I have owned a 2204 JMP and 2203 JCM800. The 1987x is more versatile, and very pedal-friendly. The 2204 had a little more "bite" to it. All nice amps for hard rock.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

I'd suggest an amp that's made for gain, rather than trying to make a loud clean amp into a metal monster. Plexis are too round and clean. JMP's and JCM800's have a crunch tone similar to AC/DC and KISS.

What you need is a versatile amp that's channel switching.
Marshall DSL 50/100, 30th Anniversary, Jubilee, 900 SLX, or JMP-1/power amp. Peavey 5150, XXX, JSX. Soldano Hotrod 50+. Vox AD60/120 head.
Mesa Stiletto Deuce, Dual Rec, Single Rec, MK series. Line 6 Vetta/HD147.
Carvin V3, Legacy. ENGL Fireball or Poweball. Bogner Ecstasy, Shiva.

Look into some of those amps, and you'll have something that's far more useful to you.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

Gearjoneser said:
I'd suggest an amp that's made for gain, rather than trying to make a loud clean amp into a metal monster. Plexis are too round and clean. JMP's and JCM800's have a crunch tone similar to AC/DC and KISS.

What you need is a versatile amp that's channel switching.
Marshall DSL 50/100, 30th Anniversary, Jubilee, 900 SLX, or JMP-1/power amp. Peavey 5150, XXX, JSX. Soldano Hotrod 50+. Vox AD60/120 head.
Mesa Stiletto Deuce, Dual Rec, Single Rec, MK series. Line 6 Vetta/HD147.
Carvin V3, Legacy. ENGL Fireball or Poweball. Bogner Ecstasy, Shiva.

Look into some of those amps, and you'll have something that's far more useful to you.
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Good info GJ.....Personally I Like the 1987/1959 circuit because in my case and styles of music,it gets a decend almost Fendery clean tone...It grinds great if you get the right pedal(s) in front of it also...

Years ago I Owned a 2204 JCM 800 and even after taming the highs,it was only an amp that sounded good to me when it was cranked up pretty good...At lower volumes below about 3,it was buzzy and compressed and had a terrible,dry clean tone....To me,if an amp doesn't have a good clean tone,it's not capable of a good gained tone via pedals....I always felt the earlier NMV Marshalls were not only cleaner and warmer like you mention,but alot more versatile also...Enjoyed your post buddy..

I sold my JCM 800 several years ago,but I've kept my 73 1987 50 watter all these years after selling that 800...Just one's preference though and it suits my music styles better is all.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

Take the 900 SL-X out of that list. It's not a channel switcher. It's a single channel amp with switchable master volumes. Totally different than the other amps mentioned. Still not a bad choice though. It's predecessor, the MkIII, is another one to consider in the higher gain category.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

I fall into the camp of vintagey tones, and often hotrodded, since my style is like Eric Johnson, David Grissolm, Knopfler, and Marc Ford.

But from bands mentioned like Iron Maiden and Megadeth, I always suggest something that will get the job done, right out of the box, so I'd think that highgain amps are the ticket.

Ironically, a lot of the classic metal bands used Marshalls or Mesas with additional processing for gain, but nowadays they finally make the kinds of amps they would have wanted back then. I think the analog recording of that era sounded better on tape, but I'm sure they would have loved to go into the future and take back some of the amps available right now.
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

Gearjoneser said:
I fall into the camp of vintagey tones, and often hotrodded, since my style is like Eric Johnson, David Grissolm, Knopfler, and Marc Ford.

But from bands mentioned like Iron Maiden and Megadeth, I always suggest something that will get the job done, right out of the box, so I'd think that highgain amps are the ticket.

Ironically, a lot of the classic metal bands used Marshalls or Mesas with additional processing for gain, but nowadays they finally make the kinds of amps they would have wanted back then. I think the analog recording of that era sounded better on tape, but I'm sure they would have loved to go into the future and take back some of the amps available right now.
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You're probably right GJ,but I always felt that 1987/1959 circuit was better than the brighter sounding mv 2203/2204 circuit that Marshall came out with later....I sold my 2204 for this very reason,but you're still right in your explanation,,,
 
Re: Would a Marshall 1987x give a good sound for metal?

Gearjoneser said:
Ironically, a lot of the classic metal bands used Marshalls or Mesas with additional processing for gain, but nowadays they finally make the kinds of amps they would have wanted back then. I think the analog recording of that era sounded better on tape, but I'm sure they would have loved to go into the future and take back some of the amps available right now.
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That'd be interesting to see/hear. Part of the change now is a difference in their hearing and even a changing taste in style for some, but I'd really be curious to know what some of those guys would have used back then if they had all of today's choices.
 
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