Marshall reissue model 1987X with effects loop any good?

[Slobrain]

Hey Folks,

I just won on Ebay a Marshall 1987X w/fx loop made in 2004. I wanted to ask if these are as good as the old original ones? I have owned many old Marshalls non master and master volume but never one with an fx loop.

6 years I had sold off a non master 1987 that was built in 1976, I got stupid one day and took it into GC and they gave me a small amount and I left thinking I can always get another Marshall but then have been looking at prices lately and have seen how Marshalls have gone thru the roof in cost, what gives on that???

Slo

[Leo_Gnardo]

6 years I had sold off a non master 1987 that was built in 1976, I got stupid one day and took it into GC and they gave me a small amount and I left thinking I can always get another Marshall but then have been looking at prices lately and have seen how Marshalls have gone thru the roof in cost, what gives on that???

Stores will always pay dick for amps/guitars/etc. They are there to make a profit after all. Buy low, sell high.

There was sort of a Marshall glut in the 70's - 80's - early 90's but after that the $$ collectors started to understand the earlier ones actually were quite good. Back "in the day" you could pick up 50W heads for $200-300 and 100W for $300-400. Now both selling northwards of $1500. There's inflation too. JCM800 series are also a bit of an "item" and Marshall has some of them on reissue as well. Even the Silver Jubilee series are now "collectible."

I have an early 70's model 1987 modded by Harry Kolbe. Can't even get $500 for it as-is. But if I return it to stock, $1500-2000. So guess what's going to happen to it real soon...

As for the reissue 1987, not bad but not the "real thing" either. First & foremost, do you enjoy it? That's what counts. Even more if you get some use out of the FX loop.

Don't worry - I'm on the stupid list too. Sold my mid 60's Jazz bass @ 1975, thinking I can always get another for $200-300 ... look what happened to the prices on those. DOH!

[pdf64]

See http://www.webphix.com/schematic%20h..._50w_1987X.pdf second set of drawings.
There's a TL072 buffered fx loop. The good news is that when switched to 'bypass', it's completely bypassed.
If using EL34, you may want to check what value of screen grid resistors were fitted - 470 or 1k - and mod as appropriate.
Pete

[Pedro Vecino]

Loop has good quality. No problem with it. Screen grid resistors are 1K.
But the cathode circuit of the bright channel is not the original (2K7/680n)

[Slobrain]

Thanks for the info and the schematic too. I might want to make this amp loud clean and run pedals to do the distortion like I do my Fender amps. I like the Marshall tone but my hearing was damaged back in 1995 so I have to watch out for those blazing Marshall amps any more. I normally run pedals thru a old 1967 bandmaster head thru 2x12 celestion 70s. That setup works well.

Hey Leo, how is that Harry Kolbe mod sound? anything like the Roccaforte?

Slo

[Leo_Gnardo]

how is that Harry Kolbe mod sound? anything like the Roccaforte?

Haven't heard the Roccaforte. Kolbe's mods to me sound like a box-o-rocks. 3 things he does: 1) Entirely separate power supply for the preamp, voltage tripler supply off a separate power transformer. The idea being, voltage to preamp won't sag when you're smackin' the amp with a big signal. So - no natural compression that way. 2) Extremely low bias current. About 12 to 15 milliamps per EL34, so no chance of a good clean sound. Maybe sorta OK for those who want a distorted sound all the time, but you know how gravelly a cold biased amp sounds. Feh. At least that part's easy enough to fix. and 3) Adds his own mosfet pre-preamp potted in a cube of grey epoxy. Thin, gritty, hissy, just awful. I have several of these I've removed from other Kolbe-ized amps somewhere around here. Luckily I forget where. If anybody wants this one when I remove it, let me know. Perfect thing for sticking under the leg of that chair that has one short leg.