The Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi is a Marshall amplifier, currently around $1599. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the Ceriatone British Style Plexi50 Lead. It pairs well with the Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster and the Univox Super-Fuzz.
Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi
Marshall · amplifier
The Marshall 1987 is the classic 50-watt Plexi head, a cornerstone of British rock tone. Non-master-volume by design, it delivers clear, crisp, pearl-like cleans at lower settings and a warm, singing British overdrive when cranked. The sound is honest, open, and intensely dynamic, responding to pick attack and guitar volume so closely that it sharpens a player touch. Less bass-heavy and more immediate than the 100-watt Super Lead, the 50-watt Plexi defined countless hard rock and blues rock records of the late 1960s and 70s. It reaches its magic at high volume, so many users pair it with an attenuator for manageable levels.
What stands out
“The Marshall 1987 is the classic 50-watt Plexi head, a cornerstone of British rock tone”
— from the listing
“Non-master-volume by design, it delivers clear, crisp, pearl-like cleans at lower settings and a warm, singing British overdrive when cranked”
— from the listing
“Sweet, warm, and singing cranked tone with the percussive attack and open dynamics that define the 50-watt Plexi”
— from the reviews
“The sound is honest, open, and intensely dynamic, responding to pick attack and guitar volume so closely that it sharpens a player touch”
— from the listing
“It reaches its magic at high volume, so many users pair it with an attenuator for manageable levels”
— from the listing
- british
- overdrive
- open
- touch
- attenuator
- singing
- pick attack
- hard rock
Good for
- Live
Price updated Oct 24, 2026
Genres the Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi is commonly used in
- Rock
- Classic Rock
- Blues Rock
- Hard Rock
- Blues
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Alternative
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi
Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster
Dallas
30% matchUsed together by 1 artist
shapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)
Into Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi, Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end
Goes in front of the amp
Univox Super-Fuzz
Univox
29% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)
Into a dynamic tone, Univox Super-Fuzz brings a pull toward compressed that's missing
Goes in front of the amp
Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz
Black Arts Toneworks
29% matchclean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (transparent → fuzzy)
The transparent tone has headroom to spare — Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz leans it toward fuzzy to fill it in
Goes in front of the amp
Pigtronix Philosopher King
Pigtronix
19% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)
Both lean toward dynamic and compressed respectively — close enough in character that they complement instead of clashing
Goes in front of the amp
Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive
Origin Effects
18% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Keep Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive after Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi in the signal chain, clear of Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe
Catalinbread
13% matchRun Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe in Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi's effects loop, clear of Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Dunlop MXR M299 Carbon Copy Mini
Dunlop
12% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Into Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi, Dunlop MXR M299 Carbon Copy Mini is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Dunlop MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion, model RR104C
Dunlop
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Dunlop MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion, model RR104C goes in front of Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi in the chain
Cheaper alternatives
Friedman IR-D
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-D recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Soldano SLO
Soldano
72% similaritySoldano SLO recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
PRS DGT 15 David Grissom Signature 15W Head
PRS
57% similarityShared character: response, singing, pick attack
Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier
Mesa Boogie
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Marshall JCM800 2203
Marshall
55% similarityShared character: volume, hard rock, gain
Suhr Badger 35
Suhr
54% similarityShared character: pick attack, volume, gain
Marshall 1959HW
Marshall
52% similarityShared character: volume, singing, rich
3rd Power DRGN-100
3rd Power
52% similarityShared character: singing, rich, hard rock
Marshall JMP 2204 Master Model Mk2 Lead 50-Watt
Marshall
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Marshall 1959JMH-U Handwired 1959 100w Limited Edition
Marshall
95% similaritysimilar tone character
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Ceriatone British Style Plexi50 Lead
Ceriatone
69% similarityShared character: 1960s, volume, hard rock
1976 Marshall 1959 Super Lead
Marshall
61% similarityShared character: 1960s, studio, volume
PRS HDRX 100 2-Channel 100W Head
PRS
57% similarityShared character: pick attack, volume, rich
Orange Matamp
Orange
53% similarityShared character: sweet, singing, warm
Ceriatone TW Expression Head
Ceriatone
53% similarityShared character: pick attack, rich, volume
See all alternatives to the Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the Ceriatone British Style Plexi50 Lead, the 1976 Marshall 1959 Super Lead. Budget picks: Friedman IR-D, Soldano SLO, Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp. Boutique upgrades: Marshall JCM800 2203, Suhr Badger 35, Marshall 1959HW.
What pairs well with the Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster, Univox Super-Fuzz, Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz — Into Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi, Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster is right at home: it's built around a clean amp's front end.
How much does the Marshall 1987 50-Watt Plexi cost?+
Around $1599 (live listing price, updated Oct 24, 2026).