The Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt is a Marshall amplifier, currently around $2299.99. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the Marshall 1987X Plexy 50W Head. It pairs well with the Xotic BB Preamp and the Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2.
Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt
Marshall · amplifier
The Marshall 1987X is a hand-wired reissue of the 50-watt Plexi, the lead head that sat between the 18-watt combos and the 100-watt Super Lead. With EL34 power valves and no master volume, it produces open cleans that bloom into a focused, aggressive crunch when pushed, often described as tighter and more cutting than the 100-watt version. Four inputs and two jumperable channels deliver the classic late-1960s British stack voicing favored across rock.
What stands out
“aggressive crunch when pushed”
— from the listing
“The community often prefers the 50-watt 1987X to the 100-watt Plexi for breaking up at slightly lower volume while keeping the iconic midrange grind”
— from the community notes
“The Marshall 1987X is a hand-wired reissue of the 50-watt Plexi, the lead head that sat between the 18-watt combos and the 100-watt Super Lead”
— from the listing
“The caveat remains volume: even at 50 watts it is loud before reaching its sweet spot”
— from the community notes
“jumpering the bright and normal channels and adding a boost for leads are near-universal”
— from the community notes
Trade-offs
“for players who find the 100-watt head too loud or loose”
— from the reviews
- crunch
- lead
- midrange
- grind
- bright
- open
- sweet
- classic rock
Good for
- Live
- Studio
Price updated Oct 22, 2026
Genres the Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt is commonly used in
- Classic Rock
- Blues Rock
- Rock
- Hard Rock
- Blues
- Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt
Xotic BB Preamp
Xotic
28% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
Xotic BB Preamp leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2
Catalinbread
24% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (crunchy → mid-forward)
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2 leans toward harmonically rich, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI
Catalinbread
24% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → high gain)
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI leans toward dynamic, and that's a real, usable character to pair with
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.
Run Origin Effects MAGMA57 Amp Vibrato & Drive after Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt in the signal chain, clear of Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
Valco Under Pressure Classic Compressor
Valco
18% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain. (dynamic → compressed)
Valco Under Pressure Classic Compressor's own compressed character is the real reason this is worth trying
Goes in front of the amp
Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe
Catalinbread
14% matchPut Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Deluxe in Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt's effects loop, clear of Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte
Caroline Guitar Company
10% 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 Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt's crunchy voice out front: Caroline Guitar Company Kilobyte goes in Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt's effects loop so its pristine voice doesn't muddy it — 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
Put Dunlop MXR Randy Rhoads Concorde Distortion, model RR104C in front of Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt
Cheaper alternatives
Friedman IR-D
Friedman
72% similarityFriedman IR-D 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
Soldano SLO
Soldano
72% similaritySoldano SLO recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Laney AOR 50 Series II
Laney
56% similarityShared character: punchy, hard rock, simple
Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier
Mesa Boogie
44% similarityShared character: hard rock, crunch, boost
Marshall JCM900 2100
Marshall
96% similaritysimilar tone character
Boutique & premium upgrades
Similar charactersee all similar tone character →
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium recreates this amp's tone in pedal form
Marshall 1987X Plexy 50W Head
Marshall
64% similarityShared character: punchy, volume, hard rock
Marshall 1959HW Hand Wired
Marshall
62% similarityShared character: four inputs, resonant, bright
Orange Custom Shop 50 Head
Orange
47% similarityShared character: bright, crunch, classic rock
Bad Cat Pre-Sale! Hot Cat Head
Bad Cat
46% similarityShared character: punchy, crunch, response
Laney GH50R
Laney
44% similarityShared character: hard rock, simple, crunch
See all alternatives to the Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the Marshall 1987X Plexy 50W Head, the Marshall 1959HW Hand Wired. Budget picks: Friedman IR-D, Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp, Soldano SLO. Boutique upgrades: Diezel VH4 4-Channel 100-Watt, Marshall 1959JMH-U Handwired 1959 100w Limited Edition.
What pairs well with the Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Xotic BB Preamp, Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret Mk2, Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MKI — Xotic BB Preamp leans smooth right where the bright tone needs it.
How much does the Marshall 1987X MK II Reissue 2-Channel 50-Watt cost?+
Around $2299.99 (live listing price, updated Oct 22, 2026).
Compare
- vs Marshall JMP 2204 Master Model Mk2 Lead 50-Watt
- vs Marshall 1959JMH-U Handwired 1959 100w Limited Edition
- vs Marshall JCM900 2100