The Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt is a Marshall amplifier. Close alternatives include the Strymon Iridium and the Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp. It pairs well with the Marshall Guv'nor and the Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz.
Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt
Marshall · amplifier
The Marshall 1959 Super Lead is the amp that defined the classic British rock guitar tone, a hand-wired, non-master-volume 100-watt tube head running EL34 power tubes and 12AX7 preamp tubes through a deliberately simple circuit of roughly 60 components. Used by Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Page, and Van Halen, the "Plexi" gets its name from the transparent Perspex control panel used on originals, and its saturated, articulate crunch is achieved by cranking the volume rather than adding gain stages.
What stands out
“the marshall 1959 super lead is the amp that defined the classic british rock guitar tone”
— from the listing
“articulate crunch is achieved by cranking the volume”
— from the listing
“Clean headroom at low-to-mid volumes transitions into legendary saturated tones; linking channels with a jumper lead produces the thickest authentic Plexi character”
— from the community notes
“non-master-volume 100-watt tube head running el34 power tubes and 12ax7 preamp tubes through a deliberately simple circuit of roughly 60 components”
— from the listing
“The primary limitation is sheer output volume, making it challenging in intimate venues ; non-master volume design means full crankage necessary for gain staging in smaller spaces, and the amp's weight and size ca…”
— from the reviews
- rock
- articulate
- lead
- simple
- british
- headroom
- clean headroom
- natural compression
Good for
- Live
Genres the Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt is commonly used in
- Metal
- Blues
- Rock
- Alternative Rock
- Classic Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Blues Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt
Marshall Guv'nor
Marshall
28% matchclean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (high headroom → mid-forward)
Run Marshall Guv'nor into that high headroom platform and it finally leans toward mid-forward
Goes in front of the amp
Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz
Black Arts Toneworks
28% matchclean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (high headroom → fuzzy)
Into a high headroom tone, Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz brings a pull toward fuzzy that's missing
Goes in front of the amp
Browne Amplification Carbon
Browne Amplification
27% matchclean platform takes the driveA clean, high-headroom stage takes on dirt it can't generate by itself. (high headroom → low gain)
What Browne Amplification Carbon brings here leans toward crunchy — that's worth building a pairing around
Goes in front of the amp
Electro-Harmonix Bad
Electro-Harmonix
16% 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 Electro-Harmonix Bad after Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt in the signal chain, clear of Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Micro
Pigtronix
14% matchshapes the dynamic responseShapes how the tone responds to picking dynamics rather than its frequency or gain.
Pigtronix Philosopher's Tone Micro's own mid-forward character is the real reason this is worth trying
Goes in front of the amp
Dawner Prince Boonar
Dawner Prince
11% 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 JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt's tight voice out front: Dawner Prince Boonar goes in Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt's effects loop so its modulated 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
Catalinbread Epoch-Set
Catalinbread
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 JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt's tight voice out front: Catalinbread Epoch-Set goes in Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt's effects loop so its warm 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
Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2
Dr Scientist
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Into a high headroom tone, Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler V2 brings a pull toward fuzzy that's missing
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Strymon Iridium
Strymon
72% similarityStrymon Iridium 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
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 Plex
Friedman
64% similarityShared character: volume, crunch, full
Two Rock Traditional Clean
amplifier
58% similarityShared character: internal transformer, headroom, transparent
Two-Rock Silver Sterling Signature 100/50W
Two-Rock
56% similarityShared character: small venues, internal transformer, headroom
Blackstar Series One 100 MkII
Blackstar
54% similarityShared character: small venues, volume, headroom
Laney Klipp
Laney
52% similarityShared character: volume, internal transformer, headroom
Hiwatt DR103H
Hiwatt
52% similarityShared character: internal transformer, headroom, lead
Blackstar HT Club 50 MKIII 2-Ch 50-Watt Tube
Blackstar
52% similarityShared character: middle, crunch, warm
Blackstar Artisan 100
Blackstar
52% similarityShared character: internal transformer, headroom, crunch
See all alternatives to the Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt?+
The closest matches in character are the Strymon Iridium, the Friedman IR-J Jake E. Lee Preamp, the Friedman IR-D.
What pairs well with the Marshall JMP 1959 Super Lead 100-Watt?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Marshall Guv'nor, Black Arts Toneworks LSTR Fuzz, Browne Amplification Carbon — Run Marshall Guv'nor into that high headroom platform and it finally leans toward mid-forward.