Marshall JMP Model 1987/2187 Lead MKII 50 Watt Tube Full Stack Amplifier (1977)
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Marshall JMP Model 1987/2187 Lead MKII 50 Watt Model Tube Full Stack Amplifier (1977), made in London, England, serial # 03535J, fawn covering finish.
Marshall amps are certainly a rock legend, with a sound that has defined entire styles and eras of music. This 1977 50 watt Lead full-stack with its matching 1960 and 1960B model 4x12" cabinets in the exceedingly rare fawn covering is a real monster, majestic in both in volume and tone. Marshall amps owe their humble beginnings to the Fender Bassman 5F6-A, the original subject re-interpreted using English components and originally sold exclusively through Jim Marshall's London shop. Both the circuit design and sound soon evolved from the Fender paradigm into something entirely their own.
Early Marshalls powered the sound of the Who, Cream, Hendrix and beyond, becoming de rigeur among top UK groups by 1968. Similar to the Bassman, Marshall's Lead models feature four inputs and two channels, often jumpered with a short lead for more preamp gain, along with controls for each channel: volume, treble, middle, bass and presence controls. The head sports a pair of EL34 power tubes, putting out roughly 50-watts into the iconic stack of two closed-back cabinets, each loaded with four 12" Celestion speakers; another Marshall innovation that owed much to The Who's John Entwistle, ever on the lookout for ways to make his bass louder and an early and eager advocate of this full-stack design.
These amps came of age in the later 1960s, an era when bands routinely played large stadiums and festivals, often without PA sound reinforcement for the guitars. At the height of the rock n' roll-era, amplifiers with this sort of power were a necessity rather than a luxury, and the tone became the new rock standard. These days, we also have the luxury of attenuators to tame these beasts somewhat and protect our ears!
This JMP Lead is a later '70s example but very rare considering its fawn covering, which is highly sought after today. The serial number ends with the date code "J", indicating assembly in 1977 and the written model number 2187 suggests that the chassis started its life intended to be a combo model and then became a full-stack; whether this is how it left the factory initially or not is hard to verify, but speaker codes in the two cabinets all date to the same year, indicating that any re-housing was likely a factory ordeal. The angled top cabinet bears the serial number 1019 and the bottom 1084.
Height is 72 in. (182.9 cm.), 29 in. (73.7 cm.) width, and 14 in. (35.6 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, this magnificent fawn-clad full stack has clearly seen some use but remains in beautifully preserved condition for its age. The custom fawn Tolex covering shows moderate amounts of scuffing and some minor tears, most notably on the bottom edges and corners. Both the original handle and the white piping are present, with the hardware only showing moderate corrosion. The aluminum front panel is in great condition showing very little wear overall, save for a noticeable scratch above the middle control. Most of the stenciled lettering is nicely intact, with only some of it worn off around the power and standby switches. The original knobs are in great shape, free of cracking and all retaining their tops. The grille cloth on the cabinets appears original and save for one puncture on the lower cabinet, show no other notable tearing or fraying. The angled top cabinet retains its original casters and the three pieces retain their original slip covers as well.
Electrically, this amp is nearly all-original. All but one of the eight 12" Marshall-branded Celestion G12M/T1221 speakers date to June of 1977, one appears to be a period replacement "creamback" from January of 1974, and also appears to have been reconed. The other seven appear to retain their original cones and both cabinets sound and test great. The Drake power and output transformers bear the codes 1202-164, 784-139 and the Dagnall-made choke bears the code 02542; all original to the amp. The amp has otherwise seen our typical maintenance and servicing, including replacement of all electrolytic capacitors, install of a new grounded 3-prong power cord, all sockets, pots and jacks cleaned and power section biased to spec.
Please note that this amp has been hardwired for US 120V/125V operation and should only be used with that input voltage unless rewired. The impedance selector on the amplifier is currently set to 8 ohms for use with both cabinets and should be switched to 16 ohms when used with only one.
A true rarity for our showroom, this fawn beast is, as they used to say, "Ready To Rock"! Excellent - Condition.
Marshall amps are certainly a rock legend, with a sound that has defined entire styles and eras of music. This 1977 50 watt Lead full-stack with its matching 1960 and 1960B model 4x12" cabinets in the exceedingly rare fawn covering is a real monster, majestic in both in volume and tone. Marshall amps owe their humble beginnings to the Fender Bassman 5F6-A, the original subject re-interpreted using English components and originally sold exclusively through Jim Marshall's London shop. Both the circuit design and sound soon evolved from the Fender paradigm into something entirely their own.
Early Marshalls powered the sound of the Who, Cream, Hendrix and beyond, becoming de rigeur among top UK groups by 1968. Similar to the Bassman, Marshall's Lead models feature four inputs and two channels, often jumpered with a short lead for more preamp gain, along with controls for each channel: volume, treble, middle, bass and presence controls. The head sports a pair of EL34 power tubes, putting out roughly 50-watts into the iconic stack of two closed-back cabinets, each loaded with four 12" Celestion speakers; another Marshall innovation that owed much to The Who's John Entwistle, ever on the lookout for ways to make his bass louder and an early and eager advocate of this full-stack design.
These amps came of age in the later 1960s, an era when bands routinely played large stadiums and festivals, often without PA sound reinforcement for the guitars. At the height of the rock n' roll-era, amplifiers with this sort of power were a necessity rather than a luxury, and the tone became the new rock standard. These days, we also have the luxury of attenuators to tame these beasts somewhat and protect our ears!
This JMP Lead is a later '70s example but very rare considering its fawn covering, which is highly sought after today. The serial number ends with the date code "J", indicating assembly in 1977 and the written model number 2187 suggests that the chassis started its life intended to be a combo model and then became a full-stack; whether this is how it left the factory initially or not is hard to verify, but speaker codes in the two cabinets all date to the same year, indicating that any re-housing was likely a factory ordeal. The angled top cabinet bears the serial number 1019 and the bottom 1084.
Height is 72 in. (182.9 cm.), 29 in. (73.7 cm.) width, and 14 in. (35.6 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, this magnificent fawn-clad full stack has clearly seen some use but remains in beautifully preserved condition for its age. The custom fawn Tolex covering shows moderate amounts of scuffing and some minor tears, most notably on the bottom edges and corners. Both the original handle and the white piping are present, with the hardware only showing moderate corrosion. The aluminum front panel is in great condition showing very little wear overall, save for a noticeable scratch above the middle control. Most of the stenciled lettering is nicely intact, with only some of it worn off around the power and standby switches. The original knobs are in great shape, free of cracking and all retaining their tops. The grille cloth on the cabinets appears original and save for one puncture on the lower cabinet, show no other notable tearing or fraying. The angled top cabinet retains its original casters and the three pieces retain their original slip covers as well.
Electrically, this amp is nearly all-original. All but one of the eight 12" Marshall-branded Celestion G12M/T1221 speakers date to June of 1977, one appears to be a period replacement "creamback" from January of 1974, and also appears to have been reconed. The other seven appear to retain their original cones and both cabinets sound and test great. The Drake power and output transformers bear the codes 1202-164, 784-139 and the Dagnall-made choke bears the code 02542; all original to the amp. The amp has otherwise seen our typical maintenance and servicing, including replacement of all electrolytic capacitors, install of a new grounded 3-prong power cord, all sockets, pots and jacks cleaned and power section biased to spec.
Please note that this amp has been hardwired for US 120V/125V operation and should only be used with that input voltage unless rewired. The impedance selector on the amplifier is currently set to 8 ohms for use with both cabinets and should be switched to 16 ohms when used with only one.
A true rarity for our showroom, this fawn beast is, as they used to say, "Ready To Rock"! Excellent - Condition.