Best Clean Tone? Fender Super Reverb Vs Cranked Marshall Plexi – That Pedal Show

Can this Marshall rock monster be tamed to a sweet clean tone? You bet it can!

Life too short for long YouTube videos? See the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.

Welcome to the show! I’ve been thinking about this for ages. It seems like a crazy question at first glance, right?

Disclaimer! This video IS NOT about the Ultimate Clean Guitar Tone Ever (even if you could define it). In fact some of the sounds in this video are borderline ugly. Indeed, if you want a really ‘clean’ clean guitar sound – no harmonic overdrive or distortion at all – neither of these amps is going to do that. At all.

Moreover, what I’m doing here is taking one bastion of archetypal accepted ‘clean’ tone in the form of a mid-sixties-style blackface Fender amp, and asking if its more aggressive, shouty British brother can tame that rock roar back to a sweet clean tone. Well I’ll let you into a secret. We already know it can, evidenced by many top players down the years.

What’s more interesting to me is to ask: what are the dynamic and feel characteristics of achieving a ‘clean’ tone in this way; what else does that offer us as guitar players, aside from the tone itself?

If you can possibly refrain, try not to comment “Doh, I’ve been telling you this for years” or anything similarly smug. Remember that not everyone is at the same point in their guitar journey. Sure there’s nothing universally new here, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be new or interesting to some people who’ve yet to experience it.

Q: Why are there just as many overdrive sounds in this video as ‘clean’ sounds?
A: Because we’re talking about the context of dialling back from an overdrive sound and/or having more dynamics expression available from the guitar.

Q: Capacitance, cables and all that?
A: The tech-savvy among you will know that the loss of brightness from guitar to amp has a lot to do with capacitance, impedance and mitigating that with the buffer. Not all buffers are equal and not all cables are equal. So for the record, my cables are a 15-foot Klotz LaGrange from guitar to the QMX and a 20-foot Evidence Forte cable from QMX to amp. Both are relatively low-capacitance cables.
The QMX switcher is not buffered in any way and is audibly transparent.
The Strat has original 1961 pickups and original wiring – 250k pots and 0.1 cap.
The Les Paul has Gibson Custom Buckers with 500k pots, 0.022 caps and ’50s wiring.

Q: Why can I hear loads of hiss and hum from the Marshall when you speak but much less when you play? And none from the Fender?
A: Because the voice microphone is gained way louder than the amp/cab and room mics. My voice would register between 50 and 60dB, ish, on our dB meter. The amps are hitting 100-102dB. We don’t use any noise reduction on the guitar mics ever. The Fender just isn’t as noisy as the Marshall.

Okay, enough excuses. Please let us know which you prefer!

Gear In This episode
• 1961 Fender Stratocaster

• Gibson Custom True Historic 1957 Gibson Les Paul Standard, Murphy Aged

• Free The Tone Final Booster (with HTS Circuit)

• TheGigRig QMX2

• Fender ’65 Super Reverb with Jensen P10R speakers (modern reissue)

• Marshall 1987x and 1960AX cab with Celestion G12M Greenback speakers (modern reissue)

• Tone King Ironman II attenuator

Interesting bits and go-to sections
- Intro playing: 00:00
- What are we doing today?: 00:30
- Extensive pedalboard and Super settings: 01:34
- Fender on 4, Marshall on 8. Strat: 03:00
- And with Les Paul, Marshall: 03:52
- Strat volume control and Marshall: 04:27
- Brightness loss turning guitar down?: 05:15
- …so let’s add a booster/buffer: 06:35
- Buffer on and off in the Fender: 07:25
- Booster buffer in the Marshall: 08:25
- Reverb from the CXM1978: 10:20
- Booster, buffer, Marshall & Les Paul: 13:08
- …and into the Fender amp: 15:28
- Crank the Super Reverb, Les Paul: 17:25
- …and with Strat: 18:50
- Back to the Marshall, Strat, booster/buffer: 21:15
- Answering the question?: 23:22
- Pedal gain vs amp gain?: 24:30

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[BaronsDuju]

I just had to remind myself that a lot of thought, work and time goes into these videos. They come across as so natural.. and Mick's interest is so genuine.. it's honestly easy to think these videos just happen naturally as part of Mick's normal day.

[scaramouche]

You can tell by the smile on your face that nothing will ever beat that Plexi sound, cleaned and not cleaned by the guitar volume

[shawndunsmoor]

Trouble with the Marshall is the sheer amount of noise when used this way. The Fender is whisper quiet in comparison. I love both and have both kinds of amps but at the end of the day, for me, the Fender wins cleans easily. The Marshall wins dirt.

[darnokregrer]

The words "Cranked Marshall Plexi" in combination with TPS is enough for me to like the video before starting to watch.
Oh you worldly pleasures of saturated goodness (even cleaned up)!

[LIGHTintheHALLS]

It’s not often mentioned but a Marshall does have a cool clean sound. Andy Summers is a perfect example.

[shinjial]

I reeeally like the Marshall cleans. Always have, and this is one more illustration for me of why I like it. Rolling off the volume on the gainy amp makes for a nice squish and frequency response (from what the video offers anyway - I'm sure the experience in the room is different). The buffer in the signal chain also makes for a nicer sound on either amp for me, it's a small thing to consider and yet makes up for that thing that could be missing from a 90% ready tone.

Edit: this video format is appreciated. Smaller, just Mick (respecting the guidelines from your country), and a cool display of a subject. Well produced as always. I'd be happy with these for the forseeable future. Just wanted to affirm the appreciation for what you guys do.

[HiVizSmiley]

Over the last few videos the super reverb has went from a clean benchmark kind of thing to being one of my favorite amps in the fleet. It just sings when it’s cranked, when it’s just breaking up, or with the right pedals and clean. So good. Excellent video Mick!

[GazP]

Brilliant video! As Mick said, we all know about ‘cranked amp with guitar volume rolled down’ version of clean, but I was blown away with just how sparkly it was from the Plexi.
However, when that Les Paul got plugged into the cranked Plexi, oh the joy!! What a sound.

[SwirlyWhirlyXYZ]

MIDI controlled guitar volume knobs by Chase Bliss Audio

[vincet]

I love the idea of not picking a side, Mick, and instead knowing that it’s all about having options. I love my Budda Verbmaster 18W cranked on its High input (very Plexi/AC30-ish) when I’m alone in the house and can shake the walls - not so much when the fam is upstairs! Over the years, I’ve found the overdrives that can get me close to that at fam-friendly levels and they’re in the toolbox.

One other aside - I have an EP Booster always-on at unity for the EQ shaping (I actually don’t enjoy it too much as a boost) - I’d never considered that part of that shaping will be because of some amount of buffering as well. I’m going to try my TC Spark Mini in that position at unity, just to see if it has similar effect.

Keep breathing, keep going, we’ll all be back in rooms together before we know it.

[tylermarshall]

That smile @13:46 says it all. It's hard to get a better drive sound than a cranked Marshall Plexi and a Les Paul.

Also, I love this kind of shorter-form video delving into a hyper-specific topic. Would love to see more like this (in addition to the long ones, not replacing them).

[MrJaybunny]

Watched this a year ago and now watched it all the way through again. Very interesting. I do love the sound of the 1987x . Nice one Mick.

[kurtisr]

Thanks for this, Mick! A good refresher can be every bit as good (sometimes better?) than new knowledge. Stay sane, stay safe! And please know, TPS is helping folks like me accomplish both of those things.

[sander_koning]

The cranked Super does it for me, what a great sound. As always: soulful playing, insightful experiments and inspirational words. Thanks, Mick!

[Slaphitter]

The strat on 6 into the plexi is a glorious noise. Not “better” than the blackface but its own thing, and lovely.

[Vondy]

Cheers from Los Angeles (@ 4am)! Sounding lovely, Mick! This is some great insight. Keep up the amazing work, you icon! Justin here.

[helmutarseparter]

Bloody hell that Marshall sounds amazing! I'm gutted I sold mine now, I never was able to get on with the the hiss and extreme volume... Great tones and playing Mick.

[calindorf]

Mick, you've taken such a simple concept and demonstrated it beautifully. Really got a lot out of this one. Thanks, TPS crew!

[CarsonBlock]

I've been playing since I was a teenager and Dan (and Mick) continue to help me learn more nuance about tone, signal path and more. Thank you, brothers!

[taterfight]

That Marshall on any setting with any guitar. WOW!