I recently diverted from my usual purchasing habits today, opting for old gear instead of new, while this may not be applicable to all things, it certainly is, in the world of guitar amplification.
I think most guitarists can attest to wanting variance in their tonal palette; even if you don't use half of the stuff live it's certainly welcome in the studio.
So what did I get? I needed some Marshall tone on a budget, quiet enough for recordings yet portable and with enough juice for small gigs, so I scored myself a Marshall Lead 15 head in mint condition for a great price, though it may not be the choice of tone purists, it saves me further expense and maintenance of valves, which tends to get really pricey. It does have real spring reverb and sounds more organic than their Code series; and, It has that classic Marshall look.
Believe it or not, this baby came on the heels of an era when Jim Marshall was concerned about the availability of Valves and as result of this, brought forth solid state classics like the 3210 Lead 100 Mosfet and Lead 12
From a time when longevity was prided in the electronics industry, sometimes, the mojo of a Plexi or Super Lead's tone laid within the internal components of their circuitry; the era also lent shared tonal characteristics between models based on what the builder was trying to emulate /achieve at that moment. We all remember when our favorite soda or candy tasted so much better in those days, it's because the ingredients weren't watered down.
