M1987 Plexi lead 50‑style · 1967–1981 · 50 W

draft

Verification details

What these checks mean

1 check area has open findings or incomplete coverage. The circuit badge records the DC comparison and maintainer review.

View checks, findings and exclusions
DC operating point Simulation only
No undisputed reference voltages are available for a comparison.
  • This compares simulated DC conditions with the cited reference. It does not test sound, physical construction or every part of the circuit.
Schematic against DC model Checked
Connectivity of modelled components is checked on every change.
  • Parts outside the DC model need separate checks and source review.
Board against DC model Checked
Connectivity of modelled components is checked on every change.
  • This does not establish heater wiring or physical spacing.
Schematic against board No open findings
No disagreement is listed in the published comparison.
  • A finding identifies a difference or a coverage gap. The factory source must decide which drawing, if either, needs correction.
  • 11 sheet-only parts are explicitly excluded: C26, C5, C6, R1s, R2s, R3s, R4s, RB1, RB2, RG1, RG2. Heaters and the pilot lamp are checked separately.
Heater and filament wiring Not established
The drawn supply-leg connections have not been established by this check.
  • Supply-leg grouping still needs confirmation at V1, V2, V3.
  • No Marshall board-layout sheet was located for the model 1987; this board is derived from the factory drawing, so no factory drawing can establish its heater legs.
  • V1: pins [4, 5] are one leg at 6.3 V and opposite legs at 12.6 V
Capacitor polarity Checked
9 capacitor markings agree with the model's voltage ordering.
  • This check uses DC voltage ordering; source review establishes markings the model cannot decide.

Archive revision ebddc3f. Published corrections. These checks do not certify a physical build.

Schematic — redrawn in KiCad · scroll to zoom, drag to pan

Machine-checked drawing. This sheet is checked in CI against the netlist the simulation solves: every component the netlist models is proved to have its terminals on the same nodes in this drawing as in that netlist, so the picture and the maths cannot drift apart.

Details

The check compares connectivity, and only as far as the netlist reaches. It does not check component values, and it does not prove the netlist itself a faithful reading of the factory drawing — that rests on the operating-point comparison below and on the cited sources. The netlist is a DC model, so what it leaves out is drawn here but outside this check: the supply front end ahead of the first rail, transformer winding resistance, the volume / tone / mixer control networks and the capacitors inside them, and the heater and AC-side wiring. Separate checks cover drawing-to-board agreement, declared heater circuits and polarity where the model can decide it; see Verification details for their coverage and findings. Every abstraction this circuit relies on is declared as reviewable data in its own sch_map.yaml, and the CI report enumerates each terminal left unchecked.

Board layout — redrawn reference diagram · source noted on the drawing Print sheet ↗
M1987 turret board layout — an original diagram reconstructed from this circuit's redrawn schematic rather than from a published layout drawing, showing the principal parts in board order, drawn in the period layout-sheet style with each value lettered on the part.

Scroll the drawing sideways to read the whole board — the source line and the colour legend run along the bottom of the sheet — or open the full-size diagram in its own tab. Values are lettered on the parts in the period shorthand — .02-400, 250-5, 1MEG: how to read it.

Machine-checked wiring. Every modelled part the operating-point netlist places on this board has been verified in CI, terminal for terminal, to be electrically equivalent to the circuit's simulated netlist. This diagram documents connectivity and part arrangement — it is not a dimensioned 1:1 build template.

Details

The modelled parts are the tube sockets, the plate, cathode and grid-leak resistors, the power-rail droppers, and the coupling and bypass capacitors whose two leads are both named DC nodes; the check proves the same net structure, with no missing or extra connections. Parts outside that DC model — the volume / tone / mixer control-network internals, the negative-bias front end, and the heater chain, pilot lamp and power-transformer / rectifier AC side — are drawn from the cited sources but are outside this DC equivalence check. Separate checks compare the drawings and examine declared heater circuits and polarity; see Verification details for their coverage and findings.

Board and part positions are drawn at diagram scale, and lead dress, grounding paths, and physical spacing all matter in a high-voltage chassis. If you build from it, verify every connection against the schematic above and the operating-point table below as you go.

Simulated operating point

No published voltage chart exists for this circuit — the factory drawing prints component values only. The voltages below are informational results simulated from the redrawn netlist, not read from or checked against any chart. Because there is no measured reference to verify against, this circuit is published as a draft.

Node Simulated Note
BP2 489.6 V EL34 screen-grid supply node, after the filter choke (~B+1)
BP3 340.7 V phase-inverter supply node
BP4 292.4 V second-stage / cathode-follower supply node, after the 47 kΩ dropper
BP5 273.5 V input-stage supply node, after the 10 kΩ dropper
P1A 153.6 V V1A plate — channel I (high-treble) input, 100 kΩ load, 820 Ω cathode
K1A 1.0 V V1A cathode (820 Ω; 320 µF bypass)
P1B 204.0 V V1B plate — channel II (normal) input, 100 kΩ load, 2.7 kΩ cathode
K1B 1.9 V V1B cathode (2.7 kΩ; 0.68 µF bypass) — the colder-biased channel
P2A 164.5 V V2A plate — second gain stage (100 kΩ load), DC-coupled to the cathode follower
K2A 1.0 V V2A cathode (820 Ω; 0.68 µF bypass)
KCF 164.9 V V2B cathode follower output (100 kΩ load) feeding the TMB tone stack
PPIA 217.2 V phase-inverter plate, 100 kΩ side (V3A)
PPIB 226.5 V phase-inverter plate, 82 kΩ side (V3B)
KPI 39.4 V phase-inverter shared cathode over the 470 Ω / 10 kΩ tail

Every node here is simulation-only — there is no published chart to check against — so no chart, deviation or tolerance column is shown.

The output stage behind these numbers can be drawn: the load line explorer plots this circuit's EL34 pair at the DC operating point its netlist carries — 490 V on the plates with a −48 V grid bias — and marks where the load line crosses. This circuit is published as a draft, so that operating point is not verified against a published chart: the table and notes above say what each figure rests on.

Parts list

Every designator in this list appears on the schematic above, and every designator on the schematic appears here — the two are checked against each other in both directions, a valve's two halves counting as one bottle (V1A and V1B are both V1). Five parts the drawing carries as annotations rather than numbered symbols are listed here without designators, and stand outside that check. Cathode-bypass and coupling capacitor VALUES are open at DC and do not enter the operating-point netlist; they are listed for completeness. The Joe Piazza redraw prints the V1B/V2A bypass caps as 68 µF where this factory drawing reads 0.68 µF — the factory value is used (see the sources on this page).

RefPartValue / ratingRole
R1s Carbon comp resistor 68 kΩ · ½ W Channel I high-treble input grid stopper
R2s Carbon comp resistor 68 kΩ · ½ W Channel I normal input grid stopper
R3s Carbon comp resistor 68 kΩ · ½ W Channel II high input grid stopper
R4s Carbon comp resistor 68 kΩ · ½ W Channel II low input grid stopper
RG1 Carbon comp resistor 1 MΩ · ½ W Channel I input grid leak
RG2 Carbon comp resistor 1 MΩ · ½ W Channel II input grid leak
RL1 Carbon comp resistor 100 kΩ · ½ W V1A plate load (channel I)
RL2 Carbon comp resistor 100 kΩ · ½ W V1B plate load (channel II)
RK1 Carbon comp resistor 820 Ω · ½ W V1A cathode bias (channel I)
C1 Electrolytic capacitor 320 µF · 6 V V1A cathode bypass
RK2 Carbon comp resistor 2.7 kΩ · ½ W V1B cathode bias (channel II — the colder channel)
C2 Film capacitor 0.68 µF V1B cathode bypass (partial)
C3 Coupling capacitor 0.022 µF · 400 V V1A → channel I volume
C4 Coupling capacitor 0.0022 µF · 400 V V1B → channel II volume
VR1 Audio-taper potentiometer 1 MΩ Channel I (high-treble) volume
VR2 Audio-taper potentiometer 1 MΩ Channel II (normal) volume
C5 Film capacitor 0.005 µF Channel I bright/treble-bleed cap
C6 Mica capacitor 500 pF Channel II bright cap
RB1 Carbon comp resistor 470 kΩ · ½ W Channel I bright-network resistor
RB2 Carbon comp resistor 470 kΩ · ½ W Channel II bright-network resistor
RM1 Carbon comp resistor 470 kΩ · ½ W Channel I mixing resistor into V2A grid
RM2 Carbon comp resistor 470 kΩ · ½ W Channel II mixing resistor into V2A grid
RL3 Carbon comp resistor 100 kΩ · ½ W V2A plate load (second stage)
RK3 Carbon comp resistor 820 Ω · ½ W V2A cathode bias (drawing annotates a 1 kΩ variant)
C7 Film capacitor 0.68 µF V2A cathode bypass (partial)
RKCF Carbon comp resistor 100 kΩ · ½ W V2B cathode-follower load
RSL Carbon comp resistor 33 kΩ · ½ W Tone-stack slope resistor
C8 Mica capacitor 500 pF Tone stack — treble
VR3 Potentiometer 250 kΩ Treble
C9 Film capacitor 0.022 µF · 400 V Tone stack — bass
VR4 Audio-taper potentiometer 1 MΩ Bass
C10 Film capacitor 0.022 µF · 400 V Tone stack — middle
VR5 Linear potentiometer 25 kΩ Middle
C11 Coupling capacitor 0.022 µF · 400 V Tone stack → phase-inverter grid
RGA Carbon comp resistor 1 MΩ · ½ W PI grid leak (V3A), returned to the tail junction
RGB Carbon comp resistor 1 MΩ · ½ W PI grid leak (V3B), returned to the tail junction
RLA Carbon comp resistor 100 kΩ · ½ W PI plate load (V3A)
RLB Carbon comp resistor 82 kΩ · ½ W PI plate load (V3B)
RTAIL Carbon comp resistor 470 Ω · ½ W PI tail (shared cathode → junction)
RT2 Carbon comp resistor 10 kΩ · ½ W PI tail (junction → presence/feedback node)
C12 Mica capacitor 47 pF PI plate-to-plate / phase compensation
C13 Coupling capacitor 0.022 µF · 400 V PI → V4 grid
C14 Coupling capacitor 0.022 µF · 400 V PI → V5 grid
RGL1 Carbon comp resistor 220 kΩ · ½ W V4 grid leak, from the bias line
RGL2 Carbon comp resistor 220 kΩ · ½ W V5 grid leak, from the bias line
D1 Rectifier (bias) silicon diode Bias-supply rectifier
RBA Carbon comp resistor 220 kΩ · ½ W Bias-supply series resistor, HT winding end → diode
RBB Carbon comp resistor 15 kΩ · ½ W Bias-supply series resistor
VR6 Trim potentiometer 25 kΩ Bias adjust
RBC Carbon comp resistor 47 kΩ · ½ W Bias-supply resistor
C15 Electrolytic capacitor 8 µF Bias-supply filter
C16 Electrolytic capacitor 8 µF Bias-supply filter
RD1 Power resistor 20 kΩ · 2 W Rail dropper B+2 (screens) → B+3 (phase inverter), representing the drawing's two series 10 kΩ · 1 W resistors
RD2 Power resistor 10 kΩ · 1 W Rail dropper B+3 (phase inverter) → B+4 (second stage / cathode follower)
RD3 Power resistor 10 kΩ · 1 W Rail dropper B+4 (second stage) → B+5 (input stage)
L1 Filter choke inductance not printed Reservoir → screen-supply choke, drawn unlettered on the drawing
C17 Electrolytic capacitor 50 µF · 500 V Reservoir filter (B+1)
C18 Electrolytic capacitor 80 µF · 500 V Reservoir filter (B+1)
C19 Electrolytic capacitor 50 µF · 500 V Screen-node filter
C20 Electrolytic capacitor 50 µF · 500 V Phase-inverter-supply filter
C21 Electrolytic capacitor 50 µF · 350 V Second-stage-supply filter
C22 Electrolytic capacitor 50 µF · 350 V Input-stage-supply filter
D2 Rectifier diode silicon HT full-wave rectifier (upper)
D3 Rectifier diode silicon HT full-wave rectifier (lower)
C23 Film capacitor 0.22 µF HT-winding snubber across the upper half of the HT secondary (end to the grounded centre tap). The drawing letters it “22”; read as 0.22 µF, the value the model 1959 sheet by the same drawer letters “.22”
C24 Film capacitor 0.22 µF HT-winding snubber across the lower half of the HT secondary (end to the grounded centre tap). The drawing letters it “22”; read as 0.22 µF, the value the model 1959 sheet by the same drawer letters “.22”
V1 Preamp tube ECC83 (12AX7) Input valve — both channels (V1A/V1B)
V2 Preamp tube ECC83 (12AX7) Second stage + cathode follower (V2A/V2B)
V3 Preamp tube ECC83 (12AX7) Long-tailed-pair phase inverter (V3A/V3B)
V4 Power tube EL34 Push-pull output (upper)
V5 Power tube EL34 Push-pull output (lower)
T1 Output transformer Push-pull EL34 primary, 16/8/4 Ω secondary Output transformer
— Power transformer Universal primary 110/120/200/225/245 V · HT + 6.3 V heaters Mains/HT transformer
— Fuse 2 A Mains fuse (annotation)
— Fuse ½ A HT fuse (annotation)
— Standby switch SPST HT standby (annotation)
— Pilot lamp 6.3 V Panel pilot lamp (annotation)
RNFB Carbon comp resistor 47 kΩ · ½ W Negative feedback from the 8 Ω tap to the tail foot; drawing annotates a 100 kΩ variant
VR7 Linear potentiometer 5 kΩ Presence track from tail foot to ground
C25 Film capacitor 0.1 µF V3B grid AC-coupled to the presence/feedback node
C26 Film capacitor 0.1 µF Presence wiper to ground

Circuit story

The Marshall model 1987 is the 50-watt lead head at the centre of the "Plexi" sound. It is the JTM45 grown up: the same four-input, two-channel front end and cathode-follower tone stack, but with a pair of EL34 pentodes in place of the JTM45's KT66 beam tetrodes and a solid-state rectifier in place of the GZ34. Those two changes — a higher, stiffer rail behind faster output valves — are much of what turned the JTM45's bluesy roar into the brighter, harder-edged voice of late-1960s British rock.

"Plexi" names the circuit and its voicing, not the panel: Marshall switched from the gold acrylic (Perspex) front panel to a brushed-metal panel around 1969, so the factory drawing cited here (Unicord, July 1970) is metal-panel era.

Circuit walkthrough (short form)

Two channels, each with high and low inputs (68 kΩ stoppers, 1 MΩ leaks) → V1 ECC83, one triode per channel (100 kΩ plates). The two channels are deliberately unmatched: the high-treble channel runs an 820 Ω cathode fully bypassed by 320 µF, while the normal channel runs a colder 2.7 kΩ cathode with a 0.68 µF partial bypass. Each plate feeds its own 1 MΩ volume control (with a bright cap) and the channels mix through 470 kΩ resistors into V2A (100 kΩ plate, 820 Ω / 0.68 µF cathode) → V2B cathode follower, DC-coupled (100 kΩ load) → treble-middle-bass tone stack (33 kΩ slope; 500 pF, 0.022 µF and 0.022 µF; 250 kΩ / 1 MΩ / 25 kΩ) → long-tailed-pair phase inverter (V3: 100 kΩ and 82 kΩ plates, 470 Ω + 10 kΩ tail, both 1 MΩ grid leaks to the tail junction, 47 pF across) → 0.022 µF couplers → EL34 pair, fixed-biased through 220 kΩ grid leaks → output transformer with 16/8/4 Ω taps, negative feedback and a 47 kΩ feedback resistor (100 kΩ variant) from the 8 Ω tap to the tail foot. The 10 kΩ tail ends at that node, with the 5 kΩ presence track returning to ground and a 0.1 µF coupling capacitor running to the inverter's second grid.

Power: a universal-primary mains transformer (110/120/200/225/245 V taps) and a silicon full-wave rectifier feed a 50 µF + 80 µF reservoir; a filter choke and a pair of series 10 kΩ · 1 W droppers feeds the phase-inverter rail, followed by 10 kΩ · 1 W to the second stage and another 10 kΩ · 1 W to the input stage. The negative grid bias comes from one end of the HT winding through 220 kΩ into a diode, then a 15 kΩ / 25 kΩ network and 8 µF filters.

Lineage

The 1987 descends directly from the JTM45, and through it from the tweed 5F6-A Bassman the JTM45 copied. The signal path is nearly the same stage for stage; the differences are the ones that define the Plexi. The KT66 output pair becomes a pair of EL34 pentodes — more transconductance and a sharper overdrive — and the GZ34 valve rectifier becomes silicon diodes, which hold the rail up harder under load. The input valve stays an ECC83, and the four-input two-channel layout, the DC-coupled cathode follower and the long-tailed-pair inverter all carry straight across.

The tone network, as the drawing wires it

The Unicord drawing wires the stack as every Marshall drawing before it did: 500 pF and the 33 kΩ slope both leave the cathode-follower output; one 0.022 µF runs from the slope foot to the node shared by the treble pot's lower lug and the bass pot; the bass pot is a rheostat (the drawing's arrow-through-body variable resistor) in series down to the middle pot; the other 0.022 µF feeds the middle pot's wiper; and the stack's output is the treble pot's wiper alone. The schematic, the board diagram and the tone-stack lab all follow the drawing rather than the textbook redrawing that joins the two wipers.

A note on verification

Marshall drawings of this period print component values only; the model 1987 factory drawing carries no valve-voltage chart. The DC operating points shown for this circuit are simulated from the redrawn netlist rather than compared against a published chart, and the output-stage operating point in particular is an estimate only. The circuit is therefore published as a draft: its topology and part values are read directly from the factory drawing and cross-checked against a second published redraw, but its voltages are not yet confirmed against a measured reference.

Sources

Found a value, a date or a claim on this page that doesn't match its source? Report a correction for M1987 ↗ — the form opens with this page and its circuit id filled in, and asks what you checked it against. Every correction is reviewed before anything changes.