Marshall Guv'nor - The Original "Amp in a Box"

♫ Become a Patron - / leontodd
♫ My music - ragdollrock.ba...
♫ Listen to my Podcast - anchor.fm/the-...
♫ Sweetwater Affiliate - imp.i114863.ne...
♫ Thomann Affiliate - thmn.to/thocf/...
⪢ My Fractal Blocks Library (FREE) - tinyurl.com/2c...
⪢ My Cab IR (FREE) - tinyurl.com/65...
Gear I use to make my videos
⪢ Interface - imp.i114863.ne...
⪢ Monitors - imp.i114863.ne...
⪢ Vocal Mic - imp.i114863.ne...
⪢ Picks - imp.i114863.ne...
⪢ Strings - imp.i114863.ne...
⪢Cherub Flow Tune Clip - bit.ly/3QkxO9B
⪢ I use footswitch toppers from thehomemusicia.... Enter the code "Leon2023" to get 20% off your order there.
Feeling social?
⪢ Follow me on Instagram- / leon_ragdoll
⪢ Join my Discord - / discord | Invite Code - knnMWCsPrS

[@BluesRockAcademy]

There’s a guy who achieved the best tone ever with this pedal during the early 90’s. His name was Robert William Gary Moore.

[@LeonTodd]

If aliens came to earth and demanded the greatest tone in the universe we could all sleep well knowing Gazza recorded Still Got the Blues and After Hours.

[@luisreneventura]

@@LeonTodd then a quick video of this pedal in front of an JTM45 in the AXE3 could be a nice one :) and while you're at it try recreating it with a pedal in the AXE3 too.

[@chrisconstantinou349]

Yes indeed good sir! To me that "Still Got The Blues" sound to this day is still the definition of the word tone.

[@larslevinberget9558]

Gary got a nice tone with the Boss DS1 boosted with an OD1 and sculpted with a GE7 in front of a 100 watt JMP Marshall ... using his pink Fender Strat

[@jupitermoongauge4055]

Gary Moore had awful tone.

[@gnerd99]

Great demo. I like that you talk us through your process to get the sounds. Helps me learn. 👍

[@stevenmgyori3826]

Good morning Leon! " Father's know Best!" Thanks for sharing Dad! Be Well All!

[@slybee5057]

Perfect tone for playing 2minutes to midnight!

[@wolfsdenmusic9404]

I always wanted one of these back in the day. I was already loving the sound of it with that AC/DC tone. But then you put that Super OD in front of it, and holy crap...I like it!

[@frontieradelwestvignola]

Gary Moore used to use it through the clean channel of his Soldano Slo 100 (crunch mode) and in the video Live Blues un front of a Soldano Hot Rod 50, just like yours. To me that was one of the best tone I've ever heard

[@guitarexpert2245]

Love these classic demos. They made some great stuff back in the day.

[@LeonTodd]

Couldn't agree more! It's really fun revisiting "old" tech that's still relevant.

[@JeffHendricks]

I've got a Danelectro Daddy-O (Guv'nor clone) that I just can't bring myself to get rid of. Nothing else sounds like it. Great pedals.

[@LeonTodd]

Those are great!

[@burresseffects]

Loved my Daddy-O!

[@MattMcEwen]

Absolutely nailed Warren’s tone on Invasion! Thinking about adding one to the board 🤘

[@eds4754]

very cool pedals, can be a little odd to dial in as the knobs interact a fair bit (especially the level). Also killer with a 5150 for CARCASS tones!

[@seventhsealhere]

The pedal is like a very fine wine...it has aged nicely. A tad muddy maybe on its own but with the drive it helps open it up. It's the Riedel glass for the Guv'nor! Seems to work well as a boost. 👍🍷

[@LeonTodd]

hahaha perfect!

[@JasonAyalaSpare]

I have a MIE Guv'nor, plus the 3 black box pedals that came out in the early 90s. I love them, especially the Guv'nor and the Blues Breaker.

[@chuckp3011]

You're telling me it has an FX loop and we didn't end up with PlexVerb, phase-reversed delays, and a smidge of London Plate? I admire your restraint and focus here Leon! Surprised how good that thing sounds. Several very usable tones.

[@livefromstudioa8245]

I had an original back in the day when I was a kid. I remember being disappointed in the sound, but to be fair I was pumping that pedal into the front of a Crate solid state combo so...

[@truthfactreality6814]

Marshall seriously need to re release this pedal !

[@gethrashIN]

Well you got what you asked haha

[@zekkari27]

@@gethrashIN I was going to say the same 🤣

[@Cinestudi0]

Its cool to see that you are keep it authentic with that tape on the logo ; )

[@AHGrayLensman]

The first drive pedal I ever bought over the internet in the mid '90s was an original Guv'nor, which I stupidly sold a year or two later. (It was the '90s. Mistakes were made.) I've been jonesing for that sound lately, so a while back I picked up a BYOC Chancellor kit that I need to find time to assemble. It amazes me that there aren't more boutique Guv'nor variants out there, and a lot of the ones that are out there seem to ditch the full tone stack for a single tone control for some reason (e.g. MI Crunch Box or Suhr Riot), which to me is a mistake.

[@gordontubbs]

It was kinda doing that Swedish chainsaw thing with everything on 10.

[@paulcastaneda5907]

Hands down the best OD pedal with a Marshall head!!

[@csmotores4365]

using it's simulation on amplitube and a BASS! low gain makes a very nice sounding vintage sound

[@nathansealey6270]

Belonged to your old man, dude that certainly deserves a like 👍

[@LeonTodd]

Dad goes alright hey

[@bernie_smith]

Yep, still got mine in perfect working order. Purchased in 1988 or 89 in the UK. Originally used it into a Music Man RD112 and also a Jazz Chorus!! Great pedal which I think I will continue to hang on to. Thanks for your video. Regards from the UK!!

[@antman3916]

I have that same amp. Bought it back in 1984

[@richardhenley817]

Fantastic demo ! Sounds Awesome and Great playing as well ! ⭐👍

[@MrWillicat1]

Love to hear one of them on a Friedman Smallbox

[@jamesflack8624]

G'mornin'... Coffee and Marshally tones... Great way start to m' day! Cheers 🍻

[@stevensrp2music985]

I remember those from when I was a kid. They’re amazing! I haven’t played through my 85 JCM 800 in a while! Thanks for the inspiration for me to get those tubes warmed up for the first time in over a year lol. No headphones for me today all English Power

[@Smittefar1]

Yeeeesssss - This was my first ever pedal. I guess, I was around 12-13 years old, and the only amp I had access to was a crappy transistor amp. This made all the difference. I do remember the mid control being extremely powerful. I found that boosting the mids made the drive feel much smoother. I believe one of my favourite settings was everything at noon except for cranked mids - It gave me a very smooth sustaining Clapton'esque leadtone. I eventually sold it to finance a Digitech RP-1 board. I bought a used one 10 years back to try it again. Either it did not fit the amp I was using at the time (Koch Studiotone), or it was broken. I could not get a decent tone from it. It sounds awesome in your clips.

[@LeviBulger]

To this day, it's one of only a handful of pedals that will give you a pretty convincing JCM tone with a Fender amp. And is probably the best at doing it, even today.

[@Scott__C]

Haven't used one of them, but they sound cool. Loved how it maintained most of the tone throughout the range of gain.

[@PhilipADolan]

wow!! the Guvnor was my first ever pedal, got in '88 or '89 and I used it for ages. I still have it and have been meaning to get it out to see if it's still working, it took a lot of abuse and can't wait to try it now. Was thinking of selling it on but now no way!!!

[@Yupppi]

Cool pieces of gear recently. Not the most obvious stuff, but still very interesting. I had to grab mpx-1 after that video when I noticed it on sale locally, just to get part of that Lexicon magic, even if it doesn't get to PCM levels. The weird effects were actually an interesting addition that made me smile. It's interesting how all pedals like this were amp makers getting into the pedal market with their own "this will sound like our amp" while it really doesn't (kinda like boss blues driver), but it does sound really interesting. No wonder people like Gary Moore had this as their secret weapon. Just an old forgotten pedal that got a huge vintage value later because it was the secret ingredient for some players. It sounds _JUICY_.

[@rahl1233]

I have one. Loved using it... your dads, the foot switch is totally gummed up. But it still sounds killer.

[@Atttuner]

Love the 421 with the greenbacks you get all the greenback sizzle w a lil extra depth from the 421....bob rock is a fan on this combo...great minds right?

[@LeonTodd]

Very cool!

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

Cool vid. Man, I love that LP flame top. Killer tone with those pickups too sir. That pedal rocks. I've never played one, but would like to. Sounds like a Marshall in a box sorta. Very cool. Thanks for sharing sir. 💖🤟💖🤟💖🤟💖🤟💖🤟

[@mikeshroedder1764]

Cool review Leon!! I'm still using my old trusty shredmaster from the same series 😊🙏

[@plantagenant]

Guv'nor into an already cooking Marshall works...Thomas Blug demonstrates it that way.

[@jonathanmoran3512]

I remember the metal chassis one growing up and digging the sound but these have a whole different feel to them. Like a two dollar pistol its nasty in all the right ways.

[@blacktoothfox677]

Yeah man - I run a lot, a LOT, of 'economically biased' gear.. But there are a couple of things in my rig that HAVE to be there, money no object, and the 1st gen Guv'Nor is one of them. I live and did by it. It has evolve d WITH me as a player over this last 25 years. I'm in year 33 now btw. I use all manner of things in its place, M.Audio crunchbox for example, that CAN take its place, but, it is always here as a point of reference, and hopefully always will be! Cheers mate, great video, cool channel, subscribed!🍀 UK

[@bestboy897]

Sounds gnarly

[@DadRockKid]

Guv'nors are basically a JCM800 emulation pedal. Plug it in JTM45 and you got Gary Moore Still got the blues tone...

[@BluesRockAcademy]

You’re missing a big part of the equation: 1960b 4x12 with EVM12L.

[@Simeon_Harris]

i used mine with an original silver jubilee and they were almost identical on certain settings

[@DadRockKid]

@@BluesRockAcademy agree, used to own the later version, the silver one. itching to get my hands on one to put through one of the 1960b IRs atleast to sonically test it out. I used the exact cab IR for the Gary Moore video I recently did...

[@BluesRockAcademy]

@@DadRockKid do you have the OwnHammer 4x12 EVM12L IR?

[@DadRockKid]

@@BluesRockAcademy got paid version red wires and brainworx, need to get own hammer, heard good things on it. Have you used it?

[@markedwards1948]

Got an original UK Gov’nor on my board and is Fknxg awesome through any amp! Used it a lot on a 1972 DR504 and pissed all over m JMP MV50 combo

[@krimsonlediable]

Awesome as always Leon.

[@egnbigdave]

I bought one brand new when they came out. Had to sell a load of gear in the early 00's to clear some debts an ex had left me with - couldn't give the thing away, nobody wanted them. 20 years later they are going for 200-300!!!

[@GillyRibeiro]

Hey!!! My very best friend, brother, partner in crime Francisco André let me have this pedal for a while a few weeks ago. This pedal really rocks!!!

[@Fatherjohn76]

Had one of these in the mid 90s before it got stolen at a gig. Great pedal

[@thruthenever]

I had the GV-2 (Guv’nor Plus) about ten years ago. I loved it, but it just ended up giving me GAS for an actual amp. I bought a Ceriatone 2202 and sold the pedal. I kind of regret that, to be honest.

[@jhellert1]

The JHS Angry Charlie is based on the Guv'nor. I love mine!

[@LeonTodd]

Thought of Josh when I saw this in the box "he has the box!"

[@johnhunter3011]

Yes I have one!

[@pablomicheletti306]

I've got the Guv'nor korean made '94 i think, killer marshall tones!!

[@nickworley1000]

I have a one I bought in late 80s never used it much still in it's box .

[@ianfurqueron5850]

I so remember these back when they were new. However, I was on a bit "anti-Marshall" kick back then (because I just HAD to be different...) so I never really tried one.

[@hanovergreen4091]

Hah! Same here.. I bought a Randall Head/Cab w/Eminence speakers to avoid Marshall w/Celestion "sound" .. :D

[@Simeon_Harris]

ooh another one of my old boxes! i bought mine new when it came out...that's how old i am! really great pedal. seems to work best in front of an amp that's a bit gainy as a tone shaper and a boost, but can sound great in front of a clean amp as a mid gain drive. very "marshally" and the tone controls have a ridiculous amount of range, if i remember rightly.

[@Smittefar1]

I also bought mine new, when they came out - And my memory is perfectly in line with yours :)

[@NudnikShpilkus]

Nice sounding grindy distotion. Shoulda bought one back when dirt was rocks....

[@ix-Xafra]

Interesting thing about the Guvnor, Klon and Tube Screamer is they all use the same opamp TL072. There's almost as much arguement about which brand and production of TL072 sounds the dogs bollocks as there is about vintage tubes/valves in amps, lol...

[@markedwards1948]

The original manual showed how to set it up for the most popular Marshall’s and believe me it’s accurate 100%

[@aayushkhare656]

Where can I find this?

[@markedwards1948]

@@aayushkhare656 Have a look Marshall user groups.

[@aayushkhare656]

@@markedwards1948 ok thanks

[@perplexed5422]

I looked all over online and I couldn't find what mark was talking about... I even found pics of the original owners manual and it did not include a settings guide. The version 2 does but it's just for general tones not specific Marshall amps

[@rebelcat420]

Just once , I’d love for a demo’s “clean tone” to actually be CLEAN.

[@Dwightpower88]

Seriously! "Here's my clean sound." *completely overdrive*

[@mkds7756]

There aren’t many od pedals that sound good with a COMPLETELY clean tone.

[@brianpressman7468]

Did he claim “clean” or say it was his bypass tone??

[@VVOPOL]

I’m ok with this on pedal reviews [not great thought, but ok] But totally hated it when searching for clean guitar sound.. like.. yeah, totally all Les Paul’s and SGs sound overdriven in all settings ever)

[@egnbigdave]

i owned one of the first gen UK made ones, Sold it in 2000 - had to virtually give it away, nobody wanted them. Then all of a sudden the prices skyrocket.

[@bastlake]

Excellent demonstration by Seth Freakin Rollins

[@AlexVazco]

This is my dream pedal! I want an UK so bad.

[@chrisnichols9187]

Well they just reissue them there you go buddy

[@upreydeen]

A bit like the Slash tone, I love this pedal, build some clones as well, somebody mentioned "the chainsaw" tone I bought The GGG kit of this pedal and used four GE diodes in the clipping section and that will give you the HM2 tone but very "refined" and easy to control.

[@LeonTodd]

ooooh that sounds nice

[@sl3102]

I'm pretty sure Timmy C from RATM used one for his bass sound at some point. Probably together with a bunch of other stuff, but still.

[@konnektlive]

Thanks! May I ask why you covered the Gibson logo? I'm just wondering! :) cheers

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

It's funny how this thing has more distortion than an actual 800. Sounds more like a Jubilee or modded Marshall.

[@Smittefar1]

Maybe that is because Jubilees and some modded Marshalls feature solid state drive (on top of the tube gain stages)

[@edlib02169]

I still have and use my original British made Guv. I tend to use it as the distortion channel on my single channel amps, and put other boosts and ODs in front of it. I’ve never found a good use for the loop... but I’m still looking.

[@LeonTodd]

I'm convinced the loop jack is just a place for people to hold their cigarette

[@edlib02169]

@@LeonTodd Probably accurate. Makes as much sense as anything else. I have yet to imagine a scenario where I’d only want certain effects on the distortion but not the rest of the signal chain. I guess I could imagine a graphic EQ inserted into the loop, but at the time a drive pedal with more than a single tone knob was unheard of. It already had far more EQ than all the competition. An additional boost, like you did with the Boss maybe. But why not chain it before? Unless you knew you would never use it without the Guv’nor on. But that seems to be limiting options. One of those holdovers from early ‘90’s design that baffle kids today, I guess. Like wired telephones and TVs that were thicker than a magazine. The search continues...

[@pgbangarang8394]

A big part of Bill Steer from Carcass' tone

[@shelbytc16v]

I have one. I really like it.

[@user-ve9en2fp7u]

só eu notei que o led do pedal as vezes está desligado?

[@reneotten7376]

It sounds amazing. What are the best clones of this?

[@JasonAyalaSpare]

JHS angry Charlie or MI super crunch box

[@fedboy21]

I use the drive master one, i dont know if it the same but the tone when pushing the dive amp were the same thick and ugly sounding in a good way

[@ronaldwixon3507]

I have that model as a permanent part of my pedal board. Great for home jamming on the Class 5 and 50W JMP without having to use an expensive attenuator! Great review but you didn't really show my favorite part about that pedal; roll off guitar volume and it cleans up like an amp would. My 80's Ibanez Super Metal pedal wouldn't do that so it got retired. LOL

[@Strangel72]

Smart to not have the pot values visible..... :(

[@sweetpain67]

Nice playing.

[@LeonTodd]

Thanks a lot!

[@MrMartingalea123]

@leon Todd you need to review all the reissue pedals now :)🎉

[@onesandzeros]

Great demo Leon, thanks. Have you ever played a BBE Crusher or Blacksmith? I've read they're the same circuit as this.

[@iridium02]

Aion FX Equinox makes a cheaper alternative to the Guv'nor!!

[@jaturi3897]

You - have a awesome dad! Also in reply to you trying to pronounce my name in your FAQ asking about the ADA pedal....It is pronounced Jay Tori lol - just so you know for next time haahha. Rock n roll.

[@brandonproctor3639]

Sounds filthy! I love it haha

[@knowitall1694]

Thanks a lot Leon, you made me feel like an old fart. If your dad bought this, I might have sold it to him in the 1990's when you were still a tiny-tot or pre-birth as I was working in music stores. Glad you enjoyed it...son ; - )

[@LeonTodd]

That's wild! Where did you work?

[@knowitall1694]

@@LeonTodd I worked at Troy Music (booo, I know), and most of the other music stores in Melbourne at one time or another.

[@glennlilley3540]

The tape on the headstock? am I missing something?

[@powdermnky007]

Don't you need a RAT pedal to play RAT riffs? ;) keep on rockin buddy love it.

[@RomainBigeardGuitar]

Great Demo as always! Have you ever tried a Shredmaster? It was my main distortion in the 90s and it was an interesting "high gain"Marshall in a Box.

[@LeonTodd]

Yes, I have a very silly Shredmaster demo up on here too

[@horizonxx_1]

Will you be doing a Demo of the Rev G 20? May be an option as Cygnus for the Axe FX 3 has been a huge let down.

[@LeonTodd]

I'd love to try one.

[@goathair33]

I had one of these but no clue what ever happened to it

[@michaelweinman9051]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaay!

[@sean1121970]

Did anyone else ever play the Arion Tube mania? I abandoned saving for the guv'nor and bought one instead- I was immediately transformed into Eddie Van Halen!!!🤣🤣🤣

[@anthonymichael3029]

Wasn’t this basically the source for Gary Moore’s “Still Got the Blues” tone?

[@LeonTodd]

Jtm and guv'nor!

[@pleng255]

sound like jcm800?

[@krishyde3512]

is this better than an ibanez Tube screamer

[@LeonTodd]

It's a very different type of distortion pedal.

[@-jk-2580]

Why are you hiding that Gibson-logo? :D Kinda funny.

[@iutchube]

Hi Leon. It would be nice if you could do a video with the Jackhammer too. I sold mine some years ago and I regret it.

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

How badly would you like one? I bought one years ago hoping it would sound like a Marshall 8100 but it never really delivered, now that I've got a Master Effects Martyr I don't have much use for the Jackhammer.

[@iutchube]

Not that desperate, and considering I live in Brazil, and assuming you don't, it would probably cost me more to ship it over here than the actual price of the pedal itself. 😆. But thanks again, anyway. It was very kind of you to offer.😁🤘. I wanted to see someone as good as Leon at dialing in great tones so I could figure out what went wrong when I had mine.

[@iutchube]

The problem in my case was probably the guitarist! 😂😂😂

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@iutchube If you found it overly muddy on OD2, that's a hardware issue not a user issue.

[@iutchube]

@@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Thanks a lot for the tip. Incidentally I just saw a video from SilasCF where he said exactly the same thing.

[@OperationEndGame]

What type of dimarzio pickup on that LP??

[@126wfer]

why is he covered her gibson logo?

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

It sounds good, but I think I prefer an 8100-in-a-box over an 800-in-a-box.

[@LeonTodd]

Chainsaw crew!

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

@@LeonTodd I usually use my Martyr (8100 preamp clone) for a tone more like Death, but I'd imagine if I put my HM-2 in front of it I'd get some wicked chainsaw tones. Recently I've been using it and an Ampeg VH in-a-box pedal and it comes really close to the 90s death metal tone I've always had in mind... ...except I play stuff that's closer to crossover thrash meets powerviolence.

[@waylong25]

Leon I have to ask, why have you taped over the Big G's logo on that there Lester? lol Great tones as always bro

[@wakjob961]

Is that authentic black tape?

[@johnsmith-oh2xo]

Why do you have the gibson logo on the headstock covered up is that a fake les paul?????

[@LeonTodd]

It started as in joke

[@Halliday7895]

trying to get a sponsorship by taping over the Gibson logo ? hahaha i dunno if Gibson responds to anything but Boot Licking pats on the back...this might have the opposite effect haha

[@LeonTodd]

It's a joke

[@rockstarjazzcat]

You assume there are three rows of audience. Lol.

[@rockstarjazzcat]

Fwiw, I got a JHS Angry Charlie to serve the Guv'nor circuit role recently.

[@LeonTodd]

3 people still counts right?

[@rockstarjazzcat]

@@LeonTodd My bandmates, social distancing perhaps? 🤣