About Marshall Amps

For more than four decades one name has been synonymous with the best in rock-n-roll amplification. Marshall has now become a household name throughout the world as a symbol of precision acoustic engineering, to be relied on, not only for superlative sound quality, but for high performance night after night. The unique marriage of technology with hand building skills at Marshall Amplification ensures the highest possible product quality in every area. And constant re-investment in new and improved production techniques has taken the art of amplification to an even higher level of excellence at Marshall. Each amplifier chassis is constructed from a minimum of 16 S.W.G. steel, precision cut, punched, bent and seam-welded to form a substantial, rigid foundation strong enough to take all the knocks of the road. Industrial grade cadmium passivating ensures many years of rust-free operation.

Marshall Amplification began in London England in 1962 when Jim Marshall turned his attention from teaching drums in his music shop to making guitar amplifiers with qualities that simply couldn't be found elsewhere at that time. Over the years there have been many changes in the music world, a fact clearly reflected by the diversity of the vast range of products currently offered by Marshall. Regardless of your playing style and needs there is a Marshall set-up that is perfect for you.

As British bands spread abroad throughout the 1960's, Marshall amps powered the most influential and original guitar players. From Pete Townshend with The Who, Eric Clapton with his distinctive Bluesbreaker tone, then with Cream; to Ritchie Blackmore with Deep Purple and the greatest ambassador of all, Jimi Hendrix. With his prodigious guitar talent, he used the power of Marshall as a creative tool and as an extension to the instrument itself. Investment in massive PA systems powered the tours of many early 70's "e;super groups"e;. Multi colored Marshalls appeared and the product range expanded. By 1975 the first transistor heads were introduced, followed by the first Master Volumes in 1976. Guitar styles soon adapted to squeeze the most from this extension of the Marshall sound. Here began the quest for gain which continues to this day.

1981 saw the introduction of the JCM 800 Series and another demand explosion occurred. The long awaited Split Channel amplifier came in 1982 and was an instant success, with it's incredible flexibility and distortion control. And one of the proudest moments for Marshall came in 1984 with the presentation of the Queens Award for Export Achievement. In 1987 celebrations of the Marshall 25th Anniversary and Jim Marshall's 50 years in music reverberated throughout the world. Special Limited Edition Jubilee products received great acclaim. More recent innovations include the Series 9000, JCM 900 valve amps, SE1OO speaker emulator, Valvestate and new Marshall effects pedals.

The history of Marshall amplifiers has become a source of great fascination and interest over three decades. In 30 years of manufacturing Marshall has made a vast number of different models using many materials and techniques. Documentation from those early years is virtually non-existent. The pressure to build amplifiers was so great that detailed record keeping was impossible. This pressure also created anomalies in the products themselves as component and minor cosmetic changes could be phased in at any time where supplies ran out but production had to continue. The following information is a rough guide to the major changes in the most popular Marshall models since 1962.

1962 - The original production of those first JTM45 models featured the following:- Serial numbers starting at 1004; Smooth black covering: White grill cloth: Silver polished aluminum panels: No rear panel: Rectangular metal logo with red block lettering: Leather handle: Single speaker output: 5881 or 6L6 valves. Cabinets - Straight fronted, using the same logo and fret cloth: Celestion G12 15 speakers.

1963 - Production essentially the same as the above but with the following changes:- Twin speaker outputs: Black knobs with serrated edges: Changed to white engraved panels late in 63: First angled cabinets, similar finish and speakers to the straights but taller than today's 4x12.

1964 - Serial numbers begin with 2: Valves now changed to KT66's: Logo changed to gold plastic with black lettering mid year: The first combos made late 64: Speakers now changed to G12 20's.

1965 - Panel changed to gold plexi-glass: Serial numbers no longer reliable: Handles changed to plastic with larger end cap: The first 100 Watt amps appeared in larger cabinets with two 50 Watt transformers, JTM45 panels, KT 66 valves and without GZ34 rectifier. The first serious combo production of models 1961 4x10 and 1962 2x12 took place. The same features as the JTM45 but with the addition of tremolo. Fret cloth changed to green flecked weave late 65. The 'stack' was born from Pete Townshend's original request for an 8x12 cabinet. Late 1965 saw the change to green fret cloth.

The vast majority of rock's most celebrated guitar tones have been made with the help of all-valve amplification. As a result over the years many manufacturers have tried to emulate that sought after all-valve sound using solid state technology. All such attempts failed up until now. Enter Marshall's ground-breaking Valvestate technology.

As the world's most respected manufacturers of valve amplifiers, Marshall's experienced guitar playing Design Engineers understand the magical feel and harmonic response created by driving an all-valve power amp section hard. It's not only down to the desirable compression and harmonic distortion produced by valves, but also the unique way in which the power amp interacts with the speakers. Marshall's design team used this knowledge to the full and by successfully combining painstaking research and new technology with countless hours of playing and listening, Valvestate was born.

Quite simply Valvestate technology emulates the superb tone of a cranked to the max all-valve power stage with uncanny accuracy. The result is a highly versatile range of amps which couple the cost cutting advantages of solid state technology with the all-valve sound every guitarist lusts after - a winning combination that has been welcomed with open arms by axemen (and axewomen!) all over the globe. An Amp for Every Occasion.
v Quotes:

Angus Young of AC/DC - "I've experimented with different makes of amp but came to the conclusion that the Marshall 100 Watt stack was the best rock amp."

Billy F Gibbons of ZZ Top - "The fine Marshall line remains heavy as lead . . . solid as steel. The best."

Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers - "My Marshall enabled me to do away with half of what I used to use on the floor. You'll find that your old distortion and boost pedals will make great gifts."

Jeff Beck - "The Marshall sound is the balls. It's the big daddy and it has that growl that no other amp has."

Lemmy of Motorhead - "Marshall amps and speakers have stood behind me on every continent in the world (except Africa) and I have never found anyone better to have at my back."

Slash of Guns n Roses and Velvet Revolver - "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I won't even consider trying anything else - something that consistent you just don't f**k with."

Zakk Wylde of BLS and Ozzy Osbourne - "What does a Marshall sound like - strength, warmth, commitment, beauty and destruction . . . all wrapped up in a giant f**kin' wrecking ball! The MG sounds totally slamming, the overdrive is crushing."

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