The History...
The Jim Marshall Story
With virtually no formal education behind him due to childhood illness, Jim Marshall began work at the age of 13 in 1936. During a succession of jobs with little or no prospects, Jim had started tap dancing and later singing with bands in the evenings. His natural talent for music further shone after he took over on the drums when the band’s original drummer was drafted.
It wasn’t long before Jim found himself with regular work as a drummer. In 1947 he began studying with the highly respected drum teacher Max Abrams and by the early 1950s Jim had turned professional. He became highly sought after as a drummer, led his own band and was a highly successful drum teacher.
Jim’s success continued and by 1960 he had opened the first Marshall shop, initially selling drums. However, due to popular demand he was soon stocking guitars and amplifiers. By listening to the guitarists coming into the shop, Jim realised that they required a sound that wasn’t on the market at that time. With the aid of several engineers in 1962, after months of trials, the first Marshall amp was born and was an instant success. Jim designed and built the matching speaker cabinet and the rest, as they say, is history.
In the Beginning...
There was the JTM45 which was first unveiled in 1962 at Jim Marshall’s music shop in West London. At that time, rock guitar playing as we now know it was very much in its infancy and players were constantly looking for new ways to redefine their tone. It quickly became clear that the JTM45 was the perfect amplifier for the task at hand! While it was capable of providing plenty of ‘clean’ power, the JTM45 also did all kinds of wild things when turned up all the way. This was just what legendary rock ‘n’ roll pioneers like Pete Townshend were looking for.
By 1965 it was Pete Townshend’s need for greater on-stage volume which inspired Jim to build the first ever 100 Watt Marshall guitar head. The Who’s guitarist also wanted bigger cabinets and, as a single 8x12" cabinet (Pete’s original request!) proved to be totally impractical, Jim came up with the idea of ‘stacking’ two 4x12"s, one on top of the other. And that’s how that irrefutable icon of rock amplification, the ‘Marshall Stack,’ came into being.
The fact that so many legendary guitarists from that all-important era of the late ’60s/early ’70s, chose Marshall as their backline was no accident. These players all had their own distinctive style and each one was complemented perfectly by the dynamics and feel that the Marshall 1959 Super Lead ‘Plexi’ amplifiers offered. This was personified by the late, great, Jimi Hendrix who created sounds through these Marshall amps which had never been heard before and arguably, have never been matched since.
The Next Stage
As rock guitar playing evolved, Marshall continued to successfully create new amplifiers that offered exactly what players were looking for. In 1975, the first Master Volume (MV) amps provided a higher level of distortion than ever before and also did so at a much more controllable volume. This breakthrough was exactly what many guitarists of that era were looking for.
By the time the ’80s rolled along, the MV species had evolved into the JCM800 Series. The unmistakable roar of these amps, which shaped the tone of that decade, is still favoured by many of today’s cutting-edge guitarists such as Kerry King of Slayer and Zakk Wylde. The JCM800 family also featured more flexible models with switchable channels and built-in reverb.
As increased gain became the order of the day, Marshall launched its Jubilee amplifiers in 1987. This no-nonsense, superb sounding
amp became the firm favourite of Slash of Guns ‘n’ Roses fame and was later re-issued in 1996 as the limited edition Slash Signature amp. As the ’80s gave way to the ’90s, players demanded even greater flexibility and gain levels from their amps. Marshall, of course, responded in a timely fashion with the JCM900 Series, the 30th Anniversary amps, the best-selling Valvestate line and the ‘industry standard’ JMP-1 MIDI pre-amp. These products delivered exactly what players needed and took centre stage for much of that decade.
Right Here, Right Now...
Recognising that today’s guitarist demands a high level of versatility while still craving Marshall’s now legendary, valve-driven tone, we launched the JCM2000 Series in the late ’90s. This strong line of all-valve heads and combos offers both the tone and flexibility that players such as Jeff Beck and Gary Moore demand . . . and countless others too.
We also took hybrid amp technology to new heights with the release of the AVT (Advanced Valvestate Technology) line of amps, which successfully blend our valve expertise with digital effects and cutting-edge solid-state power amp circuitry that emulates the sound and feel of a valve power stage. The result? A flexible and affordable alternative to all-valve amps which opened the Marshall door to the next generation of guitar greats.
Fully understanding that guitar players on a budget, or that are just starting out, deserve the best possible tone and features at an affordable price, we launched our new MG Series. This award-winning range of nine combos and a head redefined what players can expect from inexpensive amplification.
Continuing our policy of listening to the needs of today’s guitar players has led to the creation of the Mode Four. Attitude, striking
looks and above all incredible power set the Mode Four and its matching cabinets apart. Combine this with an arsenal of great tone and features, delivered through state-of-the-art technology and you have a Marshall like no other that has already won awards and a host of converts.
Due to overwhelming public demand, in 2004 we launched the first two models in our brand new Handwired range, the 1974X and 2061X. This was followed by the much-anticipated 1959HW in 2005 and the limited run of JTM45/100 heads made to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the now iconic Marshall stack. The Handwired range is an ongoing series of meticulously accurate, handwired re-issues of classic Marshalls from yesteryear, including the Super 100JH Jimi Hendrix stack. Reviewers and users alike are unanimous in their acclaim of our point-to-point perfection. 2007 saw the introduction of the award-winning JVM4 range and the 2203KK Signature Series Kerry King head.
New for 2008
2008 is just as exciting with the launch of the JVM2, a two channel amplifier very much in the same vein as the JVM4 and complete with a 4-way programmable footswitch, this range is destined to be as successful as the JVM4.
This year also sees two new additions to our Signature Series with the launch of the 1959RR, in honour of the late, great, Randy Rhoads, a stunning 100 Watt head that delivers a slightly different tone than the standard 1959 – a must for any Randy Rhoads fan. Last, but certainly not least, is the very first Signature bass head, the 1992LEM, in honour of our good and loyal friend Lemmy from Motorhead, a monster of an amplifier that epitomises Lemmy’s iconic style.
