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Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, speaker cabinets, and effects pedals. Founded in London in 1962 by shop owner and drummer Jim Marshall, the company is based in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, England.
The company first began making amplifiers to provide an alternative to expensive, American-made Fender amps, releasing their first model, the Bassman-inspired JTM45, in 1963. Following complaints over limitations in amp volume and tone from visitors to Jim Marshall's drum shop, notably Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, Marshall began developing louder, 100-watt amplifiers. These early amps were characterized in part by their Plexiglass control plates, leading to models such as the 1959 Super Lead (released in 1965) being popularly known as "Plexis." Their adoption by guitarists like Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page helped establish the brand's legacy. Further development led to the JCM800 series in 1981, which was widely adopted by the hard rock and metal community, while the brand celebrated its 25 years of making amps by releasing the Silver Jubiliee in 1987. Marshall updated the JCM lineup in the 1990s (JCM900) and 2000s (JCM2000) and developed new amp lines, like the DSL and JVM models.
Many of the current and reissue Marshall amps continue to use valves (tubes) rather than transistors, as is common in this market sector. Marshall Amplification also manufactures solid-state, hybrid (vacuum tube and solid state) and modelling amplifiers.
Since 2023, Marshall Amplification has been a division of a Swedish conglomerate, the Marshall Group, a majority stake of which is owned by China-based HongShan Capital Group.
After a successful career as a drummer and teacher of drum technique, Jim Marshall first went into business in 1962 with a small shop in Hanwell, west London, selling drums, cymbals and drum-related accessories; Marshall himself also gave drum lessons. According to Jim, Ritchie Blackmore, Big Jim Sullivan and Pete Townshend were the three main guitarists who often came into the shop. They pushed Marshall to make guitar amplifiers and told him the sound and design they wanted. Marshall Limited then expanded, hired designers and started making guitar amplifiers to compete with existing amplifiers, the most notable of which at the time were the Fender amplifiers imported from the United States.
I believe it was something people were discovering all over London. These big amps that Marshall were turning out — you couldn't stop the guitars feeding back!
The company first began making amplifiers to provide an alternative to expensive, American-made Fender amps, releasing their first model, the Bassman-inspired JTM45, in 1963. Following complaints over limitations in amp volume and tone from visitors to Jim Marshall's drum shop, notably Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, Marshall began developing louder, 100-watt amplifiers. These early amps were characterized in part by their Plexiglass control plates, leading to models such as the 1959 Super Lead (released in 1965) being popularly known as "Plexis." Their adoption by guitarists like Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page helped establish the brand's legacy. Further development led to the JCM800 series in 1981, which was widely adopted by the hard rock and metal community, while the brand celebrated its 25 years of making amps by releasing the Silver Jubiliee in 1987. Marshall updated the JCM lineup in the 1990s (JCM900) and 2000s (JCM2000) and developed new amp lines, like the DSL and JVM models.
Many of the current and reissue Marshall amps continue to use valves (tubes) rather than transistors, as is common in this market sector. Marshall Amplification also manufactures solid-state, hybrid (vacuum tube and solid state) and modelling amplifiers.
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Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, speaker cabinets, and effects pedals. Founded in London in 1962 by shop owner and drummer Jim Marshall, the company is based in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, England.
The company first began making amplifiers to provide an alternative to expensive, American-made Fender amps, releasing their first model, the Bassman-inspired JTM45, in 1963. Following complaints over limitations in amp volume and tone from visitors to Jim Marshall's drum shop, notably Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, Marshall began developing louder, 100-watt amplifiers. These early amps were characterized in part by their Plexiglass control plates, leading to models such as the 1959 Super Lead (released in 1965) being popularly known as "Plexis." Their adoption by guitarists like Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page helped establish the brand's legacy. Further development led to the JCM800 series in 1981, which was widely adopted by the hard rock and metal community, while the brand celebrated its 25 years of making amps by releasing the Silver Jubiliee in 1987. Marshall updated the JCM lineup in the 1990s (JCM900) and 2000s (JCM2000) and developed new amp lines, like the DSL and JVM models.
Many of the current and reissue Marshall amps continue to use valves (tubes) rather than transistors, as is common in this market sector. Marshall Amplification also manufactures solid-state, hybrid (vacuum tube and solid state) and modelling amplifiers.
Since 2023, Marshall Amplification has been a division of a Swedish conglomerate, the Marshall Group, a majority stake of which is owned by China-based HongShan Capital Group.
After a successful career as a drummer and teacher of drum technique, Jim Marshall first went into business in 1962 with a small shop in Hanwell, west London, selling drums, cymbals and drum-related accessories; Marshall himself also gave drum lessons. According to Jim, Ritchie Blackmore, Big Jim Sullivan and Pete Townshend were the three main guitarists who often came into the shop. They pushed Marshall to make guitar amplifiers and told him the sound and design they wanted. Marshall Limited then expanded, hired designers and started making guitar amplifiers to compete with existing amplifiers, the most notable of which at the time were the Fender amplifiers imported from the United States.
I believe it was something people were discovering all over London. These big amps that Marshall were turning out — you couldn't stop the guitars feeding back!
The company first began making amplifiers to provide an alternative to expensive, American-made Fender amps, releasing their first model, the Bassman-inspired JTM45, in 1963. Following complaints over limitations in amp volume and tone from visitors to Jim Marshall's drum shop, notably Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, Marshall began developing louder, 100-watt amplifiers. These early amps were characterized in part by their Plexiglass control plates, leading to models such as the 1959 Super Lead (released in 1965) being popularly known as "Plexis." Their adoption by guitarists like Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page helped establish the brand's legacy. Further development led to the JCM800 series in 1981, which was widely adopted by the hard rock and metal community, while the brand celebrated its 25 years of making amps by releasing the Silver Jubiliee in 1987. Marshall updated the JCM lineup in the 1990s (JCM900) and 2000s (JCM2000) and developed new amp lines, like the DSL and JVM models.
Many of the current and reissue Marshall amps continue to use valves (tubes) rather than transistors, as is common in this market sector. Marshall Amplification also manufactures solid-state, hybrid (vacuum tube and solid state) and modelling amplifiers.