has died aged 88. Former drummer and guitar amp designer Jim Marshall gave a new sound to rock, heavy metal, and blues bands all over the world.
Most electric guitar players will have played through a Marshall at some point, whether a stack or a head through other speakers, even if only in the music shop.
I had a Vox AC30 amplifier which I loved but remember seeing the Who playing through Marshalls and realising how loud they were.
Many years ago I wrote to Marshall to trace the provenance of a Marshall 25 watt valve amplifier I’d bought in a second-hand shop. I got a reply from Jim Marshall himself telling me when it was made and where it was sold. That’s customer service! I also met him at a guitar show in Manchester, where I got the beer mat. He was very approachable and clearly loved his job.
The Americans had Fender amps which were excellent with a clean sound. In the UK we had Vox which had a great warm sound and then we had Marshall – clean or dirty but LOUD!
I’ve still got the valve amp, a 4 x 10″ speaker cabinet, not to mention a Marshall acoustic amplifier in my back room. Time to plug in and wake up the neighbours I think!
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