Marshall Amplification answers ten of your questions.
Some of us make gear, some of us play it, and, in our case, some of us work
at a media company that aims to keep everyone informed. Thatās why we
facilitate this discussion every month. There are certain conversations that
need to take place just between us gearheads. This month, we wanted to
give you a chance to ask the folks at Marshall Amplification a few questions.
Dr. Jim Marshall, OBE Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Paul Marshall
Company founder Jim Marshallās face is undoubtedly one of the few that
belongs on the gear version of Mount Rushmore. His tones are already
immortalized in rock. Many of his amps, like the JTM-45 and the JCM-800,
are more than just amps. In the greater scheme of things, theyāre now categories
of ampsāiconic to the degree of being tonal reference points for
a global industry of gear makers wanting to emulate and digitally model
those tones both out of respect and demand. The list of players to impact
the world with Marshall amps is literally endless when you consider that the
historic notablesāTownshend, Hendrix, Rhoads, Mustaine, and Slash, to
name a fewācontinue to be joined by new generations of players. Quite
frankly, much of rock and rollās history is Marshallās history.
Below are 10 of the questions you submitted to us, answered by Dr. Jim
Marshall, OBE, his son Paul Marshall, and various company engineers.
1. With the popularity of the Silver Jubilee series and the release
of the limited-edition Slash amp, does Marshall have plans
to release more amps based on the Silver Jubilee? Those are
great amps and it would be nice if you retooled and re-released a
similar amp. āTodd Cralley, Santa Maria, California
You are absolutely right. The Jubilee was and is a great amp. It is still used
today by many people. For instance, Joe Bonamassa uses one in his rig.
At the moment, there are no plans to release the Jubilee again, or indeed
another amp based on it. However, we work with many artists and listen
to what guitarists around the worldāboth professional and amateurāare
telling us, so you never know what might happen in the future. āPaul
Marshall, Artist and Customer Liaison Manager
2. Iāve got a 25/50 Jubilee head/speaker combo that I bought
secondhand a few years ago. Itās a little bit battered but
sounds fantastic. Iād love to know a lot more about these
incredible ampsāthe history, the circuitry, the secret to why they
just sing. āSteve Cohn, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand
The Silver Jubilee was released in 1987. The line included the model 2555
100-watt head, the 2550 50-watt head, the 2558 50-watt 2x12 combo, the
2554 50-watt 1x12 combo, and the 2553 50-watt short-chassis head. A
range of cabinets were produced, including the 2551A and 2551B 280-
watt 4x12s, and the 2556A and 2556B 2x12s. From 1988-90, the Jubilee
range continued to be manufactured as the Custom range, with standard
Marshall black vinyl and a gold panel. In 1996 and ā97, we reintroduced
the 2555 as a very limited-edition Slash signature head and 4x12 cabinet.
This was Marshallās first signature amplifier, and it continues to be much
sought after. āMarshall Amplification Service Staff
3. What is the most important Marshall
amp in existence? Which model is it,
where is it, and can I come play it? ā
Roger Blocker, Santa Fe, New Mexico
It must be Number 1. It was a defining moment
in the history of Marshallāit set the Marshall
tone. Unfortunately, you cannot play it. However,
you are more than welcome to visit Marshall in
Bletchley, Milton Keynes, England, to have a
factory tour so you can see how we manufacture
our product. You can then visit the Marshall
museum, where Number 1 is on display. If you
would like, you could always play in our Marshall
theater on the stage that has seen the likes of
Gary Moore, Dave Mustaine, Zakk Wylde, Slash,
Kerry King, and Yngwie Malmsteen play, to
name but a few. āJim and Paul Marshall
4. Which amp is Jim Marshallās favorite?
Youāre not supposed to have
favorite children but Iām very curious
as to whether or not a particular amp
is special to him and why. āKelly McRae,
Carmel, California
I think the JCM 800 2203 is probably another
defining moment in the history of Marshall, so
it could be called one of my favorites. Also,
you might be aware that my (Jim Marshall) car
carries the private registration [license plate] "JCM 800." For many players, the 100-watt
2203 became the amp to haveāand it still is
today. In fact, we still sell this amp as a reissue,
and the Kerry King signature amp is a
2203, as well. āJim Marshall
Another amp we are soon to launch, a second
Slash signature, has an interesting story
behind it. It could be a 2203āor a 1959 or
a 1959T. Either way, the mod that was performed
turned it into a modified 2203. I have
heard the prototype, and believe me when I
say it sounds amazing! āPaul Marshall
5. On the back of some Marshall amps
there are three bias test points. Is
the middle point the ground? āDave
Green, Deadwood, South Dakota and Bruce
Deuchars, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The center pin on the three-pin bias socket is at
the same potential as the chassis. The bias presets
should be adjusted by a qualified engineer.
āMarshall Amplification Service Staff
6. I would like to ask about the 4x12
cabs of the late ā60s and early ā70sā
for me, that is the tone to die for.
Wasnāt there a cab loaded with 20-watt
Celestions speakers? Which model was
it? Iām thinking G12M. āDon Wingle,
Lakewood, Ohio
The 20-watt speakers were fitted to early
4x12s from 1963-64. āMarshall Amplification
Service Staff
7. I own a 4x10 slanted cabinet with
red Tolex. Can I still obtain parts specific
to this cabinet? (By the way, UR
AMPS F@$KIN RAWK!!!!) āJay Spencer,
Longwood, Florida
Our service department carries a wide range of
replacement parts for our back catalog. When
we are unable to offer original components,
we can usually offer an alternative of similar or
often superior quality. Iād suggest you contact
our service department through our website,
marshallamps.com. āPaul Marshall
8. Iām a really big fan of modern
Marshalls, but are there any plans
to reissue handwired versions of the
uber-classic Bluesbreaker combos and the
JTM45 head? I think those are the amps all
the "real" tone connoisseurs are waiting for.
I want one of each! āMitch Keen, Swindon,
Wiltshire, United Kingdom
We still produce the 1962 (Bluesbreaker) and
2245 (JTM45), which are mainly handwired.
They contain a preloaded circuit board that is
then handwired to the valve bases, transformers,
potentiometers, etc. With regard to a fully
handwired version, we are always striving to
bring products to market that are relevant to
our customersā needs and wishes. So never say
never. āThe Marshall staff
9. Youāve done quite a few reissues of
classic Marshall amplifiers over the
years. Are you going to do a reissue
of the 200-watt Marshall Major? āKevin
McKenna, West Covina, California
We donāt have any plans to reissue the
Marshall Major at this time. We are concentrating
on developing our current range of
products and we are working very closely with
a number of artists on some very exciting new
products in the pipeline. āThe Marshall staff
10. Iām the proud owner of two
Mode Four MF350 heads. Why
was this amp discontinued? Itās
probably the best amp you guys have ever
made. āMickey Thomas, Chicago, Illinois
Glad to hear that you are a proud owner of two
MF350s. We still make the MF350, although it
is now one of our special-order items that can
be ordered from the factory in Bletchley, Milton
Keynes, England. āThe Marshall staff
Next month
For next monthās "Go Ahead and Ask," head
online to premierguitar.com/goaheadandask
and let us know what questions youād like to
ask pickup pioneer Larry DiMarzio.
We know Horsegirl as a band of musicians, but their friendships will always come before the music. From left to right: Nora Cheng, drummer Gigi Reece, and Penelope Lowenstein.
The Chicago-via-New York trio of best friends reinterpret the best bits of college-rock and ā90s indie on their new record, Phonetics On and On.
Horsegirl guitarists Nora Cheng and Penelope Lowenstein are back in their hometown of Chicago during winter break from New York University, where they share an apartment with drummer Gigi Reece. Theyāre both in the middle of writing papers. Cheng is working on one about Buckminster Fuller for a city planning class, and Lowenstein is untangling Austrian writer Ingeborg Bachmannās short story, āThree Paths to the Lake.ā
āIt was kind of life-changing, honestly. It changed how I thought about womanhood,ā Lowenstein says over the call, laughing a bit at the gravitas of the statement.
But the moment of levity illuminates the fact that big things are happening in their lives. When they released their debut album, 2022ās Versions of Modern Performance, the three members of Horsegirl were still teenagers in high school. Their new, sophomore record, Phonetics On and On, arrives right in the middle of numerous first experiencesātheir first time living away from home, first loves, first years of their 20s, in university. Horsegirl is going through changes. Lowenstein notes how, through moving to a new city, their friendship has grown, too, into something more familial. They rely on each other more.
āIf the friendship was ever taking a toll because of the band, the friendship would come before the band, without any doubt.āāPenelope Lowenstein
āEveryone's cooking together, you take each other to the doctor,ā Lowenstein says. āYou rely on each other for weird things. I think transitioning from being teenage friends to suddenly working together, touring together, writing together in this really intimate creative relationship, going through sort of an unusual experience together at a young age, and then also starting school togetherāI just feel like it brings this insane intimacy that we work really hard to maintain. And if the friendship was ever taking a toll because of the band, the friendship would come before the band without any doubt.ā
Horsegirl recorded their sophomore LP, Phonetics On and On, at Wilcoās The Loft studio in their hometown, Chicago.
These changes also include subtle and not-so-subtle shifts in their sophisticated and artful guitar-pop. Versions of Modern Performance created a notion of the band as ā90s college-rock torchbearers, with reverb-and-distortion-drenched numbers that recalled Yo La Tengo and the Breeders. Phonetics On and On doesnāt extinguish the flame, but itās markedly more contemporary, sacrificing none of the catchiness but opting for more space, hypnotic guitar lines, and meditative, repeated phrases. Cheng and Lowenstein credit Welsh art-pop wiz Cate Le Bonās presence as producer in the studio as essential to the sonic direction.
āOn the record, I think we were really interested in Young Marble Giantsāsuper minimal, the percussiveness of the guitar, and how you can do so much with so little.āāNora Cheng
āWe had never really let a fourth person into our writing process,ā Cheng says. āI feel like Cate really changed the way we think about how you can compose a song, and built off ideas we were already thinking about, and just created this very comfortable space for experimentation and pushed us. There are so many weird instruments and things that aren't even instruments at [Wilcoās Chicago studio] The Loft. I feel like, definitely on our first record, we were super hesitant to go into territory that wasn't just distorted guitar, bass, and drums.ā
Nora Cheng's Gear
Nora Cheng says that letting a fourth personāWelsh artist Cate Le Bonāinto the trioās songwriting changed how they thought about composition.
Photo by Braden Long
Effects
- EarthQuaker Devices Plumes
- Ibanez Tube Screamer
- TC Electronic Polytune
Picks
- Dunlop Tortex .73 mm
Phonetics On and On introduces warm synths (āJulieā), raw-sounding violin (āIn Twosā), and gamelan tilesācommon in traditional Indonesian musicāto Horsegirlās repertoire, and expands on their already deep quiver of guitar sounds as Cheng and Lowenstein branch into frenetic squonks, warped jangles, and jagged, bare-bones riffs. The result is a collection of songs simultaneously densely textured and spacious.
āI listen to these songs and I feel like it captures the raw, creative energy of being in the studio and being like, āFuck! We just exploded the song. What is about to happen?āā Lowenstein says. āThat feeling is something we didnāt have on the first record because we knew exactly what we wanted to capture and it was the songs we had written in my parentsā basement.ā
Cheng was first introduced to classical guitar as a kid by her dad, who tried to teach her, and then she was subsequently drawn back to rock by bands like Cage The Elephant and Arcade Fire. Lowenstein started playing at age 6, which covers most of her life memories and comprises a large part of her identity. āIt made me feel really powerful as a young girl to know that I was a very proficient guitarist,ā she says. The shreddy playing of Television, Pink Floydās spacey guitar solos, and Yo La Tengoās Ira Kaplan were all integral to her as Horsegirl began.
Penelope Lowenstein's Gear
Penelope Lowenstein likes looking back at the versions of herself that made older records.
Photo by Braden Long
Effects
- EarthQuaker Westwood
- EarthQuaker Bellows
- TC Electronic PolyTune
Picks
- Dunlop Tortex 1.0 mm
Recently, the two of them have found themselves influenced by guitarists both related and unrelated to the type of tunes theyāre trading in on their new album. Lowenstein got into Brazilian guitar during the pandemic and has recently been āin a Jim OāRourke, John Fahey zone.ā
āThereās something about listening to that music where you realize, about the guitar, that you can just compose an entire orchestra on one instrument,ā Lowenstein says. āAnd hearing what the bass in those guitar parts is doingāas in, the E stringāis kind of mind blowing.ā
āOn the record, I think we were really interested in Young Marble Giantsāsuper minimal, the percussiveness of the guitar, and how you can do so much with so little,ā Cheng adds. āAnd also Lizzy Mercier [Descloux], mostly on the Rosa Yemen records. That guitar playing I feel was very inspiring for the anti-solo,[a technique] which appears on [Phonetics On and On].āThis flurry of focused discovery gives the impression that Cheng and Lowensteinās sensibilities are shifting day-to-day, buoyed by the incredible expansion of creative possibilities that setting oneās life to revolve around music can afford. And, of course, the energy and exponential growth of youth. Horsegirl has already clocked major stylistic shifts in their brief lifespan, and itās exciting to have such a clear glimpse of evolution in artists who are, likely and hopefully, just beginning a long journey together.
āThereās something about listening to that music where you realize, about the guitar, that you can just compose an entire orchestra on one instrument.āāPenelope Lowenstein
āIn your 20s, life moves so fast,ā Lowenstein says. āSo much changes from the time of recording something to releasing something that even that process is so strange. You recognize yourself, and you also kind of sympathize with yourself. It's a really rewarding way of life, I think, for musicians, and it's cool that we have our teenage years captured like that, tooāon and on until we're old women.ā
YouTube It
Last summer, Horsegirl gathered at a Chicago studio space to record a sun-soaked set of new and old tunes.
Featuring torrefied solid Sitka Spruce tops, mahogany neck, back, and sides, and Fishman Presys VT EQ System, these guitars are designed to deliver quality tone and playability at an affordable price point.
Cort Guitars, acclaimed for creating instruments that exceed in value and quality, introduces the Essence Series. This stunning set of acoustic guitars is designed for musicians looking for the quintessential classic acoustic guitar with fabulous tone all at an exceptional price point. The Essence Series features two distinct body shapes: The Grand Auditorium and the OM Cutaway. Whatever the flavor, the Essence Series has the style to suit.
The Essence-GA-4 is the perfect Grand Auditorium acoustic. Wider than a dreadnought, the Essence-GA-4 features a deep body with a narrower waist and a width of 1 Ā¾ā (45mm) at the nut. The result is an instrument that is ideal for any number of playing styles: Pickingā¦ strummingā¦ the Essence GA-4 is completely up for the task.
The Essence-OM-4 features a shallower body creating a closer connection to the player allowing for ease of use on stage. With its 1 11/16āth (43mm) nut width, this Orchestra Model is great for fingerpickers or singer/guitarists looking for better body contact for an overall better playing experience.
Both acoustics are topped with a torrefied solid Sitka Spruce top using Cortās ATV process. The ATV process or āAged to Vintageā, āagesā the Spruce top to give it the big and open tone of older, highly-sought-after acoustics. To further enhance those vintage tones, the tops bracing is also made of torrefied spruce. The mahogany neck, back, and sides create a warm, robust midrange and bright highs. A rosewood fingerboard and bridge add for a more balanced sound and sustain. The result is amazing tone at first strum. 18:1 Vintage Open Gear Tuners on the mahogany headstock offer precise tuning with vintage styling. The herringbone rosette & purfling accentuates the aesthetics of these instruments adding to their appeal. Both acoustics come in two choices of finish. Natural Semi-Gloss allows the Sitka spruceās natural beauty to shine through and classic Black Top Semi-Gloss.
A FishmanĀ® Presys VT EQ System is installed inside the body versus other systems that cut into the body to be installed. This means the instrument keeps its natural resonance and acoustic flair. The Presys VT EQ System keeps it simple with only Volume and Tone controls resulting in a true, crisp acoustic sound. Lastly, ElixirĀ® Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze Light .012-.053 Acoustic Strings round out these acoustics. This Number 1 acoustic guitar string delivers consistent performance and extended tone life with phosphor bronze sparkle and warmth. The Essence Series takes all these elements, combines them, and exceeds in playability, looks, and affordability.
Street Price: $449.00
For more information, please visit cortguitars.com.
Cort Essence-GA4 Demo - YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.Moth Electric's C. regalis overdrive pedal offers massive boost, natural overdrive, and searing distortion for guitar and bass. With active treble and bass controls, clean blend, Smooth/Crunch modes, and true-bypass switching, this USA-made pedal is a versatile addition to any pedalboard.
Adding a new model to their line of overdrives, Moth Electric has released the C. regalis. Equally suited for guitar and bass, the meticulously designed C.regalis is capable of massive boost, natural, singing overdrive, and searing mid-gain distortion. Its six op-amps power a dynamic, crunchy overdrive circuit with a suite of features including:
- Active treble and bass controls that allow for +/- 15db boost and cut. Perfect for tailoring the C. regalis to your instrument and amp.
- A powerful clean blend for introducing either your ampās natural character or another effect into the equation. Allows the C. regalis to become a more transparent overdrive.
- Smooth/Crunch modes, provide a subtle change in feel with āSmoothā increasing sustain and āCrunchā introducing high-order harmonics for additional texture.
The C. regalis offers the following features:
- Bass, Treble, Blend, Volume, Drive controls
- Smooth/Crunch modesā More volume than youāll ever need
- True-bypass switching, top-mounted jacks for easy placement on crowded pedalboards
- 9-volt DC operation with external power supply ā no battery compartment
- Designed and hand-built in the USA using through-hole components
The C. regalis carries a $179.99 price and is available for purchase at mothelectric.com.
For more information, please visit mothelectric.com.
OK WOW. Moth Electric C.REGALIS - Pedals and Tea EP 57 - YouTube
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.The rising guitar star talks gear, labels, genre troubles, and how to network.
Grace Bowers just released her debut record, 2024ās Wine on Venus, with her band the Hodge Podge, but sheās already one the most well-known young guitarists in America. On this episode of Wong Notes, Bowers talks through the ups, downs, and detours of her whirlwind career.
Bowers started out livestreaming performances on Reddit at age 13, and came into the public eye as a performer on social media, so sheās well acquainted with the limits and benefits of being an āInstagram guitarist.ā She and Cory talk about session work in Nashville (Bowers loathes it), her live performance rig, and Eddie Hazelās influence.
Bowers plugs the importance of networking as a young musician: If you want gigs, you gotta go to gigs, and make acquaintances. But none of that elbow-rubbing will matter unless youāre solid on youāre instrument. āNo oneās gonna hire you if youāre ass,ā says Bowers. āPractice is important.
āTune in to learn why Bowers is ready to move on from Wine on Venus, her takes on Nashville versus California, and why she hates āthe blues-rock label.ā