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MARSHALL AMPLIFICATION CELEBRATES
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WORLD’S FIRST STACK
— An historical look at the leader in amplifier technology
and the creation of a rock ‘n' roll icon, the Marshall Stack —
NAMM WINTER SESSION, ANAHEIM, CA, January 20, 2004 — From its early beginnings in the 1960s, Marshall Amplification has always set the standard for electric guitar amplifier design, and its products have been dubbed by many as “the sound of rock.” One of the company’s earliest innovations was the world’s first amplifier stack, now universally known as “the Marshall Stack.” In 2005, the company will celebrate the 40th anniversary of this icon.The Marshall Stack — The Beginning of Rock 'n' Roll Time
In 1960, company founder Jim Marshall opened his first music shop in West London. Initially stocking drums, Jim eventually expanded into selling guitars and amplifiers, and then started building speaker cabinets too. By listening to guitarists who frequented his shop, he realized they required a sound that wasn’t on the market at the time, so he and his team of electronics experts started searching for that elusive sound. In September of 1962, the first Marshall amp was built; the first angled-front 4x12" cabinet followed soon after and a legend was born.1965 was the next significant landmark for Marshall. Pete Townshend of The Who needed a louder amplifier, so Jim had his team begin work on a 100 Watt head to satisfy the guitarist’s demands for more. “We were so proud of those first 100 Watt amps,” recalls Jim Marshall, “then Pete came in again and said he wanted me to build an 8x12 cabinet to go with his new heads — a single cabinet with eight speakers! I told him it would be ridiculously heavy to transport and said ‘Look Pete, I’ll make a 4x12 with a straight front and put an angled one on top,’ but Pete said, ‘That’s what I have roadies for.’” When delivered, the Marshall 8x12's were paired with the 100 Watt heads to create a massive backline. As Jim had predicted, The Who’s road crew were far from happy with the behemoths! “Sure enough,” Jim continues, “Pete came back a few weeks later and said, ‘You were right, Jim.’ So I ended up doing what I originally wanted, which was the straight-fronted cabinet with the angled one sitting on top, and that’s how the stack was born,” concludes Jim. With the stack’s introduction, Marshall literally changed the landscape of rock ‘n' roll history forever.
Today, 40 years after the introduction of the original stack, Marshall Amplification continues to dominate stages around the world as the amplifier of choice for discriminating guitarists such as Zakk Wylde, Slash, Kerry King, Dave Navarro, Sean Martin, John 5 and Allison Robertson, to name but a select few. Marshall Stacks have been featured in countless music videos, television commercials and movies such as Spinal Tap, Woodstock Live, Rock Star, School of Rock, Almost Famous and numerous others.
Information for this document was gathered from a variety of sources including Marshall company brochures and the books, The History of Marshall by Mike Doyle, and Jim Marshall: The Father of Loud by Rich Maloof.
Photo Files: STACKLINE.JPG, STACKLINEcrop.JPG
Photo Caption: L to R (Year — Model): 1965 — JTM45 100; 1975 — Master Volume (2203); 1981 — JCM800 (2203); 1987 — Jubilee Series (2555); 1990 — JCM900 (4100); 1992 — 30th Anniversary (6100LE); 1997 — JCM2000 (DSL100); 2003 — MODE FOUR (MF350); 2005 — Handwired (1959HW).
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—For more information contact Leslie Buttonow, Marshall Amplification, 316 South Service Rd, Melville, NY 11747. Tel: (631) 390-6500; Fax: (631) 390-6501; Web: www.marshallamps.com
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