Marshall Amps

Marshall Amplification was first founded during the early 1960s by Jim Marshall in a small shop in London. Initial products were 45 watt amplifiers, very similar in both design and tone to Fender products of the day. The first Marshall amplifier built was based on the Fender Bassman, which was Jim Marshall's favorite amplifier. Instead of using four 10 inch Jensen speakers in an open back cabinet as in the Bassman, Marshall used four 12 inch Celestion speakers in a closed back cabinet that produced a fuller and more aggressive sound.

Early customers included Pete Townshend and John Entwistle of The Who, whose search for extra volume led Marshall to design the classic 100 watt valve amplifier. Additionally, a switch to the European EL34 poweramp valve increased the product's potential for overdrive. Marshall's profile was further raised by one of the amplifiers appearing on the cover of the John Mayall's Bluesbreakers LP which featured Eric Clapton.

As the 1960s drew to a close, the overdriven tone of the Marshall was further exploited by guitarists such as Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page. Amplifiers from this era, known as "plexis" because of their plexiglas front panel, now have significant collector value and can command high prices.