Meet the Makers: Marshall

Marshall is an iconic British brand that has been at the forefront of guitar amplification innovation for more than half a century. Marshall not only designs and makes cutting edge products, it also makes handwired reissues of its historic amplifiers – amps that in the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s defined the sound of rock and British blues music. Marshall still makes vintage and modern all-valve amplifiers today at its home in Bletchley, England.

Jim Marshall, the founder of Marshall Amplification, was a professional drummer and tutor, and in 1962 opened his music instrument shop in Hanwell, London. Young musicians quickly came to the shop, most notably Pete Townshend and Rickie Blackmore. Wanting more from the amplifiers on the market at the time, Jim listened to their needs and knew what to do. He assembled and led a small team of renegade electronics engineers to give these pioneering young men exactly what they wanted – an amplifier that was louder and with more crunch than anything that had come before. The result was a legendary JTM45 and soon after that the iconic 100 Watt Super Lead Plexi head, amplifiers that changed rock ‘n’ roll forever.

The Marshall legend lives on, alive and kicking, and continually evolving. Building on its rich heritage, and incorporating cutting edge technology, Marshall continues to push the boundaries. Bringing high quality products to, not just rock ‘n’ rollers, but music lovers everywhere.