Marshall, the revolutionary amp

The most famous of music amplification manufacturers was born in 1962 when Jim Marshall, a drum teacher and music store owner developed a working relation with Pete Townshend and John Entwistle from The Who. These were regular clients of Jim's, who wanted to develop a new, more powerful sound with their instruments which the technology of the time didn't allow. Jim decided therefore to step up to the task and launched a tube amp, based on a similar American model. To alter and fortify the sound and it's echo, all Jim did was replace the existing American tube with a more powerful, custom made model which amplified the negative feedback. The Who loved his invention and used it to popularise their image as well as that of Marshall's. Through further discussions between Townshend and Marshall, the famous stack was born when Pete Townshend's orignal idea for a single cabinet with eight 12” speakers proved impractical. Marshall then halved this to 4" by 12". Jim quickly had more high profile clients in the form of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. In the following decades, Led Zeppelin and Metallica would also adopt Jim's pioneering technology.