R.I.P Jim Marshall , Creator of Loud.

demanufactured

Jim Marshall OBE, founder of Marshall Amplification, has died aged 88.

Since founding the company, 50 years ago this year, Marshall, known as the Father Of Loud, has become one of the most recognisable and iconic names in guitar playing, rock and metal.

Jim Marshall started out as a drum kit retailer but began building amplifiers in the early 1960s, setting out to create a new valve guitar amplifier, using the Fender Bassman amp as a model. With the sixth prototype, he hit upon 'the Marshall sound'.

These were the JTM45 amps and were built as heads, with separate speaker cabinets loaded with four 12-inch Celestions. In 1965, the first combos and 100-watt models were created.

By the late '60s, rock artists such as Jimi Hendrix could be seen playing against a backdrop of Marshall 'stacks'. The mid-'70s saw the launch of the Master Volume Marshall amps and in 1982, the company introduced its now-classic JCM800 split channel amps.

Marshall was awarded The Queen's Award For Export in 1984.

Jim Marshall will be remembered alongside the likes of Leo Fender and Les Paul as one of the founding fathers of the modern electric guitar.

In an obituary posted on the company's website, Marshall Amps note: "in addition to the creation of the amps chosen by countless guitar heroes and game changing bands, Jim was also an incredibly humble and generous man who, over the past several decades, has quietly donated many millions of pounds to worthy causes."

It goes without saying that our thoughts at MusicRadar are with Jim's family, friends and colleagues.

An online condolences site will be made available shortly.

mike65

Fvck! End of an era. Really does demand an archetypal picture of the big man in his natural environment

PaulieBoy

He busted a lot of ear drums! :-)
RIP.

Squidgy Black

Changed the face of rock and roll and metal forever, think how many amps nowadays are based off Marshall amps, how many bands used them as backline and the millions of films/shows that used them as props.

Also probably the number one cause of hearing loss in the 20th century :P

bnt

Damn. I met him at a guitar show years ago, he was always there answering questions and signing posters. I guess he just went up to 11 ...