(Image credit: Jim Bennett/Corbis) The 4x12 cabinets “I’ve been reliably informed by Jim that Townshend and Hendrix used them as prototypes and, from what Jim told me, Pete Townshend loved them because they gave him that extra bit of grunt and they were very quickly taken up by most people who were playing heavy rock at that time.” Prev of 7 Next Prev of 7 Next But certainly people like Pete Townshend, Hendrix and probably Clapton had them. PW: “Unfortunately, that information has been lost over the years. Who was it that road-tested those first prototype models? “Plus, it became easier to get E元4s at first it was easy to get hold of KT66s and harder to get good quality E元4s, so we just didn’t use them initially.” “The KT66 was used in the first 100-watt, but it didn’t really cut it as far as the sound was concerned and so it was one of the things that was changed. I’ve been reliably informed by Jim that Townshend and Hendrix used them as prototypes It wasn’t until the advent of the 100-watt head that we went over to using E元4s exclusively. PW: “Originally, the first amplifiers we made had KT66s or KT88s in. The supply of valves back then could be pretty hit and miss, couldn’t it? (Image credit: Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS) The prototypes So Jim found a company who could make the transformers for us, and in 1968 we started making a true 100-watt amplifier, which used a 100-watt mains transformer, a 100-watt output transformer and four E元4s giving you 100 watts RMS.” Prev of 7 Next Prev of 7 Next “That ran for probably about a year because, at the time, we couldn’t get hold of the right output transformers - there just wasn’t stock. “The first prototypes were around late ’66 or early ’67 - that’s as close as we can get - it’s very difficult to date that sort of thing - but it was around that time. But, saying that, it was more than twice the volume of a JTM45 and so that was great, because it was what people wanted. “One mains transformer but two JTM45 output transformers, so it actually didn’t give you 100 watts on a good day, you’d get 80 to 85 watts out of it. “It wasn’t until probably ’66 or ’67 that Pete Townshend and Hendrix turned around and said that the JTM45 was okay, but there just wasn’t enough of it! They wanted more power and so we came up with the idea of basically strapping two JTM45s together, which is effectively what the first 100-watt was. Pete Townshend and Hendrix turned around and said that the JTM45 was okay, but there just wasn’t enough of it! When you went in to see him you told him what you wanted it for - lead, organ or PA - and we’d make it accordingly. Phil Wells: “When Jim started in 1962 he was producing one amplifier, which we now know as the JTM45. What were the first moves towards making the 100-watt head? (Image credit: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS) The amps In pictures: 1964 Marshall JTM45 Prev of 7 Next Prev of 7 Next And if you want to go poking around the company’s archives in search of the story of how the stack came to rule the world, there’s no better person to ask than Phil Wells, head of Marshall’s heritage and archive… Don't Miss Recognising that an expensive import was practically the only choice for a player looking to emulate the gain-laden sounds on LPs from the USA, Jim Marshall set up his own manufacturing business. Time-travel back to the early 1960s and the choice of amplifier for the up and coming rock ’n’ roll guitarist was not in any way as extensive as it is today. In search of the story of how the stack came to rule the world, there’s no better person to ask than Phil Wells We talk to Marshall’s head of heritage and archive, Phil Wells, about the background to the birth and the early days of the iconic 100-watt stack… (Image credit: Frank Maechler/dpa/Corbis) Introduction
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