Marshall amps documentary

[casapete]

Tonight (Friday 28th) there is a documentary on Marshall amplification called 'Play it Loud' on BBC4 at 10 pm.
Also repeated late Sunday evening too. Looks pretty good.

[skankdelvar]

Duly noted. Ta for the heads-up.

[Tuco]

Gonna have to watch it.

thanks for the tip!!!!!

Marshall were (kinda) our local brand (2 train stops away) until Blackstar opened up their HQ in my town.

My brother was in a band with a guy that had one of Gary Moore's old 50 watt heads and went to the Bletchley factory to pick it up after a repair/service with him back in the 80's. Lucky **** got to have a go on the drum kit in Jim Marshall's office!!
Before the days of camera phones unfortunately!!

Edited November 28, 2014 by Tuco

[stuckinthepod]

Cheers for the heads up. There was cracking little doc on BBC about Vox a few years ago . The bit where Iain Lee is watching Brian May play in front of him made me chuckle as he can barely contain his excitement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54s3386KZVI

Edited November 28, 2014 by icastle
Link Fixed

[inthedoghouse]

Thanks for the heads up :-)

[dudewheresmybass]

....and set to record

[police squad]

yep, thanks for this. Met Jim a few times. Bought me a drink at the Wembley guitar show (back at the hotel. I was exhibiting and we were at the same hotel, in the bar)

[spongebob]

I've got a poster, signed by Jim when I met him at a Marshall evening in 1992. Came across as a really nice guy, very regular considering what he achieved.

Got the record already set for this one!

[spacey]

Pity they just can not make a bass amp.
No matter what they do they always cock it up.

[yorks5stringer]

Found it interesting, shame time has not been kind to many of those young slim rock gods....

[dudewheresmybass]

I have to disagree spacey- both the DBS heads and the vba heads are absolutely superb.
It's just a shame that the success of their guitar line has overshadowed all other attempts to diversify their product line. Perhaps a victim of their own success?

[Hobbayne]

Just watched this and enjoyed it! Surprised to see Mark Kermode mentioned in the credits, wonder what he contributed?

[gadgie]

That VOX doc was good. Reminded me that I have a 61 AC30 in the loft. Totally forgot all about it. Battered to bits but it sounds sweet.

[Tuco]

Slightly OT but I cant help myself!
[url="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x79gto_fuzz-01_music"]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x79gto_fuzz-01_music[/url]

First link to an 8 parter (hope it's OK to post such links up mods)

AWESOME docu!! (LOVE the jaded music store owner!!)

If you havent seen it : enjoy

[seashell]

I only caught the second half, so will try to see the repeat. Nice to see Andy Fraser speaking. That's a bit of a rarity! In fact I don't think I've ever seen him interviewed before. Good to see him looking well. In fact a lot better than some of the other old crocks! :-)

[Drax]

Loving the BBC4 music docs at the moment - this, Jack Bruce, story of the Riff, Dave Grohl series, that new Funk thing. And that radio doc on slap bass.
Hope this calibre material continues after the inevitable license fee hammering

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1417272165' post='2618743']
I have to disagree spacey- both the DBS heads and the vba heads are absolutely superb.
It's just a shame that the success of their guitar line has overshadowed all other attempts to diversify their product line. Perhaps a victim of their own success?
[/quote]
I agree. Never played a VBA400, but heard a few, and they've always sounded godd to me. I have a DBS7400, and it's brilliant (but very heavy).

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1417309339' post='2619128']
I agree. Never played a VBA400, but heard a few, and they've always sounded godd to me. I have a DBS7400, and it's brilliant (but very heavy).
[/quote]

Same here, had the DBS7400, coupled with a VBC412 - also extremely heavy. Sounded great though.

[icastle]

I found this quite interesting in a geeky 'nuts n bolts' way...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeerxAO3oRU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhe7qXP08qw

[scalpy]

Just watched it, you kind of guess what's coming next each chapter but it's great to anorak out at all the gear.

[spacey]

Had a VBA, yes they sound OK, pretty much a very one trick amp, but you need a spare head at all times, that and they are a two man lift if cased and total nightmare if cold in a warm room.

Transistor wise, again, one trick amps, one sound and thats it.
They are always years behind the competition.
These days of Mark Bass and TC, agulia ect.., where are they in bass amps ?
Nowhere is the answer, nostalgia of yesteryear.

[Big_Stu]

Before I did the factory tour in '08 I met the whole family that worked there. Then got the in-depth on the Lemmy stack before being shown round & watched the 4x15's being built. Jim Marshall gave me his auto-biog/souvenir of the day too, though I was trying for a discounted Lemmy amp it wasn't going to happen.


In the Marshall reception there's a huge glass display case/museum holding an amp of every model they've made, Marshall & Park & others. It's open to the public by prior appointment. The mock theatre where you can trial most of the amp range past & present is - IIRC - only open to serious buyers and/or "names".
[i]Might be an idea for a Basschat outing on the ol' Charabanc?[/i]

Edited November 30, 2014 by Big_Stu

[JTUK]

[quote name='spacey' timestamp='1417348496' post='2619339']
......................
They are always years behind the competition.
These days of Mark Bass and TC, agulia ect.., where are they in bass amps ?
Nowhere is the answer, nostalgia of yesteryear.
[/quote]

Never been a factor bass-wise, IMO. I had one back in the day when you HAD to have one..or thought you did
and couldn't wait to swap it out for a Hiwatt which was heaps better.

[spacey]

Where its a factor is staying in business.
Orange, Aguilar. Mark bass TC and plenty of others flying out of shops to bass players.
Marshall, nowhere to be seen, nobody really even bothers stocking them.

Now they have the Chinese links, but like anything British (Rover cars) they just can not get in to the 21st century.
Time has stopped and what should be a premium brand is now a range of out of date old school bass amps that really would be better scrapped, get some fresh blood and I have said this before, utilise tube drive pre-amp technology and wire it to a class D power amp and get back in the game.
Re-design the cabs, dump celestion speakers and use eminence top range, make smaller stuff, 1x12, 2x12, 2x10, make it all fit together and line up.

A real shame that they are no longer a option in the bass market, they need to have a coach trip out and go see and play the competitions amps and come back to the drawing board, but don't only see them, load them in and out of the types of cars musicians have, see how necessity now drives what we buy, gone are the days of band vans, it's what you can carry now in your car.

[police squad]

I had a 50 watt superbass in the late eighties. It was an early 70s one. It sounded great. Then in about 2004 I bought a 100 watt superbass and played guitar through it with an old greebacked marshall 4x12. My cab was covered by Jim. It has his signature inside. It sounded great. Used a powerbrake with it. Swapped it for a '67 SG junior