From the Chairman
Congratulations on your purchase of the limited
edition reissue of the offset JTM45 halfstack. The
original versions of this amp and cabinet were built
back in 1962, the very year in which Marshall
Amplification was born. In fact, the offset head was the
first version of the JTM45 my company made and only
a mere handful of these heads and cabinets were ever
constructed. In case you are wondering, the reason the
amp's chassis was offset like this was to help ensure
that the head balanced properly when carried. Despite
the practicality of this design however, we quickly
discovered that most people preferred the symmetrical
look of a centrally placed chassis, so that’s how we’ve
been building heads ever since!
A few years ago one of these extremely rare offset
halfstacks came back into my possession and I
immediately placed it in the Marshall Museum at our
headquarters in Milton Keynes, England. Since then, all
who have seen and heard it have commented most
favourably - not only on its unique looks but also on its
rich, fierce, majestic tone.
To celebrate the dawn of a new century I wanted to
offer something truly special - hence this reissue. To
make this unique product as authentic as possible, we
have sought out and reproduced all of the original
components and methods of construction we used back
in 1962. From the hand-wired tag-board circuit housed
in an aluminium chassis, through to the original silver
Celestion Alnico loudspeakers. We have even
resurrected the original ‘coffin’ logo!
I sincerely hope that this eye-catching reissue of one
of the first Marshall amplifiers ever made, will provide
you with countless hours of playing pleasure. I'm sure
it will. I'm also sure it will prove to be a quite a
conversation piece too!
