Jim Marshall (1923 – 2012)

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Jim Marshall, OBE, founder of Marshall amplification, the man known as "the Lord of loud" suffered some hearing problems. But it's not what you might think. "My right ear is not very good at all, and I'd always put it down to when I was playing the top cymbal, but it was probably the brass section in the orchestras I was playing in the '50s. So it happened before I was dealing with rock 'n' roll." It is ironic that the inventor of Marshall amp stacks was a drummer.
Marshalls are the cornerstone of rock and metal guitar tone, and every heavy amp on the market is a variation on a Marshall in one way or another. The white Marshall logo on amps has been ubiquitous in rock since the sixties, and it goes without saying that every major rock guitarist has played through a Marshall, including Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Jeff Beck, and Randy Rhoads, just to name a few. Marshall had a little music store in England that many musicians came to visit, and Pete Townshend of the Who and Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple came in saying they wanted something "bigger and louder" to play through. The rest is history.

Slash wrote, "I consider myself very fortunate to have known the late Jim Marshall. He was such a fantastic individual. Not only did he create the loudest, most effective, brilliant-sounding rock and roll amplifier ever designed, but he was a caring, hardworking family man who remained true to his integrity to the very end. He work ethic was unequaled and his passion unrivaled. He took great care of me personally, as one of his loyal fans and Marshall amp enthusiasts, ever since we first met in the early '90s."

Slash has used nothing but Marshalls since he started, and in his endorsement ad for the amps he said, "I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I won't even consider trying anything else – something that consistent you just don't fuck with. Jim's passing marks the end of a very loud and colorful era. From Pete Townshend to Kerry King, Marshall amplifiers have been behind every great rock and roll guitarist since the beginning. This industry will likely never see the likes of Jim again. But his legacy will live on forever." Mötley Crüe’s bassist, Nikki Sixx, said Marshall had been “responsible for some of the greatest audio moments in music’s history — and 50 percent responsible for all our hearing loss.”

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Jon Siddall demo on Marshall "flavors" -

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Would Money For Nothing have been possible without the Marshall amp?

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or Panama? Listen to the amp-less version.

Interesting but the tune was made to rock out. A good example of the Halen-Marshall "brown sound" -

and the real McCoys