Marshall JMP Model 1992 Super Bass 100 Tube Amplifier (1973)
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Marshall JMP Model 1992 Super Bass 100 Model Tube Amplifier (1973), made in London, serial # SB/A 2951E, Orange Crush Tolex finish.
Marshall amps are certainly a rock legend, with a sound that has defined both an entire style and era of music. This "custom color" orange Super Bass half stack is a real monster, both in volume and tone and features a handwritten moniker "Orange Crush" and is signed by Jim Marshall himself -- a real one-of-a-kind! The orange-colored Tolex covering appears to be the same as used by the Orange amplifier company and this one-off Super Bass likely was intended a pointed nod towards their biggest competitor in the UK at the time.
The most celebrated Marshall amps owe their humble beginnings to the Fender Bassman 5F6-A, the original subject re-interpreted using English components and originally sold exclusively through Jim Marshall's London shop. Both the circuit design and sound soon evolved from the Fender paradigm into something entirely their own.
Early Marshalls powered the sound of the Who, Cream, Hendrix and beyond, de rigeur among top UK groups by 1969. Although the dedicated bass models were popular with many A-list bassists (arguably more so than the original Bassman) many notable guitarists have also chosen the Super Bass model over the Super Lead; Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Eric Johnson, to name a few. Consequently, the Super Bass has developed something of a cult following, but the differences between Super Lead and Super Bass amount to little more than a handful of components; one circuit can fairly easily be modified into the other.
Similar to the Bassman, Marshall's Super Bass features four inputs and two channels, often jumpered with a short lead for more preamp gain, along with controls for each channel: volume, treble, middle, bass and presence controls. The head sports a quad of EL34 power tubes, putting out a whopping 100-watts into the iconic closed-back cabinet loaded with four 12" Celestion speakers, another Marshall innovation that owed much to The Who's John Entwistle, ever on the lookout for ways to make his bass louder and an early and eager advocate of the full-stack design.
These amps came of age in the late 1960s, an era when bands routinely played large stadiums and festivals, often without PA sound reinforcement for the guitars. In 1969 amplifiers with this sort of power were a necessity rather than a luxury, and the tone became the new rock standard. These days, we have the luxury of attenuators, to tame these beasts somewhat and protect our ears!
This gleaming orange Super Bass is a relatively early example, especially rare considering its custom color covering. The amp's serial number 2951E dates the head to 1973, as does the handwritten date on the inspection sticker on the chassis. The 4x12 cabinet can be dated by the speakers residing in it; all visible markings date to March of 1972. The matching stack covered in orange Tolex this would have been a one-off creation for show or a custom-ordered rig, in which case we'd love to know who first took delivery!
Cosmetically, this "half stack" remains in very well-preserved condition for its age. The custom color bright orange Tolex covering is very clean and only shows minor amounts of scuffing and some minor tears, most notably around the rear edges of the speaker cabinet. The handle, gold piping and white plastic logo all are original to the amp and in excellent shape. The metal front panel is in great condition showing very little wear. The original knobs show some corrosive staining, but are all intact, free of cracking and none are missing! The grille cloth is original as well and is free of any visible tearing.
Electrically, this amp is nicely original. The cabinet contains the original four 12" Celestion 'greenback' G12 ceramic speakers, three of them marked CE, dating them to March, 1972 (the fourth has the date stamp worn off beyond legibility but from all visual accounts appears to be original as well). They have all been professionally reconed with period correct parts and sound fantastic.
The amp's transformers and pots all appear to be original; pots mostly retain undisturbed red-marked solder joints throughout, except some joints on the two volume controls. Relatively little work has been done in order to preserve originality to the greatest extent possible. The amp has otherwise seen our typical maintenance and servicing, including replacement of all electrolytic capacitors, install of a new grounded 3-prong power cord, all sockets, pots and jacks cleaned and power section biased to spec with a new matched quad of the robust and ever-reliable JJ EL34 power tube. Comes with a special detachable power cord and speaker cable. The amp is set up for US voltage and as they used to say, "Ready To Rock".
DISCLAIMER: Please note that because this is a 100W head, it should not be used "cranked" on full power extensively with only the single 4x12" cabinet connected as this could risk damaging the speakers. In this scenario, using two 4x12" cabinets, a.k.a. a "full stack" would be appropriate. Another alternative is to install modern speakers with higher power handling capability in the original cabinet and preserve the originals. Overall Excellent Condition.
Marshall amps are certainly a rock legend, with a sound that has defined both an entire style and era of music. This "custom color" orange Super Bass half stack is a real monster, both in volume and tone and features a handwritten moniker "Orange Crush" and is signed by Jim Marshall himself -- a real one-of-a-kind! The orange-colored Tolex covering appears to be the same as used by the Orange amplifier company and this one-off Super Bass likely was intended a pointed nod towards their biggest competitor in the UK at the time.
The most celebrated Marshall amps owe their humble beginnings to the Fender Bassman 5F6-A, the original subject re-interpreted using English components and originally sold exclusively through Jim Marshall's London shop. Both the circuit design and sound soon evolved from the Fender paradigm into something entirely their own.
Early Marshalls powered the sound of the Who, Cream, Hendrix and beyond, de rigeur among top UK groups by 1969. Although the dedicated bass models were popular with many A-list bassists (arguably more so than the original Bassman) many notable guitarists have also chosen the Super Bass model over the Super Lead; Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Eric Johnson, to name a few. Consequently, the Super Bass has developed something of a cult following, but the differences between Super Lead and Super Bass amount to little more than a handful of components; one circuit can fairly easily be modified into the other.
Similar to the Bassman, Marshall's Super Bass features four inputs and two channels, often jumpered with a short lead for more preamp gain, along with controls for each channel: volume, treble, middle, bass and presence controls. The head sports a quad of EL34 power tubes, putting out a whopping 100-watts into the iconic closed-back cabinet loaded with four 12" Celestion speakers, another Marshall innovation that owed much to The Who's John Entwistle, ever on the lookout for ways to make his bass louder and an early and eager advocate of the full-stack design.
These amps came of age in the late 1960s, an era when bands routinely played large stadiums and festivals, often without PA sound reinforcement for the guitars. In 1969 amplifiers with this sort of power were a necessity rather than a luxury, and the tone became the new rock standard. These days, we have the luxury of attenuators, to tame these beasts somewhat and protect our ears!
This gleaming orange Super Bass is a relatively early example, especially rare considering its custom color covering. The amp's serial number 2951E dates the head to 1973, as does the handwritten date on the inspection sticker on the chassis. The 4x12 cabinet can be dated by the speakers residing in it; all visible markings date to March of 1972. The matching stack covered in orange Tolex this would have been a one-off creation for show or a custom-ordered rig, in which case we'd love to know who first took delivery!
Cosmetically, this "half stack" remains in very well-preserved condition for its age. The custom color bright orange Tolex covering is very clean and only shows minor amounts of scuffing and some minor tears, most notably around the rear edges of the speaker cabinet. The handle, gold piping and white plastic logo all are original to the amp and in excellent shape. The metal front panel is in great condition showing very little wear. The original knobs show some corrosive staining, but are all intact, free of cracking and none are missing! The grille cloth is original as well and is free of any visible tearing.
Electrically, this amp is nicely original. The cabinet contains the original four 12" Celestion 'greenback' G12 ceramic speakers, three of them marked CE, dating them to March, 1972 (the fourth has the date stamp worn off beyond legibility but from all visual accounts appears to be original as well). They have all been professionally reconed with period correct parts and sound fantastic.
The amp's transformers and pots all appear to be original; pots mostly retain undisturbed red-marked solder joints throughout, except some joints on the two volume controls. Relatively little work has been done in order to preserve originality to the greatest extent possible. The amp has otherwise seen our typical maintenance and servicing, including replacement of all electrolytic capacitors, install of a new grounded 3-prong power cord, all sockets, pots and jacks cleaned and power section biased to spec with a new matched quad of the robust and ever-reliable JJ EL34 power tube. Comes with a special detachable power cord and speaker cable. The amp is set up for US voltage and as they used to say, "Ready To Rock".
DISCLAIMER: Please note that because this is a 100W head, it should not be used "cranked" on full power extensively with only the single 4x12" cabinet connected as this could risk damaging the speakers. In this scenario, using two 4x12" cabinets, a.k.a. a "full stack" would be appropriate. Another alternative is to install modern speakers with higher power handling capability in the original cabinet and preserve the originals. Overall Excellent Condition.