ProSoundWeb Community

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Pages: [1] 2  All   Go Down

Author Topic: Early Marshall Line Sources  (Read 9098 times)

Ivan Beaver

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9534
  • Atlanta GA
Early Marshall Line Sources
« on: November 17, 2020, 02:38:57 PM »

While looking at some old catalogs I have in my office (I have a wall of them, like the amp wall), I noticed this and wanted to share.

This is from Marshall (yes the guitar amp Marshall).  Notice the smallest column and the power rating.

BTW, in the same catalog (1969), they also sell the Marshall Major, a 200 watt continuous guitar amp.

I figure the balance is about right--------------
Logged
A complex question is easily answered by a simple-easy to understand WRONG answer!

Ivan Beaver
Danley Sound Labs

PHYSICS- NOT FADS!

Art Welter

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2201
  • Santa Fe, New Mexico
Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2020, 04:14:16 PM »

This is from Marshall (yes the guitar amp Marshall).  Notice the smallest column and the power rating.

BTW, in the same catalog (1969), they also sell the Marshall Major, a 200 watt continuous guitar amp.

I figure the balance is about right--------------
Balanced  +/- 20dB :^)

Though I can think of PA heads and columns from almost every other manufacturer of guitar amps in the 1960-70 era, this is the first time I recall seeing the Marshall PA gear.

I like the simplicity of the line up, - would you like 2, 3, 5, 6 or 8  3watt 8 inch speakers in your column?
With the Marshall PA amps only putting out 20, 50 or 100 watts, I don't think too many buyers of the 200 watt Marshall Major would have been using them.

« Last Edit: November 17, 2020, 04:16:42 PM by Art Welter »
Logged

Ivan Beaver

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9534
  • Atlanta GA
Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2020, 04:56:37 PM »

Balanced  +/- 20dB :^)

Though I can think of PA heads and columns from almost every other manufacturer of guitar amps in the 1960-70 era, this is the first time I recall seeing the Marshall PA gear.

I like the simplicity of the line up, - would you like 2, 3, 5, 6 or 8  3watt 8 inch speakers in your column?
With the Marshall PA amps only putting out 20, 50 or 100 watts, I don't think too many buyers of the 200 watt Marshall Major would have been using them.
I have a number of Marshall catalogs with columns.  Some use 12" drivers.

I have one that has the "Marshall Disco system".  YEAH.  It has 2 cabinets with a single 12" in them, a 100 watt head and dual turntable/mixer case.

The later Marshall PAs included dual 15" bins (look kinda like scoops, but have grills, so hard to say), radial horns etc, 250 watt amplifiers and 12 channel mixers.  That must have been the stuff Deep Purple was using when the set the worlds record for loudest band.  110dB, with a 10,000 watt Marshall PA.  NO, the Guiness book of world records didn't state the weighting or the distance with that spec.  That was around '76 or so?????
Logged
A complex question is easily answered by a simple-easy to understand WRONG answer!

Ivan Beaver
Danley Sound Labs

PHYSICS- NOT FADS!

Dave Pluke

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1777
  • Northwest GA, USA
    • BIGG GRIN Productions
Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2020, 10:28:43 AM »

BTW, in the same catalog (1969), they also sell the Marshall Major, a 200 watt continuous guitar amp.

Ah, yes, the Marshall Major - aka Spontaneous Combustion Machine  ;D .  Too much heat from those KT88's in too small a cabinet.

Here's what HIWATT was offering for PA by the mid 70's:

I don't know of anyone who actually used them, though.  Most early Brit PA stuff I recall seeing were WEM or VOX.

Dave
Logged
...an analog man in a digital world [tm]

Flying direct to nearly everywhere out of ATL

Ivan Beaver

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9534
  • Atlanta GA
Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2020, 03:06:25 PM »

Ah, yes, the Marshall Major - aka Spontaneous Combustion Machine  ;D .  Too much heat from those KT88's in too small a cabinet.

Here's what HIWATT was offering for PA by the mid 70's:

I don't know of anyone who actually used them, though.  Most early Brit PA stuff I recall seeing were WEM or VOX.

Dave
I must say I have never heard of a Hiwatt PA.

But then again, I had never heard of Ovation (the guitar company) PAs either, until I got a catalog.

Of course Gibson made PAs as well.  Even into the early 2000s.  I remember at a  NSCA show, Gibson set up a wrestling ring and you could watch the "Gibson man" defeat the competition-----------

Oh, and the PA gear looked like 1950s era cars------

Never heard of it before or after.  I wonder how much they spent on that show and development of the gear.  It must have been a small fortune.

Everybody was laughing at the "show".
Logged
A complex question is easily answered by a simple-easy to understand WRONG answer!

Ivan Beaver
Danley Sound Labs

PHYSICS- NOT FADS!

TrevorMilburn

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 103
Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2020, 03:37:20 PM »

While looking at some old catalogs I have in my office (I have a wall of them, like the amp wall), I noticed this and wanted to share.

This is from Marshall (yes the guitar amp Marshall).  Notice the smallest column and the power rating.

BTW, in the same catalog (1969), they also sell the Marshall Major, a 200 watt continuous guitar amp.

I figure the balance is about right--------------

Ivan, a snippet of memory from 12 years ago for you - a post from 2008.
An advert for Marshall P.A. systems circa 1971 - the advert talks about the Weeley festival which was a 3 day outdoor festival held in the Essex countryside near Clacton On Sea August 27th-29th 1971 which I was lucky enough to attend (my first festival). The PA consisted pretty much solely of the Marshall 4 x 12 cabs in the ad (some 40 odd per side)with some horns added for good measure.On the Sunday night, a different, very new PA system from Kelsey and Morris consisting of RCA and more modern w-bins and various multicellular and sectoral horns was switched on to replace the old school Marshall system but was woefully inadequate for the task (think modern sidefill size) and the Marshall system was turned back on to the delight of the crowd.



More about the festival an PA system here:

http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/weeley-festival-PA.html
« Last Edit: November 23, 2020, 03:49:25 PM by TrevorMilburn »
Logged

Ivan Beaver

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9534
  • Atlanta GA
Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2020, 04:46:09 PM »

Ivan, a snippet of memory from 12 years ago for you - a post from 2008.
An advert for Marshall P.A. systems circa 1971 - the advert talks about the Weeley festival which was a 3 day outdoor festival held in the Essex countryside near Clacton On Sea August 27th-29th 1971 which I was lucky enough to attend (my first festival). The PA consisted pretty much solely of the Marshall 4 x 12 cabs in the ad (some 40 odd per side)with some horns added for good measure.On the Sunday night, a different, very new PA system from Kelsey and Morris consisting of RCA and more modern w-bins and various multicellular and sectoral horns was switched on to replace the old school Marshall system but was woefully inadequate for the task (think modern sidefill size) and the Marshall system was turned back on to the delight of the crowd.



More about the festival an PA system here:

http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/weeley-festival-PA.html
That is interesting, as I read a different article with a TOTALLY different outcome.

What I read was that the other system was hired in for Rod Stewart, and was to be used just by him.  But when people could not hear at the back with the Marshall system, Rods system was turned on to help out.

I had no idea that they used so many of the Marshall columns  40 per side should make a "bit" of noise.

I wasn't there, but can only go on what I have read.  It is interesting hearing a different take from you.

Just like many things, you don't know what to believe.

BTW that ad is still on my office bathroom wall.  Whatever the outcome----
Logged
A complex question is easily answered by a simple-easy to understand WRONG answer!

Ivan Beaver
Danley Sound Labs

PHYSICS- NOT FADS!

TrevorMilburn

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 103
Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2020, 05:15:54 PM »

That is interesting, as I read a different article with a TOTALLY different outcome.

What I read was that the other system was hired in for Rod Stewart, and was to be used just by him.  But when people could not hear at the back with the Marshall system, Rods system was turned on to help out.

I had no idea that they used so many of the Marshall columns  40 per side should make a "bit" of noise.

I wasn't there, but can only go on what I have read.  It is interesting hearing a different take from you.

Just like many things, you don't know what to believe.

BTW that ad is still on my office bathroom wall.  Whatever the outcome----
Ivan, I was about 75 metres and at about 45 degrees or so from the front of the stage and when the new system was turned on for Rod, it was almost inaudible. This was also the case for those directly in front of the stage and about the same distance away. This was before the first really big American style PA systems (mostly JBL) hit the UK and before even  Dave Martin's 215 bin hit the scene so I think probably the system was demoed in a hall or cinema somewhere and was deemed man enough for the gig on first hearing but was totally inadequate for the real job. The Marshall system, although huge for the time, was not really hifi  by any means and was lacking in bass but on par with other offerings available at the time. A few years later, things had completely changed with the big boys  (IES et al)  bringing in huge stacks of 4550s and 4560s and piles of horns and tweeter arrays that  changed the ways festivals were experienced by the audiences. At the same time, Martin bins in their various forms came on the scene followed by MEH and their Harwell systems and the rest, as they say, is history.
Logged

Ivan Beaver

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9534
  • Atlanta GA
Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #8 on: November 24, 2020, 08:41:52 PM »

Ivan, I was about 75 metres and at about 45 degrees or so from the front of the stage and when the new system was turned on for Rod, it was almost inaudible. This was also the case for those directly in front of the stage and about the same distance away. This was before the first really big American style PA systems (mostly JBL) hit the UK and before even  Dave Martin's 215 bin hit the scene so I think probably the system was demoed in a hall or cinema somewhere and was deemed man enough for the gig on first hearing but was totally inadequate for the real job. The Marshall system, although huge for the time, was not really hifi  by any means and was lacking in bass but on par with other offerings available at the time. A few years later, things had completely changed with the big boys  (IES et al)  bringing in huge stacks of 4550s and 4560s and piles of horns and tweeter arrays that  changed the ways festivals were experienced by the audiences. At the same time, Martin bins in their various forms came on the scene followed by MEH and their Harwell systems and the rest, as they say, is history.
Thanks.  It could be that I read the article the wrong way, about which system was lacking.

Back in those days lots of different things were tried, and failed.  I know I had my share of things that didn't turn out as expected.

Yeah, going outside and a further distance makes a HUGE difference.

I appreciate your personal input/experience

When they invent the time machine, I want to go back in time to Woodstock and some of my early gigs and see how it REALLY sounded.
Logged
A complex question is easily answered by a simple-easy to understand WRONG answer!

Ivan Beaver
Danley Sound Labs

PHYSICS- NOT FADS!

lindsay Dean

  • Classic LAB
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 798
Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2020, 01:48:32 PM »

Nostalgic to see the words "long throw" on the Marshall advertising pamphlet
Logged
"A mans got to know his limitations"
     and Pray for higher guidance

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Early Marshall Line Sources
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2020, 01:48:32 PM »


Pages: [1] 2  All   Go Up
 



Site Hosted By Ashdown Technologies, Inc.

Page created in 0.041 seconds with 25 queries.