Marshall Handwired
To the minds and ears of many, the mythical "Plexi" heads of the late '60s are considered the "holy grail" of great rock tone. Our handwired 1959HW transports us back in time to that celebrated era and the result is a breathtaking re-issue that's authentic in every detail - from those world-famous front panel legends to the oversized, custom-built, "drop through" mains transformer that lies at the very heart of the beast. Good looks and impressive specs aside, the 1959HW's real beauty lurks in its unique and highly responsive tone.
To complement the 1959HW's visual sonic majesty we offer the 1960AHW (angled) and 1960BHW (straight) 4x12" cabinets that boast Basket Weave fret cloth, metal handles, "100" logos and are loaded with Celestion's highly-acclaimed G12H-30 re-issue speakers.
An authentic, handwired re-issue of the original 2061 head (1968-1973), this compact, twin-channel, all-valve beauty houses 2 x ECC83 valves in its preamp and a pair of cathode biased EL84s in its power stage. The 2061X features a solid-state, silicon diode rectifier, and is a much more aggressive and surprisingly modern sounding amplifier, while still possessing that unmistakable and highly desirable, vintage all-valve tone. Just like the original, the 2061X boasts a point-to-point, handwired, tagboard circuit, a mild-steel chassis and Dagnall transformers.
As the perfect sonic and visual partner for the 2061X we offer the 2061CX - a compact, angled-front 2x12", 60 Watt cabinet loaded with Celestion's renowned G12H-30 re-issue speakers.
The 1974X is an authentic re-issue of the fabled model 1974 combo of the late sixties (1966-1968). Just like the original, it boasts a point-to-point, handwired, tagboard circuit housed in an aluminium chassis, plus a valve-driven tremolo circuit. At the very heart of its simple, but effective, two channel design can be found six valves: three ECC83s in the preamp, an EZ81 rectifier and a pair of cathode biased EL84s in the power stage. As the output and mains transformers are vital components in any amplifier as they influence performance, sound and feel, we worked extremely closely with our associates at Dagnall in order to duplicate the original, "off-the-shelf" transformers in all areas.
Another major contributing factor to the distinctive sound of vintage 1974 combos is the way the original 20 Watt, ceramic magnet, Celestion Greenback T1221 loudspeaker's tone has softened with age.
In order to recreate the gorgeously smooth tones of a 35-year-old vintage Greenback, Celestion not only revisited the 1967 recipe for the speaker, they also came up with a proprietary way of "aging" the speakers so they sound and feel like the originals made in the late '60s! The same exact, exclusive "aged" T1221 Greenback speaker is also found in the 1974CX, a 1x12" extension cabinet for the 1974X.
| FEATURES | 1959HW | 2061X | 1974X |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head | Yes | Yes | No |
| Combo | No | No | Yes |
| Output (RMS) | 100 Watt | 20 Watt | 18 Watt |
| Tremolo | No | No | Yes |
| Speakers | No | No | G12M-20 Special |
| Pre-Amp Valves | 3 x ECC83 | 2 x ECC83 | 3 x ECC83 |
| Power Amp Valves | 4 x EL34 | 2 x EL84 | 2 x EL84 |
| Valve Rectifier | No | No | 1 x EZ81 |
| Footswitch (supplied) | No | No | PEDL-10034 |
| Dimensions (mm) | 740 x 275 x 210 | 510 x 208 x 206 | 610 x 508 x 226 |
| Weight (kg) | 22 | 10 | 19 |
| FEATURES | 1959HW | 2061X | 1974X |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet Type – Angled | Yes | Yes | No |
| Cabinet Type – Base | Yes | No | Yes |
| Speaker Type | G12H-30 | G12H-30 | G12H-20 |
| Speaker Configuration | 4 x 12" | 2 x 12" | 1 x 12" |
| Power (RMS) | 120 Watt | 60 Watt | 20 Watt |
| Impedance | 16 Ohm | 8 Ohm | 16 Ohm |
| Dimensions (mm) | 760 x 830 x 360 | 643 x 643 x 300 | 610 x 508 x 226 |
| Weight (kg) | 36.4 | 24 | 14 |
Copyright Centre City Music. All photos are available for personal use only.