Marshall 1936 2x12 Cabinet

2x12 Marshall cab with Celestion G75t's in it and stereo inputs

I play a Mesa DC-5 head through this cab and after 3 years of use, I'm not all that impressed. I have also played this though a 4x12 Marshall with Vintage 30's and the sound was great. I wanted something smaller than a 4x12 for gigging and honestly this isn't much smaller - it's very large for a 2x12. I haven't ever had any buzzing issues or anything else like others have stated, this cab is just plain dull. It has no life whatsoever. One of the other guys said it perfectly that the sound is very narrow and just shoots out at your legs.

It's a marshall cab. Solid as a fuckin' rock.

Never needed it.

If this cab were lost or stolen I would buy something else. No heartbreak. I give this cab a 6 only because its totally solid and has never shit out on me.

80's 1936 2x12 with Celestion 75's. This one is real plywood.

Single 1/4" jack for 8ohms

An extra jack would be nice but usually the amp has a 2nd jack anyhow.

Fits in the backseat with ease!

Sounds fantastic. Great low end as it's a rather large 2x12...not like the 1922.

The attack is nice and quick, and it's not boomy either.

Classic Marshall sound.

No probs...and it's an old, used 1980s unit.

Never dealt with support.

7 years. Own a mesa 1x12 recto cab, Yorkville/Traynor YCV40, custom made Vox AC-30TB clone, custom single EL84 amp, custom 18W plexi style marshall amp, and a whack of bass gear.

2x12
Mono or Stereo
etc.

I play with a Sovtek Midget 50H. (Maxed)
With a Turbo Rat and a Big Muff (also Maxed)

Wall of Sound (Noise)

I never gig with a backup.

Never needed it.

The people who have given this cab a bad review are simply deluded.

I'm sorry to judge you from your reviews but you all sound like the sort of guitarists who care more about the equipment they have than making music.

I bought this because -
I can fit it in my car.
It's a reasonable price.
Got the classic marshall tone.
Reliable.

Anyone who would play with a full (4x12 x2) marshall stack in a small venue is a penis.

Pretty standard fare. Nice build quality. 2 Celestion G12T-75's. Rugged and reliable. Typical Marshall toughness. No worries.

This cab sounds way FAT. Chunky and crunchy, smooth mids, cuts right through the mix. I was looking for something a little more portable for informal jamming with my buds and this totally delivers the goods. I use a 1959 slpx head and it will thump you in the chest at 20 feet away. It does the job. Period.

No issues whatsoever.

Never needed it!

I don't understand why these dudes wanna slam this cab. I opened mine up and it's ALL birch ply. Second, Vintage 30's and Greenbacks always sounded mushy to me when driven hard. Check Yngwie and Zakk and see what they use. G12T-75's. Now Zakk's got this deal with EV which is even more over the top. Bottom line: if you need something to drag out of the house that will kick major ass like your 4-12 cabs without the moving hassle, this is the dude. Add it to your cab collection. You'll be glad you did.

Marshall 1936 2x12
Made in 1999
Used with Marshall JCM 800 100 watt Head and also
Marshall EL34 100/100 + Digitech GSP2101

Basically ive read some reviews here where people have mentioned how cheap and crap their NEW 1936's are. I have to agree cos i borrowed one of a mate (it was 6 months old) and it sounded like shit. Any cabs over about 5 or more years old are good. The new ones from Marshall are cheaply made! Crap wood etc. I think they actually come from china now but im not 100% sure. Im pretty sure all the valvestate stuff i made there.

Never ever had a problem.

Nil

The 'OLD' 1936's are tight sounding, bassy and handle great amounts of volume. I reckon they sound better than the Marshall quads. I prefer to use 2 1936 cabs as opposed to 1 quad. If your thinking about buying one remember, the older the better but not abused obviously!

Its a 2 x 12 Cab. No real features to speak of.

Ii played a Mesa Boogie Lonestar head through this Cab, and it sounded thin and harsh. The cab buzzes at high volume. The focus of the sound is very narrow as noted by previous commenst from other users. I tried teaming the cab with a 2 x 12 Mesa recto cab, and the recto sounded better on its own. What was the point of adding this cab to my setup. I ended up returning this cheap made in China 2x12 Marshal.

This Cab is made from cheap particle board. Take a moment and open up the back, and you will be shocked at the shoddy workmanship. The G12-75 speakers are made in China under license to Celestion, and are really harsh sounding with poor low end, thin mids and harsh highs. Don't waste your money buying Vintage 30's and putting them in this cab, it makes no sense to house any quality speakers in this poorly constructed cabinet. The Handles are made of cheap plastic, held on by 4 screws. It is very light, but then again, particle board and plastic handles don't weigh very much.

I have been playing for over twenty years, with different cover bands. Shame on Marshal for using their name to rip off honest musicians.

Well, it's a 2x12 cab. It gets a 10 for actually having 2 12" speakers, and a 0 for cheap plastic handles, tolex bubbling from poor adhesive application, lead wires barely clipped onto the speakers, and oh yeah, did any of the other bazillion reviewers happen to mention - these thoroughbred pieces of crap are made (most of them) from MDF. Thats right, the world's "premiere" guitar amp manufacturer is building their precious cabinets from the same garbage used to make the cabinets under your bathroom sink. Truly despicable.

OK, I got this to use under a JCM800 2x12 combo. I really dig the original vertical input combos, and thought a half open/half closed back half stack would be interesting. The 1936 actually looks pretty cool and fits the 800 and 900 combos perfectly, so I figured I'd give it a try. I play rock/hardcore mainly on a LP Custom with minimal effects, using the amp and speakers in conjunction with my guitar to shape the sounds. This cab clashed horribly with the Celestion 65's in my combo. I figured I would swap out the g12t75's for Vintage 30's, but when I opened up the back and saw its internal construction I figured why bother. Overall, the flimsy construction and (in my opinion) tonally deficient speakers created a choked, lackluster tonality which did not do my nice 800 combo any justice whatsoever.

I can't imagine this piece of poo would last any serious working musician for any decent period of time. I haven't even tried using the handles. I started to, but the slightest pressure made it feel as if the 6 tiny screws holding it to the MDF (again, so shameful) wanted to tear right out. As I write this I'm looking over at the thing just shaking my head. When I took the jack plate off the back one of the speaker leads popped off. Are they serious with asking $550 new for these things?

Didn't own it long enough to call them.

I've been playing for over 20 years, and I will add that I can't remember the last time I sat down to write a review. I just hope I can save one more unfortunate soul from flushing their money away on a ridiculously over priced, under appointed piece of junk like the 1936. BUY A CARVIN LEGACY CAB. Their 4x12 model is the same price ($539, even less!), is made of nice plywood, has a sick steel grill/corners/HANDLES, and comes standard with Vintage 30's which, I really don't care what style of music you play - if you have a quality amp they will open up your sound and let it breathe. I am not an amp/speaker snob, but I've definitely played enough amps and cabs to know what sounds good and what doesn't. The 1936 DOESN'T. I repeat DOES NOT. peace

i got this cab new in 2003 so i assume this is a post 2000 model although i have to admit that i am not completly sure when it was made.

difficult to comment on features.. i mean... its a cab! but it does have the option to be used stereo as well as a standard cab, so i guess it gets a 10.

i use this cab with a marshall tsl 100. im playing custom jacksons, and telecasters with humbuckers screwed to them, i love the sound that i get with this setup (see my review of the tsl 100 head), a lot of the reviews here say that the sound is too directional (laser beams) but, i have actually found the dispertion to be pretty good. also with the solid back you get more volume pushed forward and don't lose it to the back of the stage.

for a 2x12 this has an awesome sound, in fact in the shop i also played the 1960 4x12, and sound wise there's not a lot in it. obviously a 4x12 is louder and has better dispertion, but the 1936 is really good, compared to other 2x12's its just astounding, the laney offer is utter crap, (i dont know what speakers they use but they're shocking... odd because i have used laney 4x12's and they've been pretty good) and the 1936 is even better then the mesa 2x12.. i guess because its physicaly bigger so you get a 'rounder' more full sound.

as i said, i use this with a 100 watt marshall head, but i have lent it to other bands at gigs and it has sounded really good with they're heads and combo's, so its not just down to marshall cabs with marshall heads! i was particually impressed with the sound one guy got with his 2 channel 100 watt laney head through my cab. (although admittidly i do really like laney amps anyway.. despite their lousy 2x12)

gets a 9 because although its really good, it would probably sound better with some better speakers, green backs or something.

had this cab for more then two years

regular gigs... (at least 1 a month, most of the time more like 3)
band practise everyweek...
gets moved a lot... (probably slides to much in the back of my car, and while i try to take as good care of it as possible, it inevitably gets banged about a bit, it was afterall bourght to be a workhorse.)
i play really loud..

and so far no problems at all. (i hope i havn't jinxed it now!!)

obviously it would be better to have a backup at gigs, however.. i can't afford one, and it wouldn't fit in my car, so i gig without backup all the time and so far no problems, i depend on it completly and i no longer worry about my lack of backup!

never had to deal! never had any problems, however came with warrenty, and the dealer/service center is fairly close... which is nice.

playing since primary school (classical guitar lessons courtesy of my parents) , but only playing seriously since i put my first rock band together, so a bit more then four years. (im 20 next month)

if it were stolen or lost i would definatly get another... well actually im a student and have no money, so what i would do is cry, then hunt down the guy who nicked it, beat him to death with my shoe, then steal his wallet and buy myself a replacement with his credit card.

the only gripe i have with this cab is that the input jack plugs are plastic, i'd be happier if they were metal.

whats really cool is that you get a real marshall sounding marshall cab, that will
A: fit in a small hatchback with the seats down, and still leave space for some more gear,
B: is easy to move, lighter and less awkward then a 4x12
and C: still looks awesome,.. a real marshall stack that you can transport without roadies!

get one!

feel free to contact me if you want to chat about gear, im no expert but i can give you my honest opinion!

Everyone's nailed the features already. One thing I will say is that my cab was made with MDF (chipboard). THis a HUGE difference than solid pine or another actual wood enclosure. For the price of the cab...it should be real wood.

The "sound" out of this cabinet wasnt bad. What I had an issue with is its dispersion. It's dispersion pattern was pretty much a laser beam coming at my knees. I had a huge problem actually hearing myself with this cab. I thought the problem was the "modern" soundign G1270s that were in there so I put in some Vin 30's. Much better sound..but still didnt solve the dispersion issue.

Didnt have an issue.

I play in a classic rock band with another guitarist and I could never hear myself. At one point I remember turning to our bass player during a song...taking my hands off the neck of the guitar and just strumming. We both looked at each other becuase we couldnt hear a thing.

Overall there are much better cabs for the money. Try Avatar for one. It doesnt say Marshall....but is a much better constructed cab much cheaper. I replaced my 1936 with an Avatar and MUCH preferred the sound. I'm also probably more of an open back kind of guy however..so keep that in mind.

You know the features already . . .

See below . . .

No worries, mate . . .

Not required . . .

This review is not just about the 1936. Harmony Central is a great forum, perhaps the best on the web, so I just wanted to post my recent experiences with all my gear - a system of systems, if you will - and hopefully assist the novice as well as the aficionado in the process.

My profile: Guitarist in a three-piece cover band (see http://milesfromclever.com). We play danceable (but never cute) rock n' roll. My style is basically power/open chords with the occasional lead fill. I need a rig that growls as well as offering some semblance of clean. I like channel switching over working the volume knob, especially in the heat of a live performance.

My history: I played in a band called The Cheaters based out of Pensacola, Florida back in the late '80s. Since that time, besides being used for the occasional video soundtrack or one-of project, my gear collected dust while I made a go of another career. I started my current band about a year ago with my old gear: a Washburn G-20 and a Laney AOR-50 as well as the normal garden variety of effects pedals. Then I decided I wanted to upgrade. Begin the journey.

The first step was a new guitar. I've always wanted a Les Paul, but didn't want to throw down two grand, so I compromised and bought a Special. I got lucky here, as mine showed up in great shape. I had it set up by my guitar tech and basically all he did was lower the action. I use Ernie Ball Regular Slinky strings and recently tried the Power Slinkys, which I like.

Next, I needed to groom the Laney. I replaced the Fane with a Celestion G12T-75 and swapped all the tubes (2xEL-34/4x12AX7). The result was replusive. Instead of swapping back, I decided to by a Marshall 1936 and borrow my bassist's Mesa-Boogie 50-cal+. That was a big improvement, but I still wasn't satisfied. I stuck Vintage 30s in the 1936. NOT GOOD. (See my Vintage 30 review under "Celestion.") Swapped one of the G12T-75 back in. A little better, but still not acceptable. Swapped the G12T-75 with a Greenback. Better still. Came into the possession of a Marshall JCM800 2205. Had it hot rodded by Doug Weisbrod of Music Technologies in Springfield, Virginia. Took some time to figure out the quirks of the Marshall head. (Generally, my lessons are given to me during gigs.) Had Doug stick 6L6s in. Result didn't work for me. Had Doug put EL-34s back in (JJs). Better. Realized the remaining Vintage 30 in the 2x12 was still barking in a way that bothered me. Swapped that with one of the G12T-75s. (That speaker has a bad rap on this site, for some reason.) Decided I needed an attenuator, which Doug generously lent me. Played a show and didn't like the sound. Blamed the Marshall. Swapped the head with the Mesa between sets. Sounded fine, but I was bummed that I'd spent so much money and invested so much time and still didn't have the sound I was looking for. Plus, sidelining the Marshall head just seemed WRONG. A/B'd the two heads the next day in my home office and realized the attenuator (Ultimate) was choking the tone in a way that I hadn't figured out during the gig the night before. Stage dynamics are different from home office dynamics (duh . . .). So I'm sticking with the Marshall (without the attenuator).

So, to review:

Speakers - There is no single answer. I fear you have to simply put the speaker in your cabinet with your effects and your guitar on your stage at your volume mixed by your sound tech through your monitors and see if you like the results. For example, I bought Vintage 30s based on the reviews and absolutely cannot stand them.

Tubes - Another process of elimination. I can say I like EL-34s better than 6L6s and prefer the 12AX7EHs over the others.

Amp heads - The most important variable of all. If you play live you need to listen to the amp at the volume you intend to perform at. This is especially true for Marshalls. Beware: New Marshalls don't like to be cranked like the ol