Marshall 1962 Bluesbreaker

This is a mid to late 90's RI of the fabled Beano era Clapton combo amp. A 2X12 combo of 45Watts, Non-Master volume, two channels (jumper-able)are a low and high, tremolo (channel 2 only), presence, bass, mid, treble tone controls. Your basic classic Marshall (abeit with tremolo) setup that is simple and effective. Not switchable, but I didn't by it for that. I give it a 7 because its effective but not fancy, but a range of good tone can be had via jumpering channels. I measured my cab from cloth to back and its only about 7". So either Marshall has been shrinking them or nobody else reviewing has been measuring. EVEN so, it fits those big-assed Chinese coke bottle KT66s in with a ridiculously simple process of adding some (2) washers as spacers between the chassis and the 4 mounting screw holes, so that you gain about an extra 1/4 inch necessary for the tube clearance. Speakers are two Celestion 12" greenbacks. ALL tube, including rectifier, comes with Marshall labeled sovteks, GZ34 rect, ECC83 preamps an trem, 5881/6L6 power tubes

I'll review as STOCK, because that's how its delivered, and otherwise there would be no reference point. I'll describe the mods I've done, but the sound comments are as stock (except mismatching the impedance-see below).

One thing you can do that helps alot is to set the impedance setting one 'high'. The speakers' impedance is 8 ohms and I have selected 16 ohms on the amp. This really makes the amp sound bigger and more 'open' sounding, I love it.

I have outfitted mine with KT66s (and 1K screen resistors) and replaced all the Sovtek tubes with much better NOS and other misc tubes. This helps alot too.

I give the sound a 8 1/2 because while close to awesome, its noisy. Keep in mind that I haven't played thru any other amps personally that I'd rate higher than this...

I play a '95 Les Paul std and a '99 Am Std strat, and this amp does them both EXCELLENTLY! This was an important thing for me, as I love my strat too. People tend to think of this as a humbucker amp, but damn it does single coils well too. In short, if you like your sound British, then this is tone heaven. British is how I love my tone! Clapton, Hendrix, even Zep can both be approximated convincingly. It IS a Fendery Marshall, and less agressive than a plexi and plenty warm. I'd love to be able to do jazz through this amp but its too noisy for that IMO.

With a strat, the clean and quieter settings are ideal and dreamy, with lots of complexity and space, cranked, the breakup is vintage but a little too boomy and bottom-heavy. I think with more fiddling with eq you could fix this up a bit.

With a 'Paul, lower volumes are quite nice and jazzy, and cranked we're talking sweet and beautiful power tube distortion. Add a rangemaster in front and get in some lovely preamp distortion too! Cranked up this gives you some great sweet crunch and some great Zeppelin II sounding powerchords.

Note: The sovtek 12AX7-LPS is good for more agressive stuff, but I feel the tone of the lower volume settings (especially strat) suffers from decreased complexity. So I'm using NOS JAN 12AX7WA, a great compromise between gain and sweet tone.

I DO consider this amp a bit noisy, but techs that have heard it have assured me that what I hear is "Marshall hum". I still don't know if I believe that or not, I think some of them didn't want to open that can of worms. It is a little quieter in my new house, but you can hear the hum even while playing softly like 'Wind Cries Mary' stuff.

One more thing, this tremolo is not as bad as I read everywhere. I found that (FOR TECHNICALLY INCLINED AND HIGH-VOLTAGE SAFETY MINDED PEOPLE) if I tweaked the bias pot for the trem there is a "sweet spot" that really sounds nice. Just adjust the pot while playing and you'll find it. There is a narrow range tho, everywhere else its like an on-off switch. People should give the trem another shot.

My amp has not been on the road, but has been lugged around a lot. It has never crapped out or anything. It stands up to cat scratching well- so far so good. My biggest complaint is that the damn carrying handle keeps coming loose, even after taking it apart and tightening. Then it rattles when I'm cranked. This is annoying but understandable for such a little handle and a heavy SOB of a combo. Anyone fix this? apoxy?

I have only dealt with the support when I took it to the local Marshall tech for being noisy. That was when they gave me the "Marshall hum" runaround explanation. So they did nothing for me. No other complaints

I've been playing for about 16 years and this amp is one of the pieces I've been wanting for my tonal arsonal. The only way I'd ever consider selling is if I got an origional. When I find and add an Early SF or BF Fender Pro Reverb, and maybe a real plexi and a vintage cab, I'll be DONE. Also this amp is pretty enough to sleep with! :) Its gorgeous, black and has that pretty logo....

This is a 1990 model. Essentially, it's the JTM-45 reissue with tremolo added, and mounted in an open back 2x12" cabinet. I'm giving this a relatively low rating for features because I feel the amp could be more a accurate reproduction of an original Model 1962 than how it comes from the factory. While the cosmetics are generally pretty good, the cabinet depth is not as deep as the originals (9" vs. 12"), and this effects the bass response. Also, the 5881 tubes that come stock do not produce the classic, vintage Marshall tone that you hear on the old "Bluesbreakers with Clapton" record. I understand that KT-66 tubes were not available when Marshall first introduced this amp, but they are currently being made by Russian and Chinese companies and I feel that Marshall should look into fitting these into their new reissue Bluesbreaker and JTM-45 amps. Also, the potentiometers (Alpha- made in Taiwan) are very cheap and feel shoddy. I replaced mine with CTS/Fender steel shaft pots of appropriate values.

Despite the above noted dificiencies, the amp sounds very good stock. My reference guitar is a '93 Gibson Classic Plus with Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups. I have owned the 1987X reissue and an original JMP 50, and this amp has a spongier, looser sound that is better suited to the Blues or possibly Jazz. When pushed to higher volume levels it produces as smooth, singing overdrive. Still, it didn't sound much like Clapton's amp on the Bluesbreakers album. So... after about a year of playing the amp in its stock condition I decided to modify it closer to "vintage" specs. The first thing was to replace the 5881 output tubes with a pair of Valve Art KT-66s (about $50 a pair). I replaced the rectifier tube with an old Amperex GZ-34 and the preamp tubes with JJ/Teslas. Next, I lowered the values of the filter capacitors from 50uF down to 32uF. Lastly, I replaced the reissue Celestion Greenback speakers with Weber VST Blue Dogs (about $300 a pair). The Blue Dogs are alnico speakers and come close to replicating the sound of the early Celestion G12 that was fitted into the Marshall cabinets until about 1966. The Greenbacks sound good, but the alnico Blue Dogs have more of a sweet chime to them. After these changes, the amp has a very different voice and sounds much closer to the original Bluesbreakers album from which it gets it's name. In short, there's nothing wrong with the sound of the stock amp, but if you specifically want the "Bluesbrekers" sound, be prepared to at least replace the output tubes. I consider the other mods optional, but if you want that early Clapton tone they will get you there.

I got mine used in mint condition. I play it with a THD 8 ohm Hotplate. No problems in the 1 and 1/2 years I've owned it.

I wanted a vinyl cover for this amp, but the local dealers said they didn't exist. I called Korg USA and after waiting several minutes I was able to talk to a representative who told me they DID make a cover for the Bluesbreaker, and he gave me the part number and retail price. Not bad!

Before the changes, I would rate it as an 8. After the few modifications metioned above, I would bump it up to a 9. Unfortunately, like most people I don't have access to an original "Style 2" 1962 combo to do a side-by-side comparison. But, using the "John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton" CD as a sonic refernce, I can say that the newly modded Bluesbreaker is about 90% accurate to the sound on the record. Total cost, including the mods, was about $1,100, which is still less than a brand new one would cost from a dealer. By buying used and spending the saved cash on the modifications I now have an amp that is "better" than a stock amp, and for roughly the same price. In any case, it's cheaper than a $5,000 vintage original!

just 4inputs and two channels, no reverb, no fx loop and no channel switching. You change timbre by altering pick attack or change pickup volume. The eq works just enough to adjust the tone for the acoustics of the club your in.

For blues this is it. It sings and stings better than the reissue tweed bassman. The responce of the tube rectifier is really noticeble with violin type singing harmonics. This is the most touch sensitive amp I've ever played. The most impressive aspect of the amp is how deep and pentrating the bass responce is. SRV would have loved it. I tryed running it through a 4x12 with vintage 30's and the effect was even more noticable. The upper midrange was also sweeter without any of that edgyness it seems to get from the RI greenbacks. I think Marshall should use Vintage 30's instead. Although it may make the amp too loud to crank up in clubs. I've already got a Jubille combo so I'm going to hold out for a JTM 45 RI head instead. I would like to try it out with EL-34
's also.

It should be good but I was only test driving it

I talked to Marshall only once about 7 years ago about cosmectly repairing an old amp and they were really nice and made me feel real comfortable. They want their amps to look and sound good. They are a long ways away from the states however.

For classic blues playing in clubs this may be the ultimate amp. It has THAT sound. You can crank it and have enough power without blowing away your bandmates. The tremolo is usfull for SRV vibroverb chords. It wieghs a ton but it is easier to lug around than a 1/2 stack and really no worse than a Twin. I would have this amp before a Twin or a 4-10 bassman

My bluesbreaker is dated 27/7/89 of course you know in england they reverse the day & the date so this is a almost an 11 year old amp already. I am actually lucky to have scored this amp it is actually from the 1st shipment of them from England it has 3 Drake transformers which are now insane money and is hand wired. According to my amp tech after 1989-90 Marshall switched to cheaper transformers and mounted the pots right on the the circut board. So the 1989-1990 models are the ones to own if you are considering buying one of these please note this. The controls are straight forward. Like an old marshall 4 inputs 2 seperate volumes. None of the bells and whistles you get on all these new fangles amps. But considering this is the only amp I own thats been built after 1973 - this is the way I like it !!! It has more than enough power from a bar to a medium hall this sucker is LOUD !! I did the 4 input set up I also have a 1973 50 watt superlead and a 69 plexi - so I am used to it. Tubes that came were a cheap grade 6L6 totally unappropriate I did use a different tube as you will see below. The only thing I hate about this amp it the weight - it is very very heavy -- the shipping weight to my front door was 79 pounds so I guess the actual amp wieghs 75 pounds - the cabinet is a modified version of the original the original bluesbreaker had an 11 1/2 depth when i first heard marshall modified the cabinet I said why did they do that now I know why the reissue is 9 so I can't imagine what a real one must weigh !! This would make it hard to gig with lugging this amp at 3:00 am in the morning after playing for 3 hours would kill me. The cabinet is made from baltic birch - my amp teck also told me that on the newer ones they are using praticle board ( which is probably heavier ) so beware. Over all I think the features are excellent - if this is what your looking for.

I use a Les Paul 1959 reissue which I loaded with a set of real gibson PAF's from the 50's I bough them from Hi-Test guitars in the vintage news for $ 900 a pair 4 years ago they sound amazing with the amp. I can almost get claptons bluesbreaker tone - the amp was just not "nasty" enough if that is a usable sonic term. I put a pair of Sylvania 63A7 which is a Mesa Boogie american EL34 - and it added to the volume and power - and gave the amp a little more bite. The amp is very quiet you stop playing and it stops making noise ( unlike vintage marshalls ) I was actually very impressed with the amps CLEAN sound more than anything I have never owned a Marshall that is so Warm sounding. You can really nail that Fender Twin Reverb/Super Reverb tone ( minus the reverb of course) The clean sound is live and punchy - Steve Ray Vaugh Licks work well - I have not tried it with an outboard Fender Reverb Unit but I will - I think you can nail that 'crossfire' tone. The 2 greenbacks are good but I think they have trouble handling the power of the amp - when you really crank it they get kind of fuzzy sounding - like they are overloading. I think this amp comes alive with a closed back marshall greenback 4 - 12. I have also added a marshall 2-12 speaker cabinet with greenbacks which is also a closed back cabinet running this along with the speakers in the mp add a nice balance to the tone. The distorted tones are right there - I use both channels with a chord atatching both channels this seems to balance the tone better. I set the amps volumes between 6 - 8 and use the guitars volume to adjust the amount of distortion I want. This amp rocks I am very happy with the tones. It does not give you the mesa-boogie insane distortion - thats not what it's made for. But with the addition of an amazing Tech 21 XXL pedal which gives natural distortion that sound like real amp distortion, With this pedal I was able to get the tone of any amp on the market - very impressive. A very small price to pay for such a versatile set up I got the pedal used for $ 45 dollars I think new they cost around 95.

This amp came with installed wheels on it I was told the amp came with the wheel holders installed and you could purchase the wheels seperatly - I was also told it came with the wheel holders and the wheels - even Korg did not know - sooo your guess is as good as mine. Mine came with wheel holders installed at the factory - WHAT A SHIT JOB THEY DID. the holes were not drilled properly the split the board that hold the baffle. I had to remove the broken wood and reglue and clamp all of it back. Don't really know about reliability - Marshall does not have the reputation of being "indistructable" I have only had it for 3 weeks - it's an old amp and is all original - so I guess that says something - the tubes in the amp were all original - hard to believe !!!! But the were and they worked.

I called Korg ( the US marshall distributor ) they were fast & friendly - though they did not know about the wheels - but I think Marshall itself is to blame for this. They just do and change things without informing anyone - sooo I like the people at Korg +10. But Marshall need some kind of info link with there people (-5) The price I paid includes shipping to my door (shipping was $ 85.00)

I have been playing guitar for 20 years I am happy to have this amp in my arsenal. I would definitely look to replace it if it was lost or stolen but it would have to be a 1989-1990 model!!

This amp has been already described as above so i won't go into the details here. The amp i own is a stocker. It is equiped with 6L6 tubes in the power amp section, and the same pre-amp tubes as supplied.

The sounds that this unit is capable of is really quite good. I have been playing since 1963 and it is a good amp. I currently use a Sheridan that has had the pickups replaced with Gibson Classic series and it does a very good job for Blues, jazz..jump and anything inbetween. With a good ground,this is a quite amp. This suits my musical tastes very well. I would use this amp without a backup as long as i had some spare tubes with me..not that it has been a problem, but things happen. It is limited to the types of music that i have mentioned and that should be expected. But, you can throw away any peddles that you have..or you should be shot at sunup for using them..this thing has a sound that everyone has been looking for for some 30 years..thats why they make all those stomp boxes..to try and capture that sound..forget them. I also play a 65 Hofner bass through this thing up to about 3 or 4 and it gets the most incredible compressed bass that one could desire. I record with this..and there is not a base amp, sans a bassman, that can touch this sound..infact, if it could be turned up..I'd rather play the bass through it than the guitar..but, be advised..the green backs are not bass speakers..use your head. I have a cabinet in the works that i will use 2X15's and unplug my speakers, and use the JTM to power that cabinet for recording and jaming lightly..it is incredible..but, it is only a component in the system..a slab body bass(gross)..will probably not give the wonderful sound that i get from my Hofner. Wanna hear that sound?..listen to McCartney on the first few early albums..especially "I saw her standing there"..you can here that nice compressed base sound there. The amp breaks up at about five and a half..it can be bridged..it is for you to try and decide what you like..it is a good amp..bomb proof really.

I don't play out anymore..so i can't say if i would gig with this without a backup..things happen..but so far, it has been a really dependable amp. I record allot of original music, and i use it for bass and guitar..the bass this thing will generate for that purpose can't be matched by any other combination that i hear..no one can touch the sounds that i am getting here..but, it is not a bass amp..use your head..be conservative..i use it on no more than 3, or with it bridged both on 2..and man..what a sound.

Don't know..they are awfully far away..lets just say that i feel i can trust it..if it goes down, I'll try and have it fixed locally..send it to England??..yeah..right. To the east coast??..he he..yeah right.this thing isn't leaving town.

as i said, i have been playing since the Beatles came here..if you don't know..don't ask. I have many instruments. A lifetime of them..many i see now that are made by Epiphone..Gibsons? i won't pay what they want anymore. I have them. I could throw a gernade in that music room and straighten it up. I currently play with a Sheridan II that i have replaced the pickups on with Gibson's Classic series..that makes it a 335 in anyone's book. I also have a 65 Left handed Hofner that i have played since i bought that new in 65. I have a Gibson SG with the old fold away vibrato bar on it..bought that in 66 i think..humm..have an old Gibson Les Paul Jr. with soap bars that i got in 72?..can't remember that one either. I have an LGO Gibson acustic that still sees the light of day..so, i have a few. There is only one thing i don't like about this amp..its weight..it isn't exactly light..especially up and down stairs..but this one has never left my home..so that isn't a real problem. It doesn't need anymore than what it has on it now..it is a blues, jazz amp pure and simple. But one more thing..i see where some young fella at the begining..say that he has the big coke bottle KT66's in his amp..that is not possible demensional wise. These are only 9 inches deep..that does not leave enough room for these giant tubes in there..so, unless he is drunk, or has cut holes in the front of it..it is not possible. The older ones were like 11 inches deep which did leave room for the big tubes..but, if one could get them in there..it would effect tone for the better..much better in fact. Keep in mind, what an Eric Clapton or someone can do with this equipment, and what myself, or the average guy can get out of it are two different things..all things must pass..execpt it for what it is..a reissue, and a good one at that. have fun with it, be yourself..not someone else..and you'll be happy with this amp.

I bought the reissue used and I think it is maybe four years old or so. There is nothing to this amp. 4 inputs and 2 channels. No reverb. Vibrato. The vibrato was deactivated when I got it because it was uneven and poor sounding. It was modified for use with the big bottle KT-66 tubes and that I love to no end. It came with reissue Greenbacks which are not everyone's cup of tea but I am digging them more and more each time I play.

I use nothing but Strats with this one but i do wish to get a Les Paul because it sounds so good with them. I play Blues and Rock and the amp is perfect for my style. The amp breaks up at about 5 or 6 (it is a Marshall) and it has that lovely Clapton "woman" tone. The channels are bridgable and give it even more possibilities. It sounds fat and very creamy smooth. Kind of like the top of a cup of cafe latte. Another note is that I replaced the harsh SOVTEK preamp tubes and got some NOS ones. This made the amp more round and warm. I felt almost a state of Nirvana when my friend and I did this. It changed the voice of the amp closer to an original 60's Bluesbreaker. I don't think this amp is for the metal player but it is plenty for anyone playing rock and blues.

The one thing I dislike about the amp is the way the chassis is mounted onto the flimsy back panel. The wood where the screws go in to anchor the plate onto the amp split so had to get very creative with the super glue. I guess if the amp was engineered a bit differently it wouldn't look so cool. Seems very strong otherwise.

I don't know but wouldn't hold my breath. Long way to send it back to England.

I have sought one of these for quite awhile and am glad to have one. I have grown up listening to the music that was recorded through amps like there and have a blast playing it. It has great tone and reccomend the KT-66 mod for any fellow owners. I would definitly freak and buy a new one if it were lost or stolen.

2 channel with tremelo.

This amp is good for clean to mild overdrive with Humbuckers or single coil P/U. I think it gets woofy and loose as the volume is increased.

I gigged for two years in a fifties band . I had no problems

Had no problems but Marshall has been around for years.

Good utility amp. Nothing special though

The point is it does not have everything that opens and shuts just everything that is needed to capture great tone and adjust sound to there taste, so I give it a nine and -2 points for the lack of reverb and +1 because that's the way it should be its a re-issue and 1 for the tremolo. Aside from that bass, treble and mid. Two channels not switchable so really good on useable and practical features.

Wow for a one sound amp it so versatile its just got the right sound for 95% of tastes maybe 100%! You see you start of with a great sound and you can mould it how you like and retain the warm clean sound. Also when you turn it past 4 or 5 it breaks up how an amp should note to all other amps. Its just the sound you chase for a life time. It does fender while still doing Marshall but not like boogie!!!It also sounds great with reverb if you add it with a reverb device. You start of with a great sound and work from there.

Yes well mine was ok but I have seen others blow as a matter of routine beware even my brand new one seem to run into problems with the tremolo it was cool because it was like a power soaker but it was not meant to be that way.

Great Amp came form a boogie DC-5 and before that a fender hot rod blue deluxe each move has been for the better, I just sold the Marshall because it was toooooooooo heavy I think I will look for a Fender Vibrolux I am not sure if I can top the Marshall but it will be lighter and add reverb so I guess it may end up a compromise we will see till next time folks! BYE

This is a used 1990 re-issue. No frills control panel( 2 inputs per channel, 2 volumes, treble, middle, bass, presence, tremelo and speed).There is no channel switching but channels can be bridged to get tone quality of other channel. No reverb - so add a stompbox or other reverb/echo accessory to get that Peter Green reverb drenched color. The sound is very British blues oriented. The cabinet depth is 9". The 1965/66 originals were 12" - a big difference in vol/tone. I also own a white 1997 ltd ed. Bluesbreaker which is a little more than 10 1/2" cabinet depth - the ltd ed is louder and bassier. This is a one dimensional amp - not for everyone.If you want that early Clapton sound - look no further.

Creamy distortions emit from this tube combo. The 2 25 watt 12" greenbacks sound superb. Just turn up the volume and adjust the tones(my favs bridge both vols between 6&8- treble on 6- middle cranked- bass on 4- presence between 4&8). I'm using a 56 Les Paul Jr and a 72 Les Paul P90 wrap around gold top and they sound awesome through this British blues combo. I also use a stock 74 rosewood neck Fender Tele and it can peel the skin off a grape with this baby(very warm and cutting).

This is a used and not abused amp when I bought it. Still has the buttery kick ass attitude.
Very well maintained. Will continue to coddle this gem.

Don't know. I have 3 competent amp techs to visit when need to. This is a used amp.

Love this amp. I bought this soon after I bought a 1997 Ltd Ed. white one. Traded a Crate 50 watt Blue Voodoo w/12" vintage Celestion cab for this beauty.($375.00!!!!!!!!!! for the Crate stuff and added $314.00 cash!) I talked the dealer down from his orig price of $899.99 to $650.00 - then the trade + cash.I love those guys at Sam Ash Edison, NJ. Don't want to think of anyone stealing this. Would have to kill the thief. I currently own 2 Bluesbreakers - so that tells you how much I love em.

This is a reissue made in -89 it have 2 channels with its own volume (2 input/channel high and low)Tremolo speed and Tremolo volume and Bass,Treble Middle,Precense. What else do you need. I play rock and blues, this amp has all I need for my style of music, and it's loud. All tube amp even the rectifier is a tube. 2 Greenback speaker 25W each.

I play with a handmade LES PAUL modell.The middle cranked, bass at 3 or 4 Treble and Precense at 3 or 4 Volume 1 at 8, volume 2 at 6,5. jumper Ch 1 low to Ch 2 High input and the Guitar to Ch 1 High input. With this settings the amp will sing. I have installed a mastervolume before the power Tube's so I can decrease the output level. Even at lower output volumes the amp sounds great. If I decrease Volume 1 to 5 and volume 2 to 3 it will be close to AC/DC and Angus Young's sound.

The warranty are for 3 month, I have about 1 month left of the warranty I hope it want break down. There are not a scratch on the amp it's in mint condition even though it's 10 years old

I would by this amp again, The amp has the sound I allways been looking for.