SeriesMarshall Signature

The Marshall Randy Rhodes signature model 1959RR is a copy of the amp Randy used while playing with Ozzy Osbourne. The mods on Randys personal amp were unknown until recently when Marshall was able to Examine it. Randys amp was a modded original non master volume 100 watt 1959 Super Lead with four inputs. Marshall stopped making these amps back in 81 when the 59 JCM800 came out. The 1959RR is a two channel head with 100 watts. It is powered by 4 EL34 tubes with volume controls for ceach channel and shared eq controls. The mod on this amp is pretty cool. Randys amp had a mod that cascades both halves of the first 12AX7 in the preamp. And this then feeds the output from the first part into the second part instead of using both parts seperately. This makes the first volume knob kinda act like a master volume while the second volume knob is like a gain control. This lets the amp have way more gain then a normal non master volume Marshall. The amp is covered in white vinyl like Randy's original. UTILIZATION This amp is not very usable in most situations. The being a non master volume Marshall it is extremely loud because you have to turn it up to get any distortion out of it. It is an old school two channel amp so you cant switch between the channels you have to plug your guitar into the different input. Even at the lowest volumes it is too loud. You will need an attenuator to use this thing as a normal amp. And we all know how bad attenuators are for tube amps. SOUNDS If you are not use to old Marshalls you will be surprised at how little gain there is. You really have to kill the amp to get a heavy sound from it. These things were made to play arenas not bed rooms. The amp has to be on the verge of melt down to get an even remotely modern gain sound. If you can get the amp loud enough you can get a nice 80s Marshall sound with the crisp high end bite. I think you really need a overdrive pedal to get Randy's album sound on this. OVERALL OPINION I do not think Marshall really intended anyone to play this amp. This is more of a collectors item judging by the price. There are much much cheaper ways to get Randy's tone nowadays. Modded JCM's are every easy to find and modeling technology has come a long way. Something like an Axe-FX costs a quarter of the price of this and can get this sound and a whole lot more. 4000 dollars is too much for an amp that is pretty much unusable by most people. This is for the rich guys collection not the gigging player.

jip96's review is spot on, so I won't repeat. The 410V HJS is most versatile multi-channel amp Marshall has ever built. The basic gain structure is different, and makes it even more versatile than the already versatile 410V. From other Marshall's I've owned or played, the OD1/OD2 gain is more useable than others. Where others get fizzy, the HJS just keeps singing. Four channels and 3 modes per channel. Each channel is a big jump in gain, each mode is a slight, incremental jump in gain, on the way to the next big jump/channel. It's like going up a set of steps. Sell your OD pedals. All you need is your guitar volume. If I were to special order a custom amp from Marshall, I'd hope it would be this! I was lucky and blessed. I bought mine new, about 5 months before production stopped. I play through a 1960B with an ARCOM DAG attenuator. Each channel has it own Master Volume, which I set to "9". I wear either a set Westone 24db earplugs or my Shure IEMs. I try to use as little attenuation as possible. The HJS is a MONSTER! There is something to be said about Marshall amps with a plate choke. Plate chokes are sonic magic wrapped in iron. The regular 410V doesn't have a plate choke as neither did its predecessor, the much maligned JCM 2000 Triple Super Lead. This amp is a "must have" and a "keeper" for Marshall fans.

Marshall has done a lot of things right in their day and that have propelled them to the top of the haystack when it comes to amplifiers. NOw a days they have been putting out garbage after garbage. Take for example the Slash amp. That thing sound like uter garbage! This amp they worked on and had all this hype propped up and then people got it home and say what the heck is this thing. Some of these amps for signature guys work and some don't' the Kerry King amp is anther example of trash sold on the shelve. This guy is a good player and huge pompous ass as well, and his ugly looking mug matches the ugly tone that comes from his sig amp. His amp is worth about what is cost to go see them live and that is nothing. This amp has got tit going on. Granted is is in the bass section but lest face it this is a guitar player's amp that a guy ...Lemmy modified himself and plays his bass through it. His tone is just awesome and one of the best bass rock tones in the world. UTILIZATION Marshall Lemmy Kilmister Signature Series 1992LEM8 100W Valve Super Bass Head Features: * Controls: Power, standby, presence, bass, middle, treble, volume one, volume two, output selector, mains selector Inputs: 1/4" instrument input (x4: two for channel one, two for channel two) Outputs: 1/4" speaker outputs (x2) Marshall Lemmy Kilmister Signature Series 1992LEM8 100W Valve Super Bass Head Specifications: * 100 Watt Two channels 3-band EQ Three ECC83 pre-amp tubes Four EL34 power amp valves Dimensions: 29.5"H x 12.2"W x 8.5"D Weight: 47.4 lb. SOUNDS This amp is getting a 10 straight across the board because Motorhead is fantastic. his voice is garbage abut his amp tone is just stellar. If you have ever heard him live or a recording you would know that has tone is really what carries this band. The guitar tone is nothing short of great too, but what I think about when I hear these guys is that killer rocking bass tones. You get a huge saturation is the gain and that really comes from the guitar amp circuit. This is essential a guitar player's amp. If you want heavy thick fat bass tones then this may be your amp. But lets face it you probably aren't going to buy this amp unless you are a fan of Lemmy or of Motorhead. This appeals to those guys and those guys only. You can get a lot of other cool bass amps that have a lot more versatility and angle towards bass players. OVERALL OPINION At new you can get this amp all day long for right at around $2999. A little much for a bass amp I would admit but this thing sounds fantastic. That is a bit steep but hey you got to pay the man for his signature head too. I would recommend this if you are a rocker and want your bass tone to just slay. This is a circuit from a guitar player so you will get some tube saturation and breakup. So if you want to play clean I would recommend a lot of other amps besides this one.

Kerry King has been one of the leading heavy metal guitarists that have been using the JCM800 amplifier throughout most of his career. After using the amp for probably 20 or so years, he finally has his own signature amplifier. It is the same as a normal JCM800 2203, but this one has KT88 tubes instead of the 6550 or EL34 tubes that originally came with them. It also has a built in noise gate, "Beast" knob and "Assault" knob. To top it off, it even has some of his famous tribal artwork on the grill cloth. UTILIZATION Marshall did a pretty good job at getting Kerry King's signature sound to come out of this thing. With everything turned off, it really sounds like a standard JCM800 with KT88s in the power section. However, once you engage the settings, all hell breaks loose. I'll get to that in the sound category. Everything is laid out nicely in this amplifier, and it's really easy to get a great tone in just a matter of seconds. One big gripe I have with this amp is that it has no effects loop. I know Kerry King doesn't really use an effects loop, but for the rest of us mere mortals, it really helps make the amp that much more versatile. SOUNDS With everything turned off, this sounds like a standard JCM800 2203 RI with KT88s in the power section. It's huge sounding and has that signature "Marshall" gain. The real trick is when you start engaging things. The assault switch is basically activating Kerry King's signature EQ boost that he's used throughout the years. It pushes this amp into overdrive like no tomorrow. The gate works great on this, and I find it's actually needed given the amount of gain that this thing has. The assault knob basically dials in the intensity of everything. OVERALL OPINION If you're looking for Kerry King's signature sound, this is a good amp to check out. However, you can get that tone with a standard EQ pedal in a "frown" pattern and a JCM800 with 6550 or KT88 tubes. If you don't have the funds to pay for the Kerry King name, go with that setup instead. That said, if you're a fan of the Slayer sound and don't want to run any external boosts, just pick this head up. It'll do everything you want it to.