Ears still ringing after that last gig? Jim Marshall, Guitar amp pioneer and founder of Marshall Amplification – the weapon of choice for guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend of The Who, and Eric Clapton, is probably to blame.
Suffering several strokes in recent years, and battling cancer towards the end of last year, Marshall has ‘turned it up to 11’ and passed away aged 88 overnight, with his son Terry Marshall by his side.
“My wife and I were with him when he passed away at about 8:15,” Terry Marshall said. “He got cancer toward the end of last year, and had surgery for that, and it came back. He was in a terrible state the last five or six weeks. He’s in a much better place now.”
Like many great business stories, Marshall began building his amplifiers in his garage before eventually opening a factory in 1964.
Since founding the iconic company some 50 years ago, Marshall and founder Jim Marshall – who was dubbed the ‘father of loud’ – has become synonymous with rock n roll, the unmistakable livery of their amps gracing some the biggest stages across the world.
And it’s a nickname well earned. Unlike the rival Fender amp which produced a clear cut sound, Marshall wasn’t looking for precision when he founded the company instead working with sound engineers to create an amp with a raw, rougher, and louder sound.
A statement on his company’s website said: “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved founder and leader for the past 50 years, Jim Marshall. While mourning the Guv’nor though, we also salute a legendary man who led a full and truly remarkable life.”
“While the entire Marshall Amplification family mourns Jim’s passing and will miss him tremendously, we all feel richer for having known him.”
A number of prominent musicians have expressed their condolences for the Marshall family, including Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash who tweeted “The news of Jim Marshall passing is deeply saddening. R & R will never be the same w/out him. But, his amps will live on FOREVER!”
Motley Crue bass player Nikki Sixx also paid tribute on Twitter, saying Marshall was “responsible for some of the greatest audio moments in music’s history – and 50% responsible of all our hearing loss.”
The famous Marshall amplifiers also featured prominently in the rock n roll mocukmentary This is Spinal Tap. In an iconic scene from the film, guitarist Nigel Tufnel proudly showed off his Marshall stack which went up to 11. He explained it was “one louder” than usual amplifiers.
We get the feeling that Jim Marshall is now in a better place which has no doubt just got a whole lot louder.
