1936 Cab History and Review...

[Blueslicks]

Any of you cab specialists.....There is a 1936 cab for sale locally....Serial #M-2003-28-0108-Z.........

plate says 1936 Lead.

The guy says it has plywood construction with MDF front??? Makes no sense at all. He said there was Celestions inside but didnt specify model.

Anything you can say about the little info I have? Maybe through serial number?

I wrote him back asking for better photos and more info, but have yet to hear back

I'm guessing by the serial it's manufactured in 2003.

That probably means it's MDF.

Read through this thread and it should tell you what years are ply which is basically anything pre 1990 (JCM800 era).

They went back to all ply around 2012 so I would say stay away from 1990 through 2012.

Here's one similar to the one you describe on ebay right now and as you can see in the pics it is 100% MDF...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/marshall-19...059?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4185a5c5db

 

[Davies047]

Fantatsic thread guys. This was exactly the info I was looking for...

I just picked up my JCM800 1937 cab today. Its one of the first ones. Thin, handle on top. The badge in the corner says JCM800 BASS SERIES. Its rocking the 65's inside. Which run at 15ohm. My question is, what ohm shall I run my jcm800 head at?

Thanks.

 

[ricksteruk]

Was that the 1937 cab that just sold on eBay uk? If so, I had my eye on that! If only I lived close by I might have gone for it. Nice purchase dude!

So each speaker is 15 ohms? They ought to be connected in parallel then so you want to set your amp for 8 ohms. I would always check the wiring inside if I was not sure.

 

[Platner]

Right on, I had the exact same experience with the 1936 cabs.
I heard they went back to plywood construction in 2012?

I have two 2012, (50th anniversary) 1936's. They are in barely used mint condition. I finally opened one up this evening after reading this thread and worrying if they might be particle board. To my relief they are clearly birch plywood. That's the good news. The bad news is that the speakers are made in China. I'm just using these two 1936's until I can find a vintage Marshall 4 X 12 cab with speakers made in the UK. I got these cabs for $225 each so they will do for now, can't complain at that price.

 

[Blueslicks]

I have two 2012, (50th anniversary) 1936's. They are in barely used mint condition. I finally opened one up this evening after reading this thread and worrying if they might be particle board. To my relief they are clearly birch plywood. That's the good news. The bad news is that the speakers are made in China. I'm just using these two 1936's until I can find a vintage Marshall 4 X 12 cab with speakers made in the UK. I got these cabs for $225 each so they will do for now, can't complain at that price.

Wow that's a great deal and must be a relief to you that they are made of ply construction.

I would just put different speakers in them rather than get a 4x12. Buy a quad or even two sets of different speakers so you have two unique sounding options between the two 1936 cabs. I have a "Loud" and "Louder" option with my two where I have differing db ratings between them. One has G12M65 and the other G12H30.

 

[Platner]

Wow that's a great deal and must be a relief to you that they are made of ply construction.

I would just put different speakers in them rather than get a 4x12. Buy a quad or even two sets of different speakers so you have two unique sounding options between the two 1936 cabs. I have a "Loud" and "Louder" option with my two where I have differing db ratings between them. One has G12M65 and the other G12H30.

Thanks Blueslicks, that's a good suggestion. I was thinking along these lines earlier; possibly putting two Celestion Alnico Blues in one of the cabs but wasn't sure if these speakers are compatible with a closed back cabinet like the Marshall 1936. More necessary research = less playing time

 

[illini]

I have one of the early 1936 cabs in the 2045 dimensions. Unfortunately, mine came loaded with the G12m-70's instead of the 65's. It is now loaded with Greenbacks, and sounds great.

 

[Garystratton]

Hi all,

Thought I’d weigh in as I just had the back of my 1936 cab to have a look inside.

2XG12T75 speakers, manufactured 18/10/1992 (date code 18LB), baffle and side panels are MDF from what I can tell, and back panel is ply. The front plate says 1936, nothing else. The jack socket (mono and stereo) says ‘made in England’.

I purchased this (along with a 1973 JMP50 amplifier – which is another story) in 1995 for £400.

 

[John BNY]

I don't post very much here, but after reading this thread, I went and opened up my 2011 1936 cab, and it is made of birch ply. So, I think Marshall went back to birch at least as early as 2011. The other guitarist in my band has a 2004 1936, and that is made of MDF.

 

[soundboy57]

There is a post at another forum from a Marshall employee, stating that as of "spring 2010" they started using birch play again.

I have a 1972 2045 with G12H 30, and a 1982 1936 with G12 65's.

Great cabs. The 1972 is all plywood, the 1982 has an MDF back.
Both measure 23" high, 29" wide, and 9" deep exactly.

They both sound fantastic.
Forgive me for posting the pics again, I love these cabs!

 

[illini]

My 800 cab is the same dimensions and look as yours. I love the cab, but damn that 1972 cab is sexy looking.

 

[jcm800gridlock]

A good post.
Here's my early JCM800 1936 cab. It's the thin cab with the one handle on top. G12-65's inside. Just wish that Marshall made these a little wider because its not to stable with a head or my JMP combo on top.

 

[libertarian]

I'm actually considering one of those options. I'd like to have the flexibility of bringing a 2x12 instead of my 4x12. Now, what if I wanted to combine both? I believe the 2x12s run at 8ohm (mono) and the 4x12 at 16. What if I want to connect both to a Marshall head such as my old JCM 800 or a JVM410h (if I decide to go that route instead of a stereo power amp solution for my rack)?

Is there a safe setting for that I would I need to rewire one of them for a match? How would I wire a 2x12 to 16ohm?

 

[Blueslicks]

Nice one...

Vintage 1981 Marshall 2x12" Speaker Cabinet Model 1936 JCM 800 | eBay

 

[Blueslicks]

Never seen this one before.

Very cool large box transition with plexi styling.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MARSHALL-VI...63?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item2c92602de3

Levant tolex, caster cup holders, funnel cup jack plate, small plastic side handles, checkerboard grill, GB's and gold bead piping.

No center post and no serial tag to verify the model though.

 

[wallythacker]

I found this thread at a good time. I got a 1936 in trade last week with a 3210 head. It's a newer 1936 with plastic handles. Tonight I got another 1936 that's older. It's labelled JCM800, has the strap handle on top and is thinner than my first 1936. I've been so busy there's been no time to open up my first 1936, much less the 1936 I brought home tonight.

I think these cabs solve a lot of potential issues for me. They are certainly smaller and lighter than a 1960a. I think it's great I can get the amazing V30 sound for half the price of loading a 1960a. Actually, I might try a V30 and an Eminence of some type, maybe a swamp thang?

Again, only two speakers in each cab=less cost. I might load my 2nd 1936 just like the first, a V30 and maybe a Swampie. I have to look up sensitivity levels.

I just can't get over all the amazing speakers combinations I can work out in my head for my 1936s. I also love the fact my 1936s are 8 ohms so my lovely 3210 head will see 4 a ohm load when I run both cabs and crank out it's heavenly 100 SS watts.

It sounded pretty pathetic hooked up to a 1960a as it was only putting out 25 watts at 16 ohms. I do wish my older 1936 had the foot recess things on it to hold a head steady but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

I think a 1936 full stack might look pretty cool

 

[Jonathan Gunn]

Hi there.
What us the difference between a 1936 cab and a 1927 cab which is obviously smaller ?

 

[atarilovesyou]

Mine is the JCM900 version, and I'm pretty sure it's got particle board back. A few of the screws are a little on the stripped side. All told, however, I've been happy with it. For what I spent and the durability, I'm pleased.

My plan is to retolex it, though. I wonder if replacing the MDF back would be tricky? I think it could only improve the sound, but then again, I like the fact it's light and easy to transport. I also need to grab some casters for it, at some point.

 

[Blueslicks]

Hi there.
What us the difference between a 1936 cab and a 1927 cab which is obviously smaller ?

I've never heard of a 1927 cab.

However if you mean a model 1922 2x12 cab...yes it is smaller. It has much less room inside for the speakers to breathe which to my ears, compromises quality of sound. IMO a 1936 is a great sounding cab whereas a 1922 is not.

Dimensions in mm

2045 cab & JCM800 1936 cab

Width - 737
Height - 584
Depth - 227

Current 1936 cab

Width - 740
Height - 600
Depth - 305

1922 cab

Width - 675
Height - 515
Depth - 260

I don't think the 1922 was designed to be a stand alone speaker box. I believe it was intended to be the extension cabinet to the JCM900 combo.

 

[rick16v]

Im using a fairly modern 1936 cab, made of 13 Ply, loaded with Chinese G12t-75s. Its afantastic sounding cab/speaker combo. Only thing I notice is that is is very directional. There is a beam of sound that has all the highs and high mids, if you go outside this beam it loses its punchiness.