$200K 1963 JTM45 One Of 6 Prototypes

[stickyfinger]

He's hoping some rich famous guitar rocker with money to blow wants to add this to their collection. Maybe, but likely at a lower price. Trainwrecks sell for 50k to these guys but eventually most get sold again.

 

[Derrick111]

The 500k fugazi Explorer he had on his wall tells you all you need to know about his interest in anything electric.,

What is a fugazi Explorer? As in the band Fugazi?

BTW, that is one sloppy cap job and I would expect a very clean job as a bare minimum at the higher end of pricing, let alone $200k.

I do wholeheartedly disagree with a post made earlier that any clone with Mercury Magnetics transformers will sound like a 60s original in a blind test. MM transformers are well built, but very "clinical" sounding where as the originals are very "organic". Possibly with Merren or Pacific Transformer iron, but not MM.

 

[StingRay85]

Orange drops in the PI

 

[London John]

What is a fugazi Explorer? As in the band Fugazi?

Guitar, very long and tragic tale of tawdry lies and greed. He was conned, but he took the bait until put straight by well wishes.

 

[NickKUK]

Here are the screenshots:



I don't know much about this era, but a couple of things stand out immediately:
- The PI layout looks wrong for 7 turret-wide board. Likely cut down from an 8 turret board (as MG were known to do).
- The yellow/blue Dubilier caps are anachronistic (should be grey RS PIO).

Resistors look too new for a 1970s build. I'd expect carbon comp that is sharp cornered. Especially if it's on the cheap and using older 50/60 stock being sold on the cheap.

Also very clean.. very clean. Both in terms of dust, solder oxidisation and metal patina/rust. It's like it's had a serious service - ie someone has gone through the old resistors and replace them and possibly the chassis itself. The silicon wonder seems like a real bodge service. The volume knob wiring and soldering etc looks period.

This is 6 years earlier (1957), where I don't expect it to be this bad in terms of dust, I would expect a level of level of patina/oxidisation of metal for people that have essentially DIY'd without plating technology to protect it:


Only other question I have is the power - for 1963 in the UK there would not be a need for parity. 1963 UK mains sockets for UK market (unless they were intended for the US market) would have had a 3 pin UK plug without the ability to reverse polarity.

Now if this was a production prototype was it for the US rather than UK first? Typically you'd get the UK market out, sell the amps and then worry about retrofitting - this would get your money in first.

 

[vtrain]

Resistors look too new for a 1970s build. I'd expect carbon comp that is sharp cornered. Especially if it's on the cheap and using older 50/60 stock being sold on the cheap.

Also very clean.. very clean. Both in terms of dust, solder oxidisation and metal patina/rust. It's like it's had a serious service - ie someone has gone through the old resistors and replace them and possibly the chassis itself. The silicon wonder seems like a real bodge service. The volume knob wiring and soldering etc looks period.

This is 6 years earlier (1957), where I don't expect it to be this bad in terms of dust, I would expect a level of level of patina/oxidisation of metal for people that have essentially DIY'd without plating technology to protect it:
View attachment 157888

Only other question I have is the power - for 1963 in the UK there would not be a need for parity. 1963 UK mains sockets for UK market (unless they were intended for the US market) would have had a 3 pin UK plug without the ability to reverse polarity.

Now if this was a production prototype was it for the US rather than UK first? Typically you'd get the UK market out, sell the amps and then worry about retrofitting - this would get your money in first.

I’m no Marshall historian, but I have doubts they were making anything for export in 1963, or even maybe 1964.

I personally think the amp looks too clean, and there are zero details on where it’s been for the past 60 years and why it looks so clean. Who had it, how was it stored? It obviously didn’t see a lot of road time.

 

[vtrain]

He's hoping some rich famous guitar rocker with money to blow wants to add this to their collection. Maybe, but likely at a lower price. Trainwrecks sell for 50k to these guys but eventually most get sold again.

More like a wannabe rocker with deep pockets, IMO. Maybe some CEO who has a bunch of “10-tops” in his office.

No offense to 10-tops or people who love them!

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Now if this was a production prototype was it for the US rather than UK first? Typically you'd get the UK market out, sell the amps and then worry about retrofitting - this would get your money in first.

Nope, no way. As Ken said they were struggling to make amps and sell them, it was a brand new thing for them. NO exporting at all. No prototypes, they made the first, sold it and continued.
I agree with the cleanliness how could an amp of that age look that clean???
Hell I was born in 63 and I don't clean up nearly as well

 

[Jethro Rocker]

I’m no Marshall historian, but I have doubts they were making anything for export in 1963, or even maybe 1964.

I personally think the amp looks too clean, and there are zero details on where it’s been for the past 60 years and why it looks so clean. Who had it, how was it stored? It obviously didn’t see a lot of road time.

Agreed. Considering they sold every amp they made in 1963, it must have been used a fair bit. Where indeed is the history on this?
Fishy, man, fishy...

 

[LeverAction Gypsy]

Nowadays with the internet and the ability to 'paper trail' nearly anything, you would think at that price with its 'historical value' there would be an easy paper trail of the owners - at least for the last 30 years or so. If you sell a used car thats 20 yrs old for a few thousand bucks its easy to get the paper trail with carfax ect. Granted with cars that get registered legally its a little different but I'd want to see as much history as possible. I can track my (2) 1983 Marshalls to the last owner, if the money was there, you can track that guy down and where he got it from. Time consuming - yes - but so is coming up with $200k

 

[goldtop0]

At least the chap got the year right, M did start with the JTM45 in '63.

 

[Dirty-D]

it won't make you sound any better.