Zound acquires Marshall

[egodiot]

Noooooo!!!!!!!! That's it, I'm moving over to Gibson at least they keep it real.

You mean the Gibson that has used vintage toilet seat plastic for fretboard markers & bought Mesa/Boogie & is busy extincting their retailers by forcing super big expensive stocking orders?

 

[egodiot]

Same with my late 2022, Pre Z DSL 20HR, LOL

It must be. Dean’s cease & desist orders from Gibson caused my $400 Korean Dean Michael Schenker Custom Flames V to break $2k; if you can even find them on the inet anymore.
Damned peculiar….

 

[auburnshred]

It must be. Dean’s cease & desist orders from Gibson caused my $400 Korean Dean Michael Schenker Custom Flames V to break $2k; if you can even find them on the inet anymore.
Damned peculiar….

I don't remember that guitar; is that from the UFO or MSG days?

 

[egodiot]

I am not saying a cash-labor infusion to assist the brand that adds cache can’t bear fruit for us, but (I think) common sense would work the opposite trend. As long as Marshall can tread water (Ala “Gibson”) the parent company is free to use their name for the real bread and butter: home/personal audio.

They are unlikely to divert focus from or compromise overall profitability to the minority “figurehead” asset at the expense of maximizing growth and profitability for the asset that brings in the lion’s share.

This is the problem when the Pedal, Firearm, Sports car company is acquired by a firm that isn’t headed by/motivated for the guitar/gun/car guy. In those cases the minority company (i.e. S&W firearms owned by the Brits 20 years ago) takes a shit from poor/minimalistic management for the minority company’s best interests, and it gets sold off.

There are a lot of parts that are similar to this acquisition… but the wildcard is the brand actually enhances the parent company’s main product line, not acquired as a mere portfolio asset… so how does one capitalize on the brand without losing money on those stupid amplifiers, yet not run it (and the cache they bought) to the ground?

I am not a business man, but my instincts suggest: use the Marshall name to prop up Zounds (taking care of Marshall, esp in the short term), develop Zounds as its own brand, then neglect/bleed/sell-off Marshall once the Zounds name minus Marshall liabilities = the Zounds name propped up by Marshall’s branding (complete with the liability of managing and producing a small-player company’s products).

Zound’s Marshall branded blutooth audio accessories are quite good.
Oddly, alike a Marshall 4x12, they take ~1 week to ‘wear in’ & start sounding ‘right’.

 

[auburnshred]

I saw this coming, Marshall hasn't made quality amps since the 90's, I switched to ENGL a long time ago

This is a good point.....Marshall has the legendary reputation and rightfully so. But technology has changed so much. Many new great amps better than Marshall out there.....now an old JCM 800, that's another story.

 

[pat_rocks]

This is a good point.....Marshall has the legendary reputation and rightfully so. But technology has changed so much. Many new great amps better than Marshall out there.....now an old JCM 800, that's another story.

They could make a josé… everyone cashes on the poor josé ceriatone, granger, cameron, fortin, even carvin does it x). If josé won 10$ each time someone used his mods he would have died rich.

 

[Plexitim]

I think it will be important to watch where manufacturing is. Currently Marshall amps are made in the UK and in Vietnam. If production gets outsourced to Vietnam, say good night. As one of the dinosaurs on this forum, I recall when Leo Fender sold his company to CBS. "What could go wrong there?"

 

[pat_rocks]

And Monday zound buys fractal Audio…
Issue solved.

 

[Giblespaul2001]

My 2021 Pre Z Origin 20 just went up to $2000, check Reverb!

Sell now! And fast

 

[alpha al]

I sincerely hope Zounds does not do with Marshall what Fender did with Groove Tubes.

I ran a repair shop and was a Groove Tubes dealer from the beginning. Early on, you could count on getting good tubes. They were hand selected for matching and low microphonics.

Once Fender took over, I was cut off (unless I opted to become a Fender Gold Level Service Center, which I did not want to do)

Now, Groove Tubes is just a brand name, no better than anything else you can buy cheaper..

 

[Sledge Johnson]

Just like CBS Fenders, right ?

I also sense Pre-Gibson Mesas will go up in value

As long as the actual production lines and quality - and employment levels - will remain unchanged I see no issues

 

[Cal Nevari]

Really curious about the Amped2 Blackstar....great reviews. Hard to imagine the demise of tube amps, but seems to be headed that direction.

Gotta admit, as much as I love my Origin 20C, just recently got a Headrush MX5 and FRFR108 and it sounds fantastic. The guys in my cover band like the tonal variety and I like the simplicity, light weight, and dependability of solid state.

 

[Dogs of Doom]

IDK the current state of Tascam, but when Gibson bought them out, they destroyed them...

I remember buying the TASCAM US-16x08 interface. It died in a month. I got it from Sweetwater (thankfully), so they sent it back. Gibson sent them a new one, saying it was beyond cost prohibitive to repair it.

#2 had a buzz in it, so it went right back...

#3 the phantom power did not work...

So, I called up Sweetwater & asked them if I can claim lemon law on it. They told me sure, they'd give me full credit on another item, up to what I paid. So, I got a Focusrite 18i20 Scarlett & still have it to this day. I think it was $100 more, so I paid the difference & done...

But, when I was going through all that, I saw tons of other complaints on their stuff, it was a nightmare, for anyone who bought Tascam stuff back then. I was thankful, that, even what I dealt w/, Sweetwater was a pleasure to deal w/...

 

[ITburst]

I feel lucky then. My Tascam DP-24SD is going strong.

 

[scozz]

Really curious about the Amped2 Blackstar....great reviews. Hard to imagine the demise of tube amps, but seems to be headed that direction.

I think tube amps are likely to evolve like tube hi-fi components, I doubt tube amps will disappear all together for quite some time.

Just my

 

[ITburst]

People said records (vinyl) were dead. Yet the numbers are climbing yearly. Some things are destined to stay because we realize they are better.

 

[Jimi-C]

Damn , who's next ? Maybe it's time for the birth of New Manufacturers to produce the things we love at a price a person with callus hands can afford .

 

[Bat Pup]

Marshall, the iconic amp manufacturer, is being acquired by Marshall speaker maker Zound

The licensee becomes the acquirer.

www.theverge.com

Everyone start freaking about the lesser tonality of "Zound Era Marshall amps"

Hang on to the Marshall amps you have because they're 10Xs their value since they've been bought out. We'll see what happens as far as Marshall amps are concerned. What is Zound going to do with the Marshall Amp Company and the history behind it?!?

 

[TonalEuphoria]

Marshall's tube models are outdated in some features, but they do what their suppose to, and that's sound good. They could be updated though. I don't understand why Marshall has skimped on putting a good direct out in all their tube amps. The mini plug is pathetic. The higher end models have better di out's, but we're not talking something unbelievably expensive to do and is standard for the most part in amps these days. XLR the better, but atleast an actual 1/4 inch out.

And either put an actual spring reverb in them or simply leave it without. Putting a cheesy digital one in any but the smallest, lowest wattage tube or solid state models, is really lowering the professional appeal to their amps to me. Something companies do on low end budget amps. Many players who are more serious and play a Marshall tube amp for instance are going to want an actual spring reverb, even with it's own tube, or use pedals and processors to get better quality reverbs.

 

[Astra Planeta]

I just got a newsletter email from Watford Valves (biggest UK tube seller) saying they will no longer be getting any Marshall-branded EL34s in stock.