Researching a rare amp: Marshall 2000 Lead Series

Clockworkmike

Clockworkmike

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Hey folks! Ive been recently researching a bit, i guess you could say, on rare amps. I find that stuff fascinating, especially to find how many great amps are forgotten sadly enough. But one amp in particular has been something of a Great White Whale ( Buffalo to be apt!) In that i can't find hardly a thing on it and have literally only came across one video on Youtube of it, as well as probably 3 old Reverb listings from years ago: The early 80s Marshall 2000 Lead (2001 Bass) series amplifiers.

What little I know of this amp is that is debuted around 1981 and is somewhat connected the JCM800 series. It came in two versions: 2000 Lead and 2001 Bass and was only in production very briefly and apparently, not many were built either. The 2000 Lead was roughly 250w with (6) 6550s and (6) ECC83s and the 2001 Bass was 375w with (8) 6550s, 3 (ECC83s) and 2 (ECC81s): monstrous amplifiers and arguably the most powerful production model valved Marshalls ever built.

Allegedly, AC/DC played a little bit of role in its creation by asking Marshall for a very loud stadium amp in between For Those About To Rock and Flick Of The Switch ( theres even rehearsal footage of Malcolm Young using one). It had a Master volume and Nonmaster Volume section ( Malcolms was a prototype with only the Nonmaster volume section present).

Anywho, I was wondering if anyone had ever heard of this amp or ever saw or played one?
Screenshot_20201010-121759.jpg
 
I service a couple of these for colleague's. Both are 1981 production, 250watt 2000 heads. One has (6) ECC83's and the other has (6) 6550's, but since they only require perjodic cleaning and tube replacement, I don't know much about them.

The local authorized Marshall tech would not touch either one of them....

Here's the schematics I got from a Marshall historian colleague for the two versions that I service:

2000pwr2.gif

2000pre3.gif
 
Robert Herndon said:
I service a couple of these for colleague's. Both are 1981 production, 250watt 2000 heads. One has (6) ECC83's and the other has (6) 6550's, but since they only require perjodic cleaning and tube replacement, I don't know much about them.

The local authorized Marshall tech would not touch either one of them....

Here's the schematics I got from a Marshall historian colleague for the two versions that I service:

View attachment 50686

View attachment 50687
Click to expand...
Interesting, there is a version 3 of the Preamp schematic, done 5 years after the original. Someone (RS) must have caught a mistake in version 2.
 
Finding one is like finding a unicorn lol they are far and few in between and almost unheard of.

Typically, when you ask someone about a 2000 Marshall they immediately think youre talking about the JCM2000 and i can definitely see the confusion. Like I said, its make up and timeline puts it somewhere around the early JCM800 series in appearances but it seems to be a radically different amplifier: sort of half of NonMaster Volume ( Plexi/Major) and half of a Master Volume ( JMP/JCM800 2203 on steroids).

I first heard about one in the mid 90s from a guitar magazine talking about AC/DCs amplifiers and have been on a search for one ever since. @ Robert Herndon: if you've serviced one of these, that is awesome and rare indeed!

This is the only video i have ever saw of one.
 
Clockworkmike said:
I first heard about one in the mid 90s from a guitar magazine talking about AC/DCs amplifiers and have been on a search for one ever since. @ Robert Herndon: if you've serviced one of these, that is awesome and rare indeed!
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I get exposed to a lot of strange gear through my association with collectors and my willingness to clean up messes.

If you really want to talk about rare and obscure Marshall's, try finding a 1967 18watt Master Reverb.... :-)
 
Robert Herndon said:
I get exposed to a lot of strange gear through my association with collectors and my willingness to clean up messes.

If you really want to talk about rare and obscure Marshall's, try finding a 1967 18watt Master Reverb.... :-)
Click to expand...
Ive only ever heard of the Master Reverb once in another forum and there's almost no pictures of one anywhere. Maybe one of if not THE rarest Marshall's ever built. They came with Tremolo as well and even had two dedicated footswitches, which is another rare early Marshall feat!

The Kitchen Marshalls are another anomaly and an interesting story. Apparently Kitchen's was a retailer that messed around with club PAs and approached Marshall to start building them PA amplifiers, based off the JTM50/100 watt models but with 8 inputs like the picture you showed! In sort of a ego push, they demanded their name share with the Marshall name which REALLY makes them rare, as thats the only time I have ever known of Marshall doing something like that.

I found an old listing of one on reverb and it really puts the rarity in perspective when you look at the price lol

reverb.com

Marshall Super Amplifier 1966 , Kitchen Marshall , Uber Rare | Reverb

RARE BIRD The following amplifier has just arrived into stock and features the “UBER” Rare Kitchen Marshall Block Logo , please find full specifications as follows KITCHEN MARSHALL JTM45 /100 1966 KITCHEN MARSHALL BLOCK LOGO KT66 POWER TUBES GREEN BLACK LE...
reverb.com reverb.com
 
Clockworkmike said:
Ive only ever heard of the Master Reverb once in another forum and there's almost no pictures of one anywhere. Maybe one of if not THE rarest Marshall's ever built. They came with Tremolo as well and even had two dedicated footswitches, which is another rare early Marshall feat!

The Kitchen Marshalls are another anomaly and an interesting story. Apparently Kitchen's was a retailer that messed around with club PAs and approached Marshall to start building them PA amplifiers, based off the JTM50/100 watt models but with 8 inputs like the picture you showed! In sort of a ego push, they demanded their name share with the Marshall name which REALLY makes them rare, as thats the only time I have ever known of Marshall doing something like that.

I found an old listing of one on reverb and it really puts the rarity in perspective when you look at the price lol

reverb.com

Marshall Super Amplifier 1966 , Kitchen Marshall , Uber Rare | Reverb

RARE BIRD The following amplifier has just arrived into stock and features the “UBER” Rare Kitchen Marshall Block Logo , please find full specifications as follows KITCHEN MARSHALL JTM45 /100 1966 KITCHEN MARSHALL BLOCK LOGO KT66 POWER TUBES GREEN BLACK LE...
reverb.com reverb.com
Click to expand...

Good detective work!!!

I work with a guy who plays a Kitchen-Marshall as a guitar amplifier. He was the inspiration behind my custom 2x12 cabinet "spoof."

Look closely...

20201018_134142.jpg
 
Robert Herndon said:
Good detective work!!!

I work with a guy who plays a Kitchen-Marshall as a guitar amplifier. He was the inspiration behind my custom 2x12 cabinet "spoof."

Look closely...

View attachment 50714
Click to expand...
That is absolutely awesome! Lol and it looks great, just like the old vintage nameplates.

I got a buddy who has a JCM2000 he got back in highschool and when we graduated, they gave us these metal nameplates with our names engraved that we were supposed to put on our yearbook. He placed his over the Jim Marshall Signature on the amp and it looks awesome as well, identical brushed gold metal lol
 
Clockworkmike said:
That is absolutely awesome! Lol and it looks great, just like the old vintage nameplates.

I got a buddy who has a JCM2000 he got back in highschool and when we graduated, they gave us these metal nameplates with our names engraved that we were supposed to put on our yearbook. He placed his over the Jim Marshall Signature on the amp and it looks awesome as well, identical brushed gold metal lol
Click to expand...

I love that sort of thing...
 
Robert Herndon said:
Switching to this Origin 50H, and 34 pound, 2x12 custom cabinet, was the best decision I ever made. "Back to Basics" would be a good description...

View attachment 50715

Here's my bandmate's gear that I keep running....Greg Germino Lead 55 and (2) DSL40C'S...

View attachment 50716
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Those are two nice set ups! Really like the pedal board you've assembled, as well as the Origin and the cab you built. Those DSL40s are very nice combos too and I love the old purple plexi/hendrix look of the Geronimo!

Interestingly enough, I know Mitch Pearrow has sort of a mixture of these two rigs ( Origin and DSL40s) and gets a nice fat, classic heavy sound from them!
 
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