FENDER AMP SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS

If you have absolutely no idea whether your Marshall is old or new, a good place to start is the model name or series. The guide for that is much simpler: be nice, ask questions, offer beer. Getting the correct year is one thing, but getting the story behind an amp is the fun part. The best approach is to cross-reference the serial number with known features for the model during different eras and the personal account of previous owners. As a result, dating cabs can be more art than science.

FENDER AMP SERIAL NUMBERS SERIAL NUMBERS

Marshall cabinets didn't officially include serial numbers until October 1992.

All Marshall amps originally came with Celestion speakers, so in cases where the speakers are original, speaker date codes can be used to date earlier amps.

True serial numbers weren't really used by Marshall until July 1969, so specimens made prior to that can only be accurately dated to a fuzzy span of several years.

This is probably the biggest area of confusion when dating Marshall amps. If your amp says Model 1986 on the inside, that does not mean it was made in 1986. Marshall model numbers look like years.The guide below will help you quickly and clearly date Marshall amps and cabinets, without us waxing poetic about their influence. We recently wrote an article detailing that rich history (which you can read here), but for those simply looking to figure out how old their Marshall amp is, we offer this shortcut. Marshall amps had such precedent-setting wattage and tone that their history can hardly be separated from the history of rock itself. While Fender and Vox amps have their place in moving electrified guitar forward, the creations of Jim Marshall fostered an entirely new sound and allowed guitarists to fill stadiums with it. Marshall amplifiers made hard rock possible.

Fender amp serial numbers