Original Marshall - no.2 made

[darrellm]

Wow, look what just came up on eBay, a real piece of history, but with a price to match...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220604793162&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[markD]

that is pretty awesome!!!

[DonP]

That is cool. It's like buying the first Strat from Leo, the first Les Paul from Lester.

I wonder what he'd say about the JVM's?

[Cygnus X1]

http://www.jcfonline.com/threads/106847-Marshall-Build-2-for-sale-by-Ken-Bran

[Grandturk]

I think it would grab a lot of money, but not half a mil.

[Chief_CrazyTalk]

That is pretty special.

[Mazz]

Wow, that is a piece of history, bloody nice one at that.

I think it would grab a lot of money, but not half a mil.

Wouldn't surprise me, 1959 Sun burst les pauls go for about £450,000, the second marshall amp is alot more rare but abit more fair (cwutididthar?) with the price tag imo.

[Tommie]

Yeah, I saw what you did - turned "a lot" and "a bit" into a single word each. I'm sure that's not what you got in school. Seriously though, that amp is almost certainly certainly not the second ever made, it's built on the second generation chassis. Still a cool piece but it'll never get a half mill. Jimi Hendrix's first Marshall only sold for £25k in 2008.

[fuel0707]

Dude - that thing doesn't have reverb, an effects loop or a hyper-gain lead channel. No way that it's worth big bucks...

[Cygnus X1]

Seriously though, that amp is almost certainly certainly not the second ever made, it's built on the second generation chassis.

To quote my other post...

Ken Underwood regularly posts a Vintage Amps Bulletin Board.
He seems to think it is real.

Reason it isn't a combo is due to the fact the first test bed amps
were simple heads.
#1 is similar.
So it isn't Production #2.

And it is said Ken Bran isn't very familiar with computers at all
much less ebay.
Underwood is thinking he is one year off as well.

But no argument from him, it is a very early Marshall.

Ken Underwood is a regular poster at Vintage Amps Bulletin board, his ID has been verified and he was with Marshall the first
three years.
In fact (sadly) his memory of those garage building days are better than Ken Bran's.
He says it is indeed real and has no "skin in the game" one way or another.

[RacerX]

Just think, Cygnus, that could be you in 45 years!

[Cygnus X1]

Ouch Ron!

People don't understand I enjoy building at my own pace, for my own enjoyment.
Going into business would kill all of that...I already know that for a fact.

(Remember, I had a music store...people think that would be great. Not so much!)

I wasn't really sure I believed the Underwood story but many years have passed for those guys and when Underhill did finally call Bran after 30 years of no contact...Bran could not remember anything from before the 1980's.
Alzheimers, whatever, it is kind of sad.
So Bran is selling something he built and doesn't remember!

I could be completely wrong, but others have chimed in confirming that is one of the garage-built prototypes.

[Tommie]

There's no doubt it's an original Marshall. I've been in contact with both Kens at one time or another, and know some of the current Marshall guys. Heck they even name checked me in the Super 100JH brochure! My point is that the amp has several characteristics of later amp, such as actually bearing the wider spaced inputs and JTM45 printed control panel. There are a batch of amps believed to be earlier than this on a different chassis (I.e. The offsets and narrow input examples in the Doyle History of Marshall book). This suggests that Ken Brans example isn't the first to be built immediately after the one recognised as #1 with the green Elstone transformers in the Marshall Museum. It looks a couple of steps on from that.

[Cygnus X1]

Not to quote you Tommie...but I think that is what makes part of the point.
Even Underwood couldn't really verify it, and it might have modded into something.

Point is, Ken Bran has a foggy memory.

Just my opinion, your experience is direct, mine is just from reading posts and emails.

Ron was joking (I hope)...but case in point is my own development on one amp model.
Looking at the first, to the second, then a third, then rebuilding the first...and owning two
different "bench models" and then selling them makes it real difficult to tell what is what.
The first build actually became more advanced than the third!