Any idea who designed the classic Marshall head box?

[Central Scrutinizer]

OK , first off disclaimer, this idea was hatched late at night, a night involving insomnia.

Who gets credit for the classic Marshall head box design?

I mean, I am not much for design and all, though The Danes have invented some interesting looking furniture. Obviously designed before super-sized driv—through fast food. When people were rail-thin.

Anyway, back to the question. Was it a Carpenter, Upholstery Man/Woman?

Who decided, it should be black with gold piping? I know there were variants before the classic black and gold we know today.

Alright, I‘m going to try to get some sleep. Haha

 

[Marcomel79]

I guess it was designed following the radios from 50/60s?

 

[Ken Underwood]

Ken Bran with the help of Dudley Craven, made by a local cabinet manufacturer near Heathrow airport

 

[pulsonicsound]

The early stuff cosmetically was very similar to the stuff that Selmer made, which in itself was similar to radiograms / radios of the era

Here’s a Selmer combo from 1960(not mine) as an example

The cosmetics seemed to evolve, if you look at other manufacturers(Vox, Watkins, Dallas arbiter etc)as well as Marshall - they all went from two tone/brightly coloured stuff to more dark monochrome stuff as the sixties progressed, I guess to make stuff seem more ‘modern’

 

[PelliX]

Ken Bran with the help of Dudley Craven, made by a local cabinet manufacturer near Heathrow airport

Do you happen to know whether it was sort of 'inspired' by anything existing?

 

[mark123]

I want to know who designed the look of the Seymour Duncan Convertible head. Ick. 😂

 

[PelliX]

I want to know who designed the look of the Seymour Duncan Convertible head. Ick. 😂

Probably someone like me who understands functionality but is lost when it comes to designing aesthetics.

I'd like to know who designed the old Kustom 'cushioned' amps and what he was smoking....

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

^^^^^^^^^^^^
When I see those old Kustom amps it takes me back to when I was about 10 years old. My best friends brother had one in blue.

They also remind me of the tuck and roll upholstery in old hot rod cars, or a booth in an old diner.

Thanks @Ken Underwood for the answer. It is a classic design.

 

[Ken Underwood]

Do you happen to know whether it was sort of 'inspired' by anything existing?

I think after all these years we know the answer to that one, Fender

 

[PelliX]

I think after all these years we know the answer to that one, Fender

Sure, the circuit was a Fender clone. I meant more the design. The 'dials on the front at the bottom' is simply how a lot of radios and stuff looked back then, but the writing, black/white/gold seemed to be pretty unique. I thought it might have been inspired by a car or something.

 

[pulsonicsound]

Sure, the circuit was a Fender clone. I meant more the design. The 'dials on the front at the bottom' is simply how a lot of radios and stuff looked back then, but the writing, black/white/gold seemed to be pretty unique. I thought it might have been inspired by a car or something.

The font is the same as is used on the underground(which it was designed for) and is called Johnston

 

[pulsonicsound]

As for the placement of the control panel on the bottom front, the earliest I have seen that on a British head is on Selmer heads, the earliest of those being from 1962, tbh the two tone Selmer stuff is very very similar to the 1963/64 Marshall stuff cosmetically - here’s a advert from 1963

 

[BygoneTones]

There was a close relationship between Jim Marshall and Selmer in the early days, as told in the 'father of loud' book. This was before the first Marshall amp was ever made. Jim was Selmer's biggest customer and sold a lot of their amps in his shop. But they were troublesome. Jim would go down to the Selmer shop once per week on a Monday morning to get his Selmer amps repaired. That's why Ken Bran was taken on, as a repair technician.

Jim was also making speaker cabinets long before any Marshall amplifiers were made. Including 1x18, and PA cabs.

Pleximaster suggested to me (or seems to know somehow) that Jim Marshall actually made some of the cabinets for Selmer. Maybe to help with production of the large orders of Selmers at the Marshall shop? This is why some Selmer gear looks exactly the same as the very early Marshall gear. With the sloping baffle and two tone design with the gold piping.

 

[pulsonicsound]

There was a close relationship between Jim Marshall and Selmer in the early days, as told in the 'father of loud' book. This was before the first Marshall amp was ever made. Jim was Selmer's biggest customer and sold a lot of their amps in his shop. But they were troublesome. Jim would go down to the Selmer shop once per week on a Monday morning to get his Selmer amps repaired. That's why Ken Bran was taken on, as a repair technician.

Jim was also making speaker cabinets long before any Marshall amplifiers were made. Including 1x18, and PA cabs.

Pleximaster suggested to me (or seems to know somehow) that Jim Marshall actually made some of the cabinets for Selmer. Maybe to help with production of the large orders of Selmers at the Marshall shop? This is why some Selmer gear looks exactly the same as the very early Marshall gear. With the sloping baffle and two tone design with the gold piping.

Yea the cabs are really similar(inc dimensions), the earliest I have seen a sloping baffle on a Selmer is 1960 so I’m guessing Marshall nabbed that design feature off of Selmer!

 

[Ken Underwood]

Sure, the circuit was a Fender clone. I meant more the design. The 'dials on the front at the bottom' is simply how a lot of radios and stuff looked back then, but the writing, black/white/gold seemed to be pretty unique. I thought it might have been inspired by a car or something.

Just read the true history about who we were and what we all had in common then you will see what influences we had

 

[Ken Underwood]

There was a close relationship between Jim Marshall and Selmer in the early days, as told in the 'father of loud' book. This was before the first Marshall amp was ever made. Jim was Selmer's biggest customer and sold a lot of their amps in his shop. But they were troublesome. Jim would go down to the Selmer shop once per week on a Monday morning to get his Selmer amps repaired. That's why Ken Bran was taken on, as a repair technician.

Jim was also making speaker cabinets long before any Marshall amplifiers were made. Including 1x18, and PA cabs.

Pleximaster suggested to me (or seems to know somehow) that Jim Marshall actually made some of the cabinets for Selmer. Maybe to help with production of the large orders of Selmers at the Marshall shop? This is why some Selmer gear looks exactly the same as the very early Marshall gear. With the sloping baffle and two tone design with the gold piping.

You believe that then you will believe anything, Jim had a vivid ego and imagination, he was not even involved in the early days

You guys have been led up the garden path

 

[PelliX]

Just read the true history about who we were and what we all had in common then you will see what influences we had

That's an elegant way of saying there's no specific known source, appreciated.

 

[Matthews Guitars]

I'm just pretty sure that if Marshall had come up with the design latery used by Peavey, with the Wiggy model, Marshalls would never have become the legends that they are.


Imagine a backline of these....might work for a comedy act.

 

[Gunner64]

I'm just pretty sure that if Marshall had come up with the design latery used by Peavey, with the Wiggy model, Marshalls would never have become the legends that they are.


Imagine a backline of these....might work for a comedy act.

View attachment 127321

C'mon now, you know as well as I do that If Hendrix used one you guys would be paying 8k for that now..