Marshall 1962HW Handwired AKA Bluesbreaker

Marshall expands their Handwired series by resurrecting an in-demand classic – the 1962HW, a recreation of the Bluesbreaker combo from the early ’60s.

Marshall 1962HW

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This 30-Watt two-channel amp replicates the format and topology of the first production run of the Series II 1962 all-valve 2×12″ combo, as made popular by Eric Clapton when he was playing for John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers band.

The Handwired Series are premium amplifiers that cover the most important amps’s from Marshall’s over 50 years of operation. As the name implies, each one are hand-wired to ensure quality. The 1962HW is one of the four new Handwired series amps that Marshall released for 2014.

The 1962HW’s circuit topology features four ECC83, two KT66 in the power stage and a GZ34 rectifier. To make room for the KT66 power valves, this reissue has bigger cabinet dimensions, almost the same to the original Series II. According to Marshall, the new 1962HW is sonically closer to the original than any other reissue.

The amp’s GZ34 rectifier plays an important role in providing the sought after Bluesbreaker sound. Marshall states that it helps recreate “the joyous output stage compression and clean sustain associated with the 60s Bluesbreaker”.

Marshall adds: “…To make the 1962HW as authentic as possible, we have reverted back to valve driven tremolo, used original thickness, original pitch matrix, point to point tag boards and Drake transformers.

Finally, the combo amp comes with a pair of 25 Watt 12″ Celestion G12-C Greenbacks. The controls are straightforward with two volume knobs that also serve as the “gain” control, and a four-band EQ that lets you adjust presence, bass, mids and treble. The tremolo section comes with two knobs for adjusting speed and intensity. Check out the official video demo:

The new Marshall 1962HW is currently retailing online for $3,999. You can visit Marshall Amps for further details.

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