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Marshall 1974X

Handwired 18-Watt 1x12" All-Tube Guitar Combo Amp with Tube Tremolo

Item ID: 1974X

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  • Sale Price: $2299.99
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Marshall Handwired - Point To Point Perfection!

The Handwired Series is ongoing and will feature some of the world's most sought after, vintage, all-valve Marshalls. This represents the first time Marshall has offered a handwired product in recent years. Like the originals, these new handwired amps share simplicity of operation and natural valve tone! If you demand the very best, a Handwired Series amp is for you!

Marshall Handwired 1974X at a Glance:
  • The 1974X combo amp: authentic re-issue!
  • Sonically true with aged speakers
  • Original components lives up to Point-to-Point Perfection!


1974X 1x12" Combo Amp
The 1974X is an authentic re-issue of the fabled model 1974 combo of the late sixties (1966-1968). Just like the original, it boasts a point-to-point, handwired, tagboard circuit housed in an aluminium chassis, plus a valve-driven tremolo circuit. At the very heart of its simple, but effective, two channel design can be found six valves: three ECC83s in the preamp, an EZ81 rectifier and a pair of cathode biased EL84s in the power stage. As the output and mains transformers are vital components in any amplifier as they influence performance, sound and feel, Marshall worked extremely closely with their associates at Dagnall in order to duplicate the original, "off-the-shelf" transformers in all areas.

Aged Greenback T1221
A contributing sonic factor in the original 1974 is the way the sound of the Celestion Greenback speaker softens with age. For the 1974X, Celestion revisited the recipe for the original Greenback T1221 speaker, and "aged" it. The result is a new speaker proprietary to Marshall.

Point-to-Point Perfection
This new series was created to meet growing public demand, and to pay homage to models that, for many players, represent the ultimate in organic, all-valve guitar tone. The primary objective was to achieve maximum authenticity in terms of components, circuitry, construction methods, materials, specifications, aesthetics, signal path, performance, tonal characteristics and feel. All of the original components and materials were used or reproduced, and the original methods of construction employed in the late 1960s were revisited. All transformers - output and power - have been meticulously re-created by Dagnall Electronics, and each amplifier's handwired tag-board lives up to the slogan, 'Point-to-Point Perfection'.

Marshall Handwired 1974X Features:
  • 18-watt, 16-ohm, mono 1x12" combo amp
  • Exclusive, "aged" reissue of the original 20-watt, ceramic magnet, Celestion Greenback T1221 12" speaker
  • Replica of the grey and white striped "Bluesbreaker" grille cloth used on the originals
  • High-grade, Baltic birch cabinet with finger-locked joints

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Reviews
based on 2 customer reviews

Sweetwater Advice

Ron Daniel
Bluesbreaker meets Vox AC30! This unique and distinctive Marshall yields the grit and punch of a Clapton-era Bluesbreaker with a pronounced Vox-y chime on the top end. The control layout (1 volume, 1 tone) couldn't be simpler yet produces a wide variety of variations from dark jazzy textures all the way through classic rock and British Invasion tones (and the tremolo sounds great). It's also frighteningly LOUD for an 18-watt combo! This is truly a chance to own a piece of rock and roll history.

The Quintessential Tube Amp Tone Barre None!

by Big Daddy from Chicago, IL USA
June 20, 2008
Music Background: Contract guitarist with several touring Chicago blues artists
Words really cannot express the complexity and beauty of the pure tone that exudes from this baby. The early Marshalls were based on Fender tube amps of the day and this amp has plenty of Fender influ... read more [+]ence, more than any other Marshall that I've heard or played. Now, let me say that I also own real black faces from the sixties along with a few Fender "Vintage Reissues" such as the '65 Twin. I was disappointed to discover (on a gig) that my '65 reissue had circuit boards and I had a heck of a time finding a cold solder joint that was causing some extremely unmusical honking at arbitrary intervals! I had it fixed and put it up immediately on eBay! The 1974x, on the other hand, is all hand-wired. No circuit boards, which is what we guitarists expect in a vintage reissue. Simplicity, reliability, and tone up the yin-yang. The 1974x has a thick, warm, and round tone that has a creamy edge - Not chimey like Vox (which I also love) but focused, distinct, warm, with that edge, that can be controlled by the way the guitarist plays and by the level of the volume control on the amp. Very responsive to your playing style and loud for 18 watts. This amp can easily handle a small to medium sized room with no mic. The sound disperses nicely from the cabinet and fills the room evenly - This is a feature missing from my Mesa Mark III combo. My Mark III would decapitate anyone in the path of the speaker throw. I love this amp. You can hear my 1974x here on YouTube. close [-]

Simple Perfection

by Chris Craig from San Francisco, CA
May 1, 2005
Music Background:
I've been playing since the early '70s, through many amps. I've simply never (in my 32 years of playing) experienced so much sensitivity to playing style in my life. Pick hard and it�... read more [+]39;s chime and bite. Play softly and it's round and warm. If you need a bunch of effects, you'll have to go to the pedal board, but all that does is dilute the absolutely ambrosiac intrinsic tone quality of this masterpiece of equipment.

This is a fantastic sounding, rock-style amp - I wouldn't suggest it for classic jazz as it gets dirty (yet still articulate) quickly. There are other choices out there, or you could build your own 18-watter. But if you want an out-of-the-box, no-brainer hit, this is it. In an age of modeling amps (which are convenient but fall woefully short of capturing the excitement and nuance of the originals) this amp will revolutionize the way you sound, and the way you play. It just makes you a better player. close [-]

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See Also: Combo Amplifiers

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