Gibson Guitars &
Marshall Amps
Either go big or go home! Like The Beatles
and numerous other British groups, the
Who’s Pete Townshend started off with
the Rickenbacker-Vox combo before
deciding he needed more stage volume,
which Jim Marshall and company were
happy to provide. Expanding on its early
JTM45 model, the Superlead Plexi would
have more powerful output transformers,
two channels, and EL34s for better
breakup when the volume is increased.
When Townshend would switch out his
Rickenbackers for Gibson’s Les Paul and
SG models, you’d have a combination that
would define hard rock for the rest
of the century.
This is the one spot on the list
where we’re going to just list
the companies and not specific
models, because it’s honestly
hard to pick just one. The Les
Paul and SG would be the very
image of the rock scene in the
‘70s, then Marshall released
the gain-heavy JCM800 in time
for the ‘80s, when metal bands
would swap their guitars for
the wild shapes of the Explorer
and Flying V. Rarely have two
companies been so intertwined
in the public consciousness.
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TONE TALK //
5 Legendary Guitar and Amp Combinations Throughout History