Have you every wondered how famous bands get such good sound? Chances are, there playing through a Marshall amplifier. And the man behind it all is none other then Jim Marshall, who has come from a shop in England that could barely hold a dozen people to becoming the creator of the biggest instrument Amplifier Company in the world.
In the biography about Jim Marshall, it focuses on his whole life, from when he was in a plaster cast until he was 13 all the way up until now, at the age of 83. It talks about every detail about his childhood, understanding what players want, and the growing success of his company.
The main strengths of this book is how in-depth it goes into the time when Jim first starts building PA systems and all the way up to present time where he has factories all over the world. I especially liked the fact that it showed every Marshall amp built from the 1990’s and on, detailing about all of the electronics and different models. Also, there is a section where you learn all about the innings of a Marshall amplifier. It also has many quotes from fans and famous musicians praising Marshall
“In the old days I used to storm in Jim Marshall’s shop and swear at him. They’d run to build something new, id’ come back the next day to say that it wasn’t loud enough, or it wasn’t good enough. In the end I got what I wanted. And in so doing, what Jim Marshall did-and consequently the guy who built Hiwatt-was provide English heavy metal and blues players of the mid 60’s and early 70’s with these weapons.”
Pete Townshend, Guitar Player, September 2000
Some things that are weaknesses are the fact that the book doesn’t delve into Jim’s personal/family life all to well. For instance, it only briefly says he gets married, and it doesn’t even say to whom he gets married to. And then later on, it says he’s had 5 marriages which they never talked about. It also doesn’t talk too much about the rest of his family, like his siblings and parents.
I think a person interested in guitar would enjoy this book; there is no specific age group, albeit some of the words are hard. People who appreciate guitar/music/or are interested in learning about Marshall, and then they should pick up this wonderful book.
I would give this book a 9.3/10 because of the in-depth chapters about every detail of his business. I thought this book was very well written and taught me a lot of things I didn’t know about amps. Read this book and you won’t be disappointed.
