Marshall gear on the Anagram

Jim Marshall ran a London music shop before he started building amps in the early 1960s. His heads and 4x12 cabinets became the default rock rig, and the company has kept the same basic recipe of loud, mid-forward valve gain ever since.

On the Anagram, the guitar amps are all confirmed by their developers. Mercuriall Audio says Bright-800 Amp is inspired by the JCM800 2204. Nembrini Audio says MRH159 Brown Sound Amplifier is modelled on a 1959 Super Lead, with a switch for the variac trick Eddie Van Halen used. Colombo Audio's Plexi Breed covers the JTM45, 1959 and 1987, and Lead Trilogy covers the Silver Jubilee, JCM800 and JCM900, both via Colombo's own pedals. Crunck V2 is likely JCM800-rooted, since Igor Nembrini said the first Crunck was inspired by his own 2210.

The cabs are confirmed too. forward audio says faIR Marsh 1960, faIR Modern Metal and the free faIR Modern Rock all use a 1960A 4x12. Built in, Vintage London 4x12 is likely a Greenback-loaded 1960 and Fashionista 4x12 is our guess at a Marshall-style box.

Bass players should look at Jim Bass. Darkglass does not name it, but we think it is likely the Super Bass, a 100-watt head that rock bassists pushed into grind long before bass distortion pedals existed.

Marshall gain is about the upper mids. It cuts through a band rather than filling the bottom, which is why guitarists love it and why bassists often blend it with a clean signal.

Try Jim Bass first on bass. On guitar, start with the free Crunck V2 into faIR Modern Rock.