N.A.D - Marshall 2959

[2112]

Here's a rare bird - a 1979 Marshall 2959. These were made in small numbers and originally featured reverb and a switchable boost.

This has had the reverb removed and some mods to bring it closer to Super Lead spec, albeit with the channels internally jumpered and with only 4 and 8ohm speaker taps. The seller had owned the amp and gigged it regularly since 2008, having purchased it from a backline hire company.

It's obscenely loud.

There's an extra tube not doing anything so I'm going to get it modded to make use of that. Soon.

 

[James Freeman]

What the hell is even that?!

 

[Stone]

Wow that looks awesome mate
Def gonna be some thunder down under

Cheers

 

[JiveTurkey]

 

[holoholo]

 

[gearJunkie]

 

[Alex Kenivel]

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Very cool!

I used to own this amps cousin, the 2150, and I also have the Park 1210 that shares some similarities with the circuit. A cool oddity in Marshall history.

Totally understand the desire to mod it, but IMO, rare ones like this should really be kept original. There’s an abundance of suitable donors out there and now there’s one less of these rare beasts.

 

[Life Eats Life]

RAD, mod it to snot!

 

[norminal]

Send it to Jason and have him turn it into a beast!

 

[la szum]

Very cool!

I used to own this amps cousin, the 2150, and I also have the Park 1210 that shares some similarities with the circuit. A cool oddity in Marshall history.

Totally understand the desire to mod it, but IMO, rare ones like this should really be kept original. There’s an abundance of suitable donors out there and now there’s one less of these rare beasts.

Yup. Same. The older shit gets the less you see them in original condition.

No molesting the Marshalls.

Go fuck and fudge something shitty up instead.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Very nice! Congrats. Makes sense to add the extra gain stage(s) since it's already been modded anyways.

 

[Achilles]

Marshall 2959.

Had never even heard this model designator before today!
Also, have never seen this type of power switch on a Marshall either. Have you?

 

[2112]

I'd never heard of the amp before I saw the listing on a local fb group - the power switch and back panel are particularly novel. By sheer coincidence Jason put up a video with one on the Headfirst channel the other day so we've been talking about what can be done to it that's easy enough to reverse if need be.

Sounds like a Marshall.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I'd never heard of the amp before I saw the listing on a local fb group - the power switch and back panel are particularly novel. By sheer coincidence Jason put up a video with one on the Headfirst channel the other day so we've been talking about what can be done to it that's easy enough to reverse if need be.

Sounds like a Marshall.

Sounds great. Just leave it be.

 

[Achilles]

Sounds great. Just leave it be.

"Could the tone BE... any more AC/DC-ish?"

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Sounds rad! IMO these circuits favour single coils slightly, but with bass on 0, channels jumped and treble and presence cranked they can be ripping. Plate driven tone stacks like to be cranked, almost like a Mark series amp where you can think of them more like faders for each frequency band. They also take boosts really nicely, I hate camera audio but I did this a while back quickly with the 2150 and a maxon 808:



Another cool trick with the bass channel is to not jumper channels, but to use the treble channel just to bleed a tiny bit of top end into the bass channel. It can do some awesome clean tones.

No safer pair of hands than Jason, excited to see what he does!

 

[2112]

@MirrorProfiles you're bang on regarding single coils, it sounds GREAT with a Strat. Your clip sounds ripping, I need to try those settings.

 

[Whizzinby]

Sounds nice. +1 on some Headfirst treatment.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Sounds nice. +1 on some Headfirst treatment.

Yeah that clip up top is