Is this the end of Marshall?

  • No.


    Fender and Gibson have been bought and sold. More than once.


    It’s business and little more.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • Ducati has been acquierd by Audi and everything is better than ever. They still produce bikes in Borgo Panigale and they are at Top level as never before (last year they won both MotoGp and SBK world championship) so .. I'm not scared about this news. A bit sad but .. ok fine!

  • ...Although (arguably) one of those times for Gibson did lead to a big decline in both product quality and business viability :)

    True. Both did. When CBS bought Fender....very little good happened for a while. Thankfully, neither brand disappeared.


    I have no idea if this is good, bad or the same for Marshall. But that name is synonymous with every form of Rock. A Les Paul into a Marshall *IS* the sound of Rock. Clapton with John Mayall, Jimi Hendrix, EVH, Yngwie.....


    No way they're at an end.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • It can be good or bad, depending how well the new ownership consortium understands the brand name Marshall.

    One thing is for sure: an era comes to an end.

    As I read the Marshall family holds 24% in the new consortium structure which means they have a say but they cannot completely prevent the company going ways that they don't agree with 100%.

    Historically this has happened several times as some others have already pointed out.

    Fender was on the way down for a long time after being sold to CBS.

    Vox also had several different ownerships after Jennings (JMI) was sold and it wasn't until Korg took ownership that Vox is on a steady way keeping up the heritage on one hand and OTOH always coming up with new approaches to the age old quest for a better sound.

    For the new "Marshall group" I think this is crucial! Keeping up the heritage and leave it as is and at the same time expand the brand with more lifestyle products like headphones and bluetooth speakers (my Marshall Stanmore's are great BTW).

  • It's just a brand now. Wild guess that there's not going to be a lot of R&D money being poured into traditional guitar amps going forward. I expect we'll see the logo appearing in Walmart eventually.

  • It's just a brand now. Wild guess that there's not going to be a lot of R&D money being poured into traditional guitar amps going forward. I expect we'll see the logo appearing in Walmart eventually.

    Nah.


    If it was a failed Brand or industry in decline….bought by big-box supplier (Like Pacific Cycle buying Schwinn bikes years ago), then maybe.

    But Marshall and electric guitar is anything but failing or in decline.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • Quote: “One thing is for sure: an era comes to an end.”



    Indeed.


    Whilst I’m deeply saddened, I’m not at all surprised.


    It could be said Marshall’s era ended some years ago, with the sad demise of Jim Marshall.


    At times he would visit and I had great respect for him. A good singer, an excellent drummer and one that could teach well, which is a whole different talent.


    On top of all that, he was an entrepreneurial businessman, the owner of a thriving musical store, closely in touch with and helpfully accommodating to musicians. he understood them and delivered what they sought.


    Jim was a great pal of guitarist Bert Weedon, who lived in the next town. They would always meet up for a slap-up dinner party and celebrate each other’s birthday. Bert was the first British guitarist to have a number 1 hit and loved and admired by the overwhelming majority of legendary British guitarists that followed.



    But Jim was not a designer of electronic equipment, he relied on others in that specialised field to develop his products.


    Highly respected by his loyal employees, as long as he was at the helm of the company, he was indeed its motive force. After his demise his children took over.


    However, it seemed to me the designers and experienced specialists in critical parts of the business had themselves become an alternative driving force and realised they could make more money working for themselves.


    They left started Blackstar and have built a similarly impressive business. Since then, it seemed to me that Marshall has lacked direction, devolving into new manufacturing mainly by means of superficial, brand marketing devices, rather than impressive products of real significance for demanding, working musicians.



    Quote: “Although (arguably) one of those times for Gibson did lead to a big decline in both product quality and business viability.

    Quote: “Fender was on the way down for a long time after being sold to CBS."


    Quite.


    But although that is the widely accepted and conventional wisdom regarding these periods in those company’s histories.


    I take a slightly different view, in that both brands could have disappeared altogether, yet were saved and given a sound lifeline and gained time to recover.


    Therefore, rather than disparage the companies that took them over, we should be grateful that they were preserved until they could be placed on a sound financial footing, rediscover their roots, and renew themselves for future generations.



    Furthermore, contrary to widespread popular viewpoint, despite the shortcomings some delight to point out; my experience of musical instruments is that they are inherently similar to people and musicians themselves.


    In that, regardless of being production line models, each example has something about it that makes it singular, particular and to some degree, quite unique. Perhaps it is that each slab of wood is in itself unique.


    Or that the lack of statistical process controls ensured variability in pickup windings and difference in output power. Or that different instruments passed through the hands of different operators on different shifts reflecting in the final product.


    But my observation of the instruments that have passed through my hands has been, that great examples of these brands, existed in every era, utterly irrespective of whoever the owner of the company was at the time. If one can value the instruments for what they are.



    To my mind, believing otherwise appears to be succumbing to the temptation of yielding to populist, stereotypical, opinion, born of “experts” some of which certainly have a financial interest in propagating a particular view.


    With respect, it’s also something that can be the product of a form of mental laziness, to dismiss everything made through years of an era, rather than be selective in the manner that I believe musical instruments properly require.


    Because if you think about it, people continued to purchase the products despite everything. Rather more to the point for me however, is that such a view runs contrary to my experience, after handling so many instruments, over such a very long period. I have found good and poor examples from every era.


    Although we may prefer instruments from certain eras with good reason, bean counters are important to the proper administration of any successful company and companies big enough to employ them. They know how to make a good product and make a profit whilst doing it. They might not be thought of as good by many, but they weren’t anywhere near as bad as some people make out.



    Quote: “Ducati has been acquierd by Audi and everything is better than ever. They still produce bikes in Borgo Panigale and they are at Top level as never before.”  



    I know Herbert Diess, the former Chairman and CEO of AudiAG, Volkswagen AG, SEAT S.A. Skoda Auto, and Porsche Holding GmbH along with other others, very well indeed and have done for several decades.


    The thing to understand about Herbert and his colleagues that have driven the business over the years, as well as at BMW and MINI, that Herbert went to VW from, is that the businesses are driven by genuine petrol heads.


    Herbert would often be seen riding about on a motor cycle and thoroughly enjoy it. he was behind the acquisition of certain motorcycle brands and after making a brilliant success of MINI, subsequently headed up the motor cycle division at BMW.


    These folk are totally passionate about the products they design and manufacture, a passion that flows into the exciting models they produce.




    The area of industry may differ.


    But my observation and limited experience of them has been that a similar, passionate spirit exists at Kemper! 8)

  • Marshall is now controlled by a lifestyle accessories company 🤷‍♂️what could possibly go wrong.

    New talent management advice to Laura Cox -


    “Laura want to break the internet? let’s shoot another video of you covering the Nightrain solo in the blue singlet, but this time we’ll crank up the air conditioning”.

  • Every great company is run by a person who built the company originally and understands what its purpose is. Once some randos take over and start focusing on making a buck, the overall business will start to fail. Especially making short term money making decisions that hurt the company overall.


    Example when HP was run by the two guys who built it, it was the most amazing company. The pinnacle of technology. Now it is a shell of its former self. Their products are all trash, support is trash, sales force are trash, etc. I would look hard at alternatives before buying HP products ever again.


    That is why Kemper is amazing. Its leader is still here, and he deeply knows what this company does and is all about.


    Although many here wish he would bow to the cash making and make a Kemper 2 just because 8o

  • I wasn’t aware of this, but I doubt anyone that’s paid attention to the partnership aren’t the least bit surprised.


    Zound and Marshall have been doing business with each other for twelve years.


    This is not some big company barging in. This is a *very* successful, longstanding partnership evolving. Double digit profitability? Brand recognition? Not 100% dependent on guitar amplifiers? Yes please.


    Jim Marshall didn’t start the company and ‘give’ it to his kids. He started it *with* his son Terry, who is still very much involved.

    “Without music, life would be a mistake.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • Every era eventually comes to an end. Musicians will come to an end too. You will just tell your home A.I. to create and play new songs, and since everyone else's A.I. is doing the same there will be no reason to share because their A.I. will do it better than your A.I. We live in end times. :huh:

    Larry Mar @ Lonegun Studios. Neither one famous yet.

  • Every era eventually comes to an end. Musicians will come to an end too. You will just tell your home A.I. to create and play new songs, and since everyone else's A.I. is doing the same there will be no reason to share because their A.I. will do it better than your A.I. We live in end times. :huh:

    I am 47% sure Tim Henson is an AI. The end times are upon us :S

  • Every era eventually comes to an end. Musicians will come to an end too. You will just tell your home A.I. to create and play new songs, and since everyone else's A.I. is doing the same there will be no reason to share because their A.I. will do it better than your A.I. We live in end times. :huh:

    We will see how many CPU Power an AI need to cover something like that:
    " i'm sorry dave i'm afraid i can't do that" ;)

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    Be the force with you ;)