SOLD - Marshall 18w Model 1973 Plexi Tremolo Baby BluesBreaker 1967 custom rebuild
$0.00No sales tax for customers outside California.
It will take several days for this amp to ship after a sale is complete as we will be taking our time with packaging it. Shipping to the continental US only. International customers must make their own shipping arrangements and bear the responsibilities of insurance and logistics.
This Marshall is a restored/custom built example of the extremely rare Model 1773 "Baby Bluesbreaker" Tremolo amp. It took me a while to authenticate it, partially out of extreme caution as I didn't want to advance an amp as original that I had some doubts about.
Several things immediately jumped out to me when I first encountered the amp. First, the speakers are mismatched and are clearly earlier than the rest of the amp. There is one Rola and one Celestion labeled speaker, both alnico speakers of the same design and era. The date code on the Celestion G12 puts it as a 1964. The Rola is harder for me to nail down. There is no date code on the gasket as there is on the Celestion, but the gasket does appear to be original. I assume that both cones are original but I can't say for certain. There are small repairs on both cones. Both sound strong however.
The disparity in the wear seen on the pinstripe grillecloth as compared to the tolex was another red flag. It turns out that the cabinet is a remake, perhaps built by the Music Ground folks who were notorious for faking old Marshalls. I do believe that the grille cloth is original, likely from a PA cab or something of the sort. The handle, vents, and knobs all appear to be original, as does the logo, which has seen some work to keep together - the original logos from this era are notoriously fragile.
The original chassis sports radio spares transformers. I am of the mind that the power transformer is not original to the amp, but it is a Radio Spares unit, as is the output transformer, and it is of the correct era for the amp. The power transformer shows more age than other parts, so it seems that it might have been in another amp for much of its life. It is likely that one or both of the transformers were liberated from an older Selmer amp. Other internal parts fit the era and look the part as well - tube sockets, the circuit board, potentiometers (one is changed to a US made pot), most of the capacitors and resistors all are era correct.
As you might expect, the amp has THE Marshall tone. It will clean up, but can scream as well. The tremolo is thick and works really well. The tremolo footswitch is a homemade unit, hardwired to the amp. The amp sounds strong. There is a little underlying noise floor, which is common in this design, but everything sounds tight and the tone is amazing.
The tubes are a mix of brand new and vintage. Power tubes are brand new TAD EL84s. The rectifier is an old Sylvania. One preamp tube is an old Brimar, one is an old US made tube and one is brand new. The filter cap can was updated a few years ago.
The amp runs on 220v - a step up transformer is needed. I will include one with the sale of the amp.
- Color: Black
- Dimensions: 19 3/4"h x 28"w x 9 7/8"d
- Weight: 53lbs
- Watts: 18
- Date: 1967
- Where date is noted: Cosmetics and features
- Speaker 1 brand/model:? Rola G12
- Speaker 1 Code: B025 on the magnet. RIC 1-IA stamped on the inside of the speaker cone.
- Speaker 2 brand/model: Celestion G12
- Speaker 2 code: (??)31 stamped on the magnet. 01FJ stamped on the gasket.
- Extension speaker out?: No
- FX Loop?: No
- Reverb or other effects?: Tremolo
- Power tubes: (2) x EL84's
- Preamp tubes: (3)x 12AX7's
- Pots: One USA replaced pot
- Tolex: Likely replaced
- Grille: Original
- Knobs: Original
- Handle: Original
- Power cord: Updated w/3 prong grounded
- Notes: This amp runs on 220v only, several caps and resistors replaced.
