Marshall intros limited edition Celestion 100 guitar speaker

posted on Monday, 24th June 2024 by Steve May

Loudspeakers  Pro AV  Live Music 

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In tribute to Celestion's 100th anniversary, Marshall has unveiled a redesigned Studio JTM amplifier featuring an exclusive Celestion 100 Alnico speaker. This limited-edition piece is available in a run of just 100 units worldwide.

Speakers from British firm Celestion have featured in Marshall’s amps since the 1960s. The Celestion 100 pays homage to these early Alnico speakers, which in many ways were responsible for shaping the sound of electric guitars.

This special edition amplifier revives that era defining sonic character, delivering a beloved blend of loud crunch and clean tones, as favoured by guitar aficionados.

The original JTM amplifier, which inspires the Celestion 100, has a rich heritage of notable users. Legendary guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Angus Young, Joe Bonamassa, and Gary Moore have all trusted the JTM to deliver their signature sounds.

“The tone of Celestion 100 is very much based on those really early Alnico guitar speakers,” says John Paice, Marketing Communications Manager at Celestion. “We spent a lot of time listening to several of them just to get the right tonal benchmark. Designed to look and sound as close as possible to those early Alnicos, we believe we made these hundredth anniversary speakers into something truly special.”
True to its roots, the Celestion 100 is built on the original JTM’s blueprint and features two ECC83 preamp valves, two 5881 power amp valves, and one ECC83 phase splitter.

With the promise of classic low-end grunt, warm midrange, and crunchy upper tones, the a sound profile should resonate with the era-defining original.

Hand-built in Marshall’s Bletchley factory in the UK, the amplifier boasts finger-jointed cabinets, hand-welded chassis, hand-soldered potentiometers and valve bases, and premium-quality components. Visually, it captures the vintage aesthetic with period-correct details including a metal, red enamel poured ‘coffin’ logo, new white knobs, black panelling, and cream covering.

"Celestion has been part of the Marshall family right from the very beginning, and more than six decades later that union is still thriving,” says Steve Smith, Product Expert for Musical Instruments at Marshall Group. “Over the years we have cultivated a truly genuine relationship built on our shared passion for British craftsmanship and world-class sound. It is this foundation that allows us to make really great amps, and the Celestion 100 is no exception. I can’t think of a more iconic way of celebrating this 100-year milestone."

This amplifier offers the full vintage sound of the JTM, with the added convenience of switching between 20W and 5W outputs. Additional features include an FX Loop, DI out, and the ability to jump channels with a patch cable, allowing musicians and audio pros to integrate the amp seamlessly into various setups.

Priced at £2,060, the Celestion 100 head and cabinets are are available now.

Steve May

Inside CI Editor Steve May is a freelance technology specialist who also writes for T3TechRadarHome Cinema Choice, Trusted Reviews and The Luxe Review.

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