In honour of Jimi Hendrix and 60 years since he firs plugged in a Marshall amplifier, Marshall has revealed the Marshall x Hendrix 60th anniversary collection limited edition range. It includes a redesigned Acton III Bluetooth speaker, a 1959 JMH Half Stack, and a limited-edition Fuzz Face pedal, each inspired by Hendrix’s iconic sound and cosmic aesthetic.
“From his fashion to his lyrics and of course, his music, there are so many different stories we could tell when it comes to Hendrix,” says Emma Rydahl, Senior Industrial Designer, Marshall Group. “We started with materials and pattern exploration, looking at different fabrics and running test prints with a psychedelic track in mind. We spent a lot of time adjusting the final design to get it just right across the whole collection.”
I had the chance to see The Marshall Hendrix 60th anniversary edition Acton III speaker at the company’s office in Stockholm, Sweden and it’s gorgeous with a nice, textured feel and bold design. The design is influenced by Hendrix’s love of velvet, silver jewelry, and his fascination with space and science fiction. Coated in crushed velvet, it has a a silver control panel featuring purple knobs and purple LED lights, which is also reflective of the bold, textured fabrics of the ’60s, overall.
An all-seeing eye is stamped in silver onto the side of Acton III, symbolizing both clarity and vision. Turn on the speaker and you’ll hear a rare instrumental version of “Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)” from The Jimi Hendrix Experience deluxe box set.
Additionally, the line includes a 1959 JMH Half Stack. The 1960 AJMH 4×12 Handwired Angled Cabinet combines with the 1959 Handwired Head to form Hendrix’s signature set-up, delivering “tight low-end frequencies, a mid-range punch, and stunning highs,” says Marshall.
The fret and control panel are finished with a black and purple cosmic swirl and purple LED indicator. Silver detailing inspired by Hendrix’s jewelry features throughout, including on the knobs, handle, logo, grill and back panel. The all-seeing eye badge sits on the top and bottom of the stack. Made by hand in the Bletchley Marshall factory in the UK, each edition is built from quality plywood and wrapped in black Tolex.
Available exclusively with the stack, Dunlop’s limited-edition Fuzz Face Distortion pedal features the same unique oil-on-water design. Fans can use this in combination to recreate Hendrix’s snarling, snappy tones.
“Jimi was a formidable musician, a real force of nature,” says Terry Marshall, Co-founder, Marshall Amplification. “He took everything to a new level and carried everybody with him. When he played, it was an emotional time for everybody because everyone was thinking, if he can do it, I could maybe do it. And he’s using Marshall, therefore we want Marshall. It was a really special time for us all and there’s no doubt that we grew with him and his fame, it was a natural tie-up. The rest is history as they say.”
The Marshall x Hendrix™ 60th anniversary collection, including Acton III, is available now. The Acton III sells in Canada for $380. The 1959 JMH Half Stack with limited-edition Fuzz Face pedal is US$5,000. Marshall products are available in Canada through Erikson Consumer.