# NAD : 1964 Marshall JTM45 replica! Best one you've ever seen! (pic-heavy) - Updated internal pics!



## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

Full disclosure, I'm SO stoked about this I just had post to share this one with my fellow gearheads!

This project has been a whole YEAR in the making! Before anybody asks, the builder wishes to remain anonymous as he's a good friend of mine but I can say he lives in North-Carolina.

Why did it take so long? Firstly, I wanted this to be as accurate (within reason) and therefore wanted to get the most specific parts possible, down to the right color of the turret board. Some parts were so scarce that it took quite a bit of doing to get a hold of them.

Below is a list of its components ;


Phenolic turret board material
Pink wire where vintage correct
NOS Philips Mustard capacitors
NOS Piher resistors & carbon comps
NOS McMurdo tube sockets
NOS Belling Lee fuse holder
RIFA capacitors
Vintage LEMCO capacitors
Cliff Jacks & PEC pots
Period-correct black V knobs
Custom-made head cabinet with replica Radiospares "Vynair" fabric and smooth "Morroco" tolex
ANOS GEC KT66 mid-50s grey glass tubes
ANOS RCA grey long plate 12AX7 (V1)
ANOS RFT 12AX7 (V2)
NOS Mullard Blackburn 5AR4/GZ34 rectifier (JJ in the pic but it's changed)
Larry Grounding scheme
Marshall "coffin" logo (dull)
Period-correct handle & brackets
MetroAmp JTM45 Aluminium Chassis
Alumimark Custom-Built Metallic face and backplates with proper logos
Merren Drake OT
Merren PT
Marstran 20H choke (period-correct)

Now, onto the pics! I'm no pro photographer,but I gave it my best shot. Even added a closeup of the cloth. *To see all of them, click on this link* ; 1963 JTM45 Replica

Here are some samples.







































How does it sound? In a word, AMAZING! Glorious is another one I'd use. It's the type of sound that just excites you about playing. All of those classic sounds are in there. I'll be picking up some recording gear in the near future so I can make recordings of this beast. For now, you'll just have to trust me.

What a beauty inside and out! Haven't been pumped about gear like this for a loooong time.


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

More pics for those interested.


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

Well done, and congratulations!
Obviously a labour of love.
Very pretty - inside and out!


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

North Carolina huh? That looks a lot like Steve's work ;^ )


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

StevieMac said:


> North Carolina huh? That looks a lot like Steve's work ;^ )


It's not Steve's work. Our communication styles didn't mesh. It was nothing personal but I was more comfortable with somebody else. And yes, the builder lives in North-Carolina. 

I couldn't be happier with the results and am glad to say who started out as a tech is now a dear friend.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Your tech is in another country, or did they move?

Your new amp looks fantastic. Enjoy it!


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

Budda said:


> Your tech is in another country, or did they move?
> 
> Your new amp looks fantastic. Enjoy it!


He's in the US. Found him on TGP. Great guy. There are loads of techs on message boards like TGP. Mine is just a hobbyist, but he's also a perfectionist. Our personalities and communication styles were quite similar so we hit it off and he gave me a great price on the labor.

Some are total pros like Fusionbear on TGP. His stuff is gorgeous and he's fast but he charges a ton. This was the very first time I had ever commissioned a build so I was understandably nervous.

I'm hooked, now! I've got 2 more builds equally as nice and elaborate planned. My next one might feature a vintage honest-to-goodness Radiospares output transformer so I'm just as excited about that build as I am playing this one. And boy, does it sound utterly fantastic! Coupling it with my Fryette Power Station attenuator, it's out-of-this-world!


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

So...you live in Toronto, eh?


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## sambonee (Dec 20, 2007)

adcandour said:


> So...you live in Toronto, eh?
> 
> View attachment 34825


 Chuck has too much time on his hands !!


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

That looks incredible! I'd love to hear some clips if you find the time. I love the JTM sound! Congratulations!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

hollowbody said:


> That looks incredible! I'd love to hear some clips if you find the time. I love the JTM sound! Congratulations!


Thanks!  My good hard work finally pays off! 

I want to record but I've had a hell of a time trying to get it to sound like it does in the room. Heard some clips from somebody using a very simple setup which I'll try to emulate. Hope my clips will then sound amazing so you guys can finally hear how she sounds like "live".


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

Sorry guys!

Looks like I screwed up the picture album initially. Here's the link for all the pics including those of the interior in high detail. 

1963 JTM45 Replica


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Strat-man, nice! 53 years in the making, and looks new off the shelf!!! ;^)
As for who made it? Man there are soooo many "Boo tick" (get my Hallowe'en reference there?) in NC, it could be anyone.
If it sound 1/2 as good as it looks, well done brother!


Sent from my other brain.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Now what cab are you blowing it through?


Sent from my other brain.


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

bzrkrage said:


> Strat-man, nice! 53 years in the making, and looks new off the shelf!!! ;^)
> As for who made it? Man there are soooo many "Boo tick" (get my Hallowe'en reference there?) in NC, it could be anyone.
> If it sound 1/2 as good as it looks, well done brother!


Thanks, bud! 

Since it was my first build, I didn't know what to expect soundwise. Brief history ; I've been a Fender guy my whole life and could never make any good sounds with an LP or Marshall so I steered clear for all of my life until now when I met somebody via a Kijiji ad who became a friend and is an avid Marshall/LP collector. The sounds were killer and I offered more than once to take his JTM45 Metro kit-built amp from him but it's his favorite so he politely refused every time. So I decided to have one built but I wanted to go all-out. This is the result. 

When I brought it over to his place, it needed a bit of attention because while its sound was good, it wasn't at its full potential. We put some NOS tubes in there and the sound is now off the hook! To a point where my buddy stopped me in the middle of playing and said "You'll never get it to sound better than this. THIS is the sound!" High praise from a very very experienced Marshall (and especially JTM45) fanatic.



bzrkrage said:


> Now what cab are you blowing it through?


Again, I don't have much in terms of equipment. I'd rather have very little but of very high quality than have tons of mediocre stuff. That's just how I roll.

To answer your question, I currently am using a Marshall 1960TV cab (an oversized 4x12) with 4 UK-made Greenbacks. I plan on going all alnico in an open 2x12 cab. Undecided as to which ones I should go for. Managed to get a great deal on a Scumnico S75-PVC which is said to be killer for this sort of thing so I'd need a cab and another speaker. But there's also the Celestion Cream (*not* Creamback!) that is VERY much sought after for JTM45 tones... but unfortunately quite expensive as well.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Strat-Mangler said:


> To answer your question, I currently am using a Marshall 1960TV cab (an oversized 4x12) with 4 UK-made Greenbacks. I plan on going all alnico in an open 2x12 cab. Undecided as to which ones I should go for. Managed to get a great deal on a Scumnico S75-PVC which is said to be killer for this sort of thing so I'd need a cab and another speaker. But there's also the Celestion Cream (*not* Creamback!) that is VERY much sought after for JTM45 tones... but unfortunately quite expensive as well.


Stop right there. That's the cab I'd be using. No need to mess with anything else. If you really feel like experimenting, maybe try 2 Creamback and 2 Greenback in an X-pattern in that cab, but the 1960TV is a fantastic cab!

I ran my JTM45 through a 2061CX cab which had G12H30s in it. I really didn't need the volume that a 4x12 gave me, so it was the best solution for me in terms of size and volume, but if I had no limitations to consider, the 1960TV would be my cab of choice.

I honestly think the JTM45 might be the best amp ever. A lot of people think about Fender when they think about clean tones, but the cleans I got from my JTM45 were incredible. And the overdrive? Well...you know about that already


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

hollowbody said:


> I honestly think the JTM45 might be the best amp ever. A lot of people think about Fender when they think about clean tones, but the cleans I got from my JTM45 were incredible. And the overdrive? Well...you know about that already


Some people aren't aware, but the JTM45 is actually a (very) slightly modified Fender Bassman circuit. That's how Jim Marshall got his start in the business. Today, he'd probably get sued for doing that. LOL!


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

Strat-Mangler said:


> Some people aren't aware, but the JTM45 is actually a (very) slightly modified Fender Bassman circuit. That's how Jim Marshall got his start in the business. Today, he'd probably get sued for doing that. LOL!


Haha, absolutely! That's why I had a Bassman as my main combo amp when I didn't want to haul the JTM45 and cab around! Both are incredible amps and probably my two favourite amps ever.


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

hollowbody said:


> Haha, absolutely! That's why I had a Bassman as my main combo amp when I didn't want to haul the JTM45 and cab around! Both are incredible amps and probably my two favourite amps ever.


As far as the cabs are concerned, I really love my Greenbacks but people online are raving about the formula of having their JTM45s pumping through an open-back 2x12 Celestion Cream-equipped cab. So I'm curious enough to possibly experiment with that. Unfortunately, those speakers cost an absolute ton of money.


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## PTWamps (Aug 5, 2016)

That is top-notch work. Congratulations.


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

I'd love to make a matching cab but the chances of landing enough cloth to make one is next to nil.

If anybody has any contacts in that regard, please PM me!


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

It was brought to my attention that only external shots were visible to most people. 

I've fixed this. Feel free to look at the internal shots, now!


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## Moot (Feb 15, 2009)

Strat-Mangler said:


>


I've never seen a badge like this. It's gorgeous.
I wish I still owned a Marshall so I could put this onto it.
Is yours vintage or is someone making these?


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

Sent from my other other brain.


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

Moot said:


> I've never seen a badge like this. It's gorgeous.
> I wish I still owned a Marshall so I could put this onto it.
> Is yours vintage or is someone making these?


It was a one-off from somebody.


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## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

Very nice looking build!


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

that is a really nice amp!!

congratulations, I am envious

IMO Chris Merren is THE MAN.....good choice for transformers


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