Marshall SOLD

[loudthud]

Marshall amps has apparently been purchased by a company called Zounds.

Read about it here: https://ampgarage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=36169

[The Dude]

The price of vintage Marshalls just went up and "vintage" just moved forward several decades.

[Greg_L]

I guess to some this is bad news?

I don't know what this news actually means because I truly do not know one single musician that has ever bought a new Marshall. I myself have eight Marshall heads and four cabs. Not a single one of them was bought new. While I enjoy their products, Marshall the company has never seen a penny of my money because they stopped making the amps I want about 30 years ago. I assume many musicians feel the same and that's probably why Marshall has shifted to sunglasses and bluetooth speakers as of late.

[Mick Bailey]

Marshall has been a really good company to deal with for schematics, advice and spares and I hope that this continues and they keep at least some manufacturing in the UK. Increasingly though the shift has been towards manufacturing in the Far East and I wonder if the equity is just in the brand and whether the UK operation will be diminished in favour of more imported consumer-grade stuff.

[Leo_Gnardo]

Consider proximity of this announcement to April 1 - could be an other April Fools jape. But . . . lots of bizarre things going on in this nutty world. What next, Marshalls made in China? . . . Sounds about right.

[Greg_L]

I don't think a Marshall made in China would be any better or worse than one made in the UK. It's still up to Marshall to maintain quality control. It's just assembly. I'm sure a Chinese factory worker can solder bits together just as well as an English factory worker.

[glebert]

I don't think a Marshall made in China would be any better or worse than one made in the UK. It's still up to Marshall to maintain quality control. It's just assembly. I'm sure a Chinese factory worker can solder bits together just as well as an English factory worker.

I totally agree, but it is all about what price and profit point they are trying to hit. Trying to cut corners and cost is going to result in crappy product no matter where it is made. Getting and retaining skilled workers isn't easy anywhere, but is not specific to any location.

I have to imagine that someone in the UK is going to try to get a startup going with any old time Marshall employees they can get to do some booteek high end amps, similar to what Heritage did.

[g1]

The story linked says that the factory in Vietnam is in no danger of being closed, so rest easy friends.
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/mar...peaker-company

[Greg_L]

I totally agree, but it is all about what price and profit point they are trying to hit. Trying to cut corners and cost is going to result in crappy product no matter where it is made. Getting and retaining skilled workers isn't easy anywhere, but is not specific to any location.

I have to imagine that someone in the UK is going to try to get a startup going with any old time Marshall employees they can get to do some booteek high end amps, similar to what Heritage did.

Right. Cutting corners is cutting corners whether it's in China or the USA or the UK. People bag on things "made in China" but the truth is tons of great stuff is made in China and we western society folks use those products all day every day. The Chinese aren't unskilled dirtbags. China junk is China junk because the parent company makes it that way.

[Mick Bailey]

The only people to benefit from Chinese manufacturing are shareholders and the Chinese government. China is a long commute if your company relocates manufacturing there. Plus their human rights record isn't exactly at the top of the league tables and the military and political situation doesn't favour the West.

[Greg_L]

The only people to benefit from Chinese manufacturing are shareholders and the Chinese government.

And consumers. How much would your smartphone or TV cost if it was made in the US or UK and not in some Chinese slave labor camp?

For many products we just don't have a choice. I guess you could just choose to not have a refrigerator or computer.

[glebert]

And consumers. How much would your smartphone or TV cost if it was made in the US or UK and not in some Chinese slave labor camp?

For many products we just don't have a choice. I guess you could just choose to not have a refrigerator or computer.

But this IS based on choices we have made in the past. We choose to buy cheaper products and to encourage companies to seek profit above everything.

[Greg_L]

But this IS based on choices we have made in the past. We choose to buy cheaper products and to encourage companies to seek profit above everything.

Agreed but ultimately it's because we as consumers just want to spend less. I think most people would like to choose to buy locally produced products from reputable companies with good human rights records when possible, but price ultimately overrides moral and ethical decisions pretty much every time.