An article over on Guitar.com shows that Marshall is about to re-issue its classic BluesBreaker, Guv’nor, ShredMaster and DriveMaster pedals. However, according to Marshall, the claim is inaccurate.
UPDATE 21/02/23
They have all leaked now and there is video evidence to prove it.
UPDATE 13/02/23
Rumours online are heavily indicating that Marshall is doing a ‘product announcement’ around the 24th of February 2023 and will be at The Guitar Show in the UK with a new line of products.
I have also been messaged by a few people privately stating that Marshall is about to reissue their classic late ’80s and early ’90s drive pedals.
Plus, these images have appeared on Instagram.
Watch this space!
https://www.instagram.com/p/ComrQ9FMPka/
Return of the BluesBreaker
The original Marshall Guv’nor pedal was first made in the UK, followed by a later model built in Korea. The original UK-built ones now trade hands for large-ish sums of money, and I can understand why. I still own my original, and it’s a decent pedal, albeit with a few poor design choices, such as the plastic jack sockets.
This pedal was followed shortly by the BluesBreaker, DriveMaster and ShredMaster. These last three featured more gain with each subsequent release. So the BluesBreaker is a low gain pedal, and used by many famous players including John Mayer.
The DriveMaster has a similar voicing to the Guv’nor and is somewhere in the middle. And finally, the ShredMaster is the heavier gain version, and was used by players like Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead. Though, to be honest it hasn’t really got that much gain when compared to modern pedals. Again, I own one of these and it has its uses, but I wouldn’t say it was super heavy gain-wise.
Instagram tease
Reports of these new reissues first surfaced when an Instagram post by luca.guitars showed the rumour of a new BluesBreaker reissue, with the post stating “You Will Not Believe What Marshall is Bringing Back”. The last part, ‘Bringing Back’, uses the same font as the original Marshall BluesBreaker pedal.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaE3GrmK8Hf/?utm_source=ig_embed
Why All The Fuss?
The original pedals have become quite sought-after and collectable, especially if you have the original box and the pedal is in good shape. Also, the BluesBreaker has been cloned, copied and improved upon by many boutique pedal builders, so people often want that one the most. The Analog.man King Of Tone is based on two of these circuits, though somewhat refined, and is now on Version 4 of the design, with waiting lists of around three years to get one. There is also the Prince of Tone pedal, which is a single side of that design.
Then there are other variations including the JHS Morning Glory, the Wampler Pantheon and Pantheon Deluxe, the Keeley 1962, all of which are based on this original Marshall circuit. In fact, it is so popular that whole videos have been dedicated to the subject.
We will now have to wait and see if these new recreations do exist. The original reports show dealers listing them for GBP 133 each, which is not bad. It’s certainly a lot cheaper than some of the original pedals.
More Information on Marshall
Marshall BlueBreaker Video
