A Marshall 1935 Bass cabinet from 1970 with "pre-Rola" Celestion G12M 55Hz (bass) speakers. In spite of being a bass cabinet, this big heavy box sounds fantastic and huge with guitar. The low end is somewhat better controlled than in equally old guitar cabinets - the sound isn't particularly bass-heavy, just deeper, if you know what I mean.
The overall cosmetic condition isn't that bad considering its age: a couple of rips in the tolex and a little hole in the front cloth, but far from being beat up. Unfortunately the original Revvo push-in casters are gone and such things 1) are virtually nonexistent and 2) cost a fortune every five years a single set shows up. I've heard that Fender replacement casters might fit the sockets with little or no modifications. I'll have to check them out at some point.
Celestion is notorius for messing up the speaker magnet cover labels during late 60's and early 70's and this cabinet is no exception. The magnet covers have "75Hz bass resonance" markings although the speaker frame codes reveal them as 55 Hz bass speakers. Actually I read somewhere that ALL Celestion T1511 speakers of the pre-Rola era have incorrect 75 Hz labels, so it might actually be the rule and not the exception. Be that as it may, the speakers themselves sound excellent, not least because of their original Pulsonic cones.
The serial number is an interesting one. It suggests the cabinet should be a late '71 - actually with a chequerboard grill cloth, but the speakers and all other cosmetic details date the cab to early 1970. Several plausible theories arise: maybe the serial number plate has been replaced? Maybe the whole back plate has been replaced? Who knows?
s/n: 43163