Preorder the Marshall 1959BJA →
Every so often a signature amp comes along that is actually built around the sound it claims to chase, not just a paint job on an existing model. The Marshall 1959BJA is one of those. Designed with Billie Joe Armstrong and voiced around the raw, snarling tone of Green Day's Dookie, it takes the legendary 1959 Super Lead 100-watt plexi and pushes it somewhere a little meaner. If you have ever wanted that record's crunch coming out of your own cab, this is the most direct route we have seen.
It starts, as these things should, with the circuit. The 1959BJA keeps the 100 watts and the four EL34 output valves that made the original Super Lead a cornerstone of loud rock, but it is voiced with more gain, more body and enhanced low mids than a standard 1959. That means it hits harder and fills out the bottom end without turning to mush, which is exactly what a wall of downstroked power chords needs. Two channels, bridgeable, with Gain and Master controls on top of the classic Presence, Bass, Middle and Treble stack, so you can push the front end hard and still keep a handle on stage volume.
Handwired in the UK at Marshall's Bletchley factory, it is the same build approach that put the brand on records for six decades. Point-to-point wiring, proper valves, and the kind of construction that holds up to touring. The rear panel says it plainly: Super Lead 100W, made in England.
The look is not an accident either. The baby blue covering is a nod to Billie's first guitar, the beat-up Fernandes Stratocaster copy he calls Blue. Against that finish you get brass and silver panel details, custom Dookie branding on the front badge and Billie's own signature. It is one of the better-looking amps Marshall has put out in a while, and it reads as a tribute to a specific era rather than a generic reissue.
One practical note we like: this is a head-only unit. Marshall did not lock you into a matching cabinet, so you can run it into whatever you already trust, be that a vintage 4x12, a modern greenback-loaded cab or something smaller for the studio. The output jacks are selectable for 16, 8 or 4 ohm loads, so pairing it up is straightforward.
See and hear it
Here is Marshall's own look at the 1959BJA with Billie Joe:
This one is going to move, and we are taking preorders now. If you want Billie Joe Armstrong's Dookie tone, look and attitude in a single piece of gear, reserve yours and we will get it out to you as soon as they land. Questions about pairing it with a cab? Come see us in Wheaton or give us a call, we are happy to talk it through.
Specs at a glance
| Power | 100W |
| Channels | 2, bridgeable |
| Modifications | Gain, Master |
| Controls | Treble, Middle, Bass, Presence |
| Inputs | 2 x 1/4" jack instrument inputs (high/low sensitivity) |
| Outputs | 2 x 1/4" jack speaker outputs, selectable 16 / 8 / 4 ohm load |
| Preamp valves | 2 x ECC83, 1 x ECC83 (phase splitter) |
| Power amp valves | 4 x EL34 |
| Weight | 20.1 kg / 44.3 lbs |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 741 x 294 x 210 mm (29.2 x 11.6 x 8.3 in) |
| Build | Handwired in the UK |
| SKU | 1959BJA |