How Old is My Marshall?

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1971 Marshall Major

Does it have a bar code?
Yes (next page) | No (read on)

Does it have a serial number stamped on the chassis?
Marshall amps began featuring aluminum back panels in 1969.
Serial numbers began appearing on the back panels in July 1969.

Note that some models produced from 1979-81 had serial numbers stamped on the front panel (to the left of the power switch).

How to read the serial number (1969-1983)
Marshall used a coding system that provided (a) model, (b) serial number, and (c) manufacture date. This (a)(b)(c) sequence began in 1969 and was valid through 1983.

How to read the serial number (1984-1992)

In 1984, the order of the serial number components changed to (a)(c)(b), but the method used to determine the values for (a) and (c) remain the same. This system was used until 1992, when a bar code system was introduced.
(a) Model - The first part of the serial number grouping determines the model of the chassis. Possible values are shown in the table below.

Model Code Explanation

A/ or /A 200 Watt

RI Reissue Series

S/ or S/A 50 Watt

SB/ or SB/A Super Bass - 100 Watt

SL/ or SL/A Super Lead - 100 Watt

SP/ Super PA

ST/ or ST/A Tremolo - 100 Watt

T/ or T/A Tremolo - 50 Watt

(b) Serial number - The second part of the alphanumeric grouping is the five-digit serial number itself.

(c) Manufacture date - The last character determines the date of manufacture. Since A was used in both 1969 and 1970, Marshall decided that 1971 would start with C. To avoid confusion with the numerals 1 and 0, Marshall elected to skip the letters I and O. Also, for reasons not explained, there are no Q-dated amps. Z was used for two years, allowing time to convert to the bar coding scheme started in October 1992. Here are the date codes:

Date Code Year

A 1969-70

C 1971

D 1972

E 1973

F 1974

G 1975

H 1976

J 1977

K 1978

L 1979

M 1980

Date Code Year

N 1981

P 1982

R 1983

S 1984

T 1985

U 1986

V 1987

W 1988

X 1989

Y 1990

Z 1991-92