Park Model 20 2x12 Amplifier (1967)

This 1967 Park Model 20 2x12 Combo recently resurfaced after 55 years under the care of its longtime second owner, who'd purchased it used at a guitar shop in Glasgow, Scotland c. 1970. It's quite possibly one of the rarest Marshall-made Park amplifiers in existence, and represents one of the most desirable models in their storied history.

Akin to the Marshall Model 1973 2x12 Amplifier, this transitional 2x12 combo has remained almost entirely original its entire life. It features its original and highly coveted Celestion T1221 Greenback speakers with their factory Pulsonic cones, and original Radiospares transformers. The former? Responsible for a generous amount of what makes many of these mid/late 60s Marshall circuits sing. Original Celestions like these have an undeniably sweet voice and a midrange response like no other. The latter? Pretty much the other side of the tone coin. This particular amp has a factory-installed "Heavy Duty" output transformer, most often seen in the 1973's younger sibling, the 1958 2x10 combo version.

The amp pre-dates the change from tube-rectified to solid state rectification, despite being labeled as 'Park 20' on the original plexi faceplate. Our best guess is that this Park was put together in the late summer or early fall of '67, right around the time Marshall was starting to "update" this circuit. It also features the black plexi faceplate and white-skirted radio knobs often seen on Parks from '66-'67.

Though slightly differently cosmetically than the Marshall version (basically Chrome/Silver instead of Gold for hardware and piping), it is nearly identical in every other way. Much to our surprise, the amp arrived here at the shop with its original preamp tubes, which were typically Brimar from the factory. The power/rectifier tubes weren't far off in age, either. Older French-made Mazda tubes happen to be great pairings in an old Marshall circuit. There's even one vintage Mullard EL84 in there! There were almost no modifications to the circuit, with the exception being some rewiring of the speaker leads off of the OT. Even the original white power cord remains!

Our amp tech Stan Day tightened up the loose standoffs for the circuit board, and carefully performed only necessary service like replacement of the filter caps and a resistor. Stan cleaned up some excess solder on the speaker terminals and reconnected an intermittent lead wire on one of the speakers as well. He was able to reattached a couple of loose spots on the original grill cloth, tightening it up against the baffle. One tube socket was acting up, and Stan was able to install a working period-correct replacement to keep the interior look in line with the rest of the original parts.

No words are really needed to describe the tone of this amp, especially with the attached YouTube video showing it off with some great vintage electrics. Though quite loud and powerful for an 18-watt amp, the dynamics and crunch are unparalleled.

Will we ever see the likes of an amp like this again?! It's hard to say, really. But if it never happens after this, at least we know we were fortunate enough to have been a part of its re-entry into the guitar world. This experience is sure to stay with our little Boston-area guitar shop for years to come.