Marshall Amplification 1992LEM User Manual

Page 3

E
N

L
I

S
H

Not many can claim the ʻLiving Legendʼ status but Motörhead frontman

Lemmy Kilmister is most certainly deserving of the title. He also happens

to be one of Marshallʼs most ardent fans, recently quoting:- “If it has

Marshall written on it you can buy it without even a test drive, theyʼre that

good.”
To honour this unique partnership that stretches back over three

decades, the team at Marshall has created this new Signature Series

amplifier that takes its inspiration from Lemmyʼs very own modified 1992

100W Super Bass unit – Murder One. The result is an amp that delivers

sublime tone combined with sheer volume and crushing power, all

wrapped up in a rugged oversized cab. The 1992LEM is no mere

re-issue, this is a celebration of an iconic amplifier and its masterful

owner, this is Murder One MKII. To fully understand the significance of

this particular 1992 model we have to delve into the mists of time and

revisit the history of Lemmy, Motörhead and Murder One itself.

We Are Motörhead!

Formerly a roadie for the late, great Jimi Hendrix and rhythm guitarist in

numerous bands in the late ʼ60s, Lemmyʼs first notable bass pummelling

antics were with psychedelic space rockers Hawkwind. Although not the

regular lead singer Lemmy gave his vocal chords a stretch on the 1972

track Silver Machine, which remains the bands biggest hit. During his

time with Hawkwind Lemmy developed his own distinctive bass playing

style, possibly gleaned from his rhythm guitar days, preferring to use

power chords rather than the single note technique favoured by most. But

as the man himself professed:- “All the technique in the world donʼt mean

sh*t if it donʼt sound right.” Youʼve been told! After being fired from the

band over a “misdemeanour” on the Canadian border in 1975, Lemmy

formed one of Rock ʻnʼ Rollʼs most musically prolific and uncompromising

outfits – Motörhead. After some initial line up changes it was the

combination of “Fast” Eddie Clarke on guitar, Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor

on the skins and Lemmy on bass and vocal duties that defined the

Motörhead sound in the late ʼ70s. Their most recognisable hit of course,

is the iconic 1980 single Ace of Spades which has been the prerequisite

track for every rock compilation since. Brutally fast, refreshingly

uncomplicated and ear splittingly loud speed metal is what this power trio

produced and rock fans the world over have loved Motörhead for it for

over 30 years.
Guitarists and drummers may have come and gone, then come back and

gone again throughout the ʼ80s and early ʼ90s, but the current line up of

Phil Campbell (Guitar) and Mikkey Dee (Drums) has remained

unchanged since 1995. The common thread binding the many guises of

Motörhead together through the decades, apart from Lemmy himself, has

been the raw, un-relenting wall of explosive sound that batters you about

the head on every album and at every show. Never ones to follow big

haired trends or jump on Nu-Metal band wagons, the Motörhead sound

has remained as constant as Lemmyʼs pounding bass lines, microphones

that point south and his love affair with 1992 Super Bass amps.
The amp that would eventually become Murder One was bought by

Lemmy virtually brand new and had been finished in red vinyl. Made in

1976, just a year after Motörhead started down the road to rock infamy,

this ʻmoddedʼ 1992 model has featured on nearly all of the subsequent

brain rattling studio and live albums. For more than 30 years it was one of

the hardest worked amps in the business, due to the relentless pace of

life on the road sandwiched between stints in the recording studio.
During Murder Oneʼs tenure as Lemmyʼs first choice thunder box the

original red covering was given a lick of jet black paint and the face

further customised with two unique emblems. Created from five-pointed

Russian military stars inside ornate golden wreaths, these improvised

crests stood proudly either side of the Murder One nameplate which in

turn had been created from reflective traffic lettering.
Where did this custom of naming his amps come from though?

Well according to his bass tech Tim Butcher “. . .[it] just comes from

Lemmyʼs active mind, a blade and too much time on his hands. . .”

Lemmy has also had at his disposal: Marsha, No Remorse and Killer

among countless other Super Bass variants over the years which have all

formed part of the imposing backdrop to many a Motörhead show.

Lemmyʼs Marshall amps have become such an indelible part of

Motörhead folklore that there were reports after a riotous gig in Argentina,

where the crowd tore through the stage and destroyed most of the bandʼs

equipment, that Murder One was being held to ransom! Thankfully, the

truth is that most of Lemmyʼs rig, including his custom 4x12” and

monstrous 4x15” Marshall Cabs, was safely pulled off stage moments

before the over-zealous fans could get their sweaty, air punching hands on

it. Sadly though, three plectrums and a microphone stand didnʼt make it!

So Murder One survived to thump ear drums another day, which was

good news for the Marshall team when Jim Marshall instructed them to

produce a Signature Series bass amp honouring both his good friend and

the most famous of his 1992 Super Bass horde. Placed in their more than

capable hands, Murder One went under the ʻengineerʼs knifeʼ to see what

made it tick so vigorously. Voltages were measured, transformers

examined and circuitry scrutinised to establish the winning formula that

has made this particular model such a formidable piece of kit. The

outcome is the intimidating, uncompromising and brutish all-valve bass

amp that you are no-doubt drooling over this very second.
Prior to their release, prototype 1992LEMs had been cutting their teeth

with Lemmy, Phil and Mikkey on their 2007/08 world tour, a fiercely tough

proving ground for any amp. It suffices to say that they sailed through the

road test and proved themselves more than worthy successors to the

mighty Murder One, which is now enjoying a well earned rest. No such

retirement is planned for Lemmy though, as one of the last original metal

maniacs there seems to be no end to his un-yielding stamina to write and

perform Motörheadʼs own unique brand of head banging Rock ʻnʼ Roll.

Armed with his new Signature Series Super Bass amps, that will no-

doubt be christened before too long (any suggestions to

www.imotorhead.com by the way), we are certain of many more years of

the mind blowing tone and bone crushing volume that has come to

epitomise the Lemmy and Marshall partnership since the ʼ70s. Long may

it continue.
Finally, Marshall would like to thank Eddie, Roger, Tim, Abbe, Dan and

the rest of the Motörhead road crew for their un-wavering help and

support throughout this incredible project. Special thanks also to Phil and

Mikkey for their continuing efforts to destroy the hearing of Motörhead

fans the world over and thanks, of course, to the ʻgreatest living

Englishmanʼ himself – Lemmy. He may have belted out:- “They say Iʼm

gonna lose and gamblingʼs for fools, but thatʼs the way I like it baby, I

donʼt want to live forever!” over a thousand times since 1980, but on

current form it appears that he just might.