It was the biggest guitar amp story of the year. After over 60 years of family ownership, Marshall Amplification had been sold to the Swedish speaker company Zound Industries, with both brands to be trading henceforth as the Marshall Group.
The mood music around the takeover deal was all positive. The family would command a 24 per cent share in the Marshall Group, and would be the largest shareholder. Just a few months later, Marshall debuted the Studio JTM, the smart, retro-styled 20-watt tube amp collection its first major amp release since the deal was made.
