Nowadays
a 100-watt amplifier or a large “stack” amp is a mainstay of heavy metal bands
and big, loud live rock shows. But they were once considered impossible to pull
off – until Pete Townshend and John Entwistle insisted otherwise.
In the
summer of 1965, The Who debuted new amplifiers and equipment from Vox. But the
guys believed their new brand new stuff would attract potential thieves, so
they decided to shop for a guard dog.
Well, in
one of the more ironic twists in rock history, while the band was inside the
Battersea Dogs’ Home shopping on September 4, 1965, the van containing their
new equipment was indeed stolen. Turns out they were right! But that one theft
turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise for both The Who and the
now-legendary amp brand Marshall.
Townshend
and Entwistle had tried Marshall amps before, but their 50-watt models weren’t
loud enough to overpower the crowd noise (and Keith Moon’s relentless pounding
on the drums). Even though they were already dissatisfied with the sound of
their Vox equipment, the stolen van prompted them to return to Marshall to
create something new.
Sure
enough, they came back to Townshend with 100-watt heads and a giant 8×12
speaker cabinet stacked on top of each other, and thus the “stack” amp was
born. The model proved too unwieldy for roadies, however, and evolved into two
4×12 cabs that he stacked on top of each other.
It’s
been said that Townshend designed the amp himself, but in actuality he just
inspired the concept.
This is
just another big reason The Who have a reputation of being one of the loudest
bands in rock history…And another reason Townshend today struggles with his
hearing.
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