Guitar Journal: Sex Pistols Marshall Anniversary JCM 800 & More
Punk icons, browser based amp sims and Sustainiac Shred Guitars!
2,0 / 5,0 | 
This week, we check out the highly limited-run Marshall Sex Pistols Anniversary JCM 800 rig. Next, we take a look at the new browser-based amp and effects by Fukkaudio. Finally, we check out a Sustainiac-loaded green beast from Solar Guitars.
Guitar Journal
Sex Pistols Anniversary JCM 800
Marshall has announced the very limited-edition Sex Pistols Anniversary JCM 800 half stack. It is based on the amp rig Steve Jones is currently touring with the reformed band (minus John Lydon) and Frank Carter on vocals. The amp setup comes in a finish inspired by their Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols album from 1977.
Only 81 units
They are only making 81 units, priced at just over £3k each. You will need to be a mega-fan to buy one, or just love brightly colored 100-watt half stacks!
The rig is a standard JCM 800 2203 100-watt amp head paired with a 1960A 4 x 12 cabinet, so it will be loud (my first proper Marshall in the ’80s was this exact setup, and years later, my ears are still ringing). If you want that British EL34 power amp tone, then a Marshall is hard to beat.
Corporate Sell Out?
Sex Pistols purists will, of course, be aware that Jones didn’t play Marshall amps in 1977, and instead wielded a “borrowed” (ahem, stolen) Silverface Fender Twin Reverb. But that was then, and this is now, as these days he plays Marshall amps live and tours with this exact same amp setup.
I’d be tempted to just buy a regular JCM 800 and get the spray cans out, as it would be more ‘punk’ and less ‘corporate’, if I really wanted to emulate this guitar setup.
I’m a big fan of Jonesy, and if he makes a few quid out of this, then it’s all good, as he has paid his dues many times over. As a conversation piece, it would look great in any studio or home. I love a JCM 800, so it works for me on that level. I doubt I would gig with it, though, as it’s oh-so-pretty…
If you like the ‘Pistols, then read my Get that Sex Pistols tone I wrote a few years back, to help you emulate that classic Punk sound.
MSRP – £3139
Fukkaudio
Fukkaudio has designed a browser-based amp and effects system where you type in the sound you are looking for, and it generates it for you. Currently, it is free to use, with a paid option for more functionality, including saving and sharing presets, which is a premium feature; unlocking it requires a Pro membership, which costs approximately $8 (€6.90) monthly.
Craft Beer Origins
The backstory of this tech is just as eccentric as its branding. Founded by a small collective in Helsinki’s Kallio district, the team first made waves locally with their beer label, FUKKNICE.
While jumping from craft brewing to browser-based guitar processing feels like a sharp left turn, the creators view it as a “natural mutation” of their shared obsession with music and tech. It is all AI-based, so maybe not as advanced as a piece of hardware or dedicated software in a DAW, but for a freebie, it is worth playing with.
You can play with it by following the link below.
Solar Suatainiac!
Ola Englund’s Solar Guitars has just launched the Type AP1.6FRGNG Sustainiac+, and as the name suggests, it has an infinite sustain Sustainiac neck pickup. This green-meanie-looking shredder is going to be perfect for ‘epic, on a mountain solos’!
Mean & Green
It has an alder body paired with a set-thru maple neck, so it should be rock-solid, and it should have good natural sustain, even without that Sustainiac. The ebony fretboard comes fitted with 24 super-jumbo stainless steel frets, so shredding will be a breeze.
Born To Shred
It’s a shredder’s delight, equipped with a Duncan Solar+ Alnico VIII humbucker in the bridge position and a Gotoh 1996T tremolo system.
Pre-orders are open now, and it comes in at $1099, which seems more than reasonable. You will have to wait until August for delivery, but I feel Ola is on point with this model.
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