Jim Marshall, maker of world famous amplifiers, died a few days ago in London at age 88. He was in hospice care and succumbed to cancer. Roy Orbison was the first buyer in the U.S., then Deep Purple, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, and a host of others. While known for the incredible volume they could produce (and subsequent hearing loss) they had a certain quality of sound that was fairly distinct.

 

 I personally own a JCM2000 TSL122 that looks like this.

I can rarely turn it up past 2 even in the garage, which is where I usually play it in the warmer months. I do not use or need all the power it has, but if I ever feel the need to annoy my neighbors it's good to know that I can.

Jim's daughter run's the company, last I heard. Her father's story was one of rags to riches and he gave  millions of pounds to charity. Rest in peace, Jim. You will be missed.

On a lighter note, Spring is still slowly making its way here, but taking its sweet time. I can hear ducks in the pond and the evening grosbeaks have returned. The wind is coming off the big lake which keeps us air conditioned.

Even the chickens get to go out in the yard and do what chickens do, which is mostly scratch and peck. As long as there aren't any bare spots to dig up, they tend to aerate the soil and get rid of the thatch. They won't head to their summer yard for another month yet, when overnight temperatures are usually above freezing.