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The original JCM 800 Plexi in a box...

Here it is. The Guv'nor. No messing around. This one comes with it's original box and documentation. It's on good shape and sounds, well, like a dimed JCM 800 Plexi.

Here is a detailed history care of Sweetwater:

The World’s First “Amp-in-a-box” Pedal?

The Guv’nor Pedal

In the world of hard (and, for that matter, softer!) rock, the ’80s will forever be known as the decade that was totally dominated by Marshall stacks. Big bands, such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, built impressive walls of them onstage, and, as a result, Marshall amps were seen and heard literally all over the globe. Then, in the later ’80s, Marshall’s head designer, Steve Grindrod, was given the herculean task of creating a stompbox that replicated the glorious and unmistakable sound of a Marshall Plexi or JCM800 amp cranked up to 11! Steve rose to the challenge, and “The Guv’nor” was released in 1988 — a distortion pedal convincingly capable of emulating that instantly recognizable and signature “Marshall sound.”

Fun Fact! The foot shown on the Guv’nor box is none other than Mr. Grindrod’s!

In keeping with its “stack-in-a-box” intentions, the Guv’nor pedal had a single row of control knobs labeled gain, bass, middle, treble, and volume — exactly like a Marshall amp. In addition to having the expected jacks for input and output, this pedal also featured a jack labeled “loop” — once again keeping up with its “amp-it-a-box” identity. To my knowledge, this was the first stompbox to boast such a simple yet clever feature, but I’m certainly no Josh Scott when it comes to being a world-renowned authority on stompbox history!

By using an insert Y cable, one could put, say, an echo pedal into the Guv’nor’s loop and then leave said pedal switched on. Thus, every time you engaged the Guv’nor, you would get delay, too, with just a single tap of your foot. What a wonderful feature that helped minimize your pedal “tap dancing” routine onstage!

While amp-in-a-box pedals are commonplace today, they didn’t really exist back in the late ’80s. To be more precise, there may have been one or two that claimed to deliver the goods, but they didn’t. The Guv’nor pedal, however, did exactly what it said on the tin, making it the world’s first-ever stompbox of its type.

In fact, an early ’90s Marshall catalog boldly states the following on its dedicated Guv’nor page:

“A Stack at Your Feet. ‘Overdrive’ is a thing that we at Marshall pioneered. In our quest for the ultimate guitar sound, we constantly look for that quality of distortion that sets Marshall sounds apart.

“The Guv’nor pedal epitomises this approach and is more like a mini pre-amp than an ordinary distortion box.”

Bold and powerful claims indeed. The page’s closing sentence is just as enticing:

“The only distortion pedal that’s a Marshall.”

The 1989 UK advertisement for the Guv’nor also cut straight to the chase by stating: “You’ve seen the rest. Now put yourself in charge — get yourself a Guv’nor.”

The most famous example of the Guv’nor pedal in action is probably found on the late, great Gary Moore’s Still Got the Blues album, released in early 1990. Moore’s guitar tones on said album are rightfully held in reverence to this very day. Also, according to the man himself, the album’s cornerstones were a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, a Marshall JTM45 head, and a Guv’nor pedal. Plus, if the Guv’nor is good enough for a legend like Gary Moore . . . I rest my case.

What’s in a Name?

If you’re a fan of Marshall amps, then you probably know that “The Guv’nor” was a nickname lovingly bestowed upon the founder and head of Marshall Amplification, Jim Marshall, by his workforce. Why? Because “Guv’nor” simply means “Boss” in England! I used to work for Jim and company, and while that was indeed his nickname, Jim revealed to me that the pedal’s name was based on the reaction of a guitarist who played a final prototype of the pedal. Apparently, the chap was so blown away by what he heard he loudly exclaimed, “Wow! That’s the Guv’nor, innit!” Also apparently, the guitarist’s name wasn’t Nigel Tufnel! Whoever it was, it’s a great story!

Made in England . . . or not?

I met someone recently who asked me if I knew where the original Guv’nor pedals were made. “At the Marshall factory in Bletchley, England, of course,” was my immediate reply. He then pulled out an old version that clearly read, “Made in Korea.” Befuddled, I went home and pulled out one of my two original Guv’nor pedals, and it confirmed the “Made in Korea” truth. That didn’t stop me from double-checking with my other original, though, and that one clearly states, “Made in England.” I’m afraid I don’t know the exact “Made in” history timeline for the Guv’nor, but it was definitely made in both Korea and England . . . and I have indefatigable proof! Hoorah!

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