Marshall Model 2036B Cabinet
The Marshall Model 2036B was one of the most advanced speaker cabinets Marshall ever produced during its early 1970s experimentation with high-frequency technology. A 120-watt, 4x12 cabinet fitted with a twin-drive high-frequency horn, the 2036B was a forward-thinking design meant to bring studio-grade treble clarity into the world of live stage performance. It remains one of the rarest and most technically ambitious cabs in the Marshall catalog.
Technical Overview
The Model 2036B cabinet featured:
4 x 12-inch high-power Celestion speakers
Twin high-frequency horn drivers
Integrated crossover network
120-watt power handling
Straight front baffle design
Unlike typical Marshall 4x12 cabs—which naturally rolled off treble frequencies—the 2036B extended the cabinet’s upper-frequency response dramatically. The dual horn setup was optimized for lead and organ use, giving instruments an enhanced ability to cut through dense live mixes without the use of additional high-frequency reinforcement.
Dimensions and Construction
The 2036B shared its basic cabinet form with standard straight 4x12s:
Height: 38½ inches (74.3 cm)
Width: 30 inches (76.2 cm)
Depth: 18 inches (35.6 cm)
While the footprint remained conventional, the front-mounted twin-drive HF horn unit gave it a unique sonic signature and a very different voicing from its sibling cabinets in the 1960 or 1982 family.
It was constructed using Marshall’s seasoned wood shells, finished in black vinyl, and came with recessed handles and castors—built to survive touring despite its specialist nature.
Intended Applications
The 2036B was targeted at players who needed high headroom, upper-frequency projection, and wide coverage. Likely applications included:
Organ rigs for live rock and progressive music
Clean or chorus-enhanced lead guitarists
Hybrid P.A. and instrument configurations
It was also likely used in conjunction with Marshall’s Master P.A. amplifiers (Models 2002 and 2003), and possibly even fed by the 2030/2031 Professional P.A. system for instrument amplification.
Historical Significance and Rarity
The 2036B was briefly referenced in the 1971 Marshall catalog supplement, but never given a full product page or detailed promotion. It is almost certainly a specialist or limited-run cabinet, possibly made to order for professional clients, larger stage acts, or export markets.
Few—if any—surviving examples have surfaced in the vintage community, making it a mythic piece among high-powered horn-equipped Marshall cabs.
Collector Appeal
With its unusual speaker/horn pairing and increased power handling, the 2036B represents a radical departure from standard Marshall tone philosophy. For collectors, engineers, and vintage tone historians, it offers a rare glimpse into what might have been had Marshall pursued horn-loaded technology more aggressively in its core amp line.
Any original 2036B, especially with the twin HF drivers intact, would be of exceptional interest to:
Museum-level vintage gear collectors
Studio archivists
Marshall historians and tone researchers
Got a Marshall 2036B or any horn-loaded Marshall cab?
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