TWO MAGNATONE 45 WATT AMPLIFIER HEADS, ONE SUPER 59 MKII, ONE SUPER 59 M80

These two amplifiers, 'modified' from stock Magnatones with a very special custom addition to the front fascia, are two of a number that have formed part of Jeff Beck's stage rig since 2015. Ted Kornblum, Magnatone CEO, confirmed to us that the idea of creating a bespoke Magnatone amp for Jeff to play through on stage was first mooted in 2014 - most likely influenced by his planned (and subsequently postponed) tour with ZZ Top that year. A lifelong Marshall man, Beck would need persuading that the Magnatone was for him and so rather than go to the lengths of creating a whole new amp for him, they loaned him two stock amps, with a special addition - bespoke labels reading BECKTONE which could be stuck over the illuminated Magnatone logo to the front. In 2015, once the tour had been rescheduled, Billy Gibbons presented the new labels (and borrowed amps) to Jeff, much to his amusement. The two 'BECKTONE' amps were then used extensively on stage throughout that tour. The following year Magnatone created two amps specially for Jeff, as opposed to standard production models, and gave them the serial numbers JB001 and JB002 - perhaps in the hope that they could woo him away from the Marshalls for good. When JB001 developed a fault on that tour, JB002 continued to be used throughout. Magnatone both loaned and gave Jeff a number of amps over the following years, including the other amp in this lot, the M80, and it is extremely difficult to tell them apart on stage. John 'Skully' McIntosh, Jeff Beck's guitar technician for the 2018⁄19 tour and the final 2022 tour, confirmed to us that a 'Becktone' amp was always placed on the stage, with the intention of being lit up, as well as acting as an emergency spare if all other back-ups failed, however, the amps were rarely played through after 2019.