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Marshall denies existence of Blues Breaker reissue currently available for preorder
Alongside the Shredmaster, Drivemaster and Guv’Nor.
Image: Chris Buck via YouTube
After a teaser appeared online that seemed to imply Marshall Amplification would be reissuing its legendary Blues Breaker overdrive pedal this year, pedal fans were taken on a bit of a rollercoaster: Marshall first denied that the claim was true, however, Guitar.com has uncovered dealer listings for the Blues Breaker, alongside three other Marshall pedal reissues.
In an Instagram post, @luca.guitars shared an image written in the original Blues Breaker’s black-and-blue colour scheme, reading “You will not believe what Marshall is Bringing Back to life.” “Bringing Back” is stylised in the same way as the original Blues Breaker pedal’s logo.
See it for yourself below.
The image appears to have been created by @luca.guitar. Following the first version of this article, Guitar.com reached out to @luca.guitar and Marshall for clarification.
Marshall told Guitar.com that the image is unofficial, and the Blues Breaker is not being reissued. “As much as I love the idea I’m afraid it’s not official and isn’t true,” a spokesperson told us.
This is a little strange, as the German retailer Thomann currently lists four Marshall overdrive pedal reissues. The Guv’Nor, Shredmaster and Drivemaster are all currently “available in several months”, while the Bluesbreaker is available “on request”. Each pedal can be added to your cart and taken to the checkout without issue.
All four product pages contain the description: “Authentic reissue of the legendary original pedal.” Each will set you back an affordable £133.
The story of the Blues Breaker goes all the way back to the 1960s. Following the use of an early Marshall combo amplifier by Eric Clapton on the seminal Blues Breakers album by John Mayall And The Bluesbreakers, the name stuck for that style of Marshall overdrive. In 1991 Marshall released the four pedals they seem to be reissuing this year, including the fabled Blues Breaker.
The pedal itself wasn’t particularly well-known, however guitarist John Mayer popularised the pedal on his record Continuum. The pedal has since become the starting circuit topology for countless other overdrive pedals, such as the Analog Man King Of / Prince Of Tone, the JHS Morning Glory, the Wampler Pantheon, the Keeley 1962 and more.