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MarshallAmplificationProductCatalogue 27
2203KK Kerry King Amplifier
2203KK Signature Head
26 MarshallAmplificationProductCatalogue
Thunderous, dark and thumping metal tone, the Kerry King
JCM800 2203KK Signature amplifier is part of our
on-going commitment to our loyal artists. Marshall, in
partnership with Kerry King, is proud to have
developed a personalised version of the legendary
2203 based on Kerry’s own amplifier nicknamed
‘The Beast’.
2203KK Head
The originalJCM800 2203, initially launched in March 1981, proved
incrediblypopular with rock guitarists in the ’80s and beyond, with its
distinctive roar and larger thanlife‘edge’ it became, and still remains, the
standard that all other rockampsare judged on.
It wasduring this time that Kerry King,guitarist with Slayer (considered
one of the greatest metal bands in theworld) picked up his golden child
‘The Beast’.Knowing that he wanted his guitar tone to be as individual as
he is,he added an EQ and pushed the mids, creating “a frown not a
smile”. Alongsidethishe addeda noise gateto keep things quiet and
accentuate his staccato playingstyle. Used in countless shows and
records over many years, the combination of ‘The Beast’ and this
outboard equipment powered the sound of Kerry King until the day he
received the first 2203KK.
Kerry has used Marshallamplifiers throughouthis hugely successful
career, to this dayproudly bearing the Marshall logo when heperforms
with a wall of 30 Marshall cabinets behind him. Marshall felt it only fitting
to produce a Signature amplifier for him.
With ‘The Beast’and Kerry’s stage equipment in the safe hands of the
R&D team, they worked closely with Kerry to develop the tone, feel and
look of agreat Marshall amp that defines thetrueattitude and power of
Kerry’s sound. Kerry’s hands-on approach to the project resultedin
numerous visits to the Marshall factoryand putting the prototypes
vigorouslythrough their paces,road testing each one and using three of
them everynight ofhis 2006 and2007tours.
The 2203KK is a 100 Watt single channel,Master Volume, all-valve
UK made head. At its heartis a classicmid-’80s 2203 drawing on the
power and dynamics of ‘The Beast’ to take the sound further and placing
it at the cutting edge of modern rock tone. Additionally, its power stage
features four KT88valves, addingextra warmth and girth to the sound.
With the amplifier, Kerry uses Mode Four MF280Bcabinets, taking
advantage oftheir taller size to provide balanced mids and ahuge
bottom end.
‘The Beast’ button engages Kerry King’s signature tone. Recreating the
sound of his original outboard equipment, it features astudio quality ultra
fast noise reducer,riding the signals dynamics but still maintaining the
natural sustain and very fast decays for staccato rhythms and short
pauses, the switch lights red when the circuit activates and green when
the signal is passedwithout attenuation. A custom-voiced control
focusing again booston the mids has beenspecifically tuned to Kerry’s
specification. The gate and assaultprovide control over the guitar signal
allowing youto vary its threshold and intensity, truly capturing the ferocity
and forceof Kerry’ssound.
The 2203KK features artwork inspired by Kerry’smanyiconic tattoos.
Marshallhas developednew techniques to allow designsto be printed
directly onto the fret cloth, allowing this distinctive design to leave the
front panel and expand over the amp’s baffle. The tribal tattoo motif trails
over the brushedgoldpanel pointing to ‘The Beast’ switch and the style
of the panel’stext is taken directly from one ofKerry’s tattoos. The motif
and text are usedacrossthe whole design.
Includedwiththe amplifierare:
• A heavy dutydustcover featuringcustom artwork
• FiveKerry King Signature plectrums
• An A4 colour handbook with handwritten notes from Kerryand
featuring exclusive photographs
Leaving the last word to Kerry:
“. . . the 2203KK is now my main head and always will be. Crank it up
and enjoy the best amp on the planet!!!”
FEATURES 2203KK
Head ✓
Output(RMS) 100Watt
3BandEQ ✓
Pre-AmpValves 3xECC83
PowerAmpValves 4xKT88
Dimensions(mm) 750x310x215
Weight(kg) 21.5
AMPLIFIER SPECIFICATION
Right:
2203KK Head
MF280A Cab
MF280B Cab
“
The2203KKismymainheadandalwayswillbe!
”
Kerry King
(Slayer)