Marshall reissues Guv'nor, Blues Breaker, Drivemaster and Shredmaster pedals

January 1, 2023 · 2 sources

Marshall has reissued the Guv'nor, Blues Breaker, Drivemaster and Shredmaster pedals, the company's return of the four circuits it sold from the late 1980s and 1990s¹. Gearnews reported the reissues on 24 February 2023, describing them as "the worst kept secret in guitar news for the last year"¹.

The four pedals cover different gain ranges. Gearnews describes the Blues Breaker as low gain, the Drivemaster as mid gain and "almost a Guv'nor," and the Shredmaster as heavier gain, "though not by today's standards"¹. The Guv'nor, the first of the black box pedals, is a medium-gain drive with what the site calls a distinctive Marshall voicing, and it had a built-in effect loop via an insert-style cable input¹. The Guv'nor was originally built in the UK and named after Jim Marshall, with production later moved to Korea before it was discontinued¹.

A separate review of Blues Breaker-style pedals states that the 2023 reissues use the same chassis as the originals, and that the Blues Breaker reissue is likely to have some components different from the original². The same review says the reissue "comes complete with the flaws of the original as well. They haven't fixed any of the issues," referring to the original's limited headroom and gain². Gearnews, citing reports from owners who took the new units apart, says they "look like good clones of the original circuits"¹.

Gearnews gives that figure as a euro retail price¹. Its affiliate listings show the Shredmaster at $75.00 and the Drivemaster at $140.00¹. The Blues Breaker-style pedal review notes that Marshall has a history of discontinuing pedals and that pre-owned prices rose after earlier models were discontinued².