Hillel Slovak’s main amp was a 1974 Marshall Model 1986 50W bass head, which at the time, he played through a hand-painted 4×12 cabinet. The amp was modified to add a master volume.
Slovak’s amp was a Marshall Super Bass head. He ran that through a hand-painted, straight-front 4×12 cabinet. “It was very open-sounding and had this great clarity in the midrange,” Johannes says. The Strat plus the Marshall was the foundation of Slovak’s sound. “He knew. It was like one big instrument to him, the way that Marshall was.”
Forgotten Heroes: Hillel Slovak
After Hillel’s death, the amp remained with his brother James, who still owns it. Just recently, in 2026, the amp was serviced by Gabe Maske—an effort apparently organized by the JF Gear website. They published a full interview with James, where they talk a bit about what happened to Hillel’s gear.
It is also mentioned that the amp is currently matched with a Marshall cabinet, also from 1974, equipped with Rola Celestion G12H (55Hz) speakers. (see John Frusciante effects: JF EFFECTS INTERVIEWS: JAMES SLOVAK (HILLEL’S BROTHER) (2026))
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