This Marshall JTM-45 amp was John’s main choice during the recording of the Californication album, typically paired with a Marshall Super Bass. Interestingly, while John recorded some tracks with it, the amp was never used on tour. Instead, he used a 200W Marshall Lead for live performances.
(Talking about ‘Around the World’:) That’s a Fender Jaguar I borrowed from our recording engineer, Jim Scott. I like Jags – they get a really cool, cheap sound. I played it through two Marshalls: a JTM 45 and a 100-watt Super Bass. That Super Bass is great. It’s so thick sounding.
Guitar Player (UK), September 1999
I used a real old ’65 Marshall. I also used a 200-watt bass head that I used on Blood Sugar – I use a bass head and a guitar head at the same time; that’s how I play. I had a good sound for this album, but Louie [the band’s right-hand man] doesn’t want me to take the heads on tour because he thinks they’ll break.
Guitar One (USA), September 1999
This creates some confusion about the bass amp, as it’s unclear whether John used a 100W Super Bass or a 200W model during recording.
What’s certain is that when the band began rehearsing Californication songs, John switched to a Marshall Silver Jubilee paired with another vintage Marshall—possibly the 200W Major. By the time the tour began, he also added a Fender Dual Showman to his rig.
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