This series was released in 1981 at the end of Rose-Morris' contract for distribution. The early '80s were tough times for the music industry, and Marshall felt the pinch that everyone else did. Ending the exclusive distribution deal with Rose Morris opened up some opportunities, but Marshall needed to spice up their line that had not changed since the late 1960s. Therefore, a new amp to bring them into the new decade was needed. The JCM-800 series which was named after Jim Marshall's license plate (JCM is James Charles Marshall) and was virtually identical to the Master Volumes and the Super Leads of the 1970s. The big change was the cosmetics of the amp. A new black cloth with white piping (spelling Marshall) and the control panel spanning the entire width of the amp. Jim's signature was also on the front with JCM 800 in bold, black letters. Basically, they took the old, familiar models and made them into the JCM-800 series. However, new combos were introduced with different designs and new models. In 1983 they brought on the first channel switching in their amps. The JCM-800 series lasted about 10 years and was replaced by the JCM-900 series. The good news around this time was no more Rose-Morris, which opened Marshall´s opportunities up a lot.
Marshall produced the Limited Edition, Original Classic series of amps in 1986. This was supposed to be a line of reproduction amplifiers (like reissues) to the models they had produced in 1969. This was a great idea, however they didn't do enough research on what was original. First of all none of the original amps that were produced in 1969 (Model 1959 and Model 1987) were not offered in this new series. Instead, they produced the newer JCM-800 amps with reverb, channel-switching, and other non-original features. They covered these amps in an odd green vinyl that is nothing like that of 1969 and Checkerboard grille cloth that was unique to the early 1970s.