It's just a model number - nothing to do with a year. I don't know if it has some sort of cryptic meaning. Early Marshall amps model numbers were actually the item number from a catalog that they were sold through. The 1936 cab has been made since the early '80s, so I doubt it's a carry-over from the old catalog item number days.
Early Marshalls had stupid model numbers that looked like years. The Plexi 100 watt was the model 1959 -- introduced in the year 1965 (the same year the model 1987 50 watt Plexi was introduced). The model 1960 4x12 cab was introduced in the year 1964. Marshall started building amps in 1963. So cabs like the 1912 and 1936 aren't referring to the years. Later on they suddenly jumped hundreds of "years" into the future with amp models like the 2203 and 2204.
I love those old model numbers. I'm slightly dooped in by the false psyche of it all. A sort of pretend whereby the fakeness never gets fully acknowledged.
The Rose Morris catalog number for the JTM45 was 1987. That number was carried over when the JTM45 evolved to the JTM50 and then into the 50 watt plexi. The bass versions of all three was model number 1986. I think it was the 90's when they started calling the reissue JTM45 the 2245.
