Hermansson Mod
- Thread starter Smashedguitaris⸸
- Start date
SBlue
Well-known member
Thank you!
I would imagine you're ordering a Dino or a PMM from Larry, correct?
You will not regret either amp.
I can only compare them on build quality. Henric work is as good as the work on the three Larry amps I have.
Regarding the tone, Larry amps sound like a Larry amp, while the Marshall that Henric modded for me sounds like a Marshall, but a lot better.
The Hermansson Marshall I got sound like, with all the switches, it feels like the pots go to 30, instead of 10. You can shape it with a much bigger boost or cut on the controls with the use of the switches. They really make the controls much more effective.
Plus, contrary to what I was expecting, the amp doesn't feel stiff at all. It plays as easy as my Dino and my CCV.
The great thing about dealing with Henric is that he didn't flake, lie or misrepresented his amp or mod at anytime. He has the most straight forward, honest business I've had the pleasure to deal with in quite a long time.
RaceU4her
Well-known member
i second this, i got daily updates with pics on my build, it was totally fun to watch even though i dont know what i was looking at other than this is a work of art. total top notch
SBlue
Well-known member
I'm telling you, with his work ethics and skills, Henric is going to be very successful.
Redneckstomp
Active member
Thanks for the detailed explanation!
Yes I ordered both 962 and PMM. Of course they have same DNA. But, I thought 962 can cover more versatility than PMM. So, I ordered both. I hope this choice will be good. But, the wait time is pretty makes me sad haha. About Henrik's amp, I ordered his original product line. He said he is planning to make 1 channel high gain amp and 4 channel amp. I am not sure which one to take. But, I am sure they'll be killer!! And Henrik is great guy to deal with!!
mooncobra
Well-known member
I said that years ago the first time I heard one of his unbelievable PA builds. God damn, I want one of those.
Tone_Master
New member
This × 1000 i had his 4 gain mod and although it was amazingly tight and razor sharp I didn't get enough sag and depth for my personal style. For me personally I prefer something with better feel and more sag and low mid girth. Im really loving ksr stuff at the moment especially the models with the rotary position feel knob. Best feeling amps have played.
Hopefully hermansson brings out something with more sag and girth but I haven't tried the 5 gain stage but I get the same vibe from the clips
braintheory
Well-known member
In all the Hermansson clips I hear tightness and other good stuff going on, but it always sounds hollow to me on the chords (like ah incomplete growl). Did you find yours to be that way at all in person? Still curious to try one eventually
Smashedguitaris⸸
Hack
Dude. His shit sounds amazing to me. I gotta figure out that hollow shit, lol.
braintheory
Well-known member
I guess this is one of those areas where many will disagree with me haha, but idk that’s what I’m consistently hearing. It’s the same problem with the Wizard’s and Fryette’s I’ve had. They’re are all still killer sounding amps overall, don’t get me wrong, not saying the clips don’t sound very good, but I really like to hear a more complete growl with each interval on those chords. Not sure how to explain it exactly
It’s kinda like when you play a chord on a strat vs a humbucker Les Paul. The strat sounds really hollow in comparison and lacks growl or hair on chords comparatively. Similar effect also if you play a humbucker with asymmetrical coils. That’s the same type of hollowness I’m hearing in those amps, just of course way way more subtle than the strat bridge pickup example, but same idea. With an amp like my purpleface, for example, if you play a chord there’s growl throughout the entire mid spectrum it seems (no holes or lacking areas)
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Smashedguitaris⸸
Hack
I am not doubting you. Just hermansson at the beginning of this video sou ds like what a marshall should sound like, to me
braintheory
Well-known member
This is where our ears differ I guess. As soon as he plays that first distorted chord I hear what I interpret as a good modern sound, but with a very flat midrange, it’s like that juicy thing of the Marshall mids that make them special was taken out. Honestly though all the modded Marshall’s I’ve had so far lost that midrange (all the Cameron mods I’ve had, Monomyth’s, Friedman’s, Kruse, etc). They all seem to lose it after the mods. They still sounded great, especially some of those Cameron’s, but kinda became a different flavor. I had last year my tech return my ‘79 JMP2203 back to stock and I immediately realized how much was missing when it was modded
DanTravis62
Well-known member
Everyone keep your shorts on and keep in mind were talking about tiny nitpick things here, these are all super nice amps. Like nitpick things that depend on your personal style and technique. as a player.
As one of those personal taste things (i totally get if an UL or a MCII is your forever amp) thats one of the things i vastly prefer about larrys stuff as opposed to Fryette or Wizard. That "hollowness" that brain's talking about I hear as the "kerrang" or "growl" frequencies. Larry, along with Naylor, Steavens, Mike Soldano, Morin, Langner and others, they all combine different types of circuits that AREN'T hiwatt architecture along with the modded or high gain modded marshall style amps. They're all different, but they are all not doing the hiwattt thing that fryette and wizard are doing. A Hiwatt, at its core, is sacrificing some of the gain characteristics and midrange personality for this huge OPEN massive chest thumping thing. Which is an amazing experience to play, and is super impressive.
Its not a one way is right or one way is wrong thing.
I just think I know what Sams talking about, in my own way of hearing it, because as a player it feels like something isnt there. Don't get me wrong, what they put INSTEAD of that in is super impressive - it's just something tangible.
braintheory
Well-known member
Yeah like anything else in life there’s always trade offs. A lot gear that has my favorite palm mutes/chugs doesn’t quite have what I’m looking for in growl on powerchords and vice versa. My Naylor, Uber Rev 1 or ‘79 JMP22003 boosted with my Klon have good balance of the 2 to me, but not perfect (nothing is IME)
There’s a huge wow factor to playing a super punchy, tight, open sounding amp, but I get even more wowed when I just play a simple power chord, let it ring and it growls through the whole eq spectrum and sounds like a fire breathing dragon. This why I’m so impressed by my early Revision Recto’s and ‘70’s Foxx Tone Machine and playing a simple powerchord can even be learned by someone in 5 minutes who can’t play guitar lol
Honestly, I think calling it nit-picky is all relative. Maybe 5 or 6 years ago I wouldn’t have heard it and called it super nitpicky/pretentious/corksniffer, but to me it’s a pretty clear thing I hear. Nit-picky to me would be complaining about my Naylor lacking growl or good mids because honestly compared to my old Marshall’s or Purpleface it still not as growly or complete in the mids as those amps, but better than most and has the tightness. It is the amp I’ve been playing most often these past few weeks
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DanTravis62
Well-known member
I understand what youre saying, but im saying its a nitpick thing to quell henson, raceU, and a bunch of others who prefer the wizard fryette chest thump thing. I don't want them to think I don't respect their tastes and decisions, because I do. It's just a personal taste thing, and I think I know where youre coming from in your reasoning.
braintheory
Well-known member
Fair enough. I get it. Not putting anyone’s taste down. Smashedguitarist was just asking about the hollow thing and it’s a very difficult thing to explain, but I’m trying lol. I like chest thumping as much as the next guy and also a more complete growl/complex tone, but I guess that’s why I’ve got too many keepers that all have they’re own relative weaknesses and strengths. That’s why I still have a Wizard and Hiwatt among others, but just don’t play them that often
Smashedguitaris⸸
Hack
I sniff corks with the best of them. I love braintheory describing shit. I love wizards and they cant be replaced, but i dont hear the same thing with the hermansson. They both sou d great. Just like the larry. But they are all kick ass amps. I have never even heard clips of the naylor. But i want to play that damned purpleface you always talking about. It sounds badass
SBlue
Well-known member
I just got my Hermansson Marshall 5 gain stage, single channel, with all the options recently, and it became one of my all time faves quickly.
It's the only modded Marshall that does sound like an amazing sounding late 60's early 70's Marshall, when the the Hermansson gain is below 10:00 and the switches are off. Then, as you add the switches and turn the knobs, you can make this thing sound like from early live AC/DC to Meshuggah, without the need of a external boost or eq. And when it does the Meshuggah thing, it does it 100X better than the fortin amp with the 33.
So, it does the old Marshall thing is spades, and I have a 65 JTM45, late 66 JMP50 and a 66 JTM45/100, all originals, to compare the Hermansson with.
It does the 80's thing insanely well. Even the AFD tone this amp does it incredible well. Not to mention it can do traditional trash metal to perfection.
It does the 90's thing perfectly, since the low end can be as air moving as the Rectifier series or VH4.
And it does more modern stuff better than most everything I heard, because of how you can shape the EQ, making the attack and response of the notes faster or slower.
I do own some decent high gain amps, and been through way more hg amps than I wish I did, and the ones that are the most pleasant to play, that feels like the amp interact with your fingers and the guitar, are the CCVs and some of Mark's mods. My 2C+ and the Larry Dino are close seconds. The Hermansson I got went straight number one, right there with the Cameron stuff. Even with the gain backed out a lot, and the Tight control maxed, the amp plays by itself.
It's the amp that I have been playing 80% of the time. And I'm not a great or very clean player, so, I do pass on amps that, even sounding amazing, do feel stiff.
The Hermansson, on the other hand, makes me wanna play guitar all day.
So much that I'm already getting a 3 gain stage mod and will be on the list for one of his own amp.
It's the only modded Marshall that does sound like an amazing sounding late 60's early 70's Marshall, when the the Hermansson gain is below 10:00 and the switches are off. Then, as you add the switches and turn the knobs, you can make this thing sound like from early live AC/DC to Meshuggah, without the need of a external boost or eq. And when it does the Meshuggah thing, it does it 100X better than the fortin amp with the 33.
So, it does the old Marshall thing is spades, and I have a 65 JTM45, late 66 JMP50 and a 66 JTM45/100, all originals, to compare the Hermansson with.
It does the 80's thing insanely well. Even the AFD tone this amp does it incredible well. Not to mention it can do traditional trash metal to perfection.
It does the 90's thing perfectly, since the low end can be as air moving as the Rectifier series or VH4.
And it does more modern stuff better than most everything I heard, because of how you can shape the EQ, making the attack and response of the notes faster or slower.
I do own some decent high gain amps, and been through way more hg amps than I wish I did, and the ones that are the most pleasant to play, that feels like the amp interact with your fingers and the guitar, are the CCVs and some of Mark's mods. My 2C+ and the Larry Dino are close seconds. The Hermansson I got went straight number one, right there with the Cameron stuff. Even with the gain backed out a lot, and the Tight control maxed, the amp plays by itself.
It's the amp that I have been playing 80% of the time. And I'm not a great or very clean player, so, I do pass on amps that, even sounding amazing, do feel stiff.
The Hermansson, on the other hand, makes me wanna play guitar all day.
So much that I'm already getting a 3 gain stage mod and will be on the list for one of his own amp.
braintheory
Well-known member
Very cool! Will have to try one eventually. I don’t let clips make up my mind too much. Very jealous of those 2 JTM45’s you’ve got haha. I hated all the Fortin amps I’ve tried. I have similar taste also with favorites in feel. For what I’ve gotten to try so far I think my favorites feel-wise have been my Naylor SD100, Rev 1 Uber and Purpleface and would rank my IIC+ and CCV just behind those
SBlue
Well-known member
I got to hear that Purpleface VH4 someday!