Tell me about Wizard amps...

Red_Label":28ip3vjs said:
I was looking up some info on one of my favorite players (Damon Johnson -- Brother Cane, Slave to the System, Alice Cooper, Whiskey Falls) and I see that he's endorsing Wizard amps now. I've seen them for sale here and there (usually at pretty steep prices), and I know that the Young brothers from ACDC have been closely associated with them from the beginning.
I hooked up with Rick at a Cooper show a few years ago when Damon was playing guitar. He demo-ed Damons rig for me. He had two Vintage Classics...one a 50 watt and the other a 4 tube 50. He was just playing them straight in except for a Radial pedal they used for a lead boost. On stage they had plexi shields in front of his cabs (he was using two). The amps were set on 6-7 for stage volume. Standing on stage sure they were loud but it was an outdoor gig. They sounded great. Those amps do need to be turned up to get the goods, no different than any plexi style amp. During the show listening to the mix, the other gtr player was using old JMP's, Damon's parts stood out more all nite. More articulate sound for sure.

The Modern Classic doesn't need to be cranked to get good tones. It really boils down to skill level. If you can get the goods from a stock plexi circuit type amp, you'll love a Wizard. If not, you'll hate it.

This seems like a troll thread, so I'll just leave the rest to you guys.
 
Greazygeo":3556lbz2 said:
I hooked up with Rick at a Cooper show a few years ago when Damon was playing guitar. He demo-ed Damons rig for me. He had two Vintage Classics...one a 50 watt and the other a 4 tube 50. He was just playing them straight in except for a Radial pedal they used for a lead boost. On stage they had plexi shields in front of his cabs (he was using two). The amps were set on 6-7 for stage volume. Standing on stage sure they were loud but it was an outdoor gig. They sounded great. Those amps do need to be turned up to get the goods, no different than any plexi style amp. During the show listening to the mix, the other gtr player was using old JMP's, Damon's parts stood out more all nite. More articulate sound for sure.

The Modern Classic doesn't need to be cranked to get good tones. It really boils down to skill level. If you can get the goods from a stock plexi circuit type amp, you'll love a Wizard. If not, you'll hate it.

This seems like a troll thread, so I'll just leave the rest to you guys.


C'mon man... HOW MANY TIMES do I have to explain that it was not, nor was it EVER posted as a troll thread. I swear, you mention some amp names on the internet and people just lose their freakin minds. You'd think we were talking about religion or politics and not inanimate objects. Honestly, a big part of the reason that many people not inclined to think positive or negative thoughts about a piece of gear either way, end-up thinking negatively about them is because of the interactions they've had with the disciples of said brands. Geesh...


At any rate, Damon is in my town tomorrow with Alice and though I had no intentions of going to the show (I have other obligations), I may just have to sneak away and catch it to check-out his Wizards.


And I swear, if one other guy comes into this thread suspecting it as being a troll thread despite my CLEAR statements to the opposite... then we'll ALL know who the REAL trolls are. :gethim:

You could probably get-off more lightly by takin shots at a guy's mother in these forums than if you DARE to question his choice of gear. :doh:

For any reading this thread who've found that you don't care for Bogner or VHT amps... go ahead... slag them all you want. I honestly could give a rat's ass and won't have the need to dig any sand out of my mangina should you elect to share any negative experiences with my chosen brand(s). They work for me. They don't work for you. Big deal...
 
Red_Label":y2txbpvu said:
Greazygeo":y2txbpvu said:
I hooked up with Rick at a Cooper show a few years ago when Damon was playing guitar. He demo-ed Damons rig for me. He had two Vintage Classics...one a 50 watt and the other a 4 tube 50. He was just playing them straight in except for a Radial pedal they used for a lead boost. On stage they had plexi shields in front of his cabs (he was using two). The amps were set on 6-7 for stage volume. Standing on stage sure they were loud but it was an outdoor gig. They sounded great. Those amps do need to be turned up to get the goods, no different than any plexi style amp. During the show listening to the mix, the other gtr player was using old JMP's, Damon's parts stood out more all nite. More articulate sound for sure.

The Modern Classic doesn't need to be cranked to get good tones. It really boils down to skill level. If you can get the goods from a stock plexi circuit type amp, you'll love a Wizard. If not, you'll hate it.

This seems like a troll thread, so I'll just leave the rest to you guys.


C'mon man... HOW MANY TIMES do I have to explain that it was not, nor was it EVER posted as a troll thread. I swear, you mention some amp names on the internet and people just lose their freakin minds. You'd think we were talking about religion or politics and not inanimate objects. Honestly, a big part of the reason that many people not inclined to think positive or negative thoughts about a piece of gear either way, end-up thinking negatively about them is because of the interactions they've had with the disciples of said brands. Geesh...


At any rate, Damon is in my town tomorrow with Alice and though I had no intentions of going to the show (I have other obligations), I may just have to sneak away and catch it to check-out his Wizards.


And I swear, if one other guy comes into this thread suspecting it as being a troll thread despite my CLEAR statements to the opposite... then we'll ALL know who the REAL trolls are. :gethim:

You could probably get-off more lightly by takin shots at a guy's mother in these forums than if you DARE to question his choice of gear. :doh:

For any reading this thread who've found that you don't care for Bogner or VHT amps... go ahead... slag them all you want. I honestly could give a rat's ass and won't have the need to dig any sand out of my mangina should you elect to share any negative experiences with my chosen brand(s). They work for me. They don't work for you. Big deal...
Well the Wizard sits in the middle of the VHT/Bogner camps tonewise. It seems you are the one flying off the handle here...didnt see where anyone else has.....

That said....its hard to say if Damon is still using his Wizard stuff. He was endorsing Krank at the time and when Rick was teching for him, drug out his Wizard stuff. I have some pics somewhere that show the Krank cabs with Wizard logos on them. Kinda funny. The other guy was endorsing Diamond amps at the time, blew up two of them and was back to the JMP's.
 
Greazygeo":nr0zso26 said:
Well the Wizard sits in the middle of the VHT/Bogner camps tonewise. It seems you are the one flying off the handle here...didnt see where anyone else has.....

That said....its hard to say if Damon is still using his Wizard stuff. He was endorsing Krank at the time and when Rick was teching for him, drug out his Wizard stuff. I have some pics somewhere that show the Krank cabs with Wizard logos on them. Kinda funny. The other guy was endorsing Diamond amps at the time, blew up two of them and was back to the JMP's.


My flight-from-the-handle was not directed solely at you. Just more at the fact that this thread was in NO way intended to be a flame fest. In fact, I had ZERO idea that there would be any possibility of it being interpreted as a troll thread. That's why I was defensive about it... because I honestly wanted people's opinions on the amps and that is all.

Anyways... I was on Alice's page and in the Damon section he had the Wizard logo (along with others), so that's why I assumed he was still using them. But who knows by now. Wow... never saw Damon as a Krank type of user. He's always been old school in his tone and playing. I'm particularly fond of his Brother Cane stuff and I've been dying to throw a bunch of it into my cover band set list.

I think that Damon is another of of these guys who tends to try/endorse a lot of stuff that I end-up questioning if he's really using. I remember back in the day when he was strongly endorsing the Rivera stuff, but any listen to his Brother Can albums makes it pretty clear that it was plexis and such that he used to record them. I could be wrong about that, but I've played some Riveras and never heard one that quite sounded like that.
 
glip22":3iu837va said:
Very raw and tubelike. Heavily built.

:LOL: :LOL: Doesn't that descrive 95% of the amps discussed on RT? :LOL: :LOL:

Wizard's are phenomenal, hand-wired PTP amps using only the highest-quality, military grade components. That's why they are expensive - no different than Soldano, Bogner, Carol Ann, Matchless, etc.

If Marshall still made amps to the level of quality they were back in '68 to early '73, this is what they would probably be like.

Top notch. :thumbsup:
 

:LOL: :LOL: Doesn't that descrive 95% of the amps discussed on RT? :LOL: :LOL:

Wizard's are phenomenal, hand-wired PTP amps using only the highest-quality, military grade components. That's why they are expensive - no different than Soldano, Bogner, Carol Ann, Matchless, etc.

If Marshall still made amps to the level of quality they were back in '68 to early '73, this is what they would probably be like.

Top notch. :thumbsup:[/quote]

There's some NOS parts in the Wizards. Thats part of their tone.

And as great as some of those old Marshalls were, just because they were PTP doesn't mean they were as solidly overbuilt as a Wizard.
 
thegame":77om14gk said:
.....as great as some of those old Marshalls were, just because they were PTP doesn't mean they were as solidly overbuilt as a Wizard.

I agree 100%. Marshalls were never built to the same quality level as Wizards are today.
 
dear Greazygeo,

why does this seem to you like a troll thread? The OP could not have been more clear about his intentions.
 
Red_Label":33gi9ihb said:
Greazygeo":33gi9ihb said:
Well the Wizard sits in the middle of the VHT/Bogner camps tonewise. It seems you are the one flying off the handle here...didnt see where anyone else has.....

That said....its hard to say if Damon is still using his Wizard stuff. He was endorsing Krank at the time and when Rick was teching for him, drug out his Wizard stuff. I have some pics somewhere that show the Krank cabs with Wizard logos on them. Kinda funny. The other guy was endorsing Diamond amps at the time, blew up two of them and was back to the JMP's.


My flight-from-the-handle was not directed solely at you. Just more at the fact that this thread was in NO way intended to be a flame fest. In fact, I had ZERO idea that there would be any possibility of it being interpreted as a troll thread. That's why I was defensive about it... because I honestly wanted people's opinions on the amps and that is all.

Anyways... I was on Alice's page and in the Damon section he had the Wizard logo (along with others), so that's why I assumed he was still using them. But who knows by now. Wow... never saw Damon as a Krank type of user. He's always been old school in his tone and playing. I'm particularly fond of his Brother Cane stuff and I've been dying to throw a bunch of it into my cover band set list.

I think that Damon is another of of these guys who tends to try/endorse a lot of stuff that I end-up questioning if he's really using. I remember back in the day when he was strongly endorsing the Rivera stuff, but any listen to his Brother Can albums makes it pretty clear that it was plexis and such that he used to record them. I could be wrong about that, but I've played some Riveras and never heard one that quite sounded like that.
Cool no problemo.

The Vintage Classics he was using are overbuilt plexis, so they won't crap out in the way that the old Marshall stuff did in the day. They fit very well with the Cooper material. They should let him go though and hire me instead! :) That would be an awesome gig to have.

The old Rivera stuff never seemed very Marshall voiced and were very confusing with all the pull boosts and such....kinda like the old Laney AOR stuff, never could figure those out.

There are very few amps out there that are high gain, but still have the Marshall character....Wizard is one of them. Most hi gain amps get too modern voiced for me.
 
Greazygeo":2xx2q492 said:
Cool no problemo.

The Vintage Classics he was using are overbuilt plexis, so they won't crap out in the way that the old Marshall stuff did in the day. They fit very well with the Cooper material. They should let him go though and hire me instead! :) That would be an awesome gig to have.

The old Rivera stuff never seemed very Marshall voiced and were very confusing with all the pull boosts and such....kinda like the old Laney AOR stuff, never could figure those out.

There are very few amps out there that are high gain, but still have the Marshall character....Wizard is one of them. Most hi gain amps get too modern voiced for me.

For sure... Rivera always made me feel like it was Fender trying to do Marshall. Just didn't cut it. But there were a few Riveras that I never played (Jake, Rake, and Bonehead) that I was always curious about.

LOL... Alice seems pretty fond of Damon, as he's pretty much had first choice any time Alice goes out on tour. Damon is not a technical shredder extrordinaire like some of the guys Alice has worked with, but he's got the tone, feel, and backup vocal thing down, not to mention being a great songwriter. Before I got into Brother Cane, I was all about technical players/bands and mostly always had been. I grew-up with prog rock and metal and that was what I liked to play and listen to. But Damon more than any other was the guy who took me back to the things I'd missed in jumping straight to the technicians from early-on in my guitar playing -- like tone and feel. And most days any more I'd rather throw-on a Brother Cane or Slave to the System CD over a Dream Theater or Yngwie CD by far. So he inspired me to backup and enjoy "roots" playing where I'd skipped-over it in favor of shred as a youngster. I'd love to meet the guy. I was at a Whiskey Falls gig in my town (Billings, MT) several years ago, hoping to finally meet the guy. Brought the wife and kids out and everything. I kept looking up on stage for him and didn't recognize anyone up there as being him. Turned-out his wife had their 5th child the night before and he'd flown home to Alabama to be with them. Was a bummer (for me).... :LOL: :LOL:
 
Red_Label":1ypa32cy said:
For sure... Rivera always made me feel like it was Fender trying to do Marshall. Just didn't cut it. But there were a few Riveras that I never played (Jake, Rake, and Bonehead) that I was always curious about.

LOL... Alice seems pretty fond of Damon, as he's pretty much had first choice any time Alice goes out on tour. Damon is not a technical shredder extrordinaire like some of the guys Alice has worked with, but he's got the tone, feel, and backup vocal thing down, not to mention being a great songwriter. Before I got into Brother Cane, I was all about technical players/bands and mostly always had been. I grew-up with prog rock and metal and that was what I liked to play and listen to. But Damon more than any other was the guy who took me back to the things I'd missed in jumping straight to the technicians from early-on in my guitar playing -- like tone and feel. And most days any more I'd rather throw-on a Brother Cane or Slave to the System CD over a Dream Theater or Yngwie CD by far. So he inspired me to backup and enjoy "roots" playing where I'd skipped-over it in favor of shred as a youngster. I'd love to meet the guy. I was at a Whiskey Falls gig in my town (Billings, MT) several years ago, hoping to finally meet the guy. Brought the wife and kids out and everything. I kept looking up on stage for him and didn't recognize anyone up there as being him. Turned-out his wife had their 5th child the night before and he'd flown home to Alabama to be with them. Was a bummer (for me).... :LOL: :LOL:
I've been way into Cooper since before I played guitar. I can remember seeing him on tv in the late 70's and had Greatest Hits on 8-track. I think I learned every tune up to Lace and Whiskey. :thumbsup: With all the theatrics man that would be a fun gig. :rock: Welcome To My Nightmare had some great players in the band. Lots cool stuff in the 70's.

I had a VHT UL for a long time. It was my main amp. Only used one channel of it. :) Had an XTC too, not as long though. Never could quite get what I was looking for out of it. Played my custom Wizard for awhile this afternoon, it sure sounds great.
 
I've owned and abused a 50W Modern Classic for the last 3 years now, probably done around 60-70 shows and some recording with no dramas whatsoever. My previous amp for 7 years was a SLO. The MC is an absolute monster plexi based tone, a real fat, super punchy 3D deal that makes you work (well, I have to) but it's totally worth it. Everytime I plug in, a mega shit eating grin appears. If I had known just how good these amps were, I would have shelled out the bux years ago and probably saved myself 10k in amp flipping drama.

Rick is a champion guy to deal with and has answered any email questions quickly, especially considering it's a one man show. He's gotten back to me in good time even when out on the road. I can't speak highly enough of his service. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

I bought the amp 2nd hand too.

I play around a bit in a cover band and 90% of those gigs are low volume affairs, the amp still sounds ace in these scenarios (master vol under 3), what I do recommend (depending on what tone you're after) is not using a high sensitivity speaker and going the 97-98db route, that will give you a bit more range to play with the master volume. My SLO sounded way worse to my ears when the volume was under 4. I use a Blackstar Artisan 2x12 w/ Scumback M75 HP's for covers and rehearsals and it's a killer combination. My Wizard quad has Celestion Greenbacks and it's fat as f*ck when the gas gets applied.
 
I started down the Wizard path after talking with several guys that ran them. George/Greazy geo being my first influence, then Steve Segal/JohnnyJellybean being the 2nd. then many others after these guys.
With Steve's direct connection due to being the guy Rik had playing at the trade shows, I spent the most time in the end right up to the time I finally got my first Wizard talking it over with Steve.
Some one posted they went to a trade show and there was a guy there playing /ripping it up on a Wizard. :LOL: :LOL: That would have been Steve. ;)
Anyways, the very first Wizard Modern Classic I got went up in smoke, caught fire after only less than 4 hours of playing time. :aww: :doh: So, I called the dealer, called Steve, did what the dealer told me to do and then basically waited for the what I am supposed to do call. Exactly to the day, march 29th. 2010, I was at work..... it was a Monday, mid morning, and the phone rang and it was Rik from Wizard. He proceeded to tell me that he wanted me to box the amp up and have them pick it up.
It was to go back to them. I was to get a completely Brand New Modern Classic built just for me by him. I was given a few special considerations in the way of mods, but was never asked for any more money ..Period.
I would not EVER GIVE THIS AMP UP FOR ANY THING ON THIS EARTH..... :rock
At one point I had 4 of these here at one time. I sent two packing very quickly..... but I was a clever bugger on my financial situation with all of these.
The amp that flamed out did so over tubes and filters/resistors best I remember... I know they ended up reworking that exact amp and it was sold to a very happy customer. Modded also before going back out.
I would have to say that while Rik will not come across as your best big brother pal, as a friend to you in the way that matters, business wise....He rocks. :)
You can believe it! :yes:
 
they are pretty killer heads IMO, if it's what you're looking for. For me personally, it's got that certain grind I wanted out of a good classic marshall, just with a slightly more modern take on the rest of the sound. Little more gain, tighter lowend, different sizzle, etc, but still a marshall. It's one of the worst amps I own though as far as volume, lol, just IMHO. If I couldn't play it loud, I wouldn't own one. I really don't like the sound under 9:00-10:00 on my MC100, but it's stock. I imagine the depth and gain mods make a huge difference at lower volumes. I've thought about getting mine modded many times, but I haven't wanted to risk changing the base tone.

I really had no interest in these amps before a friend sent me one to try out. I've always been more of a metal head than a rock guy, so these weren't even on the radar. Once I got to try it though, something about it's grind hooked my ears. It's got a unique take on the Marshall sound, not over the top in gain or saturation, but real rewarding to play once you get used to it. New prices are pretty outrageous IMO, but they are built like tanks for sure. All the parts seem very high quality, and nothing looks like it was skimped on. I wish I could afford to try one of his new models, but there is no way I'm even coming close to touching one unless they start hitting the used market in numbers.

I don't really recommend them to people unless they can try it out first. It's a lot of scratch to throw down on what's basically a slightly modded heavy duty Marshall. If the sound hits a nerve though, it can become a long time keeper.
 
Good stuff guys. Thanks for the stories and info. That is what I was looking for. I'll keep an eye out for one to play if one ever happens to make it to my remote location (or I happen to make it down where they are). I'm going to be down in Denver next week (wife and I are going to see Sade... LOL). So I'll keep an eye out while I'm poking around down there.
 
I had a modern classic. Cool amp, but very loud and sounds like shit a low volumes. If you cant play at loud volumes dont bother with one because they are NOT a bedroom amp. Also dont buy one new one of the worst resale values out there. I really like the tone of the amp but IMO they are way over priced for what you are getting.

I’ve never seen a Wizard amp have bad resale value, lol
Last one I seen was $6000 Canadian used at northerner guitars in St. Albert Alberta. That’s pretty good if you ask me. It sold in next to no time.
 

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I’ve never seen a Wizard amp have bad resale value, lol
Last one I seen was $6000 Canadian used at northerner guitars in St. Albert Alberta. That’s pretty good if you ask me. It sold in next to no time.
That’s exactly how I had Rick build my MTL2. Red and gold . Definitely my favorite amp of all time
 
they are pretty killer heads IMO, if it's what you're looking for. For me personally, it's got that certain grind I wanted out of a good classic marshall, just with a slightly more modern take on the rest of the sound. Little more gain, tighter lowend, different sizzle, etc, but still a marshall. It's one of the worst amps I own though as far as volume, lol, just IMHO. If I couldn't play it loud, I wouldn't own one. I really don't like the sound under 9:00-10:00 on my MC100, but it's stock. I imagine the depth and gain mods make a huge difference at lower volumes. I've thought about getting mine modded many times, but I haven't wanted to risk changing the base tone.

I really had no interest in these amps before a friend sent me one to try out. I've always been more of a metal head than a rock guy, so these weren't even on the radar. Once I got to try it though, something about it's grind hooked my ears. It's got a unique take on the Marshall sound, not over the top in gain or saturation, but real rewarding to play once you get used to it. New prices are pretty outrageous IMO, but they are built like tanks for sure. All the parts seem very high quality, and nothing looks like it was skimped on. I wish I could afford to try one of his new models, but there is no way I'm even coming close to touching one unless they start hitting the used market in numbers.

I don't really recommend them to people unless they can try it out first. It's a lot of scratch to throw down on what's basically a slightly modded heavy duty Marshall. If the sound hits a nerve though, it can become a long time keeper.


Killer amps! I’ve owned a bogner Ecstasy, numerous Marshall’s, Friedman BE50 Deluxe, suhr, all have been sold. My WIZARD MTL MC II Hybrid 50 watt stays, best amp I’ve ever paired up with a nice Les Paul!
 

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