J
Junk Yard Dog
Well-known member
Well, I purchased an after market Eggie Seminar mod head from a forumite here about two months ago with the intention of having it modded. I looked at a few modders (I had a DSL from Voodooamps years ago) and was comfortable going with Brian at BFG.
The guy is just a class act. His customer service was impeccable. I rate him highly and would definitely do business with him again.
My primary amp has been the EVH 5153 50, which I love. I wanted a backup amp and I wanted to try something more Marshally. Well, I got it. The Eggie was fine on it's own, but it needed a boost to be tight and gainy like my EVH. The EQ was a bit weird, but overall, it sounded good when I got it. So, I shipped it to Brian and here are the results.
Tone
Kick ass. I haven't played too many JTM45 based amps, but this thing just rocks. It really cuts through better than my EVH5153, but by a good amount, and the EVH amp cuts well. I do love it and I'm gonna use it as my #1. It just has a more raw feel to it. I can get AC/DC, 80's metal, AND GNR. I can also coax some pretty tight metal ala Pantera. It's nearly as tight as my 5153 without a boost, so with a boost, it's super tight.
Gain
The level of gain is perfect. It was the right decision to add a fourth stage, for sure. We sort of toyed with the idea, and ultimatley, we knew that it couldn't get EVH 5153 amounts of gain without an added gain stage. I played the amp the first jam the day I got it and I did not use a pedal. It did metal without a boost pedal and everything else. I was totally satisfied with the amount of gain
Boost
Brain made a footswitch that has a Boost and Solo feature. The Boost is designed to add a bit more saturation and tighten it up a bit. Frankly, it does achieve its goal, but it doesn't boost quite as much as much as my SD-1. However, I do use it.
Solo Boost
This really is great, though like the Boost feature, I wish it had slightly more oomph or volume push to it. At first I thought something was wrong with it. For example, when the master volume is down at lower volumes, the solo boost is WAY more accentuated. The louder I turn up the master, the less drastic the volume boost difference is when it is at lower volumes, but it is still a very noticeable solo boost, so it's perfect.
Volume
Loud as fucking balls. Perfect for me. For a 50 watt amp, it's crazy good loud.
EQ Range
This amp is just weird. It has much more range than when I had it initially, BUT I still don't hear any differences when you run it from 0 - 5 (on a scale of 0-11). In fact, I really think i only hear the differences take place when I get to about 2 o'clock. I think that's just how the amp is, or maybe that's PTP or I don't know. Either way, the range is better than before and It's perfect as it can get really dark or really bright, so it's just right. That tells me the amp will work well no matter cab and speakers I pair it will. We think it may be the loop, but either way, it does have the tonal range of my EVH, so I'm very happy.
AFD
I love Slash and his tone, so when Brian told me he could add an AFD switch, I said do it. He nailed this. I cop AWESOME Slash tones with my Les Paul. It's perfect. It's not as piercing as what I hear on the AFD100 clips and what some of its owners complain about.
Growl
This is something we talked about doing, because I love everything from SRV, Hendrix, Cry of Love, to Tool, Pantera, AIC, and Metallica. I'm not sure how to describe what it does, but it's sort of like a combination between more presence and how "throaty" the power amp feels. It does have a "growl" factor to it. I can't quite explain it, but it does what he said it would. I love this feature.
Thump
The amp definitely needs this. The Eggie cam with a "Thump" knob which acts just like the Resonance switch on the EVH. I find it's not as thumpy as the 5153, but I also don't need all the thump the EVH brings Here again, this is perfect, and the main difference between the EVH and this amp regarding thump is most likely the power tubes.
Cleaning Up
Love how well it cleans up. I don't need a clean channel and my strat and Les Paul sounds killer when I roll off the volume of each.
My bandmates dig the amp. They like the EVH, but I think they like this amp more. I'm leaving my EVH at home and just plugging in and playing this one. I am using my boost here and there and my wah: that's it. Clean to mean, Marshally, and CUTS through amazingly.
I recommend Brian if you're looking for a great mod and these Eggie Seminar Amps are great outta the gate, if the original builder did a good job.
Cheers!
The guy is just a class act. His customer service was impeccable. I rate him highly and would definitely do business with him again.
My primary amp has been the EVH 5153 50, which I love. I wanted a backup amp and I wanted to try something more Marshally. Well, I got it. The Eggie was fine on it's own, but it needed a boost to be tight and gainy like my EVH. The EQ was a bit weird, but overall, it sounded good when I got it. So, I shipped it to Brian and here are the results.
Tone
Kick ass. I haven't played too many JTM45 based amps, but this thing just rocks. It really cuts through better than my EVH5153, but by a good amount, and the EVH amp cuts well. I do love it and I'm gonna use it as my #1. It just has a more raw feel to it. I can get AC/DC, 80's metal, AND GNR. I can also coax some pretty tight metal ala Pantera. It's nearly as tight as my 5153 without a boost, so with a boost, it's super tight.
Gain
The level of gain is perfect. It was the right decision to add a fourth stage, for sure. We sort of toyed with the idea, and ultimatley, we knew that it couldn't get EVH 5153 amounts of gain without an added gain stage. I played the amp the first jam the day I got it and I did not use a pedal. It did metal without a boost pedal and everything else. I was totally satisfied with the amount of gain
Boost
Brain made a footswitch that has a Boost and Solo feature. The Boost is designed to add a bit more saturation and tighten it up a bit. Frankly, it does achieve its goal, but it doesn't boost quite as much as much as my SD-1. However, I do use it.
Solo Boost
This really is great, though like the Boost feature, I wish it had slightly more oomph or volume push to it. At first I thought something was wrong with it. For example, when the master volume is down at lower volumes, the solo boost is WAY more accentuated. The louder I turn up the master, the less drastic the volume boost difference is when it is at lower volumes, but it is still a very noticeable solo boost, so it's perfect.
Volume
Loud as fucking balls. Perfect for me. For a 50 watt amp, it's crazy good loud.
EQ Range
This amp is just weird. It has much more range than when I had it initially, BUT I still don't hear any differences when you run it from 0 - 5 (on a scale of 0-11). In fact, I really think i only hear the differences take place when I get to about 2 o'clock. I think that's just how the amp is, or maybe that's PTP or I don't know. Either way, the range is better than before and It's perfect as it can get really dark or really bright, so it's just right. That tells me the amp will work well no matter cab and speakers I pair it will. We think it may be the loop, but either way, it does have the tonal range of my EVH, so I'm very happy.
AFD
I love Slash and his tone, so when Brian told me he could add an AFD switch, I said do it. He nailed this. I cop AWESOME Slash tones with my Les Paul. It's perfect. It's not as piercing as what I hear on the AFD100 clips and what some of its owners complain about.
Growl
This is something we talked about doing, because I love everything from SRV, Hendrix, Cry of Love, to Tool, Pantera, AIC, and Metallica. I'm not sure how to describe what it does, but it's sort of like a combination between more presence and how "throaty" the power amp feels. It does have a "growl" factor to it. I can't quite explain it, but it does what he said it would. I love this feature.
Thump
The amp definitely needs this. The Eggie cam with a "Thump" knob which acts just like the Resonance switch on the EVH. I find it's not as thumpy as the 5153, but I also don't need all the thump the EVH brings Here again, this is perfect, and the main difference between the EVH and this amp regarding thump is most likely the power tubes.
Cleaning Up
Love how well it cleans up. I don't need a clean channel and my strat and Les Paul sounds killer when I roll off the volume of each.
My bandmates dig the amp. They like the EVH, but I think they like this amp more. I'm leaving my EVH at home and just plugging in and playing this one. I am using my boost here and there and my wah: that's it. Clean to mean, Marshally, and CUTS through amazingly.
I recommend Brian if you're looking for a great mod and these Eggie Seminar Amps are great outta the gate, if the original builder did a good job.
Cheers!
Brian is doing a JCA50 for me right now (Jose on one side and Aldrich on the other). Can't wait to hear it. I agree that his customer service is top notch.
Brians the best 
