Cantrell/Hetfield amp recommendation - modded Marshall tone

[BlackMirror]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for a new amp. Basically looking for a head that can do the modded JCM800/plexi thing - think Jerry Cantrell and later Wizard-era Hetfield.

I know Jerry used a Bogner modded JCM800, now uses Friedman, and Het used the Wizard Modern Classic but these are relatively unattainable. Any suggestions on where I should be looking to get tones like these?

Looking for a head with at least a 50w power section, a clean channel, and I want all the gain to come from the amp - I don't want to have to boost it with a pedal or have to get it modded. My budget is around £1500.

Thanks!

 

[ClintN667]

Dover maybe? Or maybe Gower modded marshall. I think you guys can get donor amps cheaper on that side of the pond

 

[BlackMirror]

Dover maybe? Or maybe Gower modded marshall. I think you guys can get donor amps cheaper on that side of the pond

Yeah I was thinking on a Gower modded Silver Jubilee as it has a clean channel and is based on a JCM800

 

[Deleted member 22177]

You could get the Friedman Cantrell head for his tone and throw a boost in front for heavier stuff. I had a Gower for a little bit. It was cool and all, but it was so gainy and I had to get it repaired a couple months after getting it. I’ve seen Wizards go for under 3k sometimes if you want to hold out for one of those.

 

[panhead]

JMP marshall and tube screamer that's how they did it in the beginning. I had a Cameron jmp in 2000 and I put a 72 jmp 100watt non master at volume and tubescreamer against it and it fuckn blew it away. Volume is the key if you cant do it youll be chasing forever

 

[Racerxrated]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for a new amp. Basically looking for a head that can do the modded JCM800/plexi thing - think Jerry Cantrell and later Wizard-era Hetfield.

I know Jerry used a Bogner modded JCM800, now uses Friedman, and Het used the Wizard Modern Classic but these are relatively unattainable. Any suggestions on where I should be looking to get tones like these?

Looking for a head with at least a 50w power section, a clean channel, and I want all the gain to come from the amp - I don't want to have to boost it with a pedal or have to get it modded. My budget is around £1500.

Thanks!

Facelift Rhythm tone was mostly boosted vintage blackface Bassman, per Ronnie Champagne the engineer who recorded the album. The Bogner modded Marshall was all leads and some doubled rhythm. So, when you hear the dark evil intro to ‘We Die Young’ think Bassman more than Marshall.
I think the Bogner Shiva, EL34 without reverb is what’s been recommended to me by a Bogner guy. For the Wizard I think a MTL would be the choice as it’s more low mid focused. I had a 2012 50w MTL and it had a dark growl that would work for you. Good clean channel too.

 

[dsquared]

I have a JCM800 50w modded to sound like JC's Snorkler and it does Facelift tones pretty well. I'd definitely go with a modded Marshall for the tones you are looking for.

 

[Racerxrated]

I have a JCM800 50w modded to sound like JC's Snorkler and it does Facelift tones pretty well. I'd definitely go with a modded Marshall for the tones you are looking for.

JC used the Snorkler...but doesn't own it. It's owned by the engineer of Facelift, Ronnie Champagne. He's tried to buy it off him numerous times, but to no avail. That amp was also used on a Social Distortion album.

 

[dsquared]

Ronnie's posts here were the greatest. he's funny and his stories are great.

 

[BlackMirror]

I have a JCM800 50w modded to sound like JC's Snorkler and it does Facelift tones pretty well. I'd definitely go with a modded Marshall for the tones you are looking for.

I'm beginning to lean more in this direction. JCM800 with a Gower Killer Kali mod as he's in the UK. Do you know anything about those?

 

[BlackMirror]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for a new amp. Basically looking for a head that can do the modded JCM800/plexi thing - think Jerry Cantrell and later Wizard-era Hetfield.

I know Jerry used a Bogner modded JCM800, now uses Friedman, and Het used the Wizard Modern Classic but these are relatively unattainable. Any suggestions on where I should be looking to get tones like these?

Looking for a head with at least a 50w power section, a clean channel, and I want all the gain to come from the amp - I don't want to have to boost it with a pedal or have to get it modded. My budget is around £1500.

Thanks!

Facelift Rhythm tone was mostly boosted vintage blackface Bassman, per Ronnie Champagne the engineer who recorded the album. The Bogner modded Marshall was all leads and some doubled rhythm. So, when you hear the dark evil intro to ‘We Die Young’ think Bassman more than Marshall.
I think the Bogner Shiva, EL34 without reverb is what’s been recommended to me by a Bogner guy. For the Wizard I think a MTL would be the choice as it’s more low mid focused. I had a 2012 50w MTL and it had a dark growl that would work for you. Good clean channel too.

Yeah I was looking at the Shiva. I think I'm leaning more in the direction of a modded JCM800. I see in your sig you have a Monomyth mod, how do you find that?

 

[dsquared]

I have a JCM800 50w modded to sound like JC's Snorkler and it does Facelift tones pretty well. I'd definitely go with a modded Marshall for the tones you are looking for.

I'm beginning to lean more in this direction. JCM800 with a Gower Killer Kali mod as he's in the UK. Do you know anything about those?

ive never owned any Gower modded amps but on reputation he does great stuff.

 

[Deleted member 22177]

I had a killer kali for a few months. It was fun in the beginning, but I found it to have too much unusable gain that led to a lot of noise. It was extremely picky with tubes to where a different preamp tube made it squeal like crazy, and it broke down on me. I’m not trying to talk crap about Gower, just giving my experience. It has a lot of fun knobs to play with though. I picked up a Mesa Mark IV and a Mark iii+ and they are Metallica in a box, including Garage Inc type tone.

 

[Racerxrated]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for a new amp. Basically looking for a head that can do the modded JCM800/plexi thing - think Jerry Cantrell and later Wizard-era Hetfield.

I know Jerry used a Bogner modded JCM800, now uses Friedman, and Het used the Wizard Modern Classic but these are relatively unattainable. Any suggestions on where I should be looking to get tones like these?

Looking for a head with at least a 50w power section, a clean channel, and I want all the gain to come from the amp - I don't want to have to boost it with a pedal or have to get it modded. My budget is around £1500.

Thanks!

Facelift Rhythm tone was mostly boosted vintage blackface Bassman, per Ronnie Champagne the engineer who recorded the album. The Bogner modded Marshall was all leads and some doubled rhythm. So, when you hear the dark evil intro to ‘We Die Young’ think Bassman more than Marshall.
I think the Bogner Shiva, EL34 without reverb is what’s been recommended to me by a Bogner guy. For the Wizard I think a MTL would be the choice as it’s more low mid focused. I had a 2012 50w MTL and it had a dark growl that would work for you. Good clean channel too.

Yeah I was looking at the Shiva. I think I'm leaning more in the direction of a modded JCM800. I see in your sig you have a Monomyth mod, how do you find that?

I have had at least 20 modded Marshalls over the years; 6 Camerons, 2 Gower, 1 Fortin, 2 Freidman, Lee Jackson, Splawn, LASD(Golub), Voodoo, FJA, Burning Rain(Nick here on RT), and a few no name vintage NMV JMPs that had some cool gain mods. My favorites have always been the Camerons...until I got the Monomyth Black Sun mod on my 2204. This amp has thick aggressive gain while retaining great clarity, and the feel is amazing. Drop the mids on my 2204 and its dark and modern; crank the mids while taking the treble back and you're in 80s metal territory. Dialing the gain back on the amp allows me to clean up really nicely too...It sounds good with any tube combination, even the cheap JJs which I never use in a vintage Marshall. But putting better glass in helps it sound that much better. Can't say enough about Shea's mods...super quiet too even with the gain dimed. Highly recommended!

 

[errrrrl]

I have had at least 20 modded Marshalls over the years; 6 Camerons, 2 Gower, 1 Fortin, 2 Freidman, Lee Jackson, Splawn, LASD(Golub), Voodoo, FJA, Burning Rain(Nick here on RT), and a few no name vintage NMV JMPs that had some cool gain mods. My favorites have always been the Camerons...until I got the Monomyth Black Sun mod on my 2204. This amp has thick aggressive gain while retaining great clarity, and the feel is amazing. Drop the mids on my 2204 and its dark and modern; crank the mids while taking the treble back and you're in 80s metal territory. Dialing the gain back on the amp allows me to clean up really nicely too...It sounds good with any tube combination, even the cheap JJs which I never use in a vintage Marshall. But putting better glass in helps it sound that much better. Can't say enough about Shea's mods...super quiet too even with the gain dimed. Highly recommended!

Shit yeah man. If I wasn't maxxed out on amps/space I think I'd 100% be on the Monomyth Black Sun train. That shit sounds damn good to my ears from pretty much every clip I've heard.

 

[BlackMirror]

I had a killer kali for a few months. It was fun in the beginning, but I found it to have too much unusable gain that led to a lot of noise. It was extremely picky with tubes to where a different preamp tube made it squeal like crazy, and it broke down on me. I’m not trying to talk crap about Gower, just giving my experience. It has a lot of fun knobs to play with though. I picked up a Mesa Mark IV and a Mark iii+ and they are Metallica in a box, including Garage Inc type tone.

Did it sound ok with the gain turned down? I probably won't have any use for the Violence section. Really just chasing a modded Cantrell JCM800 tone haha. I was speaking to Dan and he said out of his mods the killer kali would come closest.

 

[BlackMirror]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for a new amp. Basically looking for a head that can do the modded JCM800/plexi thing - think Jerry Cantrell and later Wizard-era Hetfield.

I know Jerry used a Bogner modded JCM800, now uses Friedman, and Het used the Wizard Modern Classic but these are relatively unattainable. Any suggestions on where I should be looking to get tones like these?

Looking for a head with at least a 50w power section, a clean channel, and I want all the gain to come from the amp - I don't want to have to boost it with a pedal or have to get it modded. My budget is around £1500.

Thanks!

Facelift Rhythm tone was mostly boosted vintage blackface Bassman, per Ronnie Champagne the engineer who recorded the album. The Bogner modded Marshall was all leads and some doubled rhythm. So, when you hear the dark evil intro to ‘We Die Young’ think Bassman more than Marshall.
I think the Bogner Shiva, EL34 without reverb is what’s been recommended to me by a Bogner guy. For the Wizard I think a MTL would be the choice as it’s more low mid focused. I had a 2012 50w MTL and it had a dark growl that would work for you. Good clean channel too.

Yeah I was looking at the Shiva. I think I'm leaning more in the direction of a modded JCM800. I see in your sig you have a Monomyth mod, how do you find that?

I have had at least 20 modded Marshalls over the years; 6 Camerons, 2 Gower, 1 Fortin, 2 Freidman, Lee Jackson, Splawn, LASD(Golub), Voodoo, FJA, Burning Rain(Nick here on RT), and a few no name vintage NMV JMPs that had some cool gain mods. My favorites have always been the Camerons...until I got the Monomyth Black Sun mod on my 2204. This amp has thick aggressive gain while retaining great clarity, and the feel is amazing. Drop the mids on my 2204 and its dark and modern; crank the mids while taking the treble back and you're in 80s metal territory. Dialing the gain back on the amp allows me to clean up really nicely too...It sounds good with any tube combination, even the cheap JJs which I never use in a vintage Marshall. But putting better glass in helps it sound that much better. Can't say enough about Shea's mods...super quiet too even with the gain dimed. Highly recommended!

That sounds amazing man! Wish I lived in the US to get a Monomyth. What was your experience with the Gower's like?

 

[Deleted member 22177]

I had a killer kali for a few months. It was fun in the beginning, but I found it to have too much unusable gain that led to a lot of noise. It was extremely picky with tubes to where a different preamp tube made it squeal like crazy, and it broke down on me. I’m not trying to talk crap about Gower, just giving my experience. It has a lot of fun knobs to play with though. I picked up a Mesa Mark IV and a Mark iii+ and they are Metallica in a box, including Garage Inc type tone.

Did it sound ok with the gain turned down? I probably won't have any use for the Violence section. Really just chasing a modded Cantrell JCM800 tone haha. I was speaking to Dan and he said out of his mods the killer kali would come closest.

It sounded ok. The thing with those dual gains is that they really only sound good in one spot, which is both at about 1:00. I played a Friedman jj a couple times and that was Cantrells tone. The clean was good too.

 

[Racerxrated]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations for a new amp. Basically looking for a head that can do the modded JCM800/plexi thing - think Jerry Cantrell and later Wizard-era Hetfield.

I know Jerry used a Bogner modded JCM800, now uses Friedman, and Het used the Wizard Modern Classic but these are relatively unattainable. Any suggestions on where I should be looking to get tones like these?

Looking for a head with at least a 50w power section, a clean channel, and I want all the gain to come from the amp - I don't want to have to boost it with a pedal or have to get it modded. My budget is around £1500.

Thanks!

Facelift Rhythm tone was mostly boosted vintage blackface Bassman, per Ronnie Champagne the engineer who recorded the album. The Bogner modded Marshall was all leads and some doubled rhythm. So, when you hear the dark evil intro to ‘We Die Young’ think Bassman more than Marshall.
I think the Bogner Shiva, EL34 without reverb is what’s been recommended to me by a Bogner guy. For the Wizard I think a MTL would be the choice as it’s more low mid focused. I had a 2012 50w MTL and it had a dark growl that would work for you. Good clean channel too.

Yeah I was looking at the Shiva. I think I'm leaning more in the direction of a modded JCM800. I see in your sig you have a Monomyth mod, how do you find that?

I have had at least 20 modded Marshalls over the years; 6 Camerons, 2 Gower, 1 Fortin, 2 Freidman, Lee Jackson, Splawn, LASD(Golub), Voodoo, FJA, Burning Rain(Nick here on RT), and a few no name vintage NMV JMPs that had some cool gain mods. My favorites have always been the Camerons...until I got the Monomyth Black Sun mod on my 2204. This amp has thick aggressive gain while retaining great clarity, and the feel is amazing. Drop the mids on my 2204 and its dark and modern; crank the mids while taking the treble back and you're in 80s metal territory. Dialing the gain back on the amp allows me to clean up really nicely too...It sounds good with any tube combination, even the cheap JJs which I never use in a vintage Marshall. But putting better glass in helps it sound that much better. Can't say enough about Shea's mods...super quiet too even with the gain dimed. Highly recommended!

That sounds amazing man! Wish I lived in the US to get a Monomyth. What was your experience with the Gower's like?

The 2 Gowers I had were nice amps...no doubt Dan does good work. All of the modded Marshalls I've owned were all good amps, some better than others but not much separating them until you talk about the Camerons and now the Monomyth. Those 2 seem to have a little extra special sauce in the feel and clarity, just enough to put them above the rest. But I've heard a few guys love the Gower stuff as much as any other that they've owned. I don't think you can go wrong with a Gower Marshall.

 

[braintheory]

I had the same experience 2 Gower mods: KK++ and Rockmonster

They sounded good, and at the time seemed great, but I found the Cameron mods, I came across later, to be better sounding in every way. The guys who bought my Gower’s both loved them and it seemed like they’d never want to sell them

My favorite modded Marshall’s (I’ve had a good bunch) have also been my Monomyth and Cameron’s. The Hopkins Pandora I had was probably my next favorite and was pretty similar sounding to my Cameron Aldrich I had. The Gower’s would probably be my next faves after those 3 modders. I definitely preferred it to the Friedman and Kruse mods I had and whatever others I’m forgetting

That all being said, I still like a good stock JMP2203 boosted as much as the best modded Marshall’s I’ve tried, just a different flavor with the good mods