Caswell #39 plug in mod

[lespaul6]

Legendary Tones is taking orders for their new hot mod collab with tim caswell.. looks like it has a thump switch and a bite switch. I just ordered mine. Hopefully it actually sounds like the 39. What do you guys think of these plug in mods?

Legendary Tones - Caswell 1987 Mod - Bringing Back the Spirit of #39

 

[skoora]

Surprised they didn’t just keep going with the price so they could say “rip #39 for only $399”. Caswell must be getting a nice slice if it costs $349.

 

[Jack Luminous]

You have my attention. I don't have the Legendary Tones HotMod but I do have the original Soldano HotMod. It sounds great. Bit noisy though. I like Caswell, have the Soldano/Caswell X99. His modded Minimoogs are great too. Everything he does is interesting in one way or another. Please review once you'll get it !

 

[Meanjoegreene]

Any clips yet ?

 

[lespaul6]

Any clips yet ?

Nothing yet... I'll give a review when I get it. I'm wondering how this module does the .1uf over the 10k cold clipper thing... will have to see if that guy in Europe takes it apart and posts the schem like he did on the hot mod v2.

 

[lespaul6]

Surprised they didn’t just keep going with the price so they could say “rip #39 for only $399”. Caswell must be getting a nice slice if it costs $349.

have you tried one of these plug in mods?

 

[skoora]

have you tried one of these plug in mods?

I had a Soldano Hot Mod for a while in a 2203 and ended up preferring pedals.

 

[lespaul6]

I had a Soldano Hot Mod for a while in a 2203 and ended up preferring pedals.

I'm going to try it.. hope it sounds decent but I may end up the same..lol

 

[FourT6and2]

I wonder how this compares to actually modding an amp for an extra tube stage. On paper, it should be the same thing—you're inserting another tube stage between existing ones. Instead of an additional gain pot on the front and a wire going to the grid of the next stage, you're just doing it in a box that plugs into the socket.

But what this thing can't do is alter NFB, tone stack, previous stages, or most important of all—filtering and voltages.

 

[lespaul6]

But what this thing can't do is alter NFB, tone stack, previous stages, or most important of all—filtering and voltages.

and this is a great point, both for those who want to go beyond the classic marshall sound, and those like me who want all those values stock with just a tad more gain.

 

[FourT6and2]

and this is a great point, both for those who want to go beyond the classic marshall sound, and those like me who want all those values stock with just a tad more gain.

What I'm saying is the actual #39 mod can't possibly fit inside this box. The mod entails changes to many parts of the circuit that you don't find in a stock Marshall. I hope it sounds good though. Seems like a cool idea, especially adding the switches and gain control not found on previous versions.

 

[lespaul6]

What I'm saying is the actual #39 mod can't possibly fit inside this box. The mod entails changes to many parts of the circuit that you don't find in a stock Marshall. I hope it sounds good though. Seems like a cool idea, especially adding the switches and gain control not found on previous versions.

yep agree, an extensive mod is not going to fit into the box... do you happen to know if the 39 is more than just an added gain stage, with a switch, done to an otherwise stock Marshall ?

 

[FourT6and2]

yep agree, an extensive mod is not going to fit into the box... do you happen to know if the 39 is more than just an added gain stage, with a switch, done to an otherwise stock Marshall ?

Yes, it is more than that.

It's like modifying a car. You can just bolt on a new part and call it good. But that' doesn't yield the best results. If you supercharge a car, you need to address how exhaust exits the engine. You need to address how air enters the super charger and gets cooled after being compressed. You need to address fuel delivery and ignition. You need to tune the A/F ratios. You then need to make sure the engine internals can take added stress... same with the transmission.

If you simply bolt on an air intake and exhaust, no problem. But if you're adding 500hp... you need to address the entire system as a whole.

Same with amps.

You can simply add a gain stage and call it good. But if you don't address other things like voltages, filtering, grounding, NFB, tone stack, the other gain stages, etc... you won't get the best results.

Gadgets like this are cool. They're an attempt at "modding" an amp with a plug-and-play device. I get what it's all about.

 

[DanTravis62]

The original is very, very bright

Which makes it sound great on recording, and appeals to people like me who play out or record a lot

39 mod amps most certainly do not sound like Appetite or Under Lock and key out of the box, though, in the room

I'm curious to how close these will sound to the original, but I have a feeling after years of listening to "modern" amp mods, if this is truly like the original it might not be popular with people who are used to the darker, more processed sounds of modernity

 

[lespaul6]

how accurate is this

 

[FourT6and2]

how accurate is this

View attachment 423295

lol gonna need a bigger image. That thing is the size of a postage stamp.