Dan Gower

[paulyc]

Question for those of you who have Dan's amps...how do you like them, what do you use them for primarily, and how reliable are they ? What SPECIFIC mods do each of you have ? Can it cop AC/DC to EVH to Metallica ? Thanks for your time.

 

[neilrocks25]

Dans mods are great and his after work is second to none,

He modded my jvm and it sounds so so much better. The AC/DC and Metallica sounds are there.
It sounds more open and it doesn't feel so solid state anymore, it sounds more like the marshall sound I have in my head.
I had some problems with bias and he is fixing that for me and doing an additional gain reduction mod at my request.

I will add I live near Dan and I have got to know him, he is great guy and I have found him very trust worthy, and just a really nice guy.
When you ask him to mod an amp tell him the sound you are after and he will help get something you are after.

 

[webrthomson]

I've got a Marshall Vintage Modern Cali modded by Dan and the work is flawless, tone is great and he did exactly what I asked him too

Very easy to work with and responsive to questions, even my dumb ones, and happy to share his knowledge make suggestions and the like!

It was a great experience from start to finish, which lets face it not all interactions with modders can be!

 

[H3000]

I have had quite a few of Dan Gowers amps .
I had a few of the older style cali mods a 50 watter cali which was superb and a couple of 100 watters which were also great and I owned a rockmonster.
EVH and pretty much any type of 80s marshall vibe can be found in the cali mods.
I have in the past owned just as many camerons and Dans amps will wipe the floor with quite a few of the camerons I Have owned including three of the CCV that I owned.
Reliability is rock solid and his workmanship and attention to detail and neatness in layout is absolutely f.ing incredible... Looking inside one of his amps is like looking at a work of art.
Dan will build and amp tailored in every way to suit specific requirements.

 

[suhrimmetal]

Had the Killer Kali++... the one amp I wish I never got rid of... and Ive had most them all! Turned my 1983 JCM800 into such a versatile monster with tons of tone shaping options. Added gain stage(awesome), series/parallel loop, full clean, gain1 and 2 with 3 way bright switches, master 2 volume, glass, depth control to shape power section... all footswitchable. Dan's work is not only clean and superb... but hes such a good guy as well. He's a great player, takes pride in knowing 'real' players rigs and knows how to achieve the tone the client wants. I tried to buy back my Killer Kali++ but buyer won't let it go.. which is smart. Wish I NEVER did. Amp could retain the JCM stock kerrang and metallic bite... and cover everything from classic rock to modern... even metal (tho I don't tread much in those waters). If my finances and situations ever improve, I will be getting Dan to mod another for me... or buy one already Gower modded!

 

[metalmaniac93]

Had the Killer Kali++... the one amp I wish I never got rid of... and Ive had most them all! Turned my 1983 JCM800 into such a versatile monster with tons of tone shaping options. Added gain stage(awesome), series/parallel loop, full clean, gain1 and 2 with 3 way bright switches, master 2 volume, glass, depth control to shape power section... all footswitchable. Dan's work is not only clean and superb... but hes such a good guy as well. He's a great player, takes pride in knowing 'real' players rigs and knows how to achieve the tone the client wants. I tried to buy back my Killer Kali++ but buyer won't let it go.. which is smart. Wish I NEVER did. Amp could retain the JCM stock kerrang and metallic bite... and cover everything from classic rock to modern... even metal (tho I don't tread much in those waters). If my finances and situations ever improve, I will be getting Dan to mod another for me... or buy one already Gower modded!

I agree..Badass amp!! Love mine...Dan's customer service and work is second to none!! He really is a nice guy and responds to emails in a very timely manner!!

 

[mooncobra]

Dude, get the Rockmonster mod, I have it and it KILLS!! It is very, very versatile! Listen to the youtube clip, it sounds so bloody good!! plus, it does so much more than the clip on youtube. It can go from 60s and 70s rock to full blown face melting metal! Leads are effortless, touch sensitivity is awesome, and it is very punchy/articulate with plenty of definition. Strike a fat E cord and hear every note ringing clear. I love a lot of the guitar tones from the 80s and this thing does all the 80s stuff. The Rockmonster I have is actually the one in the youtune clip. It was Dans personal amp for a couple years. I was bummed because I had to sell my CCV for bills, and thought no matter what I got, that nothing could match up to it, man, was I wrong. I have had it for around 5 months and I am playing 6, 7, or 8 hours a day and LOVING every second. the depth control can make the amp just roar, and it has a hi/low gain switch that changes up the tones nicely. It has two channels with two gains and masters, foot switchable of course, and a very transparent fx loop. I cant say enough good things about the Rockmonster. I have had the Killer Cali and I prefer the Rockmonster. The Cali could be a bit more versatile f you have one with the clean channel, but this thing does a lot also. Just messing with the eq section gives you a wide variety of awesome tones. Get the Rockmonster bro, you wont be sorry. This thing easily hangs with the CCV and even outshines it at times. I could not be happier and very few amps out there have ever kept me content! Dan is a great guy, plus he can play very well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XwINCikWoA

 

[fappen]

Does he still mod amps if you can ship them from Ebay or purchase them from the UK?

I'd really like an amp the way he modded the Sylosis guitarist's JCM 800.

 

[paulyc]

Thanks to those that responded ! I need a clean channel (which I know Dan does) and the Killer Kalli ++ is what I'm looking at on a 1979 Marshall Super Bass. I need one amp to do it all, clean to dirty, tube loop, line out, the works...too bad the exchange rate and shipping/customs costs suck so hard :-(

 

[suhrimmetal]

Thanks to those that responded ! I need a clean channel (which I know Dan does) and the Killer Kalli ++ is what I'm looking at on a 1979 Marshall Super Bass. I need one amp to do it all, clean to dirty, tube loop, line out, the works...too bad the exchange rate and shipping/customs costs suck so hard :-(

Dan can always outsource you a platform amp over there by him... save you shipping and taxes a bit. He did that for me and couldn't be happier. Spent weeks trying to find a really clean early 80's vertical input JCM800... He found one he thought was great.. and a great deal.. I sent him $, he bought... then did his Gower Magic while consulting and keeping me in the loop the whole time. Seriously the best experience Ive had as far as me chasing tone goes.... I learned so much from him, was involved the whole time.. etc. He's a great f'n dude and we still talk weekly just about gear, etc. If you want a great modded marshall with that 'extra' flavor' and versatility some can't offer.. Dan is the way to go...plus he KNOWS tone. All this talk makes me miss mine even more... damn

 

[metalmaniac93]

Yes, the KK++ is the way to go for versatility!! I am so glad that I did not get the CCV, because this amp slays it for the ultimate Marshall type tones and it can get heavy..I mean skull crushing heavy, but you can get awesome low gain tones out of it plus there are so many tone shaping options it is insane!!

 

[Mr. Willy]

I'm going against the grain here a little. I had a Killer Kali++ mod with pretty much all the mods except the clean channel. The amp started life as JCM 800 Bass Series amp. I got the amp exactly as I had requested with all the mods I wanted.

Dan is a class act all the way. He helped me find an amp in England (eBay) and worked with the seller and I to have the amp shipped to Him to rebuild it and put the mods in. Dan will bend over backwards to get the tone you're after. He's super nice, friendly, and helpful. He's a killer guitarist as well.

That being said, I just couldn't bond with the tone. In the end it wasn't for me. It was super tight and focused like a laser beam. The amp had a lot of ways to tweak the tone, but that also ended up being a problem for me. I was spending too much time trying to dial it in instead of playing. It had a ton of gain, actually maybe too much for me. I couldn't seem to get the gain at a point that it had enough for me and too little without it feeding back.

Now, the amp was shipped to me in Alabama from England. I never had the bias checked as it could've shifted on such a long trip. I did swap a lot of preamp tubes in and out, and it made small differences, but nothing eliminated that feedback. I had to get a noise gate to control it. Also, that laser beam focus was something I didn't care for. I couldn't seem to get a low end out of it that I liked. Don't get me wrong, with the depth, it could thump. But I prefer a wider, thicker bottom than the precise, ultra tight bottom the amp had. If I played in a thrash band, it would've been more my thing.

Again, to make perfectly clear, Dan's work is impeccable. He's honest, personable, and takes pride in his work. The tone just wasn't for me. I realized after owning the KK++ that I'm more of a stock boosted Marshall guy than a modded Marshall guy. I ended up getting a SLO after the KK++ and haven't looked back. Neither amp is better than the other at all. I just prefer the tone and simplicity of the SLO.

 

[steve_k]

Question for those of you who have Dan's amps...how do you like them, what do you use them for primarily, and how reliable are they ? What SPECIFIC mods do each of you have ? Can it cop AC/DC to EVH to Metallica ? Thanks for your time.

AC/DC to EVH to very early early Metallica. Don't look for anything past RTL in one. That said, Dan is a class act and is very good and detailed at what he does. Many men also love Dan's hair.

 

[philnz]

I have had quite a few of Dan Gowers amps .
I had a few of the older style cali mods a 50 watter cali which was superb and a couple of 100 watters which were also great and I owned a rockmonster.
EVH and pretty much any type of 80s marshall vibe can be found in the cali mods.
I have in the past owned just as many camerons and Dans amps will wipe the floor with quite a few of the camerons I Have owned including three of the CCV that I owned.
Reliability is rock solid and his workmanship and attention to detail and neatness in layout is absolutely f.ing incredible... Looking inside one of his amps is like looking at a work of art.
Dan will build and amp tailored in every way to suit specific requirements.

I believe I have your old 50w Cali.
Absolutely agree, just superb.
Mostly use it for 80's type metal which it excels at.

As others have said, Dan is a class act all the way.

 

[syncrodude007]

Had the Killer Kali++... the one amp I wish I never got rid of... and Ive had most them all! Turned my 1983 JCM800 into such a versatile monster with tons of tone shaping options. Added gain stage(awesome), series/parallel loop, full clean, gain1 and 2 with 3 way bright switches, master 2 volume, glass, depth control to shape power section... all footswitchable. Dan's work is not only clean and superb... but hes such a good guy as well. He's a great player, takes pride in knowing 'real' players rigs and knows how to achieve the tone the client wants. I tried to buy back my Killer Kali++ but buyer won't let it go.. which is smart. Wish I NEVER did. Amp could retain the JCM stock kerrang and metallic bite... and cover everything from classic rock to modern... even metal (tho I don't tread much in those waters). If my finances and situations ever improve, I will be getting Dan to mod another for me... or buy one already Gower modded!

I'm that dude...this amp resonates through the nut sack like no other...If I ever part w/ this bad boy it returns to original owner...

 

[suhrimmetal]

Had the Killer Kali++... the one amp I wish I never got rid of... and Ive had most them all! Turned my 1983 JCM800 into such a versatile monster with tons of tone shaping options. Added gain stage(awesome), series/parallel loop, full clean, gain1 and 2 with 3 way bright switches, master 2 volume, glass, depth control to shape power section... all footswitchable. Dan's work is not only clean and superb... but hes such a good guy as well. He's a great player, takes pride in knowing 'real' players rigs and knows how to achieve the tone the client wants. I tried to buy back my Killer Kali++ but buyer won't let it go.. which is smart. Wish I NEVER did. Amp could retain the JCM stock kerrang and metallic bite... and cover everything from classic rock to modern... even metal (tho I don't tread much in those waters). If my finances and situations ever improve, I will be getting Dan to mod another for me... or buy one already Gower modded!

I'm that dude...this amp resonates through the nut sack like no other...If I ever part w/ this bad boy it returns to original owner...

 

[Racerxrated]

I've had a Fortin Cali Ceriatone and a Gower Cali '76 Superbass in here. They sounded great with lots of tonal options. What's more, both guys are over the top when needed..the PT went out on the Ceriatone and Mike was great helping my local tech navigate the artwork that is his mod...and when I traded for the Gower Cali Dan himself chimed in as I was selling it. Ultimately I gassed for other amps a bit more but those two easily can do the job and then some...and they are second to none in customer service.

 

[Racerxrated]

Question for those of you who have Dan's amps...how do you like them, what do you use them for primarily, and how reliable are they ? What SPECIFIC mods do each of you have ? Can it cop AC/DC to EVH to Metallica ? Thanks for your time.

AC/DC to EVH to very early early Metallica. Don't look for anything past RTL in one. That said, Dan is a class act and is very good and detailed at what he does. Many men also love Dan's hair.

And I'm jealous..yes he has great hair..

 

[James Lugo]

Dan's mods are fantastic and the dude is the man. Good guy and very talented.

 

[paulyc]

I know he's a good guy...Lugo, I'm especially interested to hear you elaborate on the amps because I'm looking at getting a clean channel done (Fender style) to use with a compressor in a band situation similar to yours where we'll be playing KC & the Sunshine band to AC/DC to VH to 80s LA cock rock...and yes, he's a great player and boyishly handsome with long flowing locks...many men would love to love him baby...(EEEWWWWW). lol