I want to see some guts of a Mark Cameron modded Marshall.

[LP_Heaven]

I dont know about the other 2 but I have had 4 Brays over the years and none had goop. He also kindly asks you not to post pictures of his mods and reworks on the internet.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

So you'd NOT get your amp modded purely because the guts are epoxied?

Makes me laugh when people make a big deal out of it... most of the people who complain about epoxy being used, are the people who are only into buying modded amps so they can copy the mods or make schematics of them... to eventually sell them off as their own.

I think some people are just bothered by having goop on their PCB that's all.

 

[MrDan666]

I think some people are just bothered by having goop on their PCB that's all.

Yeah but like it matters at the end of the day.. Aslong as you love the way the amp sounds, who cares? When you seen how many people are out to copy other peoples mods/ideas... it doesnt surprise me that a lot of guys still goop the mods.

 

[ratter]

I think some people are just bothered by having goop on their PCB that's all.

Yeah but like it matters at the end of the day.. Aslong as you love the way the amp sounds, who cares? When you seen how many people are out to copy other peoples mods/ideas... it doesnt surprise me that a lot of guys still goop the mods.

I think it matters come resale time. How many people keep amps for life, especially people that post on forums? What if you want to change the amp again? How hard is it to get that shit off? It doesn't surprise me that guys goop their mods either, but it also shouldn't surprise anybody that some people don't like it (for reasons other than wanting to steal mods). They're entitled to that opinion.

 

[Strat+Marshall]

So you'd NOT get your amp modded purely because the guts are epoxied?

Makes me laugh when people make a big deal out of it... most of the people who complain about epoxy being used, are the people who are only into buying modded amps so they can copy the mods or make schematics of them... to eventually sell them off as their own.

It is actually pointless. Anyone who really wants the mod to reproduce it can remove the epoxy and reverse engineer the circuit. It only makes it a litttle harder and is probably only stopping a few hobbyists here and there.

 

[MrDan666]

I think it matters come resale time. How many people keep amps for life, especially people that post on forums? What if you want to change the amp again? How hard is it to get that shit off? It doesn't surprise me that guys goop their mods either, but it also shouldn't surprise anybody that some people don't like it (for reasons other than wanting to steal mods). They're entitled to that opinion.

The resale value on Cameron modded amps is going up and up all the time. Mine was gooped and i never lost a penny selling it... i know guys have sold them and even made money. The goop in Mark's amp is not gonna affect the resale value at all!

I guess if someone is buying the amp to gut it and return it to stock, then yeah the goop could be a problem. But i doubt anyone would buy a Cameron to return it to stock.. There's plenty of techs who will get goop off the amp for you if it needs changing or modifying more, granted its not always an easy job but still... a lot of techs can do it if its really necessary.

 

[Copperhead]

When I had some mods done on my Rev, I was right there playing it, Tony and Patrick had me try a couple different variations of things, I saw everything they did and they showed me and explained it. Patrick gooped up some of the added components to make everything secure and more road-worthy, at least to me it seemed it wasn't as much about secrecy as it was about keeping wires and components in place??

 

[MrDan666]

When I had some mods done on my Rev, I was right there playing it, Tony and Patrick had me try a couple different variations of things, I saw everything they did and they showed me and explained it. Patrick gooped up some of the added components to make everything secure and more road-worthy, at least to me it seemed it wasn't as much about secrecy as it was about keeping wires and components in place??

To be honest im starting to wonder if thats why Mark does it.. my Cameron modded JMP was gooped but man there were so many wires and components, that if it wasnt gooped.. i bet they would move out of place and cause problems?

 

[shadowfax29]

Goop or no goop, Marks amps sound killer. If you'd pass up Mark's work solely because of some epoxy on the circuit board your loss I'd say.

 

[MrDan666]

Goop or no good, Marks amps sound killer. If you'd pass up Mark's work solely because of some epoxy on the circuit board your loss I'd say.

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

I completely understand "why" Mark does it... but I would HATE to have him mod my older Marshalls and do that to them. I don't know why, I would NOT be in it for copying anything or whatever - I just hate that crap being put in my amp.
Keith

 

[J.B.]

When I had some mods done on my Rev, I was right there playing it, Tony and Patrick had me try a couple different variations of things, I saw everything they did and they showed me and explained it. Patrick gooped up some of the added components to make everything secure and more road-worthy, at least to me it seemed it wasn't as much about secrecy as it was about keeping wires and components in place??

To be honest im starting to wonder if thats why Mark does it.. my Cameron modded JMP was gooped but man there were so many wires and components, that if it wasnt gooped.. i bet they would move out of place and cause problems?

It is, in fact, one of the reasons he goops them. It's not just so people can't copy the mods. It makes the mods/components more secure and cuts down on noise.

 

[MrDan666]

It is, in fact, one of the reasons he goops them. It's not just so people can't copy the mods. It makes the mods/components more secure and cuts down on noise.

That makes perfect sense! When i had my JMP, the mod was really well put together inside and everything was held in place very carefully with a combination of the goop and also cable ties.

 

[Odin]

wow... I mean WOW.

Guess I won't be getting my JCM800 2204 modded by Cameron.

So you'd NOT get your amp modded purely because the guts are epoxied?

Makes me laugh when people make a big deal out of it... most of the people who complain about epoxy being used, are the people who are only into buying modded amps so they can copy the mods or make schematics of them... to eventually sell them off as their own.

I would never buy an amp, or pay to have an amp modded, if the end result would be epoxy in my amp.

I have never tried to "reverse engineer" a tech's mod, although I have copied schematics for old Fender and Marshall amps (the first Marshall was a Fender copy and the first Fender was a copy out of a schematic book, the first Boogie was a Fender, the first Dumble was a Fender, the first Splawns and Camerons were Marshalls, etc...so everyone copies). I have never sold anything that I built and have no intention of ever doing so.

Some people just prefer that their amplifier remain servicable and clean on the inside.

I completely understand why the guys goop their mods, and it's a non-issue to me as long as they have full disclosure and make it clear to the customer what they will be doing to the amp.

 

[Odin]

When I had some mods done on my Rev, I was right there playing it, Tony and Patrick had me try a couple different variations of things, I saw everything they did and they showed me and explained it. Patrick gooped up some of the added components to make everything secure and more road-worthy, at least to me it seemed it wasn't as much about secrecy as it was about keeping wires and components in place??

To be honest im starting to wonder if thats why Mark does it.. my Cameron modded JMP was gooped but man there were so many wires and components, that if it wasnt gooped.. i bet they would move out of place and cause problems?

It is, in fact, one of the reasons he goops them. It's not just so people can't copy the mods. It makes the mods/components more secure and cuts down on noise.

That makes no sense. I have amps that are older than me, with no goop in them, and they're still going strong. They aren't unstable or noisy.

Properly mounting the heavier components of the mod on a PCB or turret board will solve any issues with things moving around. Smaller caps and resistors can safely be flown PTP if they are soldered securely (that's how lots of PTP amps are made). And noise is a product of proper lead dress and board layout, not epoxy.

Goop is fine if the customer is fine with it. That person should also be honest with any potential buyers when they sell the amp and advise them that components of the amp are no longer servicable.

 

[J.B.]

That makes no sense. I have amps that are older than me, with no goop in them, and they're still going strong. They aren't unstable or noisy.

Properly mounting the heavier components of the mod on a PCB or turret board will solve any issues with things moving around. Smaller caps and resistors can safely be flown PTP if they are soldered securely (that's how lots of PTP amps are made). And noise is a product of proper lead dress and board layout, not epoxy.

Goop is fine if the customer is fine with it. That person should also be honest with any potential buyers when they sell the amp and advise them that components of the amp are no longer servicable.

Well, you would know better than Mark I suppose.

 

[MrDan666]

That makes no sense. I have amps that are older than me, with no goop in them, and they're still going strong. They aren't unstable or noisy.

Yeah and are those amps of yours modified for extra gain stages and voicing switches etc etc?

Most of the amps Mark ends up modifying are JCM800's or JMP's, and if you look inside them you'll see that the circuit is all on a single PCB. Its difficult getting everything mounted perfectly stable on an already packed out PCB and mounting parts direct to the tube sockets. When you're dealing with High gain mods involving lots of gain stages, a single component that is mounted in a certain position can cause hum or noise. Thats why it makes sense to use the epoxy to hold all the small parts together and stop them moving around inside the amp!

 

[Gainfreak]

would know better than Mark I suppose.

Who is this Mark guy you seem to be speaking about?

 

[Odin]

That makes no sense. I have amps that are older than me, with no goop in them, and they're still going strong. They aren't unstable or noisy.

Yeah and are those amps of yours modified for extra gain stages and voicing switches etc etc?

Most of the amps Mark ends up modifying are JCM800's or JMP's, and if you look inside them you'll see that the circuit is all on a single PCB. Its difficult getting everything mounted perfectly stable on an already packed out PCB and mounting parts direct to the tube sockets. When you're dealing with High gain mods involving lots of gain stages, a single component that is mounted in a certain position can cause hum or noise. Thats why it makes sense to use the epoxy to hold all the small parts together and stop them moving around inside the amp!

For every gooped high gain amp I can find you 10 that aren't gooped and don't suffer from problems. The goop is not a solution for anything in the amplifier, it hides components. Pretending that it does something else isn't doing anyone any good.

 

[mysticaxe]

would know better than Mark I suppose.

Who is this Mark guy you seem to be speaking about?

sorry, you must be confused. That was a reference to the Mesa Mark I, which was not gooped, because Randall Smith wanted to trout slap everyone with the idea of cascading gain stages...