killertone
Well-known member
I went by Dave's shop earlier today and played the Marsha with the BE, HBE, and saturation switch. I used my LPC with a BK Warpig in it and also a LPC that was in Dave's shop with a MCP 2nd Degree BB.
BE: With the gain maxed there was plenty of gain for 80's modded Marshall tones. Soloing was fluid and easy on this mode and the tone was very clear and thick. Very VH but also able to cop other tones with gain and tone stack adjustments. I put my guitar in Drop C at one point and the bass was super tight and the tone was even pretty modern sounding. This amp is extremely responsive to the player's right hand. The amp even cleaned up well with the volume rolled back on the Warpig which is a pretty high output pickup. With the Saturation switch in, and the gain backed down a bit, the tone became very saturated and compressed. Made the amp extremely easy to play and decidedly more modern but not ultra modern. It still had a Marshally vibe to it which I really liked. The saturation switch is a must for those who want the ultimate in versatility.
HBE: This mode, to my ears, is just a higher gain version of the BE, which is very cool. It retains all the responsiveness of the BE, but with gobs more gain. IMO, the HBE has plenty of gain as is, even for modern metalheads. With the gain at about 2 o'clock we had a killer metal rhythm tone happening. Full, thick, and clear with plenty of Marshall-ish goodness. With the saturation switch in the HBE, the amp has ridiculous levels of gain. With the gain backed off a bit in the HBE mode, the saturation switch could be very useful for solos, especially if you like a compressed and liquid feel. I didn't care too much for the saturation switch on the HBE for rhythm playing as it was just too much gain and made the amp mushy. I'm not sure why anyone would need that amount of gain but it is there if you want it!
The Southbay/Scumback cab sounded really good as well. Tight bottom and smooth treble response. The cab had the M75 65 watt speakers in it.
My verdict: I will be sending an amp to Dave as soon as I get home right before Thanksgiving for the BE, HBE, and saturation switch mod. With those mods, the versatility of the amp is huge. Really just about any modded Marshall tone from the 70's, 80's, and beyond can be achieved.
Also, Dave and the guys were very nice as well. They basically let me invite myself over and interrupt their day by wanking at their shop. Very cool of them.
BE: With the gain maxed there was plenty of gain for 80's modded Marshall tones. Soloing was fluid and easy on this mode and the tone was very clear and thick. Very VH but also able to cop other tones with gain and tone stack adjustments. I put my guitar in Drop C at one point and the bass was super tight and the tone was even pretty modern sounding. This amp is extremely responsive to the player's right hand. The amp even cleaned up well with the volume rolled back on the Warpig which is a pretty high output pickup. With the Saturation switch in, and the gain backed down a bit, the tone became very saturated and compressed. Made the amp extremely easy to play and decidedly more modern but not ultra modern. It still had a Marshally vibe to it which I really liked. The saturation switch is a must for those who want the ultimate in versatility.
HBE: This mode, to my ears, is just a higher gain version of the BE, which is very cool. It retains all the responsiveness of the BE, but with gobs more gain. IMO, the HBE has plenty of gain as is, even for modern metalheads. With the gain at about 2 o'clock we had a killer metal rhythm tone happening. Full, thick, and clear with plenty of Marshall-ish goodness. With the saturation switch in the HBE, the amp has ridiculous levels of gain. With the gain backed off a bit in the HBE mode, the saturation switch could be very useful for solos, especially if you like a compressed and liquid feel. I didn't care too much for the saturation switch on the HBE for rhythm playing as it was just too much gain and made the amp mushy. I'm not sure why anyone would need that amount of gain but it is there if you want it!
The Southbay/Scumback cab sounded really good as well. Tight bottom and smooth treble response. The cab had the M75 65 watt speakers in it.
My verdict: I will be sending an amp to Dave as soon as I get home right before Thanksgiving for the BE, HBE, and saturation switch mod. With those mods, the versatility of the amp is huge. Really just about any modded Marshall tone from the 70's, 80's, and beyond can be achieved.
Also, Dave and the guys were very nice as well. They basically let me invite myself over and interrupt their day by wanking at their shop. Very cool of them.
