Monomyth and other modded Marshalls

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itsgoodnow said:
Fascinating. What are you thinking of the hell razor? It’s been on my radar but of course I’m in clearing mode. But I am curious.
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It’s one of my top 3 favorites. Much better than the MTL and MC I had before. It’s basically the Wizard sound I’ve come to know, but more muscular, punchier, tighter, more aggressive, more gain and greater flexibility of how you can dial it in with those 3 gain controls that also can shape higher and lower frequencies. Like other wizards it still doesn’t growl/roar as I like (almost like it’s too articulate to growl), but has a way of making my other amps seem comparatively undefined, almost muddy lol. I don’t think I’ve played another amp yet with as much definition and clarity for how much gain is there
 
Sorry it's a 2203 arriving tomorrow -if UPS does not poop the bed!
 
That monomyth vintage modern is very different than his other mods. I know what's up with that one, brutal.
 
Exo-metal said:
That monomyth vintage modern is very different than his other mods. I know what's up with that one, brutal.
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Is that the Cameron mod VM that Fattbag was schelping a couple years ago ?


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No idea. This however sounds killer for good reason. I'm not surprised it can hang with the Hermansson. Alright gtg, just warming up the Langner, another 5 gain stage that can hang.
 
I love boosting my '83 2204 for rhythm stuff. I just wish it had a loop because my lead playing needs the sauce as I continue to put time in. But I don't want to mod it...
 
Exo-metal said:
That monomyth vintage modern is very different than his other mods. I know what's up with that one, brutal.
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I’m curious about his other ones for sure, I really love this amp. It’s so brutal. I did want to get my hands on a skeleton key at some point.
 
hellzington said:
The Empire was a very cool amp, I actually really liked it. Very different from the Grace, much more straightforward, aggressive, and gainy. The only reason I sold it is because it was very close to a few of my other, more modern amps and so decided to let it go to make room for something new.
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What was it similar to? I’m pretty curious about the Empire as well, might be something to considering something else if it has some competition
 
hellzington said:
Interesting! The first thing I said about my '04 is how chewy it is. It's got a lot more Marshall DNA in it than later VH4's I owned (2010, 2021). It's a lot juicier, darker, and less gainy than new VH4s. It is not dry at all, like my 2021 was. It has a much more musical midrange and less negative feedback. It's far more open, raw, and uncompressed than other VH4s I've played or owned. That said, I've not played a legit Blueface so I can't validate how mine would sound against one.
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Funny how we all perceive things differently. My "old script" early 00's Silver face VH4's was one of the biggest disappointments I have had for an amp: dark, bloated, tough to dial in, unusable ch4. Put me off Diezel for a long time. I also don't think it compares to a real deal Blueface either. I have played my friends (he had 2....sold one on Reverb last year for a crazy price. I think Fluff even had him on "rediculous reverb listings").

I much prefer the newer VH4: more gain in ch2, so you can do more with it, brighter across the board....I actually hear the newer one being more raw and open than my old script. I would say to anyone, play a VH4 before you buy. I was told the old script VH4 was the one to get....but a blueface it ain't.
 
grimmchaos said:
I love boosting my '83 2204 for rhythm stuff. I just wish it had a loop because my lead playing needs the sauce as I continue to put time in. But I don't want to mod it...
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I have all my amps, including 2203, into a fryette power station in my switching units. I use the onboard loop there to have global effects for all my stuff and also don’t have to mod. Might be worth considering
 
I've owned so many modded marshalls ( Cameron's, Monomyth and so on ) I always just end up going back to my 68/71 SLP's with a boost or my JMP 2203 or jubilee with a boost. I did really enjoy my 1987x Monomyth i had though.
 
VHTStark said:
Funny how we all perceive things differently. My "old script" early 00's Silver face VH4's was one of the biggest disappointments I have had for an amp: dark, bloated, tough to dial in, unusable ch4. Put me off Diezel for a long time. I also don't think it compares to a real deal Blueface either. I have played my friends (he had 2....sold one on Reverb last year for a crazy price. I think Fluff even had him on "rediculous reverb listings").

I much prefer the newer VH4: more gain in ch2, so you can do more with it, brighter across the board....I actually hear the newer one being more raw and open than my old script. I would say to anyone, play a VH4 before you buy. I was told the old script VH4 was the one to get....but a blueface it ain't.
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That sounds similar to how I remember to the 2001 VH4S I had. The ‘97 Blueface is the one VH4 I’ve tried so far where ch4 is my favorite channel. The later VH4’s I’ve tried I do remember all being brighter. I haven’t tried any very recent ones, but have tried a 2018 VH4 and remember it sounding a bit filtered and smooth-ish for my taste, but still brighter like the later ones
 
itsgoodnow said:
I have all my amps, including 2203, into a fryette power station in my switching units. I use the onboard loop there to have global effects for all my stuff and also don’t have to mod. Might be worth considering
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I have thought about that. Owned a Power Station a couple of times.. of course I sold it by the time I got the 2204. It would allow me to use it live... and I guess bring a BE-OD or something as a backup in case the 2204 blows up.
 
braintheory said:
That sounds similar to how I remember to the 2001 VH4S I had. The ‘97 Blueface is the one VH4 I’ve tried so far where ch4 is my favorite channel. The later VH4’s I’ve tried I do remember all being brighter. I haven’t tried any very recent ones, but have tried a 2018 VH4 and remember it sounding a bit filtered and smooth-ish for my taste, but still brighter like the later ones
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The biggest point I remember comparing really any VH4 to a real Blueface is actually the feel. While I like that newer VH4's are brighter and (I feel) more usable in their tonal range, the Bluefaces have this awesome organic bounce and give when you play them. I noticed that more so than the tonal differences actually! I will have to ask my buddy to pull the Blueface out of storage....amazing amp!
 
VHTStark said:
The biggest point I remember comparing really any VH4 to a real Blueface is actually the feel. While I like that newer VH4's are brighter and (I feel) more usable in their tonal range, the Bluefaces have this awesome organic bounce and give when you play them. I noticed that more so than the tonal differences actually! I will have to ask my buddy to pull the Blueface out of storage....amazing amp!
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I agree. For whatever reason I’ve yet find any exception with older amps just sounding more raw/organic and greasier to play. VH4’s have in general been a bit stiff and dry for me feelwise, but not the case with the blue. My earlier ‘90’s Purpleface Protoype is even easier to play and more saturated, but it doesn’t sound or feel Diezel-y at all. Totally different animal
 
braintheory said:
I agree. For whatever reason I’ve yet find any exception with older amps just sounding more raw/organic and greasier to play. VH4’s have in general been a bit stiff and dry for me feelwise, but not the case with the blue. My earlier ‘90’s Purpleface Protoype is even easier to play and more saturated, but it doesn’t sound or feel Diezel-y at all. Totally different animal
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Ya, VH4 Silver Faces, old script on up all do have the feel you describe: stiff, dry and compressed overall. The Blueface is definitely not like that at all!

That prototype sounds like a moon rock! Do you think circuit wise, it harkens back more to Peter's modding days?
 
VHTStark said:
Ya, VH4 Silver Faces, old script on up all do have the feel you describe: stiff, dry and compressed overall. The Blueface is definitely not like that at all!

That prototype sounds like a moon rock! Do you think circuit wise, it harkens back more to Peter's modding days?
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Could be, but I have no idea lol. I’d love to hear his old mods. The Protoype is PTP. It sounds to me sorta like a cross of an SLO and Cameron Aldrich maybe with a small hint of XTC. I would never guess it was a Diezel if it weren’t for the label
 
I don't know if these truly count as a modded Marshall, but they're at least a different take on the Marshall circuit/tone. My favorites are a 3 way tie between Headfirst Alta, GZ Hellion, and Monomyth Skeleton Key with my Peters Vega coming in right behind those.

The Alta is straight up the the ultimate channel switching Marshall. IMO there's nothing else that can rival it in this category.
Ground Zero Hellion is definitely has Marshall DNA with a few other influences. Pretty much the most versatile single channel amp I've played.
The Skeleton Key is 100% a high gain Marshall that destroys any production line competition.
The Vega more in line with a traditional Marshall as in it's not as high gain as the rest. I'd call it more in line with the JCM800 DNA with a slight boost in the higher gain settings.

All of the amps I mentioned give any Marshall a run for their money, but the one thing that a true non-modded Marshall always seems to have over anything else is pure rawness. The only thing I've played that's in the same camp and rivals that Marshall rawness is the Naylor SuperDrive I bought from @braintheory But the Naylor is a bit darker than a Marshall.
 
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