Real Jose amps

[Racerxrated]

^^Chubtone I think knows this story, and maybe Jason(EXP) does too?

Edit: Here's the thread, first post....viewtopic.php?t=103745

 

[Rick Lee]

But good points on the magic marshall to NY, he'd have plenty other amps to use I'm sure. Of course, maybe he was in town anyway for some other reason and had it with him?

It is kind of interesting though. Wasn't that done between 1984 and 5150. They certainly weren't recording or doing a video in NYC then. Pretty sure Ed had an apt. in NYC back then, but how many apts in NYC, even the giant ones, are suitable for running a 100w Marshall head? Maybe that show was done in LA. I think the late night shows usually did a week or so on the other coast once a year. I can't remember exactly, but I was living in NJ at that time and probably would have tried to go into the City for the studio audience thing and I'm pretty sure I knew a few days or weeks in advance Ed was going to be on the show, as I watched it live. I wanted to go the day Ed donated that guitar t the Hard Rock on W. 57th. But my mom nixed it because it was a school day. And I think Good Morning America showed lines of people for blocks, waiting to get a glimpse of him and Val getting out of the limo.

 

[Piero the Guitarero]

Are you talking about this amp?

 

[Anonymous]

I knew Jose back in the '80s. As folks have mentioned, he had an electronics shop called Arrco Electronics. He modded two Marshalls for me and he serviced my amps while I owned them and was playing the LA scene, so I made lots of trips to Arrco. My amps sounded awesome - the reason I didn't keep them was that I sold all my gear except one guitar after my last band flamed out in '88. Both mods were done in '84 and when I would go in there, you'd see amps from all the LA players and touring guys being modded or serviced. He was already old and looked in poor health, but was an upbeat, nice guy with lots of EVH and VH backstage stories. My amps had push/pull masters that added clipping circuits. I ended up having Lee Jackson add a tube-buffered adjustable effects loop to one amp because Jose's insert loop didn't provide enough signal to my rack effects. I've posted pics of me playing one of the amps live. This is the JCM800 he did on the right side behind me, but it's hard to see. You can see all the additional holes he cut in the input side though:

Steve

 

[Stradazone]

I've played a couple of real Jose amps, one was at his shop back in the late '80's when I was thinking of having my first bought Marshall modded, he said it belonged to Dimartini, I didn't really care for it, so I passed on having the mod done, a few years later I had guitar student who owned one and I played through it and even recorded a song with it for a demo, the tone didn't knock me out, neither of those amps had a VH tone to it at all..I believe John Suhr had Jose mod a Marshall for him and told him he want the same mod as EVH's amp, John said it sounded nothing like Ed's tone at all..

 

[psychodave]

I've played a couple of real Jose amps, one was at his shop back in the late '80's when I was thinking of having my first bought Marshall modded, he said it belonged to Dimartini, I didn't really care for it, so I passed on having the mod done, a few years later I had guitar student who owned one and I played through it and even recorded a song with it for a demo, the tone didn't knock me out, neither of those amps had a VH tone to it at all..I believe John Suhr had Jose mod a Marshall for him and told him he want the same mod as EVH's amp, John said it sounded nothing like Ed's tone at all..

Interesting. So John Suhr got the same "mod" as Van Halen... so Eddies amps were "modded" by Jose. Kinda provides evidence Eddies amps weren't stock.

 

[Alex_S]

I knew Jose back in the '80s. As folks have mentioned, he had an electronics shop called Arrco Electronics. He modded two Marshalls for me and he serviced my amps while I owned them and was playing the LA scene, so I made lots of trips to Arrco. My amps sounded awesome - the reason I didn't keep them was that I sold all my gear except one guitar after my last band flamed out in '88. Both mods were done in '84 and when I would go in there, you'd see amps from all the LA players and touring guys being modded or serviced. He was already old and looked in poor health, but was an upbeat, nice guy with lots of EVH and VH backstage stories. My amps had push/pull masters that added clipping circuits. I ended up having Lee Jackson add a tube-buffered adjustable effects loop to one amp because Jose's insert loop didn't provide enough signal to my rack effects. I've posted pics of me playing one of the amps live. This is the JCM800 he did on the right side behind me, but it's hard to see. You can see all the additional holes he cut in the input side though:



Steve

Great story Steve! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Rick Lee]

I've played a couple of real Jose amps, one was at his shop back in the late '80's when I was thinking of having my first bought Marshall modded, he said it belonged to Dimartini, I didn't really care for it, so I passed on having the mod done, a few years later I had guitar student who owned one and I played through it and even recorded a song with it for a demo, the tone didn't knock me out, neither of those amps had a VH tone to it at all..I believe John Suhr had Jose mod a Marshall for him and told him he want the same mod as EVH's amp, John said it sounded nothing like Ed's tone at all..

Interesting. So John Suhr got the same "mod" as Van Halen... so Eddies amps were "modded" by Jose. Kinda provides evidence Eddies amps weren't stock.

Well, if Jose didn't really do any mods for Ed and then gave John Suhr what he asked for (nothing), that doesn't necessarily mean Jose modded any of Ed's amps. Then again, what if the mod was something like changing the PT tap from European to US voltage? That's a mod, but probably wouldn't change the tone too much. I think the truth is lost to history. Ed didn't tell the truth back when he could still remember it. Jose probably didn't keep photos and schematics of Ed's amp. And Jose's mods on other amps get widely divergent reviews. I believe what the well-known amp builders say about having had Ed's Plexi on their benches. But there's no chain of custody and certainly not starting from way back when Ed was still recording and touring with it.

 

[Racerxrated]

Are you talking about this amp?

Well, there you go. Proof of something is the hole. Which we saw in the VHII session photo anyway, so either a master or maybe a line out, which many used 70s JMPs seem to have when you find them used.
Like Rick Lee said though, we'll never truly know. I'm in the camp that SOMETHING was modded. And we all know how Eddie is a gainfreak anyway, why would he be any different in his younger years?

 

[reverymike]

I own an old '71 100 Marshall that was owned by Richie Kotzen. It was modded, with a cascading gain circuit. I have no idea who did the mod, but often wondered if it could have been a Jose amp. Richie owned this amp during the Poison era, and Mother Head's Family Reunion album.

Honestly, the mod was not all that great. Sounded okay, but nothing earth shattering. I've since had the amp reworked by Friedman, and it's much better than it was.

 

[Rick Lee]

I own an old '71 100 Marshall that was owned by Richie Kotzen.

About two weeks ago I was at my amp tech's shop and he had a pristine, bone stock '71 100w in there. I think he was replacing the original Daly caps. I dimed the amp through his 400w Randall 4x12 and jumpered the channels. It sounded pretty nice, but not $K's nicer than my Plexi clone builds. I also ran my old 1959 SLP RI dimed through a Variac, dropped down to 88-90v. It was ok, but was definitely not the VH tone.

 

[psychodave]

I've played a couple of real Jose amps, one was at his shop back in the late '80's when I was thinking of having my first bought Marshall modded, he said it belonged to Dimartini, I didn't really care for it, so I passed on having the mod done, a few years later I had guitar student who owned one and I played through it and even recorded a song with it for a demo, the tone didn't knock me out, neither of those amps had a VH tone to it at all..I believe John Suhr had Jose mod a Marshall for him and told him he want the same mod as EVH's amp, John said it sounded nothing like Ed's tone at all..

Interesting. So John Suhr got the same "mod" as Van Halen... so Eddies amps were "modded" by Jose. Kinda provides evidence Eddies amps weren't stock.

Well, if Jose didn't really do any mods for Ed and then gave John Suhr what he asked for (nothing), that doesn't necessarily mean Jose modded any of Ed's amps. Then again, what if the mod was something like changing the PT tap from European to US voltage? That's a mod, but probably wouldn't change the tone too much. I think the truth is lost to history. Ed didn't tell the truth back when he could still remember it. Jose probably didn't keep photos and schematics of Ed's amp. And Jose's mods on other amps get widely divergent reviews. I believe what the well-known amp builders say about having had Ed's Plexi on their benches. But there's no chain of custody and certainly not starting from way back when Ed was still recording and touring with it.

Yeah, nobody really knows.

I don't buy the well known amp builders stories unless Eddies amp was on their benches between 1977 and 1981. Being that these amps are PTP, you wouldn't be able to determine what is stock or changed. I've seen people even recreate the red dye that was put on the solder joints.

With that said, I was at Chris Merrens house a decade ago and played his stock 68 plexi and it had a shit ton of gain. Sounded glorious through a pin stripe 4x12 loaded with 20 watt celestions.

 

[SpiderWars]

Are you talking about this amp?

What is that amp? It has some Synergy Royal Mustards in it which have only been around a few years is why I ask.

 

[Piero the Guitarero]

What is that amp? It has some Synergy Royal Mustards in it which have only been around a few years is why I ask.

Those pics are 2 weeks old. It has been refurbished by a german guy.

This is what it looks like after his job was done

 

[LP Freak]

Are you talking about this amp?

Well, there you go. Proof of something is the hole. Which we saw in the VHII session photo anyway, so either a master or maybe a line out, which many used 70s JMPs seem to have when you find them used.
Like Rick Lee said though, we'll never truly know. I'm in the camp that SOMETHING was modded. And we all know how Eddie is a gainfreak anyway, why would he be any different in his younger years?

That's not EVH's Plexi

 

[Rick Lee]

That's not EVH's Plexi

It could belong to him, but it's not the one. Serial number is too far off too, even if it weren't a Tremolo.

 

[LP Freak]

That's not EVH's Plexi

It could belong to him, but it's not the one. Serial number is too far off too, even if it weren't a Tremolo.

Yea, I was referring to the famous 12301 amp

 

[Racerxrated]

That's not EVH's Plexi

It could belong to him, but it's not the one. Serial number is too far off too, even if it weren't a Tremolo.

Yea, I was referring to the famous 12301 amp

Interesting though, that if this is one of his, that it also has a hole drilled for where a mod was, just like the pic from the VHII sessions. Whatever the mod was, he had it done to all of his Marshalls probably.

 

[sg guy]

-waaait a minute!!.. so were going to be "Discussing" the 3-BIGGEST TROLLLING TOPICS at the same time???!!!!...

-(MARK CAMERON)-(the greatest amp modder of all time, everything goes under the microscope -EVERYTHING -the amount, content & composition of solder/ brazing rod used at point "A" differ's from point "X" for a reason, and there's always a reason for everything, 25 year old mods still can't be cloned, are said to be "nothing special" by fool's, the same fool's that don't know that for every 25 YR old mod with a "name", there's a 100 + "ONE OFF'S" that are not 25 years old, they're new, & -(KICK-FUCKIN-ASS)-
-(JOSE ARREDONDO)-(the man who started it all)-(genius)-
-(EDDIE VAN HALEN)-the #2-guitarist of all time, the bench mark for 80's tone-(perpetual liar, especially anything to do gear, METH, his marriage, DLR & Sammy)+(stole the tapping technique from Ace Frehley)-(EVH's influence changed the meaning of the word -(GOOD)- to guitarist forever.....

 

[sg guy]

If you want to see a room full of guitar nerds devolve into name-calling argumentative assholes, just throw out the VH\Jose mods as a discussion and wait....

-(TRUUUUUTH!!!!)-

-(come on, who here among us didn't see this coming! and hoping!! )- thou. we'll never admit it.