School me on Marshall Mods

[NewReligion]

someone posted a rough CCV preamp circuit schematic on sloclone
didn't have time to analyze it properly, but looks very similar to the friedman brown eye with the sat switch (no big surprise here)

Doubt that!

Pretty sure Cameron was modding amps for John Norum when Friedman was still messing with racks. I will only add that there is a lot of disinformation out there and Mark has contributed a variety of killer circuits compared to the basic 4 stage + CF design Dave has.

I own many amps and generations as some one offs. Pretty certain it would be DF learning from MC or at least that is what my collection and study has proven to me. Follow the evidence.

Much Respect, New Religion ♫

 

[Wagster]

 

[Racerxrated]

someone posted a rough CCV preamp circuit schematic on sloclone
didn't have time to analyze it properly, but looks very similar to the friedman brown eye with the sat switch (no big surprise here)

Doubt that!

Pretty sure Cameron was modding amps for John Norum when Friedman was still messing with racks. I will only add that there is a lot of disinformation out there and Mark has contributed a variety of killer circuits compared to the basic 4 stage + CF design Dave has.

I own many amps and generations as some one offs. Pretty certain it would be DF learning from MC or at least that is what my collection and study has proven to me. Follow the evidence.

Much Respect, New Religion ♫

I actually suggested this to a forum member not too long ago. Dave does great work and has a great line of amps. That said, it's an interesting coincidence that during the time Dave was involved with Cameron in the last debacle trying to produce Cameron amps that the BE circuit changed for the better. Older BE 100s don't compare to the new ones... By many accounts of guys who have owned both. Who knows? Hell if he did take some of the Cameron circuit for his own amps, why not? They are some of the most killer amps out there. I would.

 

[rupe]

Older BE 100s don't compare to the new ones... By many accounts of guys who have owned both. Who knows?

Did much change from the Marsha to the BE100? My early Marsha sounds better in every meaningful way than either of the BE100s that I've tried.

 

[Racerxrated]

Older BE 100s don't compare to the new ones... By many accounts of guys who have owned both. Who knows?

Did much change from the Marsha to the BE100? My early Marsha sounds better in every meaningful way than either of the BE100s that I've tried.

I don't know..I've only had one of his modded Marshalls, was decent but nothing n comparison to some others I've had. I'm only going off what guys have said, that the latest version BE100 stomps the previous version. By latest I mean in the last 2 years or so. Again, no big deal as every amp builder/modder borrows stuff from everyone else. Its just speculation on my part, no disrespect to Dave.

 

[Little B]

Older BE 100s don't compare to the new ones... By many accounts of guys who have owned both. Who knows?

Did much change from the Marsha to the BE100? My early Marsha sounds better in every meaningful way than either of the BE100s that I've tried.

Ive always wanted to know what the early marsha was like.I owned two friedmans- one modded 2203 that Jason Hook bought from me,and still own a new version BE 100...and it rips.

 

[NewReligion]

I have a 1st gen (PTP) and 2nd gen BE 100 (PCB). Very little if any noticeable difference on the BE/HBE/SAT channel. Of course the 2nd gen has added Bass and Treble. I take these out more often as they are replaceable. I prefer the Cameron One Off but it goes out on rare occasions and is usually secured in the vault. I believe Mark has contributed to the Hi Gain community both directly and indirectly in manners unknown by most.

I also am of the opinion that Mark gets a bad reputation likely unwarranted but certainly perpetuated by those whom simply put forth a regurgitation of superfluous information...mainly by younger guys playing the game "telephone" (hearsay) and caught up in bad business and the likes of take overs etc...IMO.

I dig the BE 100's for live use, but they are far different animal's than my favorite Cameron modded JCM 800 Snorkler/Aldrich. Clean articulate three dimensional saturation individually tuned for a guitarist as myself. Flat out killer. I added a Metro Zero Loss Loop...other than that I will say little more about the amp other than it IS outside of the box thinking...brilliant indeed.

I appreciate the evolution of the RCA/AT&T/Fender/Marshall circuit and am in no way slandering any individual. But I believe credit should be given where credit is due and Mark has brought you all closer to killer tone than most will ever know or care from what I have read of some disrespectful slandering.

To all keep up the great work, protect your intellectual property, be respectful and know what you are talking about, but most of all...Play with FEELING.

Later, David aka, New Religion ♫

 

[Exo-metal]

they're magically delicious

Nice blades

 

[NewReligion]

Here is an example of my overhauled modded Marshall I did based on Mark Cameron's genius with a few tricks of my own...It is a combination of many changes. In fact I pulled the PCB and built a PTP.

 

[sjk]

I have a 1st gen (PTP) and 2nd gen BE 100 (PCB). Very little if any noticeable difference on the BE/HBE/SAT channel. Of course the 2nd gen has added Bass and Treble. I take these out more often as they are replaceable. I prefer the Cameron One Off but it goes out on rare occasions and is usually secured in the vault. I believe Mark has contributed to the Hi Gain community both directly and indirectly in manners unknown by most.

I also am of the opinion that Mark gets a bad reputation likely unwarranted but certainly perpetuated by those whom simply put forth a regurgitation of superfluous information...mainly by younger guys playing the game "telephone" (hearsay) and caught up in bad business and the likes of take overs etc...IMO.

I dig the BE 100's for live use, but they are far different animal's than my favorite Cameron modded JCM 800 Snorkler/Aldrich. Clean articulate three dimensional saturation individually tuned for a guitarist as myself. Flat out killer. I added a Metro Zero Loss Loop...other than that I will say little more about the amp other than it IS outside of the box thinking...brilliant indeed.

I appreciate the evolution of the RCA/AT&T/Fender/Marshall circuit and am in no way slandering any individual. But I believe credit should be given where credit is due and Mark has brought you all closer to killer tone than most will ever know or care from what I have read of some disrespectful slandering.

To all keep up the great work, protect your intellectual property, be respectful and know what you are talking about, but most of all...Play with FEELING.

Later, David aka, New Religion ♫

Interesting perspective, but WRONG mark has ripped off many people in his time in the form of no amps received for money put down and no amp ever returned when sent to him for mods or rebuilds. Yes some have been made right but plenty of others have not. It is understandable that guys captivated and not ripped off with great Cameron amps would think this way though. He has a rip off conning history whether or not you want to believe it or just justify it with your own perspective.

 

[gtrwun]

Here is an example of my overhauled modded Marshall I did based on Mark Cameron's genius with a few tricks of my own...It is a combination of many changes. In fact I pulled the PCB and built a PTP.

I'm digging that tone man, really nice.

 

[V2a]

BFG
Fargen

(both probably mentioned above)

 

[NewReligion]

I have a 1st gen (PTP) and 2nd gen BE 100 (PCB). Very little if any noticeable difference on the BE/HBE/SAT channel. Of course the 2nd gen has added Bass and Treble. I take these out more often as they are replaceable. I prefer the Cameron One Off but it goes out on rare occasions and is usually secured in the vault. I believe Mark has contributed to the Hi Gain community both directly and indirectly in manners unknown by most.

I also am of the opinion that Mark gets a bad reputation likely unwarranted but certainly perpetuated by those whom simply put forth a regurgitation of superfluous information...mainly by younger guys playing the game "telephone" (hearsay) and caught up in bad business and the likes of take overs etc...IMO.

I dig the BE 100's for live use, but they are far different animal's than my favorite Cameron modded JCM 800 Snorkler/Aldrich. Clean articulate three dimensional saturation individually tuned for a guitarist as myself. Flat out killer. I added a Metro Zero Loss Loop...other than that I will say little more about the amp other than it IS outside of the box thinking...brilliant indeed.

I appreciate the evolution of the RCA/AT&T/Fender/Marshall circuit and am in no way slandering any individual. But I believe credit should be given where credit is due and Mark has brought you all closer to killer tone than most will ever know or care from what I have read of some disrespectful slandering.

To all keep up the great work, protect your intellectual property, be respectful and know what you are talking about, but most of all...Play with FEELING.

Later, David aka, New Religion ♫

Interesting perspective, but WRONG mark has ripped off many people in his time in the form of no amps received for money put down and no amp ever returned when sent to him for mods or rebuilds. Yes some have been made right but plenty of others have not. It is understandable that guys captivated and not ripped off with great Cameron amps would think this way though. He has a rip off conning history whether or not you want to believe it or just justify it with your own perspective.

I have read a few perpetuated claims through hearsay. I "know" of only 2 due to a set of "circumstances". But to read the onslaught of attck one would think he was an out right thief. I will not argue but I do indeed see others taking Marks innovative designs and using them for resale...Now that is theft.

Personal question if I may. Has Mr. Cameron wronged you in a business deal? I was promised some trivial things from a certain other well known (American) builder that never came trough even after 3 attempts for resolve. This involves owning 2 of the companies 4k amps.

Splitting hairs? Perhaps, but I will only deal with what I know first hand for a fact not something I read somewhere or was "told" by some one else involved. If so, Sorry for your loss, this is assuming you personally have been victimized.

Respectfully, David ♫

 

[NewReligion]

Here is an example of my overhauled modded Marshall I did based on Mark Cameron's genius with a few tricks of my own...It is a combination of many changes. In fact I pulled the PCB and built a PTP.

I'm digging that tone man, really nice.

Thank you GTRWUN...Much respect. It still needs master EQ'd and Compressed. This is the weakest of the 9 so far. I just wanted to see if it floats. Thanks again.

David ♫ aka Axis, New Religion, Twisted Christian

 

[petejt]

He sounded the same live in when i saw him.

That was his best tone ever ... and some of the best live tone i have ever heard, very, very analog.

There's chorus all over those guitars in the second song...damn it sounds good!

 

[Metalhead Electronics]

I discovered something interesting about the original Marshall I modified for Dino Cazares of Fear Factory.

There was an accidental difference in the circuit that turned out to be part of what made that amplifier sound the way it did.

I've figured out exactly what it was, and I can reproduce that same modification again.

Of course, Dino's guitar, pickups, speaker cabinet, and playing were all part of his sound. I'm not claiming that modifying your Marshall will make you sound exactly like Dino.

What I can offer is the same amplifier modification I originally did for him, including that accidental circuit difference.

Elan Memran
MetalHead Electronics
metalheadamps.com

 

[creep66]

I discovered something interesting about the original Marshall I modified for Dino Cazares of Fear Factory.

There was an accidental difference in the circuit that turned out to be part of what made that amplifier sound the way it did.

I've figured out exactly what it was, and I can reproduce that same modification again.

Of course, Dino's guitar, pickups, speaker cabinet, and playing were all part of his sound. I'm not claiming that modifying your Marshall will make you sound exactly like Dino.

What I can offer is the same amplifier modification I originally did for him, including that accidental circuit difference.

Elan Memran
MetalHead Electronics
metalheadamps.com

Glad your doing your mods but im telling ya, your gonna piss people off pretty quick spamming up this place man.

 

[Exo-metal]

He's already made a mistake not posting clips of the "mistake."

 

[joesatch]

The classic Marshall preamp circuit has two main baselines: the non-master 1959/1987 Plexi (two parallel gain stages going into a cathode follower) and the master-volume 2203/2204 JCM800/JMP (two cascaded gain stages where V1a feeds V1b with a cold clipper, feeding a cathode follower tone stack). [1, 2]
Different builders achieved extra gain through specific topologies:

• Jose Arredondo (The Master of Diode Clipping
  • How it works: Jose pioneered two techniques. The first was adding an extra tube gain stage out front. The second (and most famous) was installing a master volume pot shunted to ground with back-to-back Zener diodes (or LED/silicon diodes) right after an added gain stage.
  • Tone: Heavily compressed, harmonically saturated, slightly buzzy at lower levels, but blooms into liquid sustain with early clipping even at low volumes (heard on Eddie Van Halen's and Steve Vai's rigs).
• Dave Friedman (Brown Eye / Kitchen Sink
  • How it works: Pure tube gain stage additions (typically adding a 3rd or 4th gain stage via an extra 12AX7) combined with a switchable diode-saturation circuit ("SAT" switch), along with low-end tuning ("FAT", "C45").
  • Tone: Smooth, woody, balanced mid-range with polished top-end bite; designed for touring practicality, clarity, and consistency. [1]
• Mark Cameron (Aldrich, CCV, HG Jose
  • How it works: Revoicing cathode bypass capacitors, cold-clipper biasing, aggressive high-pass filtering between stages to eliminate flub, and adding a 4th cascaded tube stage.
  • Tone: Brutally tight, dry, hyper-percussive pick attack with an immediate, grinding low-mid response. [1]
• Mike Fortin & Modern High-Gainers (Ground Zero, Monomyth
  • How it works: 4 to 5 cascaded all-tube gain stages with switchable diode-clipping arrays ("Hair", "Saturation", "Violence"), coupled with variable negative feedback networks.
  • Tone: Extreme gain without losing note articulation, tight sub-bass thump, and a sharp, modern thrash/djent attack. [1, 2, 3]

• A-la-Carte Bench Work (Single Gain Stage + Depth Mod
  • Depth/Resonance Mod alone: $75 – $150. It is a straightforward circuit modification (a 1M audio pot in parallel with a 4.7nF capacitor wired across the negative feedback resistor in the power amp).
  • Single Added Tube Stage (drilling a 9-pin socket or adding a mini-PCB like Ground Zero's Add-a-Stage $250 – $450.
  • Combined Package (Gain Stage + Depth + Bench Fee Expect $350 to $600 plus round-trip shipping. [1, 2, 3]
• Full-Package Rebuilds (e.g., Gower, Monomyth, Ground Zero M.O.A.B.
  • Complete custom multi-stage conversions (multiple gain stages, loops, mid-shifts, diode clipping switches, depth, master volumes) typically range from $800 to $1,500+. [1, 2]
• No-Solder / Reversible Alternatives:
  • Products like the Legendary Tones Hot Mod V2 Evo cost around $250 – $300 and plug straight into the V2 socket to add an extra cascaded gain stage with zero drilling or permanent modifications.

The preferred platform is the late '70s JMP 2203 / 2204 or the early '80s horizontal-input JCM 800 (2203 100W or 2204 50W). [1]

• Why the 2203/2204 Lead Series?
  • They already have the foundational cascaded gain architecture and factory master volume layouts.
  • The chassis layout leaves ample real estate to add a preamp tube or utilize the unused low-input jack for another potentiometer or push-pull pot. [1, 2]
• Understanding the "MK" designations:
  • Mk I: The original 1960s JTM45 platform (voiced too loose and bass-heavy for modern high-gain mods; highly valuable as vintage collectables).
  • Mk II: The classic 1970s–1980s Plexi/JMP/early JCM period (both four-input non-master 1959/1987 and master-volume 2203/2204). This is the holy grail modding platform.
  • Mk III (JCM 900 Series The 2500/2100 Mk III single-channel amps feature a factory diode bridge. While moddable, its dual-sided printed circuit boards are much more fragile and harder to work on than the robust single-sided boards or eyelet boards of the Mk II era. [1]
• Modern Donors (Budget Picks
  • Because vintage JMPs and early JCM800s are increasingly scarce and expensive, modern modders heavily favor the Marshall 1987X / 1959SLP reissues, the Marshall Origin 50 (affordable, easily reworked base), or hand-wired clone chassis like Ceriatone 2203/2204.

• Jeremy at Ground Zero Ampworks (USA
  • Known for the brutal "M.O.A.B." (Jose-style) and "Sniper" high-gain mods.
  • Contact via the Ground Zero Ampworks Contact Page or directly by email at groundzeroamps@gmail.com. [1, 2, 3]
• Shea at Monomyth Amplification (USA
  • Famous for the modern, crushing "Black Sun" and "Blood & Thunder" modifications applied to Marshalls and Marshall Origins.
  • Connect directly via Monomyth Amplification on Instagram or through guitar community forums like Rig-Talk (handle @heavysleeper). [1, 2, 3]
• Dan Gower (Gower Amplification, UK
  • Master of the "Killer Kali," "Cali Mod," and authentic Jose restorations.
  • Reach him directly by email at Dan@DanGowerAmps.co.uk or via the Dan Gower Amplifier Modifications Facebook Group. [1, 2, 3]
• David Bray (Bray Amps, USA
  • Longtime specialist in early EVH Plexi/JMP modding with custom dual-master volume and saturation options.
  • Inquire through the Bray Amps Website.
• Dave Hopkins (Hopkins Amp Mods, USA
  • Respected builder focusing on all-tube, high-headroom 4-stage and Cameron-style Marshall variants.

 

[reignman454]

Alright... I'll chime in... To qualify first.. Amps I've OWNED and used, gigged, not played or tried and didn't care for in a limited space (that matters)

Lee Jackson (basically all versions)
Cameron (800 / Custom build Atomica)
Splawns (800/s, plexi's, QR's)
Bray 2-3 modded marshalls
Sandoval modded 800 (That's right he did mods too)
Soldano modded 800 SLO Prototype (why did I fkn sell that)
Various FJA Mods (34/36)
Various Hopkins (Pandora / Axis)
Gower SLP Rockmonster

I can list more... you get the idea... Here's my .02

As much as the allure drives people, I truly wouldn't bother buying one unplayed, unheard and untested unless you just know THAT amp. I have owned Lee Jacksons that sound like a bottle of coca cola filled with pissed off wasps who are collectively farting... I also own a JMP he did that anyone who plays it says it's arguably the best sounding Marshall they've heard in the 80's style... It's not tight, it's not a chugg amp... But Lynch would 100% try to steal it.

Mods that have been done already also fall to whomever got into the amp and decided they could do it better... I've personally watched Jerry clip 1 cap in one of my Splawns and voila... Wunderbar. I've also been inside countless amp's that have clearly spent weeks on a bench only to sound completely neutered.

I would NEVER buy a high ticket amp unless I'm either familiar with it, know the sound or hear a truly defining clip of the amp... Especially not when there are guys now who can make things whatever you want...

Hopkins:
Gower:
Those two are amps that I absolutely love that at least you can Call/Email them, get into a conversation, know your stuffs coming back to you better and how you described it.

Friedman (here we go) I LOVE Dave's build quality, his approach but I have truly never played a modded marshall he did that makes me want to play... I'll put my current collection up against anyones with a friedman.... They just don't seem pissed off enough? Sound Killer, Quiet, Beautiful work but I don't know, call me old school.. I like fighting the amp more *Shrug* P.S... Don't believe me? I'll show you my Arredondo sitting in it's shipping box on the shelf... Just didn't hang with the other stuff. Every Jose I've played has sounded significantly more violent maybe? More Sizzle? I don't chalk this up to Dave though, the guy obviously is very good at what he does but I truly believe these amps are the sum of their parts... While Jose wasn't just a tv repair guy as people claimed, he didn't use the craziest parts, smoke and mirrors but he left the CORE of what these amps are/were.... Factory transformers with delams happening, didn't replace components unless absolutely necessary and none of this stuffs available anymore. Not to Dave, not to anyone.

Last but certainly not least.... If anyone can convince Jerry from FJA to start modding marshalls again, Jerry did phenomenal work, is a straight up dude and you aren't playing "Am I gonna get screwed"...The BEST amp I've ever owned was an FJA Modded 800 he did I believe a 34, 36, 39 mod on... I don't remember... I severed a tendon in my hands, thought it was over and sold tons of grail amps... Even the Soldano modded 800 proto at that time and man... What a mistake those were.


ymmv.