Send my Marshall to Splawn or Friedman for mods?

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Rick Lee

Rick Lee

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I have a love/hate relationship with my already-modded Marshall 1959SLP RI (non-HW). Some days it's just unreal and some days I wonder why I bought it. Whoever modded it did an amateur DIY job. I think I want a pro to take over now. I got quotes from Splawn and Friedman. I can probably take the head in-person to Dave, since I go to LA a lot. He's $50 more than Splawn. But the mods are very different in approach. Tell me what I should do here. I want this head sounding the ones on Youtube with all the comments asking how they got that tone.
 
I have played Spawn amps and own a 76 Marshall Super Lead w/Friedman "Kitchen Sink" mod... I'll take Friedman mods and amps any day of the week over Splawn. Don't get me wrong... Splawn does good work. But Friedman to me is at the top!
 
I'd send or to Mike Fortin, he's modding amps again. Of those two, I'd probably pick friedman... I've owned spawns, and still have a Street Rod, but I do like the Friedman stuff I've heard. Some of it is almost too thick sounding to me, but that's just my taste... you really can't go wrong. Pick which one sounds best to your ears. I'm going to be buying another jcm 800 and sending it off to Fortin in the next few months, but I have one of his amps and love it, so I kinda know what I'm getting.
 
Yeah, I was checking out a Fortin Marshall on YT the other day. Might need to give him a call.

I have a 50w hand wired Plexi clone I just can't seem to sell. I was thinking Friedman would be better for that one because it would make it easier to sell, if I decided not to keep it after the mod. My 1959SLP is already hacked up, so I'd probably not bother ever selling it if I can get it sounding the way I want. I have a 5153 Stealth and SLO to keep me happy while the Marshalls are out for mods. Just can't decide what to do to which one. Both need something if they are to be kept and sold.
 
Fortin and Friedman mods are both great but light years apart in tonez and feelz
 
crankyrayhanky":nobiovpm said:
Fortin and Friedman mods are both great but light years apart in tonez and feelz
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Please elaborate. I would like to be able to get good cleans by rolling back the guitar volume knob and want Brown Sound-like crunch at full blast.
 
I'd sell that RI on Craigslist and have Dave mod the 50 watter
 
Bluplirst":wvqgbyo8 said:
I'd sell that RI on Craigslist and have Dave mod the 50 watter
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Might do this. I'd need to get the 50w back first and be sure it was a keeper. It's such a work of art, though. I work my gear pretty hard. If it's not for sale, I ain't saving it for the next owner. I use the hell out of it. The 50w belongs under glass in my living room, it's so gorgeous.
 
You can get the roll volume back cleans on either but Brown to me reeks Friedman.
They both have great immediacy in the attack which I love. Friedman has a more squishy feel to it and definitely Brown town can be enjoyed. Fortin has that monstrous low end that is somehow uber tight for modern rock/metal. Rather than squishy it is more dry in feel.

You could do either on both and be happy but that's the strengths I've experienced. I wish I could get one of each, lol. Enjoy the hunt!
 
I can't recommend Friedman enough. Although that B+ mod on the Splawn sounds pretty bitchin'. Smaller bottle el34s (Electro Harmonix, JJ) have some squish, (for the Friedman) but when you bump up to the EL34b, EH6CA7 = Big fat bottom. I don't mean boomy, more lower mid growl.
 
To me, the Splawn doesn't compare to either Fortin or Friedman. I've had 2 Splawn modded Marshalls, were decent. But the Fortin and Friedman were better to my ears.
 
Can't go wrong with either Splawn or Friedman I'd go with whoever is more convenient... Sounds like you can hand deliver to Dave? I hate shipping heads too much of a gamble! My two most recent amps are a Friedman DS mini and a Splawn Competition both are fantastic!!
 
I like the HW the way it is unmodded. But yours is already modded unfortunately.
 
Splawn doesn't do mods anymore so that should help your decision.
 
Scott Splawn replied to my email yesterday with a price quote within an hour. So he still does mods.

Reza, your video is what prompted me to email Dave last summer for a price quote.
 
AndyK":21y9b284 said:
What about Bray? 'Browner' than Friedman or Splawn.
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I've talked to Dave Bray a few times about modding either of my Marshalls. He's far more into doing builds than mods and thus mods have a very big turnaround time. I last spoke with him a month ago and he said, he wouldn't be able to touch my amp for a mod until sometime in May. And the mods he said would be needed to make it into a 4550 were charged ala cart, no package deal. So it would have been like buying the head all over again. At that price, I'd be better off selling the head and putting the funds toward a new 4550. Though I still lust for a 4550; just need to find a used one. There's on eBay now that's got a misleading title, so it's hard to find and will probably never sell. But the guy wants almost as much for it as a new one costs.

I want my Marshall to sound such that I could stumble upon a dirt cheap Suhr SL-68 or PT100 and not be tempted to buy either one.
 
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