Tech Guys...Does Adding A Choke To A Marshall Really Matter?

[angelspade]

I was just going down a bit of an internet rabbit hole on adding a choke to a Marshall head. I currently own a Marshall JVM410H and a DSL100HR and neither have a choke installed stock. The variance of opinions on what adding a choke actually does is pretty staggering. Just no discernable consensus at all. Here are some of the opinions I am reading echoed repeatedly in various forms on the various boards:

"it's a must as it changes the tone and feel of the amp dramatically"

"it's complete waste of time and money"

"you will certainly notice some low end tightening and a more immediate response to pick attack"

"it may help a bit, but only matters at high volumes"

"it doesn't change how the amp sounds, but definitely changes how it feels"

"most players would never notice the difference"

So, for you tech guys out there...Or guys who have tried this mod...What's the truth (in your opinion)?

 

[FourT6and2]

There's a reason modern amps moved away from using a resistor and started using chokes... If builders thought they were useless, they wouldn't spend money on them in favor of a $0.02 resistor.

 

[glpg80]

Adds another reactive pole to the supply filtering to remove common mode noise such as ac ripple. Chokes definitely tighten up an amplifier in the feel category especially at lower frequencies. Better is subjective. If you want a greasier amplifier then you’ll have to compensate for the changes the choke will make elsewhere in the preamp. Amplifiers are the sum of their parts not just the preamp itself as Internet folklore likes to assume.

 

[jasonP]

I’ve never er been able to tell a difference honestly between the resistor and choke having done it to a couple DSLs. I always wanted to put on a toggle switch so you could quickly tell.

 

[BeZo]

That's the only mod I've consistently done to my 5150s (besides the bias mod). I feel the choke really tightens up the response of the amp.

 

[fusedbrain]

I agree with all of the above posts.
glpg80's comments about the power supply and the low end are bang on.
I've done a choke mod to a DSL and, for whatever reason, didn't notice much difference, but the improvements to a 5150 were significant.

Also, if modding an amp, consider that the typical DC resistance of a choke is usually between 80 and 120 ohms, vs the resistor you are replacing, which is usually much larger.
This changes the voltages in the rest of the amp, so that can affect the tone as well.
The other thing to watch are your screen grid resistors. For example, on a 5150, the og screen grids are 100ohms, so if you remove the 400 ohm screen dropper and install a choke, those 100ohm screen grids need to be changed to 470ohm, to maintain the screen protection.

 

[angelspade]

Ok...so sounds like a pretty wide varience of opinions here as well.

 

[FourT6and2]

I agree with all of the above posts.
glpg80's comments about the power supply and the low end are bang on.
I've done a choke mod to a DSL and, for whatever reason, didn't notice much difference, but the improvements to a 5150 were significant.

Also, if modding an amp, consider that the typical DC resistance of a choke is usually between 80 and 120 ohms, vs the resistor you are replacing, which is usually much larger.
This changes the voltages in the rest of the amp, so that can affect the tone as well.
The other thing to watch are your screen grid resistors. For example, on a 5150, the og screen grids are 100ohms, so if you remove the 400 ohm screen dropper and install a choke, those 100ohm screen grids need to be changed to 470ohm, to maintain the screen protection.

I think the most common value of resistor used in place of a choke is 100R?

 

[midnightlaundry]

Don't know about Marshalls, but the Trainwreck uses a 1K-25W..

My SigX has a 390 ohm..

 

[reignman454]

Ok...so sounds like a pretty wide varience of opinions here as well.

Need to know what kind music you’re playing….whether you like tight focused or greasy….

The better builders I’ve spoke with have all agreed it does more to feel than tone.

I also haven’t heard a single person complain about putting chokes into those style amps… nobody I know brags about throwing a choke out and adding a resistor to a Marshall….ymmv.


Full disclosure, one of the best modded Marshall style amps I own doesn’t have a choke… spoke to the builder and he advised not putting one in bc the way the circuit is designed.

 

[DanTravis62]

Need to know what kind music you’re playing….whether you like tight focused or greasy….

This is the important thing - because the biggest difference is going to be in the low end response

Choke generally means tighter tracking for low e palm muting and lower tunings, but it removes "grease" and "bloom" that makes amps easier to play lead on and makes them "sing"

That generally isnt a good thing if you're playing "lay it down" or "ain't talkin bout love"

It is a good thing if you're playing "Master of Puppets", "Crystal Mountain", or "Holy Wars"

This also isn't 100% of the case 100% of the time, because it's going to change some component values downstream of the choke, which in turn is going to change the tone of the amp

Does that make sense @angelspade ?

 

[angelspade]

This is the important thing - because the biggest difference is going to be in the low end response

Choke generally means tighter tracking for low e palm muting and lower tunings, but it removes "grease" and "bloom" that makes amps easier to play lead on and makes them "sing"

That generally isnt a good thing if you're playing "lay it down" or "ain't talkin bout love"

It is a good thing if you're playing "Master of Puppets", "Crystal Mountain", or "Holy Wars"

This also isn't 100% of the case 100% of the time, because it's going to change some component values downstream of the choke, which in turn is going to change the tone of the amp

Does that make sense @angelspade ?

Thanks brother. And yes that makes total sense. Ive looked into several of the popular JVM mods and the bottom line (for me) is this...My JVM410H sounds so damn good bone stock that I see absolutely no reason to mess with it. Its truly a great amplifier.

 

[DanTravis62]

Thanks brother. And yes that makes total sense. Ive looked into several of the popular JVM mods and the bottom line (for me) is this...My JVM410H sounds so damn good bone stock that I see absolutely no reason to mess with it. Its truly a great amplifier.

Yeah to me that would mess with what the JVM does best. It's already tight and modern in the low end IMO, i don't see why it would be necessary. I could way more see a choke mod to a JCM2000 or 5150 or something

 

[reignman454]

This is the important thing - because the biggest difference is going to be in the low end response

Choke generally means tighter tracking for low e palm muting and lower tunings, but it removes "grease" and "bloom" that makes amps easier to play lead on and makes them "sing"

That generally isnt a good thing if you're playing "lay it down" or "ain't talkin bout love"

It is a good thing if you're playing "Master of Puppets", "Crystal Mountain", or "Holy Wars"

This also isn't 100% of the case 100% of the time, because it's going to change some component values downstream of the choke, which in turn is going to change the tone of the amp

Does that make sense @angelspade ?

Why do you hate Lay it down

 

[DanTravis62]

Why do you hate Lay it down

I don't hate hair metal, but I am sick to death of talking about EVH, Nuno, Warren DeMartini, and George Lynch on rigtalk

It's seriously so played out and burnt toast at this point that eventually I am going to hate it

 

[reignman454]

I don't hate hair metal, but I am sick to death of talking about EVH, Nuno, Warren DeMartini, and George Lynch on rigtalk

It's seriously so played out and burnt toast at this point that eventually I am going to hate it

Damn that’s crazy….

You know what I like the most about lynch?….

FWIW, I think nuno is criminally overrated.

 

[DanTravis62]

You know what I like the most about lynch?….

That he doesn't play in Dokken anymore so we can listen to Jon Levin who is a much, much better guitar player?

 

[reignman454]

That he doesn't play in Dokken anymore so we can listen to Jon Levin who is a much, much better guitar player?

I’ve personally discussed this with Jon… no he’s not lol.

He is however a criminally UNDER-rated player.
(Waiting for the Nuno fk bois to maul me)

 

[DanTravis62]

I’ve personally discussed this with Jon… no he’s not lol.

He is however a criminally UNDER-rated player.
(Waiting for the Nuno fk bois to maul me)

I'm just being spicy because im so sick of talking about george lynch

I'm sure even jon would say he was influenced by george

It's just george hasn't released music that hasn't sucked in decades at this point and I'm sick to death of talking about the same hair-band dudes when theres a million more interesting guitar players, rigs, techniques, guitars, and bands to talk about

 

[DanTravis62]

And as soon as the nuno fans show up you dont need to say anything, you just need to post the "beautiful girls" music video

It's a more compelling argument than literally anything a nuno fan could ever articulate