So, my Windsor was shipped off to Cali...

lolzgreg

lolzgreg

Cereal Shipping Sneapster
Dec 17, 2008
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Long Beach, New York
To be modded by Dave Friedman of RackSystems Ltd. Dave makes some of the best "marshalls" around, basically improving upon their design. His signature amps are called "Marshas" and really bring the whole crunchy, saturated tone to the table.

A lot of people on here were loving the tones my Windsor was getting (not to mention I was loving them), but there is something extra that I want to hear that I have yet to be able to dial in.

By now, everyone knows I'm a big enthusiast when it comes to tone. I think my modded 5150 has set the benchmark for "the perfect amp" to my ears. I have yet to play an amplifier that left me grinning nearly as much after each reamp or after each time I play it.

The Rectifier is getting there. I think it can do some awesome stuff, but I'm just not as used to it. It has a depth that is just different...

The Peavey Penta I just got modded by Jerry from FJA mods is quite awesome as well. It offers A LOTTTTTT of different flavors. I still need to get used to this one as well.

I'm very disappointed with my Rocktron Vendetta; the power section is amazing, but the preamp is bloody shit. It does not sound good and I don't know why. It lacks something all of my other amps have. I'm waiting for Bruce Egnater to step up to the plate, which he said he would be doing the last week in October. I'm quite excited for his input. I refuse to give up on an amplifier after pouring almost a grand into it. If he can't get me where I want to be, I'm going to be designing my own preamp for the damn thing.

All of you will be graced with clips of the Windsor when I get it back from Dave (which should be in around a month). I expect it to knock me off my feet. It is the first Windsor he's ever modded and I'm one to break new ground...
 
I really wonder what my Peavey Penta sounded like before the mods that Jerry did to it. I actually made clips of the Windsor with my standard mic positioning and eq for the amp so I have before and after clips.
 
Do you know exactly what he's going to do to it Greg? For that matter, does he, or is he just gonna sorta wing it depending on how it looks/sounds to him? (giving him a "use your discretion" blessing, in other words)
 
i personally would not spend $500+ modding a $300 amp but, it looks like you have quite a collection already so why not huh?
 
Metaltastic said:
Do you know exactly what he's going to do to it Greg? For that matter, does he, or is he just gonna sorta wing it depending on how it looks/sounds to him? (giving him a "use your discretion" blessing, in other words)
Click to expand...

Dave Friedman does not disclose his modifications. He does a standard "Hairy Brown Eye" modification on a lot of Marshall-esque amplifiers. I'm having him do that, add a "saturation" switch (increase gain to uber-metal territory) and possibly add a "fat" switch.

I gave him all the info to mod it into a JCM800 (since he normally does the mod to 800's)- but he already beat me to the chase and had the documentation ready. He was already pondering the schematics to get her rolling.

This is what I told him:

"I trust you, so do your thing. Make it rock." So yes, wing it!

I'm super fuckin' excited. I've heard his other amps, and simply :OMG:
 
black.death said:
i personally would not spend $500+ modding a $300 amp but, it looks like you have quite a collection already so why not huh?
Click to expand...

Amplifiers aren't the most complicated things to build in the electronics world.

The most expensive part of an amp (chassis excluded) are its output and power transformers. I got those replaced by Mercury Magnetics and got a choke installed, so the amp was worth $700 dollars more right there (and it really started moving into the "great sounding, british amp" category).

Good tubes help. I got the best EL34's and ECC83's available.

Aside from the fact that I upgraded it a lot, it is very solidly built according to Jerry of FJA mods:

"Have you ever actually been inside a Windsor to make that statement? Tube sockets are ceramic, caps aren't cheap, PCB is nice IMO. The build quality is pretty good. I'd put it a notch below the new Marshall stuff. It ain't no Soldano, but it's also only $400. The Windsor is as gig worthy as any Engl or modern Marshall without any mods.
Jerry" (http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=197550&page=3)

FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD they had a few inconsistencies along the runs of the amp, but so did the EVH 5150 III. The amp has been worked on extensively by Davidson Electronics, my go to shop, and they never had a single bad word to say about the build quality. They really loved the amp when it left their shop, as did I.

I do my research. I could have bought a Soldano SLO-100 easily instead of modding all my amplifiers, but then I would have one excellent amp that has one flavor and not 6 excellent amplifiers that perform to their fullest potential. With gear, I feel like if you don't take it 110% of the way, you're cheating yourself and your amp.

This stems from the following: "Every year, companies try to charge more for a product they built back then, but decrease the price point."

People need to make money to stay in business. If Peavey put Mercury Magnetic transformers and premium tubes in their amps from the factory, it would cost them an extra $400 minimum an amp. That's a lot of profit to lose.

I plan on owning a collection of "the best sounding" amplifiers out there, so I can have a reamping business. I think my name is getting out there. I just did The Empire Shall Fall's album and I worked with a band that was #1 on the Soundclick metal charts. I've only been running a tubescreamer in front of my amps for 8 months!

I'd stack my 5150 against any amp you could find. IMHO, there are only two that could even come close to tear it a new speaker output :grin: and I plan on owning one of them in the next 6 months (since it hasn't even been produced yet :rolleyes:).

I'm actually taking up electrical engineering and I'm going to start building amps soon. I'm gonna have some heavy competition from my other animals, ahah.
 
If he's uber awesome with amp mods etc :P

why don't these companies (peavey, mesa, marshal, engl etc) hire him to help design / re design some of their amps to sound "shit your pants" awesome ?

Looking forward to the windsor clips man ! I Just ordered my own from thomann this evening!
 
G1 said:
why don't these companies (peavey, mesa, marshal, engl etc) hire him to help design / re design some of their amps to sound "shit your pants" awesome ?
Click to expand...

I wonder this myself. I think what it comes down to is selling gear. Circuitry itself will get you a great deal of the way, but you need to keep gear prices attractive.

Peavey has a lot of moderately priced amps. None that they have sold, aside from the new boutique series, surpass $1500. Someone could save up that much money in a few months. On the other hand, when you see $2000 for an amp, you're talking loot. Putting premium trannys and tubes in, as I said before, or hiring the best of the best to work on your amps can run the bills high.

-
 
Hey lolzgreg,

I read all of your post and have seen some Sneapsters do some reamping for hire which is cool. Im not doubting that you will likely get another flavor of tone that you will like, i was just saying that i would choose otherwise (then again I do not have an amp collection that I'm looking to build upon). Modded amps usually only get back the regular used cost+1/3 of the amount that was put into the mods at best typically. So just on resale value alone, that is why i would choose differently. i understand that you are looking to have as much of a variety as possible to choose from so i doubt that resale is even a concern at all. Definitely looking forward to hearing clips of your new amp.
 
The resale thing, as you assumed, was nothing I will ever worry about. My amps aren't going anywhere. If I thought there was an amp out there that did what my amps do, but better, I would own it already. Price isn't an issue to me.

-Greg
 
Sorry if I've missed it, but did you make a thread about the Mills cab? I see it's in your sig and I tried searching but I can't seem to find any threads about it.
 
Damn dude, all this modding you get done, you should just learn how to do it yourself(it really isn't that tough!). You'd save yourself a ton of money by just reading a few books.
 
I know it's not that tough, but to argue that I know an amplifier as well as someone who builds the tour rigs for Van Halen, among many famous guitarists, and builds the best sounding "marshall" out there, would be ridiculous.

Some people have a shit load of experience with certain things, and it is best to leave it to them to do the work.

I'm going to school for electrical technology next semester, so I'll soon be working at the most knowledgable and revered repair center in the United States (hopefully).
 
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