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Terry P. writes:     
I'm Just starting in my quest for tone in the correct manner,I believe.For years I have bought cheaper amps with effects, trying to get the sound of Duane Allman’s guitar. I recently played through an old jtm45,and was blown away. The growl and sustain made it for me. I'm not locked on the jtm45, in fact I don't need half that much power, since I play by myself, or with a few friends. Can you help me with a suggestion to obtain that sound, and possibly the cost?                  

Szabados says:
A JTM-45 is going to only sound its best when its volumes are turned up to its sweet spot, then of course there is the cabinet and speakers...if those are matched up well, the tone is something to behold. Now getting that type of tone at a lower cost is possible and there are different avenues to explore if you are primarily an at-home player. The first and easiest route is to play around with the modeling amps and see if those can capture the essence of these tones in a way that is good enough for your needs. One thing I've noted with the modeling amps is that they do take some ear adjustment between tones as sounds can shift a bit and seem dramatic. Give your ears a little bit of time with the new model setting to adjust to it. 
 
If you don't find success in that route, I would suggest using a warmer sounding clean amp as your 'base' tone and then research the various Marshall-like pedals that are available. There are countless flavors to choose from, but if you have a warm setting on your amp (and turn that bright switch OFF if you have a Fender!), you'll generally get better results from the pedals. The Fulltone OCD, and the ZVex Box of Rock are two newer models that go into Marshall territory. I still give kudos to the Keeley modified Boss DS-1 and that provides a more contemporary Marshall tone that has a little bit more mid-scoop.
 
If all else fails, save the dollars for a JTM-45. To some player's ears, there's no substitute for having the real thing. Crank it up and enjoy it!

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Dipsomania writes:
Found your site when doing some basic research on tube amps (of which I know very little about), and though you might be able to answer what is probably a very simple question:

On amps where there is both a preamp gain and a master volume, would having the master on 10 and then using the preamp gain as a volume result in driving the power tubes at full force, giving you more of that power tube distortion/warmth?  Or do you actually have to be outputting more signal to your cab in order for the tubes to run at full?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Szabados says:
Yes, that is basically how it works sonically, though what's going on within the amp circuit is a different thing. Master volume controls cut the signal going directly after the preamp tube stage into the power stage. So when you turn up the preamp gain and then drop the master volume, you're essentially driving the front stage hard which gives a very common buzzy distortion effect, but the power output stage isn't working to provide the thick compression that can occur when the output power tubes are being pushed 
 
So when you do as you suggest and turn the master to 10 and effectively use the preamp control as the main volume, then yes, you have everything essentially open and the potential for driving the preamp tubes and power tubes into full saturation - if of course you turn up the preamp control enough to drive the signal through. Owners of master volume equipped Marshalls can do this "trick", but the results of course are often that it is so loud that they would need to use an attenuator or bring down the master volume a bit to have a useable/practical volume.

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Jeffrey W. writes :
I have read the David Szabados’ article titled “The “Secret” Edward Van Halen Pickup”, great article. It is very hard to find info regarding the 78 pickup, I called Seymour Duncan and did not get the answers I wanted.

I have a Stratocaster that has a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom in the bridge and it sounds very good, when 1 st installed I did not like the sound, so I adjusted the pickup down further away from the strings and it sounded much more “brown”.  I am about to purchase another Stratocaster and am considering putting the 78 pickup in the bridge. I am looking for observations from someone who has experience with this pickup.

Any observation would be very helpful.

Thanks for your time.

Szabados says :
The Custom Custom and the '78 model (which I believe now is their Evenly Voiced Harmonics model) are completely different pickups. The Custom Custom has lots of mids and is very high output. The '78/EVH wind is the opposite and is really like an older original PAF that's been wax potted. It has a slightly softer attack and is warmer on the lows and does not have the heavy mid emphasis. Definitely worth checking out, but if for some reason Duncan isn't making them anymore, you can get similar tones out of their other pickups. I personally like the Antiquity, even though it is not a potted pickup and it does have covers. Seth Lovers have a bit more bite, but are great too. For a more aggressive pickup that is in the same vein of a PAF (but hotter), try the Pearly Gates.

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Kelly G. writes:
I just found your site today. Great stuff. I've got two  Seymour Duncan Convertible amps (the 60 and the 100). I can't find pre-amp mods for them anywhere. I used to see them on e-bay before I new what they were. Now I never see them. I'm interested in working or non-working mods.

Szabados says:
The Duncan convertible amps with the changing modules was a cool concept, but not too many were made so finding these for a 20 year old rare amp is going to be a challenge. Besides Ebay, you may want to consider visiting the Seymour Duncan forum and making some inquiries there - or directly contacting the team at Seymour Duncan. There's always a chance that they may have something for you, or could direct you to another person/place. Good luck!

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Mark I. writes:
I've been reading some of your reviews and articles about the Marshall style of amps that are available along with the clone that are out there as well. I've been a Fender player for a long time and have used my 1971 Vibrolux, Deluxe reverb or Princeton for gigs and recording for to long. Trying to get a Marshall sound out of a Fender can get close but no cigar if you know what I mean and I've been fighting it for to long.

I am going to get some form of Marshall style amp but am having a hard time deciding on which one for my tones and needs. Although I live in a remote area of Montana and can't just run over to a store to try different Marshall amps, I was just in Houston and visited several large stores hoping to try some out. To my surprise, there was nothing out there in the JTM45 or plexi category so I left there empty handed in tone. I read your articles on the JTM45 and Plexi50 amps and have been listening to clips of each. Germino amps have some good clips or various models representing the amps I'm looking for but there is no substitute for playing one life through your own gear. I would be using an EJ Strat, 83 Tele or 71 Les Paul Deluxe for my main guitars. I love the sound of Duane, Jimmie, Santana and a more newer tone of John Mayor. I have an Avatar Vintage cab with G12H and V30 speakers that I would use. I would probably prefer the sound of a tube rectifier which would feel more what I'm use to and over the years have noticed how much more I like that sound in amps. As far as power tubes go, I would use what is bets for the amp and I know that that tone is coming from those tubes. It seems that each amp has sounds and characteristics that I would want and I can't have all of them.

JTM45-smooth, nice cleans to low gain, good all around sound but maybe lacking in drive and more modern sounds

JTM50-cross between JTM45 and Plexi using EL34's. I'm don't know much about this amp and how it compares to the others

Plexi50-good straight rock sound, maybe more midrange, not a versatile as the JTM45 but works better in the rock format

How am I doing? I need some advice and tone shaping from someone who has the experience with these amps and guitars. I would say that for right now, the EJ strat will be my guitar of choice and I an all around sound for Blues and Rock with a bit if country thrown in, which amp?? Can you just tell me about the differences I might expect to hear or feel in the guitar with each amp. Any input would be great appreciated and Thanks.

Szabados says:
I appreciate your note and you've touched on one of my favorite topics - Marshall amplifiers of course. I think you've certainly researched them well and can see what to expect in terms of the amp's general characteristics. Now with that said, we cannot underemphasize the speaker and cabinet in this equation. A Marshall, regardless of whether it is a JTM45 or Super Lead 100, will sound and "feel" completely different if it's going through a cabinet of greenback 25's, 30's, or a vintage 30 or G12T75. The speakers will completely change the character of the amp and in fact we have an article coming out that will cover this topic.
 
As to recommendations, the final consideration will be your playing environment. If you are mostly a live player and are playing against a moderately strong drummer, any of these amps should deliver the tones that you are expecting, but I'd say that the differences between cabs will make more of a difference than the head in many instances. For example a JTM 45 will sound bluesy and thick and somewhat "relaxed" in feel through a greenback 25 loaded cabinet, but through a G12H 30-equipped cab? Forget it, the signal will be punchier and more present and rocking with more aggressive highs. Now you take the same G12H cab and compare between that JTM 45 and a non-tube-rectified plexi 50 and the differences will be there, but much more subtle.
 
I think in general we tend to overvalue the amp heads and perhaps not think so much about the cabinets. Then we also have the straight vs. slant cab tone. There are dramatic differences here as well.
 
Last but not least, going back to the playing environment, it's often a problem with the old non-master volume amps to be able to use them for a range of volumes depending on your application. Some choose to install master volumes and others may use attenuators to bring the volume down when needed. I wouldn't say one is better than the other as they both provide different responses and changes to the tone.
 
With all this said, if you're looking for your first Marshall that is the most forgiving and the most flexible to a wide range of tones, consider a mid '70s through '80s era single channel master volume model 2204 (50 watt) or 2203 (100 watt). It can be the JMP series or the JCM 800 - they're both great. These can be dialed in for nice creamy bluesy tones (keep the preamp gain backed down a bit), or fully rock out with the preamp turned up. Throw a boost on top from a pedal designed to push the front end signal a bit and you'll get all the violin-sustain you'd want from these amps. The great thing is that they aren't in the price realm of the plexi amps of thousands of dollars (great ones will set you back $4K+) and are still a great deal between $800-$1500 on average.
 
If you are still wanting a plexi type circuit, carefully consider your speaker selection, and consider the Metroamp models. George Metropolous has quite the ear for the classic amps and can build the best of whatever it is you'd want.
 
Either way, I know you'll be pleased - Good luck and have fun!