Solid state amp mods??

[toejam]

Maybe a dumb question, but I know crap about amps. Can a solid state amp be modded to get a warmer sound like from a tube amp? Is there a way tubes can be added to solid state circuitry without too much trouble? The reason I ask is, I've got this little Lead 15 Marshall mini stack collecting dust at my cousin's house (you know, the mini head with the two 10" speaker cabs), and I'm wondering if I can have this little amp modified to be a kick-ass sleeper with increased gain and warmth, get rid of the cabs and use it through a real 4x12. Is it doable? Good idea, bad idea?

[442w30]

Re: Solid state amp mods??

I had heard the point of Marshall's Mosfet technology was to soften the SS amp sound, but they suck in nearly everyones opinion.

The lead 12 was used by Kirk Hammett, Billy Gibbons from ZZtop (ditched the cabs and just used the head), and the guy from Kings X. I don't think the lead 15 is much different, but I could be wrong.
Are the cabs loaded with a Celestion G10D25?
If so, I like them in my lead 12.

Maybe try a V30 12" speaker with your amp, you may be surprised, or you may end up with a spare V30 [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

I think the 10s in general have less low end, that may be what you are not hearing.

Say, dont you have a mesa combo with a V30? Hook the head straight to that if it's 8ohm, see if it sounds better.

[toejam]

Re: Solid state amp mods??

I believe the speakers are Celestions, not sure which ones offhand. I'm not sure how close the Lead 15 is to the Lead 12. Anyway, I've gotta get the amp back from my cousin first and find out, as I haven't played it in quite some time. I do have a Mesa with V30, a Crate 4x12 and a set of vertical Jackson 2x12s, so I'll experiment with the little head through them when I get it back.

[lerxstcat]

Re: Solid state amp mods??

You're probably best off feeding it a tube preamp signal and run the amp's preamp very low. I think modding it would be far more expense than it's worth, and yeah, running it into a 412 alone might punch up the sound a lot. A tube OD pedal might be the best bet if your regular ODs don't do it for that amp.

[Twisteramps]

Re: Solid state amp mods??

I've thought about buying one of these and putting a low powered tube amp in the head (and gutting the solid state part) out, but I never see em under $250-$300, which is too much for me to experiment like this. If anyone ever sees one of these marshall mini-heads that's busted for super cheap, let me know [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Pete

[toejam]

Re: Solid state amp mods??

[ QUOTE ]
I've thought about buying one of these and putting a low powered tube amp in the head (and gutting the solid state part) out, but I never see em under $250-$300, which is too much for me to experiment like this. If anyone ever sees one of these marshall mini-heads that's busted for super cheap, let me know [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Pete

[/ QUOTE ]
Hmm, how much would it cost to gut out? Wanna experiment on mine? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[etaeniura]

Re: Solid state amp mods??

I would imagine if you can mod solid state pedals, you could mod the preamp in a SS head-they are basically the same thing right? Get online and find those guys that do the Boss and Tubescreamer mods and run it by them.