Voodoo Amps Bogden Plexi Head

This amp was custom made for me by Trace Allen at Voodoo Amps in 2003. I initially contacted him via email about my search for Jake E. Lee (Ozzy/Badlands) tone. He answered by building me this "Plexi" amp out of a Bogden PA head. The amp captures exactly what I was looking for - that classic "Plexi on 10" overdrive sound with enough EQ to go from AC/DC "Flick of the Switch" tone, to full on Badlands "High Wire" tone.
There are two channels bridged to one input. No channel switching needed. No effects loops to muddy up the sound. No headphone jack, but Trace did include 4, 8 and 16 ohm speaker outputs for me. A pre phase inverter master volume was included, even though I'm using a Marshall Power Brake attenuator with the amp. This adds a little versatility to the sound. Nothing is missing from this head - it serves it's purpose perfectly. I will be using this amp with a miked 4x12 cabinet for recording, but I would have no problem using it live. Two Ruby EL34 power tubes and 3 EH 12AX7 preamp tubes are included.
I'm giving the "Features" of this amp a "8" because it serves only one specific purpose for me - cranked "Plexi" tone - i.e. Jake E. Lee tone.

I have several guitars, but primarily use my GMW Guitarworks Jake E. Lee Purple Burst Charvel Replica with this amp. My Gibson Les Paul Studio, PRS Custom 22, and other custom Strats sound awesome with it as well, but again the purpose of it is for Jake E. Lee tone. My GMW Purple Burst Charvel has a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker in the bridge, and two DiMarzio SDS-1 single coils in the mid and neck positions. This is Jake E. Lee's actual pickup combination. My music style is hard rock/metal with a bluesy edge - Jake is really my biggest influence on guitar.
The amp is not noisy, even with every knob on 10. As I mentioned in the features section above, the amp captures exactly what I was looking for - that classic "Plexi on 10" overdrive sound with enough EQ to go from AC/DC "Flick of the Switch" tone, to full on Badlands "High Wire" tone. Next to a stock Marshall 1959SLP, this amp sounds much better for a fraction of the price. The clean tones at lower volumes sound good, but who wants clean tone on a Plexi? That's what Fender amps are for.
I'm rating the sound of this amp a "9" because I'm using a Power Brake to tame the volume. I'm probably only hearing 90% of the amp's tone this way.

I've only had the amp for a few days, but it seems very solid. I would only use it live if it were mounted in a rack. The outer case is not that sturdy and I wouldn't trust it alone for protection. A shock mount rack is the way to go! Deduct 2 points for the rack case investment.

Trace at Voodoo Amps is one of the most polite and knowledgeable people I've ever dealt with. He is not a "used car salesman" like most other people in the industry selling equipment. He responds to "tire kickers" and follows through to his buyers. Super nice guy, and a pleasure to deal with. I only hope that others at Voodoo Amps are as nice and personable as Trace...
Hopefully, I will not have to have the amp repaired. I'll call Voodoo Amps when it's time for a tube change.

I've been playing guitar for 20 years and have owned several guitars, amps, effects, racks, etc. over that time. I currently own a reissue Marshall 1959SLPX and a Tech21 SansAmp PSA-1 rack. I would get rid of both of them too keep my Voodoo Amps Bogden Plexi. I love the amp because it suits my purpose perfectly. Jake E. Lee used a late 60's Marshall Plexi and an early 70's Marshall metalface head to record most of the Badlands material. He used reissue Marshall 1959SLP's live. My amp captures his sounds perfectly when used with a Boss OD-1 stompbox. That's what I wanted, and that's what I got. A million thanks Trace!!! You're a 10!