Voodoo Amps Marshall JMP 2203 Hex Mod

This is a Marshall JMP 2203 100 watt head modified by Voodoo Amps with the Hex mod. I purchased the amp after it has the modification done, but when the guy had the modification done, Trace didn't have any of the OEI's in stock at the time. So, I had the amp shipped back up to Voodoo Amps and talked with Trace about replacing the Output Transformer with an OEI. Then a light bulb went off in my head. I asked Trace if he could replace not only the Output Transformer, but the Power Transformer and Choke as well. Trace said that he could do that and brought up his custom spec'd Mercury Magnetics OT, PT and the Mercury Choke. I went with that and boy I am glad that I did.

This amp has the Push/Pull Bass and Mid Boost along with the Global and Bottom controls. The Brutal and Savage toggle are also there to let you swap between 4 and 5 gain stages. Also, it has the Voodoo FX Loop, but I don't use FX, so I just turn it off altogether. Maybe I might get into effects a little later....Who knows?

Ok, here is the kicker. I previously owned a JCM 800 2203 with the OEI and stock PT and Choke. It had the first version of the Hex preamp after Trace started offering the Brutal/Savage Toggle. This amp that I have now sounds much better. It's got this fat Marshall type of singing vibe that can be shaped easily. The other amp wasn't nearly as thick as this one is. I never really used the Savage mode on it either, but this amp is just way different. I can get those types of tones the old amp had by adjusting the Global knob, but this amp has the ability to get a lot thicker. The gain structure is phenominal as well. The whole soundstage of the amp is just thick, huge and expansive. There is extreme detail here. When I dial the amp in to my liking, the notes are very wide and fat. My lead tones sit perfectly where they need to be and create this type of wall that I've never been able to accomplish with other amps. Also, some of you have probably read about the Diezel VH4 amps. They have a really cool ability to lets you sustain a note and then it rolls into feeback, but you can then control that feedback and roll it back into the original note. This amp can do that easily, but it does it better IMO because the overall tone is wider and more organic. I'm not knocking Diezel here because the VH4 is a great amp. I owned one for over a year and used it all the time, but this amp can do everything that amp did on the dirty tones, but it does it better.

Also, this thing cleans up very well. I can roll my volume back on the guitar at full out high gain and get a Clean tone. It's not a broken up clean, but a true clean tone.

The Global control basically shifts the mid frequency on the amp. I can roll it up higher and get this fat mid-mid chunky type of vibe or I can turn it down and take it back to the old school Marshall high mid extremely bright rip your head off type of vibe. This is kind of hard for me to put into words and all.

In a band situation this thing sits in the mix perfectly and does what it needs to do. It's awesome! I've never had another amp that can do all of the things that this amp is able to achieve. That includes amps from the likes of Bogner, Diezel, Orange, Mesa, Naylor, Roccaforte Modded Naylor, Marshalls, the ENGL Powerball, the Peavey 5150's and a lot of other stuff I can't think of right off the top of my head. I still have my Bogner Ecstacy 101B because that's my Swiss Army Knife. I also have a Naylor Superdrive 60 and am hopefully going to pick up another Naylor here pretty soon. Each of the amps that I've listed above are spectacular and I adore each and every one of them, but this particular Hex'd out JMP 2203 w/ the Mercury Plexi Trannies and choke is nothing short of NUMERO UNO in my book. I think Trace's company name is very fitting. This thing astonishes me when I play it here at the house and with my band, but the thing is that I still keep thinking about what it did after the fact and it can't leave my mind. It's like I'm sitting here comparing everything that I've ever played to this thing and then I think about what it just did and it's blows me away!!!!!!!!

I haven't pulled the chassis on this amp, but from the looks of the pics that the guy sent me of the innards, it looks as if Trace took the original PCB out of the amp and loaded up 2 nice PTP boards. It's definitely not a PCB. Trace backs his work! So, I'm not worried about the amp in the least little bit. It's basically a brand new masterpiece loaded up into an older Marshall.

Customer Service is THE BEST! PERIOD

This is the best amp I've ever owned! I love Naylors and I love Bogners, but this one sits in a special spot! If you're thinking about having Voodoo Amps do any work for you, definitely give Trace a call. He's a very courteous individual and he will explain things to you and let you know what's up. He pretty much got a feel for what I liked after talking to him for 2 hours on the phone one morning. I didn't have to send him any songs by artists for tones that I was wanting to nail. He knew the amps that I liked and it seems he pretty much captured that type of vibe, yet threw his own unique twist in there.

Tone is subjective and each and every person hears things differently. From my POV, this amp is the best thing that I've ever come across. Try Voodoo Amps if you are thinking about having them do something for you. You won't regret the fact that you did and if it doesn't work out for you, someone will snatch your amp up from you in a heartbeat.

First of all before I say anything, for those who are looking at Voodoo Amps for all their needs for ANY kind of sound, LOOK NO FURTHER. That said, I can honestly say that I can dial in any sound I'm looking for. From warm, glassy cleans to smooth blues to bone crushing metal and thrash, it's all there.

My hex was a 1-channel 100 watt Marshall JMP 2203 once used on Bryan Adams tours, I've been told. It has bottom, global, and cream mods, each of which are extremely useful and shape the sound in very distinct ways. It also features the brutal and savage switch, which is also quite useful. The bottom mod adds tightness to the overall sound; the global mod changes the tone somehow (I'm not exactly certain as to what it does, all I know is that is sounds awesome regardless of how I set it;) and the cream mod smooths out the sound and gradually cuts the highs, and basically takes that ice pick out of your ear, not that my hex has that kind of tonality to it (you'll have to look elsewhere if you have an itchy brain. Haha) The brutal setting seems to have a dry, crunchy sound to it, while the savage mode has a more saturated feel, which is not without its own crunchiness.

The bottom line is that every feature is being used, and it is impossible to get a bad sound out of this thing. Is it versatile? Absolutely.

There is another thing that I must say. I have never turned this amp above .5 (point 5 - that's half of 1 for all you non-math wizards,) yet I am able to the excellent tones I have sought after. It can easily acheive any blues tone at these low volumes, as well as the more aggressive metal sounds I favor. Without any problems I can blend right in with Iron Maiden and AC/DC (at that low sound level.) If it sounds this good at whisper levels, just imagine...the time wanes in which I will crank this monster and unleash the Voodoo fury upon you mortals. Here is something Trace told me when my amp was being built:

"There's a studio owner here in town (Alex Perialas) who is a very good friend of mine. He's worked with Metallica, Testament, MOD, SOD, Joe Bonamassa, Anthrax, etc. He heard the amp before it was recapped and was offering us cash on the spot for the amp!! (ha, ha) I said "ohhh no, this is sold and I CANNOT do that..." We've
worked on 8 amps that he owns and used in the studio(www.pyramidsoundstudios.com) but even he said that there was something special about this amp."

What can I say, but the man has great taste.

Would I gig without a backup? Yes. But you never know when something could go wrong. Any mishap would be my fault of course, i.e: dropping the amp (my life from hence forth would be over.) Otherwise there's no conceivable reason that this amp would fail.

Let me just tell you a little something about this man named Trace at Voodoo Amps.

I learned about Voodoo Amps on harmony central. People were quite pleased with their amps, so I figured I would look into Voodoo Amps as a prospective customer. I emailed Trace several times, and he patiently answered each and every one of my questions very promptly, and in great detail. He is a perfect gentleman that no one should hesitate to ask a question of.

There is no business like Voodoo Amps. No where will you find such care placed on the customer along with the incredible quality put into the amps they produce as what can be found at Voodoo Amps.

Also, when you receive your amp in the mail, expect it to take over 30 minutes to unpack it. It took about that long to free the amp from the labrynthine packaging that would protect it from nuclear holocaust. For future reference, it just gives me peace of mind that the amp will be perfectly safe by the time it arrives, should I inevitably send any other amps to be modded.

All I have left to say is that I would buy and will buy from Voodoo Amps again. I simply cannot believe the low prices and the quality delivered in their amps. Voodoo Amps has something for everybody; you've tried the rest, now try the best. You will NOT be disappointed.
www.voodooamps.com