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In the late 1980s and early 1990s, guitar players were searching for something their stock Marshall amplifiers simply weren’t giving them: more gain, more aggression, tighter response, and a heavier sound without losing the character and feel of a real tube amplifier.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That was the challenge that led Elan Memran of MetalHead Electronics<\/strong> to develop his famous Marshall gain modification.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The result was a Marshall that could go far beyond its original design- transforming the familiar British tube sound into a powerful, aggressive and highly articulate high-gain machine.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n MetalHead Electronics became known in the Los Angeles music scene for modifying tube amplifiers for professional musicians and bands.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Among the musicians associated with Elan Memran’s modifications were Dino Cazares of Fear Factory, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Ian Crichton of Saga, Butch Walker of SouthGang, Armored Saint, Ernie C of Body Count, Randy Piper of W.A.S.P., Tracii Guns of L.A. Guns, the Kelle Rhoads Band<\/strong>, and others.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n One of the most significant examples was Dino Cazares<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Dino’s early Fear Factory sound became closely associated with a modified Marshall JCM800. Gear documentation for Soul of a New Machine<\/em> identifies Dino’s Marshall JCM800 2203 as having a modified preamp section and noise gate installed by Elan Memran of MetalHead Electronics.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That amplifier became an important part of the crushing, precise guitar sound associated with the early Fear Factory recordings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The original MetalHead modification goes far beyond simply turning up the gain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The modification adds additional gain stages to the amplifier’s preamp section, allowing the signal to be driven much harder inside the tube amplifier itself. The result is substantially more saturation, sustain and harmonic content while retaining the fundamental character of the Marshall platform.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Depending on the particular version of the modification, additional controls and circuitry can also be incorporated, including additional gain control and noise-gate circuitry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The goal is simple:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Instead of depending on a distortion pedal to push a relatively clean Marshall into high gain, the MetalHead circuit turns the amplifier’s own preamp into the source of the aggressive tone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There is a big difference between more distortion<\/strong> and better high-gain response<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A poorly designed modification can simply make an amplifier louder, noisier and more distorted.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The MetalHead approach was about creating a more controlled high-gain response\u2014giving the guitarist the ability to push the preamp harder while maintaining the aggressive character, definition and punch of the amplifier.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Players looking for this type of sound often want:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This is why the modification became particularly attractive to metal and hard-rock players.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Because the original MetalHead-modified Marshalls are rare.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The original MetalHead Electronics shop operated in North Hollywood decades ago, and only a limited number of these modified amplifiers exist today. Owners and collectors actively look for them, and examples occasionally appear on the used market. One Rig-Talk owner described spending years searching for a MetalHead-modified JCM800 and called it the best-sounding amplifier he had ever played.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Another owner described the modified amplifier as capable of extremely high gain while still retaining the tight, percussive response associated with the classic Fear Factory sound.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That scarcity is part of the attraction.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But the bigger reason is the tone<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A player who has experienced what a MetalHead-modified Marshall can do isn’t simply looking for another distortion pedal. They are looking for the response of the entire amplifier<\/strong> when its preamp has been redesigned to produce that level of gain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The MetalHead modification became associated with a particular type of high-gain tone:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It can take the familiar character of a Marshall and push it into territory suitable for modern hard rock, heavy metal and industrial metal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And because the distortion is being generated inside the tube preamp, the guitarist still interacts with the amplifier\u2014not simply with a pedal sitting in front of it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That’s an important part of the MetalHead philosophy:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Don’t just add distortion to the amplifier.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Make the amplifier become the distortion.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The original MetalHead modification became the foundation for later Elan tube designs and preamps. The Elan MK5 \u201cDino,\u201d for example, is based on the same family of MetalHead circuitry and was developed as a tribute to Dino Cazares and the industrial-metal sound.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Today, Elan is bringing the concept back in a new form with a removable external MetalHead modification system<\/strong> designed to give players access to this style of high-gain circuitry without permanently drilling or altering a valuable vintage Marshall.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The new system connects through the amplifier’s preamp tube sockets and can be removed, allowing the original amplifier to remain essentially untouched. Current versions are being developed for multiple Marshall models, including the Origin, JCM800, JTM45, JVM1, Jubilee, 2204, JCM900, JMP, Plexi\/Super Lead and others.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For owners of valuable vintage Marshalls, that matters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n There are thousands of ways to get more distortion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n But the MetalHead modification represents something different: a piece of guitar-amplifier history and a very specific approach to creating high-gain tube tone.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n It was developed at a time when players were pushing Marshall amplifiers into territory they were never originally designed to reach.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And decades later, guitarists are still searching for those original modified Marshalls.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That’s why the MetalHead name still matters.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That’s why players want the mod.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And that’s why Elan Memran is bringing the MetalHead concept back.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The High-Gain Modification That Helped Define the Industrial Metal Sound In the late 1980s and early 1990s, guitar players were searching for something their stock Marshall amplifiers simply weren’t giving them: more gain, more aggression, tighter response, and a heavier sound without losing the character and feel of a real tube amplifier. That was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":320,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-1905","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1905"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1908,"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1905\/revisions\/1908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Who Used the MetalHead Modification?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What Does the MetalHead Mod Actually Do?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Make the amplifier itself produce the distortion.<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
More Gain\u2014But Not Just More Gain<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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Why Do Players Still Want These Amps?<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The MetalHead Sound<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Aggressive. Tight. Saturated. Articulate.<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The Legacy Continues<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
You don’t have to sacrifice the originality of the amplifier to get the MetalHead sound.<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Why the MetalHead Mod Is Still Special<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n