{"id":1795,"date":"2026-09-03T15:03:40","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T15:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/?post_type=product&#038;p=1795"},"modified":"2026-09-04T10:24:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T10:24:27","slug":"metalhead-electronics-elan-memran-famous-gain-modification","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/?product=metalhead-electronics-elan-memran-famous-gain-modification","title":{"rendered":"Metalhead Electronics Elan Memran Famous Gain Modification"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Elan Memran\u2019s famous Metalhead mod<\/strong>\u00a0was a modification to Marshall amps that added extra preamp gain stages, giving them much more\u00a0<strong>gain, saturation, tightness, and aggressive attack<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>It became especially famous through\u00a0<strong>Dino Cazares \/ Fear Factory<\/strong>, contributing to that tight, brutal\u00a0<em>Demanufacture<\/em>-era tone.<\/p>\n<p>Basically:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marshall \u2192 Memran mod \u2192 more gain + tighter lows + aggressive metal tone.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s also\u00a0<strong>very rare and collectible<\/strong>\u00a0today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"entity-content-dialog\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" data-assistant-content-reference=\"\" data-assistant-entity-reference=\"\" data-assistant-entity-trigger=\"\" data-assistant-entity-payload=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;people&quot;,&quot;extra_params&quot;:{&quot;disambiguation&quot;:&quot;guitar amplifier designer and Metalhead Electronics&quot;},&quot;query&quot;:&quot;Elan Memran&quot;}\" data-content-reference-type=\"entity\"><span data-assistant-entity-name=\"\">Elan Memran<\/span><\/button> &#8211; an amp designer\/technician who worked in the Los Angeles area in the 1980s. His <strong>Metalhead Electronics<\/strong>\u00a0modifications were primarily applied to Marshall amps, particularly JCM800s and Plexi\/Super Lead-type circuits.\u00a0<span data-assistant-content-reference=\"\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages=\"\" data-content-reference-type=\"grouped_webpages\"><span role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Sources\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-list=\"\"><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"assistant-sources-dialog\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Rig-Talk, 2 sources\" data-assistant-sources-trigger=\"\" data-assistant-sources-payload=\"[{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;publishedAt&quot;:1706745600,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;NAD: \u201883 JCM 800 2204, Metalhead modded by Elan Memran. | Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.rig-talk.com\/forum\/threads\/nad-%E2%80%9883-jcm-800-2204-metalhead-modded-by-elan-memran.293672\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;},{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Metalhead Amps&quot;,&quot;isSupporting&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Metalhead Tube Amps Modifications \u2013 Elan Memran Metalhead Electronics Marshall Modifications&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;}]\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-trigger=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-assistant-source-icon=\"\">R<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rig-talk.com&amp;sz=128\" alt=\"\" data-assistant-source-icon-image=\"\" \/><\/span>Rig-Talk+1<\/button><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3>What made the mod special?<\/h3>\n<p>The basic idea was to take a Marshall that already had a great aggressive tone and\u00a0<strong>add additional preamp gain stages inside the amplifier<\/strong>\u00a0rather than simply hitting it with a distortion pedal.<\/p>\n<p>On some versions, the added circuit could be switched in and out. With the mod engaged, you could get dramatically more gain while retaining the characteristic Marshall attack. One documented version adds two gain stages and places them into the circuit before the cathode follower.\u00a0<span data-assistant-content-reference=\"\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages=\"\" data-content-reference-type=\"grouped_webpages\"><span role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Sources\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-list=\"\"><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"assistant-sources-dialog\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Rig-Talk, 2 sources\" data-assistant-sources-trigger=\"\" data-assistant-sources-payload=\"[{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;publishedAt&quot;:1673481600,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Elan Memran Metalhead Mod | Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.rig-talk.com\/forum\/threads\/elan-memran-metalhead-mod.259747\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;},{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;isSupporting&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Elan Memran Metalhead Mod | Page 2 | Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.rig-talk.com\/forum\/threads\/elan-memran-metalhead-mod.259747\/page-2?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;}]\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-trigger=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-assistant-source-icon=\"\">R<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rig-talk.com&amp;sz=128\" alt=\"\" data-assistant-source-icon-image=\"\" \/><\/span>Rig-Talk+1<\/button><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The result is roughly:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stock Marshall \u2192 extra gain stages \u2192 much more saturation \u2192 tight, aggressive high-gain tone<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many versions also incorporated:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Extra gain controls<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Bass boost<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Built-in noise gate\/noise reduction<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Switching that allowed the amp to return to essentially its stock Marshall circuit\u00a0<span data-assistant-content-reference=\"\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages=\"\" data-content-reference-type=\"grouped_webpages\"><span role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Sources\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-list=\"\"><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"assistant-sources-dialog\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Rig-Talk, 2 sources\" data-assistant-sources-trigger=\"\" data-assistant-sources-payload=\"[{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;publishedAt&quot;:1706745600,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;NAD: \u201883 JCM 800 2204, Metalhead modded by Elan Memran. | Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.rig-talk.com\/forum\/threads\/nad-%E2%80%9883-jcm-800-2204-metalhead-modded-by-elan-memran.293672\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;},{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;isSupporting&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Elan Memran Metalhead Mod | Page 2 | Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.rig-talk.com\/forum\/threads\/elan-memran-metalhead-mod.259747\/page-2?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;}]\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-trigger=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-assistant-source-icon=\"\">R<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rig-talk.com&amp;sz=128\" alt=\"\" data-assistant-source-icon-image=\"\" \/><\/span>Rig-Talk+1<\/button><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The really famous connection: Fear Factory<\/h3>\n<p>This is where the mod becomes especially interesting.<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"entity-content-dialog\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" data-assistant-content-reference=\"\" data-assistant-entity-reference=\"\" data-assistant-entity-trigger=\"\" data-assistant-entity-payload=\"{&quot;category&quot;:&quot;musical_artist&quot;,&quot;extra_params&quot;:{&quot;disambiguation&quot;:&quot;Fear Factory guitarist&quot;},&quot;query&quot;:&quot;Dino Cazares&quot;}\" data-content-reference-type=\"entity\"><span data-assistant-entity-name=\"\">Dino Cazares<\/span><\/button>\u00a0used a Memran-modified Marshall, and the sound became strongly associated with\u00a0<strong>Fear Factory&#8217;s early records<\/strong>, particularly\u00a0<em>Demanufacture<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>That extremely tight, mechanical, aggressive rhythm tone is one of the reasons the Memran mod has become so sought-after. Contemporary owners specifically describe these amps as capable of the tight, percussive sound associated with\u00a0<em>Demanufacture<\/em>.\u00a0<span data-assistant-content-reference=\"\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages=\"\" data-content-reference-type=\"grouped_webpages\"><span role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Sources\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-list=\"\"><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"assistant-sources-dialog\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Rig-Talk, 2 sources\" data-assistant-sources-trigger=\"\" data-assistant-sources-payload=\"[{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;publishedAt&quot;:1706745600,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;NAD: \u201883 JCM 800 2204, Metalhead modded by Elan Memran. | Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.rig-talk.com\/forum\/threads\/nad-%E2%80%9883-jcm-800-2204-metalhead-modded-by-elan-memran.293672\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;},{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;isSupporting&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Sold - Modded Marshalls - Metalhead &amp; Friedman | Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.rig-talk.com\/forum\/threads\/modded-marshalls-metalhead-friedman.332754\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;}]\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-trigger=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-assistant-source-icon=\"\">R<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rig-talk.com&amp;sz=128\" alt=\"\" data-assistant-source-icon-image=\"\" \/><\/span>Rig-Talk+1<\/button><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Why guitar players still care about them<\/h3>\n<p>The interesting thing is that it&#8217;s\u00a0<strong>not just \u201cmore gain.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A normal JCM800 pushed with a Tube Screamer, for example, gets more saturation by boosting the amp&#8217;s existing input. Memran&#8217;s approach fundamentally changes the\u00a0<strong>preamp architecture<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s why people describe these amps as having a very distinctive combination of:<\/p>\n<p><strong>high gain + tight lows + aggressive mids + fast attack + lots of saturation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And they&#8217;re extremely rare. Original 1980s Memran-modified Marshalls turn up occasionally, but they&#8217;re much less common than the better-known Jose-modified Marshalls or later Friedman-style modifications. Recent examples have been offered for several thousand dollars.\u00a0<span data-assistant-content-reference=\"\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages=\"\" data-content-reference-type=\"grouped_webpages\"><span role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Sources\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-list=\"\"><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"assistant-sources-dialog\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"Rig-Talk\" data-assistant-sources-trigger=\"\" data-assistant-sources-payload=\"[{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;publishedAt&quot;:1752710400,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Sold - Modded Marshalls - Metalhead &amp; Friedman | Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.rig-talk.com\/forum\/threads\/modded-marshalls-metalhead-friedman.332754\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;}]\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-trigger=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-assistant-source-icon=\"\">R<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rig-talk.com&amp;sz=128\" alt=\"\" data-assistant-source-icon-image=\"\" \/><\/span>Rig-Talk<\/button><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s also an interesting modern development: Memran&#8217;s work is now being offered in new forms, including a current\u00a0<strong>Metalhead circuit<\/strong>\u00a0and external modification system intended to reproduce the original concept.\u00a0<span data-assistant-content-reference=\"\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages=\"\" data-content-reference-type=\"grouped_webpages\"><span role=\"group\" aria-label=\"Sources\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-list=\"\"><button type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"assistant-sources-dialog\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-label=\"elanamps.com, 2 sources\" data-assistant-sources-trigger=\"\" data-assistant-sources-payload=\"[{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;elanamps.com&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;THE SABRE SIGNATURE-ALL-TUBE BOUTIQUE 50W GUITAR HEAD \u2013 HANDMADE ALL-TUBE GUITAR Head&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/elanamps.com\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;},{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Metalhead Amps&quot;,&quot;isSupporting&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Metalhead Tube Amps Modifications \u2013 Elan Memran Metalhead Electronics Marshall Modifications&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;}]\" data-assistant-grouped-webpages-trigger=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-assistant-source-icon=\"\">E<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=https%3A%2F%2Felanamps.com&amp;sz=128\" alt=\"\" data-assistant-source-icon-image=\"\" \/><\/span>elanamps.com+1<\/button><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"wm-button wm-button--small wm-button--ghost wm-button--radius-full\" type=\"button\" aria-controls=\"assistant-sources-dialog\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" data-assistant-content-reference=\"\" data-assistant-sources-trigger=\"\" data-assistant-sources-payload=\"[{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;NAD: \u201883 JCM 800 2204, Metalhead modded by Elan Memran. | Rig-Talk&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.rig-talk.com\/forum\/threads\/nad-%E2%80%9883-jcm-800-2204-metalhead-modded-by-elan-memran.293672\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;},{&quot;attribution&quot;:&quot;elanamps.com&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;THE SABRE SIGNATURE-ALL-TUBE BOUTIQUE 50W GUITAR HEAD \u2013 HANDMADE ALL-TUBE GUITAR Head&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/elanamps.com\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com&quot;}]\" data-content-reference-type=\"sources_footnote\" data-radius=\"full\" data-size=\"small\" data-target-offset=\"block-start\" data-variant=\"ghost\" data-w-component=\"button\"><span data-assistant-source-icons=\"\"><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-assistant-source-icon=\"\">R<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rig-talk.com&amp;sz=128\" alt=\"\" data-assistant-source-icon-image=\"\" \/><\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\" data-assistant-source-icon=\"\">E<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/s2\/favicons?domain=https%3A%2F%2Felanamps.com&amp;sz=128\" alt=\"\" data-assistant-source-icon-image=\"\" \/><\/span><\/span>Sources<\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[28,27],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-1795","product","type-product","status-publish","product_cat-marshall-mods","product_cat-uncategorized","first","instock","sale","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/product\/1795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fproduct_brand&post=1795"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fproduct_cat&post=1795"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metalheadamps.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fproduct_tag&post=1795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}