Original price was: $499.00.$275.00Current price is: $275.00.Add to cart
The MetalHead Electronics Marshall High Gain Modification
The Legendary High-Gain Modification That Defined the Sound of Industrial Metal
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, guitarists on the cutting edge of heavy music hit a wall. Stock Marshall amplifiers simply couldn’t deliver the extreme gain, razor-sharp aggression, and tight low-end response demanded by modern metal, especially without sacrificing the organic touch and raw character of a true tube circuit.
Faced with this challenge, Elan Memran of MetalHead Electronics engineered a solution: his now-legendary Marshall Gain Modification.
Elan hot-rodded the iconic British tube architecture, transforming the classic rock platform into a ferocious, articulate, high-gain machine.
WHO USED THE METALHEAD MOD?
The MetalHead Electronics shop in North Hollywood became known among Los Angeles musicians and touring professionals for its modified Marshall amplifiers.
MetalHead modifications were used by players including:
- Dino Cazares – Fear Factory
- Tom Morello – Rage Against the Machine
- Ian Crichton – Saga
- Butch Walker – SouthGang
- Armored Saint
- Ernie C – Body Count
- Randy Piper – W.A.S.P.
- Tracii Guns – L.A. Guns
- Kelle Rhoads Band
THE FEAR FACTORY CONNECTION
One of the most important examples of the MetalHead sound was the modified Marshall used by Dino Cazares of Fear Factory.
Featuring a heavily modified preamp section and an integrated custom noise gate, the amplifier produced the crushing, tight and highly saturated guitar tone associated with the early industrial-metal sound.
WHAT DOES THE METALHEAD HIGH GAIN MOD DO?
The MetalHead modification isn’t simply about adding more distortion. The philosophy is:
Make the amplifier become the distortion.
Instead of relying on a pedal to push a clean preamp into clipping, the MetalHead circuit adds additional tube gain stages directly into the Marshall preamp circuit.
This drives the tubes harder from within, creating extreme saturation, sustain and rich harmonic overtones while preserving the dynamics and character of the original tube amplifier.
WHY PLAYERS STILL WANT THE METALHEAD SOUND
The original North Hollywood workshop produced only a limited number of these modified amplifiers. Decades later, players and collectors continue searching for original MetalHead-modified Marshall heads.
The attraction is the interaction between the player’s fingers, the tubes and a fully hot-rodded Marshall preamp – a feel that comes directly from the amplifier rather than relying on an external distortion pedal.
NEW – EXTERNAL METALHEAD MOD SYSTEM
The engineering principles behind the original modification also became the foundation for later MetalHead and Elan high-gain designs.
Now Elan Memran is reintroducing the historic high-gain concept in a 100% reversible external modification system.
- Plugs into existing tube sockets
- No drilling
- No permanent chassis modification
- Removable and reversible
- Helps preserve the original amplifier
For owners of vintage Marshall heads, the external system provides a way to access the MetalHead high-gain concept without permanently modifying the amplifier.
The system interfaces through the existing preamp tube sockets and can be removed to return the amplifier to its original configuration.
AVAILABLE MARSHALL ARCHITECTURES
Versions are being developed for a range of classic and modern Marshall platforms, including:
- Plexi / Super Lead / JMP
- JTM45 & Bluesbreaker
- JCM800 – 2203 / 2204
- JCM900 & Jubilee
- JVM1 & Origin Series
GET THE METALHEAD HIGH-GAIN TONE
The MetalHead name comes from an era when guitarists pushed tube amplification beyond its traditional limits.
Whether you’re looking for the original component-level MetalHead modification or the new removable external system, contact us to discuss your Marshall model and the modification options available.
Original price was: $499.00.$275.00Current price is: $275.00.Add to cart
