Mr Scary & Hot Mod V2

alazarus13

alazarus13

New member
Has anyone used this so far? I have seen videos but not sure if I like it enough to buy it for my 2203.

Personal experiences are appreciated
 
I recently bought a Mr Scary.

Tried it in many amps and I've not decided what I think.

I have a 2204 I haven't tried it in yet. I did try it in the Fortin Meshuggah and Cali. Adds a ton of gain but my initial impression is it adds character of its own. Which may or may not be what one is looking for.
 
Yeah, obviously it is super convenient but if it changes the "Marshall" tone then I might as well use a different amp or some effects
 
My friend Andy Marshall designed these. Last time I saw him about a month ago he told me to bring up a few amps to try with them.

Mike Soldano did the original version. Andy Marshall designed it with the more common 12AX7 tubes.

I'm mostly interested in using it with my Tremoverb.
 
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My THD Series One Plexi is basically a 1969 Marshall small box. It has a extra 12AX7 that is in the effects loop. It can be turned on to add gain. He mentioned the Hot Mod / Mr Scary sounds better.

Last time I was at his shop I noticed the prototype on the bench. It lead to a conversation. He said Mike said he was the best person to design the new version. Mike had declined to do it.

I'm not interested in more gain with the Tremoverb. It's more about saturation and tighter bass.

I think your right about the original being designed for Marshall. It just happens to work with other amps.

Too be honest most of the modified amps I have seen sounded worse after the modification. So a modification that can easy be put on and removed appeals to me.

Besides Andy has helped me voice in several amps to my taste. So I don't see this any different.
 
I use the Mr. Scary with my '79 2203. It's really cool. Turning it down gets it to the original sound, turning it up gets it really close to a Jake E Lee mod 2203 or Friedman JEL.
Shielded input wire to V1B is highly recommended, due the extra gain can pick up extra noise using unshielded wire.
 
aftec said:
I use the Mr. Scary with my '79 2203. It's really cool. Turning it down gets it to the original sound, turning it up gets it really close to a Jake E Lee mod 2203 or Friedman JEL.
Shielded input wire to V1B is highly recommended, due the extra gain can pick up extra noise using unshielded wire.
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That is great feedback. Thank you
 
I have a Hot Mod V2 in my ‘78 2204. I didn’t find it coloured the tone at all, just gave the amp more juice. My V1B input wire isn’t shielded (it came like that from the factory) so running the preamp knob above 6.5 / 7 creates some noise. Until I get it shielded, I also run an OD808X into the front end to add a little more boost and some tightness. Works well for the tones I like.
 
Tried the Hot Mod, flipped it. Does what it says, and sounds good. Didn't sound much different than using an od to boost, but at the cost of cleanup with the guitar volume, and made the low input not so great.
 
Depends on how much gain you need and what kind of music you play

If you want that 80s shredder "liquid lead" sound out of your 2203, they will definitely do it

But if you're wanting to sculpt the rhythm sound in a heavier direction, you're better off with one of the many boost pedals
 
While not in a 2203, I have a Mr. Scary in my SC Studio and it sounds great. Definitely helped in that amp.

IMG_9137.jpg
 
Jimty said:
I have a Hot Mod V2 in my ‘78 2204. I didn’t find it coloured the tone at all, just gave the amp more juice. My V1B input wire isn’t shielded (it came like that from the factory) so running the preamp knob above 6.5 / 7 creates some noise. Until I get it shielded, I also run an OD808X into the front end to add a little more boost and some tightness. Works well for the tones I like.
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Agreed. I have one in my 2203x and I also don't think it changes the core sound of the amp. I run mine in the low gain setting and it works great to extend the range of the gain knob within my Marshall. It sounds very natural this way as long as you don't dial the gain too high on the amp. If you flip it to the higher gain option, it sounds great as well, but the amp does not clean up as well when you dial back the volume knob. On the lower gain setting, you can still use a boost up front and it sounds great that way (that's how I use mine).
 
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