LP Freak
Well-known member
I’ll take it
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frontline205
Well-known member
So I’m assuming most people on this board would say Cameron’s stuff is better than Friedman. I know that music is subjective is what most people would say, and yes, but a Friedman is something else. When I heard the 100 watt JJ I feel in love. Now I gotta plug into a Cameron one day. I just can’t imagine it living up to the hype with all the amazing builders out there. Maybe I’m wrong though I’m willing to admit that.
lespaul6
Well-known member
Not "better" just "different".. its a matter of taste not truth... like cuisine
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braintheory
Well-known member
I liked the Friedman stuff a lot when I tried them at first (and hadn't yet tried the Cameron stuff). As far as current off the shelf production high gain amps go they're probably still among the better ones out there, but once I had finally got some Cameron modded Marshall's and my CCV AB'ed with them it was just no contest to my ears and all my Friedman's were sent packing fast. Can't say if you'll feel the same, but that's what I felt when I compared them. I've tried the entire line up of Friedman's except for the JEL and Twin Sister. They still sounded good, but compared to Cameron and a few other good modders, the Friedman amps and mods in comparison don't sound as raw, growly or aggressive. They are smoother, more polite/restrained and generally darker sounding, but those qualities I didn't like weren't always clear until I did AB comparisons. I still ultimately prefer overall though a good vintage stock Marshall with a boost over any modded one I've had (even Cameron), but Cameron and Monomyth were the only 2 I've tried that had a different flavor to offer than what a stock boosted Marshall can do. A good stock old JMP or Superlead 1959/1987 boosted is really hard to top honestly. Over 40 years later too since they came out...
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frontline205
Well-known member
True, I gotta play one some day. I’m just over buying gear out of curiosity. The gear market has gotten too crazy for that lol
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journeyman73
Active member
how would you say the Cameron differs from a solid boosted marshall?
Wizard of Ozz
Well-known member
RaceU4her
Well-known member
I bought a Cameron mig100 a couple months ago after a Cameron thread peaked my curiosity, I have a few good amps here and was quite skeptical myself.. Let’s just say now I understand why guys who have had every amp ever put their Cameron’s at the top of the list
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braintheory
Well-known member
Well it depends on which Marshall and which Cameron mod and even so a little hard to describe without actually hearing them in person, but I'd say a good boosted Marshall still has to my ears better mids and more pleasing frequencies to me (all the modded Marshall's I've tried seem to compromise that a little bit imo), and it breathes a bit more. The Cameron mods generally have deeper, heavier bottom end because of the depth knob (some guys describe them as making their Marshall sound a bit Mesa-is, but I don't hear it that way). The Aldrich mods tend to sound pretty hairy, while the Jose's are smoother. The Cameron mods usually have tons of gain, way more than I need. All the Cam mods I've owned and tried sounded great and have a sound that stock Marshall's don't do (something I can't say about other modded Marshall's), but imo an already great stock Marshall like an old super lead is one of the best sounds out there and better off not being modded. If it weren't for my Blueface or Purpleface I probably would’ve still kept around 1 or 2 of my Cam mods
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braintheory
Well-known member
I’d also say to those complaining that Cameron are overpriced, that making these kinda threads won’t do you any favors and will probably only make Cameron stuff go up in value more because it’s peaking the curiosity of those who’ve not yet tried them. Look what happened for example with all those threads last year about Larry and then his amps became even more desirable and had others including myself get on the waitlist for one
psychodave
Well-known member
Probably others way before, but how many other amps or mods have the frequency pot (or Q) along with the depth pot? Again, Cameron took the idea further.
My friend Rich had a friend who knew electronics (but not specifically guitars amps) help him with a master volume in his Marshall. It was what we know called the post phase inverter master, and people on the Les Paul forum started calling it the Rich mod when he started sharing it in the late 1990’s. Thing is, the PPIV master volume was around in the 70’s. The idea wasn’t original, but Rich’s friend (or Rich) didn’t know about it so the guy came up with was was thought to be his own design. Gotta remember, there was no internet back then. You could t just type in something like you can now and get 1,000 websites regarding it.
psychodave
Well-known member
Tell this to Fortin, Monomyth, Larry, Hermannson, etc. While they might not goop stuff, they sure aren’t giving away what they are doing and asking people to not take pictures or share the circuits. Hermannson blacks out values in his amps. Again, they are doing different things and want to protect themselves.
I’m not playing innocent either. I’ve peeked at amp mods for curiosity sake. Cameron’s, Fortin’s, Friedman’s and some others too
Regarding my JCA20, I gave away the circuit for people to hopefully mod their own and take it further.
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journeyman73
Active member
thanks for taking the time...as your next post alluded to I haven’t had the chance to play through any Camerons but threads like this pique my interest lol
i have been thinking of getting a ‘marshall but with more gain’ amp (friedman, jvm, evh, etc) but have also started to wonder if i should just use a plexi-style amp and a pedal. I’d rather not be tied to a pedal but one drive pedal into the front end doesn’t seem like a huge burden - especially if it’s the best way to still have that organic tone and feel of a marshall.
CornNutz
Well-known member
Right, I know depth/resonance existed well before Cameron, and Friedman. I was talking about who added it to a Jose circuit first, and how that was one of the major differences from the original Jose amps, and the modern ones.
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braintheory
Well-known member
For what you’re describing I’d recommend either a old stock JMP2203 or super lead 1959/1987 with a good overdrive pedal boosting it or a Naylor (really killer amp) also with a boost. I’ve tried pretty much every Marshall-esque amp out there except a Larry and those are the only ones I’ve kept. All very organic and nothing wrong with using a boost with them imo. My Purpleface is actually one of the very best for that too, but is a one off prototype amp that is special. The Wizard is great too, but more of a Marshall/Hiwatt hybrid kinda sound
You should try a Cameron mod if you get a chance to try one. They sound great and you can decide if it lives up to the hype for you or not. I don’t think them selling in the $3000’s is unreasonable when you consider that Friedman, Gower, and Fortin mods sell in the $2000’s and don’t sound as good, so seems fair imo to be in the $3k range for the next step up. More than $4k seems high unless it’s a rare multi channel version, but I guess the market will ultimately decide what they go for. Definitely would not recommend EVH or JVM’s lol. They shouldn’t even be in the same conversation as the other amps mentioned
EDIT: Correction: The Friedman and Fortin mods sell in the $2000’s I think, but some of their actual amps I think can be over 3k used, so there are definitely plenty of worse sounding amps than Cameron modded Marshall’s in the $3k range lol. I didn’t keep mine ultimately, but they did sound really good. I still have my CCV, but that’s a completely different sound than his modded Marshall’s
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itsgoodnow
Well-known member
I went on a relatively massive amp buying/trying spree recently—in particular for hot rodded Marshall tones. I also have a Cameron Marshall for sale now. If I wasn’t thinning out things it would stay. I ran through a 77 , 87 silver jubilee, a 2204 with many different boosts, a Butterslax, 3 Wizards, 4 Bogners, CAA, Suhr, Monomyth, and about a dozen other high end amps and preamp units. The Cameron is just a damn good amp. It felt like I wasn’t fighting it and it felt very natural for my style. It still has a great tone, openness, and note definition, but is very much a Marshall. I’m not going to say you hit a power chord and the Red Sea parts, but it just seems to make the noise you want and behave how you hope it would.
Some people will feel it’s worth it and some people will think it’s all overhyped bullshit. It’s the same thing with any piece of gear. Some people see a Gibson custom shop or a PRS and it’s the shit to them, and some other people see overhyped planks of wood and will swear another company makes something as good or better for 1/4 the price.
Ultimately only the player can say if it’s worth it to them. That being said, to figure it out you gotta pay a steep price because there’s more demand for them than there are available.
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Samhain
Banned
Well-known member
Thats why some here do it. Sales & promotion is as old as when Romans sold used Chariots. Why do you think asking price for a stock 2203X goes for $1900 now ?
Would be one thing if there was an "amp meter" to gauge how good one amplifier sounds compared to another in a scientific impartial way but here its all CONJECTURE, just voices in your head.
I have plenty of amps modded and not but for me i really never need more than a JCM-2000 DSL-100 on "lead #1" w/a boost and i would stack that pound for pounds against anything.
Im in a Metro of nearly 3 Million people with 3 Guitar Centers and many local accalimed guitar shops and im well known locally & nationally in the music community and 99.8% of guitar players here don't even know what a cameron modded amp is and the few who do don't even play music.
The worst cases of the cameron virus seem to be right here and its always the same one's stirring the pot.
Now come in off the ledge before you loose $5K PP/gift and an amp.
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panhead
Well-known member
panhead
Well-known member
Lee Jackson modded a marshall for me in 83 and thats the first frequency doo hicky on an amp id seen
panhead
Well-known member
Hell everythings overpriced