Gower vs Hermansson

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Yehuda

Yehuda

Well-known member
Seems like these are the available options

Gower:
Rock Monster
Killer Kali
JVM mod

Hermansson:
Mesa
3 stage Marshall
5 stage Marshall

How would you rank all of these against each other- was looking at killer Kali and 5 stage hermannson
 
They’re both good stuff, but imo a bit apples and oranges. The Hermansson’s imo really have a unique sound and feel from anything else I’ve tried. Other than a Dino, nothing else I’ve played is nearly as tight or fast responding. I love that aspect of them and to me they feel so good and inspiring to play, but they’re not for everyone. They are also the most hollow sounding amps I’ve played throughout the mids and especially lower mids. They really don’t have much warmth or richness to the sound, but still among my top 5 favorite high gain amps. They have a unique and additive aggression in the highs and their tightness and attack is just really satisfying. I’ve got 2 of his recto mods, a Marshall 5 gain stage and Carlsboro. They’re all great and sound like Hermansson’s overall, but the Mesa ones are my personal favorites of the bunch, especially the Rev G Dual

The Gower’s IME more just sound like modded Marshall’s (even if they’re technically rebuilds), so they excel more in having a nice juicy midrange and more warmth to the sound. Good stuff, but I like the Cameron and other modded Marshall’s even more for that sound and honestly even a stock ‘70’s JMP2203/4 with the right boost for me is better than the majority of Marshall mods I’ve had, but it depends a bit on style of play I think
 
Never played a gower, but I’d put my Marshall Hermansson against anything for playing ERGs. Which I see you have a few of. Stupid tight, and the whole range of gain is usable.

Before I got this I had a fortin Meshuggah solely for playing 7-8 string. The Hermansson straight in can do what the Meshuggah + boost could do, and much more. I’ve also had/played a lot of modern amps since then, and this one is still my favourite.

I sold Braintheory the Hermansson Mesa as well, and the only reason I did is because I’m purchasing a dream guitar right now.

The tightness/mid boost switch really just lets you dial in the optimal pickup settings so you can change guitars without too much EQing. I don’t have the tightness range switch, which was introduced afterwards.

My suggestion, if you go with the Hermansson get the Marshall with the works (3 gain on back 5 stage on front and all switches), so you are not wondering what else it could do, as you would have to ship to sweden and back.

@itsgoodnow has both I think.
 
Hermannson stuff is a little more of a risk. Very unique thing happening compared to any other amp out there. For some reason, there are like 0 user clips out there. The recto I had was just not for me- no mid content and nothing happening harmonically - didn’t inspire me to play and none of my favorite styles sounded good through it. Not the right amp for me. Can’t speak to the Marshall mods.

Gower I had was a badass metal machine. Would much rather own that over another hermannson recto. All personal taste
 
Gower all day long for my tastes.

Hermannson knows his shit and does good work but I haven't heard a single clip I've liked, I've also not heard any well recorded audio of those amps yet. Would absolutely love to hear some well recorded examples in a mix context, hopefully sounding amazing.

Plenty of killer sounding Gower clips out there.
 
Maybe I can help here. I own a KK++, a Hermansson 5 stage marshall, a modded dual rectifier, and owned a 3 stage marshall. Everyone here has opinions that are correct and valid. Both are great quality builders (with signifiant wait times). It just depends on preference. The hermansson stuff has a tremendous feel and is very tight. But not tough to play. The Gower stuff has more give and is more traditional than Hermansson. If you want something probably a bit more versatile grab a KK++. If you want something tighter and more modern grab a hermansson. FWIW, for my style, I like my Hermansson amps more. But that is for my ear and for my style of play. I could easily see it going the other way for someone else.
 
DeathbyButterslax said:
Never played a gower, but I’d put my Marshall Hermansson against anything for playing ERGs. Which I see you have a few of. Stupid tight, and the whole range of gain is usable.

Before I got this I had a fortin Meshuggah solely for playing 7-8 string. The Hermansson straight in can do what the Meshuggah + boost could do, and much more. I’ve also had/played a lot of modern amps since then, and this one is still my favourite.

I sold Braintheory the Hermansson Mesa as well, and the only reason I did is because I’m purchasing a dream guitar right now.

The tightness/mid boost switch really just lets you dial in the optimal pickup settings so you can change guitars without too much EQing. I don’t have the tightness range switch, which was introduced afterwards.

My suggestion, if you go with the Hermansson get the Marshall with the works (3 gain on back 5 stage on front and all switches), so you are not wondering what else it could do, as you would have to ship to sweden and back.

@itsgoodnow has both I think.
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What is your dream guitar? Interesting!
 
I think if you want a Marshall go Monomyth, ground zero, or gower.

Hermansson mesas are a lot of fun and sick. But also very hollow in the mids. They’re meant to play blistering low tuned metal IMO and not much else. Lot of fun if that’s what you’re into, which I am. Also, It’s pretty much impossible to get a hermansson Marshall currently.
 
I’ve owned a KK++, a Rockmonster, and a Hermansson 3-Stage Marshall. The Gower amps and the Hermansson couldn’t be further apart.

The Gower stuff is “juicier” and based more in a Jose-style sound/feel. Like a super modern Friedman BE.

The Hermansson is something else entirely. A wild amp with a tight, dry, gnarly sound. Imagine a Marshall that has the harmonic content of a Boogie Mark and the cleanup/morph of a Carstens Grace.

The Gower stuff is easier to dial in, especially the RM. Just plug in and you’ve got Sykes, Corgan, Jones, etc immediately. The KK is a little more nuanced and has more options but easy enough to manage.

The Hermansson is more complicated and has a ton of configuration options. I think there’s five switches on mine. Don’t be afraid to play with all the switches. It’s like a Bogner insofar as you may need to use some extreme settings with it. I run mine with the presence, mids, and treble maxed and the bass at like 4, lol.
 
Bram576 said:
I think if you want a Marshall go Monomyth, ground zero, or gower.

Hermansson mesas are a lot of fun and sick. But also very hollow in the mids. They’re meant to play blistering low tuned metal IMO and not much else. Lot of fun if that’s what you’re into, which I am. Also, It’s pretty much impossible to get a hermansson Marshall currently.
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I would also add Headfirst. I love my Atla.
 
hellzington said:
I’ve owned a KK++, a Rockmonster, and a Hermansson 3-Stage Marshall. The Gower amps and the Hermansson couldn’t be further apart.

The Gower stuff is “juicier” and based more in a Jose-style sound/feel. Like a super modern Friedman BE.

The Hermansson is something else entirely. A wild amp with a tight, dry, gnarly sound. Imagine a Marshall that has the harmonic content of a Boogie Mark and the cleanup/morph of a Carstens Grace.

The Gower stuff is easier to dial in, especially the RM. Just plug in and you’ve got Sykes, Corgan, Jones, etc immediately. The KK is a little more nuanced and has more options but easy enough to manage.

The Hermansson is more complicated and has a ton of configuration options. I think there’s five switches on mine. Don’t be afraid to play with all the switches. It’s like a Bogner insofar as you may need to use some extreme settings with it. I run mine with the presence, mids, and treble maxed and the bass at like 4, lol.
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How would you say gower compares to wizard? I have a hell razor and owned a mc ii previously
 
DeathbyButterslax said:
My suggestion, if you go with the Hermansson get the Marshall with the works (3 gain on back 5 stage on front and all switches), so you are not wondering what else it could do, as you would have to ship to sweden and back.

@itsgoodnow has both I think.
Click to expand...
this basically gives you a the 3 and 5 in one? Any idea what this would cost, and the turnaround?
 
Bxlxaxkxe said:
Hermannson stuff is a little more of a risk. Very unique thing happening compared to any other amp out there. For some reason, there are like 0 user clips out there. The recto I had was just not for me- no mid content and nothing happening harmonically - didn’t inspire me to play and none of my favorite styles sounded good through it. Not the right amp for me. Can’t speak to the Marshall mods.

Gower I had was a badass metal machine. Would much rather own that over another hermannson recto. All personal taste
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I find whether it’s Marshall or Mesa’s they all seem to me have the Hermansson sound and feel with little remnants of the stock amp’s core sound in there. I think of them as metal machines and wouldn’t choose them for most other stuff

I think part of why there aren’t many clips is that it seems very difficult to capture what makes them cool when close mic’d (at least with my admittedly newbish skills lol), but I’ve found if I add in just a little room mic I can make it sound great like I get in person. Just a little of that seemed to go a long way IME capturing what makes these amps cool
 
easstudios said:
Gower all day long for my tastes.

Hermannson knows his shit and does good work but I haven't heard a single clip I've liked, I've also not heard any well recorded audio of those amps yet. Would absolutely love to hear some well recorded examples in a mix context, hopefully sounding amazing.

Plenty of killer sounding Gower clips out there.
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Have you played a Gower or a Hermannson? ?
 
fullthrottlesolo said:
this basically gives you a the 3 and 5 in one? Any idea what this would cost, and the turnaround?
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I’d just reach out to Henric for that info via email.

Unfortunately I don’t have it anymore, one of the guys here should
 
MetalHeadMike said:
Have you played a Gower or a Hermannson? ?
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Nope. I was supposedly on the wait list for a Gower but never heard anything. I can’t say I’ve heard anything that would make me want to put money towards a Hermannson but I’d obviously like to try one in person to hear if there’s something in the room.

I’m mostly interested in how well they record, so a good mic’d up tone is essential. There’s more than enough Gower examples that leave me with little doubt I’d love it. The Hermannson examples just don’t sound to my taste at all, and most of the time I’d (respectfully!) prefer the amps stock with a boost.

Can’t like them all, and it’s cool there is stuff that divides opinion, otherwise shit would be boring.

As I said, I’d love to hear a Hermannson that blows my socks off.
 
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