Message from Mark Cameron as relayed to a5150guy

[metalmaniac93]

Sorry...that drawing made me laugh.

I am sure its legit. I didnt mean to laugh....

Yikes , Let me just say i'm not taking ANYONES side here, and i'm honestly not trying to stir things up, BUT that drawing is nothing like my aldrich mod or any of the other aldrich's I've had or seen from Mark. I do know for sure that Mark did draw that because he drew something just like that for me a long time ago. Sorry to say but he didn't spill all the beans to you guys on that one... Looks closer to a Suhr Mod, there are some things that are kinda similar but just saying...

And the Atomica is probably not 100% Mark's HG Jose design. How would anyone know if these two designs were correct?

 

[guitarmike]

Problem with this is all this talk of buying Mark clothes, paying his rent, giving him 20 bucks out of pocket, him hounding Brad for cash, ect ect,. Has set up potential grounds for signing something under duress and not fully understanding or acknowledging anything. Signing something on drugs and not fully understanding or acknowledging anything.

I've learned the hard way to audio and video record every prenup now.

I understand the need for justice and the wake of shit that Mark left with his previous Cameron Amps project is ridiculous and needs to be corrected.
But saying that, this agreement he signed only has a limited time it's viable.

Complete the remaining orders for any Cameron products, take no new deposits or orders on anything Cameron and close up Camamps. Anything else and you could run the risk of appearing that you guys are taking advantage of this poor, eccentric, artistic, possibly unstable, amp builder.

Lester, Camamps has the right to build and sell amps as long as they want. Drug addiction does not equal mental instability. Artistic types like Mark pull this kind of crap all the time in many different fields, they just think differently than most people. I have seen it before in the model train world. There is no way Camamps will turn into some high volume, high profit business, Cameron does not have the name recognition Friedman or Fortin have. If the pros start buying Camerons perhaps, but it looks to me like it will end up being a few amps available on demand and just a small sideline to these guy's overall business.

From what people post on this forum Mark is modding amps again and that is against the agreement. I do not see Camamps trying to stop it, that is showing more than enough compassion towards Mark.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry...that drawing made me laugh.

I am sure its legit. I didnt mean to laugh....

Yikes , Let me just say i'm not taking ANYONES side here, and i'm honestly not trying to stir things up, BUT that drawing is nothing like my aldrich mod or any of the other aldrich's I've had or seen from Mark. I do know for sure that Mark did draw that because he drew something just like that for me a long time ago. Sorry to say but he didn't spill all the beans to you guys on that one... Looks closer to a Suhr Mod, there are some things that are kinda similar but just saying...

And the Atomica is probably not 100% Mark's HG Jose design. How would anyone know if these two designs were correct?

People with detailed knowledge of Mark's Aldrich and HG Jose mods would know. Like dawnofdreamx97 for example...

I guess it really doesn't matter though if people buying them dig the amps.

Steve

 

[LP Freak]

Problem with this is all this talk of buying Mark clothes, paying his rent, giving him 20 bucks out of pocket, him hounding Brad for cash, ect ect,. Has set up potential grounds for signing something under duress and not fully understanding or acknowledging anything. Signing something on drugs and not fully understanding or acknowledging anything.

I've learned the hard way to audio and video record every prenup now.

I understand the need for justice and the wake of shit that Mark left with his previous Cameron Amps project is ridiculous and needs to be corrected.
But saying that, this agreement he signed only has a limited time it's viable.

Complete the remaining orders for any Cameron products, take no new deposits or orders on anything Cameron and close up Camamps. Anything else and you could run the risk of appearing that you guys are taking advantage of this poor, eccentric, artistic, possibly unstable, amp builder.

Lester, Camamps has the right to build and sell amps as long as they want. Drug addiction does not equal mental instability. Artistic types like Mark pull this kind of crap all the time in many different fields, they just think differently than most people. I have seen it before in the model train world. There is no way Camamps will turn into some high volume, high profit business, Cameron does not have the name recognition Friedman or Fortin have. If the pros start buying Camerons perhaps, but it looks to me like it will end up being a few amps available on demand and just a small sideline to these guy's overall business.

From what people post on this forum Mark is modding amps again and that is against the agreement. I do not see Camamps trying to stop it, that is showing more than enough compassion towards Mark.

Does smoking a little weed automatically classify you as a drug addict?

 

[rlord1974]

Does smoking a little weed automatically classify you as a drug addict?

Only if you refuse to pass it around and share with your friends!

 

[dooredge]

Man, this Cameron guy is a dildo of epic proportions. Stating the obvious, I'm sure.

Drug addicts can be some real dirty and vengeful pricks. Good luck to the Good Guys trying to DO THE RIGHT THING!

 

[joepete77]

Problem with this is all this talk of buying Mark clothes, paying his rent, giving him 20 bucks out of pocket, him hounding Brad for cash, ect ect,. Has set up potential grounds for signing something under duress and not fully understanding or acknowledging anything. Signing something on drugs and not fully understanding or acknowledging anything.

I've learned the hard way to audio and video record every prenup now.

I understand the need for justice and the wake of shit that Mark left with his previous Cameron Amps project is ridiculous and needs to be corrected.
But saying that, this agreement he signed only has a limited time it's viable.

Complete the remaining orders for any Cameron products, take no new deposits or orders on anything Cameron and close up Camamps. Anything else and you could run the risk of appearing that you guys are taking advantage of this poor, eccentric, artistic, possibly unstable, amp builder.

Lester, Camamps has the right to build and sell amps as long as they want. Drug addiction does not equal mental instability. Artistic types like Mark pull this kind of crap all the time in many different fields, they just think differently than most people. I have seen it before in the model train world. There is no way Camamps will turn into some high volume, high profit business, Cameron does not have the name recognition Friedman or Fortin have. If the pros start buying Camerons perhaps, but it looks to me like it will end up being a few amps available on demand and just a small sideline to these guy's overall business.

From what people post on this forum Mark is modding amps again and that is against the agreement. I do not see Camamps trying to stop it, that is showing more than enough compassion towards Mark.

Does smoking a little weed automatically classify you as a drug addict?

Only if by weed you actually mean meth or crack then yes. You don't blow 45k in a few months smoking just weed

 

[LP Freak]

Problem with this is all this talk of buying Mark clothes, paying his rent, giving him 20 bucks out of pocket, him hounding Brad for cash, ect ect,. Has set up potential grounds for signing something under duress and not fully understanding or acknowledging anything. Signing something on drugs and not fully understanding or acknowledging anything.

I've learned the hard way to audio and video record every prenup now.

I understand the need for justice and the wake of shit that Mark left with his previous Cameron Amps project is ridiculous and needs to be corrected.
But saying that, this agreement he signed only has a limited time it's viable.

Complete the remaining orders for any Cameron products, take no new deposits or orders on anything Cameron and close up Camamps. Anything else and you could run the risk of appearing that you guys are taking advantage of this poor, eccentric, artistic, possibly unstable, amp builder.

Lester, Camamps has the right to build and sell amps as long as they want. Drug addiction does not equal mental instability. Artistic types like Mark pull this kind of crap all the time in many different fields, they just think differently than most people. I have seen it before in the model train world. There is no way Camamps will turn into some high volume, high profit business, Cameron does not have the name recognition Friedman or Fortin have. If the pros start buying Camerons perhaps, but it looks to me like it will end up being a few amps available on demand and just a small sideline to these guy's overall business.

From what people post on this forum Mark is modding amps again and that is against the agreement. I do not see Camamps trying to stop it, that is showing more than enough compassion towards Mark.

Does smoking a little weed automatically classify you as a drug addict?

Only if by weed you actually mean meth or crack then yes. You don't blow 45k in a few months smoking just weed

I can assure you Mark doesn't smoke anything but weed. $45K?...I'm not going there.

 

[rlord1974]

$45K?...I'm not going there.

Come on, clear it up for everyone, Paul!

 

[LP Freak]

$45K?...I'm not going there.

Come on, clear it up for everyone, Paul!

I wish I could but I know nothing.

 

[rlord1974]

$45K?...I'm not going there.

Come on, clear it up for everyone, Paul!

I wish I could but I know nothing.

That's a fantastic place to be!

 

[dawnofdreamx97]

Sorry...that drawing made me laugh.

I am sure its legit. I didnt mean to laugh....

Yikes , Let me just say i'm not taking ANYONES side here, and i'm honestly not trying to stir things up, BUT that drawing is nothing like my aldrich mod or any of the other aldrich's I've had or seen from Mark. I do know for sure that Mark did draw that because he drew something just like that for me a long time ago. Sorry to say but he didn't spill all the beans to you guys on that one... Looks closer to a Suhr Mod, there are some things that are kinda similar but just saying...

And the Atomica is probably not 100% Mark's HG Jose design. How would anyone know if these two designs were correct?

I speak from fact, not fiction man. I've probably owned more cameron amps than anyone on the forum, I also have owned severals ccv's, and had chris schmidt's CCM in my possession. Almost every one i've owned i've drawn up and have photos, I know Marks Jose circuit, and I know Marks Aldrich circuit. Fact is plain and simple, Mark didn't give away any of his tricks that add up to the big picture in the end. AGAIN , i'm not trying to start trouble here, just an observation of fact. He def drew up a "safe" version of his mods, but not the actual mods.

Hell the atomica/ccv/Jose really is not really much more than a hopped up 2203 with a loop and zeners. Look at the circuit.

PS - i'm not on Mark Camerons side or defending him, that dude messed me around for nearly 5 years with an amp I sent to him, not to mention he owes me the money for the mod he never finished , plus cash i sent him for bills and food over those years. I tried to help that dude many times. I'll never see that money, and to be honest without a friend I would have never seen that amp either, but i've learned to pick and choose my battles at this point in life. Very glad not to be involved anymore...

 

[metalmaniac93]

Sorry...that drawing made me laugh.

I am sure its legit. I didnt mean to laugh....

Yikes , Let me just say i'm not taking ANYONES side here, and i'm honestly not trying to stir things up, BUT that drawing is nothing like my aldrich mod or any of the other aldrich's I've had or seen from Mark. I do know for sure that Mark did draw that because he drew something just like that for me a long time ago. Sorry to say but he didn't spill all the beans to you guys on that one... Looks closer to a Suhr Mod, there are some things that are kinda similar but just saying...

And the Atomica is probably not 100% Mark's HG Jose design. How would anyone know if these two designs were correct?

I speak from fact, not fiction man. I've probably owned more cameron amps than anyone on the forum, I also have owned severals ccv's, and had chris schmidt's CCM in my possession. Almost every one i've owned i've drawn up and have photos, I know Marks Jose circuit, and I know Marks Aldrich circuit. Fact is plain and simple, Mark didn't give away any of his tricks that add up to the big picture in the end. AGAIN , i'm not trying to start trouble here, just an observation of fact. He def drew up a "safe" version of his mods, but not the actual mods.

Hell the atomica/ccv/Jose really is not really much more than a hopped up 2203 with a loop and zeners. Look at the circuit.

PS - i'm not on Mark Camerons side or defending him, that dude messed me around for nearly 5 years with an amp I sent to him, not to mention he owes me the money for the mod he never finished , plus cash i sent him for bills and food over those years. I tried to help that dude many times. I'll never see that money, and to be honest without a friend I would have never seen that amp either, but i've learned to pick and choose my battles at this point in life. Very glad not to be involved anymore...

I never played or heard any of Mark's mods and I trust your judgement on this since I do not know jack shit about amp circuits. Then the Cameron amps (Atomica and Old Bitch) are just Mark's bastardized versions of the HG Jose and Aldrich? Kinda of funny though, if that is in fact what they are!!! The Atomica is a damn good amp though even though it might not be Mark's original/real design some of the RTs have owned.

 

[dawnofdreamx97]

Sorry...that drawing made me laugh.

I am sure its legit. I didnt mean to laugh....

Yikes , Let me just say i'm not taking ANYONES side here, and i'm honestly not trying to stir things up, BUT that drawing is nothing like my aldrich mod or any of the other aldrich's I've had or seen from Mark. I do know for sure that Mark did draw that because he drew something just like that for me a long time ago. Sorry to say but he didn't spill all the beans to you guys on that one... Looks closer to a Suhr Mod, there are some things that are kinda similar but just saying...

And the Atomica is probably not 100% Mark's HG Jose design. How would anyone know if these two designs were correct?

I speak from fact, not fiction man. I've probably owned more cameron amps than anyone on the forum, I also have owned severals ccv's, and had chris schmidt's CCM in my possession. Almost every one i've owned i've drawn up and have photos, I know Marks Jose circuit, and I know Marks Aldrich circuit. Fact is plain and simple, Mark didn't give away any of his tricks that add up to the big picture in the end. AGAIN , i'm not trying to start trouble here, just an observation of fact. He def drew up a "safe" version of his mods, but not the actual mods.

Hell the atomica/ccv/Jose really is not really much more than a hopped up 2203 with a loop and zeners. Look at the circuit.

PS - i'm not on Mark Camerons side or defending him, that dude messed me around for nearly 5 years with an amp I sent to him, not to mention he owes me the money for the mod he never finished , plus cash i sent him for bills and food over those years. I tried to help that dude many times. I'll never see that money, and to be honest without a friend I would have never seen that amp either, but i've learned to pick and choose my battles at this point in life. Very glad not to be involved anymore...

I never played or heard any of Mark's mods and I trust your judgement on this since I do not know jack shit about amp circuits. Then the Cameron amps (Atomica and Old Bitch) are just Mark's bastardized versions of the HG Jose and Aldrich? Kinda of funny though, if that is in fact what they are!!! The Atomica is a damn good amp though even though it might not be Mark's original/real design some of the RTs have owned.

The atomica is pretty much a metro modded into a 1 channel version of the ccv, the higher gain channel. But the way the input jacks are setup is different from anything Mark ever did, and the bright cap values are bit funky, along with the phase inverter sizzle cap value @ 250pf ?? among other things to. It is waaaaaaaay closer than the old bitch but to be honest the Jose mods are really just hopped up 2203 circuits, 2.7k cathodes, 330k plate, bright caps on the gains, resonance mod, Jose master with zeners / 3 legged spider transistors, lead spec tone stack sorta kinda, loop, and so on...

I think putting a loop in messes with the way the jose master works sorta, especially how much the zeners do or don't do. I think that may be why old Marky Mark and the funky bunch never did end up with a real loop in the ccv....

Really nothing new or special going on here , and not saying it doesn't work for some guys just saying that's what it is.

 

[Tone Merchant]

this is all very interesting information and i appreciate everyone's input and you guys obviously know what your talking about.

Im not sure at the time why Mark wouldnt give us his actual circuits or if he even does these mods the same way every time, the guy is such a scatter brain and improviser. Also, when he gave us these designs, he really was on board and needed Cameron to succeed. So it doesnt make alot of sense that Mark would keep his true mods secrete. But then again we are talking about Mark Cameron. I remember when we first started looking at 3 CCVs for research when we started this project. All 3 CCVs sounded different and all of them had different parts in them and wired differently. Before we released both the Atomica and Old Bitch we a/b them with I believe todd stricklands (I may be wrong) Atomica and Aldrich and we all thought the new amps sounded better. Friedman would know more about what was inside those amps more than me.

thanx for the info guys

 

[ElMuchoDingo]

I'm not a known poster around here but I'm gonna throw my three cents in here. I have owned the canamps atomica, ccv, and now the old bitch so I think my opinion may have some merit. I will tell you canamps Cameron's sound like nothing else out there other than cameron modded Marshall's. in the recent years I've run thru jvms,5150,5153(both) ecstacy, be 100, legacy, dsl, jcm 800, Mesa roadster and play thru many more. Granted I have never owned or played thru a cameron modded Marshall however the ccv was signed by mark and an early serial number.

The thing is these amps are really good in my opinion whomever truly designed them or how many "secrets" the mystical magical mark really put in the design. Actually YouTube clips of modded Marshall's and original CCvs sound pretty darned close.

If these can be produced in a timely and cost effective manner I think there is a definite market place. Two years is difficult to handle and I'm not very patient so I can imagine what the ccv waiting list guys are going thru. I'm sure they will get there amps and sound very good. Interestingly I had the option to possibly buy a camerona modded Marshall that sounded great. I went with the old bitch, why? There are guys that aren't pieces of work who can fix it. Who the hell is gonna work on some goofed up amp. Sounds to me each amp sounds different because mark used what he could find and I doubt that the parts were in great shape by the sounds of it.

I think can amps is being very lenient with mark, if I had a contract and new he was violating it he would be lucky to cross the street without permission.

 

[metalmaniac93]

I'm not a known poster around here but I'm gonna throw my three cents in here. I have owned the canamps atomica, ccv, and now the old bitch so I think my opinion may have some merit. I will tell you canamps Cameron's sound like nothing else out there other than cameron modded Marshall's. in the recent years I've run thru jvms,5150,5153(both) ecstacy, be 100, legacy, dsl, jcm 800, Mesa roadster and play thru many more. Granted I have never owned or played thru a cameron modded Marshall however the ccv was signed by mark and an early serial number.

The thing is these amps are really good in my opinion whomever truly designed them or how many "secrets" the mystical magical mark really put in the design. Actually YouTube clips of modded Marshall's and original CCvs sound pretty darned close.

If these can be produced in a timely and cost effective manner I think there is a definite market place. Two years is difficult to handle and I'm not very patient so I can imagine what the ccv waiting list guys are going thru. I'm sure they will get there amps and sound very good. Interestingly I had the option to possibly buy a camerona modded Marshall that sounded great. I went with the old bitch, why? There are guys that aren't pieces of work who can fix it. Who the hell is gonna work on some goofed up amp. Sounds to me each amp sounds different because mark used what he could find and I doubt that the parts were in great shape by the sounds of it.

I think can amps is being very lenient with mark, if I had a contract and new he was violating it he would be lucky to cross the street without permission.

So how is the Old Bitch doing?

 

[ElMuchoDingo]

honestly pretty damn good, i plan to do a video and review soon. i pulled it out of the box, set it on stage, powered up and was playing live an hour later. of the three i think it is actually the best. the atomica has a very dominanat low end, the ccv has a bogner mid low that i was trying to dial out. the old bitch is more balanced with a grinding mid. cleans up nice. covers everything from van halen to some country, to ninties stuff like creed, all with volume control. higher gain gets alot of white noise, i have a pro rack g coming for the front end and loop to try to control a bit. i do regret selling the other two, i would love to have the trifecta sitting in the house.

 

[oldmanmetal]

I get the Mark Cameron scam, he is a supposed addict, and has stolen people's money. I get that Brad bought the name outright, helped out Mark to get him on his feet and work with him. Mark screwed Brad over, and has extreme butthurt over the whole thing, and may or may not have given him the right schematics etc...The first run was marred by poor quality, and a contracted builder doing subpar work. Those have been fixed now, or at least working as much as possible with the shoddy craftsmanship. The thing I don't get, why has it taken so long to get the newer amps out, if there is reputable builders now building the products. How is it that new models were introduced, before the CCV problems were even worked out? Honestly, the whole thing seems a bit odd, and makes 0 sense it is still going on. I am more amazed how so many people can defend all this stuff. This is no longer a one man operation, but a manufactured amp. As someone who has been scammed by a one man operation, worth a LOT more than a Cameron, I will no longer give money up front. 1-2 years on a "production" amp is crazy. That long for a one man operation is crazy. This needs to be called out, warnings sent, and resolved. I don't care how great a guy someone is, but when you don't deliver on a product paid for, or deliver an inferior product, it is a major ethical breach. The kool-aid is some stroooooooong shit. This ruins a lot of small builders out there who are honest, and deliver a finished quality product in a timely manner. I would also really like to see Mark in jail for stealing so many people's money, he is nothing more a common thief. The whole thing is disgraceful from top to bottom. Go ahead and flame me, but this is the straight up truth.

 

[Anonymous]

Im not sure at the time why Mark wouldnt give us his actual circuits or if he even does these mods the same way every time, the guy is such a scatter brain and improviser.

Yeah Rob - doesn't make much sense to me either why he wouldn't give the actual designs at the time you were working with him and while it is true that Mark does all the mods differently option-wise from time to time (FAT, TIGHT switch, sometimes adding diode clipping to the Aldrich, multi-position rotary clipping switches etc.) that schematic is missing what I would consider key aspects of the Aldrich circuit that would affect the tone and are present in all the examples I've seen. And you know I know what I'm looking at...

Once again, I don't think it matters though - if people are diggin' the Old Bitch, then that is all that matters. I'd love to hear some pro recorded clips, but the vids people have put up sound good to me.

Steve