What can Brown do for you...

[Hamner1]

:lol:
Aside from give you great tone, I kind of like the title.

I received the Brown module from Shred-o-holic today. Plugged it in and rolled with it. All I gotta say is :twisted: :shock: In truth I was expecting a Plexi with maybe a slight tweak in the EQ. And I was thinking it probably would be my 1st "casualty" to the modders. :lol: From memory compared to the Plexi this has more gain, less woofyness, not quite as brittle, and definately EQ'd considerably different. I'll do my comparisons to what I have, since I cannot a/b the Plexi.

Brahma vs Brown:
Brown more gain, thicker, not as bright sounding.
Brahma cleans up better when rolling the volume off the guitar. The B :lol: rown cleans up also but lets just say be delicate with the string attack or your distorting. You can set the gain level low enough not to distort and the volume is still attainable to match your high gainers.
Brahma takes a boost better (probably why it has less gain than the Brown). You can boost the Brown but the compression/saturation isn't as noticeable. It doesn't seem to thicken the tone, where as the Brahma oozes thickness with the boost.
In a 2 channel setup I would say Brahma for cleans to some break up when really whacking the strings. Maybe even rhythm with a boost and the Brown for high-mid gain to high gain rhythm and lead. Maybe need an EQ pedal to boost the mids & the level for leads.

SL+ vs Brown:
SL+ more gain & compression/saturation. Voiced in the upper mids.
Brown sounds more raw. I just keep hearing Marshall thunk when playing it. The brown is the 1st module I tried where I dimed everything (except level) and it still sounded pretty good. Not the settings I am using, but it was ok.
This module pairs up nicely with an SL+ or Scary. Brown for rhythm & the SL+ or Scary for leads.

GTO vs Brown:
Brown has more thickness/Marshall thunk. The Brown also sounds heavier.
Gain is a wash. didn't notice a difference between the 2 in amount of gain. I would say the GTO has more "sizzle" & the Brown more "thunk".
Brown has a better low gain tone than the GTO. The GTO gets thin sounding when the gain is reduced.
GTO takes a boost better, same resuts as the Brahma.
Pairing them up I would use the GTO for leads and the Brown for rhythm.
:idea: GTO mode switch position 2/on would pull up the Brown. not sure if it is a good idea or just a tweakers thought of why the hell not. :lol:

The Brown is kind of a different beast. As stated earlier, it is the only module, I have had, that sounded good when gain & EQs were all dimed. It can sound "woolly" (fuzzy) though. It doesn't take much either. You have to run the mids & treble rather high to get rid of that woollyness.
Sweet spots:
Gain - depending on what you want 9:00 to dimed (3:00 to dimed not much difference at all if any)
Bass - 9:00 to 1:30 (after 1:30 you start to add in the woollyness but see **)
Mids - 3:00 to dimed
Treb - 3:00 to dimed
** the mids & treble have to be in this range otherwise the module sounds woolly/fuzzy/muffled.

My settings:
Tubes - EH 12AX7s in V1 & V2
Gain 4:00, Bass 1:30, Mids dimed, Treble 4:30, Level 12:00
And it is making a case to replace the GTO. But I am not likely to part with the GTO. If anything it is telling me I need another RM4 &/or a RM22 & 2x12 cab.

 

[VitaminG]

thanks for the comparison, Hamner. There's a Brown locally for a reasonable price but I've baulked at checking it for some reason. Possibly the name puts me off :lol:

Might have to look into it now. For what I'm wanting it sounds like it might be more suitable than the Plexi, which is what I've been chasing.

 

[Hamner1]

thanks for the comparison, Hamner. There's a Brown locally for a reasonable price but I've baulked at checking it for some reason. Possibly the name puts me off

Might have to look into it now. For what I'm wanting it sounds like it might be more suitable than the Plexi, which is what I've been chasing.

Anytime. I am always happy to be a part of a useful thread.

I say go for it. I avoided the Brown until recently simply because it was associated with EVH. I am not a big fan of EVH, I am a diehard RR fan. So Brown being associated with EVH & my preconceived notion it was a "glorified" Plexi made me chase other modules. It helped it was a good price as well.

Ladies and Gents let this be a lesson. Just becuase an item is associated with a particular artist or style doesn't mean it will not work for. Take the plunge and experiment once in awhile.
** This has been a public service announcement from Tone Chasers Anonymous **

 

[Shinozoku]

thanks for the comparison, Hamner. There's a Brown locally for a reasonable price but I've baulked at checking it for some reason. Possibly the name puts me off

Might have to look into it now. For what I'm wanting it sounds like it might be more suitable than the Plexi, which is what I've been chasing.

Anytime. I am always happy to be a part of a useful thread.

I say go for it. I avoided the Brown until recently simply because it was associated with EVH. I am not a big fan of EVH, I am a diehard RR fan. So Brown being associated with EVH & my preconceived notion it was a "glorified" Plexi made me chase other modules. It helped it was a good price as well.

Ladies and Gents let this be a lesson. Just becuase an item is associated with a particular artist or style doesn't mean it will not work for. Take the plunge and experiment once in awhile.
** This has been a public service announcement from Tone Chasers Anonymous **

Reminds me of a thread not too far from this one about the 1086 being a great Sabbath module

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Too bad Brown was discontinued...if they kept the module alive with a few tweaks over the years, who knows? I little more gain and tighter bass cap and it reminds me of a Diamond Amp a la 5FDP
It was the only module where I could keep my Strat on the bridge pickup without being annoyed at the harshness Strat bridges usually deliver

 

[6stringgrind]

I really enjoy your comparison threads, Darvin. Keep 'em comin'.

Funny, I just pulled out my Brown module yesterday for the first time in a year. It's actually better than I remembered. I actually like it with the bright switch on. I boost it with a CMATMODS Black Plague (Rat clone) and it sounds vicious.

Right now in my RM100 I'm comparing my "hot-rodded Marshall" modules, so I've got the Brown, Scary, and Friedman-modded SL+ in there. Brown's the rawest, Scary's the warmest, and SL+ has the most clarity and gain.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Module War with "hot-rodded Marshall" modules..I've been down that road for years, lol

 

[Hamner1]

I really enjoy your comparison threads, Darvin. Keep 'em comin'.

Funny, I just pulled out my Brown module yesterday for the first time in a year. It's actually better than I remembered. I actually like it with the bright switch on. I boost it with a CMATMODS Black Plague (Rat clone) and it sounds vicious.

Right now in my RM100 I'm comparing my "hot-rodded Marshall" modules, so I've got the Brown, Scary, and Friedman-modded SL+ in there. Brown's the rawest, Scary's the warmest, and SL+ has the most clarity and gain.

Thank you for the kind words. I'll need to acquire some $$ to get more mods. The wife will be happy about that. :lol: I should have got into MTS sooner and come to this realization... I could be doing what The Tone King does and getting $$ for it. This is fun to try out various items play, tweak, & review. I would have to get some good recording equipment though.

In a 3 channel amp setup those mods sound like they would put on a killer tone show. It's funny, when I 1st got the RM4 I figured 4 tones that would be plenty. Then effects/EQ for other tones. The more I have gone through modules the more I think I need more, simply because while they may be "similar" there is definate differences that 1 mod can't replicate of another. Maybe an RM1250 is in order. :lol:

I am also finding I am liking less and less effects. I still need to tweak the Intellifex, but alot of times I just have the bypass engaged. I need to go back to a wet/dry signal chain I think.

 

[Detroit ABA]

Thanks for the great post! I have a brown and am/was considering a Brahma or GTO Judge. I am new to the MTS world so these types of comparisons are great for guys like me.

 

[Mike P]

I say go for it. I avoided the Brown until recently simply because it was associated with EVH. I am not a big fan of EVH, I am a diehard RR fan. So Brown being associated with EVH & my preconceived notion it was a "glorified" Plexi made me chase other modules. It helped it was a good price as well.

Growing up, I was a fan of both although during that era, I always preferred EVH's tone.

Outside of his playing, the biggest factor in Randy Rhodes recorded tone was the oversized Altec 4x12 cabinet that was used for both Blizzard and Diary. Those cabinets weren't ported and were quite a bit larger than a Marshall 1960, so they just bled midrange. Rhodes also frequently used a 70's MXR Distortion +.

When I first arrived in Los Angeles back in 1993, I met a guitarist that owned both a 1959 Marshall and the Altec cabinet. It was instant Randy Rhodes tone.

 

[Mike P]

Module War with "hot-rodded Marshall" modules..I've been down that road for years, lol

The great thing is that there are several excellent options.

The SG MK22 faithfully recreates the '77 JMP two input master volume head.

The Voodoo Amps HG Jose faithfully recreates the Jose Arredondo modded hot-rod Plexi's.

The Dave Friedman Brown Eye captures both the EVH tone AND the Slash tone of the 80's.

And by all reports, Anthony's Mashall covers decades of Marshall tone in one module.

Pretty cool. 8)

 

[Mike P]

It was the only module where I could keep my Strat on the bridge pickup without being annoyed at the harshness Strat bridges usually deliver

What pickup and bridge are installed on your Strat? My experience is that Fender Texas Specials and Duncan Quarter Pounders don't produce any harshness, especially if you have a high quality bridge like an original Floyd Rose or Gotoh replacement bridge.

 

[Hamner1]

Thanks for the great post! I have a brown and am/was considering a Brahma or GTO Judge. I am new to the MTS world so these types of comparisons are great for guys like me.

Both are cool modules/tones, but quite different in the Marshall family.

These comparisons work best for me as well when lacking video/audio. by the way kudos to those here that produce some fine clips for the rest of us; MikeP, Fig, Ray, and anyone else I am forgetting.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Hey Hamner, do you find the brown module covers any AFD tones by any chance? I'm looking at modding (or having modded) my SL+ which sounds too processed/compressed for my ears. I need a raw tone but i need decent gain. I'm going for that early Sash tone and have the Judge and Brahma already for any other tone I wish to cover.

 

[Mike P]

Hey Hamner, do you find the brown module covers any AFD tones by any chance? I'm looking at modding (or having modded) my SL+ which sounds too processed/compressed for my ears. I need a raw tone but i need decent gain. I'm going for that early Sash tone and have the Judge and Brahma already for any other tone I wish to cover.

I think the Friedman Brown Eye would be your best bet.

Here's a clip that's similar but I didn't go "all the way" to the Slash tone. But all I really would need to do is turn up the mids.

www.mikeplas.com/mlib/rr/dirtyrose.mp3

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Yeah that's def. in the ballpark, nice and dirty and raw. I've read some people also suggesting that the HBE gets them that tone. Any experience with the hairy brown eye? That Friedman stuff does sound killer though.

 

[Mike P]

Yeah that's def. in the ballpark, nice and dirty and raw. I've read some people also suggesting that the HBE gets them that tone. Any experience with the hairy brown eye? That Friedman stuff does sound killer though.

Yes, I owned the Hairy Brown Eye but found it to have too much gain for my specific needs. The clip I provided had the gain set to about 7 (2 o'clock), so there was even more gain on tap, making it perfect for that "80's" Marshall tone.

Good luck!

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I might have to agree with you on that one.. the HBE seems like it might be a tad too saturated.Now I just need to track a BE modded module somewhere as DAve seems to have quite the wait and I hear people waiting months on end for a few modules.

 

[Mike P]

I might have to agree with you on that one.. the HBE seems like it might be a tad too saturated.Now I just need to track a BE modded module somewhere as DAve seems to have quite the wait and I hear people waiting months on end for a few modules.

The BE took about 12 weeks and the HBE about 9 weeks. I'd give him a call or shoot him an email because his ETA times may be shorter (or unfortunately, longer).

 

[Hamner1]

Hey Hamner, do you find the brown module covers any AFD tones by any chance? I'm looking at modding (or having modded) my SL+ which sounds too processed/compressed for my ears. I need a raw tone but i need decent gain. I'm going for that early Sash tone and have the Judge and Brahma already for any other tone I wish to cover.

I think the Friedman Brown Eye would be your best bet.

Here's a clip that's similar but I didn't go "all the way" to the Slash tone. But all I really would need to do is turn up the mids.

www.mikeplas.com/mlib/rr/dirtyrose.mp3

In a live situation I think it would get you in the ball park. But I think Mike is right in that the Brown Eye would be closer.
Compared to the SL+ (black plate/JCM 800 mod) the Brown is the way to go as it has less compression and a more raw tone & feel. I agree the SL+ is too compressed to hit the AFD Slash tone. If you are looking into the modded realm then the Mashall might be a contender. Maybe consider the JF 1959 RR or Sacred Groove MK22. Didn't slash play Silver Jubilees during that time?