Joe Perry of Aerosmith dialing in the EQ on 1 of 2 Marshall Super PA's we Modded. Voodoo V-Plex 100 watt Master Volume on the left & Voodoo 4x12 on the right loaded with Celestion Speakers G12H 55hZ Speakers! Read on for more info!
JOE PERRY GEAR INFO -- On Facebook many of you have asked what Mods were done & what Voodoo products were built for Joe. I thought perhaps it would be easier to answer all of your questions here so here goes!
Before we begin please let me say that any work or products we built for Joe as well as for other big players is also available to you. IE: if you want the same Voodoo half stack or Mods please contact us & we would be happy to accommodate.
1.) QUESTION - Which Voodoo half stack did you build for Joe?
ANSWER - We built a 100 watt 'V-Plex' single channel amp with a Post Phase Inverter Master Volume ($2,195) & Voodoo 4x12 Straight Speaker Cabinet with Celestion G12H 55hZ speakers ($1,565)
V-Plex Series Amplifiers
Voodoo Speaker Cabinets
2.) QUESTION - What Mods were done?
ANSWER - We worked on (2) Marshall Super PA Amps, let’s separate them as they work performed was different from one another.
A.) PLEXI PANEL - This amp is mostly stock as per Joe's request. On the rear of the amp (in place of one of the speaker jacks) we installed a Post Phase Inverter Master Volume (PPIMV) on the rear panel of the amp in place of one of the speaker jacks (IE: no holes were drilled). The reason for this is that the Super PA's are too loud to be used on stage when run full up / wide open on stage. Note: The Master Volume is the same Master as used on our ‘V-Plex’ Series amps as it retains as much of the vintage tone as possible.
B.) METAL PANEL – In 1989 this amp was initially Modded by Cesar Diaz (SRV's tech) & if memory serves I believe this amp was used for parts at one point in time. The Power Transformer (PT) had been replaced & the amp was needed a good amount of TCL. We removed the PT, installed an era correct Marshall PT & performed the necessary TCL & clean up work. 1 of the 4 channels (input jacks) had been disconnected (part of Cesar's work) which we left in place as this channel sounded good when the Volume was cranked up half way or higher (too bright when set lower). This channel's Volume control had been converted into a Master Volume, which to my ears sounded thin & did not have the low end 'thump'. I removed that Master & Installed the same PPI Master Volume we use on our Voodoo V-Plex Series. From there I Modded the other 2 channels with different tonal flavors so that Joe could either choose the channel he favored the most or 'jump' any combination of the 3 channels together for different tones.
SUMMARY - Both amps have new F&T filter caps, both were retubed (EL34's) & biased. We addressed repaired solder connections as need be as well as doing what we normally do to ensure the amps were road-worthy & would survive riggers of the road on a world tour.
3.) Did you work on or service any other amps
Answer – Yes, I also went through approximately 10 amps or so on-site. This was done so that in the event that Joe wanted to try some other heads for the live rig he had several at his disposal.
THANK YOU’s - I want to give a shout out as well as huge thank you to Greg Howard (Brad Whitford's tech & 3 Monkey Amps owner), Bobby Schneck (Tom Hamilton's tech), Marco Moir (Joe Perry's tech) & the rest of the Aerosmith crew! Thank you for your hospitality & generosity! It is always a true pleasure to work with such talented people & I very much look forward to seeing you all again on the road!
Let's leave you with some more behind the scenes photos of the legendary Joe Perry & Aerosmith as they rehearse for their up coming tour. Thanks for tuning in! - Trace Davis, President / Founder of Voodoo Amps
