Metro Amp Superlead 100w Kit - Eric Johnson "Cliffs of Dover" tone

[nicknicksiren]

Man, when you turned on the tube driver when you were playing the Eric Johnson riff, I was just like "WOW, holy shit that sounds good." It honestly blew me away lol.

[blahman178]

sounds amazing! really goddamn loud too! if you don't mind me asking,. how much did you pay for the head kit?

[metachozoite]

erics settinsg are bass at half, mids at 15% and treble at 5% presence off...I got thsi nformation of fhis webcite and looking at amp closeups on youtube :)

[heliobluesrock]

Nice tone! If you really liked this, we could negociate that JCM 2000!!!!!!!!! :D

[timmy47]

from the pics ive seen of erics rig on the lead amp, he doesnt have it set up like that. and for the cliffs of dover tone, pretty sure from what he read he had the EQ all about 12 o clock. now he has the bass around 4-5, mid 3-4, and treble 0-1. sounds closer to joe bonamassa who uses more mids in his tone.

[cactification]

I got goose bumps when you turned the echoplex on!

[Kitarist88]

Nice vid man!!! Not sure why people say plexis are loud i dont find them so unbearable loud as some people do. Maybe its just me or something hehe :D

[jfrockon]

As a fan of EJ and his tone/playing since the mid 80s... I find the tones you make here quite amazing.

[Guitarman1192]

wats the settings on the dl4 for that echoplex tone?

[dusanOravec]

Well its sound nice, but you shoud never use a marshall logo on a metro amps , this is not kind a phylosophy the george metropoulos do ...

[stratpaulguy86]

@dusanOravec My youtube channel clearly desribes it as a "Metro Superlead" and also, I bought the logo from George's own website!!! I really don't think he cares because he clearly sells them for $20 a pop on his site. I've pointed literally dozens of people his way and away from the current Marshall reissues. I have a personal preference and I want it to LOOK as much as it sounds like a real '69 Marshall Plexi replica. Sorry you don't like it. Cheers

[schmalolz]

@stratpaulguy86 This is a truly amazing amp kit for sure man! Im on the website now haha!

[808Monkseal]

Great sounds!!

I was just wondering, is your amp a non-master volume type? Thanks in advance.

[Rizzy55]

awesome highend from that 5 cent camera mic. Why do all you guys even bother insulting the real tone and yourselves with this?

[WolfgangsProfile]

Hey man, i was wondering where you can buy the kits for these sweet 100w metro kits?

[tomfromdelmonte]

sounds like you are a massice ej fan. Couple of moments there you really nailed his phrasing and vibrato... very nice.

[Jacksonkellyfreak]

Jesus man that tone at 4:00 was bad as hell. sounded just like an older amp that "breathes". awesome dude

[bluescountryfolk]

How come you have two jack plugs going into the input? cheers.

[boredtodelusionFan]

How many hours did it take to assemble?

[stratpaulguy86]

@boredtodelusionFan On and off it took about a month to do. We only worked on it when we had the time. The average build time is about 20-30 hours. The recommended building sessions are less than 2 hours so figure a week or two if you work on it everyday and everything goes perfectly.

[ledzep443]

@stratpaulguy86 That's probably smart. I built mine in 2- 12 hour sessions and realized that I forgot one of the 100k resistors by the PI and almost blew the PI tube. (I got about 300vdc on the plates!) Safe to say I learned my lesson about taking breaks!

[Mr5150II]

Hewy it sounds amazing! Whats your volume at? Im thinkin of ordering one of these and I want that AC/DC type tone but i dont want to go to loud to get the distortion/gain out of the amp.

thanks

chris

[stratpaulguy86]

@Mr5150II My volume on this was nearly dimed. If volume is a concern, then don't even consider the Superleads. I would recommend on of George's JTM45 or 50w Kits + LarMar PPIMV. His PPIMVs actually work well in these amps and help you get realistic grind at lower volume. Thanks for checking the vid out!

[korakanthrwpos]

Nice video !!

Could u plz tell me the specifications u chose in capacitors,tubes and amplifiers ?

I'm interested in this amplifier !! thnx

[stratpaulguy86]

@korakanthrwpos It's lead spec, Sozo caps, Wing =C= EL34 tubes (aka Svetlana), and in this clip the dreaded G12T-75 Celestions. Since this rig to a couple of old echoplex's (bye bye Line 6), George L's for everything, and an early '80s Marshall cab w/ Celestion G12-65s. MUCH closer EJ's old tone and I'll be posting clips soon.

[korakanthrwpos]

NICE SOUND !!!

WHAT TUBES,CAPACITORS AND AMPLIFIERS YOU CHOSE AS A SETUP?

[skurtix]

Is this a '67 '68 or '69?

[Keenanlevick]

Hey, sounds awesome. Is this the Super Lead or Super Bass copy? Really nailed a great sound, EJ or otherwise.

[stratpaulguy86]

@Keenanlevick It's built to Superlead specs. Superbass may actually get you closer IDK. I have an old Marshall cab now with G12-65s (greenbacks on steriods) and the tone is MUCH closer now. Also I just purchased a vintage EP3 echoplex which should be here next week. I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to be even closer to that elusive violin tone!

[Taygoo15]

@stratpaulguy86 Is this the 12000

[stratpaulguy86]

@Taygoo15 Stock Metro 100w kit w/ Sozo upgrade. I guess it's '69 specs and I also used George's transformers. Worth mentioning I played this amp right next to a real 1969 Marshall Super Tremolo100 and it absolutely hung in with the real vintage Marshall. The only difference was that the Metro was slightly more responsive and slightly louder. Oh, and MUCH less hum!

[razorette1]

@stratpaulguy86 first time I turned on my Metro I thougt it was broke. I mean NO hum... after that short heart attack I heard my guitar. Metropoulos is the best!

[stratpaulguy86]

@Keenanlevick Superlead specs. I've since gotten closer since gettnig an old Marshall cabinet with G1265s, a couple old '70 Echoplexs, and all George L cables. Thanks for watching!

[weirdotis]

What size baffle is that (I assume it's a Clearsonic). I am really liking the way the baffle cuts down on the high end directly from the speakers and gives a more uniform tone.

[chrisn687]

Thank you so much for what you're doing here. I appreciat it very much. I'm curious,, how does this Metro stack up to your Ceriatones? I am looking for a Marshall style amp and money is a factor as I am a college student. For a large jump in price, is the Metro worth double the price of the Ceriatone?

[andy92811]

Sounds a lil hairy but overall pretty good!

[Kitarist88]

On what kind of tubes is this running on

[1960sBluesFan]

Nice tone I've been thinking about buying one of these for a while. Can you post a vid of you producing some joe bonamassa lead tones with this amp and your les paul. Like his current live lead tone on had to cry today, dazed and confused, blues deluxe, steppin out.....

Thank You

[vadlasletta]

I Love your tone!

[bigman12583]

I just got one of these put together with the help of my friend.Thank you for posting this i have been trying to get this tone for a while, thanks for the info. your right every one wants death metal gain out of a vintage amp other wise they say it sucks. I love it, keep it up. thanks.

[MarshallGunner]

dude, mic this rig up. You should also get a TC electronic G major/sharp/major 2, that would give you way better delay and reverb. Good job though, totally buying this amp once the money comes in.

Cheers!

[stratpaulguy86]

@MarshallGunner I'm hoping to get either a Fulltone SSTE echoplex clone or Skreddy Echo for the amp. I'm happy with the EP-3 sim on the DL4 for the moment though. A TC is way above my IQ and is too complicated...I'm more of a pedal guy! Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for checking out my video. Take care

[MarshallGunner]

Yeah buddy, I can't wait for the SSTE to be released. Its going to be like a grand though :(

Anyway, the Eric Johnson tone really shines through in this video. Keep posting, can't wait to hear the progress.

[MarshallGunner]

also, keep in mind its the Echoplex pre-amp that gives the tone. Check out the Xotic EP-Booster. Might want to consider running that somewhere in the chain.

[conjering]

Sorry I really don't hear anything special.

[stratpaulguy86]

@conjering Sucks to be in the minority doesn't it? Way to crap on my vid, but oh well I have a 100w Superlead that I love. Sorry you don't dig the tone, even though this is only 1% of what it's capable of. I haven't done any videos with the Les Paul for more of a rock type of thing yet. Perhaps you shouldn't be so quick to judge, or maybe you could share videos of your amazing tone? I'm not going to hold my breath...

[conjering]

All I'm saying is that it sounds like a 1959 that's all. Didn't mean to get underneath your skin.

[MarshallGunner]

@conjering aren't they the same thing? The 1959 superlead is a 68' Marshall Superlead, this is a Metro 66/68' Marshall....just wondering the difference

[conjering]

They are the same, the only thing that is different is the filtering, and in the case of a 66 is the OT and KT66. A 67/68 Super Lead haves different filtering than a 69 Super Lead, but the JTM was called Super Amp. Still a 1959 circuit.

[stratpaulguy86]

@conjering No problem dude and that's what it is...a replica of a 1959 Superlead. Most of the demos on Youtube are of Van Halen nuts who max the gain potential on these things with Kramers...just trying to offer a different take man. Hardly any videos on here trying to takle an EJ like tone. Thanks for checking out my video. Peace

[Kitarist88]

Found out that speakers are G12 T75 but what about the tubes? :D :D

[Kitarist88]

Can you please also tell use what kind of speakers did you use and tubes here?

Thanks!!!

[Powerslider]

Awesome stuff man. The tone is killer.

What does it cost to get such an amp together? Man i'd love one... But i would de(a)finetly need seriously attenuation with such a beast of an amp.

[fenderplayer757]

Im undecided between this and a jtm 45 at the moment so maybe you could give me some advice. Im really into Peter Green, Early Clapton, Page, and of course Bonamassa. Im running a 1960 vos plain top into a ts 808, tube driver ( 4 knob) and a fuzz face. Thank You

[stratpaulguy86]

@fenderplayer757 It really depends on your volume requirements. I think you'll find that the JTM45 has plenty of volume for almost any situation. The great thing about the Superleads is the headroom and MONSTEROUS sound. The JTM45 sounds similar but in a smaller package and easier on the ears. I also recommend a PPIMV for either or be prepared for serious volume. If you can get away with it, more power to ya!

[fenderplayer757]

Great tone!!! Can you make a vid of this amp paired with your jcm 2000 producing some bonamassa tones, such as the tone he uses for Blues Deluxe/Just Got Paid/Had to Cry Today. DOes Joe use his superlead in conjunction with his jubilee for his solo tone, or does he use his carol anne.

[stratpaulguy86]

@fenderplayer757 The DSL100 is in the shop at the moment, but I'll probably do some JB type stuff with both amps.

[bluebrowne13]

I really enjoy your demo's - you are also a heck of a player! Did you and your Dad actually build that Super Lead yourselves? It sounds fantastic!

[joeyzeeguitar]

do the big plastic things in front of the amp help the phasing of the amp??

[66jtm45]

congrats on on the build! looks & sounds great. the tube driver certainly smoothes the sound out.  Try these settings. They're EJ's actual settings. Presense-0, Bass-5, Mids-3, Treble-0, Vol.I-9, Vol.II-10.

I'd like to hear how much of a difference it would sound. Once again, great job.

[Traviswalknyc]

That really sounds great, wow!!!

[stratpaulguy86]

@Traviswalknyc Thanks Traviswalknyc! I really admire your tone as well and dig the Sterling/Bludodrive demos a lot! You easily have one of the best clean tones I've ever heard with that Sterling. Hopefully I'll have some more up soon with some Gibsons.

[livelystork]

Sounds great. Is that lead specs? Also, did you get the PPIMV, and what pickups are on your strat?

[stratpaulguy86]

Thanks man! It is built to lead specs, and 100% stock. I was afraid of it being too bright and aggressive, like the AC/DC tone. Don't get me wrong, I like that tone and it can easily ape that but it's PERFECT for the EJ tone right out of the box. The key is the "Y" cable and proper EQ/volume settings. No PPIMV in the amp. Pickups in the Strat are stock '57/'62s. I'm pretty lazy and keep everything stock lol.

[xlb3x]

Sounds great . I have a 12000 series and a metro kit plexi. I get a good Johnson tone also. I'll post a video soon. Which speakers are you using?

[stratpaulguy86]

Thanks man, believe it or not the dreaded G12T-75s that everyone rags on. I'm sure that some Scumbacks or Greenbacks would get even closer but I'm pretty satisfied with the tones I'm getting at the moment. Everyone is usually shocked when I tell them what's in there lol. They are more geared for edgier rock but I really like the midrange they provide so it's a tradeoff I guess.

[speedRickspeed]

the settings from the beginning, i can't really see it, can you tell me ?

[stratpaulguy86]

presense-off

treble-1

mids-3

bass-2

volume I - 9.5

volume II - 6.5

[speedRickspeed]

thanks