Got the Judge yesterday...

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rblyn

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I know this has been reviewed here before, mostly positive- but this module is brand new to me..traded it for a couple of other stockers...Really an excellent stock module (best stock I've heard or played), sounds and plays like modded modules to me. Actually, all of Lynch's are really good. I use the Mr Scary, Grail, Brahma (gain mod by Scott) and now the Judge in live situations and just killer tones. I am really digging the Judge a little more than all of them, it's very responsive to pick attack, cuts REALLY well in the mix and plenty of gain for what I do.It wont be leaving my RM100 anytime soon...If Friedman designed this one, he really is awesome. Makes me want to check out the Scott Ian modules since he had designed those as well.
 
Ultron said:
agreed....I grabbed one here from DonBarzini, and it's definitely my fav module now. What I love most about it is the "feel"...it's really responsive and makes it easier to play.

Yeah, it is easier to play...hard to explain why?, almost like it has more tube sag, its not as stiff as other modules? Its definitely a keeper.
 
Yes! The judge is a really great module. My favourite for the late 70's, early 80's boosted plexi sound.
 
I'm hot and cold on the Judge.. to my ears it is mid heavy and a little "soft" and meaty when compared to the Brahma which is brighter and tighter and has more of a mettalic/classic sound. I find that unless I am boosting the judge to bring out some tight higher end, I am less impressed by it. I like it... but I don't "love" it. Good for fluid leads though.
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
I'm hot and cold on the Judge.. to my ears it is mid heavy and a little "soft" and meaty when compared to the Brahma which is brighter and tighter and has more of a mettalic/classic sound. I find that unless I am boosting the judge to bring out some tight higher end, I am less impressed by it. I like it... but I don't "love" it. Good for fluid leads though.

Really? That's beauty of tone though...all of us like different attack, gain, eq etc...I like the Brahma but LOVE the Judge and like the "meaty" tone especially live. You may want to check out Voodoo amp's Jose mods then based on your feedback. I just got one of those and it is unbelievable- even better than the Judge or the Brahma, but also different in that it has an internal pot to adjust the overall gain and has more usable gain than any other module I've used to date. Absolutely killer modded Marshall tones and really easy to play. It also can sound like either one with some tweaking....
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
I'm hot and cold on the Judge.. to my ears it is mid heavy and a little "soft" and meaty when compared to the Brahma which is brighter and tighter and has more of a mettalic/classic sound. I find that unless I am boosting the judge to bring out some tight higher end, I am less impressed by it. I like it... but I don't "love" it. Good for fluid leads though.

I sold the Judge I had pretty quick. I wish I would have spent more time with it but the JF Brahma, JF Scary, and stock SL+ sounded better for my needs.
 
What did JF doto your Brahma? Is there any change in the voicing or just gain and bottom end?
 
eyeball987 said:
Kapo_Polenton said:
I'm hot and cold on the Judge.. to my ears it is mid heavy and a little "soft" and meaty when compared to the Brahma which is brighter and tighter and has more of a mettalic/classic sound. I find that unless I am boosting the judge to bring out some tight higher end, I am less impressed by it. I like it... but I don't "love" it. Good for fluid leads though.

I sold the Judge I had pretty quick. I wish I would have spent more time with it but the JF Brahma, JF Scary, and stock SL+ sounded better for my needs.

There is some crossover sounds with your modules and the Judge, more so with the modded ones. I see Charvel in your sig?? I have three San Dimas (two 1's and a style 2) Killer guitars....
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
What did JF doto your Brahma? Is there any change in the voicing or just gain and bottom end?

There is a push/pull on the gain knob. In is the stock Brahma setting with the warmth/clarity thing and pulled is a gain/bottom boost. It is the module that all others stand judgement against for me.

It can cover Plexi, JMP, and JCM800 flavors. There is something in the mids that just sounds warm and feels great. I do want to try a SG MK22 someday.
 
Interesting... I'm a fan of the high end of the Brahma personally. I also don't need the low end but gain is always fun!
 
I'm still digging my Judge. I had a short lapse of not liking the mod. Mode 2 I didn't like (fuzzy) & mode 1 had a high end I just couldn't really get to my liking. Recently moved all of my stuff to the "man cave" & that has had a significant affect on the tone of the rig as a whole, and the Judge is back in favor.
Yesterday I thought lets see if the Brahma & Judge can be dialed in the same. Judge gain had to be dialed back to 6.5-7 while the Brahma had to be dimed for the same amount of gain. The eqs were close, maybe off a point or 2 and the sound between the 2 was pretty close (mode 1). If I was blind testing no way I would have noticed a difference. At any rate I came across something "odd" this mid gain tone was killer. It had raw power & articulation. It sounded good playing old school Megadeth & Metallica, late 70s to early 80s Kiss & other stuff from that time frame. Add some chorus & some good Lynch tones were also there. I guess sometimes less is more. :shock:

By the way in the "new" room mode 2 doesn't have any fuzz, but it still lacks a sheen/shimmer. Kind of dull sounding. Maybe a better description is it lacks bite. I'm still tweaking mids, highs, & the bright switch to see if I can take out that dullness on mode 2. Although a little delay and the neck pickup for slower lead runs is cool sounding.
 
I had to mod the Judge for more high end cut... I don't get this notion or report that it is too bright. Are you using an RM22? Seems to be a common complaint from people using EL84's.
 
Another fan of the Judge, here. It is my favorite. I just recently joined the MTS fray. I bought twelve different modules to see what I would like best. After I ditched the stock tubes for NOS, I found (find) myself playing the Judge more than 90% of the time.

To my ears the JF Brahma and the Brown Eye did not hold a candle to this module and they were both sold on ebay without any regrets. (I don't have the required 10 posts yet to sell in the MTS classifieds.)

FWIW, this module was shipped to me direct from the manufacturer and it sounded pretty bad with the stock tubes. It had overbearing raspy nasal overtones, which disappeared when I put in good NOS tubes.
 
CatSloane said:
Another fan of the Judge, here. It is my favorite. I just recently joined the MTS fray. I bought twelve different modules to see what I would like best. After I ditched the stock tubes for NOS, I found (find) myself playing the Judge more than 90% of the time.

To my ears the JF Brahma and the Brown Eye did not hold a candle to this module and they were both sold on ebay without any regrets. (I don't have the required 10 posts yet to sell in the MTS classifieds.)

FWIW, this module was shipped to me direct from the manufacturer and it sounded pretty bad with the stock tubes. It had overbearing raspy nasal overtones, which disappeared when I put in good NOS tubes.

Agree and I miss my Judge (traded it but shouldnt have!) Will get another- it is the best stock module out there (1987 is **** good too)
 
I luv the GTO so much - that I got 2

boost & para eq and its instant 80's metal

plus it plays well with a graphic eq too (unlike some other
modules)
 
fuzzboat said:
I luv the GTO so much - that I got 2

boost & para eq and its instant 80's metal

plus it plays well with a graphic eq too (unlike some other
modules)

Cool! I dont even boost or EQ mine...Just stock but still love it. I dont know what I was thinking but I traded mine a few months ago- Got another recently and will NOT part with this one. I've had/have what many consider the BEST modded modules and still use this module quite a bit. It's got a chewy, brown tone and feel that I keep coming back to....
 
Does anyone else find the bright switch to be semi-useless? It sounds to my ear like the cap is too big or too small. If it were bigger, it would just be a gain boost with some low end roll off. If it were smaller, it would just add some chime to the sound. As it is now, it just seems ill-sized.
 
notyet said:
Does anyone else find the bright switch to be semi-useless? It sounds to my ear like the cap is too big or too small. If it were bigger, it would just be a gain boost with some low end roll off. If it were smaller, it would just add some chime to the sound. As it is now, it just seems ill-sized.

In a way, yes...but it is pretty much the same with any of the stock mods when gain is cranked...which is where I usually have my Judge. For some reason, this one sounds best with high gain settings and thins out a bit as you back off. Ive read here on many posts that the bright switch on these stockers really looses its effect with higher gain settings though-
 
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