1987 Vs. GTO

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The Rossness

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How do the Scot Ian 1987 and Lynch Judge GTO compare tone-wise? I've heard they're similar and are both products of Dave Friedman. Do they compare to his BE, HBE, BlackE mods? Which do you like more?
 
I have them both and they are great modules.

At their core, the GTO is more on the hot rodded plexi side while the 1987 is closer to a JCM800 with a little more gain. The GTO definitely has more gain and I use it on it's own, while I use an MXR wylde overdrive with the 1987 with great results.

My uses for each modules are the following:

1987: AC/DC crunch without boost. Zack Wyle boosted JCM sound with a boost.

GTO: 80's hot rodded plexi (Dokken, RATT, Van Halen)

The EQ of the 1987 is quite broad and responsive and with the gain maxed it found a way to approximate the sound of the GTO. However, the opposite is not true. The GTO sounds more compressed while the 1987 sounds more full and opened.

I have had a good share of marshall sounding modules (JTM, Plexi, 1086, Mash-all +, SL++, Mr Scary, stock and friedman Brahmas and others I forget). For the uses above, the GTO and the 1987 ended up being the ones I kept.

For the boosted JCM sound, the 1987 and the egnater SL++ are both valid options, with the SL++ being perhaps a little more genuine (more agressive, raspier and a little mid scooped), but the 1987 has the advantage of being more flexible.

I would recommend anyone here to get those. They are among the last modules produced and it is obvious they benefited from the trial and error that went in the previous ones.
 
This is a quote from dave friedman when i asked him about The Judge

"No it's more like a brown eye with a saturation switch"
 
Hahahahah! Thanks for notifying me . I did amend the message. I meant that the 1987 was LESS compressed. Fuller and more opened souding.
 
THEJUDGE said:
This is a quote from dave friedman when i asked him about The Judge

"No it's more like a brown eye with a saturation switch"
Saturation switch? I didn't think there was much of a gain boost or saturation boost with mode to the right.
Maybe just a bit, but I hear it as more of a blanket switch.

Seriously, with the treble knob all the way up I'm not sure I'm satisfied with the amount of high end in that mode.
 
Rade, you and I have the same ear for modules.. I hear the Judge the exact same way.. it doesn't have enough high end cut through. It is mostly mids and they seem soft to me too. The Brahma I modded (once i dialed back the gain) is closer to what the Judge should have sounded like in my opinion. It has the mids and it has the cut. The only thing it needs more of is probably bass but it is my VH module now so I am not stressing. The "mode" switch is totally the "blanket switch". Too bad it couldn't be made more useful... I keep contemplating modding the Judge or just getting rid of it. I have the same gain with my other module now so maybe it is time.
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
Rade, you and I have the same ear for modules.. I hear the Judge the exact same way.. it doesn't have enough high end cut through. It is mostly mids and they seem soft to me too. The Brahma I modded (once i dialed back the gain) is closer to what the Judge should have sounded like in my opinion. It has the mids and it has the cut. The only thing it needs more of is probably bass but it is my VH module now so I am not stressing. The "mode" switch is totally the "blanket switch". Too bad it couldn't be made more useful... I keep contemplating modding the Judge or just getting rid of it. I have the same gain with my other module now so maybe it is time.

Definately a "blanket" switch when Mode 2 is engaged. Maybe with a maple body and maple neck & fretboard it might be more useful & cut through. I think at some point I'll have JF mod mode 2 to be like the Brahma eyeball987 had modded. Sounds like he had a gain increase & clarity/warmth mods done.
 
Hamner1 said:
Kapo_Polenton said:
Rade, you and I have the same ear for modules.. I hear the Judge the exact same way.. it doesn't have enough high end cut through. It is mostly mids and they seem soft to me too. The Brahma I modded (once i dialed back the gain) is closer to what the Judge should have sounded like in my opinion. It has the mids and it has the cut. The only thing it needs more of is probably bass but it is my VH module now so I am not stressing. The "mode" switch is totally the "blanket switch". Too bad it couldn't be made more useful... I keep contemplating modding the Judge or just getting rid of it. I have the same gain with my other module now so maybe it is time.

Definately a "blanket" switch when Mode 2 is engaged. Maybe with a maple body and maple neck & fretboard it might be more useful & cut through. I think at some point I'll have JF mod mode 2 to be like the Brahma eyeball987 had modded. Sounds like he had a gain increase & clarity/warmth mods done.

Disagree with the blanket statement...although it does get darker and slightly more compressed- You do bring up a good point, I use all USA Charvels (San Dimas models) with maple necks/fretboards. These definitely have a bit more cut than a Gibson would with the module.
 
Wondering how even the production on this model is.

On mine:

- No "blanket effect". Rather a "Those piercing treble are finally gone". And to be even more accurate, this is the only module I have even owned that sounded different once broken in. The regular mode now seems significantly more balanced than it used to be.

- No drop of volume whatsover between the modes. But interestingly, I get this exact effect on my Friedman modded Brahma with a saturation switch. Volume gooes down by close to half when it is engaged.
 
Steven Latch said:
Wondering how even the production on this model is.

On mine:

- No "blanket effect". Rather a "Those piercing treble are finally gone". And to be even more accurate, this is the only module I have even owned that sounded different once broken in. The regular mode now seems significantly more balanced than it used to be.

- No drop of volume whatsover between the modes. But interestingly, I get this exact effect on my Friedman modded Brahma with a saturation switch. Volume gooes down by close to half when it is engaged.



No drop in volume on mine either. Cant speak to breaking it in though as I traded for mine and got it second hand. All I can say is it one of best I've played- stock or modded.
 
Well when mine was new I couldn't stand mode 1, too bright & shrill & mode 2 was butter. After about a month mode 2 seemed dull & sounded like a blanket was put over my cab. I switched it to mode 1 & the highs were still a bit much but I was able to eq that out for the most part. Gradually the highs mellowed even more to where it's at now. Usually I am playing it using a Jackson DXMG loaded with EMG actives (89). When I have some time tomorrow maybe I'll a/b test with the King V and a strat project that has a maple neck & fretboard to see what results I get.
 
Well we seem to have been through the same curve with the Judge. Using mode 1 or 2 is now very pickup dependant, but gone are the days where mode 1 was so ice pick harsh I couldn't use it.
 
I wish my judge ripped my head off with the high end! I actually don't mind the regular channel with bright on now. It is crunchy and all mids. I still find the mids to not be that tight but for what it is, it can work. The mode switch or saturation switch could probably sound cool if the volume didn't drop. I'd take the 1987 over it or trade for a 1987 if anyone wants to though!
 
Here is what I thought o the tests I did. Maybe tomorrow with more time I will try & get some clips.
BC Rich Strat with Screamin Demon in the bridge
In mode 1 I had the bright off. It was ok with the bright on on the low E & A, but seemed to be a little ice picky on the higher strings. Mode 2 had little more saturation and a slight volume drop. At the same settings it was not great but not quite the blanket over the speakers I have with the DXMG. In my opinion I had to do some extreme EQing to the highs to like this mode again. Bright on, Bass 12:30, Mids 2:00, Treble 3:00.

King V-Pro with EMG 85 in the Bridge
This is also a relatively bright guitar. More so than I expected. Could be a result of the Ebony board, Khaler, and shape maybe. Mode 2 settings tended to be close although I had to bump the highs & mids up a little. 3:00 mids, 4:00 Treble. Bright still on. I think the added compression from the EMGs is the reason why it seemed a bit dull with the same settings as the Rich.

Jackson DXMG with EMG 89 in the bridge
Mode 2 had to be even more extreme EQing. Definately blanket over the speaker as I was used to (at first). To remove the blanket I had the Bright on, Treble maxed, Mids 3:00, Bass 1:00.

To clarify, when I say extreme EQing - I am refering to anything outside of 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock.

All in all I warmed up to mode 2 some at least enough to mess with it some more.
 
EDIT:

Well, after spending some more time with those modules, they can actually sound incredibly close. The GTO has in fact just a tiny more bit gain than 1987, but I can get them to sound very, very close. The voicing of the 1987 is just closer to a JCM 800 and the GTO to a plexi.

Where the 1987 shines though is in the useable gain departement. I can do light crunch, big crunch and overdrive while the GTO is really an overdrive module.
 
Guys, I made some minor tweaks to my Judge to bring in more clarity and tad more highs. I'd still like to hear from more of you whether or not you experience a volume drop when you put it into mode 2? If not, I'd love to see a gut shot of your Judge to compare it to mine.
 
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