New Clip and New Module: Sacred Grooves Intruder MKIII

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Mike P

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Hey Guys,

I've linked below to a clip created with the new SG Intruder MkIII (also known as the "Bully"). Scott approached me about this module a few months back and while I liked the concept, I wasn't hip on the name or faceplate idea (Sorry, Guys!). I wanted more of a traditional Van Halen type theme for the module and came up with the name "Intruder MkIII".

At my request, Scott implemented a Low/High gain switch that I dubbed "Ice/Fire", as a homage to "Ice Cream Man" and "I'm On Fire" from VH1. After going back and forth on the graphics, I chose the Red/Silver/Black as opposed to the Black/Yellow from VH1 because I felt it "popped" a little more. It also features a clear LED, which looks bitchin' when powered up.

In this clip, I used my Warmoth/Charvel clone in "Fire" mode with the second gain structure in the "Push" mode. The tone stack and voicing is very, very different from the SG Mk22, as is the gain structure. With this module, it's really easy to get that early JTM45 tone, especially in "Ice" mode and in Fire/Shove mode, it's like a high gain modified Plexi, with gain for days. But it's pure Marshall tone, through and through. :)

Please feel free to ask any questions and enjoy!

www.mikeplas.com/mlib/am/boogiechild.mp3

intruder.jpg
 
Very nice tone...Glad Scott's getting the break from MTS that he wanted... :lol:

It's kinda a "butterface" mod to me but tone is what matters in the end...I haven't heard anything from Scott that didn't sound great...
 
Yes, much like "The Bully," but Mike did a few little things differently. Great recording, as always, Mike. It really showcases how awesome this module is.
 
Sounds great as a stand alone tone but sounds a little soft for VH to me. I think it might be how you positioned the mic. I bet a 57 would give it that VH feel and bring back the harder edges to the sound that I hear..especially the first album. I am aware however that my opinion means little to you as often stated so to each their own.
 
That sounds f-in fantastic. If Scott ever gets in a place where he can take orders again, that might be a good companion module to my MK22.
 
crankyrayhanky said:
:shock: killer VH tone

Yeah, it's a great sounding early Marshall tone. I didn't do anything "special" to make it sound like it does: It's just got that sound.

Mattfig said:
It's kinda a "butterface" mod to me but tone is what matters in the end...I haven't heard anything from Scott that didn't sound great...

Yeah, it's definitely "loud" in appearance. I wanted something fun and Scott was kind enough to accommodate my request. I'm sure that you and Scott could come up with a faceplate with more mass appeal. This was just kind of a "one off" for me. I think the Bully faceplate is quite a bit different as well.

drewiv said:
Yes, much like "The Bully," but Mike did a few little things differently. Great recording, as always, Mike. It really showcases how awesome this module is.

Thanks, Drew! And thanks to both you and Scott for coming up with the initial design and idea. :)

Whoopysnorp said:
That sounds f-in fantastic. If Scott ever gets in a place where he can take orders again, that might be a good companion module to my MK22.

Yeah, I think it's a great companion to the MK22. It's definitely got that 60's Marshall vibe and the midrange is quite different from the 70's Plexi's. If I had an SG, I could nail Clapton's tone in Cream. It's just a really cool Marshall module! :)
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
Sounds great as a stand alone tone but sounds a little soft for VH to me. I think it might be how you positioned the mic. I bet a 57 would give it that VH feel and bring back the harder edges to the sound that I hear..especially the first album. I am aware however that my opinion means little to you as often stated so to each their own.

Well, there are several factors in play here but the most important is that I don't like EVH's tone on VH1 and that wasn't what I had in mind when I recorded this clip.

Also, I used a Mojave 201 and a Vintech (Neve clone). Van Halen's classic tone was two '57's through a modified API console. API's are really aggressive and "fast" mic preamps whereas Neve's are softer and more "pillowy". I've owned API preamps in the past and just didn't care for them and that sound for my recordings and playing.

Lastly, I wasn't trying to replicate EVH's tone verbatim. I'm sure that if I took some time, I could get much closer but to be honest, I'm not really interested in trying to replicate his sound. I haven't moved or even touched the microphone position since October 2010. I wrote the drums, then the riff and tracked it all in less than an hour.

I'm sure that someone more in tune with EVH's playing and style could dial in this module to perfectly replicate his early tone. I'm just not that guy. :wink:
 
That's cool.. I also don't blame you for not wanting to touch that mic once you've found the sweet spot. It can be such a ***** to find again once lost!
 
Mike P said:
Thanks, Drew! And thanks to both you and Scott for coming up with the initial design and idea. :)
:D
I just started talking (typing) and Scott did the rest. It started with wanting a modified Brown, moved to VH, then we got into a pretty deep discussion of VHII/Fair Warning tone. Scott is brilliant at doing what he does, all the thank yous goes directly to Scott. Mike, your recording is fantastic, you really found a way to capture a lot of the tone I thought would get lost in a recording. There's really something special about hearing this module live, this one really comes alive in the room.
 
I don't what to hijack Mike's thread, but I thought this was the appropriate place to post a pic of mine since Mike posted a clip. Again, these are similar mods, Mike added a few tweaks to his. "The Bully" gain switch is labeled "Flight/Fight" the same "Push/Shove" for structure. I upgraded it with Marshall knobs and thumbscrews courtesy of Big Brewtus. Mike did his own thing with the name and graphics and I think his looks great too. When Scott and I were coming up with these graphics I was looking for something that felt like Fair Warning. When Scott came up with this graphic and sent it to me, I didn't hesitate for a second. I think it turned out fantastic. Many thanks to Scott for yet another awesome mod!

8688166c-2.jpg
 
Mike, thanks for the great clip! I'm listening to it again as I type! The first part has an On Fire/Outta Love Again type riff with some swing to it, and the second part is a bit like Panama, again with a swing feel. Sorry, I tend to overanalyze things and then let my observations be known...LOL

Drew, thanks for posting your pic. I too thought of using Marshall knobs for the Bully, and it looks great. Maybe as good as it sounds!

I was all about doing a mod like this. I had a wanted to do this for a long time, and Drew gave me the opportunity, so I had to do it. Even though this module is tuned for early VH, we made sure to add in some different gain structuring to increase its versatility.

The Fight/Flight feature determines the number of gain stages used, and I did that in order to achieve some JTM-like tones.
The Push/Shove feature was Drews idea, and was originally going to be THE gain switch, but it turned into a shift in gain, where Push is kinda glassy and crunchy and sustainy, while Shove takes it over the top.

FWIW, the only difference between the Intruder and Bully is the graphics. I really like the Intruder graphics, but it's strictly a one-off. The Bully is "official."

Thanks again guys for posting your mods!
 
Hey Scott, any chance we could hear some clips of this thing doing the lower gain JTM45 tones and the crunchier glassy side of it as opposed to the gainier stuff? My personal fave VH tone is the 1984 tone when his amps were about to die and his tone was thin and scratchy.
 
Hey Dudes, thanks for the kind words. I've been super busy this year and I've hardly worked the past four month because we've had a major remodel happen in our home (including a new floated, soundproofed studio - pics to follow!) and we welcomed our second daughter just 3 weeks ago.

I've only had time for four tracks since the remodel began in April but I did use the Intruder/Bully for the track linked below. I'm hoping to get back on track in mid-September and I'll post more in the future. Enjoy!

www.mikeplas.com/mlib/am/rowparty.mp3
 
Great sounding mod and recordings! I was always partial to the yellow, black and white Eddy stripes :). But no mistaking who those graphics are meant to invoke!
 
This why I regret not asking Scott for a dual Bully when I had the chance.. I was too eager to bring home my Mk22 and Uberschwarz so I couldn't wait for for another mod. If anyone wants to part with their dual Bully let me know..
 
I bought Scott's MK22 and Bully a couple of years ago. They haven't left my one RM100 since I got them.
 
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