Features: 8
This review describes a '72 Park 100W Lead head with the Roccaforte "HI GAIN" modification. Admittedly, its a early Marshall type of amp (an exact copy of the 1959 Super Lead design actually). After the modification, it has a single channel and only 1 input, master volume, and no effects loop. Its not a "Line 6" kind of thing in that you get the kitchen sink as well as all the other standard features, but having been there, I am glad to not be pursuing that end of guitar technology anymore. Great tone is the key requirement for the experienced player with well developed ears and skills. This amp does its thing wonderfully by virture of its no frills design.
Sound Quality: 10
I generally use this amp to get an Early Van Halen sound since it clearly excels at that. So I play it with Fat Strats (humbuckers in the bridge) and Peavey Wolfgangs. For those who haven't checked it out, Peavey Wolfgangs have extremely dynamic and responsive pickups which are superb for rock guitar.

The tone of this modified amp is spectacular. The entire gain range of the preamp is usable and musical.

With the Master wide open, and the preamp gain at "1", you get a very clear and punchy clean sound. The EQ controls are very responsive, and depending onyour speakers, you can get a very usable range of clean sounds with clear attack and smooth. Good for rhythm and funk. Lots of headroom, and plenty loud. Bring your earplugs.

With Preamp at 12 to 2 o'clock, you've entered rock territory. Van Halen sound enthusiasts are probably reading this review, so I will re-iterate what everyone else has said. This setting is classic with a capital "VH". Dial it bright for VH I, darken it up for "unchained" and the brown sound, or just noodle around for that ZZ toppish sound of "Full Bug". Its all there if your hands know what to do. No Variac or dummy loads required. :-)

To be honest, your cabs used and exact tone desired will prescribe the EQ settings you need. Doug played this through a Marshall 4x12 and mexican Strat with single coils. It its sounded just like that...single coils through a Marshall. Classic Hendrix and early 70's sounds. I play with a Mesa recitfier 4x12. Its bassier, but still responds and sounds fine. The simple trick and beauty of it all is that the EQ *actually* works. This preamp has plenty of high end to give you the bite you need to sound like a classic early marshall, but you can cut highs, or boost mids and bass to compensate whatever. It really works much better than any other old Marshall I've played. At this rock rhythm setting, its also worth noting that string attack dynamics are clearly present. You clearly notice the difference between a bar D and supended 2nd or 4th. And if you whack on the 5th and 6th with heavy staccato, it sounds right (read really bitchin's cool). Got a strat and want to do Voodoo Child or Wind Cry's Mary? This thing is awesome. Listen to the sound bytes at www.roccaforteamps.com to
get an idea of what I mean.

With the preamp all the way up, the amp simply gets more fluid making lead playing really fun. But it still retains the bulk of its character dialed in with the EQ, and without the characterize "buzz" of modern high gain preamp structures. Doug's preamp architecture is designed to let the primary high frequencies from the guitar (and not just harmonic distortion overtones) continue to ring through even at high gain settings. Its very well tuned.

I should also say that I'm a proponent of external clean boost applied before the front end of the amp. Adding 6 to 10 dB of clean gain and a little EQ into the preamp with gain set at 12-2 o'clock gives me the rock tones I need and foot switching capability. Its a tried and true formula and it still works for many pros today.

Reliability: N/A
Old Marshall. Point to Point. Etc etc. This category isn't too relevant for vintage amps. We all know what we're getting. Customer Support: 10 This category deserves as much text as the sounds and tone descriptions, but I'm admittedly running out of time. Let me just say that Doug demonstrated a true desire to deliver a quality product that I would be happy with. He himself is an experienced player who has been around music all his life and knows the pitfalls of the brand name amp designs and how they often don't live up to professional expectations.

If your straightforward, honest, and really aware of what you are looking for in your guitar sound, Doug will go beyond the extra mile to get you there. You'll probably learn something interesting on the way too. It's been a
pleasure dealing with him so far and I'm looking forward throwing more business his way in the future.
Overall Rating: 10
Not much more to say here. If you have an old marshall and you want to make it sound like a million bucks for just a few hundred, call Doug.

If you are looking for a unique new amp that does Texas blues, Early Van Halen, and many other classic tones like nobody's business, call Doug. Many well known and accomplished players have. He'll tell you about them.

If you aren't sure what you need, call Doug anyway. He may put you on the right road.
Submitted by Anonymous at 03/22/2002 12:07

Features: 7
I had the Roccaforte Marshall mod performed on my 1979 Marshall MKII Master Lead 100 watt head. These amps have simple features and complex sound - one input, presence, bass, mid, treble, master volume, and preamp gain volume. One channel, no reverb, no effects loop. I think the lack of bells and whistles in the signal path helps make this a great sounding amp. This is the only category where I consider a 7 rating to be better than a 10.

Sound Quality: 9
I play a '79 Fender Strat outfitted with SD Antiquities, an '82 LP Custom with '57 Classic PUs, and a '94 PRS CE22 with a Fralin HB in the bridge and SD '59 in the neck. I usually run the head into a VHT 2x12 cab. I use this setup for various flavors of rock - classic to modern. Nothing much heavier than Zepelin or Collective Soul. I set the amp with pre-gain around 3.5 which yields a nice clear-crunch. Every string of a chord can still be heard. Higher settings up to about 5 bring on nice crunch while still retaining good string definition. Past 5, Marshall distortion really starts kicking in. The amp is capable of huge amounts of gain - much more than I need. The beauty of this amp is that it sounds great at all of these drive levels. Many amps have 'sweet spots' but the Roccaforte mod really delivers a wide-range of usable Marshall sounds. Doug's mod also alters the frequencies controlled by the low, mid, and high controls and makes them very usable. The tone controls are more Plexi-like. The clean sound is good but can be a little hard to achieve - you have to run the gain very low. Bottom line - this mod delivers great Marshall sounds.

Reliability: 10
I try never to gig without a backup but I am confident in this amp. So far I have used it on several two-nighter gigs and all is well. No glitches or hiccups. I know time will tell the tale but in talking with Doug Roccaforte, I can tell he takes pride and care in his work.

Customer Support: 10
Doug Roccaforte seems like a great guy. He takes time to talk with his clients and feel-out what they need. Turnaround time on this mod was remarkable. Doug received the amp on a Wednesday, stayed up late to perform the job that night, tested it throughout the day Thursday, packed it Friday and sent it on its way Monday. I have never experienced such great turnaround with anyone else.

Overall Rating: 9
I am 38 and have been playing for a lot of years. I've owned Other Marshalls from a '67 Plexi through a JCM 800, Mesa Boogie MKIV, Mesa RectoVerb, Bogner Shiva, several Dr. Zs, Blackface Fenders, etc. This is one of the best sounding amps I've ever owned. It's the best Marshall sound I've owned - in my opinion, it beats the '67 Plexi. Of course, tone is relative and what's right for me isn't right for everyone but if you love pure Marshall tone, this is hard to beat.

Submitted by Brady at 09/05/2000 15:00

Features: 8
My amp is a Marshall MKII Master Lead 100 watt head that has had the Roccaforte Mod installed in it by Doug Roccaforte himself. It is not a feature laden amp....but that is the beauty of this amp. It has one input, presence, bass, mid, treble, master volume, and preamp gain volume. The are no tone sucking effects loops or reverb. So although it doesn't have all the features of say a Mesa or Gutron amp I'm still going to give it an 8 because it's wide versatility of tones it has on stage and in the studio.

Sound Quality: 10
I play a Fender Strat Plus and a Gibson Les Paul thru my Roccaforte modded Marshall 100 watt head on top of a Marshall 4-12" cab or a Rivera 2-12" cab depending on the size of the gig or studio date. The only way to appreciate Doug Roccaforte's tube amps is with a rockin' band and a loud drummer in a live stage setting. It's wide variety of clean, overdrive, crunch, or screaming high gain Marshall tones then has a chance to really blossom. With lower gain setting from 2-3 the tone is very close to my Fender Showman head....loud and blackface clean with maybe a bit more mid bite. Mid gain settings from 3-5 bring on searing SRV Texas Flood, Voodoo Chile overdrive tones. Higher preamp gain settings from 5-7 and you are in Marshall crunch heaven...certified authentic AC/DC, Aerosmith tones. Then at about a gain setting of 8 or so think Soldano or high gain Marshall blistering distortion. Very fat with thick mids and a beautiful top end slice. If you play in your living room only you just won't be able to appreciate the beautiful shades of clean, crunch, or searing tube tones Doug's mod has. This amp belongs on stage or laying down critical studio rock or blues guitar parts. Also the Roccaforte mod is not a buzzy Mesa high gain, mid-scooped amp. It is definitely more a
Marshall influenced tone machine.

Reliability: 10
I have played six 5-hr. gigs and two studio dates so far with my Roccaforte modded Marshall 100 watt head and it has performed flawlessly. Although as Doug has advised me it is always smart to have a backup amp at any paying gig. But so far I have not needed my backup blackface Bassman yet.

Customer Support: 10
I have never had better customer service from any amp builder or amp tech than I have had from Doug Roccaforte. Once he received my Marshall amp head he changed all the filter caps and installed his mod in two working days and then had it packed and ready for shipping back to me on the third day he had it. Super quick in-shop turn around time! Plus his friendly emails and knowledgeable amp advice has given me much confidence in Doug. He's the best.

Overall Rating: 9
Overall I am going to rate Roccaforte's Marshall mod a strong 9. It's got all the authentic Marshall tube tones in it from clean to overdrive to blistering high gain. But not high gain as in Mesa amps. It's been really fun tweaking the preamp gain knob on stage to get all the cool tube tones the Roccaforte mod can get. Roccaforte tube amps are the real thing. Rock On!!

Submitted by Pete Geraty at 08/15/2000 03:18

Features: 7
This amp is/was a Red Bear that Doug did for a friend of his. By way of chance, I got a hold of it. I don't know the year. I believe that Doug did his mod to it last year or the year before. Like Doug's own amps, the features are limited. There are only six knobs, presence, low, mid, high, master volume and pre-amp volume. This does not speak to its versatility at all. Like another reviewer said, 7 beats a ten in this category.

Sound Quality: 10
I play a lot of different types of music, but mainly classic rock. This is BY FAR THE BEST amp I have ever played. It is the most responsive, most sensitive, best sounding amp I've played in my home or in a music store or anywhere else. Turn the gain down, and you have the best clean tone you've ever heard. Turn the gain up, and you have a fantastic AC/DC type crunch. Turn the gain somewhere to the middle and roll down the volume knob on your guitar, and you can nail the SRV tone. I'm using a McInturff Polaris Pro and a 1968 ES-345 through it, but even with a cheap Mexican strat, this amp is not capable of making a bad sound.

Reliability: N/A
I haven't had this long enough to comment on this except to say that Doug does extremely clean and solid work.

Customer Support: 10
Notice how I'm calling the amp builder by his first name? A week ago, I didn't know him. This is the measure of how kind and helpful he is.

I sent him an e-mail telling him how ecstatic I was to have gotten a hold of this amp and that I wanted him to mod another amp of mine. When I called him, we talked for half an hour about tone and other amps, etc. When I dropped off the new amp I wanted modded, we talked for another half hour. Doug is the friendliest guy in the world. He told me if a tube went bad in my amp during the break-in period, he would replace it free of charge.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing sixteen years, and I'm probably the least accomplished player to own one of Doug's modded heads. For the last year, I've been on a holy quest for tone, going through some fantastic guitars, and recently going through every amp in every music shop I can get to. These include Fenders, Marshalls, and the Line 6 stuff. I also bought a SF Bassman modded into a Fuchs Overdrive Supreme. Nothing is even in the same ballpark as the Roccaforte-modded Red Bear. Nothing. It's scary to think how much better his own amps must be.

Submitted by Ian Brigstocke at 03/18/2001 19:26

Features: N/A
I recently picked up a 71 Marshall 50 watt tremolo head in decent condition. Already owning an early 70's super lead I though that this would be a good amp to have some fun with. So I went to see Doug and asked him to hook me up.

Before features speed, intensity, presence, bass, mid, treb, vol 1, vol 2.

After features are presence, bass, mid, treble, master vol, pre vol

Sound Quality: 10
I love that big thick vintage tone that is associated with older marshalls. I am using a strat, PRS CU22 and a McCarty soapbar with this amp. I play basically rock music styles in a post modern church. I go from a punk to a bluesy feel all within one set.

This amp sounds AMAZING. Doug was leery at first to do his mod on a 50watt. He says that generally the 50s tend to be too mushy for his tastes but because of the extra tube in the tremolo model Marshall must have used a bigger(stronger) power transformer. The mod worked great in this head.

The amp is dead quiet even with a lot of gain dialed in. Doug changes the entire front end of the amp and then dials in the specific preamp tubes to match up with his circuit. I can go from a great thick clean that will actually sustain when notes are held out at volume to a BRUTAL overdriven distortion. It is really cool how many tones leap out of this amp. Turned up it flat out screams and has a huge low end chunk factor. It has all the cool tones, all of the classic 70's rock with a great modern OD sound as well. THIS IS NOT A BOOGIE! All of the frequencies are there. This is not that shrill diode crap either. Just tons of pure tube OD. It works well at lower volumes but straight in from the guitar turned up into a 4x12 is heaven. I hate the comparisons to players like EVH but if that is the tone you are shooting for you can find it here.

Reliability: N/A
Doug is a craftsman that cares about the work he does and takes pride in the finished product. I don't even think about the reliability factor when I am playing.

Customer Support: 10
Doug is a great player with an ear for tone. He is not just trying to turn out a product. He manufactures his own line of amps that are also reviewed here. If you are the type of player that enjoys a simple but effective amp (no fx loop, no push pull pots, no channel switching) You owe it to yourself to play one of his amps, he really makes a unique product.

Incidentally for you guys thinking of sending your amp to Doug to have modded. He does not work on anything that has a circuit board. Only early marshalls that were hand wired. No jcm 900s 800s tsl dsl etc.
His mods do not change the look of your amplifier. No holes drilled no extra crap. He changes the internal circuit by adding his own preamp design. It Rocks!

Overall Rating: 10
this is a fun amp to play. The notes never get lost regardless of how much gain (or not) I am using. Beware You WILL want to turn this amp up only for the shear pleasure of the tone. It cuts through everything and yet it fits right in the pocket at the same time.

Submitted by Joe Morgan at 06/25/2001 10:57

Features: 10
This review is on a 79 Marshall 50 watt combo that Doug fixed for me. And when I say fixed I mean that every amp guy in within 100 miles had their hands on this amp. The only guy that came thru for me has been Doug. This amp had no features until now, Total jaw dropping tone! Please read on

Sound Quality: 10
I use strats with 2 single coils and a humbucker. My style is High energy blues rock (Gary Moore, Hendrix SRV Jeff Heally Eddie,etc). I cant stop playing thru this amp. I mean my wrist is killing me as I write this. Doug hooked me up like nobody has ever done and he did it thru the mail. The amp is literally the best sounding amp I've ever played thru. And I've played thru and owned just about everything. Its got it all! chime, dynamics and a big fat crunchy snarl that'll bring tears to your eyes. Put a Marshall pedal in front and holy shit!! I cant say enough good things about this guy. This amp sounded Like dog shit until today and he did it in a couple of days. Wow!

Reliability: N/A
Unknown territory but Doug stands behind his work.

Customer Support: 10
Doug is the Man---Period. This amp isn't even his bag. I originally called Doug after I saw someone selling a amp on ebay and raving about his amp and Doug. So I read some reviews on harmony central and gave him a call. We talked about my 71 Super Bass(Marshall) and then I remembered I had a 79 50 watter in storage that never sounded good and that I never really gave 2 shits about, and Doug said to send it out to him and he'd see what he could do. He didn't fill my head with a bunch of empty promises, just facts about what my options were. Doug is a very informative amp guy. He's not full of bullshit like some famous amp repair guy in NYC. I finally found a amp guy that can talk the talk and walk the walk.

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for 20 years and teaching and gigging for 10. And that's all I do is play Guitar 24/7. I have a deep respect for Doug and feel I owe him. Tone is everything and after all these years I now have the goods. The amp flat out kills any thing I've ever owned. (Fender Soldano Mesa) I can go on and on about this but the bottom line is the amp KICKS ASS. Thank you so much Doug!

Submitted by Glenn at 02/08/2002 16:43

Features: 10
Doug modified my 1973 Marshall 100watt Super Lead. The amp originally came from eBay and was trashed and unplayable. Doug turned it into the best Marshall I've ever laid hands on! He installs the same preamp circuit that he uses on his own highly regarded amps. Wow - a Super Lead with a master volume that really works, no attenuators or overdrive pedals necessary. And a usable, tasty clean channel in a Marshall to boot.

Sound Quality: 10
I'm using the amp with a PRS Santana SE equipped with Seymour Duncan Antiquities as well as a 60s reissue Strat with Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots. Its all good, my friends. Every pickup/volume control combination I throw at this beast sounds wonderful - no bad sounds at all. The clean settings have these wonderfully glassy, complex sounding harmonics with the Strat. Its not like any Marshall clean channel you've ever heard, and its a keeper. I've been playing clean with this amp as much as dirty - how often can you say that about any Marshall? The gain sounds (lo, medium and high) are all Marshall, and pure "good" Marshall late 60s/early 70s plexi/metalface tone. No preamp buzz or harshness at all. The master volume is awesome - the amp maintains its sound and EQ even at whisper levels, and the volume control is linear (unlike most Super Leads which go from zero to kill in a millimeter) so no need for an attenuator - though buying a Super Lead and just playing it in your bedroom is like using Secretariat for childrens pony rides, you can get a great sound at very low volumes here. The high gain sound is so sweet and silky yet pure Marshall. Really sings and feeds back very musically. The amp responds perfectly to volume adjustments on the guitar, allowing you to switch from rhythm to lead with a turn of your guitars volume knob.
Its extremely touch sensitive and responsive to boot. And at idle the amp is DEADLY quiet.

Reliability: 10
A glance at the chassis wiring shows very high-quality work and attention to detail. Expect this amp to endure.

Customer Support: 10
Doug is one of the most helpful and knowledgable individuals I've been fortunate to cross paths with in the world of amplifiers. He took the time to chat and find out what I was looking for, and is a wellspring of knowledge. And the turnaround! I'm used to getting amps back in a month from the techs in my area if I'm lucky. I had this amp back in one WEEK and half of that was UPS transit time!

Overall Rating: 10
If you are looking for real Marshall tone (not Valvestate, not JCM2000, not AVT), this will end your search. It finally ended mine. King Hell rock tone of the gods, my brothers. This amp left home sounding like ass, and came back full of thunder and song.

Submitted by Jeff at 10/05/2001 13:29

Features: 10
Hello, I just got back my 1971 100 Marshall Super Lead which Doug Roccaforte modified to his amp specs. It sounds amazing! Pure TONE. The amp can have either super heavy gain or just turn down the preamp to get perfect classic rock crunch or even a perfect blues tone. It is early Van Halen tone at your finger tips or make very slight adjustments for your own sound. Doug is one of the few out there who know what great tone is and how to get it. The master volume at 2 on the amp Doug worked on is like 4 on my other 100 Watt Marshall. The amp has no effects loop, doesn't need any pedals or compressors or tube screamers to sound good. Leads and rhythm sound great on any setting. I barely adjusted the mids from the settings Doug had on the amp when it was shipped. The only amp that I've heard of that is supposed to sound better than one of Doug's modified Super Leads is an actual Roccaforte hand built amplifier. Guess what my next review will be!

Sound Quality: 10
I just have a Mexican Strat with EMG pickups in it. I played a Wolfgang through it with stock pickups and a strat with stock pickups. ANY GUITAR SOUNDS GREAT IN THIS AMP! That is the true sign of an awesone amp. I play rock mostly but I love all types of music. I play VH tunes, Eric Johnson, SRV, Hendrix, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Ozzy, even Disco and the amp rocks no matter what. The amp is not noisy and sounds great at any volume

Reliability: 10
I just got is back so it hasn't broken down but I looked at the chasis and all the work done was MINT! I would expect the Marshall parts to go before something Doug did to the amp breaks down! Top of the line workmanship!

Customer Support: 10
I originally called Doug about speakers and we started talking about amps. I was luck enough to stumble across him. He never tried to sell me anything. He was only interested in helping me out with my questions and is very knowledgeable. He works very fast and is always available (answers every email or by phone) for any questions!! Doug Roccaforte is an honest, great person to work with. He certainly has by business for good!

Overall Rating: 10
I've been playing for close to 20 years now. I've used every toy that has come out from the 80' using tiny Galien Kruger amps or even a Rockman fed into my monitor, Mesa Boogies, Marshalls, Peavey, Roland GP 8 and 16, and into the 90's with Tech 21 amp or Line 6. They all were sort of fun to mess with but it comes dowm to this. If you want true tone and not some fake processed or over gained out unusable tube amp, tone that brings out the sound from your hands and heart not from a bunch of stomp boxes, here is your man. Try it out and have Doug modify your old Marshall (1973 or before) for only about $350 to see if it is for you. I'm sure after you hear the Marshall you will be like me and start filling your piggy bank for an actual Roccaforte amp!

Submitted by Tim Bradach at 02/17/2001 03:22