1985 Marshall JCM800 Bogner Modded 4103 100W JCM 800 Snorkler / Vintage / Alice in Chains

hello, 

for sale extremely rare holy grail 1985 marshall jcm800 100W combo modded by bogner. 
it's a blue circuit board bogner mod, like the infamous alice in chains facelift
and jane's addiction ritual snorkler.  this is a different model amp, as this is
100W, but i think you'll find it as close as you're going to get. it has the extra
gain stage, which does not exist in all his early mods.  this a very special, rare, 
extra high gain beast of an amp. far superior to any stock JCM800, not even a fair comparison.

it's utterly mind boggling to me that people pay $3000-5000 for modern friedman 
amps, which aren't even made by him.  i wouldn't want one of those amps and 
if you gave me one i would sell it before plugging it in, my interest level being at zero. 

this however, is something special, something
worthwhile, and far superior as it doesn't have that horrifying "modern" sound. 

this amp functions as it should. all knobs extremely responsive, insanely massive frequency response. serial number dates to 1984, inside is signed and dated 1985.
amp was serviced by the previous owner. i can't speak to the effects loop
because i don't use them. it's probably been there quite some time. 

i use this amp with two custom 2x12 echopark open back cabs with 70's uk greenbacks, 
wired to run together at 4ohms. i'm deeply attached to these astonishing cabinets
and haven't spent much time with the combo's internal speakers. but
the internal speakers are appropriate for heavy metal and they are high wattage. 
the high wattage speakers currently installed make sense, and they sound good. my ears
just prefer the greenbacks because that's all i know, and i play 1960's/1970's
rock, not so much metal. i know with facelift, they used a 200W speaker. 
with my current set up the volume is completely manageable, amazingly so. this amp
does not require something like a klon. it laughs in the face of the klon. i can't
say the same about the other high end amps i have here. this amp stands alone, 
it really, really doesn't need anything. usually i end up comparing these modded
amps to certain cars. this would have to be a european race car because of the available gain
sweep, and the frequency response. huge, wide EQ.  and the added very noticeable touch sensitivity. and all the little details that you feel and hear but are hard to put into words. 
just another one of the world class marshalls that sounds like the records we love. 

has the extremely rare blue holy grail bogner circuit board, this mod performed in very early 1990's. blue bogner stamped circuit board famous for also being used in the ronnie champagne 4010 snorkler combo amp, which was the main amp for alice in chains facelift. that amp was also used on social distortion self titled, jane's addiction ritual, and deconstruction, and has a very distinctive and powerful marshall sound. the preamp volume, or gain, has a very wide sweep.  

most bogner modded marshalls are not located in the US and due to modern shipping prices, likely never will be. these are scarce and highly desirable for good reason. they just blow away the modern stuff. they are highly revered in germany, especially ones like this with the extra gain stage. these amps are better than the stock marshalls and better than any production bogner amp. i cannot speak to the tech details, i only have my ears and 30+ years experience. i have owned 4 of these bogner modded amps, decided to keep only one, and will never in my life ever buy another stock JCM800, been there done that. these are so much better. 

speakers are 100W scumbacks. long ago, the amp had an effects loop installed, i cannot speak to the quality of the loop. i don't typically use the scumbacks, i use the extension cabs, but they seem powerful and closer to the EVL sound of facelift. they are a really good choice, they sound amazing. the greenbacks are a duller, sound a little lazier. i have no idea what the original speakers were, but probably not the greatest. the scumbacks a big upgrade. 

this amp sounds more marshall than the bogner modded jcm800 i sold this year (green logo head in photos), which had it's own sound entirely. that amp sounded like a bogner. that amp is cool looking, and everyone emails me asking about it, but it was an early bogner thing, and didn't have the marshall crunch.

and this 4103 sounds more like an actual marshall than the 50W 4010 snorkler copy, which i also happen to have here. this 100W is extremely close to the actual snorkler, as close as you're gonna get, it would seem. but i'm not gonna call it a snorkler as there's only one of those. but it's likely the same thing. wide sweep from low to high gain and extreme clarity. it's a similar mod done to a similar amplifier. none of these old bogner mods were repeated or done exactly the same very often, so i've been told. on top of that no two amps sound the same to begin with, that's for sure. you can really dial in the EQ; EQ controls are extremely sensitive. the preamp and master volume controls are extremely sensitive. Much more frequency response than a stock 800. More fidelity than a stock 800. Much different touch response than a stock 800. makes a stock 800 quite undesirable. 

it maintains it's marshall footprint yet has a whole new range of EQ, more gain, more everything. through a 16ohm cab with greenbacks you have very manageable volumes. amp is very sensitive also to voltage, and to different speaker cabinet and ohm combinations. reminds me of a race car. a more refined hot rodded beast. makes the stock amps sound pretty undesirable. once you go hot rod, kind of hard to go back. you can lower the voltage and get extremely reasonable volumes, but it will not deliver full fidelity at lower voltages like a vintage fender might. i guess it's more noticeable because it's a higher fidelity amp than a stock amp. so if you're using a variac, it will be more sensitive to that as well. you can play all day at 90V but you will lose more fidelity that you would with a stock amp. this is my impression. having said that, i play at 90V for volume reasons. if you're looking for more manageable volumes, then you certainly will achieve that by lowering the voltage, and have crushing sound, which will also extend tube life (not reduce it, like nincompoop rick beato claims). if you're going to buy a variac, buy an old american one, and open it up and inspect it before plugging in. the old general radio variacs out there are often damaged internally, which could lead to extremely dangerous unwanted voltages. inspect for damage, leakage, anything out of the ordinary. look for bent pieces, anything. have it inspected by an electrical engineer prior to use.  friends do not let friends buy chinese variacs, those are for the beato book club members only.  

i purchased the amp from the owner of the 1980 JMP which was owned by bryan carlstrom, one of the amps used for alice in chains dirt. a red 1968 marshall plexi was also used, which belongs to a friend of mine. if you're looking to replicate alice in chains, you can't go wrong here. but you can do it other ways. the guitar playing is more important than the amp. so he sold me this amp after acquiring that modded JMP after bryan passed away. the previous owner called this amp "insanely good". i would have to agree. that's a good way to describe it. it's a bargain at this price. although i haven't had much time to play it, it is extremely gratifying to play this amp, and you can sweep all the way from AC/DC to Slayer, and beyond, with total integrity. it's whatever you want it to be.  

will include a brand new, never installed (no holes drilled in front panel), authentic cream bogner front panel logo.  the more the world moves towards digital and crypto, the more the old and analog will go up in value.  

if your goal is to perform, record, get off or be inspired, then amps like this are indispensable. there is no substitution and will never be a substitution for the real thing. kemper boy toys and chinese junk do not hold a candle. this is a real hot rod built by a real master, the best in the world. 

this is a big boy, it's extra heavy, will be expensive to ship, but will be packed correctly with massive amounts of heavy duty siding styrofoam surrounding each side. i've shipped over $2Mil in pro audio since 1997 and will pack correctly. i only pack guitars and amps using the heaviest duty, expensive home depot siding material. 

the 4010 is not "the sound of facelift". because a red 1968 50W was used (as well as on dirt and self titled), as well as other Bogners, preamps, etc.  but what it is, is essentially a very, very similar amp as ronnie's 4010.  there's no denying that amp, especially considering the deconstruction record, but realize you're hearing world class, legendary top of the line guitar players through million dollar studio rigs. the amp does inspire the player, there's no denying that. if no one makes this purchase, i will be happy as a clam. i simply have rooms full of amps and it's a burden. 

please message me or view my website if you have any questions, thank you