Testimonial by Cyamak A.:
I love this amp Jens, it sounds awesome!
I love the fact that the amount of gain does not really affect the articulation so much. Typically there is a trade off, but especially now with my new added Marshall option to the blue channel, this thing is fantastic.
The blue channel marshall mode is very unique it character. It really is a "do all" kind of channel for rock. I can do great leads, great rhythms, and even roll the volume back for chords
And holy shit, Marshall Mode on the red channel sounds like old school Van Halen which I didn't expect !
I got tons of compliments on the tone.
The high filter definitely smoothes out all the piercing frequencies. Sounds perfect.
Definitively a great success here !
Testimonial by Alex P. - Florida:
Jens, I finally just got around to email you to thank you on the mod you did to my EVH 5150. I can't believe it, it's jaw dropping. Let me tell you, everyone that as plugged into this amp is just floored, amazing.
Channel 1 is almost the ultimate Marshall, wow, both Channel 2 and 3 are just amazing. tight when needed, and such a saturated sonic sound.
I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for your work.. Thanks a million!!!
Thanks again Jens and keep kicking amplification butt !!!! The arms race has begun!
Testimonial by Tony Kim - Ridgecrest, CA:
I originally brought this amp to Jens to add the "Kruse Variac", the Supersonic Mod, and add a little more gain to channel 2. I did not like the amp very much but Jens’ mods made it sound great!
I recently bought a EVH Limited Edition Stealth and liked it so much that I asked Jens to do a side by side comparison, open the Stealth up and reverse engineer the mods on the Stealth and add them to my White EVH. After much convincing (due to workload) Jens agreed to give it a shot. He was able to not only capture the improvements in tone from the EVH Limited Edition Stealth but no shit, made the White EVH sound even better than the Limited Edition Stealth!!! (For Legal purposes: In discussion with Jens, he informed me that he did not rip off the Fender mod, but improved upon it.)
If you own a stock EVH 5150 III and want the BEST sounding 5150 III out there, get these MODs:
EVH B-2 Stealth MOD
Supersonic MOD
Kruse Variac
Very detailed review:
by Jeremy Aliaga (Los Angeles)
"The Kruse Kontrol mods are an absolute MUST upgrade for the EVH 5150 iii. They bring out the tone this amp should have had from the beginning. I was not impressed with the stock tone of the 5150 iii and was close to selling mine for something else. Channel 1 was so-so and didn't break up enough with the gain maxed, channel 2 definitely needed more gain and channel 3 was just too fizzy and compressed. Luckily, I found Jens and Kruse Kontrol just in time....
After discussing my options with Jens, I went for the B-2 Stealth mod, Super Sonic mod and the Variac mod. Jens has great customer service, explains details clearly, and it's obvious he knows what he's doing. I did my research, and he's highly regarded for his work and mods on high-end amps like Diezel, Engl, vintage Marshalls, as well as your more common Peaveys, Fenders, etc...
I took my amp to Jens' shop and had it back in 5 days. He gave it a thorough examination while apart, testing my tubes and making sure everything internally was good-to-go. When I arrived to pick it up, he plugged it in and explained each feature he had added. Then he started playing some riffs through it and I was blown away by the tone! It sounded SO much better. I was elated and couldn't wait to get it home and play it myself.
I'll be honest, when I first learned about the Stealth mod, I was concerned my amp was going to be a one-trick-pony, super high-gain death metal amp. This couldn't have been further from the truth... I'm into a multitude of genres and artists, from SRV to Bonamassa, Buckethead, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, and Robben Ford, just to name a few. This amp can cover it all with the new mods. It's a far cry from a metal-only amp.
The B-2 mod adds a better gain structure across the board and much needed gain to channels 1 and 2. The Super Sonic mod adds mid range punch that cuts through and makes the amp sound "alive." The Variac is just plain cool and gets cranked tones at bedroom-volume levels. Perfect for someone like me who plays a lot at home.
Channel 1 gets a much more sparkly, "cleaner" clean with the gain around 8 o'clock. Crank the gain and you have sweet, sweet overdrive sounds. It gets a lot more crunch than stock. Roll the guitar volume back and the amp responds beautifully, cleaning up amazingly well.
Channel 2 gain is much more usable. It's a lot more comparable to the 50 watt 5150 iii gain structure. Before the mod, when I had the gain maxed, it was still several notches too low. Now, I run it half way up at 12 o'clock and it's excellent for crunchy rhythm and solos, with more gain than it used have when maxed. Dial in some Super Sonic mod and it will punch you in the face. And, you can still dial the gain back to get lower overdriven tones ala Joe Bonamassa, which I really like.
I actually use Channel 3 now. Before the mods, it was just so compressed sounding. Now it bites through and sounds much clearer. There is "more" gain, but it's "clearer" gain, so it's a lot more useable.
This amp is very, very versatile with the new mods. Plus, you get resonance knobs for each channel, adjustable independently. These add bottom end and allow you to further custom-tailor your sound. Between the resonance knobs, Super Sonic knob, Variac AND the upgraded Stealth circuitry this amp is a world-class contender. No comparison to stock, these mods should be a legal requirement. And for the price, you cannot beat the value. It's hard to put a price on great tone, but Kruse Kontrol can tell you what that is... If you have an EVH 5150 iii and are not satisfied with it in stock form, get these mods. You will not regret it, I can absolutely assure you.
Thanks Jens for the outstanding work and customer service!
Jeremy
