Knowledge graph
Historical case studies and technical references attached to the canonical Jose mods.
late-70s / Van Halen I → 1984
EVH #12301 — the original 'Brown Sound' Plexi
Eddie Van Halen · 1968 Marshall Super Lead, serial #12301
80s / Dokken — Lynch Mob (1984–1990)
George Lynch — Jose customer (Dokken era), with caveats on recording-rig attribution
George Lynch · Jose-modded Marshalls existed in his collection; the documented Back for the Attack recording rig was Lee Jackson Metaltronix-modded Plexis
2023 / 72 Seasons recording sessions
James Hetfield — Jose-modded 72 Seasons rhythm tone
James Hetfield · Modified Marshall (Jose-mod per Guitar World coverage); ESP signature bridge pickups
late 80s — early 90s / Passion and Warfare (1990) → Sex & Religion (1993)
Steve Vai — Passion and Warfare-era hot-rod chain
Steve Vai · Passion and Warfare (1990) recorded on Marshall JCM900 + Carvin X-100B (per Wikipedia equipment list); Bogner Ecstasy not yet released until 1992; later Sex & Religion (1993) era main is Bogner Ecstasy
technical reference
Jose Master Volume — why pre-tone-stack matters
technical reference
The cathode follower — why V2b matters more than people think
technical reference
Phase-inverter clipping vs diode clipping — they sound different
technical reference
EL34 vs 6L6 — power-tube character under Jose NFB reduction
80s — 90s
Cesar Diaz — adjacent tradition and the SRV connection
Cesar Diaz (associated)
90s — present
Cameron and Friedman — adjacent traditions, not Jose-derivatives
technical reference
Why pre-tone-stack matters — a signal-flow argument
technical reference
NFB reduction — what the 100k/4Ω-tap actually does
late-70s / Van Halen I → 1984
EVH #12301 — what is and is not in the chassis
Eddie Van Halen · 1968 Marshall Super Lead, serial #12301
technical reference
Audio vs linear taper — what Jose actually specified
technical reference
Brown Sound — picking the zener voltage
1989 / Mötley Crüe Dr. Feelgood
Mick Mars Dr. Feelgood — the canonical "3-mod" amp
Mick Mars · 1973 Marshall Super Lead modded by Jose Arredondo
mid-late 80s / Whitesnake 1987 → Blue Murder
John Sykes — Jose-modded Marshall 1987 (live rig); Mesa Mark III Coliseum on the records
John Sykes · Live: modified Marshall 1987 50W 4-input head (Jose-mod chain). Recorded (Whitesnake '87, Blue Murder debut): Mesa/Boogie Mark III Coliseum heads (per johnsykes.com)
1984 Out of the Cellar → 1990 Detonator
Warren DeMartini — Jose-modded 1959 Plexi (Ratt era)
Warren DeMartini · Modified Marshall 1959 Super Lead Plexi (Jose-mod chain, no diode pair)
technical reference
Zener voltage spectrum — a comparative listening guide
technical reference
How Jose differed from Cameron, Friedman, Soldano
technical reference
What "Jose 3-in-1" actually means (it's 3 inputs, not 3 mods)
technical reference
C7 — the high-frequency-cut cap missing from the famous schematic
technical reference
R14 — the 68k-to-ground that's "more important than C7"
technical reference
The famous internet Jose schematic — what it gets wrong
technical reference
Diodes were a minority variant — not the canonical Jose voicing
technical reference
Jose's input-network practice — no grid resistor, 250pF chassis cap
technical reference
Jose had only two circuit variants (per Friedman 2025)
technical reference
Why no two Jose amps are exactly alike (player-driven variance was intentional)
late 70s / early 80s — Rivera-influenced era
Lee Jackson — why front-end gain stages won over post-EQ stages
Lee Jackson (associated)
technical reference
Jose front-end V1 plate voltage target ≈ 140V — with practical floor
technical reference
Pre-tone-stack MV bleed/hum hazard — a layout-physics warning
technical reference
What makes a mod actually "Jose" — Friedman's definition
technical reference
The pre-tone-stack MV + Zener clipper — the "definitive Jose" combo
technical reference
Dual-gang MV (pre/post) — documentation strength by chassis
mid-60s to early-70s / Van Halen I → 1984
EVH-era 1959 Plexi — chronology and spec targets
Eddie Van Halen (reference period)
mid-70s — early-80s
JMP 2203 chronology — the 1977 transition to the 10kΩ cold-clipper
technical reference
Diode-clipper position variants in Jose amps
1983 / Bark at the Moon recording sessions
Jake E. Lee — Bark at the Moon (Jose Marshall)
Jake E. Lee · Jose-modded Marshall (chassis spec not publicly verified) + Laney head + EV speakers
2010s–present / Guns N' Roses world tours
Richard Fortus — low-gain / high-volume Jose (Guns N' Roses)
Richard Fortus · Friedman Jose production amp (2025+); previously Friedman Custom 50 / Marshall donors
2015–present / Judas Priest Firepower → Invincible Shield
Richie Faulkner (Judas Priest) — Friedman Jose-school builds
Richie Faulkner · Three Friedman amps based on early-80s 2203 donors (Jose-school front-end variants)
1987-onward / Whitesnake "1987" recording sessions onward
Adrian Vandenberg (Whitesnake) — modified-Marshall user; specific modder not publicly documented
Adrian Vandenberg · Modified Marshall 100W JCM2240 + 50W Super Lead (per Vandenberg interview); the specific modder is NOT publicly documented as Jose
cultural / vocabulary reference
"Jose mod" as genre — when the term is misused
cultural / technical reference
Hot biasing for "better tone" — a forum-era myth
cultural / technical reference
NOS tubes for "better tone" — a partial myth
1970s — 2000s
Steve Grindrod — Marshall in-house designer of JMP, Vintage 30, JCM900 series
Steve Grindrod (Marshall design)
late-80s / JCM900 development
Marshall had a Jose amp on the bench when designing the JCM900
1987 / Peavey VTM 60 and 120 release
Peavey VTM (1987) — first production Jose-influenced amp via Brian James
1985–1991 / Laney AOR Pro Tube
Laney AOR Pro Tube Series — Jose / Friedman BE adjacent
1994–1996 (Detroit, Joe Naylor) · 1996–1999 production hiatus · 1999 onward (David King reacquisition) · July 2002 first Dallas-built amp
Naylor — Detroit (1994–1996, Joe Naylor) → Dallas (2002 onward, David King)
Joe Naylor (founder) / David King (current builder) / Naylor Engineering / Naylor Amplification