Metropoulos Forum

Help me out here. Did Ted say that Ed used a Montrose amp on VH1?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RqQ-SBSabE4

@ the 2 min mark....

'Anyone have info on this amp?

Sounded like he said "he wanted me to borrow Ronnies Marshall top for the album and he did". At least thats what I heard

Yeah, that's what I heard too!
Actually listening to it again I think he say's "he wanted to borrow Ronnie's marshall top, for the album, believe me he did"

I heard that...

He borrowed it and thought "my marshall sounds better than this" lol!

Well that changes eveything. Now were going to spend the next 15 years trying to figure out Montrose's amp, mods, pedals, pickups, speakers & guitars......But it'll just be basically a stock Marshall like Eds!

Definitely worth investigating....

He said quote,
"So when i first met the Van halen guy's(he pauses then say's) Ed, he even wanted to borrow ronnie's marshall top for the album and he did, they loved that band"
why is this just coming out? and i am shocked that he even remembered that after all these years!

So he DID Borrow the amp but was it used? what marshall was it? this kind of just raises even more questions

Absolutely. With such a significant statement from a prime first hand witness...I'm puzzled as to why this hasn't generated more buzz.

guitar007 wrote:Absolutely. With such a significant statement from a prime first hand witness...I'm puzzled as to why this hasn't generated more buzz.

I cant swear to it but i am like 95% sure ronnie used 50 watters which would make my original guess of a 50 watter being used on VH I a reality
To this day i hear a 50 watt head not a 100w on VH I.

guitar007 wrote:Absolutely. With such a significant statement from a prime first hand witness...I'm puzzled as to why this hasn't generated more buzz.

it was also mentioned in the book Van Halen rising
https://books.google.com/books?id=KakuC ... 3F&f=false

Hi all,

First I need to apologize for not replying to a message someone
here sent me about this thread. I read the message and then when I went to look for it to reply I couldn't
find it.

The short answer, as I lay out in Van Halen Rising, is that Ed expressed interest in
using Ronnie's amp when Ted first talked with Ed about recording the LP. I assume this was in
the spring of 77, some months before they went into SS in late August.

In the end though Ed never used or best of my knowledge even got his hands on
RM's amp.

Cheers Greg

Thanks for the reply, Greg! 'Fantastic book, by the way! It really helped fill in a lot of gaps concerning the early days. I'm not sure how easy it would be for you but a confirmation from Ted (Maybe you can ask him?) would definitively clear this up once and for all.

I do have a question for you. Were you able to dig up any info on the mod done to his early Marshall, as indicated by the potentiometer added, and clearly visible, on the left rear of the chassis? This mod was added sometime before the first Japanese tour in '78, as it is clearly visible in pics from one of the gigs. Below is a pic from the VHII rehearsal sessions at SS, added for context. It shows the mod more clearly than the Japanese pics.

guitar007 wrote:I'm not sure how easy it would be for you but a confirmation from Ted (Maybe you can ask him?) would definitively clear this up once and for all.

What's clear, imho, is that Ted was merely confirming that Ed asked about the amp.

True. Whether he asked to use it is not being questioned...it's whether he did use it or not that should be clearly addressed.