Legendary Tones Mr. Scary Gain Module Promises The Sound of George Lynch... But does this amp mod turn you in to a George Lynch?
Legendary Tones Mr. Scary Amp Mod Review 2026
Will Legendary Tones Mr. Scary make you sound like George Lynch?
Introduction and Preamble
Ah George Lynch - I have loved the way he plays for a very long time but with that album that had 'Wicked Sensation' in it that made me sit up and take a very close look at Lynch and his incredible playing. And when I looked at what he had been doing since those early years showing George Lynch playing in that video tape tutorial by REH instructional videos he was enough for me to want to stop playing! How could you be THAT good a guitarist? The truth is, if you're not a natural (maybe George is) it all comes down to practice and play and don't stop.
But there really was more with Lynch for me than just the
playing. George was/is really a 'tone hound' and he never stopped
trying to find his tone in tube amp after tube amp.
And George
it is often reputed that
Mr Lynch rented a famous amp, the Marshall SIR
#39 (the history of SIR #39) at the same time that "Appetite for Destruction" was going on
and did not take it back. George had a passion for that amp so much
that he attempted to keep it after it was going to be returned to
Studio Instrument Rentals (SIR) but ultimately decided to "steal" it
from them implying that the amp had been stolen! Ultimately the amp
went back to SIR. I'm not insinuating anything about George Lynch
just so you know - he could buy that amp over and over. By the way
'Mr. Scary' comes from a track he played while in a band called
Docken.
Learn more about George Lynch here.
And more recently Legendary Tones released the Caswell 1987 Mod - that brings back the spirit of S.I.R #39 So please do check that out too.
But back to my story: Later down the road though, George Lynch worked with Randall Amplification and made an amp called the Lynch Box. Hers a picture:
This Randall 'Lynch Box' is one that I bought, and George had used at PMT in the UK to promote the amp. It takes preamps (developed by Egnater) and I Synergy using a similar idea (indeed that could be Bruce Egnater for all I know). When George used this amp in the UK he brought his own modules with him! (and that right there says a lot). I later sold this amplifier. Why? Well contrary to popular belief, Ha it did NOT make me sound like George Lynch.
Mr. Scary Close Up
Now Legendary Tones and George have created this Mr. Scary add on for a tube amp:
This device is really like a gain stage modification for an guitar tube amp, but you don't have to modify your amp! You simply plug it in (the right module for the right amp I might add) and you will have an amp that has basically an extra gain stage. Ha the design graphic says a lot really and I guess it's George' through and through really.
Take a closer look and immediately you can see those two black chimneys :) well they are really tubes (usually 12AX7) and you can use other tubes in there like maybe a 12AT7 for example that might give a bit less drive to your amp - if you want that. On the back of the device it says that. The tube brand is JJ just in case you wanted to ask.
Next we have a gain knob - simple enough to use torn it clockwise for more of that juicy gain, or anti-clockwise if its turned up and you need less! As well as that there is a small switch also on the front that brings in a deeper tone (or not) depending if its turned on or off. Now there's not much left.
At the bottom are the pins that go in to the tube socket you have removed the original tube from in your amp - simples, but more of that later. And you can see a trailing wire with a crocodile clamp on the end - that will need to be connected to a ground on the chassis - I used mine to connect to the power tubes crocodile jaws that hold the power tubes in place, but any ground will work. If there is one of those shrouds where the old tube was removed from, instead of the wire there is a screw clamp that you can tighten up on to that for a ground and in that case you can remove the wire.
The Ground Clamp
Fitting The Gain Mod
Now I used a Marshall amp a JTM ST20H to try out the Mr. Scary module. You will need to remove tube number two so that you can fit this mod in to your amp. On my Marshall amp looking from the back it was the second tube from the left. Now when you remove the No 2 tube from the amp - take a good look at where the pins are - there is a gap, and you have to align the Mr. Scary pin gap with the gap in your amp. It can be difficult on any amp not least this one, so I removed the chassis so I could fit the module with no bent pins etc. and I recommend you do too if there is little room and you can't see the pins well. BTW you can actually rotate the base a little if the module is at an angle where you fit it, so that it does not hit the transformer - but its all covered in the instructions.
Once its all fitted you'll wonder about how easy it actually was... and it is pretty simple although you might not think so at the time. By the way, David does include an instruction sheet so you know what to do and its easy if you just follow the instructions. If you get stuck its easy to speak to David at legendarytones.com and he will always help you.
Summing Up
I hope that you saw how easy it was to fit that Mr. Scary gain module - so let's sum up some of this...
Now as you will know there really is not that much to the actual fitting of this unit in to your amp, but do check with David to ensure what you have will work OK. Even if the module is not quite right for the amp in my experience you can get some squealing at high volumes a sort of oscillation thing. If the amp was OK before then clearly its the module whichever one you have - they are all pretty much similar, but this Mr. Scary has a few extras. And I'm sure that David will create more modules in the future too.
Think of the Mr. Scary gain module as the easy way to enhance the amp you have. In many ways it's a bit like George Lynch and that SIR #39 amp that had been modified all those years back and George had to have it! Fitting this module might just do it for you - make your amp in to that one amp that you will use for maybe years having found your perfect tube amp with this mod. Let's face it the SIR #39 without the mods is a standard Marshall amp after all!
The Score
So thinking about some kind of score for the Mr. Scary module from Legendary Tones I should take in to account the whole procedure and of course those tones that the amp gives you in such an easy way. While OK you have to 'get your hands dirty' so to speak to fit the module, it's not rocket science and most guys can do this - and linked to the support if you need it from David then what's not to like? Maybe you won't like the tones? But maybe you will. Tones are all subjective really.
I have listened and used this Marshall JTM ST20H Studio amp both with and without the module fitted. Actually for me it works both ways either without for those original Marshall tones or with the mod for a far more driven amp. So my score for the Legendary Tones Mr. Scary is:
10 / 10
The Playing Examples
In reality I did use the JTM ST20H Studio amp with the Mr. Scary module, and also with a Tube Screamer too. And the results can be heard and watched in the links below. But I also trued the Mr. Scary in a SC20H JCM800 Stealth amp and that is also exampled below so do take the time to check those tones out. Don't look for a George Lynch because frankly I can't play like that and I guess I don't sound like George either :)
This review is entirely self financed by me and it is a genuine real review that tells the way I found the equipment after buying it. So I hope that this review will at least help you to gain a bit more knowledge about the Legendary Tones modules available and whether that are right for you. With a 10 / 10 what's not to like. Buy one!
Links:
Mr. Scary Playing Example 1 JTM Studio Amp
Mr. Scary Playing Example 2 JTM and Tube Screamer
Mr. Scary Playing Example 3 JCM800 Studio SC20H
The Mr. Scary Video Review Complete
The SC20 Studio JCM800 Marshall Video Review of 'Hot Mod V2'
While the playing on here was not that great, you should be able to hear the tones! and that's what matters.
This item is really not that easy to write a review for and it does in my view lend itself to video reviews better, but don't worry about it, you will still have seen more than what many actually show you. Thanks for sticking with it. This written review is a 2026 version and is part of 21 new reviews I have completed or am writing.
Thanks.
© A B McKenzie 1997-2026. All Rights Reserved. All Trade Marks Acknowledged.