metalhead

What metalhead does

Metalhead (legally Elan Audio Lab LLC) is a privately held, founder-owned boutique electronics company founded in 1989 in North Hollywood, California by Elan Memran and his brother Remmie. The company designs and sells all-tube vacuum tube guitar and bass preamp products along with modification services for Marshall and Fender amplifiers, with a core specialization in high-gain industrial metal tones developed for and used by professional guitarists on landmark recordings including Fear Factory's Demanufacture. Its product portfolio spans a line of handcrafted point-to-point MK5 all-tube floor preamps (Acoustic, Bass, Jimmy, King, and Dino models, each priced at $499 MSRP $799), the recently introduced Metalhead Mod drop-in external modification box for Marshall amplifiers (early-bird pricing $399 against a $649 list), and legacy MK2/MK3/MK4 preamps plus the Axis Excalibur EP1 German-market variant.

The underlying technology relies on authentic full-voltage vacuum tube circuit design — notably the patent-pending MK5 architecture running 12AX7 tubes at over 300VDC plate voltage rather than the starved-plate designs common in competing tube pedals — paired with proprietary high-gain and noise-gate circuit topologies developed over 35+ years. The Metalhead Mod's defining engineering feature is non-invasive plug-and-play installation: users remove preamp tubes, plug them into the external mod box, and route adapter plugs back to the amp sockets, achieving JCM800 and signature Metalhead high-gain tones without drilling, soldering, or voiding the original amplifier's warranty. Patents are pending on the MK5 Acoustic and Bass circuit designs.

The business model is direct-to-consumer hardware sales with all orders processed via personal email to [email protected] — no e-commerce cart, no dealer network, and no retail locations. The company ships from Europe with approximately $69 shipping cost and 2-5 week delivery windows. Marketing is entirely organic, relying on founder-led social media (Facebook, Twitter/X, YouTube, Instagram), musician endorsement testimonials, press releases, and word-of-mouth within the guitar community. A limited lifetime warranty is offered on Elan-branded products. No external funding, institutional investors, or parent company relationships are disclosed, and the operation runs with what appears to be a two-person founder team plus unstated support.

Name

metalhead

Legal name

Elan Audio Lab LLC

Website

https://metalheadamps.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Metalhead (Elan Audio Lab LLC) is a founder-owned boutique electronics company founded in 1989 that designs and sells all-tube guitar and bass preamp pedals and drop-in modification boxes for Marshall and Fender amplifiers, serving professional and prosumer heavy metal, rock, and blues guitarists through direct email sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Guitar Amplification & Preamp Pedals

NAICS

Musical Instrument Manufacturing (339992)

SIC

Musical Instruments (3931)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIAJAA

Musical Instruments (Acoustic & Electric)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Hardware & Instruments (Instruments, Pro Audio, DJ Gear)

SECONDARYMPAIAJAD

Live Sound & Stage Equipment (PA Systems, Amplification, Monitoring)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Hardware & Instruments (Instruments, Pro Audio, DJ Gear)

SECONDARYMPAIAJAG

Instrument Parts, Repair & Maintenance (Luthier, Tech Services, Spares)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Hardware & Instruments (Instruments, Pro Audio, DJ Gear)

Keywords

• Tube preamp pedals
• Guitar amplifier modifications
• All-tube floor preamps
• Boutique amp mods
• High-gain metal tones

Headquarters

HQ city

North Hollywood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Metalhead Mod Hardware Sales: Sale of drop-in modification boxes for Marshall amplifiers. Early-bird promotional pricing at $399 (regular $649). Includes free installation option (customer pays only shipping).
2. MK5 All-Tube Floor Preamp/Pedal Sales: Sale of handcrafted boutique all-tube floor preamps. Five models available (Acoustic, Bass, Jimmy, King, Dino) each priced at $499 MSRP $799. Shipping from Europe approximately $69 with 2-5 week delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Metalhead (Elan Audio Lab LLC) designs, manufactures, and sells handcrafted all-tube guitar and bass floor preamp pedals, along with drop-in external modification boxes for Marshall and Fender tube amplifiers. Its portfolio centers on the MK5 boutique floor preamp line (Acoustic, Bass, Jimmy, King, Dino models) and the Metalhead Mod for Marshall amps, applying proprietary high-gain circuits and noise gate technology without requiring permanent amp alterations.

Product overview

Metalhead Electronics (operated by Elan Memran and his brother Remmie) offers a portfolio of tube amplifier modifications and all-tube preamp products. The core offerings include the Metalhead Mod (a drop-in external modification box for Marshall amplifiers) and the Elan MK5 line of all-tube floor preamps available in five genre-specific models (Acoustic, Bass, Jimmy, King, and Dino). The company also provides modification services for Marshall and Fender amplifiers covering gain enhancement, noise gates, channel switching, and power conversion. All products feature full-voltage tube circuitry (300VDC+ 12AX7 plates) rather than starved designs, delivering authentic tube amp feel and sound in portable formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MK5 King: All-tube floor preamp tribute to BB King for blues, pop, and country music
• MK5 Dino
• MK5 Jimmy
• MK5 Acoustic
• MK5 Bass

Products and services

• Metalhead Mod Drop-in external modification box for Marshall amplifiers that instantly converts amp circuits into classic JCM800 design, switchable to the signature Metalhead high-gain mod with built-in famous Pee-Cup noise gate. Installation requires no soldering or permanent drilling; fully removable without affecting amp originality. Compatible with Marshall Origin, JCM800, JTM45, JVM1, 2550STD JUBILEE, 2204, JCM900, JMP, JTM100-Lead-Trem-100W-1959T, Plexi-Superlead, and SV20 models. Free installation service available (customer pays shipping only).
• Elan MK5 Acoustic All-Tube Floor Preamp Patent-pending all-tube floor preamp designed for acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments, delivering rich, punchy, and dynamic sound with ample headroom and sparkling clean tones. Can also make electric guitars sound convincingly acoustic.
• Elan MK5 Bass All-Tube Floor Preamp Patent-pending all-tube floor preamp dedicated to bass guitar, delivering deep, punchy tones with endless headroom and bone-rattling bass sound. Features Hi Impedance output and DI Balanced output.
• Elan MK5 Jimmy All-Tube Floor Preamp All-tube floor preamp tribute to Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix, with a modified classic British amp sound, enhanced tone controls, and extra drive for Rock/Pop/Punk applications.
• Elan MK5 King All-Tube Floor Preamp All-tube floor preamp tribute to BB King and his blues legacy, featuring two 12AX7 tubes, bass/mid/treble controls, gain control, master volume, detachable footswitch, and real through bypass in a ~2 lb package.
• Elan MK5 Dino All-Tube Floor Preamp High-gain all-tube floor preamp tribute to Fear Factory's Dino Cazares and his industrial metal guitar tone. Based on the famous Metalhead modification used on Fear Factory albums, featuring three tubes with over 300VDC 12AX7 plate voltage.
• Marshall Amplifier Custom Modification Services Custom modification services for Marshall amplifiers covering the Metalhead Famous Gain Modification, Active Tube Effect Loop, Bass Boost, Channel Switching, Line In, Line Out, Pee-Cup Noise Reduction, Master Volume installations (MV1 and MV2), MK-II to JCM 800 conversion, and 100W to 50W power conversion.
• Fender Amplifier Custom Modification Services Custom modification services for Fender amplifiers covering Master Volume installations, Extra Gain Modification (to increase gain, sustain, and drive and give Fender amps a Mesa Boogie-like character), and Active Effect Loop with extra tube for running effects without sound quality loss.
• Elan MK2 All-Tube Guitar Preamp Hand-made all-tube guitar preamp designed and built in North Hollywood, California, featuring the signature Elan/Metalhead sound circuits. Featured in recording equipment lists of top recording studios and used by legendary professional guitarists.
• Axis Excalibur EP1 All-Tube Guitar Preamp German version all-tube guitar preamp designed for the Excalibur company, featuring the signature Metalhead/Elan sound circuits and extreme high-gain metal tones associated with the Fear Factory Demanufacture-era sound.
• Metalhead Limited Lifetime Warranty Lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects for ELAN TUBE AMPLIFICATION branded products covering the original owner. Tubes and shipping cost covered by a one-year warranty instead. A product registration form is required for warranty evaluation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12AX7 plate high voltage of over 300VDC in MK5 preamps - performing identically to full-size tube amplifiers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Suhr Amplifiers: Suhr is a boutique amplifier and guitar company offering high-end hand-built tube amps and modification-style circuits, comparable to Metalhead for its premium hand-built approach and professional guitarist focus. Both occupy the boutique tube amplifier category.
• Wampler Pedals: Wampler is a boutique guitar pedal company producing high-end analog effects pedals favored by professional guitarists, comparable to Metalhead's MK5 all-tube preamp/pedal line for its boutique hand-built ethos and artist-driven product philosophy.
• Mesa Boogie: Mesa Boogie is the most iconic American boutique/high-gain tube amplifier manufacturer, directly comparable to Metalhead for its focus on high-gain tube tones favored by metal and hard-rock players. Both brands target serious guitarists seeking professional-grade tube amplification with signature tones used by recording artists.
• Bogner Amplification: Bogner is a boutique tube amplifier maker known for high-gain circuits and artist-driven signature tones, comparable to Metalhead's Marshall-mod lineage and its artist-tribute MK5 model approach. Both occupy the premium handcrafted tube amp category for discerning guitarists.
• Two-Rock Amplifiers: Two-Rock is a boutique California-based tube amplifier manufacturer in the same premium handcrafted category as Metalhead, serving professional guitarists who prioritize hand-built tube circuits and signature tone. Both target tone-conscious professional and studio players.
• Diezel Amplification: Diezel is a German boutique tube amp builder famous for extreme high-gain tones used by metal artists, directly comparable to Metalhead's industrial-metal heritage and its Fear Factory-linked Dino model. Both target the same professional metal guitarist seeking premium European-engineered tube tone.
• Friedman Amplification: Friedman builds boutique tube amplifiers and modification-style circuits rooted in high-gain Marshall-flavored designs, mirroring Metalhead's Marshall-mod heritage. Both serve the same professional metal/hard-rock guitarist segment with artist-endorsed boutique positioning.
• Catalinbread Effects: Catalinbread is a boutique effects pedal brand offering artist-inspired and amplifier-circuit-inspired pedals, closely aligned with Metalhead's MK5 artist-tribute models and amplifier-flavored preamp pedal design philosophy.

Emerging players

• Neural DSP: Neural DSP is a software/pedal company making high-fidelity digital emulations of famous amplifiers and tones (including artist-specific emulations of players like Dino Cazares), competing with Metalhead's analog tube preamp category for the same professional guitarist discretionary spend. Represents the digital modeling alternative to boutique analog tube pedals.

Broad incumbents

• Universal Audio (UAFX): Universal Audio is a major audio hardware/pedal company whose UAFX pedal line offers digital emulations of classic tube amplifier circuits, broadly comparable to Metalhead for its pursuit of professional tube amp tones in pedal format. UA represents the modeling-amp/pedal category that competes with boutique analog tube pedals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/elanmemran
• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=metalheadamps
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100008441320362
• Instagraminstagram.com/elanmemran/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about metalhead