Anyone ever heard of the RG-180DX ?

[rg180dx]

Hey all,

I just bought a used Randall RG-180DX 1x12" Combo. It is rated at 150 Watts on the back of the amp, but also states that it pushes 80w @ 8 ohms and 100w @ 4 ohms. It has a Jaguar Custom 12" speaker (model RES-100), and uses the FS-5 footswitch, which I have in working condition.

The serial number on the amp is 236865, if that is any help.

The front panel has:

Clean Master & Gain (Pull Bright on gain knob)
Lead Master & Gain (Pull mid-boost on gain knob)
Sustain Boost Switch
(2) 3 knob EQ's (1 for clean, 1 for dirty)
A Presence knob
A Reverb knob

Then there is a big red power light and a 3 way power switch, which is only off when in the middle.

Is there any info, owner's manuals, or ads that featured this amp? I saw a similar amp in a Randall ad with Tracii Guns standing on it, but it was a tube amp model of what my amp looks like.

Thanks for any information that can be had from this. I am trying to identify what year it was made as well... but I DO know it was made in California, and Randall only has a wiring schematic for it when I contacted support.

Thank you,
Chris

 

[Owner]

Hey Chris,
I'm a proud owner.. (ehem) of an 1991 RG180DX myself. Killer amp it is! 8)
Everything you've stated is correct, except the speaker; which is a RES-100 Randall Jaguar-DX "Deluxe" 8 ohm speaker.. very rare 12" unit!

Here is my demo video, showing its capabilities.

They're considered as the "Post-ES" series, right before Randall introduced the Century models in early 1992.
The preamp and power amp structure of the RG-DX & Century's is the same as the older RG-ES's for the most part. The Century has some slight differences in high frequency filter cap values and other power-amp upgrades but for the most part the tone generating components are 101% identical. I have personally seen the schematics on this amp and they clearly state that the Randall Century 200, Century 3000, RG180 DX and RG200 ES all share the same schematic.

The late; Darrell "Diamond / Dimebag" Abbott is hugely responsible for the popularity of these metal beasts, as people who are familiar with TAMPORA know these were the amps used to record the "VDOP" & "Far Beyond" albums.

These Irvine era Randall's are the very few solid-state (FET) amps to hold their own amongst the many popular valve / tube amps.
Like all solidstate Randall's.. VERY sturdy & loud! Around late 2010; I blew the fuse + preamp + power-amp section due to plugging it into a 220v socket by mistake, and after replacing a few diodes & the 3A fuse, not only did it get resurrected, it even sounded better!

I was lucky to get hold of it along with it's rare FS-5 footswitch that allows you to change channels from the green channel to the red channel and also select both channels at the same time. Having both channels going at the same time gives you incredible flexibility over the overall sound of the amp, along with Bright (Treble) Boost, Mid Boost & Sustain (Gain) Boost options. I also own a even more rare 2U Rack version of this amp modeled as; Randall RGP1000, and the DX is superior in my book, although the RGP has an insane dual layer Chorus feature.

Love it! More than my Peavey Rockmaster..
Well.. sometimes that is! :roll:


Additional pr0n:

:idea: Stripped like Robocop2 !!! Joke aside, you all know I love washing my amps.. (notice the rusty reverb tank!)
:idea: Gut pr0n : brushing all the excess soldering lead off the circuit board. There's the trimmer pot which needed to be biased to -.6v as suggested..
:idea: Installing the new Accutronics? Reverb tank I had ordered.. (Notice the Randall Jaguar? Deluxe 12" Speaker - 8 ohms)
:idea: Installing heavy duty casters.. done bara bra! ^^


If you wish 90's posters & stuff, send me a p.m.
I can mail them to you. Enjoy! :wink: