Arch Enemy and the RM100

[Julia]

So I'm reading that both Arch Enemy guitarists are using RM100s and Ultra XL modules? Anyone know if they're stock modules? or modded?

These sound very reminiscent of my 5150. Is there that much of a difference between the Ultra XL and the 5150 before I drop another $200. If it's really close I'll save my money.

 

[tonymustang302]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEZQmZFphtk

Theres him talking about his Randall Rig in which he clearly says he uses "nothing speacial..just a Ultra XL"

 

[Mailman1971]

Thanks for the post Tony. I always loved that clip!!
8)

 

[maximus1]

the xl is very close to a 5150 but not as close as a grail, the xl has gain like the peavey, but it is defferent. i got mustangs ultra module and it rips any peavey i've ever heard, where did you get that tube?

 

[tonymustang302]

the xl is very close to a 5150 but not as close as a grail, the xl has gain like the peavey, but it is defferent. i got mustangs ultra module and it rips any peavey i've ever heard, where did you get that tube?

I went to chicago guitar and amp because he ordered every high gain pre-amp tube made...we then sat in front of the amp swapping and messing around and swapping. That's how I found the tube. It's badass aint it?

And it doesnt Rip MY 6505 thats for sure...

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I read this thing 3 times- what tube are you using?

 

[Julia]

Okay so part of this is going to be the 6L6s vs the EL34Ls in that amp? Plus the Marshall-type sound modifications Lynch had put in the power section vs. the standard RM100? Okay so this makes more sense.

Which brings me to another question......

First Tony, what tube is that you're using? --- just for the people asking.

And if I wanted to get that sound out of this amp should I try a set of Sovtek or Tung Sol 5881s? -- although that might really end up Soldano (esp w/ the Mr. Scary) since that's what Mike uses in his amps.

Otherwise I'll just fire up the 5150 II which has a set of Ruby 6L6s.

Reason I'm asking all this is that I'm laying down some tracks for a couple songs I've written. I'll be re-amping all the guitar parts anyway so I'll be trying out a bunch of stuff. Probably the 5150 on the rhythm track and the Grail or SL+ for the leads.

 

[paintkilz]

curious to what "that tube" is as well...


i have an ultra on its way now, 2nd time ill own one...its gonna get the XL mod and ive learned alot about the MTS amps since ive parted ways with it...hopefully itll work out for me.

 

[Mailman1971]

curious to what "that tube" is as well...


i have an ultra on its way now, 2nd time ill own one...its gonna get the XL mod and ive learned alot about the MTS amps since ive parted ways with it...hopefully itll work out for me.

I know what you mean.....I learned something EVERYTIME I went thru the MTS amps. I guess after 5 trips with Egnater/Randalls......I should know by now.
Just had to see for myself that the grass wasnt greener. But I feel that the MTS can give each player his OWN custom tone. Whether its modding the modules, Swapping tubes and biasing them a little different, the tones are endless. I have the best sounding rig I have had in my life and it only took 25 years and thousands of dollars to WEED OUT the amps I "thought" I just had to have. Good luck on it and YES....THEY ALL COME BACK!! 8)

 

[headown]

I read this thing 3 times- what tube are you using?

Ruby I guess

 

[tonymustang302]

I read this thing 3 times- what tube are you using?

Heres the box in the picture... I put it in V1 i think (the right side) of the module.

Sounds killer. I had the module for sale with the tube but no one wanted it.

 

[maximus1]

its a jj 12ax7, but it bears a ruby sticker rated for high gain, strange because it wasn't relabeled as a ruby , the jj screen print is still onit, .. ive swapped tubes around in it everywhere and it only sounds the way it does( which is awesome) with that one specific tube in v1. and yes it rips your peavey, it wasn't very good out of your amp especially with the vader cab,( extremely hollow) but with my rm100 and my cab+ i use e34l instead of 6l6 or 88 , it rules on a whole nother level :twisted:

 

[crankyrayhanky]

quick maximus, make another post- get off that 666

lol, where do I find this coveted tube? tubedepot?

 

[tonymustang302]

quick maximus, make another post- get off that 666

lol, where do I find this coveted tube? tubedepot?

I guess anywhere that caries tubes...just take the part number off the box and plug it in.

 

[Julia]

Okay, I found out that Arch Enemy used a prototype of the V2 on "Rise of the Tyrant". And if I want that sound I'm going to have to get a little creative in the studio here....

I'm definitely hearing a 5150 sound in the mix so I'll reamp with that on one track for sure. I'm thinking of using my 5150 on the rhythm tracks and Grail on the leads. But Grail with the EL34Ls or with 6L6s or 5881s is the question? Or just rebias the EL34Ls colder? I can get a matched quad of Sovtek 5881s for $45.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

do you really need the quad, especially in the studio? You can get a matched pair, and that would be a more affordable way to check out the sound

 

[tonymustang302]

Okay, I found out that Arch Enemy used a prototype of the V2 on "Rise of the Tyrant". And if I want that sound I'm going to have to get a little creative in the studio here....

I'm definitely hearing a 5150 sound in the mix so I'll reamp with that on one track for sure. I'm thinking of using my 5150 on the rhythm tracks and Grail on the leads. But Grail with the EL34Ls or with 6L6s or 5881s is the question? Or just rebias the EL34Ls colder? I can get a matched quad of Sovtek 5881s for $45.

I'd get the match quad. Without a oscilliscope, the matched set will get you closest to having the "clean" wave, which equals the best sound.

 

[okstrat]

Okay, I found out that Arch Enemy used a prototype of the V2 on "Rise of the Tyrant". And if I want that sound I'm going to have to get a little creative in the studio here....

I'm definitely hearing a 5150 sound in the mix so I'll reamp with that on one track for sure. I'm thinking of using my 5150 on the rhythm tracks and Grail on the leads. But Grail with the EL34Ls or with 6L6s or 5881s is the question? Or just rebias the EL34Ls colder? I can get a matched quad of Sovtek 5881s for $45.

I'd get the match quad. Without a oscilliscope, the matched set will get you closest to having the "clean" wave, which equals the best sound.

Why would you worry about buying matched tubes in an RM100 where you can set the bias on each tube? You could actually buy 'unmatched' tubes and 'match' them in the amp by setting the bias the same.

Some fender amps have a phase inverter that is imbalanced in the circuit - meaning even if you use matched tubes, it's not going to give you a perfect balance.

Another thing to think about too - for an amp to really have a 'balanced' output, you'd need both taps of the output transformer to be perfectly balanced (which they aren't), the PI driver circuit would have be perfectly balanced (which you could do by modding it, but I would guarantee most production amps including Randalls aren't balanced, and some have a PI circuit that will never balance because of the design) and you'd have to have a perfectly balanced PI tube.

If you want something perfectly clean or cleaner than a tube amp, buy a solid state amp - most have a much lower percentage of overall distortion than a tube amp. It's the imperfections in a tube amp that make it sound so good or 'euphonic' to us. If you ever get bored, play around with the bias on your amp - don't do anything crazy like overbias your tubes, but vary the amount on them and unmatch them a bit. You might prefer the sound.

Pete

 

[tonymustang302]

I thought that balancing out the amp was to get the best tone out of it. I heard what my amp sounded like before my amp tech "did the magic" and it sounds more brighter, meaner. He told me the bias settings and they were all different.

That's the joy of these amps, infinite amount of ways to get a custom sound only you can replicate.

Like Maximus..he put EL34's in an amp that i had 6l6's and KT88's. He got a much more brutal sound (from what he's telling me) then i could.

I can tell you right now, that through his and my conversations...we are looking for something different then you guys are....so when we say that something isn't Brutal sounding....to what you guys think....thats just cuz we're going for that super crunchy sound when palm muting, and sounds awesome with drop B and drop A tunings.

 

[maximus1]

+1000 on mustangs comment,we love the brutal :twisted: ; i've come full circle with this thing and for me and what i want from high gain i love the e34l and yes it makes all the difference in the core tone of this amp for me and my set up at least, where as before i had other amps that ran on 6l6's and i thought el34 types couldn't cut it for metal but this amp proved me wrong. and mainly more than anything its a total package of guitar amp cab tubes that make up your tone but in my experiences the jj e34l gets you right in the ball park for high gain much better than anyhing else that i've tried :twisted: