Hello everybody

[twenty4_7spy]

Greetings from beautiful Arizona, USA!

My name is Matt, and I am back at it after an 11-year sabbatical from guitar playing and the music scene in general. I am an ex-Marshall, Soldano, and Duncan Convertable player. I could go Soldano again but this MTS stuff KILLS (based on the clips I have heard, thank you all) and I am most definitely in the market for one of these bad boys.

This time around I am not really looking for a live rig, it's all about getting bad-*** tracks printed in the home studio. My attempted genre is classic r-n-r tinged heavy prog (think a cross between Zep and Dream Theater w/o the extreme talent level or songwriting skill). In short, I want to spank the plank a bit and maybe become a music hero in my own mind . . . Put up a fake band on myspace, maybe.

Such a mindset breeds fanaticism, I must admit. So, to this end:

1. I've tried software modeling and it's not there yet sonically at all. Sorry, not at all, especially for what they cost: hundreds of dollars for weak approximations of the real thing. Nope. Same for the Pod, ToneLab, etc. Sure, they have their place, just not at my place.

2. I am hooked on the idea of multiple, radically different tones from one rig w/o having several heads, as it had to be done in the old days. **** amp modelers, they put the idea in the mind and then fail to deliver, like some strippers I used to know. Enter MTS.

3. I don't care what it costs to DO IT RIGHT. I want the usual: clean/semi-clean/hot rhythm/solo tones covering the last 30 years of great guitar sounds, you know all the great names. I am not sure how many mods I need to do this - hopefully not most of them. But if that's what it takes, that's OK in the end.

With that in mind, I am looking for opinions on options: head (50W? 100W?) vs rm4/2-50 vs the combo range, all FOR THE STUDIO.

Has anybody bought/built an iso-cabinet? I know Randall makes one, but I have heard that it leaks so much you need to build an iso cab for the iso cab, and thats just stupid.

Well, that's enough long-winded questioning for now. I look forward to chatting with you all; from reading lots of threads, this place seems like a close community of die-hard rock-and-rollers united by a love for all things MTS.

TYIA!

Matt

 

[distortoman]

Hey Matt,
My name is Ryan (aka Distortoman), and I have the Randall RM50 50-watt, 2-channel head. I currently own the Blackface (Clean), 1086 (Dan Donegan signature module, modern heavy distortion great for rhythm AND lead), and the XTC module (Great lead module, good distortion for Classic Rock/Alternative). I would say, for the studio, the RM50 combo or Head / cabinet would work well for you. The great thing about the MTS series is that you can swap out the modules in a matter of 30 seconds on the fly, so, in a studio situation, having an RM-4 4 channel preamp would not really offer anything better than the 2-channel head, in my opinion. As far as tones go, for clean tone, your best bet is the Blackface. The Clean module, in my opinion, is rather sterile and lifeless. The Blackface can stay either really clean, or you can push the gain to give it some grit. For rhythm tones, I would suggest the 1086. I have played the XTC, Recto, Ultra, Brown, Plexi and SL+ modules, and out of all of them, I feel that the 1086 offers the most in terms of versatility and great tone. It can do heavy rhythms and great searing leads really well. For mid-gain tones, I would suggest either the XTC or Top Boost. The XTC is great for classic-rock and alternative tones, and can do pretty good bluesy-type sounds as well. Also, it is absolutely awesome for Lead tones, both lighter gain and heavy gain lead tones. The Top Boost, in my opinon (and after extensive 'tweaking') is that it is geared for mid-gain type tones. It was not really my cup of tea, but it was a good module, just not my style.
As far as the iso cabinet thing, I really don't know much about that. I have an Avatar 4 x 12 cabinet with Eminence V12 speakers in it that I use both for recording and live work, and it works well. I suppose, though, that you could get a 'purer' guitar tone with an iso cab, because of the lack of extraneous variables (room size, room material, etc.). Anyway, j just wanted to give you some of my opinions regarding the MTS stuff.
MTS is amp modeling DONE RIGHT

Cheers,
Distortoman

 

[Drew]

hello

heres another iso cab option http://www.amptone.com/demeterssc1.htm

http://www.demeteramps.com/

 

[3 Mile Stone]

Good choice on the isocab Drew, never used one but Demeter makes some good ****. +1 on the vote for the 50 watt two channel route mentioned by Matt.

3. I don't care what it costs to DO IT RIGHT. I want the usual: clean/semi-clean/hot rhythm/solo tones covering the last 30 years of great guitar sounds, you know all the great names. I am not sure how many mods I need to do this - hopefully not most of them. But if that's what it takes, that's OK in the end.

Then go with the Egnater MOD 50 head. I would recomend the following dual channel moduals:

DLX or B'man - Old Fender Tones
VX - Vox AC30
SL - Marshall Plexi & Super Lead
SL2 or EG3/4 - High Gain Marshall & Modified Egnater TOL Tones

That should get you there.

Go to www.indoorstorm.com and check out the video demo of this amp. Awesome!

 

[twenty4_7spy]

Thanks for the responses, keep 'em coming!

After searching the forum, I gather the following:

In the whole Egnater vs Randall debate, some people feel that Randall MTS produces a more "aggressive" tone, maybe more over-the-top distortion-wise, while Egnater gives a more "sophisticated" tone. Words used to describe this are "bigger," "rounder", "organic," "warm."

At least one person (3Mile, thanks for the reply) thinks Randall mods sound better in the Egnater M4 as compared to the RM4 (or the Randall head, in 3Miles' case). This is interesting, and implies that the two brands have some different Voodoo going on in the chassis, with the M4 coming out on top tone-wise. I would sure like to hear some clips of the Plexi, Brown, SL+, Mr. Scary, etc, swapped between an M4 and an RM4 to see how drastic/subtle the difference is.

I also get that both brands are reliable and quality-built (with perhaps a slight nod to Egnater, which as it should be since the line is more expensive).

The Indoorstorm video clips are cool, but the (admittedly accomplished) guitarist featured never really cuts loose. Nonetheless, the "root" tone of the MOD 50 reminds me of a Komet 60, which is definitely one amp on my top-10 grailtone list. One question I have is on medium to high-gain note separation - I hear more definition on jimosity's clips for the RM4 than on the Indoor video of the MOD 50.

There is a Randall dealer local to me in Phoenix, but no Egnater dealer AFAIK. This is a bit of a problem for me since I want to try before I buy, unless I can find a good deal on this forum (I could probably be persuaded to take a chance on Egnater if that is the only option). Can you only get Egnater direct or from Indoorstorm?

That's enough for now. Thanks again, those who reply . . .

Matt

 

[John Czajkowski]

I would have to caution against the notion that the Randall modules are "more aggressive." If my Egnater VOX, SL2 and Erect were any more aggressive, I'd have to put them on medication. My Modern is more subdued, but it is modded to be a little more for the legato type stuff. You can hear them all on the samples on my site. I use and Egnater M4 and ie4 with a VHT 2-50-2.

 

[twenty4_7spy]

Hey everybody,

My quest continues. I am leaning toward an M4 + unknown poweramp (or MOD 50, dunno) or (God help my pocketbook) the new Komet. Anyone who has heard em side-by each is welcome to to comment . . . please!

I know with the MOD 50 or Komet I need an attenuator, so that complicates the decision somewhat. What a beautiful dilemma.

Has anyone used a small (1-5 watt) poweramp with the M4 (or RM4)? If so, please relate your experience.

Thanks!

Matt

 

[3 Mile Stone]

Not Neccesarily. The MOD 50 has a half power switch taking it down to 25 watts. I also should mention that in the opinion of many here, Egnater / Randall amps sound really fantastic at reasonable volumes to begin with. Personally I would add several more things that I feel are critical from my own learning experiences lately. I will never own another amp that you cannot adjust the bias on at home. Biasing your tubes makes an incredible difference in getting good tone. Add the fact that you can put many different tubes to find your own favorites. 6V6, E34L, KT88 etc. No offense to Komit, but it's really not even the same animal. You're really talking about a one channel, one trick pony. Granted it's a good sound but ... ?

I definately would by the MOD 50. In fact talking about it makes me want to sell my Eggie M4, Randall RM50HB and my whole module collection, take the money and spend the 2K on one. Plexi/SL with EG3/4 modules for me thank you very much!

Any way good luck figuring it out.

 

[drunton]

Hey Matt - where are you - I am in Chandler!

I just recently bought a used original M4 and have swapped Egnater modules in and out with the Randall modules, comparing Blackface to Twin, SL+ to SL+, and Vox to Top Boost. I have to say there is a difference, but I don't know if it is worth the cost (new).

There is a bit more definition to the Egnater modules, but I almost think its just the relay vs. the opto switching method that Randall uses. It's a very subtle difference. But, there is a lot more control on the Engater modules. They have a large dynamic with the tone controls that is just not there with the Randall controls. You can really tweak your tone with Egnater while Randall gives you small variations.

In the bedroom studio I use the M4 with a Lexicon MPX-G2 driving a Palmer ADIG-ST speaker simulator. Sounds great to me, same type of sound as a real amp - but nothing really compares to the mic'd speaker.

In the band I use an RM50 (Blackface and TopBoost), BF is set really clean, Top Boost is set agressive. I get more distortion with a Screamin' Blues pedal and lead boost with a Boss Super Overdrive. Very suitable for the band - and what a nice tone. I heard a band playing Line6 Spider heads the other day - how one dimensional that sounds compared to what MTS gives you.

I have tried about 15 different distortion pedals with my MTS modules, no wonder people can rave about one pedal while someone else hates it - the amp configuration is really the main reason why things sound different. IE: My Fulltone sounds like crap with the TopBoost but awesome with the Blackface.

You really can't go wrong - Blackface, TopBoost, Plexi, 1086, add Recto if you want some different flavors - eventually you will want to try all the flavors. Good luck

 

[3 Mile Stone]

Just correcting my post above. I was reading up on Egnater MOD 50 a bit last night and I found a reviewer on Harmony Central that quoted Bruce Egnater saying the power tube reduction switch on the back of the unit drops it down to somewhere around 18 watts.

 

[twenty4_7spy]

dr,

I am in Glendale. What is the name of your band, what style, do you have a Website, where do you play, etc? I would like to hear your rig in action some night.

I have decided that I must hear the Randall (looks like hearing the Egnater is not too likely) myself before making a decision, it's just too personal for me. The sound clips are nice (and sometimes not, the Randall Website clips are a joke), but it's not enough to make me reach for the debit card. There is very little out there beyond Indoor Storm on the dual-channel Eggie anyway, which is too bad. If I built amps I would pay some hot guitarist to thoroughly review all facets of the product line in HQ audio/video. These days there is no excuse from a DAW/Web technology standpoint to record clips and load up a server with megs and megs of files for download.

I am also struggling with the cost difference between the M4 and RM4 - since I am not likely to venture beyond my computer monitors, I wonder if it makes sense to blow the extra cash or spend the difference on an Attenuator or Palmer Load Box or a sub for my Dynaudio BM5a mons or . . .

On the bright side, I have made one decision: I'm gonna get an Avatar Premier with one Vintage 30 and one G12H. So I guess I'll build a rig backwards.

Ideas, musings, commentary, blah blah blah, is always welcome.

Thanks!

Matt