Is there a Randall MTS / Egnater exodus ocurring???

[Julia]

GtrGeorge: Ha ha ha...I was trying to be hospitable..and you were quite graceful about it,mate...however understand I havent been to your country yet. Now I know a lil better. I see Julia knows best...(smug smile.)

GtrGeorge: I just re-read that and it doesnt make sense..
what I am saying is that I still will buy ya a beer..anthing you'd like...I dont know whats in fashion down-under..so forgive.
And Julia somehow has enoughtime to know whats hip..so bully for her!

thats what I meant...
GtrGeorge

I've never been down under, but I've been to the Kangaroo & Kiwi in Seattle. Cool crowd. Yes they have Victoria Bitter there. I've been trying to find out how they get it since it's not available anywhere else. We'll go there for a Coopers or two after a game.

and the Aussie Pie Company in Burien. It's time to go back and get a few for the freezer.

 

[VitaminG]

GtrGeorge: Ha ha ha...I was trying to be hospitable..and you were quite graceful about it,mate...however understand I havent been to your country yet. Now I know a lil better. I see Julia knows best...(smug smile.)

GtrGeorge: I just re-read that and it doesnt make sense..
what I am saying is that I still will buy ya a beer..anthing you'd like...I dont know whats in fashion down-under..so forgive.
And Julia somehow has enoughtime to know whats hip..so bully for her!

thats what I meant...
GtrGeorge

:lol:
it's all good, George. I know what you're saying.

It's just a bit of a running joke here, that whole "Fosters is Australian for 'beer' " thing. No one I know drinks it. And we LOVE our beer over here. There must be a thousand domestic beers on the market. But to their credit, Fosters have done an excellent job of marketing themselves overseas.

 

[GtrGeorge!]

VitG..
thats hilarious in an ironic kinda way...
like Americans getting a bad wrap for all sorts of things that actual Americans find disgusting.
GtrGeorge

 

[speedemon]

Yes.

the hotrodders amp! I was drawn into the RM by that also. I lost all my money years ago on an old Chevy, but that sickness never goes away. don't forget the good speakers!

In defense of the Splawn guy, I have one too, and the thing rules if you are a Marshall guy. I have a Quickrod, and it just makes me feel 5 years old on Xmas morning for hours and hours, day after day.

 

[KillTone]

Thanks for the kind reference LR Strat . This is an increasingly frustrating topic for me. The product seems to be dying on the vine as year after year passes with a lot of promises and still nothing new.

From here on the outside it looks like Randall is not really trying - mabe we're missing something, but there has to be a HUGE market for the MTS line that is going un-tapped.

I have to say that a few months ago, I talked to the owner of Audio Images in San Francisco (the only Randall dealer in just about all of Nor-Cal) and he said he sells a ton of MTS. He bought all of the gear from the Randall floor display at NAMM. Good news I guess :? . Hopefully other dealers are moving it too.

 

[Rod]

I'm a little frustrated that they won't come on here and talk about what's going on with them

 

[khingpynn]

I guess I'm part of this movement... I got lots of MTS Lynch Box stuff and it's all great gear but I'm looking at going custom built.
I may keep one LB half stack... not sure though... I may keep it all if it does not sell for my asking price... if so I still have great gear !

It's the never ending gear quest that motivates me...

hey anyone wanting to trade A Soldano SLO for a Lynch Box half stack needs to get in touch with me... I could be persuaded to go that way too.

If I sell I go custom build, thats plan A... If I trade I go with something else thats really cool.

 

[m0jo]

I guess I'm part of this movement... I got lots of MTS Lynch Box stuff and it's all great gear but I'm looking at going custom built.
I may keep one LB half stack... not sure though... I may keep it all if it does not sell for my asking price... if so I still have great gear !

It's the never ending gear quest that motivates me...

hey anyone wanting to trade A Soldano SLO for a Lynch Box half stack needs to get in touch with me... I could be persuaded to go that way too.

If I sell I go custom build, thats plan A... If I trade I go with something else thats really cool.

Tried modded/custom modules?

 

[tung]

I guess I'm part of this movement... I got lots of MTS Lynch Box stuff and it's all great gear but I'm looking at going custom built.
I may keep one LB half stack... not sure though... I may keep it all if it does not sell for my asking price... if so I still have great gear !

hey Craig,
You're dumping the LB? Man, things are changing, eh?
I'm really leaning on going Axe Fx, but here's the problem: selling the MTS stuff is really hard these days, especially getting something close to what they actually worth, so you don't end up with a massive loss.
So, I may end up keeping the MTS gear until i could get a good sale to fund the AxeFx

 

[Mattfig]

I don't get the whole AxeFX thing...Seems like a really good POD...Great for recording but not as a main rig fpr my needs...I'll be into my MTS for a LOOOONG time...Digital modeling has not been able to emulate tubes perfectly yet...I'm willing to bet that the AxeFX stuff will be half the price in a year or two...

 

[VitaminG]

Axe-FX has been around for a while now. I mean, years, not months. It's really well supported by the manufacturer/designer and with so many people just now becoming aware of it (thanks I'm sure to recent high profile endorsements & advertising in the guitar mags) demand for the product is increasing. I can't see the price suddenly dropping off. Unless they change their whole approach and start farming work out to increase production volumes, in which case you'd expect prices to drop with economy of scale (or with offshoring, if they were to go that way).

As to whether digital modelling can emulate tubes yet - the Axe-FX is the most powerful device of its kind ever seen. Highly tweakable on every level. Adjustable parameters for absolutely every step in the signal path. You can create sounds that would be unsustainable to the average amp user because to run a tube amp at those settings would lead to imminent failure. Comparing it to a POD (groovy little devices that they are) is like putting a Ford Fiesta up against a ZR1.

 

[tung]

As to whether digital modelling can emulate tubes yet - the Axe-FX is the most powerful device of its kind ever seen. Highly tweakable on every level. Adjustable parameters for absolutely every step in the signal path. You can create sounds that would be unsustainable to the average amp user because to run a tube amp at those settings would lead to imminent failure. Comparing it to a POD (groovy little devices that they are) is like putting a Ford Fiesta up against a ZR1.

Very well said.
I still love my MTS rig, I invested a lot of money into it, but it's very high maintenance, and without Randall behind it, I can't see much future in it especially in the reliability issues. Last time I had something went wrong with it, it cost me an arm and a leg in repair bill, even with the amp still being under warranty, it was no help.

 

[Mattfig]

Yeah...I see what you guys are saying...I guess I've been burned all along the way with modeling devices starting with the first POD all the way thru the Eleven Rack...I've bought 'em all, the Johnson J Station thru every latest Line 6 gadget..Last modeling amp I had was a Spider Valve II which was good, not great...I guess I'm just partial to my MTS system because I spent so much time and money on it and don't like the thought that somehow, as soon as I stopped with digital modeling and went full tube, it became close to perfect...I guess using both wouldn't hurt anything but my bank account...

 

[rhequiem]

Yeah, I've been thinking the same thing, Matt. I think the Axe-FX is probably an awesome piece of gear. I've been debating trying one out (Fractal offers a 2-week trial period) just so I can get a realistic idea of what it can do. I'm afraid if I did that that I might end up keeping it hehe I can't see getting rid of the MTS stuff anytime soon, as I am so impressed with the sound, but I think having an Axe-FX to play with the MTS stuff would be pretty rad. Like Matt said, though, that wouldn't hurt anything but my credit card, and it would hurt it badly - like sitting in the corner and crying badly hehe

 

[Julia]

Then Randall turns around and takes out the inside cover of Guitar World to promote the Kirk Hammett RM100 and the other signature MTS series.

I guess they've just left this forum to us users.

The AXE FX thing is so many miles better than the POD X3 Pro it isn't even funny. I've heard a lot of clips. A number of top artists are using it. You may see this big tube head on the stage, but they're just running the AXE through it these days and running the AXE straight to the PA.

Digidesign's Eleven Rack is also miles better than the POD X3 Pro at amp modeling. I've had the opportunity to play one. Contrary to the reviews on HC, and I swear after reading some of them people have no clue as to how to use this thing let alone set it up, and most of the complaints are about Pro Tools and the interface part (yes -- it's a recording interface as well and it only works with Pro Tools LE and if their computer isn't compatible, well it doesn't work as an interface -- unless you run it into another interface, but then you can't take advantage of the software part of it).

 

[OldTimer]

It seems to me that Randall's either gonna have to recommit to this line and start innovating a bit, or they will have to start dropping prices to meet some of these other Chinese-made lines coming out at rock-bottom prices.

I'm fairly new to the board, but I'm def not new to MTS. Been using an RM100 and RM50C for many years. When's the last time we saw new "base" modules (that weren't rehashes of existing ones with a celebrity name on them)? Where's the new RM22? At least Egnater has introduced the COD, the SL2x, and the EG5 in the past couple of years. Why am I hearing so much about quality issues with the new Randall units? Just seems that they are allowing AxeFx and these other modeling solutions to become the new innovators while they sit back and let an aging lineup get older. Just MHO.

 

[riff19]

I would guess MTS covers an ultra niche' market. 15 years ago, rack gear was all the rage. To me, the idea of a modular guitar amp system harkens back to those days of the JMP-1, rocktron rack units, and a countless array of stereo options.

That didn't last long, and rack gear for guitarists quickly went the way of the wooly mammoth in a few short years. Such relics pop up on ebay from time to time, but the market generally prefers halfstacks and combos for giggers, and cheap modelers for home studios these days. MTS fills a sort of tweaker geek niche', and high end recording (ie. Michael Wagner Rack of Doom).

 

[Julia]

Riff. keep asking questions.

One thing about the MTS is that the effects loops are line level or +4 dbv. This means that you can't use instrument level guitar pedals in either of the effects loops. I tried and even with the methods suggested (EBtech Line Level Shifter) I wasn't happy. I went to a small rack and run the whole thing in the serial loop

* dbx 166xl -- It's always on: noise gate, compressor, limiter. I use the limiter part so I can keep the signal from slamming my multi-fx unit
* Lexicon MX300 -- the reverb and delay and chorus are studio quality. I use a Tech21 Midi Moose for control.
* Peavey 31 band graphic EQ -- this was given to me. I use it to roll off the highs and shape tone.

Me = neck pickup with highs rolled off. always. I can't stand highs.

 

[scottro123]

All I know is that there are some crazy good deals going on used gear right now. Sounds like Randall already has a couple of new models hitting retailers now, and Bruce Egnater is looking at expanding his manufacturing of the modular line outside of his custom shop.

All this adds up to a great time to get in to the MTS line. I just did this year and love my RM50 combo.

 

[Julia]

You know there's this thing about changing everything. I think if you're happy with what you've got, why change it? So what if it's not being pushed. You go with Soldano SLO you get the same SLO you could have bought in 1992. You buy a Peavey 6505+ you get the same amp as the 5150 II you could have bought 10 years ago. No one is criticizing these companies for not coming out with new gear and add ons.

You've got your basic tones: Vox, Marshall, Fender, and Mesa. Randall threw in the 5150 with the Ultra XL, and everything else is derived from them. I guess if you want other amp tones you'll have to go with a modder, because I don't think it will be profitable for them to produce a ton of different preamps. I've got 7: KH1, Deluxe, JTM, Brahma, SL+, Mr. Scary, and Grail. That's all I need. I can dial in good tones with all of them. But the KH1 and JTM/Brahma, and Mr.Scary/SL+ are my sound.

I've pointed out in other threads about that High Gain Amp shootout that was done about a year ago. Pretty much all but about 4 of them sounded pretty much alike with only subtle differences. And speakers will make a huge difference.

The AXE FX and other higher end modelers have gotten a lot better. They are not glorified PODs. And even the new PODs if set up right produce a good recorded tone. Remember the audience typically hears a miked amp tone anyway. They make set up and break down a hell of a lot easier at a gig, because you can be more consistent with the sound coming out the PA from show to show. You just need to hook up your floor monitor and then feed direct to the PA. I've heard an AXE FX patch of a Bogner Extacy Red Channel against the real deal and it was almost impossible to tell the difference. Major acts are using them either as primary or backup. People who go to see them don't care what the amp sounds like because they only hear the feed out the PA anyway. And these things make recording guitar a snap, and again, no one is going to be able to tell the difference in a full mix. Then there's software modeling for recording.