guitarcollection
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About 6 months ago, I became interested in the Randall MTS modular preamp system and set out to create a rack from scratch featuring the best of their preamp modules and a few legacy amps I had laying around. Well after several months of collecting modules, having them modded, tracking down multiple RM4?s, etc. I have finally begun building my new rack? Thus I can officially say I am now in the Randall family!
The rack consists of the following:
(3) Randall RM4?s ? giving me 12 switchable Randall preamps
(1) Roland JC120 (using for clean Preamp only)
(1) 3-channel Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (using as Preamp only)
(1) VHT 2150 Poweramp
(1) Swtichblade GL
(1) Decimator ProRackG
(1) Samson UHF Wireless UR-5D Receiver/Transmitter ? from Megadeth?s Dave Mustaine
(1) Axess FX1 Midi Foot controller
(1) Pedal Board w/ EVH Phase 90, EVH Flanger, MXR Chorus, BB Preamp, Digitech Whammy Pedal, Hendrix Octavio, Hendrix Fuzz Face, Eventide ModFactor, and Eventide TimeFactor
(1) Digitech GSP1101 (using only for temporary Delay and Reverb ? extra space in rack is for pending AXEFX Ultra)
(13) Randall MTS Modules
Modules include:
KH1 (Still working with this one?. Nice clean, but can?t handle the inputs of EMG pickups. Clips like crazy. TBD if adjusting the input signal from Switchblade will help)
KH2 (Killer MOP tone?s found here! Treble and mid controls are very sensitive ? which is what makes this a versatile module. Knobs in 12 o? clock positions reminds me of the Brown Module)
KH3 (Killer Lead tone and equally better rhythm tones ? not drastically different then the KH2?but again very tweakable, so you can make these modules seem drastically different (i.e. MOP vs Garage Days vs Load). All can be found here! Again?Treble and mid controls are very sensitive ? which is what makes this a versatile module.)
1086 (Very versatile Module w/ controls galore?I like to scoop the mids on this one to get into ??And Justice for All? territory)
Ultra XL (modded by Pete... stock it is an XL with his clarity mods. Pull on the gain pot, it gets more low end so you can have smoother leads. Pull on the level pot and it has a LOT more mids for leads to cut through and for massive feedback and sustain. It's a randall black faceplate, with white egnater style knobs, blue LED. Sounds killer. This is easily the loudest and heaviest module I own!)
Brown (modded by Pete... stock Brown module that Pete successfully modded to nail that VHII Brown Sound. It easily my favorite module. Just unbelievable woody Marshall attack?. Pete?s mod doesn?t allow you to dial back the gain and have it clean up?but who the hell buys this module for that anyway! Add an EVH Phase 90 and Flanger and you?ll be playing VH tunes for hours!)
SL+ (modded by Pete? JCM800 mod for SL+ module w/ all mods (cap, bass, and 2nd switch) Gets a good Zakk Wylde tone in the 800 mod and more of a Slash vibe in the unmodded position.)
Tweed (modded by Pete? got a nice SRV tone going here?+ added a bit more gain and compression, it still cleans up with the volume knob and sounds awesome. Kick in my BB Preamp in front to get dirtier Pearl Jam Tones)
XTC (modded by Pete? put a pull pot to tweak the midrange + made the module have more clarity and warmth.)
Mr. Scary (Definitely nails that favorite Lynch Tone!)
Grail (Definite rectifier territory)
Super V (Haven?t really had time to play with this one?hoping it doesn?t clip like the KH1)
Treadplate (As you can see I have a real rectifier in my setup, so this module may be sold ? driven with a boost pedal this module gets close to the red channel in my dual rectifier)
If you asked me what the two most important components were in the system I?d have to say the switchblade GL and the Decimator ProRackG. For those of you who haven?t had access to the Switchblade GL it really is an amazing piece of gear that opens up whole new sonic territories. For starters it allows me to seamlessly switch between (3) RM4?s w/ 12 modules + a 3-channel mesa dual rectifier and a JC120. This set-up basically yields me a midi switching system with 16 preamp channels. But it doesn?t end there? because the Switchblade acts as a mixer?I can actually run multiple preamps together and mix them before the Poweramp. Ever imagined what a Tweed module sounds like on the left speaker and a XTC on the right? F&*kin? killer! You can send each out to a different channel or they can be mixed and fed to a single cabinet, multiple cabinets, etc. This is really where the sonic possibilities happen for me?. I was testing the KH2 and an Ultra XL at the same time. The blend of those two preamps is awesome! And because it is a true mixer?you can also adjust the levels of each amp, effect, etc. Meaning that you could run a KH3 at 90%...but just blend in a touch of the Brown module to add a little clarity to your tone?. I haven?t even scratched the surface here. The same holds true for all your pedals and rack effects. The best thing is being able to place effects anywhere in the signal chain without having to change any patch cords, etc. Want the EVH phase 90 in front of the preamp in one preset, but post preamp in another?no problem.
As for the Decimator ProRackG?. You all know how noisy some of the MTS modules can be?not to mention my Mesa Head. The Decimator ProRackG will silence your entire rack?. Though it is a bit tricky to get the settings just right?it is invaluable for high-gainers. I have a MTS Ultra XL module that was modded by Pete and it is the most noisy module I have ever heard. It is borderline unusable in a stand-by position as it has that much gain and grit! With the 2 channel noise reduction available in the ProRack G it is dead silent and turns the module into a Pantera breathing rhythm machine!
I?m only halfway through the wiring process?and haven?t even begun the midi setup? but things sound promising.
Here are a few pictures of the process thus far?..
A room with potential... but right now it looks like a bomb went off!
A wider view of the rack console
A phrase I sort of coined... so I had this wall art hand-made and fabricated... Successful in life on my own terms... never sold-out... so this is sort of my FU to the bastards in high school who said we'd all fail... "In Metal We Trust!"
I've spent a lot of time wiring everything neatly and labeling all connections... a pain in the ***...but will help with trouble shooting things down the road and/or swapping out gear!
The early stages of the pedal board that sits on top of the rack...
Switchblade interface... here you are seeing me patch the 1st Randall RM4 directly into the left channel of the VHT Poweramp... doing it through the menu is tedious...but worth it in terms of the flexibility this system gives you.
Ever wondered what a 12 channel Randall looks like?
Official Brown Module Test guitar....
A better shot of all the rack gear.....
One of my newest guitars... It is a prototype of the new Mustaine guitar. The only one in the world; except for Mustaine's. Notice the black headstock of the original prototype. The retail version has a matching stock. Plays beautifully..... and is really well made.
Dave and me backstage on the most recent tour.... You either love him or hate him...but he does have a killer stage tone! This is when he broke the news to me that he dumped his unreliable Line6 amp and went back to Marshall. His tech told me they broke down all the time in Europe, so when they hit the states he went back to his old set-up with a Rocktron Preamp and Marshall Poweramps. I really feel bad for the guy who bought that Line6 Amp on Ebay...he is still trying to unload it at a big loss!
This is what my foot controller looks like...but it hasn't even left the box yet...so I stole this shot from the Petrucci site. Mine will be joined by a Slash Wah and some sort of volume controller.
All in all... things are progressing well... but I have to say that this has been an expensive and intimidating journey. I jumped the gun a few times and bought equipment to early, etc. In fact, I have two new GCX switchers I never used, a new in the box GCX ground control pro and a new mesa multi amp switcher... all sitting in boxes...and all that I wound up not using due to last minute system changes (i.e. Switchblade GL). The Digitech GSP piece is a temporary solution? until I figure out if the AxeFX is the way to go or an Eventide Eclipse. I guess that is why they invented eBay....
Lastly, this full on report wouldn't be complete without thanking the very people on this Forum, Pete for his wonderful mods, jimosity for his input on the GSP, SacredGroove for his cable help, RD/Rich for helping me locate one of my RM4's, Scott at David's Guitar Loft for much of my Randall gear and all the guys over at Huge Rack Guitar forum... most of what I have applied here came from hours upon hours of reading posts, etc. Hope my photos in progress inspire a few people...
When I get things finalized I'll post the final photos...then again nothing is ever final in this crazy world of gear, etc. Sorry for the long post....
- marc in philly!
The rack consists of the following:
(3) Randall RM4?s ? giving me 12 switchable Randall preamps
(1) Roland JC120 (using for clean Preamp only)
(1) 3-channel Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (using as Preamp only)
(1) VHT 2150 Poweramp
(1) Swtichblade GL
(1) Decimator ProRackG
(1) Samson UHF Wireless UR-5D Receiver/Transmitter ? from Megadeth?s Dave Mustaine
(1) Axess FX1 Midi Foot controller
(1) Pedal Board w/ EVH Phase 90, EVH Flanger, MXR Chorus, BB Preamp, Digitech Whammy Pedal, Hendrix Octavio, Hendrix Fuzz Face, Eventide ModFactor, and Eventide TimeFactor
(1) Digitech GSP1101 (using only for temporary Delay and Reverb ? extra space in rack is for pending AXEFX Ultra)
(13) Randall MTS Modules
Modules include:
KH1 (Still working with this one?. Nice clean, but can?t handle the inputs of EMG pickups. Clips like crazy. TBD if adjusting the input signal from Switchblade will help)
KH2 (Killer MOP tone?s found here! Treble and mid controls are very sensitive ? which is what makes this a versatile module. Knobs in 12 o? clock positions reminds me of the Brown Module)
KH3 (Killer Lead tone and equally better rhythm tones ? not drastically different then the KH2?but again very tweakable, so you can make these modules seem drastically different (i.e. MOP vs Garage Days vs Load). All can be found here! Again?Treble and mid controls are very sensitive ? which is what makes this a versatile module.)
1086 (Very versatile Module w/ controls galore?I like to scoop the mids on this one to get into ??And Justice for All? territory)
Ultra XL (modded by Pete... stock it is an XL with his clarity mods. Pull on the gain pot, it gets more low end so you can have smoother leads. Pull on the level pot and it has a LOT more mids for leads to cut through and for massive feedback and sustain. It's a randall black faceplate, with white egnater style knobs, blue LED. Sounds killer. This is easily the loudest and heaviest module I own!)
Brown (modded by Pete... stock Brown module that Pete successfully modded to nail that VHII Brown Sound. It easily my favorite module. Just unbelievable woody Marshall attack?. Pete?s mod doesn?t allow you to dial back the gain and have it clean up?but who the hell buys this module for that anyway! Add an EVH Phase 90 and Flanger and you?ll be playing VH tunes for hours!)
SL+ (modded by Pete? JCM800 mod for SL+ module w/ all mods (cap, bass, and 2nd switch) Gets a good Zakk Wylde tone in the 800 mod and more of a Slash vibe in the unmodded position.)
Tweed (modded by Pete? got a nice SRV tone going here?+ added a bit more gain and compression, it still cleans up with the volume knob and sounds awesome. Kick in my BB Preamp in front to get dirtier Pearl Jam Tones)
XTC (modded by Pete? put a pull pot to tweak the midrange + made the module have more clarity and warmth.)
Mr. Scary (Definitely nails that favorite Lynch Tone!)
Grail (Definite rectifier territory)
Super V (Haven?t really had time to play with this one?hoping it doesn?t clip like the KH1)
Treadplate (As you can see I have a real rectifier in my setup, so this module may be sold ? driven with a boost pedal this module gets close to the red channel in my dual rectifier)
If you asked me what the two most important components were in the system I?d have to say the switchblade GL and the Decimator ProRackG. For those of you who haven?t had access to the Switchblade GL it really is an amazing piece of gear that opens up whole new sonic territories. For starters it allows me to seamlessly switch between (3) RM4?s w/ 12 modules + a 3-channel mesa dual rectifier and a JC120. This set-up basically yields me a midi switching system with 16 preamp channels. But it doesn?t end there? because the Switchblade acts as a mixer?I can actually run multiple preamps together and mix them before the Poweramp. Ever imagined what a Tweed module sounds like on the left speaker and a XTC on the right? F&*kin? killer! You can send each out to a different channel or they can be mixed and fed to a single cabinet, multiple cabinets, etc. This is really where the sonic possibilities happen for me?. I was testing the KH2 and an Ultra XL at the same time. The blend of those two preamps is awesome! And because it is a true mixer?you can also adjust the levels of each amp, effect, etc. Meaning that you could run a KH3 at 90%...but just blend in a touch of the Brown module to add a little clarity to your tone?. I haven?t even scratched the surface here. The same holds true for all your pedals and rack effects. The best thing is being able to place effects anywhere in the signal chain without having to change any patch cords, etc. Want the EVH phase 90 in front of the preamp in one preset, but post preamp in another?no problem.
As for the Decimator ProRackG?. You all know how noisy some of the MTS modules can be?not to mention my Mesa Head. The Decimator ProRackG will silence your entire rack?. Though it is a bit tricky to get the settings just right?it is invaluable for high-gainers. I have a MTS Ultra XL module that was modded by Pete and it is the most noisy module I have ever heard. It is borderline unusable in a stand-by position as it has that much gain and grit! With the 2 channel noise reduction available in the ProRack G it is dead silent and turns the module into a Pantera breathing rhythm machine!
I?m only halfway through the wiring process?and haven?t even begun the midi setup? but things sound promising.
Here are a few pictures of the process thus far?..
A room with potential... but right now it looks like a bomb went off!
A wider view of the rack console
A phrase I sort of coined... so I had this wall art hand-made and fabricated... Successful in life on my own terms... never sold-out... so this is sort of my FU to the bastards in high school who said we'd all fail... "In Metal We Trust!"
I've spent a lot of time wiring everything neatly and labeling all connections... a pain in the ***...but will help with trouble shooting things down the road and/or swapping out gear!
The early stages of the pedal board that sits on top of the rack...
Switchblade interface... here you are seeing me patch the 1st Randall RM4 directly into the left channel of the VHT Poweramp... doing it through the menu is tedious...but worth it in terms of the flexibility this system gives you.
Ever wondered what a 12 channel Randall looks like?
Official Brown Module Test guitar....
A better shot of all the rack gear.....
One of my newest guitars... It is a prototype of the new Mustaine guitar. The only one in the world; except for Mustaine's. Notice the black headstock of the original prototype. The retail version has a matching stock. Plays beautifully..... and is really well made.
Dave and me backstage on the most recent tour.... You either love him or hate him...but he does have a killer stage tone! This is when he broke the news to me that he dumped his unreliable Line6 amp and went back to Marshall. His tech told me they broke down all the time in Europe, so when they hit the states he went back to his old set-up with a Rocktron Preamp and Marshall Poweramps. I really feel bad for the guy who bought that Line6 Amp on Ebay...he is still trying to unload it at a big loss!
This is what my foot controller looks like...but it hasn't even left the box yet...so I stole this shot from the Petrucci site. Mine will be joined by a Slash Wah and some sort of volume controller.
All in all... things are progressing well... but I have to say that this has been an expensive and intimidating journey. I jumped the gun a few times and bought equipment to early, etc. In fact, I have two new GCX switchers I never used, a new in the box GCX ground control pro and a new mesa multi amp switcher... all sitting in boxes...and all that I wound up not using due to last minute system changes (i.e. Switchblade GL). The Digitech GSP piece is a temporary solution? until I figure out if the AxeFX is the way to go or an Eventide Eclipse. I guess that is why they invented eBay....
Lastly, this full on report wouldn't be complete without thanking the very people on this Forum, Pete for his wonderful mods, jimosity for his input on the GSP, SacredGroove for his cable help, RD/Rich for helping me locate one of my RM4's, Scott at David's Guitar Loft for much of my Randall gear and all the guys over at Huge Rack Guitar forum... most of what I have applied here came from hours upon hours of reading posts, etc. Hope my photos in progress inspire a few people...
When I get things finalized I'll post the final photos...then again nothing is ever final in this crazy world of gear, etc. Sorry for the long post....
- marc in philly!
