Randall RM100 Or Mesa 50 Caliber 1x12 which would you buy?

[CeeCee]

I have been considering buying a Randall RM100 head with 2 modules the Plexi and blackface..It is in excellent condition ..The price is firm at $500..

At the same time there is a Mesa Boogie .50 caliber 1x12 for sale at $575

I feel safer with the Mesa because i'm familiar with it..Lets face the facts it is a great amp..

But i have always wanted a Randall RM100 i love the idea of being able to switch from one amp to another by changing the modules..

I'm concerned with the reliability of the Randall RM100..As well as the tone..I have played through this one here and like what i hear but thats only two modules..

I'm also concerned with the RM100 standing up to the rigors of the road..How do these heads travel?

Which amp would you prefer?

Why should i take the Randall RM100 over the Mesa?

 

[Mattfig]

I have been considering buying a Randall RM100 head with 2 modules the Plexi and blackface..It is in excellent condition ..The price is firm at $500..

At the same time there is a Mesa Boogie .50 caliber 1x12 for sale at $575

I feel safer with the Mesa because i'm familiar with it..Lets face the facts it is a great amp..

But i have always wanted a Randall RM100 i love the idea of being able to switch from one amp to another by changing the modules..

I'm concerned with the reliability of the Randall RM100..As well as the tone..I have played through this one here and like what i hear but thats only two modules..

I'm also concerned with the RM100 standing up to the rigors of the road..How do these heads travel?

Which amp would you prefer?

Why should i take the Randall RM100 over the Mesa?

Welcome CeeCee! Asking this question around these parts will lead you down one road...RM100...There's just so much more it can do than the Mesa (even though that's not a bad deal on the 1x12)...You can get so many great tones outta the RM and just a couple with the Mesa...Hell, you can get several different Mesa-based mods here that should bring a smile to your face...

My only advice is to try to decide what you want before you start looking...Meaning decide if you want a Vox, Marshall, Mesa...Or Bogner, Krank, Soldano....Or Orange, Dumble, Fender...Or Egnater, Peavey, Crate...Or... ..Well you get it...

Your RM100 (Jedi mind trick) has 3 glorious spots to fill...Figure out what you want and ask away on the forums...There's no shortage of opinions and experiences with all modules both stock and modded....But that's the next level.... :wink:

 

[audiomidijace]

I think we're all going to be pretty biased in our replies here! :lol:
I used to be a Mesa Boogie dealer. I've played a ton of their amps and owned quite a few. Obviously they make great amps. That being said, I've seen tons of problems with Mesa gear too. I once received a brand new 4x12 that was wired COMPLETELY wrong. So every brand has issues with failures of their gear from time to time.
Obviously the reason we've all joined the MTS camp is that we're never locked in to just one tone. You can obtain almost any flavor you might be after. There's at least 5 or 6 Mesa mods out there. Personally, I think the stock MTS modules sound as good as most amps on the market. But the modules that are being custom made for us by Jaded Faith, Salvation, Sacred Groove, Voodoo, etc allow us to turn our MTS amps in to true boutique monsters of tone! Rather than spending $1K or $3k on a new amp every time we'd like some new tones, we can spend $200 to $400 for a custom module! Fender, Marshall, Bogner, Soldano, Orange....we've got 'em all.
But don't buy a 100 watt head if you really want a 50 watt combo. You can get your MTS system in rack gear, heads and combos. I used two 50 watt 1x12 combos in stereo. There are always deals to be had here on the forums or on Ebay.
I hope that helps.
Good luck,
Jace

 

[Whoopysnorp]

Just keep in mind that with the RM100, you are going to wind up putting more money in it, because eventually you will probably want to move to modded modules, which represent an expenditure of between $200 and $400 a pop. Then you have an arsenal of world-class tones, but you've significantly exceeded the initial $500 investment. On the other hand, with the .50 Caliber, you spend $575 and you have a complete solution that doesn't even need a cabinet. On the other hand, if there's a tone you're interested in that it can't do, you're out of luck. I own a number of Mesa amps as well as my MTS stuff, and I am in no hurry to get rid of any of them. It just comes down to what's important to you.

 

[CeeCee]

Thank you all for your advice..I have been intrigued by the module amps ever since i played through my first one..

The extra expense of modules is nothing new for me because of being locked into one tone with my Fender amps i'm always buying pedals ..

As i'm sure many of you know high end boutique pedals cost as much or more as the modules..

The whole idea of having several different amps at my finger tips is hard for me to pass up..

My musical interest and influence's very so widely that one or two amps just don't cut it...

As of now i have a Blues Jr and a Marshall JCM800...

But on top of those two amps i have a collection of high end pedals ..

Which is why i'm really leaning towards the Randall RM100..As many others have said its simple if i want Mesa tone buy a Mesa module..

If i buy the Mesa once again i have a great amp no doubt about it some may even say top of the line but i'm still stuck doing the dirt pedal tap dance all night..

The other thing thats really got me leaning toward my first Randall Module amp is the near cult following these amps have..95% of people who own the Randall/Egnater MTS amps just swear by them and there versatility more so than any other brand including Mesa....

 

[Whoopysnorp]

Sounds like what you really want is the RM100. I'd say go for it. Like you, I had been intrigued by the MTS idea since I first heard about it. A couple years ago an acquaintance wanted to unload his rig, so I picked up an RM100, Tweed, JTM, XTC, and matching 4x12 for $900. Flipped the cab for $300, making for an initial investment of $600. I actually didn't play the amp a ton until earlier this year when I expanded my collection and got into the modded thing. Now I am down to zero stock modules, and own the following:

Jaded Faith-modded XTC (the closest thing to a stock module that I own)
Jaded Faith Voxless
Jaded Faith Super Clean
Salvation Mandarine Graphic
Sacred Groove El Diablo
Sacred Groove MK22

I also picked up a 4-channel preamp, which I use into an Egnater Tweaker for home jamming. I am really happy with this setup, although I'm not moving any of my Mesa gear (Studio .22, Studio Preamp, Mark III purple stripe) any time soon.

 

[Daryl]

Welcome to the MTS forum.
IMHO: I am not sure that you will get a completely non-biased opinion here, but you will get solid testimonials from long time users. I've used an RM100 since about '05. It has been reliable for me. Just make sure to maintain it like any tube amp. The modules will allow you to have a flexibility previously unheard of outside of an amp modeler. And modded modules...That's where the true value of this system comes screaming into play. I played stock modules for years with an overdrive boosting the front end and it sounded great, but with the modded modules I find myself using less to get a great tone. I also notice more clarity and punch to the tones even without an OD pedal. When you factor in things like switching options for bass, mids, gain, and voicing it gets even cooler. I've been learning a lot about what kind of tones I like as I go. I change switch positions move some knobs around and BAMM!!! I would never be able to afford to do that with boutique amps. I was also able to mod one of my own XTC modules with tips given from Jaded Faith and Sacredgroove on a thread posted on the forum. It turned out sounding pretty cool!(Thanks guys!!)Mojo summed it up best when he said, and I'm paraphrasing, that MTS modules take the quality and tone of a boutique amp and give it the flexibility and simplicity of a pedal. Another final thing to consider is that you can bias your own tubes to your liking and keep them well biased without putting your rig in the shop, paying $$$, and playing the waiting game for it to be ready.

 

[m0jo]

that MTS modules take the quality and tone of a boutique amp and give it the flexibility and simplicity of a pedal.

Which genius said that? :lol:

Being able to explore is a key factor in MTS too ... you're not stuck with a set of tones. I've revised my "favorite" clean tone a few times already (with each one, clean, crunch, rhythm, leads) ... that is only possible with MTS.
It allows you to constantly upgrade your amp to your latest "perfect" vision of it. Basically .. it's a GAS machine

I've seen some small issues with a friend's RM100, but that was second hand so probably from previous abuse. After fixing it hasn't gone wrong once.
My RM4-RT2/50 rig is rock solid! Not a glitch ever. It's even saved my *** from bad tubes a few times already.