Does the contour knob, Tube Screamer mini, Duncan Invader (mid-heavy) pickup, and mid-focused V30 Mesa cab help out the cheap Randall RX120RH? Yes, it does.
Dude, it doesn't sound more tubish, just if you boost the mids! I have both the RH150 (tube/mosfet) and the RX120 back to back into my Peavey 412M with stock V30 and the RH sounds like a slaved Peavey tube amp because of the 12AX7 phase inverter/driver. The RX sounds like a VERY good transistor amp, which is what it is, like the Peavey blue stripe or better. I putt every control at noon and adjust to taste, and use pedals like SD1, GE7 if I need more of this and that ... like, the RX only have 2 channels, but the clean channel loves the Metal-Zone :D With everything @ noon I get an extra channel, and a clean boost and / or a compressor can make the clean sound shine!
The purpose of all of these amps... is to cut through the mix ... on stage.. live set. The Randall.. WILL perform... So what if it needs a little boost to go all HIGH GAINy.. It's NOT a high gain amp.. so.. the idea that it can hang with HIGH GAIN amps 3-4 × it's price range... means alot.. The transformer quality will show up when pushing past 12 on the main level.. I run an rx120rh through a 412 THRASHER cabinet... and it will rumble the room (too loud for room level) but the stage is where you open her up and the Randall hangs tough.. a very good solid state that "accepts" boost into high gain area... you want more? Just buy a RG1003 for the same price. And stack and pack... I can't stress the quality of the cabinet enough though.. the rx cab.. leaves desire.. the head is 🙂 👌
You are an AUDIO POET. However, I thought of something recently: if it takes such a raunchy crunchy guitar amp to cut thru a mix, doesn't that mean your drummer and bassist are too extreme?
@@dickieradd No.. I don't think so.. 100 watts is one thing.. 120 is another.. Here's what I've learned.. Tube heads.. high end $ can have a variety of different voicing. NOT all tube amps are the same. Right? It's the same with SS heads.. you can spend big bucks on a really good one..right? And it STILL may or may not have the voice you're looking for.. Ok so here's what makes the difference in both tube AND SS heads.. The transformer.. If it's weak, and chincy... it will do fine at low volumes.. but when the room gets big, and you need big sound the transformer is what makes that happen, at least for the metal crowd..this is really REALLY important. But for most part, generally over looked.. because we got more important stuff like floyde rose and Seymore Duncan's and a pedal array to be paying a$$ention to.. lol. My point is this.. comparatively tube amps put really good transformers in (usually) but SS heads have a tendency to fall short in that category (cost of production?) Let's build a high end rack for conversation purposes, shall we... What's the very first thing we need to consider purchasing? A power conditioner... ! This is the device that will protect our high end gear from power spikes and dips that will KILL any electronic equipment.. ESPECIALLY amplifiers.. So... what makes and controls power flow in a guitar head? The transformer.. Every transistor (tube) is designed to work inside of a narrow bracket of electricity. And perform it's intended job inside that bracket.. mess with the power supply, and bad things accur.. So.. with that in mind.. I think Randall.. spent a little money on the transformers in these RX heads.. the 120watt part, is about having head room ... Designed to run consistent pushing 90-100 watts(75-80%), into a good cabinet..without any issues.. Think about that for a moment.. 90-100 watts.... that's 100% of what a 100w head can possibly produce.. all things aligned under perfect conditions..which is not real world (stage) setting.. the 100w head will be pushing 100% until it fails... right? Where the 120w head will be in the 75-80% duty cycle performing the same dB on stage.. (so that's the head room portion) 4-8-16ohm speaker cabinets? Good speakers? Frequency response? Accustic value of the cabinet design? All of these factor in.. especially for metal.. and double the requirements for a metal stage setting.. getting over the drummer. Another guitar, bass.. ect. Usually in a crowded stage. Where everyone's on top of each other anyway.. right? The rx I think was designed with the country, Blues, light rock setting in mind.. it's fully capable of hitting the metal scene.. with some added boost, and flavor up front, or through the loop.. Metal has a bass and mid bass spectrum requirement..that really takes its toll on the head, and particularly the transformer.. so the cabinet.. BETTER BE UP TO THE CHALLENGE.. Cabinet tonality. Can make a huge difference here.. the RX cabinet..isn't all that..mid range sound spectrum generally speaking. but it gets the job done pretty well for those other genres above.. but the THRASHER cabinet is and was designed for metal, and extended range guitars right out of the factory (fortin design) Rx cabinet 100watt Thrasher cabinet 400watt.. you do the math. This is how I know the rx WILL perform. With a good cabinet.. and because the tonality of the cabinet is voiced low to begin with.. you don't need to drive the bass knob so hard. Which is where the transformer has to put in the hard work.. producing and keeping up with the bass and mid bass requirements. About the band .. Keep the previous discussion about the transformer and cabinet in mind.. turn the bass knob down a little.. and turn the mid knob up a little.. see what happens. Maybe you can relate to this next comment. I suspect. Just like every other shredder out there.. we practice in our rooms.. (room level audio) so we adjust our "tone" to the room.. and the level accordingly.. so we get that "sweet spot" of tasty harmonics and bone crunching deep ,grunty , metal distortion rythems and chugs.. But.... Turn the mains volume up and all that sweetness gets destroyed .. Here's the problem.. how do we get that "sweet spot" at stage volume? Just like I said.. turn the bass knob down and turn the mid knob up.. at least 12oclock.. maybe more, unless you have an inline EQ (highly recomended) and don't forget to adjust both.. What you hear, in front of the amp, doesn't translate to what the crowd in front of the stage hears, or back of the room.. The front of house sound engineer can only adjust so much, with what you give him to work with.. I won't claim the RX120 is the quintessential metal stage amp.. but.. it's a work horse..that will get the job done.. if you the operator.. tweek things the right way.. Bass waves are not what hits the back of the room wall. Mids and mid bass are. You can feel it in your chest when done right.. House sound has the burden of powering the stage. And most do a really good job of it, with multiple power amps. And sub bass radiators.. but if your by yourself, and all you have is your Randall and a good cabinet.. (good power supply) you can get the tone out there.. over the drums..and past the vocalist.. the mid range and mid bass is your friend.. (don't forget to hang that treble knob at the 12 o'clock position or lower too.. Once you find the sweet spot at stage level.. try adjusting the contour knob first, to feel the room out.. mine right now is set at around 10oclock .. good luck, hope it works for you the way it works for me.. ❤️ Randall amps too bad they're in a dark place now. Oh well.. at least we have what we have..which is really good imo.
This has definitely given me some unexpected, but really pleasant info on the amp. I take the unpopular stance of preferring the solid state amp over the Tube head due to the smoothness of the solid state amp, but i really dig both overall. You could probably find a way to use a solid state amp and a tube amp together to blend tones in regards to the texture of the gain structure. In regards to the contour, i think with the speakers i have it should be enough to get that midrange twang i'm looking for without having to bump down the contour so much. I might look around and see if i can find that head used around where i am so i can try it out.
Your opinion is accurate. My professional guitar friend came and preferred the Solid State as well. It didn't come across in this video, but the Marshall truly is way too harsh in person. People say "oh well it will work well in a mix". Well, in a mix I can adjust any sound to sound like anything I want using EQ, so that argument is out the window. If they say "Oh, well the harsh one cuts through a band better", well then your drummer is playing way too loud.
I found the Randall to sound better than the Marshall while listening on an old iPhone 7 😂 The Marshall could sound better in person or on a real sound system. A good electric guitar player can make use of either one. I would like to say that the Solid State amp should be more reliable but in my experience it’s only to a point with Randall. Peavy is better built and the trans tube circuit is genius to give a solid state some kind of character. Getting off topic here- Fender solid state, Made in Japan was good but apples to oranges, not a metal amp. I’m not a fan of the 2000 anyhow, it’s kinda generic for a tube amp. The JMP from the 70’s is more my style but I am not a metal djent or shredder so go figure. Blah blah me. It’s all about You and what works for You!
This Randall would be sick for some Crowbar style riffing with the contour in the middle.
Dude, it doesn't sound more tubish, just if you boost the mids! I have both the RH150 (tube/mosfet) and the RX120 back to back into my Peavey 412M with stock V30 and the RH sounds like a slaved Peavey tube amp because of the 12AX7 phase inverter/driver. The RX sounds like a VERY good transistor amp, which is what it is, like the Peavey blue stripe or better. I putt every control at noon and adjust to taste, and use pedals like SD1, GE7 if I need more of this and that ... like, the RX only have 2 channels, but the clean channel loves the Metal-Zone :D With everything @ noon I get an extra channel, and a clean boost and / or a compressor can make the clean sound shine!
The purpose of all of these amps... is to cut through the mix ... on stage.. live set.
The Randall.. WILL perform...
So what if it needs a little boost to go all HIGH GAINy..
It's NOT a high gain amp.. so.. the idea that it can hang with HIGH GAIN amps 3-4 × it's price range... means alot..
The transformer quality will show up when pushing past 12 on the main level..
I run an rx120rh through a 412 THRASHER cabinet... and it will rumble the room (too loud for room level) but the stage is where you open her up and the Randall hangs tough.. a very good solid state that "accepts" boost into high gain area... you want more? Just buy a RG1003 for the same price. And stack and pack... I can't stress the quality of the cabinet enough though.. the rx cab.. leaves desire.. the head is 🙂 👌
You are an AUDIO POET. However, I thought of something recently: if it takes such a raunchy crunchy guitar amp to cut thru a mix, doesn't that mean your drummer and bassist are too extreme?
@@dickieradd No.. I don't think so..
100 watts is one thing.. 120 is another..
Here's what I've learned..
Tube heads.. high end $ can have a variety of different voicing. NOT all tube amps are the same. Right?
It's the same with SS heads.. you can spend big bucks on a really good one..right? And it STILL may or may not have the voice you're looking for..
Ok so here's what makes the difference in both tube AND SS heads..
The transformer..
If it's weak, and chincy... it will do fine at low volumes.. but when the room gets big, and you need big sound the transformer is what makes that happen, at least for the metal crowd..this is really REALLY important. But for most part, generally over looked.. because we got more important stuff like floyde rose and Seymore Duncan's and a pedal array to be paying a$$ention to.. lol.
My point is this.. comparatively tube amps put really good transformers in (usually) but SS heads have a tendency to fall short in that category (cost of production?)
Let's build a high end rack for conversation purposes, shall we...
What's the very first thing we need to consider purchasing?
A power conditioner... !
This is the device that will protect our high end gear from power spikes and dips that will KILL any electronic equipment.. ESPECIALLY amplifiers..
So... what makes and controls power flow in a guitar head? The transformer..
Every transistor (tube) is designed to work inside of a narrow bracket of electricity. And perform it's intended job inside that bracket.. mess with the power supply, and bad things accur..
So.. with that in mind.. I think Randall.. spent a little money on the transformers in these RX heads.. the 120watt part, is about having head room ...
Designed to run consistent pushing 90-100 watts(75-80%), into a good cabinet..without any issues..
Think about that for a moment.. 90-100 watts.... that's 100% of what a 100w head can possibly produce.. all things aligned under perfect conditions..which is not real world (stage) setting.. the 100w head will be pushing 100% until it fails... right?
Where the 120w head will be in the 75-80% duty cycle performing the same dB on stage.. (so that's the head room portion)
4-8-16ohm speaker cabinets?
Good speakers? Frequency response? Accustic value of the cabinet design?
All of these factor in.. especially for metal.. and double the requirements for a metal stage setting.. getting over the drummer. Another guitar, bass.. ect. Usually in a crowded stage. Where everyone's on top of each other anyway.. right?
The rx I think was designed with the country, Blues, light rock setting in mind.. it's fully capable of hitting the metal scene.. with some added boost, and flavor up front, or through the loop..
Metal has a bass and mid bass spectrum requirement..that really takes its toll on the head, and particularly the transformer.. so the cabinet.. BETTER BE UP TO THE CHALLENGE..
Cabinet tonality. Can make a huge difference here.. the RX cabinet..isn't all that..mid range sound spectrum generally speaking. but it gets the job done pretty well for those other genres above.. but the THRASHER cabinet is and was designed for metal, and extended range guitars right out of the factory (fortin design)
Rx cabinet 100watt
Thrasher cabinet 400watt.. you do the math.
This is how I know the rx WILL perform. With a good cabinet.. and because the tonality of the cabinet is voiced low to begin with.. you don't need to drive the bass knob so hard. Which is where the transformer has to put in the hard work.. producing and keeping up with the bass and mid bass requirements.
About the band ..
Keep the previous discussion about the transformer and cabinet in mind.. turn the bass knob down a little.. and turn the mid knob up a little.. see what happens.
Maybe you can relate to this next comment.
I suspect. Just like every other shredder out there.. we practice in our rooms.. (room level audio) so we adjust our "tone" to the room.. and the level accordingly.. so we get that "sweet spot" of tasty harmonics and bone crunching deep ,grunty , metal distortion rythems and chugs..
But....
Turn the mains volume up and all that sweetness gets destroyed ..
Here's the problem.. how do we get that "sweet spot" at stage volume?
Just like I said.. turn the bass knob down and turn the mid knob up.. at least 12oclock.. maybe more, unless you have an inline EQ (highly recomended) and don't forget to adjust both..
What you hear, in front of the amp, doesn't translate to what the crowd in front of the stage hears, or back of the room..
The front of house sound engineer can only adjust so much, with what you give him to work with..
I won't claim the RX120 is the quintessential metal stage amp.. but.. it's a work horse..that will get the job done.. if you the operator.. tweek things the right way..
Bass waves are not what hits the back of the room wall. Mids and mid bass are. You can feel it in your chest when done right..
House sound has the burden of powering the stage. And most do a really good job of it, with multiple power amps. And sub bass radiators.. but if your by yourself, and all you have is your Randall and a good cabinet.. (good power supply) you can get the tone out there.. over the drums..and past the vocalist.. the mid range and mid bass is your friend.. (don't forget to hang that treble knob at the 12 o'clock position or lower too..
Once you find the sweet spot at stage level.. try adjusting the contour knob first, to feel the room out.. mine right now is set at around 10oclock .. good luck, hope it works for you the way it works for me.. ❤️ Randall amps too bad they're in a dark place now. Oh well.. at least we have what we have..which is really good imo.
@@dickieradd The music genre and style of the band are most likely that ;)
This has definitely given me some unexpected, but really pleasant info on the amp. I take the unpopular stance of preferring the solid state amp over the Tube head due to the smoothness of the solid state amp, but i really dig both overall. You could probably find a way to use a solid state amp and a tube amp together to blend tones in regards to the texture of the gain structure.
In regards to the contour, i think with the speakers i have it should be enough to get that midrange twang i'm looking for without having to bump down the contour so much. I might look around and see if i can find that head used around where i am so i can try it out.
Your opinion is accurate. My professional guitar friend came and preferred the Solid State as well. It didn't come across in this video, but the Marshall truly is way too harsh in person. People say "oh well it will work well in a mix". Well, in a mix I can adjust any sound to sound like anything I want using EQ, so that argument is out the window.
If they say "Oh, well the harsh one cuts through a band better", well then your drummer is playing way too loud.
Nice demo mate,
I am planning to get this amp. Can i use it with just headphones until i get some cab?
Yes but it's the bigger jack output so you might need the 1/4 to 1/8 converter
@@dickieradd Thanks alot, I was worrying not to blow it up without cab, but it seems thats a case with just tube amps
Could you connect 2 cabinets on the Randall??
Yup! 2 outputs in the back for 2 cabs.
how are you advising people when you are a beginner guitarist, that marshall sounded like ass,both amps were not dialed at all
I'm an expert guitarist who has been expertly advising people for decades and decades!
I found the Randall to sound better than the Marshall while listening on an old iPhone 7 😂 The Marshall could sound better in person or on a real sound system.
A good electric guitar player can make use of either one.
I would like to say that the Solid State amp should be more reliable but in my experience it’s only to a point with Randall. Peavy is better built and the trans tube circuit is genius to give a solid state some kind of character. Getting off topic here- Fender solid state, Made in Japan was good but apples to oranges, not a metal amp.
I’m not a fan of the 2000 anyhow, it’s kinda generic for a tube amp.
The JMP from the 70’s is more my style but I am not a metal djent or shredder so go figure.
Blah blah me. It’s all about You and what works for You!