Good call. The song turns 40 years old this year! Pretty sure there will be an unexpected bump in streams over the next week. Short slow jam dripping with nostalgia and that ZZ Top 'tude while also managing to bridge their 80s boogie beat with their deep Texas blues roots
@jamesduescher3462 Well, the original was built in 1984, so in that sense, yes. But that original tone and sound was a part of my teenage years, which was 50 yrs ago on the first album.
Ordered one at midnight last night. Fortunate enough to get one while the still had stock. My Sweetwater rep said they are already selling like hot cakes, with an emphasis on HOT.
Man everyone must be working their butts off to crank out these videos all at the same time today haha, I missed seeing Andy play it’s been a while for myself personally.
They were probably done weeks ago. This is how marketing works. Get the product into the hands of all of your shills, embargo their "reviews" that are thinly veiled press releases until the same time, and you get an instant information saturation when the embargo is up.
@@ObscuraDeCapra2 hours ago seems kinda late for a video if they recorded it weeks ago been watching videos of it all morning after buying my own this morning haha. But I understand what you’re saying.
I had an original Rockman with that special rack mount housing unit that made it so much more convenient. This is an amazing addition to the arsenal. I can tell MXR nailed that unreal chorus effect. Impressive.
Bod Cedro who works for Dunlop was engineer for Tom Scholz at Rockman back in the day so I knew it was only a matter of time before they released something like this! Hopefully more Rockman stuff to come.
Learned about the original Rockman listening to Mkgee. He has a track literally called Rockman. Apparently uses an original unit to achieve his signature throwback 80s guitar tone. Worth checking out!
You can't forget the miced 4x12 cabinet simulator!!!!!!!!!! That was ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL to the sound!!!!!!!!! And yes, the original needed a 1/8 in stereo jack/plugged (?) to connect it to ANYTHING!
Rough boy is a great choice to show of the amps. I had one of the x100 in the late 90s. I got it for like $25. Too noisy and not practical for a covers gig, so for playing Rough Boy, Love Bites, and Hysteria I programmed a VG88 with some small solid state Amp it had in the list and used comp and chorus on it and it using the poly distortion on the VG88 I could nail the sound of the Rockman. Sadly lost the x100 in a house fire and assumed it was worthless in the early 2k market when 80s were still looked at funny and instead everyone wore douchey clothing and tribal tats/tramp stamps. My how times have changed. Think I'll Be ordering this pedal and break out the old VG88 in the meantime. Thanks for the awesome demo :)
That’s a good question: yes it “works” in stereo but it’s not meant to be a headphone amp- the volume is pretty low in that setup. Ideally, go into a cab sim pedal with a headphone out or direct to interface if not plugging into an amp.
@@AndyDemos thanks for the clarification. This seems like an odd, niche unit. It sounds great but for how it actually works in my opinion they missed the boat. Why not offer a slightly larger unit with better switching between modes? This is at best a studio unit (nothing wrong with that) but live would be really tough to use. If it had a more usable headphone jack I could see this as a great practice unit. In that regard it misses the spirit of the original unit in my opinion.
I can't believe MXR left out the echo circuitry, which was an integral part of the original Rockman sound &. unfortunately, l'm gonna pass on this pedal until they come out with version two when they realize they should've included the echo circuitry. I mean, especially if you want that "hysteria"or 80s arena rock sound you need that feature. What a letdown! oh well there are some really good plug-ins that you can get that actually sound almost identical to the rack mount Rockman equipment.
I love it! It's a little overpriced for me though... I don't know if the original rockmans were cheap or not,but this is definitely not cheap or affordable!-especially for what it is when you take a really good look at it! Sure, it's special, and it sounds awesome, but it's basically a chorus-overdrive/distortion-echo-compressor combo. It's like a 4 in 1 pedal deal, which is awesome,plus the sound is great, but I can get a similar sound with like 3-4 pedals that are way cheaper even with their combined price!
@JeanLeite-d1e When I said original rockmans,I meant it as the originals released in the 80's, and comparativley were they relativley cheap at the time or not?
Be sure to check out Mike's Gear Bazaar Reverb Shop for all of your vintage Rockman needs! Visit his shop here: reverb.com/shop/mikes-gear-bazaar-677
Opening up with “Rough Boy”! Excellent choice
Thank you! Hadn’t thought about that tune in years (maybe last heard on my Walkman) but it turned out alright! 😎🤘
Tough song to play well
What a tune@@AndyDemos
Favorite zz song!
Good call. The song turns 40 years old this year! Pretty sure there will be an unexpected bump in streams over the next week. Short slow jam dripping with nostalgia and that ZZ Top 'tude while also managing to bridge their 80s boogie beat with their deep Texas blues roots
Been waiting for this in pedal format for 50 years!
You mean 40 years right?
@jamesduescher3462 Well, the original was built in 1984, so in that sense, yes. But that original tone and sound was a part of my teenage years, which was 50 yrs ago on the first album.
They're going to sell a million.
Ordered one at midnight last night. Fortunate enough to get one while the still had stock. My Sweetwater rep said they are already selling like hot cakes, with an emphasis on HOT.
It might only do a few specific sounds, but they are unique and nostalgia inducing for someone who grew up in the 80s.
Beautiful analog goodness
Man everyone must be working their butts off to crank out these videos all at the same time today haha, I missed seeing Andy play it’s been a while for myself personally.
They were probably done weeks ago. This is how marketing works. Get the product into the hands of all of your shills, embargo their "reviews" that are thinly veiled press releases until the same time, and you get an instant information saturation when the embargo is up.
@@ObscuraDeCapra2 hours ago seems kinda late for a video if they recorded it weeks ago been watching videos of it all morning after buying my own this morning haha. But I understand what you’re saying.
@@CharizardHunter1997 Wait until you find out how long ago most movies were filmed when you're watching it on opening day...
@ buddy an hour long movie with tons of editing is not the same as a 10 minute long video about a guitar pedal lol but nice try
My God, I've been waiting on this. I hunted for years to find the Holy Grail Rockman chorus tone and never found it. I now feel complete!
Bought mine today and I am absolutely blown away!
Mine shipped today and I am psyched! 80’s style….LOL
I'm jealous!!! Congratulations have fun!
Yeah, I had one of these. It made every guitar I had sound exactly the same.
I mean it's got a really powerful compressor in the input, so it's not shocking.
I had an original Rockman with that special rack mount housing unit that made it so much more convenient. This is an amazing addition to the arsenal. I can tell MXR nailed that unreal chorus effect. Impressive.
I had the Rockman II.
Bod Cedro who works for Dunlop was engineer for Tom Scholz at Rockman back in the day so I knew it was only a matter of time before they released something like this! Hopefully more Rockman stuff to come.
I'm sold! Sounds fantastic 💥
Love that you’re playing some covers again
Learned about the original Rockman listening to Mkgee. He has a track literally called Rockman. Apparently uses an original unit to achieve his signature throwback 80s guitar tone. Worth checking out!
Great Song, I figured the track was inspired by the Rockman but I didn’t know it was part of his setup!
That's not HIS tone. That's Tom Scholz's signature tone.
Mom where the heck did you put my old Rockman?! 😃
You can't forget the miced 4x12 cabinet simulator!!!!!!!!!! That was ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL to the sound!!!!!!!!! And yes, the original needed a 1/8 in stereo jack/plugged (?) to connect it to ANYTHING!
Dad rock in a box!
Yeah but I had the original waaaaay before I was a dad. 😂!
Picking one up this afternoon!!
sounds great Andy
The old ones are incredible.
Killer intro, Andy!
I KNEW you would have a demo!
Came for the Boston vibe but got added boost with Pink Floyd vibes!
David Gilmour used a Rockman X100 I think on a solo album.
80s Andy rules
Best song to demo a Rockman tone
Asked Wampler to make a compact vers of the rockman sound for years. Glad someone finally did it!
There will be plenty of Replicas now once it’s out you make’em they all can be copied no more secret . Chorus sounds good 👍
Nails that Rough Boy tone..
Sold.
MXR taking a page from Catalinbread here (Catalinbread specializes recreating console and rack preamps)
I am going to get one the minute available in Europe. I am so excited.
Perfect for the aging rockstar in your life! I can see all the grandmas dancing up to the stage now.
Hmm, you didn’t grow up in the golden age of RnR, no need to be a bitterman.
@@WyattScottI’m not bitter and I’m not wrong! This thing is going to get a lot of cover bands laid again! I support that.
Nah 80s throwback sounds have been in vogue for years now
Whoever thought of this is brilliant cause I really wanted one.
I would think that a pedal before the Rockman would be good
nailed it, all I need is a one armed drummer and I can be selling out arenas all over the world!
😂
Is it the exact same circuit? It doesn’t have delay, so that is a difference. Is it as noisy as the original circuit was?
i would have loved to get the echo circuit too
Rough boy is a great choice to show of the amps. I had one of the x100 in the late 90s. I got it for like $25. Too noisy and not practical for a covers gig, so for playing Rough Boy, Love Bites, and Hysteria I programmed a VG88 with some small solid state Amp it had in the list and used comp and chorus on it and it using the poly distortion on the VG88 I could nail the sound of the Rockman. Sadly lost the x100 in a house fire and assumed it was worthless in the early 2k market when 80s were still looked at funny and instead everyone wore douchey clothing and tribal tats/tramp stamps. My how times have changed. Think I'll Be ordering this pedal and break out the old VG88 in the meantime. Thanks for the awesome demo :)
No echo on the pedal?
Would the output work for headphones in stereo mode?
Don't see why not, you can go DI with it
That’s a good question: yes it “works” in stereo but it’s not meant to be a headphone amp- the volume is pretty low in that setup. Ideally, go into a cab sim pedal with a headphone out or direct to interface if not plugging into an amp.
@@AndyDemos thanks for the clarification. This seems like an odd, niche unit. It sounds great but for how it actually works in my opinion they missed the boat. Why not offer a slightly larger unit with better switching between modes? This is at best a studio unit (nothing wrong with that) but live would be really tough to use. If it had a more usable headphone jack I could see this as a great practice unit. In that regard it misses the spirit of the original unit in my opinion.
Isn't the output a line level signal?
Wow the ultrarare Yamaha SAS
did Billy Gibbons use the Rockman?
@@notanotherjamesmurphy5574 Thats the word on the street!
Eliminator Album
Edit* Afterburner album... Not Eliminator
Everyone did.
@@JTB--Afterburner has Rockman as well
it’s known that he used a BK Butler pedal. I wonder if he used the BK Butler and the Rockman together
to me it isn't properly demo'd until i watch Andy do a demo
no one has played rockman by mk.gee on this yet
I was just thinking that
Rad!
what Yamaha model IS THAT?
@@robflewell7706 Late 80s SAS-II (only released in Japan). I put Total Gravy PAFs in it 👌
@@AndyDemos Thanks Andy! I KNEW it was probably unattainable! lol
I honestly Thought you were playing the ZZ Top Album.
It’s perfect except for the odd decision not to include the “ECHO”
They can't source the old chips for the echo. Would be too expensive and limited.
You know what would really make this pop? A pick.
Sheesh
Gonna look for a second hand
No headphone output?
They had one job.
This one goes into your amp!
@ but what if it went in your amp AND had a headphone jack? 🙏🏼
I can see this being bought both by okd cover band players and gen z shoegazers
I’m 27 and I bought it mainly for Def Leppard Hysteria tones haha
I didn't care for it back then and can safely say I still don't today.
I'm a rough boy.
There go's the price of my 85 X-100 ...There better in tube amps then head phones any day !
I can't believe MXR left out the echo circuitry, which was an integral part of the original Rockman sound &. unfortunately, l'm gonna pass on this pedal until they come out with version two when they realize they should've included the echo circuitry. I mean, especially if you want that "hysteria"or 80s arena rock sound you need that feature. What a letdown! oh well there are some really good plug-ins that you can get that actually sound almost identical to the rack mount Rockman equipment.
Gotta use it direct man. The rockman replaces an amp😊
I love it! It's a little overpriced for me though... I don't know if the original rockmans were cheap or not,but this is definitely not cheap or affordable!-especially for what it is when you take a really good look at it! Sure, it's special, and it sounds awesome, but it's basically a chorus-overdrive/distortion-echo-compressor combo. It's like a 4 in 1 pedal deal, which is awesome,plus the sound is great, but I can get a similar sound with like 3-4 pedals that are way cheaper even with their combined price!
This is cheaper than the current Rockman going price. Avg about $345.
@JeanLeite-d1e When I said original rockmans,I meant it as the originals released in the 80's, and comparativley were they relativley cheap at the time or not?
Pretty good for a guy not even born in 1980....
You’re too kind 😉
nice roughboy, but this pedal literally sounds so small
I think that’s the point. To fit into dense 80’s rock mixes like def leppard or Boston
Try turning it up a little. This type of tone needs to be moving air to sound it's thickest.
@ im not getting one I don't like this tone. lol
@ or it was just what was around at the time
@@Doty6StringNo the lack of low end and focused mids are so it fits the mix and doesn't need an amp.
geeze I hated this sound in the 80s and I still hate it. I had Rockman II... bleh
Distortion, an EQ, Phase Shifter and Compressor, same thing.
sounds like shit through an amp... this thing really only works straight into a recording interface/PA
That’s what I’m thinking. It’d be nice to have in the studio for projects.
You’ll get bored with it in two weeks, guaranteed.
First
I want to hear what this thing would sound like with a Boss SD-1 boosting!
Kind of a bummer they didn't include the echo.
Question: What's the smallest powered speakers this unit would work with?
:( doesnt sound like a rockman, the compressed clean sound us gone in this version, doesn't sound crystalline, that's a shame
I hear that. But it's a step I'm the right direction. I have been wanting a real Rockman in a pedal or a more sturdy set up for 40 YEARS.