Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review within

[Twisteramps]

Simply put - it kicks ass. haven't tried it at a band reheasal yet (I don't like taking totally untested gear to gigs for obvious reasons) and we're not rehearsing again until February, so I'll give that info later.

But for bedroom use... holy shit. I'm going to have to build a footswitch for it, but already figured out which terminals to jumper for the different channels. Run the lead channel without the pull boost, it's like a single channel JCM800 with a little less gain. pull it, and we're talking MONDO gain and sustain.

Want that 80s Dokken tone? Here it is. Amps sell on ebay regularly for under $200, just dig up a footswitch or have one built and you're set.

Clean channel isn't real wonderful, but with effects it's ok. Oh, forgot to mention, amp has an fx loop and a somewhat crappy reverb.

When I get a chance, I'll post clips... but this thing sounds great and is loud as hell. Might not work well for a loud band, have no idea yet... but for bedroom metal, it rocks.

I also put a bad monkey overdrive in the front of it without the gain boost pulled - sounded killer there too.

Price/performance champ for hard rock and 80s hair metal, in my opinion. Absolutely smokes the valvestates, Mode 4 and the newer 'improved' Randalls. Also sounds better at bedroom levels than a lot of 'all tube' amps. I'd take this over a JCM900 in a heartbeat.

Pete

[jgcable]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review within

Yep. The RG100 is a great SS amp. I gigged with a snakeskin 1986 RG100ES-SS CC Deville model for close to 2 years.
I also have 2 Randall cabs that kick major ass too.
Pete, if you need the Cinch Jones 6 pin plug so that you can make a cable let me know. I stock and sell them at work.

[Twisteramps]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review within

John - yes I do! email me the shipped price to [email protected] and I'll paypal you. Thanks!

Pete

[jgcable]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review within

[ QUOTE ]
John - yes I do! email me the shipped price to [email protected] and I'll paypal you. Thanks!

Pete

[/ QUOTE ]

Just send me your address and I will mail you one out no charge.

[Endrik]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

hmmm, interesting. I need a new bedroom rig, this might be it.

[Shotgun]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

Great review, Pete. My cousin still gigs the RG80 he bought new in the 80s. I was going to suggest you PM John about those nifty footswitch plugs (he set me up so I could make my bud a switch a couple of years ago) but I see that he beat me to it!

Randall will email you the amp schematics, too, if you just ask.

[img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

Keith

[442w30]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

I am not going to crap on you guys (god knows you all know more about tone and technique than me) but there was a guy with a new Randall SS review that just got crapped on in another thread. Here we are talking about how great the RG100 is. Seems like n00b bashing on the other thread, though I agree that the RG80 and RG100 are awesome amps.

I read that RHXXX review thinking maybe the guy had uncovered the 21st century equivilent of the RG100.

I totally agree with the review here on the RG100 though, the RG80 I had was great at low to med volume - dindn't completely dime it enough to judge that. maybe the 100 would give a little more headroom for gigging, but the 80 would pass for the weak garage jams I've done.

[IrfaanSE801]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

I've got an RG150 (same thing with graphic EQ) and a Century 200 and they both kick ass. I'm gonna demo the new V2 heads in a week or so and then it's between that and the MTS head for my next purchase. But those old SS heads definatly kick ass

[mogar]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

I got an RG80 Deluxe combo sitting right next to me. My rhythm guitarist uses this at practice and it has to fight with my 5150 combo and our drummer. Cuts through pretty good for a 1x12. With a good cab, I think that rg100 will definately work in a band situation

[Twisteramps]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

[ QUOTE ]
I am not going to crap on you guys (god knows you all know more about tone and technique than me) but there was a guy with a new Randall SS review that just got crapped on in another thread. Here we are talking about how great the RG100 is. Seems like n00b bashing on the other thread, though I agree that the RG80 and RG100 are awesome amps.

I read that RHXXX review thinking maybe the guy had uncovered the 21st century equivilent of the RG100.

I totally agree with the review here on the RG100 though, the RG80 I had was great at low to med volume - dindn't completely dime it enough to judge that. maybe the 100 would give a little more headroom for gigging, but the 80 would pass for the weak garage jams I've done.

[/ QUOTE ]

Being as I stated that it would make a great bedroom rig, never stated it would be a killer live rig (yet) and didn't flame mesa and marshall as inferior amps, like he did... it makes me wonder where you're coming up with the comparison.

This amp kills for cheap thrills, but I'm not retiring my JSX or touting it as a tube amp killer. However, it kicks the ass of every other solid state non-modelling amp I've played through or heard, most of which (mode four, some of the modern randalls like the warhead, even the valvestate 8100 that I owned in the past) are MUCH more revered and expensive. I liked the 8100, but this randall *again, imho) kicks it in the ass.

In the end, just my opinion. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] I still wanted to post this, because some people love these 80s tones but don't want to spend a lot of dough on an amp, and are twitchy about buying modelling stuff. It was more of a post to remind them about this amp, and how for the price of a practice combo you could buy a head that's a great deal.

I wasn't posting as a 'check it out, my cheap amp is cooler than your mesa' - more of a public service. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Pete

[Twisteramps]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

[ QUOTE ]
I've got an RG150 (same thing with graphic EQ) and a Century 200 and they both kick ass. I'm gonna demo the new V2 heads in a week or so and then it's between that and the MTS head for my next purchase. But those old SS heads definatly kick ass

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool, I'd like to hear a review from someone who owns em both. Looking forward to it! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Pete

[Twisteramps]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review within

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
John - yes I do! email me the shipped price to [email protected] and I'll paypal you. Thanks!

Pete

[/ QUOTE ]

John, you rock like a man who was made only to rock. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] You have a PM,thanks dude!

Pete

Just send me your address and I will mail you one out no charge.

[/ QUOTE ]

[IrfaanSE801]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I've got an RG150 (same thing with graphic EQ) and a Century 200 and they both kick ass. I'm gonna demo the new V2 heads in a week or so and then it's between that and the MTS head for my next purchase. But those old SS heads definatly kick ass

[/ QUOTE ]

Cool, I'd like to hear a review from someone who owns em both. Looking forward to it! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Pete

[/ QUOTE ]

Dude, I've had em both for over a month and I still haven't really played em. I'm getting some noise because I have to clean the pots and just for the hell of it, I'm replacing all the jacks because they are kind of flimsy. It's a time thing, never have time to get it done. This week I'll get em both runnin, but in the 10 min I played with em, I liked the RG150 a lot better straight outta the box. I'll keep ya'll posted

[lerxstcat]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

[ QUOTE ]
I am not going to crap on you guys (god knows you all know more about tone and technique than me) but there was a guy with a new Randall SS review that just got crapped on in another thread. Here we are talking about how great the RG100 is. Seems like n00b bashing on the other thread, though I agree that the RG80 and RG100 are awesome amps.

I read that RHXXX review thinking maybe the guy had uncovered the 21st century equivilent of the RG100.

I totally agree with the review here on the RG100 though, the RG80 I had was great at low to med volume - dindn't completely dime it enough to judge that. maybe the 100 would give a little more headroom for gigging, but the 80 would pass for the weak garage jams I've done.

[/ QUOTE ]

The RH amps are notorious for a high failure rate, wheras the RG heads from the mid-80s are still kicking ass 20 years later? I have a 1987 RG100ES head and for what it is it is awesome. Jgcable also made me a bitching footswitch that is better than the original in that it doesn't pop when you change channels. Thanks again for doing that, John! [img]/images/graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]

[442w30]

Re: Bought an old Randall RG100 head... review wit

Hey Twister, my statement wasn't really aimed at you - I am kinda pointing at the whole JCF. In the other guy's review everyone tore into him and the way I read the thread it went "Everyone knows SS isn't sh!t, you're a n00b, there is no way to compare a non-modeling SS to the real thing (mesa/marshall)."
I know that wasn't said directly by anyone but that was the tone of the other thread.

We all agree the RG kicks ass and I have never heard the RH, so I had hopes it would be alright. Even if the guy was right, the JCFers gave him no end of sh!t on his comparisons.

Turn the page two days and no one has chimed in about the RG sucking balls compared to a real tube amp and that twister is stupid for saying it's good.

I am not praising the other dudes thread and I found it hard to believe the RH was all that, esp compared to a real mesa/marshall, but the similarities in the reviews and the different reaction you got compared to him is pretty startling.

Again, no bag on you or any individual JCFer, just noticing.

Also, I know you have a lot of credibility when it comes to amps here - evident in the clips you post and knowledge of how they are put together. That may be where most of the differing reaction comes from.

No stones being thrown, I just think we could have gotten to the point a little less harshly in the other thread as a community.