Rockman x100 = Boston, baby!

[Guitardude86]

When I found out a guy i know was selling this I couldn't pass it up.
Brad Delp's passing has made me listen to Boston again, all day long..
What a group, easily one of the greatest ever in my opinion.. The first album was released in (I think) 1976, and I honestly think it contains some of the hottest guitarplaying ever since VH1.
Tom Scholz designed this little box of wonders and I just can't put it down. It's got all those cool 70's sounds, great echo, chorus to die for, clean and dirty.. I won't be needing any Line6, Behringer, Boss, Roland or whatever digital modeler with this one. It's the best thing to play with headphones on i have ever heard, period. Not sure how it sounds thru an amp yet, but as far as I know Tony Macalpine was using a Rockman through a Peavey years ago..
If you're looking for a 70's/Boston sound, buy this if you find it, you won't regret it, I know I don't. It's amazing, but that's just my opinion

Link:

http://www.superpage.com/riffs/desc_rockman.html

[danastas]

I loved it when I first bought one in 1983.

I assume you have a very old one? Because if you don't, the new ones sound absolutely nothing like the units that Scholz designed.

[CharvelRocker]

I think one of these would be cool, but how much do they run (as apparently the new ones dont get the boston sound)?

[Cleveland Metal]

I bought one (and still have it albeit in pieces) when the Rockmans came out. I always thought that version actually sounded better than the x-100's as they are not the first unit that was introduced. X-100s were like a later unit. Not sure how they were sposed to be improved over the one I have.

Amazingly cool through headphones tho. Awesome chorus and spacial feeling with the cleans.

I never felt it "really" got the Boston sound myself. Maybe I just couldn't play then haha... I should put it together and see if it works, haha... I used to run it as a preamp back in the day (believe it or not) and modded it quite a bit as far as output jacks etc.

[Guitardude86]

I've no idea what year mine was made, but it does get a great 70's vibe, great for clean chorusy stuff, like Cathedral for example I just love it, and if mine isn't as good as the first ones produced I can only imagine how good they must be.. I'm just starstruck with this thing, cause it absolutely NAILED some of the tones I've been looking for!

[khabibissell]

I have one of these and it is in excellent condition. My brother used one in the mid 80's and I thought it sounded great, so I got myself one once I got older and had some cash. I took it with me when I was in the Marines and deployed on ship, and it worked perfectly for practicing.

I'll have to pull it out tonight and see how it sounds.

[Guitardude86]

I'll have to pull it out tonight and see how it sounds.

Let us know what you think of it, after all these years

[rjohnstone]

I sold mine to one of the guys here a long time ago.
I was able to achieve Tom's "sound" through my DigiTech, so I didn't need it anymore.
Cool little boxes though.

[Cleveland Metal]

and if mine isn't as good as the first ones produced I can only imagine how good they must be.. I'm just starstruck with this thing, cause it absolutely NAILED some of the tones I've been looking for!

I remember trying one of the x100s and I wouldn't say it wasn't as good I guess, there was just something that wasn't quite what I expected maybe or something like that I'm thinking. It's been a LONG time. Like seems like early 80s... or maybe late 70s?

I think maybe I wanted more distortion or something. I probably wanted VanHalen in a box, haha...

They all did some cool stuff. It was my sound for a long time, ran out the headphone jacks into a clean amp.

[jgcable]

When I worked at Power Play Studios in Queens NY as a session guitarist/co-producer for many of the top acts back then I used a Rockman X100 directly into the console.

[Guitardude86]

When I worked at Power Play Studios in Queens NY as a session guitarist/co-producer for many of the top acts back then I used a Rockman X100 directly into the console.

That is so metal dude.. haha

[Bengal65]

Neat! I have one of the original ones. Still pull it out once and a while. I also have the Bass version as well. Great units. They are great into the board as JG put it.

[markD]

i love my rockman sustainors for that tone also. in the early 90's i used to plug those straight into the board for all my recordings!!

[Sinistas]

The Rockman stuff can also get close to Megadeth's Rust In Peace tone.

[charvelguy]

The Rockman was indispensable as a recording tool back in the 80's-90's.
I still have the X-100 and the PAF Rockman before it...they both sound pretty much the same. Great clean sounds for direct recording, and the lead tones may be a little 'canned' in todays standards, but it was really a smooth distortion. I still have a few Rockmounts laying about too.

Reliability.. well, the Rockman was only so forgiving to being mishandled before solder joints started coming undone and even then the switches would eventually wear and the thing becomes buggy.
Rackmounting them with a shock mount was the best way to go.