Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Transcend on January 04, 2009, 05:01:25 PM

Title: Marshall Randy Rhoads amp demo
Post by: Transcend on January 04, 2009, 05:01:25 PM
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4EjcXmFZQgg&feature=related

I must say it sounds  a lot better than i expected from a modern marshall.

I'm quite liking the edwards too even though i don't normally go for things like that.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: HTH AMPS on January 04, 2009, 06:18:58 PM
the RR tribute Marshalls do sound good, but like the old non-master volume Marshalls, it's still gonna have to be cranked somewhat to get plenty of gain (the RR amp doesn't have a MV either).

it's a pretty crude 'mod' actually and a bit of a strange one since Marshall were already making their 2204/2203 amps at the time when they modded Randy's white 1959 head.  all they've done is to cascade the normal and brilliant channels into each other, but you can't argue with the results - it sounds great.  I'd personally have liked to see a (defeatable) master volume on the amp so you can balance the preamp and poweramp gain without having to crank it.

that said, it's a niche amp that does the job well - if only they'd got the cab right  :roll:
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: gwEm on January 04, 2009, 10:53:32 PM
i like that clip  :D

slight GAS this end for a PPIMV plexi
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Crazy_Joe on January 05, 2009, 01:56:17 AM
Sounds nice, but who is going to pay £1000+ for it?!
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Denim n Leather on January 05, 2009, 03:38:56 AM
Sounds nice, but who is going to pay £1000+ for it?!
The same ppl that shell out THOUSANDS of dollars for those uber limited edition Lynch guitars ... there's a market for everything.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Crazy_Joe on January 05, 2009, 01:38:15 PM
Yes, but they are idiots with more money than sense.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: _tom_ on January 05, 2009, 01:40:56 PM
Sounds ok but not even close to £1000+ good.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Twinfan on January 05, 2009, 03:05:40 PM
It might sound better in the room?

But I doubt it...
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: PPPMAT on January 05, 2009, 03:19:49 PM
I love the look of it - the guys on the randy rhoads websites are all creaming themsleves over it (not that I frequent randy rhoads websites you understand - a 'friend' *told* me about it  :oops:)
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: bucketshred on January 05, 2009, 03:31:20 PM
Rhoads btw. Suprised no one else picked up on this. I'd love on of those amps.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Will on January 05, 2009, 03:44:45 PM
Rhoads btw.

Its one of those OCD things that always annoys me.
Woogie had one for a while didn't he? I am sure I have seen people say that the mod wasn't used by RR, the mod made one of the volumes a master volume :?

While there is a topic about it, are the photos of Randy using the bright hi input? and is the mod anything other than what HTH is saying?
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Twinfan on January 05, 2009, 03:55:46 PM
As far as I know, it's a replica of Randy's own amp and the mod is as HTH described.....
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Will on January 05, 2009, 04:06:21 PM
But it was one of the inputs that was modded, and one not. Apparently he did not like the mod and used the other input
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Roobubba on January 05, 2009, 04:09:33 PM
Rhoads btw. Suprised no one else picked up on this. I'd love on of those amps.
Did you mean "one" of those amps? :D

Sorry, I had to...

Roo
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Twinfan on January 05, 2009, 04:26:26 PM
But it was one of the inputs that was modded, and one not. Apparently he did not like the mod and used the other input

I think 'Normal-Hi' is the modded input, which runs the normal channel first stage into the bright channel input.  To bypass the mod, you'd plug into 'Bright-Hi' and have a regular plexi lead channel....
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: PPPMAT on January 05, 2009, 04:34:42 PM
Yes its the normal channel that is the modded one - the bright channel is a standard plexi as said above. Just a shame they based it on the 1959slp rather than the HW head.

Still looks cool as f..... though.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: gwEm on January 05, 2009, 04:54:36 PM
do people think most of the rhoads tone comes from the MXR Dist+ then?
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: Twinfan on January 05, 2009, 05:25:53 PM
Dist+ into Plexi = Randy's tone

That's my opinion anyway.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: gwEm on January 05, 2009, 05:34:51 PM
its been ages since i checked out tribute, diary of a madman and blizzard of ozz....

in fact, i think the tone in the clip originally posted is rather nicer than randy's actually tone, which is rather fizzy and harsh at times

randy used the top left input, where as the japanese guy is using the top right (which we can presume to be the modded channel?). the mod seems to give the randy tone which is my head after not listening for a few years, rather than his actual tone back in the day.

wonder if that japanese guitarist is using any pedals...

edit: answer is maybe -

http://blog.marshallamps.jp/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/05/02/1959rr_shooting.jpg
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhoads amp demo
Post by: Crazy_Joe on January 05, 2009, 10:35:19 PM
TBH if you get a Dist X you're pretty much there. If Randy wasn't a guitar god people would say his tone was muddy and awful. But so many classic songs have been made with it it's hard not to like.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: HTH AMPS on January 05, 2009, 11:59:53 PM
But it was one of the inputs that was modded, and one not. Apparently he did not like the mod and used the other input

I think 'Normal-Hi' is the modded input, which runs the normal channel first stage into the bright channel input.  To bypass the mod, you'd plug into 'Bright-Hi' and have a regular plexi lead channel....

thats essentially it Dave, or certainly what the Marshall factory schematic shows.  the clips I've heard with the cascaded gain stages have that trademark Randy Rhoads tone leading me to believe he used the cascade mod.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhoads amp demo
Post by: JamesHealey on January 06, 2009, 10:23:28 AM
I would put my original '70 1959 Super Lead up against that amp any day of the week.  :shock:
yes mine doesn't have as much gain but pushed with the barber it slays anything u could imagine.
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: JamesHealey on January 06, 2009, 10:28:59 AM
the RR tribute Marshalls do sound good, but like the old non-master volume Marshalls, it's still gonna have to be cranked somewhat to get plenty of gain (the RR amp doesn't have a MV either).

it's a pretty crude 'mod' actually and a bit of a strange one since Marshall were already making their 2204/2203 amps at the time when they modded Randy's white 1959 head.  all they've done is to cascade the normal and brilliant channels into each other, but you can't argue with the results - it sounds great.  I'd personally have liked to see a (defeatable) master volume on the amp so you can balance the preamp and poweramp gain without having to crank it.

that said, it's a niche amp that does the job well - if only they'd got the cab right  :roll:

The "one wire mod" as it's known is a bit crude as you've mentioned, I've found it impossible to dial in a good tone using this mod which makes me think marshall might have changed a few values, eg the coupling caps on the first valve to 2200pf on both sides or something similar, I've designed a few mods with an extra gain stage infront of the first valve stage and I've also tried turning the cathode follower into a gain stage so you have a plate driven tonestack which is a nice way to do it, the lee jackson way of adding a gainstage after the CF stage is also well thought of but I've not tried this yet.

Still think the 2203 is the best way to get that extra gain but retain the crunch/dynamics of the Marshall sound though, and a stock plexi is great with a pedal pushing it anyway so why mod it?
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhoads amp demo
Post by: mikey5 on January 07, 2009, 12:50:12 AM
Damn that guy is one hell of a player. Good music
Title: Re: Marshall Randy Rhodes amp demo
Post by: HTH AMPS on January 08, 2009, 01:17:52 AM
the RR tribute Marshalls do sound good, but like the old non-master volume Marshalls, it's still gonna have to be cranked somewhat to get plenty of gain (the RR amp doesn't have a MV either).

it's a pretty crude 'mod' actually and a bit of a strange one since Marshall were already making their 2204/2203 amps at the time when they modded Randy's white 1959 head.  all they've done is to cascade the normal and brilliant channels into each other, but you can't argue with the results - it sounds great.  I'd personally have liked to see a (defeatable) master volume on the amp so you can balance the preamp and poweramp gain without having to crank it.

that said, it's a niche amp that does the job well - if only they'd got the cab right  :roll:

The "one wire mod" as it's known is a bit crude as you've mentioned, I've found it impossible to dial in a good tone using this mod which makes me think marshall might have changed a few values, eg the coupling caps on the first valve to 2200pf on both sides or something similar, I've designed a few mods with an extra gain stage infront of the first valve stage and I've also tried turning the cathode follower into a gain stage so you have a plate driven tonestack which is a nice way to do it, the lee jackson way of adding a gainstage after the CF stage is also well thought of but I've not tried this yet.

Still think the 2203 is the best way to get that extra gain but retain the crunch/dynamics of the Marshall sound though, and a stock plexi is great with a pedal pushing it anyway so why mod it?

The schematic I have shows it to simply be the 'one wire mod' as you say.  no mods, just a straight up 1959 head except the bright channel doesn't have the 2200pF coupling cap, it's a 22nF cap on both sides.

I've tried a plate-driven tonestack recently and didn't like it at all - harsh and honky.  I added a DC-coupled CF and it smoothed out the tone considerably, much nicer.

I like a gain stage after the tonestack, but not setup for quite as much gain as the Lee Jackson stuff.  The way I've done it is to have an AC-coupled CF after the tonestack to drive the effects send, then have a 'recovery' stage (return).  I add a small amount of gain for more 'hair', but you could go crazy and drive the piss out of the recovery gain stage for more filth  :lol:

I agree that the 2203 is the best way to get more gain too - it's my fave Marshall.