Shhh... I'm huntin' Wackmount tube pweamps...

[HTH AMPS]

I have a couple of Hughes & Kettner 'Machine' amps.  These are half rack units which have a built in power amp.  I have a Cream Machine and a Metal Master.  They have a built in 'Red Box' for recording and you can pick them up pretty cheaply on eBay.  For something more special I have the prototype and first production model of the Lexicon Signature 284, which is a stereo 3 watt all valve rack mount amp, using 2 EL84 power tubes.  It has speaker emulated outputs (4x12 or 2x12 open).   When I was recording with mine, you couldn't tell the difference between the actual outputs and the emulation, though I have a set of speakers that John McIntyre (the designer), made me with attenuators, which I use with the original all the time. 

I always fancied one of those Lexicon amps, sure one will turn up at the right price one day.

[ericsabbath]

peavey rockmaster kicks ass for metal
pretty much a peavey XXX 4-tube preamp in a 1u rack
no diode clipping in this one (unlike the JMP-1 and most of the non-boutique others)
about US$250 on ebay

I was just about to ask about this 'un.. One has come up for fairly cheap so I'm sort of considering it. My biggest worry though, is how to make it work with my racktuner, and what footswitches work with it.

it has like half a dozen loop sends and 3 outputs
the footswitch circuit is quite simple as well
no boutique open sounding tones, but pretty much what most people who love peavey and engl would enjoy
and for the price of a pedal!
these preamps are like 18-20 years old and are built like a tank
never heard of a defective rockmaster

[Loomer]

peavey rockmaster kicks ass for metal
pretty much a peavey XXX 4-tube preamp in a 1u rack
no diode clipping in this one (unlike the JMP-1 and most of the non-boutique others)
about US$250 on ebay

I was just about to ask about this 'un.. One has come up for fairly cheap so I'm sort of considering it. My biggest worry though, is how to make it work with my racktuner, and what footswitches work with it.

it has like half a dozen loop sends and 3 outputs
the footswitch circuit is quite simple as well
no boutique open sounding tones, but pretty much what most people who love peavey and engl would enjoy
and for the price of a pedal!
these preamps are like 8-10 years old and are built like a tank
never heard of a defective rockmaster

Goddamnit.. Gas'ing bad right now.

[ericsabbath]

oh wait! I meant 18-20 years old!!!

the only reason I got rid of it is that I was going for marshall-like amps (and actually sold it to fund a 70's marshall)
hard to get mid gain open tones from it, as this thing sounds sharp, punchy and dense
the active eq and lack of cathode follower makes it hard to deal for non in-our-face metal or hardcore, but works great on late satriani-like leadwork and most 90's and modern metal stuff
sounds a lot like the jsx/xxx amps, but more midrange focused
the crunch channel sounds 90% the same as the lead, but tending to the peavey classic amps
clean channel isn't bad, but isn't great either

[Loomer]

I basically just need nothing but ultra-gain distortion. Anything else is just gravy, really.

[FELINEGUITARS]

I've had a couple of Rockmasters and whilst they were a lot of fun the saturation levels were always a bit too full on for my tastes - not unlike Peavey were doing on the solid state amps of the time where the "Supersat" gain control kind of did all or nothing.

But great value for money and using a graphic EQ on each channel worked well to dial in a killer tone  for each channel - this is where the separate loops worked well for me.

I would have loved them to have done a proper 5150 preamp though !

[Loomer]

I've had a couple of Rockmasters and whilst they were a lot of fun the saturation levels were always a bit too full on for my tastes - not unlike Peavey were doing on the solid state amps of the time where the "Supersat" gain control kind of did all or nothing.

But great value for money and using a graphic EQ on each channel worked well to dial in a killer tone  for each channel - this is where the separate loops worked well for me.

I would have loved them to have done a proper 5150 preamp though !

Seeing as it's supposed to be used for a 1-guitar, bass-less band, the fact that it's a bit too full is actually just good news!  :lol:
I need to fill out as much sonic real estate as possible.

[Loomer]

necrobumping here:

So, I've decided what I want, but now all of a sudden Rockmasters are bloody IMPOSSIBLE to come by!

Othewise I'd love a Crate XLP, since I've heard it's the pre section of the legendary Ampeg Vh140C stuffed in a rack chassis. The Crate TDP looks nice too. Anyone tried any of these two?