Rockman Tone in 2017

[Sirion]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

http://www.stagecue.com/rockman.html

Now this is kind of awesome. A guy has reconstructed his Rockman headphone amp into a rack unit, with better components, and all the tweakability the original unit was capable of but didn't offer. I wonder if Tom Scholz has ever gotten to see this?

[67Mopar]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

I contacted the guy to see if he was putting the X100 rack into production. He said it was a huge project, not something that we wanted to do again.

[Sirion]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

A pity, but not unexpected; it seems like a large operation. It might be the same guy, but I know there is somebody over at the Fractal forum who had one installed in a rack as well. Apparently, Pete Cornish was brought in to get hold of military-grade components for it.

From the drawings it might be possible to recreate the project, though. I have a friend who would probably have been game, but I really shouldn't tangle myself into Rockman gear.

[67Mopar]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

He did an excellent job, no doubt about that. I just don't see why anyone would take on something like that without contemplating a future sales venture? Passion?

[Sirion]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

Probably. He might have wanted one for himself, or to see how much it was possible to make the unit do. By the way, by now I suppose it would actually be legal to create reproductions of these, as long as no trademarks are being infringed, since the patents must be more than 30 years old now. Not that I think it is going to happen, but legally it should be unproblematic.

[67Mopar]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

True, but why would Jim Dunlop not just renew the patents? btw... Tom Scholz did not sell the entirety of the Rockman patents to Dunlop, so there are key features in the circuitry that Dunlop cannot reproduce. I believe it has to do with the compressor and/or overdrive. This is why the Dunlop Rockman products don't sound as good as the SR&D products.

I just got through putting my Rockman head back together tonight. I was going to sell the modules off in favor of a Synergy system, but came to my senses. I love the sound of the VOX AC (Morgan) and Fender Tweed modules, but I can approximate those tones using my Guytron GT20. The Rockman + Tube Screamer tone is among my favorites, and nothing that I've heard reproduces that sound. The Rockman chorus and echo modules are as close as I've ever gotten to getting a Roland RE-301 sound from a bb format.

[voggin]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

I was in a band {dual guitar} with a guy that had the GK 2x8 combo, he ran a XLR out into the PA, Big sound !

Oh, man, I wanted one of those soooooo badly when they came out.

The 80s were such a great era of innovation in gear, esp. solid state stuff. My pal had one of the little Rockman headphone amps. We used to record with it all the time into a little Fostex cassette 4 track. I used to love the clean setting direct with a little delay.

[rbc]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

If you want to record with a Rockman XPR, they have one in the Beat Production Studio at Starsound Studios, located in North Royalton, Ohio:

They have a studio tour up on YouTube:

Here is the link to their web site:

http://starsoundstudios.com

[rbc]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

Taylor Rhodes believes he has gotten a little closer to the Marshall sound from the first two Boston albums. You'll have to decide for yourself. Check out his video:

[67Mopar]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

You've managed to make a perfectly good Rockman Sustainor to sound awful! The key to dialing-in a Sustainor for 1st album tone is to place an EQ in the Sustainor loop, and then an expander (or additional EQ) in between the Sustainor and the stereo amplifier. You're never going to duplicate that sound using a Sustainor, but you can get close. Placing a clean boost before the Sustainor helps as well. Also... Dump the digital processing.

[rbc]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

This popped up on YouTube recently. It's "We're Ready", a Boston Cover on a Rockman Soloist:

[Securb]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

Oh, man, I wanted one of those soooooo badly when they came out.

As did I. I played one in a music store a few years back and it didn't bowl me over the way it did years ago. I found the GK to be lacking balls and bottom. I wanted so bad to like it, it was priced very nice. It just didn't do it for me the way it did when I first heared it.

[Sirion]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

I have created a monster. This is now tied for the most replied-to thread in the amp room of all time… and its about Rockman products. When I made it, I expected fewer than ten responses.

[Sirion]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

Since it is MY thread, I will feel free to doublepost to push it over the threshold!

[LLL]

Re: Rockman Tone in 2017

I have created a monster. This is now tied for the most replied-to thread in the amp room of all time… and its about Rockman products. When I made it, I espected fewer than ten responses.

The past is alive and well.