finally played a randall rg3 ($400-ish combo shootout continues)

[DankStar]

so I've been having a shootout of sorts with cheap (mainly ss or hybrid) amps that could still push some air with an extension cab if needed...

today, I found a local randall dealer and tried my hand at the rg3. very versatile in terms of footswitching: you can turn the reverb on and off, change channels, and also boost the clean or dirty channels. dirty sounded great, it really drew out some metal riffage. it didn't have an over-abundance of gain, but it had a special tone control separate from the EQ that appeared to add a lot of different characters (classic rock to more grindy stuff). not as much gain as a peavey bandit, but a little warmer and more organic. clean was very punchy, a little less than crystal clean (which is OK with me). the ability to plug an 8 OR 4 ohm extension cab into it is a great feature too. some combos a minimum of 16 I've noticed. how many extension cabs are 16 ohms?

it's in my top 5 that's for sure.

 

[sufferinrewind]

Re: finally played a randall rg3 ($400-ish combo shootout continues)

Is this the one you're talking about?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Randall-RG75G3-G3-Series-Guitar-Combo-Amp-?sku=480334

 

[DankStar]

Re: finally played a randall rg3 ($400-ish combo shootout continues)

Is this the one you're talking about?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Randall-RG75G3-G3-Series-Guitar-Combo-Amp-?sku=480334

yes. there's another one with effects that's a little more $, but this one has reverb, which is all I use really in terms of effects.

it reminds me of my old valvestate head to be honest (the one chuck from Death played I came to find out). i wonder if they "borrowed" any of that older hybrid circuitry from marshall.

 

[NT02]

Re: finally played a randall rg3 ($400-ish combo shootout continues)

Dankstar, ever check out a Peavey Classic 30?
I went down the path you're on a while back. Checked out solid state PVs, Marshall AVTs, crappy Crates and ended up with a Randall RG75. None of the ss/hybrid combos will ever compare to the Peavey Classic 30 in terms of tone or volume. 30 tubes watts blows away 100 ss watts. The PVC30 has more life and detail, gets loud enough for pretty much any venue, and works great with all pedals. Stock, it does everything but metal. Want metal? Toss in an extension cab and a Metal Muff (or any metal pedal).

Just a thought, not sure if you've explored that option.

 

[DankStar]

Re: finally played a randall rg3 ($400-ish combo shootout continues)

Dankstar, ever check out a Peavey Classic 30?
I went down the path you're on a while back. Checked out solid state PVs, Marshall AVTs, crappy Crates and ended up with a Randall RG75. None of the ss/hybrid combos will ever compare to the Peavey Classic 30 in terms of tone or volume. 30 tubes watts blows away 100 ss watts. The PVC30 has more life and detail, gets loud enough for pretty much any venue, and works great with all pedals. Stock, it does everything but metal. Want metal? Toss in an extension cab and a Metal Muff (or any metal pedal).

Just a thought, not sure if you've explored that option.

well, people keep mentioning the classic 20 and 30 when combos are discussed and it is making me very curious - so I shall find one to play! I haven't played one yet since I'm kind of on the hunt for something that won't require a trip to the amp tech down the road, or the purchase of tubes down the road (although a 30-watter probably doesn't have too many power tubes in it). Volume/ability to fill a room is a consideration of mine, since I want to be ready for a drummer jam in the near future and I would think the classic 30 would blow away the lil' randall, yer right. I'm not afraid of pedals, so that's not too big of a deal, but it's nice to plug into a metal-ready amp and crunch away. I'll do some more research....thanks!

 

[NT02]

Re: finally played a randall rg3 ($400-ish combo shootout continues)

Yeah, there are 4 EL84 power tubes, 2 12AX7 preamp tubes and a 12AX7 phase inverter in that PV. But it's nothing to change em out, they're relatively cheap, and the beauty of the PV is that you can really manipulate the tone with a tube change. With some hot tubes and hot pickups, this little beast can do 80s metal tones on its own, just not the dropped B numetal stuff.

BTW, I literally gave that Randall away to a kid as his first amp. It never got any playing time after I purchased the PV. You can grab a used PVC30 off of Ebay for around $300. Definitely check one out.

Good luck with your amp search! Shopping is always fun.