Hybrid hotness! Rediscovering my Randall T2HL

Phantasmagoria

Phantasmagoria

watch where you point that sabre
I've been playing this beast a hell of a lot lately. I'd kind of left it alone for while...not completely but I've sort of re-discovered it of late and am enjoying the **** out of playing it regularly again

Old rhythm clip (not the best recording but it's all I've got for rhythm):

Recorded direct to my handheld recorder ( no fx/filtering/EQ etc)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqPR_7Ry_Uc


....& check out any number of my recent uploads to my YT channel for the sweet lead tones..

Anyway, It's pretty much my 'go to' amp atm. Lead tones are incredible if your'e looking for 80's Mathais Jabbs/Schenker etc...attacking, screamy stuff. it's all there on LEAD 1 (brighter/middier/grainier). While LEAD 2 is more Amott brothers/Jeff Loomis/Petrucci smooth/dark modern tones. (Gary Moore too..)

Rhythm tones are crushing in the Arch Enemy/Andy Sneap way.. (Both Amott brothers used T2's and V2's of all types live including this 100W version...and Mike Amott had his own 'V2 Ninja' sig amp)

4 preamp tubes and a tube buffered (12AT7) Powwer section. Mine is the 100W @ 8 ohms "T2HL" version. And though I often wish I'd got the big brother (Original T2/400W) of this amp, I love this version which is supposedly slightly less edgy/even more tube-like.. It's plenty loud and punchy/ballsy ......can't complain.

Like my AMT Stonehead (completely SS) these are extremely tube-y sounding and feeling amps...so much so that it's pretty much impossible to tell the difference when I play it... except maybe a slightly quicker feeling response than you will find w/ most tube amps (great for tight rhythm playing/fast shredding :D). I think one of the Fear Factory guys had a V2 sig too.. the Archetype ....as did Gus G. from Firewind (T2HH/Heaven & Hell)

Anyway, sweet underrated SS (hybrid) amp that I personally would pick over a lot of well-regarded/big-name tube amp's out there.

YT Demo of the combo version (not mine)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiiNRxZ3DMI
 
Never knew about these amps but seems like a cool hybrid. Looks a little like an H&K with the plexiglass.

I've never owned a Randall Amp but I love a lot of albums they were recorded with. I also really dig my Randall XL 4x12.
 
I'd hardly call the Arch Enemy tone "smooth/dark", LOL.

But I'd love to try one of those.

At the time the original V2/T2's came out, my at-the-time guitarist got a G3. Man, what a CRUSHING amp. Slightly undergained and borderline uncontrollable bassy, but a boost easily took care of that. It made my other guitarist's Marshall AVT sound like a toy by comparison. We only figured if the G3 sounded this good, the big-boy T2/V2 must be amazing.

And then, they gave Michael Amott his signature Ninja. Pfff.
 
Rex_Rocker said:
I'd hardly call the Arch Enemy tone "smooth/dark", LOL.

.
Click to expand...

Lead tone man...I'm all about lead tones these days.. (smooth dark as in 'not Marshally') the LEAD 1 Channel is actually pretty Marshally ..slightly thinner w/ more upper mids & has that grainy Marshall-like texture.. Sweet harmonic overtones too on both lead channels.

I think the G3 had the same "Valve-dynamic" power section with the 12AT7...extremely tube-like response & tone.
 
Phantasmagoria said:
Lead tone man...I'm all about lead tones these days.. (smooth dark as in 'not Marshally') the LEAD 1 Channel is actually pretty Marshally ..slightly thinner w/ more upper mids & has that grainy Marshall-like texture.. Sweet harmonic overtones too on both lead channels.
Click to expand...
AFAIK, he does have an 800 that he likes.

I still don't agree, LOL. I mean, thear lead tones are usually darker and smoother than their rhythm tones, that's for sure. I thought that was common approach, to have the lead tones more mid-focused and less searing sizzly. But their rhythm tones are usually very grindy and sizzly, so it's not easy to dial in something smoother and darker that's still not smooth and dark.

It may be that I can hear they use the neck pickup a lot, tho.

I mean, they're no Yngwie. You're right about that, LOL.

But that's JMO, of course.
 
Eh, who in his right mind does'nt like an 800 :laugh:

Ok...well..let's just say I meant if you want to go any smoother or darker w/ your lead tones...pick 'Lead 2' over 'Lead 1' :p

It's just well, thicker & more modern sounding ..not as piercing as things can get on Lead 1

Yeah but then one would think Yngwie would likely struggle to get that tone of his out of anything but a Marshall & a Strat w/ single coils..

But.... I've seen clips of him playing (at home) with an LP ...and I'm damned if he didnt sound like he always does :lmao:

So who knows..
 
Rex_Rocker said:
Oh, I never got to try one, I was referring to the G3. If you didn't boost them, you still had to have both gains almost dimed to get the chuggs going. And even then, they felt kinda dry.
Click to expand...

Nah I was just saying...that's not an issue these amps have (T2/V2). More than enough meaty, fat, juicy gain than you'll ever need for days..
 
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Phantasmagoria said:
Eh, who in his right mind does'nt like an 800
Click to expand...
Um... me... LOL.

I mean, I recognize they're iconic. They sound good for what they do. But what they do is not what I do.

I've not tried the 2205, but the 2203 master volume is not great by contemporary standards. It's goes from 0 to 81918080 just by breathing on it. Then, it doesn't sound great unless you give it some SERIOUS love. That is the case for all tube amps, but it's particularly bad on the 2203, IMO. The low end is there, but it's stuffy rather than deep. They barely have any distortion to them at all, and as soon as you start pushing that gain knob, the amp flubs out drastically.

I mean... it's a good ampf for what it does, just not for me... like... at all. I'm sure it sounds glorious boosted with the right boost that has enough output to really get it going and some super blistering hot pickups like a Black Winter or X2N, but I'd take Randall V2/T2 over an 800 any day of the week, personally. Like, not even close.
 
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Oh man..if I could have any Marshal it would be an 800. I love the way they sound. 80's as fuck! There used to be a time back when I first started gigging that they were super common backline amps at venue around here...2203's that is. Now all you see are MG's and if you're lucky 900's sometimes. Yeah they need to be boosted but then you're (I'm ) in high gain heaven. Having said that, for my playing personally I'd take a T2/V2 over one too I guess because I'm all about thick meaty grindy high gain tones with fat juicy lower mids. The closest tubes amp equivalents would be Recto's or Engl's of some sort...or Bogner's maybe (never played one though).
 
I'd grab an 800 if I had other amp needs covered. First up, I'd get a Rev F Recto and an OG Krank Rev 1 with the 5881's. Then a Block Letter 5150. Then an SLO. Then another Peavey XXX.

Honestly, for the Marshall tone, I'd rather grab an JVM or a Splawn.

The thing about the 800 is it became so iconic that everyone and their grandma made (and makes) an 800-inspired amp which "fixes" the shortcommings of the 800. Yeah, it doesn't sound the same, but I can't really think of a recorded tone that I look up to that is just a plain old un-modded 800 that would make me want to go "yeah, I want that exact sound, and I'll accept no substitutions." I mean, I like Zakk Wylde and Slayer, but neither of their tones are my favorites.

But that's just me. :)
 
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Yeah, my first choice would be a Recto as well. I've always gassed for one. One of the new 3 ch Multi-watts will do just fine.. A SLO would be my absolute first choice but only if I could magically get it at Recto prices :p

Other amps I would'nt mind: A big 400W Randall T2/V2 Ninja, An Engl (Smolski, Inferno or Fireball preferably...or a Retro-Tube 100 ) and though I was'nt crazy about the Krankenstein I tried (way too dry sounding) I really like the Nineteen 80 (?) I think it was called & the Rev1 (one I tried had El34's)...Oooh and I love a Laney TI/Tony Iommi. Though Imy Ironheart 120 kicks a whole lot of ass anyway & could nail most of the tones, if not all of them..


The funny thing is every time I think of getting a Marshall (pretty often) I always end up w/ something else instead. I like how they sound but when I play them ..they are'nt my thing..or least other amp's are more my thing. Though I'm guessing I would'nt mind a JVM either. Again I like the tones of a regular JVM when I hear other people play them, but I think if it came to actually playing them myself I'd like a JS more....just for the kind of compression, lows and mids it has :p
 
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FWIW, I think the blue channel on the 5150III stuff gets pretty 800-ish. Just tighter and overall better. JMO, of course.
 
Yeah the whole 5150/6505 familyof amp's are pretty nice sounding/versatile too. I just don't want one 'cuz of how stale that sound has become. I could actually pick one up pretty cheap used here...just not interested.

The guy at the studio we often recorded at has a bunch of Krank's....now those amp's do interest me . I could maybe get him to part w/ one ;) I'm pretty partial to the Rev1 (w/ EL34's) especially....never tried the 5881 version.

Heard the Amott's used them on Doomsday Machine which had a pretty sweet production
 
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