Anyone tried both: randall rg13 and AMT preamp

[minorseventh]

i had an AMT ss-30 awhile ago and kind of wish i didnt sell it. but... i felt it was sounded good for sheer brutality, but totally fell apart for lead playing.

ive been really checking out the RG13 clips, but I seriously hate demos of a product used in a fully mixed and multitracked song context. ya know. i want to hear the pedal! not someones compositional and micing skills. (and not the Tone King's excited strumming either)

the closest contender to the RG13 looks like the AMT ss-11b, so Im looking into those too, providing they have a bit more gain on tap than the SS-30 did.

just wondering which would give up more of the goods. ideally I was hoping to find one box could do really tight and dry crunch tones, as well as liquid leads.

both function as a preamp, and both appear to be made for direct recording or even headphone usage, which is my goal here, rather than just a distortion pedal.
so can anyone compare?

 

[minorseventh]

BAH... just pulled the trigger on an RG13. DAMN GAS.

 

[atticus1088]

Let us know how it goes!

I've been interested in this for a practice rig with a 1x12.

 

[Zhysick]

Hey! I recently bought an RG13. What do you think of yours??

I'm using it thru an old bass guitar amp, but only the speaker. Is a Celestion TRUVOX 1215... it's a PA speaker, not guitar speaker. I'm finding that the crunchy sounds are amazingly powerful and aggressive, very clear but I am having some issues with the highs. There are some highs that I can not tame and are killing me.

I tried using an eq thru the effect loop and find that killing the highest frequencies like 10K or 6K don't do nothing so I don't know if the problem is in the speaker or the power amp of the pedal...

Are you experimenting the same problem?

Otherwise, the pedal is amazing. The crunch tone is very very tight and brutal and the cleans are very bright, round and cristal clear. I'm enjoying the pedal a lot, but having a little bit of problems with the lead tone because of that fizzy highs.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

I was going to say watch my shitty videos. but it looks like you are pretty damn impatient and already ordered it.

I like the RG13, never paid any attention that it could even do headphones. May have to check that out.

 

[Zhysick]

Krigloch... I think I saw your videos on youtube and already asked you via YT so...

 

[Zhysick]

Nope. I saw your videos but asked to other one.

I am having the problem with the highest frequencies. Are you experimenting excessive "fizzy" highs?

I'm talking to Krigloch right now. I can't tell by your videos if you have the same problem...


I'm watching videos of other Randall amps... maybe it is a particularity of the brand itself... that would be interesting because I am starting to hate it!

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Probably because you're using a PA speaker, which are supposed to be flat-response and aren't taming the highs like a good amp speaker should.

 

[wakjob]

Probably because you're using a PA speaker, which are supposed to be flat-response and aren't taming the highs like a good amp speaker should.

Agreed.

A better cab sim of some sort is needed after the RG13 if used this way with a PA speaker.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

It has an on-board cab sim with the XLR out. Maybe get a crappy little flat-response power amp or just get a WGS speaker and replace the old one.

 

[wakjob]

I watched a few YT vids that used the emulated out direct. My feeling is that they are like most others, just kinda meh.

Big difference in the vids with the Two Notes Torpedo. I'm betting some IR's would be killer too.

 

[minorseventh]

so its been a few weeks since I got the RG13, but Ive been working so much trying to pay for all this guitar crap I havent had much time to actually PLAY much... but this is exactly why I needed something like the lil Randall in the first place. late night noodling and good basic tone without having to really mess around.
I have used it direct to my mixer with powered monitors, in the loop of my Diezel, and on its own using the built in amp into a 2x12 and a 1x12, and as a distortion pedal running into a clean channel on my amp.

the best tones came from running it through the loop of my head, using the amps power amp. running it by itself, using the built in power of the Randall, into a cab sounds good too, and certainly usable, but obviously a fraction of a watt from a solid state pedal is going to differ from pure tube power amp muscle. the built in amp is surprisingly "not too bad" though.
i do not care for the RG13 running as a distortion pedal into the front of an amp. thats where Im finding it harsh.
and as a preamp into a mixer or recording device, using the built in cab emulation, its good, but not mind blowing. usable yes.

basic tones are awesome. with the gain cranked on ch1, it will give up some interesting slightly broken up tones that remind me of a tiny fender champ about to blow up. cool for pretending to play blues. straight clean tones however, are thin and lack punch. totally expected though. its a randall preamp, not a fender.
ch2 gets chunky, and it will go from classic rock to pantera easily.
ch3 only adds slightly more gain, but also a bit of compression, so its a little fuller.
using bass and mid switches and the (very effective) EQ knobs it gets effin brutal quickly. with some volume behind it, this thing has some serious thump, and wonderful clarity.
I keep the presence control dimed for every setting, and the boost appears to only be a volume boost, rather than adding any additional gain.

the only weak point of the RG13 is that its still a solid state distortion generator, and as such, the lead tones are a little weak. it lacks the dynamics, sustain, and sheer harmonic complexity of my badass Diezel... but... seriously, most things do.
I have owned sooo many fancy distortion pedals, and quite a few preamps, and I think the RG13 definitely sits high up high in the list of Bests. it smokes the AMT ss30 I had, which appears to be its closest competitor in terms of price and function.

regarding any fizzyness that was mentioned earlier... I have not encountered any fizz. I would say its probably the speaker being used, or even a little cone cry from said speaker. if anything the RG13 could use a little more fizz, because this thing is dry like a stiff martini. like a damn old VHT head I used to have.
also, I have tried to use a fuzz pedal on the clean channel, and it sounded like ass. I tried a few OD's and boosts, looking for a creamy lead sound, and none of them fit like a glove. the RG13 doesnt really like any additional signal hitting it, although some delay or reverb in the loop works great.

in conclusion, its a keeper! fantastic metal tones to be had, and so many possible uses for it..

 

[Zhysick]

OK. Thanks for all the replies. I am looking for replacing the speaker for a celestion G12T-75 which I think would be fantastic for the sound I am looking for. Very happy if is the speaker the problem. Maybe thats also why my (now in the closet) Orange Tiny Terror doesn't sound that nice.

It's good to see this is even better than the AMT SS30 because I was looking into both but finally decide to go for the Randall because.. ....! I love Pantera!!!!!

And Yes, the knobs are extremely sensitive. A little little little move in each EQ knob change the tone dramatically. Is very very hard to find a nice tone and very easy to lost it accidentally!!!

 

[PF Chang]

so its been a few weeks since I got the RG13, but Ive been working so much trying to pay for all this guitar crap I havent had much time to actually PLAY much... but this is exactly why I needed something like the lil Randall in the first place. late night noodling and good basic tone without having to really mess around.
I have used it direct to my mixer with powered monitors, in the loop of my Diezel, and on its own using the built in amp into a 2x12 and a 1x12, and as a distortion pedal running into a clean channel on my amp.

the best tones came from running it through the loop of my head, using the amps power amp. running it by itself, using the built in power of the Randall, into a cab sounds good too, and certainly usable, but obviously a fraction of a watt from a solid state pedal is going to differ from pure tube power amp muscle. the built in amp is surprisingly "not too bad" though.
i do not care for the RG13 running as a distortion pedal into the front of an amp. thats where Im finding it harsh.
and as a preamp into a mixer or recording device, using the built in cab emulation, its good, but not mind blowing. usable yes.

basic tones are awesome. with the gain cranked on ch1, it will give up some interesting slightly broken up tones that remind me of a tiny fender champ about to blow up. cool for pretending to play blues. straight clean tones however, are thin and lack punch. totally expected though. its a randall preamp, not a fender.
ch2 gets chunky, and it will go from classic rock to pantera easily.
ch3 only adds slightly more gain, but also a bit of compression, so its a little fuller.
using bass and mid switches and the (very effective) EQ knobs it gets effin brutal quickly. with some volume behind it, this thing has some serious thump, and wonderful clarity.
I keep the presence control dimed for every setting, and the boost appears to only be a volume boost, rather than adding any additional gain.

the only weak point of the RG13 is that its still a solid state distortion generator, and as such, the lead tones are a little weak. it lacks the dynamics, sustain, and sheer harmonic complexity of my badass Diezel... but... seriously, most things do.
I have owned sooo many fancy distortion pedals, and quite a few preamps, and I think the RG13 definitely sits high up high in the list of Bests. it smokes the AMT ss30 I had, which appears to be its closest competitor in terms of price and function.

regarding any fizzyness that was mentioned earlier... I have not encountered any fizz. I would say its probably the speaker being used, or even a little cone cry from said speaker. if anything the RG13 could use a little more fizz, because this thing is dry like a stiff martini. like a damn old VHT head I used to have.
also, I have tried to use a fuzz pedal on the clean channel, and it sounded like ass. I tried a few OD's and boosts, looking for a creamy lead sound, and none of them fit like a glove. the RG13 doesnt really like any additional signal hitting it, although some delay or reverb in the loop works great.

in conclusion, its a keeper! fantastic metal tones to be had, and so many possible uses for it..

Which channel did you try the boosts on?