Rhodes Colossus 100 Watt Head - brutal video/clip content

[killertone]

Hey everybody!

Here is a demo I did for Kyle Rhodes (www.rhodesamplification.com) of his Colossus 100 watt tube amp. It is a killer amp with a lot more going on then what I did in the video but I only had time to knock out this one clip. The demo is of the high gain brutal nature (natch ) but this amp also has an incredible clean channel as well as excellent mid gain tones. The amp is in the vein of the Diezel Herbert in my opinion, and is tighter and meaner if you can believe it. It has tons of low end, seriously more than you could possibly ever need, and when dialed just right is super tight and percussive. It is not a Marshall voiced amp. This amp is loaded with JJ 6L6GCs and has external bias test points and bias pot. It also all MIDI programmable. All mini toggles on the amp can be triggered via MIDI except for the bright switches. Very cool. Kyle also has a footswitch available for the amp as well as his own switching system for all of his products.


The amp has 4 channels. Clean, Crunch, Lead 1, and Lead 2. Crunch, Lead 1, and Lead 2 all have lo/hi gain switches that really almost add up to 3 more channels! Lead 1 and 2 both have fat switches which to my ears add some low mids, around 250hz or so. I found this useful for single note soloing as it fattens up the notes. I used that setting on the solo in the clip. The rhythm in the clip was done on Lead 2 with the gain switch in the high mode, of course! Gain was about at 1 o'clock. The settings are in the picture in the vid.


Kyle has a really great amp here. Extremely versatile and looks like it is very well made to me. It has been shipped around the country quite a bit over the last few months and it is still ticking with no problem.

Using my LTD H-207 as I have no pickups in my BRJ currently (waiting on a PK/CS set) but I dig the LTD anyway so its all good.


Enjoy and let me know what you think!

 

[groph]

That sounds absolutely sick.

 

[Chickenhawk]

$4000!?!?

Sounds fucking amazing though...even after seeing the price, and watching the video again...that's saying a LOT!

That sounds fucking killer. Any post-EQ on the vid? Or just raw amp?

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

Sounds awesome.

 

[killertone]

$4000!?!?

Sounds fucking amazing though...even after seeing the price, and watching the video again...that's saying a LOT!

That sounds fucking killer. Any post-EQ on the vid? Or just raw amp?

Thanks!

Yeah, for what you get - MIDI Programmability, 4 channels with multiple modes, external bias, handmade in the US etc. it is priced like other amps with similar fetaures (Herbert, SE, VH4). That being said, I am encouraging him to make a stripped down 2 channel version. I think people would flip out over that.

As far as the post production on the guitar tracks, all I did was put a HPF at 79hz. When I record heavy guitar sounds I try to get the tone from moving the mic around instead of a bunch of eq. My aim is to use as little eq as possible.

 

[Chickenhawk]

Thanks!

Yeah, for what you get - MIDI Programmability, 4 channels with multiple modes, external bias, handmade in the US etc. it is priced like other amps with similar fetaures (Herbert, SE, VH4). That being said, I am encouraging him to make a stripped down 2 channel version. I think people would flip out over that.

As far as the post production on the guitar tracks, all I did was put a HPF at 79hz. When I record heavy guitar sounds I try to get the tone from moving the mic around instead of a bunch of eq. My aim is to use as little eq as possible.

Yea, I completely understand the price, for all the functionality that comes with it. Just still shocking to see a price tag that exceeds everything in my living room,

But, then again, I'm not a fan of the VH4 whatsoever, and have never played the Herbert or SE, so maybe I'm just missing out.

 

[killertone]

Yea, I completely understand the price, for all the functionality that comes with it. Just still shocking to see a price tag that exceeds everything in my living room,

But, then again, I'm not a fan of the VH4 whatsoever, and have never played the Herbert or SE, so maybe I'm just missing out.

Right on, I totally understand. I think if he could make a simple 2 channel head with a great fx loop and basic switching priced around $2k he would be extremely successful. He has the tone aspect down cold for sure.

 

[emperor_black]

I seriously think you could make even a crate sound good! Great playing!! At the end of the day, that's what counts in my book. The amp sounds tight!!

 

[Chickenhawk]

Right on, I totally understand. I think if he could make a simple 2 channel head with a great fx loop and basic switching priced around $2k he would be extremely successful. He has the tone aspect down cold for sure.

Absolutely. A 2 channel based on that for ~$2000 and I'm down.

I seriously think you could make even a crate sound good! Great playing!! At the end of the day, that's what counts in my book. The amp sounds tight!!

I'm pretty sure Crate made an amp that runs side by side with the Ampeg VH140C, which is a phenominal amp.

 

[max-streich]

that´s an awesome intense sound you got there but the price of that awesomeness is also guite intense but DO WANT !

 

[ittoa666]

I'm pretty sure Crate made an amp that runs side by side with the Ampeg VH140C, which is a phenominal amp.

Crate shockwave. I want one.

 

[Kali Yuga]

It sounds good, but not 4000 dollars good. He's going to be competing amplifiers like the Diezel Herbert, Fortin NATAS, Engl SE, etc.

 

[Kali Yuga]

Absolutely. A 2 channel based on that for ~$2000 and I'm down.



I'm pretty sure Crate made an amp that runs side by side with the Ampeg VH140C, which is a phenominal amp.

IMO, here are no Crate amps that can really hang with the VH140C, including it's clone, the Crate GX130C (and I've owned both, along with the previously mentioned Shockwave). You can get good sounds from some Crates though, and they really shouldn't get as much hate as they do just for being cheap and solid state.

 

[Fisch MIOLI]

Let's hear the clean channel!

Sounds heavy! Would be very interested in a 2 channel version!

 

[drenz]

Sounds amazing! This thing would absolutely destroy for a metalcore sound.

$4,000 dollars :/ Hmmm.

 

[Larrikin666]

It sounds pretty good, but I'd expect more tone shaping options for $4,000. If all of those switches were midi-controllable, that would be great. I got spoiled with those features on my SE.

 

[petereanima]

The amp is in the vein of the Diezel Herbert in my opinion, and is tighter and meaner if you can believe it.

Then something in that vid is not right, because its pretty loose sounding.

 

[killertone]

It sounds pretty good, but I'd expect more tone shaping options for $4,000. If all of those switches were midi-controllable, that would be great. I got spoiled with those features on my SE.

All the switches are MIDI controllable except the bright switches.

 

[Lukifer]

Man that sounds killer.

 

[Scar Symmetry]

Sounds great.