I need a preamp to add alot of gain on my Marshall Jcm 900 head. Is the Randall RM4 good? I am also thinking of an ENGL pre.

how about a pedal instead? like duncan pickup booster, proco rat, ibanez tube screamer?
unless you just want to slave it for power... say an ada mp-1 or marshall jmp-1 into the power return bypassing the head's preamp completely.... alot of big people do it, personally i think a slaved marshall head is one of the best sounding poweramps ever(if you don't mind the weight n's stuff.).
the rm4 is a bit much both in cost and versitility.... seeing as you pick 4 modules...

if all you need is more gain or a good signal boost i'd say a $100 dirt box should do you fine.

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I am slaving it for power and a bit of grit. I was thinking about the JMP-1, the Rocktron voodu valve, and engl 530. Any opinions on the rocktron or engl(def).

i love my jmp-1.... the 530 is better though(sound) but the jmp-1 has a few features that makes it more worth it... the rocktron is alright, not bad or anything, but the jmp-1 or 530 would be better imo.

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Thanks
I should buy you a beer for helping me and not flaming me like most people
Cheers

Yeh man im thinking about slaving me amp too, lots of people here sell there preamps for kinda cheap like 300-400$. BTW anyone heard of the Kitty Hawk Testarossa Preamp? Anyone had experience of it?

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I know this sounds incredibly stupid but can someone give me a specific definition of a preamp and what it does? I think I know but when I look back, those people I asked probably didnt have a clue waht they were on about.

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The pre-amp is where you shape your tone. The pre-amp then sends your tone into the power-amp where its modified a little again and then to you speakers.

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I've tried a Kitty Hawk Quattro, if I'm not mistaken in the name.. it wasn't really good but I don't know about the testarossa. I think it has five 12ax7's though, but I have no idea how the testarossa sounds, I mean the bogner triple giant has 7 and I didn't like it at all.

Dimmu: rocktron is shit, stay away from it. JMP-1's are good if you like a lot of versatility and a non-true tube sound though most people don't seem to hear the difference, I really do enjoy pure tube amps more then semi-digital ones which just use tubes to colour the distortion, the rest comes from the circuitry. Anyways, it really depends on what you want, Engl is hard to get in the US and pretty expensive, I bet you could get a JMP-1 for a good price, or maybe a mesa studio preamp.

Well yeh lots of people sell Mesas here in Sweden so do you think it would be a good bet? Everything from ordinary Studio to Quad.

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why does every body want to buy the sxe kid a beer??? i just don't get it...


don't listen to him.... rocktron makes tons of great stuff, the patchmate is very sought after, as well as the hush's, they make some really great multi fx units, awesome midi controllers, the pro Q is a very nice midi controllable parametric eq, their fx pedals easily rival boss & digitech, ect... all n' all they make some great stuff.

and the jmp-1 is amazing, even for *gasp*"true tube sound"*def faints*.... 90% of the people that think otherwise, i gaurantee couldnt hear the difference in a side by side comparison with the avarage marshall tube top and my rig.... i can get THAT dead on... it really is flexible and easy to use... worlds of tones..
i can get alot of jcm 900 tones, jcm 800 tones, very plexi like edge, ect... imo it's one of marshall's best creations.

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everything by rocktron I played was shit, even their rack stuff. Digitech is shit too IMO. the only actual fx pedals I like are boss because they don't tear up your tone in the process. *though they're not all that good. the od-20 pretty much sucks but its nice to have for versatility*

I've played a JMP-1 and like any semi-digital preamp, I didn't get into it, the H&K Acces is a much better alternative if you ask me, but they are realllly hard to find over here so I can't imagine how hard it would be to find one there.

Compare a JMP-1 to an Engl preamp, any engl preamp and you'll hear the difference instantly. true tube preamps just sound more lively, if you have any attention for your tone you will definetly hear it when cranked, semi-digital preamps tend to sound more sterile. Though its hard to hear the difference, if you place them side-by-side you will hear it. or you're fucking tone deaf. guess I'm one of the luck 10 percent. haha.

the JMP-1 is, one of marshall's best rack things. actually, its probably the best thing they have in a rack.
I'm not a fan of marshall rack gear at all, their poweramps didn't appeal to me either.... but it is pretty versatile for its price. theres better semi digital preamps out there, but they cost a fair bit more, so its basically the best deal around if you're looking for something like that.
It can copy some of the real marshall sounds, but for me it just sounded like copies, you could hear its not the real thing, but most people won't notice anyways.
I like versatility, but I also like analog sounds, my setup gives me everything I need, hell even the Engl Savage top I have is pretty darn versatile for just a simple top. the preamp in it is pretty similiar to the 620 rack preamp I have, but it has four footswitchable channels! not too shabby!

well, most of the rocktron stuff i've played is top notch, so i don't agree...


i do like the access better.... and they're hard to find everywhere.


i doubt that has anything to do with being true tube.... you forget that my last two preamps were both "True" the mesa vtwin and the bogner/hafler triple giant... and the jmp-1 still sounded more "alive" and less sterile than both of them even side by side.(well, maybe not alot over the vtwin, but still nothing to do with the tubes). my rack even sounds more alive than my guitarist's 5150 all tube head, and his old crate blue voodoo...
trust me i'm not tone deaf... good tone is good tone.
i doubt anybody will come up to me after a gig and tell me the sound wasnt very "true"....


i love some marshall rack poweramps, especially the 9005.... but it's like 4 spaces... they don't make much rack stuff.

i've done some side by side comparisions, and trust me, the jmp-1 is the real deal in being very dead on.

to each his own... nobody can hear the "nonanolog-ness" of my rig... so it's all good.

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Well, you like fx, I can't say that I do, and that pretty much all that rocktron does, make fx and midi patchers. oh and that thing they call a preamp! *pfff*

I know your previous preamps where both true tube preamps, but there definetly is a difference, and you can't deny that either since you've heard it first hand. Now I don't remember liking the bogner much but the vtwin ain't half bad. It's not only the sterile sound I don't like, its the general tone, you say it does sound alive, well sure it does, an Access sounds great too, but all in perspective it just doesn't cut it for me. Not to knock on the 5150 or the BV's, but seriously they don't cut it for me either, so I guess that doesn't tell me much either.. I guess I would actually prefer a jmp-1 and a decent poweramp above those amps. only a heavily modded 5150 can catch my interest, the BV's aren't my thing.

I only had people coming up to me to ask where the hell they can get the amp I have. thats pretty cool to hear actually.

As about the marshalls the jmp-1 duplicates, I know what a plexi sounds like, and the whole jcm range, it comes close, but for me its just close but no dice. (I've compared the JMP-1 to a jcm800/900 and a TSL in a couple of hours.) but sure, if you're just looking on for a 30 minute set that won't bother anyone, its the next best thing to having all those amps at home, and it comes closer then any POD piece of crap too. But I wouldn't say it makes pefect copies, but then again, can we expect it to make perfect copies? I don't think so...

Marshall power amps are not me, guess a lot of marshall stuff isn't me, except for a boosted JCM800 a lá Wylde or a JCM900 cranked up. I don't even like the JCM2000's. but the poweramps, man, I tried out the 100/100 EL34 and those older models, wasn't impressed at all and they are crazily overpriced here too... the 9005, those things are monsters, I recall playing one with a just as ancient preamp (also marshall) it sounded pretty solid, compared to their el34's they have now. If I remember correctly, its the one with the green power on/off switch? and yeah, it was 4he, if thats the same one. it was a steal too, 300 bucks, but nobody would dare and buy it since it was heavy as fuck, the storeguy said. ah well.. its gone now.

Anyways, conclusively, I'm not a marshall guy, you are. I don't like effects and midi, you do. I don't like semi-true preamps, you do. I like strawberry pie, you don't. it's just a matter of opinion.

opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one and they all smell. except for mine, ofcourse.

Def has been spoiled with his ENGL

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good stuff is good stuff whether you need it or not.... i mean... you can't say the replifex sucks just because it has fx... because that's what it is, an fx unit.
the patchmate is just a wonderful unit for rack guys... to bad they're so rare.


whether you like the BV,5150,triplegiant,vtwin ect. or not, they're true tube and in comparison i still like the liveliness and warmth from the jmp-1+50/50 setup...


ha, i've had that too, kinda, it's more like people are confused when they see my rack and they think i'm some kind of scientist or semething because of all the pretty lights and sci fi looks on a dark stage...


well, i've had pretty idenical copy sounds from it... really... but i don't use it to model specific amps... i just use it to get specific characteristics, if i want the glassy edge of a plexi, i got it. if i want the thick chug of the jcm 800, i got it, if i want the zing and brightness of a jtm, i got it. if i want the gain of the jcm 2000, it's there, ect... but in the end i'm not trying to saound like another amp.



the 9005 imo is by far the best marshall poweramp... but for a 50/50 style poweramp to be 4u spaces is just insane imo(my peavey 50/50 is half that)...
i do like the 9100 and 9200 alot n' stuff, but for sound the 9005 owns em'... hell, it's cheaper too, and they're not even much smaller at 3u spaces anyways....



strawberry pie



whatever dude, your ass stinks, mine smells like roses...

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dude, get your nose outta my ass

anyways, there's nothing that can be wrong with patchbays and shit, but I've tried various rocktron stuff and I didn't like any of it, the intelliflex and all that crap, I don't like fx in general but rocktron stuff just seems really crappy, for fx I allways go boss, some line 6 stuff is good (the rackmountable) but the PODs just suck IMO, their amp modelling is a total joke.

and BLS, yeah, I guess I have been spoiled with all those german boutique amps in the market here... and ofcourse Koch's. but I don't think you have many of those over there.

actually lots of stuff can be wrong with patchbays... which is why some are better than others... it's complicated though...
give me a rocktron xpression and midicontroller over a big boss pedalboard anyday... the sound quality is just better, more versitile and easier to use...
the line 6 pro rack shit is actually pretty nice, i'm debating on getting an echo pro...


good sound is good sound.... if you didn't know what's in my rack but you played through it and somebody told you it was an expensive boutique amp you'd probably beleive it.
hell, when you look at it though my rack isnt exactly cheap...
(all prices rounded off)
jmp1-$350
classic 50/50 -$250
sonic maximizer- $50
xpression-$200
power condishioner-$50
case-$100
ge7-$50
dyna comp-$50
hush super C-$150
cables n' such to rig it all up- $150
midibuddy- $100
total = about $1,500(give or take a lil) and that's with the majority of it being bought used too...

no line 6 setup could even touch how awesome my shit sounds. the flexibility and sound quality is sooo nice. though eventually i plan on swapping the jmp-1+classic 50/50 for either an engl 580 or h&k access preamp + a vht 2/90/2 or mesa 2:90 setup, or an h&k triamp(mkI brought up to mk II specs)
but for now i'm more than content with my tone.

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Yes. but good just isn't enough for me, I just go for that little edge above

Though if you don't know how to tweak an amp properly you can still make it sound like crap. I could give a good example here on the board hehe.

and I don't mean the big boss pedalboards, remember I'm the analog guy!

about the triamp MK.1, it just looks a lot better then the Mk.II don't you think? I played them both and I think they where both pretty awsome, but I wouldn't dish out the extra cash for a Mk.II, I would get a used MK.1 instead

you just said you preferred the boss pedals for fx over the rocktron stuff... but i think a rockton xpression not only sounds better, but it's more flexible and conveinient...

with the triamp, i wouldn't complain if i had either.. they both look hella cool. but the mk.I is just, i dunno, the mk.I but the mk.II... both sound amazing, but the mk.II is like a modded mk.I without reverb and a couple other things.. plus the mk.II can be controlled via midi...
so i could get an mkI and get it modded to mk.II specs and have a real advantage..
besides, mk.I's are cheaper and easier to find used.

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I prefer boss stompboxes, and I don't use them on many occasions. I don't like the tone of rack fx much, but some line 6 stuff ain't that bad.
Don't get me started on digital floorboards though, the best I've played was a gt-6, but I wouldn't get that either. though they're great for enhancing your tone if you're played a ss amp, like a randall rh100, G2 series. thats a good combination for an ss setup. Though solid state is the axis of all motherfucking evil

I've got a boss od-20 twinpedal for spicing up a peavey bandit, it doesn't sound half that bad for a solid state. but I'de like to get rid of both and get a screamer combo for home practise.

i've never played a multi fx floorboard that i liked ALOT... but i've played plenty of the rack units that i've loved... t.c. g major,rocktron intellifex,rocktron xpression, rocktron replifex, lexicon mp units,marshall jfx, line 6 pro rack series, ect... very nice stuff.. my main problem with the line 6 stuff is it's not true bypass and it really affects your tone more than most units... so it has the tone suckage like a big pedalboard...
i like a rack of stuff producing top notch sound, worlds of flexibilty and being able to control it all with a simple midi controller.

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Thanks for the help.
Oh, and thanks for HIJACKING MY FUCKING THREAD!!!!!

hah, thats my thread your talking about

thancks for making my day.

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the jmp-1 blows big hairy goat balls.

XDX what does your tone sound like, could you compare it to any band?

hello orangebic... or should i say skcoffan or sicmetalcorpse?

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well, it's hard to explain.... i ca't think of anybody who has my exact tone, but if you have alien ant farm's cd(which i doubt you do) the high gain stuff sounds much like the first song... beefy mids, plenty of gain, lots of note definition.... and remember, i don't really care abot alien ant farm nor do i play their style, but the tone on that song is just really something imo.
i'm selling it though... but i don't dare tell def what preamp i'm getting to replace it because he will punish me...
i can see it now
def: "i'm going to ban you for a week so you can think about what you've done"

but trust me, i've thought about it alot.

haha, well well, i havent seen you around these parts for a long ass time... same old same old. i figured you got banned or something for this stuff good to have you back i suppose?

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ahh i remember seeing on of that AAF videos and thinking boring song, good tone.

yeh, they're an ok band n' all... my cousin gave me a bunch of c's he didnt want, so i listened to each one to decide which ones i wanted.... that first song on the cd played, i was like "this is a keeper!", later to find it was aaf...
my tone is "similar"...
it makes sense though, he runs a jmp-1 into the fx return of a jcm 900... where as i run mine into a peavey classic 50/50... but he has a different guitar, different cabs, different technique, different goodies in his rack,ect...

an even closer representation, a friend of mine with similar tone and gear( i think he also used a jcm 2000 and or a modded 5150 II for second guitar tracks):then blood.... the teeth must be destroyed at all costs!

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