1086 - OMG!! Any other ideas?

[harsh]

Guys, after 3 weeks of waiting for international delivery and going thru a lot of Customs crap, I finally have my RM4, along with the 1086, Modern and a Pete modded Ultra XL. I'd heard great things about the modded Ultra XL, and it sounds great...but the 1086 is just amazing! Even in its stock state, the 1086 has got so much...Balls! I got a nice HEAVY tone out of it with lots of gain, and the clarity was just awesome.

Went for my first rehearsal last nite with the new setup. The guys already liked my Triaxis sound but the 1086 tone just blew them away! :twisted:
I didnt expect it to be this great! Surprisingly (to me), I'm not regretting moving from a Mesa Boogie Triaxis setup to an RM4 setup at all!

Now, any ideas what module can give me a real crushing tone Metal tone? Grail? E-Rect? Pete modded 1086 (Mailman - I know where your vote lies :wink: ). Any other ideas?

 

[Mailman1971]

Glad you are digging the Randall. That 1086 is what made me buy the Amp in the 1st place. Never even heard of the MTS Series but was in my local music store a couple years back and was shown a Lynch box with a 1086 module in it. Let's say I bought that amp the next day! Been hooked on the MTS since.
Once again....if you like the stock 1086....you will LOVE that modded one.
Its more than "....1086 on steroids" I would say its more like "1086 on HUMAN GROWTH HORMONES!!"
I think Pete does inject it with a little HGH!!
Just such a Beast!! :shock:

 

[harsh]

Lol - I saw that coming! Yeah, I will get it modded as soon as I start feeling like it needs some more oomph. Right now, I'm loving it but I'm one of those guys who's never happy with his gear for too long :roll: Maybe I should keep one stock, and if a cheap used 1086 comes along, I'll grab it and send it to Pete?

 

[Mailman1971]

Lol I'm loving it but I'm one of those guys who's never happy with his gear for too long

You described me to the letter! That is why this is my 5th time thru MTS. But I tried EVERYTHING else that I wanted (except Custom Audio OD100)
And kept coming back the MTS. Just so **** Versatile!! I am VERY HAPPY with my rig now. Took a long path to get here, but I am here to stay!

 

[harsh]

I have a feeling I am too!

So, any ideas what module I need to get a crushing tone similar to a scooped Rectifier?

 

[Mailman1971]

Treadplate / Grail / or Recto But I feel it needs to be modded to get its TRUE potential out of it. They do get NASTY DOWN AND DIRTY though. Stock they sound pretty good. But I think they are made to please everyone so not OVER THE TOP Gainy. But they can be.....

 

[harsh]

Cool...guess I should keep an eye out for a modded Recto and a cheap 1086 for modding!

It's weird that Randall dont make the modules to be as good as they could possibly get - there would be no need to mod them for tigtness/clarity if they took these factors more into account!

Pete/Anthony - please don't hate me! I'm just thinking like a typical consumer here.

 

[Mailman1971]

My Guess is that they make them "middle of the road" since they want to appeal to all players. Not just Metal Heads like you and me!
So they split it down the middle. Just my thought on it.

 

[harsh]

I can see the logic there...but who else would appreciate a Dual Rectifier based sound other than a Metalhead? :lol:

 

[Bronco]

Have you tried a scooped 6 band eq in the loop with the 1086? You might want to give that a shot first 8) ...

 

[harsh]

I was using a Rocktron Xpression with the old Triaxis, but I wanted to use the RM4 totally dry to get an idea of the natural tone. Maybe I'll hook up the Xpression and scoop out the mids...but still, the gain flavour on the 1086 seems very different to a Rectifier.

 

[Mailman1971]

BBE Sonic maximizer in the effects loop. BRINGS the tone out of that module and amp!!
I use the 482i rack mount. Night and day difference! 8)

 

[cowardm]

i just got a 1086 as my first module. i love it as well. i was scared it would be too mesa, but it proved to be more 3-dimensional. i love it too.

 

[harsh]

Lol @ too Mesa...and here I am looking for a more Mesa module!

 

[NunSuperior]

Try the Grail or a Recto/Rectified/Treadplate modded to be like a Grail. It's not a Mesa but it is Mesa-like.

 

[cowardm]

don't get me wrong, mesa makes a great amp, but i personally prefer the something more like a high gain marshall. the 1086 is certainly a animal all it's own and i love it for that.