Can't dial in my amp!! Help!!

[tnarocker]

I got an RM100KH (Kirk Hammet version) with the associated 4X12 cabinet a few weeks ago and I have not been able to dial in a tone that I like. The amp sounds very trebly and shrill without the warm saturated distortion that I'm after. At low to mid volumes it even sounds kind of garbled on the bottom end. The highs and mids sound good, but I have no bottom end for rythms off the low E string, sounds terrible! I play alot of heavy metal and playing rhythm is usually one of my favorite things, but not on this amp. Solos sound great, because it's all highs and mids. I've heard other sound clips of Randall amps on youtube and on this forum and they sound really good, which is why I bought the amp in the first place, but I just have not been able to get close.

After discussing this with the store owner and several guitar techs, I guess my main problem is that I'm not playing the amp loud enough to get the power tubes "hot"? I've ordered a THD hotplate which should be in next week, so I will be able to crank it a bit more. I've also noticed that when I put an eq in the serial loop I can get closer to a saturated distortion sound with some nice bottom end, but I've been using a Boss GE-7 and it seems to rob some of my tone. If I put the eq in the parallel loop or in front of the amp it doesn't do anything. I've already tried maxing the module level and easing up the master volume, and maxing the master volume and easing in the module volume, didn't like either...

From some of the posts on related topics, I've developed some questions:

1) does the hotplate really help?
2) what kind of eq should I use and where should it go in the effects chain?parallel or series loop??
3) KH-3 and 1086 modules, where should the level be? and where should the master volume be?
4) Would a more expensive rack mounted eq be better?

My BC Rich with Rockfield pups actually sounds better than the ESP with EMGs. The EMGs sound very trebly with no "character" and actually hurt my ears with this amp. Any help would be appreciated, my frustration level is pretty high since I dropped $3K on this amp and can't dial it in...
Thanks,

John

 

[JKD]

First step should be to check the bias....

 

[SuicideCircus]

Bias it..... It'll warm right up...

 

[Julia]

Get that Boss EQ pedal out of there. Take everything out of the loops. Check the bias according to the randall video, and set the tubes' bias about 3 mV above minimum for that tube. Check it again in a couple weeks after some "burn in" time.

Also check your PM for detailed diagnostics.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

bias
forget all that eq and hotplate stuff- spend your money on pro modifications for the modules- cheaper than a hotplate & light years better money spent

Or grab a stock module that is good off the bat like maybe a Grail?- the 1086 is shrill and thin unless you're tuning way down- the KH3 needs that treble cranked up high otherwise it is muddy...I still like the KH3 stock, you should be able to dial in some decent tones.

Have you cranked up the amp yet? Find a time and a place to play loud before you make any decisions on hotplates

 

[droptrd]

And, if the amp is brand new, allow it time to break in. Mine was very harsh, boxy, and trebley till it broke in.

 

[Julia]

He sent me a PM. I sent him a detailed diagnostic list, some settings that should get a decent sound. I'm assuming the KH3 is going to be Mesa-like except KH's take on it rather than GL's take (Grail). I can easily coax Kim Thayil's (Soundgarden) sound out of the Grail.

The list should at least diagnose the problem. I think it might be that he's got the Boss EQ pedal in the FX loop without using a Line Level Shifter. The signal will clip and heat up the pedals. Also I hate parallel loops anyway and never use mine.

I've also taken the Hot Plate out off the amp as well. I've had too many tubes fail on me. All tube failures have had ONE thing in common -- the Hot Plate. I really need to take mine downtown and have the techs at THD give it a going over. And the most recent tube fail on my Hot Rod Deville took out something else (because there aren't fuses in the circuit) -- way older model. And the HRDv was the reason I got the Hot Plate.

 

[tnarocker]

First off, just want to thank everyone for responding and helping me out. Thought I would give a quick update. Just for clarification, I don't use the boss GE-7 eq in my serial loop all the time, I was just so desperate to get a tone I was trying anything at the time... Ok, so I read through the responses and tried the following:

1) went to Radioshack, got a voltmeter, biased the amp at 35 mV. My amp has the 6L6s so my range is 28 mV to 35mV. Even tried the amp at both settings, didn't notice much difference, so left the bias at 35 mV.

2) canceled the order on the hotplate and ordered a dbx 131 graphic eq. The eq won't be here for a week or so, so I haven't been able to try it...

2) had an experienced guitarist (went to GIT and has done tons of gigs) come over and try out my rig. He thought the tone wasnt horrible but a bit muddy. But we both agreed my amp did not sound like the sound clips the Randle guys (Doug and Bill) have done on the RM100 with KH modules or the youtube demo Paul Rario of Guitar World did on my exact amp, RM100KH and similar guitar, ESP eclipse II versus LTD Deluxe EC-1000, both have the Les Paul body with EMGs ( a lot thinner tho!).

3) my cabinet is brand new, so I read some forums on the Celestion site about speaker break in, especially for the Vintage 30s. A lot of people were complaining about this speaker, that when it's brand new it's very trebly and mid rangy. People even use variacs for 10-12 hrs on these speakers before placing them in the cabinet. My cabinet has the x configuration of two Celestion V30s and two G12T-75s.

4) Since my speakers are already in place, today I tried the cabinet/speaker break in that Celestion recommends: warm up the amp and speakers at low to medium volume, then put on a clean channel, crank up bass and mid, some treble, a lot of volume without much gain, and play chunky rhythms and ringing chords for 15 to 20 minutes....

This has made a world of difference!! The trebly mid rangy shrillness and the muddiness are gone and the amp sounds incredible!! droptrd you were right on, the cabinet needed to"break in". I've had the amp for 5 weeks but only played it really loud a few times, not enough to get those stiff speakers bouncing long enough for any kind of effective break in. I suppose after several months they would have broke in on their own, but the Celestion recommendation speeded things up. It is a little embarrassing that such a simple solution changed things around for me, but hey, I'm just glad my amp sounds killer now!!

Thanks to everyone that has helped on this, I will give another update once I get the eq put into my rack. Think I will go play some guitar on my kick *** amp!!

Thanks again,

Peace,

John

 

[Shinozoku]

Congrats, man! And welcome to the Randall family My amp sounds better and better the more I play it. I'll probably still try the aforementioned speaker break-in trick, just in case. Mind you, I CAN'T get a bad tone out of my amp (aside from with my Ultra Lead)

 

[jmgman70]

Awesome man!!!!