polleyguitar
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- Jul 16, 2011
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So, I've been using the Randall RM series since 2005, when my rep hooked me up with some deals. I've been using them ever since and have had no real problems, until the last few months...
To start, the RM100C is one of the first generation ones, and was the first amp I ordered. I started using the RM4 about 3 years ago and got that new from Randall.
First, my RM100C quit on me. The first thing to go was the MIDI channel switching, then tubes turned blue, then the death rattle. Got the tubes fixed, but the MIDI switching never really came back. It would work for a gig, then quit. Turns out if you don't plug your footswitch in first, it blows a fuse that's not really a fuse*? This makes no sense, but that's not even my biggest gripe.
The RM100C was for smaller bar/club gigs, and I use an RM4 through a Carvin TSL100 for bigger gigs, which have been mostly what I'm playing until the end of October. A few weeks ago, the footswitch started acting weird, resetting itself, like it had a bad connection. If I moved the cable at the pedal, it would connect to the amp, then lose the connection. I pulled the pedal apart, only to discover that the ONLY thing holding the weight and tension of the midi cable is the soldering connections on the plug. There's nothing else to support the cable, in case it gets tripped on or tugged on stage (which happens).
I want to side rant on this - Randall now wants over $100 for these footswitches, even though they have a serious flaw. Think about it - guitar pedals have the jacks mounted TO THE CHASSIS. Any decent footswitch would be the same way. Not this one, however. This one puts all the strain on SOLDER JOINTS. And, recalling my RM100C issue, could possibly blow the imaginary fuse that isn't really a fuse, rendering your amp worthless mid gig (This has happened 3 times). Then you have a shop fee and the $100 for a new pedal, because you can't find 7 plug midi jacks that match the PCB board anywhere but from Randall, and they are a pain to get parts from.
Now things get interesting. I have guitar rig 3 kontrol that I use for studio stuff and smaller dates like pit gigs. The kontrol unit sends MIDI, but even after i use the controller programmer to set the right channel, the right note, and the right value, the RM won't respond. So I check the 'fuse' and it's okay, all DIP switches are in their place, but no go. I'm stuck.
My question is this - am I alone? Am I the only person this has happened to? I'm frustrated because my last three gigs I've had to improvise a system to make it work, and, honestly, my back up 2x12 SpiderValve is doing all I asked of it. But it doesn't have the, I don't know, intensity that I get from my RM stuff. Is there a better designed 4 button midi controller that works time and again with the RM stuff? I'm heartbroken, but I'm on the edge of selling off all this stuff and picking up something else that is a little more reliable. I mean, it's presented as being pro level gear, but if you are having to baby a MIDI cable jack to keep it from breaking a solder joint and blow a 'fuse', well, it's not really built for the rigors of the road, is it?
Any input is appreciated.
JP
* I say imaginary fuse because the point of a fuse is to provide the user/repair person with a quick, simple, readily available way of replacing a part in case of a surge. Having to detach a PCB board and desolder a 'fuse' from the board and try to find a replacement goes against those core principles. Especially when the fuse in question is finicky enough to blow if the pedal is connected after the amp is powered up.
To start, the RM100C is one of the first generation ones, and was the first amp I ordered. I started using the RM4 about 3 years ago and got that new from Randall.
First, my RM100C quit on me. The first thing to go was the MIDI channel switching, then tubes turned blue, then the death rattle. Got the tubes fixed, but the MIDI switching never really came back. It would work for a gig, then quit. Turns out if you don't plug your footswitch in first, it blows a fuse that's not really a fuse*? This makes no sense, but that's not even my biggest gripe.
The RM100C was for smaller bar/club gigs, and I use an RM4 through a Carvin TSL100 for bigger gigs, which have been mostly what I'm playing until the end of October. A few weeks ago, the footswitch started acting weird, resetting itself, like it had a bad connection. If I moved the cable at the pedal, it would connect to the amp, then lose the connection. I pulled the pedal apart, only to discover that the ONLY thing holding the weight and tension of the midi cable is the soldering connections on the plug. There's nothing else to support the cable, in case it gets tripped on or tugged on stage (which happens).
I want to side rant on this - Randall now wants over $100 for these footswitches, even though they have a serious flaw. Think about it - guitar pedals have the jacks mounted TO THE CHASSIS. Any decent footswitch would be the same way. Not this one, however. This one puts all the strain on SOLDER JOINTS. And, recalling my RM100C issue, could possibly blow the imaginary fuse that isn't really a fuse, rendering your amp worthless mid gig (This has happened 3 times). Then you have a shop fee and the $100 for a new pedal, because you can't find 7 plug midi jacks that match the PCB board anywhere but from Randall, and they are a pain to get parts from.
Now things get interesting. I have guitar rig 3 kontrol that I use for studio stuff and smaller dates like pit gigs. The kontrol unit sends MIDI, but even after i use the controller programmer to set the right channel, the right note, and the right value, the RM won't respond. So I check the 'fuse' and it's okay, all DIP switches are in their place, but no go. I'm stuck.
My question is this - am I alone? Am I the only person this has happened to? I'm frustrated because my last three gigs I've had to improvise a system to make it work, and, honestly, my back up 2x12 SpiderValve is doing all I asked of it. But it doesn't have the, I don't know, intensity that I get from my RM stuff. Is there a better designed 4 button midi controller that works time and again with the RM stuff? I'm heartbroken, but I'm on the edge of selling off all this stuff and picking up something else that is a little more reliable. I mean, it's presented as being pro level gear, but if you are having to baby a MIDI cable jack to keep it from breaking a solder joint and blow a 'fuse', well, it's not really built for the rigors of the road, is it?
Any input is appreciated.
JP
* I say imaginary fuse because the point of a fuse is to provide the user/repair person with a quick, simple, readily available way of replacing a part in case of a surge. Having to detach a PCB board and desolder a 'fuse' from the board and try to find a replacement goes against those core principles. Especially when the fuse in question is finicky enough to blow if the pedal is connected after the amp is powered up.
