Lynch Box bonified and respected tone machine or not.

[khingpynn]

Here's the deal... and before i start i know this forum will be a great place to ask this question as it will be biased towards the MTS stuff in general... LOL.

I'm chating about the Lynch Box on various sites and on the gear page especially I get met with comment like the Lynch Box is not know as a significant tone machine, along with comments that in general state there is little resopect for the Lynch Box.

I find this interesting as I believe i'm a player that listens with my ears and not my eyes or my pocketbook, or my desire to be accepted by others, or my need to compete, or my need to own a particular piece of equipment based on what people say, or to keep up with the joneses.

I know the tone snobs will be snobs so that aside what are your thoughts.

 

[JKD]

It seems that the MTS series in general is relatively unknown.

Whenever the Lynch Box comes into question, the majority (although not overwhelming) consensus seems to be that George had better tone with other gear (earlier in his career.)

Of course you could make the argument that Mr Lynch is past is prime and his ear could be compromised....live recordings of his tone with the LB and other gear recently do sound harsh and some are downright uninspiring...but then cell phone cameras, youtube and the like are hardly fidelity....

If you just want that 'one tone'...I've heard other amps sound better than the MTS on coping some of the same tones the Lynch stuff is aimed at... Jose Marshall, SLO, Cameron etc. but it's hardly night and day.....the LB seems to be 90% of the way there to me..

 

[EWSEthan]

Unless I am mistaken, the Lynch Box is just an RM100 with a different skin. It just seems like a shameless and unnecessary ploy to appeal to the Lynch fans who buy gear based on his name (are there really any of these left?!?) instead of properly marketing the RM100. It particularly strange because I dont know if anyone has ever seen Lynch actually gig with one?

I think the RM100, RM50, etc have a good name for those that know what it is.

So, I think buying a Lynch Box over a RM100 is pointless and is shooting oneself in the foot for potential resale value.

Just my $0.02.

 

[JD]

...but you guys do suggest getting the Lynch Box cabinet for some awesome tone, right?

 

[Goldfish]

Statements like the LB is not a good "tone machine", falls upon it's own faulty logic since it carries no real "sound" on it's own. It uses modular technology and the sound will depend on what you put in it. Crappy modules = crappy sound. High-class, tuned and modded modules = high class tone.

So, I think buying a Lynch Box over a RM100 is pointless and is shooting oneself in the foot for potential resale value.

Don't agree there, the LB has a distinctive look and cabs differ, those eminence Super-V cabs seem very solid. All valid reasons for purchase if you are so inclined.

 

[JD]

agreed, the LB box does look cool. Everything Lynch does is cool. 8)

 

[Goldfish]

Here's the deal... and before i start i know this forum will be a great place to ask this question as it will be biased towards the MTS stuff in general... LOL.

I'm chating about the Lynch Box on various sites and on the gear page especially I get met with comment like the Lynch Box is not know as a significant tone machine, along with comments that in general state there is little resopect for the Lynch Box.

I find this interesting as I believe i'm a player that listens with my ears and not my eyes or my pocketbook, or my desire to be accepted by others, or my need to compete, or my need to own a particular piece of equipment based on what people say, or to keep up with the joneses.

I know the tone snobs will be snobs so that aside what are your thoughts.

You could ask them if that Lynch clip with Dave Friedman sounds good. That's basically a Brahma through an RM100. I think that tone is killer.

 

[JKD]

You could ask them if that Lynch clip with Dave Friedman sounds good. That's basically a Brahma through an RM100. I think that tone is killer.

I'd forgotten that clip..it's very good isn't it... :twisted:

 

[supercharged 350]

...but you guys do suggest getting the Lynch Box cabinet for some awesome tone, right?

This rings totally true in my experience. I was playing my LB head thru a Mesa cab I've had (and loved!) for years and it sounded pretty good. However I got a good on a LB cab a month or so ago and it is night and day. I don't know if it's the the speakers or the ported design but it sounds fantastic now to me.

 

[Jack Napalm]

Unless I am mistaken, the Lynch Box is just an RM100 with a different skin. It just seems like a shameless and unnecessary ploy to appeal to the Lynch fans who buy gear based on his name (are there really any of these left?!?)

Hey! I resemble that remark. :lol:

I actually wasn't going to buy one but I got the head and cabinet for less than $1500. Couldn't pass that deal up.

I was always told by George and his tech that the LB was a little different than a stock RM100. After reading things on this board I don't know who to believe.

Either way I am happy with it. Its only a few years old. In the whole scheme of things it doesn't have a reputation yet. Hell, does the RM100 have a tone reputation yet?

I wonder also if the people that have said it isn't a tone machine have actually heard one live or listened to clips online. Often bad clips.

One thing is for sure. The cabinet is amazing.

 

[fearnloathing]

Tone is subjective. There are some on this board that think good tone is maxxed distortion and mids so scooped it would be impossible to mix, and then others that want pristine cleans or a slight power tube distortion and anything else is bad tone. Now as far as pure amp tone Randall is not on par with say Bogner, Matchless etc... The reason is simple to be mass produced Randall has to cut some corners in regards to components. That being said if you replaced all key components in an rm100 with the equivalent quality or better than say Bogner uses you will have a tone machine that is just as good as anything out there for your given genre and tastes. To do this we arent talking alot of money if you are a diyer the components would be maybe an extra $200.00 That is the beauty of the RM100 it is so easy to modify to taste. That is why it has become my go to amp in the studio over any of the boutique amps I own that are called "tone machines" by audiophiles. As I have said many times, be carefull when chasing tone. What you think you hear on an album is not what you think. I have access to alot of master tracks if anyone is interested in hearing some comparisons between a full mix and the raw guitar sound on a song. Most people dont believe its the actual tone because it sounds so thin soloed out. Sorry to get off subject here.

 

[Julia]

Oh, TGP? If it's not a Dumble clone, point to point hand wired, or some other amp that costs over $4000 it's piece of crap. Randall does not make amps that fit this criteria. I've had a point to point wired amp I hated and sold it a month after getting it. Had a great tone -- unplugged. The new owner loves it.

Randall cut corners by having the amp built in China. I don't think the components are cut. If you built this amp here stateside it would cost around $2000 empty, then add your modules. Check Egnater prices for the Mod 50 for a clue. Me? Cannot afford it. I'd have a modeler like a GSP1101 or POD X3 Pro or Eleven Rack.

You go to a few stores around this area you get from some snobs the "another piece of **** Chinese amp". I'll bet they're enjoying their piece of **** 55" Chinese-made LCD 1080p televisions and not complaining.

These are people who will carry on for over 21 pages just for the sake of bashing a female guitarist/pop singer who actually is earning a living doing what she does, and getting national media attention. That alone makes me question a lot of opinions.

Bottom line: if you like the tone you're getting who cares? I don't care if someone thinks the POD has the tone of the gods, and there are people who know how to tweak that thing to get it too. For them it does.

The Lynch Box is an RM100 in a fancy case that I got a deal on loaded up for less than a loaded up RM100.

At some point you just have to put all the gear stuff aside, make peace with the fact that you're going to sound like you no matter what you're playing through. Take the "this is as good as it's going to get" approach and play.

I'm getting stuff now for my keyboards since I play that too. If I get another piece of guitar gear (amp or something like that) I'm going with Eleven LE for modeling (not rack -- I've got the live tone covered and don't need another copy of Pro Tools).

 

[khingpynn]

I was told when i purchased my first Lynch Box in nov 06 that there were some component changes as per Lynch's ear in the final say. So the first few heads are not the same as RM100's however the changers were small... yet significant.

I'm now hearing that the current LB head and RM100 are the same guts wise. Can someone from Randall clarify this?

I have two heads and three cabs... all cabs are the same... one of my heads is EL34L and the other 6L6 so it's difficult for me to say if there is a difference tonally.

The cabs are the best I've owned/played period. I sold all my other gear simply because the LB head is a better design for my needs/desires.
I think it's a great amp... sounds awsome and very flexible for an all tube design.

Tone snobs give me a cramp

 

[Mister Joshua]

My 2 cents. You cannot cram the guts of a Marshall or a Vox or a Mesa into something the size of a computer card and make it sound JUST like the real thing.

The joy of the MTS series is that you can take (in the case of the Lynch Box) three distinct sounds in one unit on stage and operate it seamlessly.

It sounds tons better than the solid state modeling crap but it isn't going to give you a 100% faithful reproduction.

So if you want a lot of tone and several different sounds in one easy to use box then the Lynch Box or any MTS is perfect. If you want absolute realism then i hope you are far more famous than i because you'll need half of a stadium stage to fit all your amps.

Frankly i think it is a great tone machine though :wink:

Peace, Joshua

 

[crankyrayhanky]

bonified but not respected- no one seems to know about this line

my modded mods and biaising enabled tube swaps destroy any amp in it's class

Even the best expensive handwired amp would get boring after awhile, so the GAS works better with mts

 

[Julia]

The original deal was going to be the transformer. The original idea with the Lynch box was that it was going to have the Heyboer transformer like the Egnater Mod series. Doing a cost vs. tonal difference (you do hit that point of diminishing returns) Randall and Lynch decided to go with the Chinese clone of the Heyboer. There is a difference, but is it worth the extra cost for the targeted buyer?

Otherwise from what I've heard about this there is no difference between the RM100 and the Lynch Box except for cosmetics. But companies tend to take a little extra care with signature models, IME.

 

[khingpynn]

Well said guys... 100% reproduction try three plexi's and you will hear a difference between them.

If the shoe fits wear it... I really enjoy the Lynch Box it nails some great all yube tones that suit my needs rather well and as for modding thay are a pleasure to work with.