first post.. question about modular amps

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Hello everyone! This is my first post so I will try to make it a good one.

My name is Zach. I am 22 and I play a lot of prog/tech metal. I love bands like Death, Dream Theater, Quo Vadis, Exivious, etc, etc... Death's Individual Thought Patterns album is my favorite album of all time.

I currently play an EBMM Luke through a POD XTL and a Carvin PA... works ok but I need an amp upgrade very badly.

I have owned both a Warhead and an RG150 halfstack that I have since sold. The Warhead had some bad wiring but it sounded metal and heck. It was also very heavy lol! I miss my old randall amps, and still wear my Randall shirts proudly... hoping someday I can get back into them.

I am wondering about the Modulars amps. Are they the real deal? How would are they different from a modeller in terms of tone? My POD sounds ok but I am hoping to get a great high gain/clean setup and use my pod for fx.

I like the idea of having a regular guitar setup (either the three slot head or the 4 slot rack with a poweramp) that I can run to regular guitar cabs.. modellers just are not doing it for me anymore.

Anyone have anything they can say about them?
 
You just described how I came to these amps. In fact, I think I went through every single high-end modeler available. I wanted the ability to get several distinct sounds. Problem was, the modelers always felt wrong.

The MTS rig is great because it feels like a tube amp (cuz it is, duh). So if you hear the sounds you're looking for in the MTS modules, then I say go for it! You won't regret it!

Here's my list of "must have" modules:
Blackface for clean
Top Boost for medium gain
1086 for high gain
 
welcome!

also Individual Thought Patterns is one of my favorite albums.


8)
 
I say go for it man! I play metal and I used to have a Warhead head and tried that whole Dime route with the Furman PQ-3, 6 band MXR EQ, and so on and so forth. It was a brutal tone gain wise but it was always lacking something in the lead department. Just could never get that sustaining screaming lead tone I was after. I have Dean MLF's with Dimebuckers so I know it's not my guitars. They are set neck mahogony and have great sustain with powerful pickups. Finally I decided it was time to graduate to a nice tube amp and go after my own idea of what I was looking for in a guitar tone. I have always liked Randall and the MTS looked killer to me because of the versatility with the different modules. Initially I wasn't thrilled with any of the sound clips I was hearing out there on the internet but decided to take a chance with it anyway. I bought the RM100M with the XTC and Recto modules. When I first started to dial it in it sounded pretty weak gain wise and I went through several EQ's and overdrive pedals without the results I was looking for. Then I added a BBE sonic maximizer in the loop and it made a big time change. Distortion was more aggressive and I got alot more clarity. Still lacking on the leads though so I put an MXR Micro Amp in the loop for clean boost and that solved that problem but it was still missing something. I was told to check my power tube bias settings and they were way off. Once I got the tubes burning hot enough it just turned into a monster!!! I'll tell you this right now, I don't know what type of music you play but I assume it is metal if you owned a Warhead, but this head will get you there. I'll throw my Recto module gain on like 11:00 and then about 1:00 on the master volume and you better grab your women and children cuz it gets nasty!! Palm mutes punch you in the chest and make your heart want to beat irregularly :twisted: . Bottom end stays nice and tight (my module has the .001 cap mod) with a nice scooped mid tone. I currently use an Ultra Lead module for my leads and when I kick that b!tch in I can barely stand to be in the same room with it. Nice sustaining screaming lead tone that can only be had with a tube amp. I got rid of all my pedals now cuz I don't need em. Run the micro amp and sonic maximizer in the loop and that's it. I am gonna get either a G Major or the Xpression for my time based effects but that will complete my rig. It is a kick@ss amp, I don't think you would be dissapointed with it at all.
 
Do it. I play in a death metal band, but i also play a lot of jazz and blues and country. If you want versitility ranging from bouncy awesome cleans to brutal distortion you want an mts man.

Check out the XTC module if you get one, I use that for the death metal group with an emg equipped strat and it blows the other dudes esp/recto set up right out of the water in terms of sound quality
 
spiderfingers...What kind of metal tones do you get from the xtc mod? I have never heard one nor have I heard/know what a bogner xtc can do.

Also, are these mods typcally good right out of the box? Do people typically mess with them to alter/better the tone?
 
My suggestion is that you should try the 1086 over the XTC. I had both, and although the XTC was a good module, the 1086 made me remove all my other high gain modules from my RM4 (when I had it). The 1086 is very versatile, and pretty much every sound you can coax out of it is great! Good luck with the search! :)
 
I cant really say much about the 1086, i've yet to try it and i wouldnt buy it cause its a different color and im vain hahaha! but, as per the xtc, the other guy in my band has a triple rec with a road king cab and i use my rm100 through a marshall 1960a w/v30s; and most people tell me my tone blows his out of the water. Pretty much our sound is similar to if a band like dimmu borgir mated with a band like the black dahlia murder and they all had sex with the acacia strain; we tune to a sharp and it gets really full and hot lead tones for solos with a lot of harmonic depth, the chugs are percussive and focused, and i'm planning on doing the cap mod to make em a little bit tighter. Its got really pronounced mids as well, but not quite a pronounced as the triple recs tend to get.

The bogner ecstacy is an amazing amp, i was going to buy one before i got this, however i've A/B the two and it comes so close that you wont be able to tell and this amp offers just so much more versitility(and bargain when you look at the ecstacys 3g $tag too).

Theres enough different modules and options though that any one can buy this head and find something to suit them or grow with their styles

the modules are fine right from the box, but they can get better with a little work.
 
Scooter said:
You just described how I came to these amps. In fact, I think I went through every single high-end modeler available. I wanted the ability to get several distinct sounds. Problem was, the modelers always felt wrong.

The MTS rig is great because it feels like a tube amp (cuz it is, duh). So if you hear the sounds you're looking for in the MTS modules, then I say go for it! You won't regret it!

Here's my list of "must have" modules:
Blackface for clean
Top Boost for medium gain
1086 for high gain

Argh, I completely agree with the first two, and I haven't heard the 1086. . you are killing me. :)
 
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