NAMM 2011 Update

Synergy/MTS Forum

Help Support Synergy/MTS Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

schlagdog

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
459
Reaction score
0
Location
Las Vegas
No new modules till MAYBE March. Which will only be the 3 Scott Ian modules which are called Malcolm, 1987, and The Nuts. Joe Delany says they the the best ones of all the Randall modules. Really what else is he going to say. The only thing new was the new Lynchbox that is a 3 channel non modular head. Randall once again for 3 years running has done nothing with the MTS line. It's pretty disappointing but with they buyout ad the shake up they had I really didn't expect much.
 
the Stupidest part is really who wants the Scott ian modules .i dont see people on her clamouring for them
Maybe and Engl, Mark 4 .the modders have made Randall look like fools IMO
 
gtr31 said:
the Stupidest part is really who wants the Scott ian modules .i dont see people on her clamouring for them
Maybe and Engl, Mark 4 .the modders have made Randall look like fools IMO
They have, but only because Randall has let them.
Normally the modders would be a healthy additive to the line, but at the moment it's more like they are producing the actual line.

The buyout and all of that is no excuse IMO. They are developing entire new product lines (RT, Lynch, Nuno etc).
Maybe they are slightly more profitable, but keeping your high-end line alive also means way better brand name and placement, just through forums etc etc.
Also developing a new module is not that hard at all!!
Not to downplay it, but seriously.. the whole architecture is there to accomodate it.

Besides that, the MTS product could be huge if they stuck some marketing and some development into it.
Update the amps with some new features (switchable FX loops anyone? RM20's boost in RM100?)
Maybe even get some other manufacturers in and bring out "official" modules!
And get the product in people's faces! (I have never seen an MTS ad.. anywhere, ever)

Sadly, none of this or anything of the sort is happening.
Just the same "in X months we'll have <random product already out by original announcement> coming!"

Anyone remember Randall coming on here a few months back saying new stuff was happening?
Extra annoyance, unkept promises are just way worse than the radio silence. IMO
I'm angry, as you will have noticed, this sucks, big time.
 
The vast majority of earthlings know nothing of this forum nor the modders, so the foolish look is to a limited number.
Which will only be the 3 Scott Ian modules
You say "only" with a hint of dissappointment. Before the Judge, there were 3+ years with ZERO new modules...verified by the ridiculous stickies New Randall Modules for 2007 & New Egnater Modules for 2007!

I have some interest in Ian- and if anyone is Randall, it is him!
 
crankyrayhanky said:
The vast majority of earthlings know nothing of this forum nor the modders, so the foolish look is to a limited number.
Which will only be the 3 Scott Ian modules
You say "only" with a hint of dissappointment. Before the Judge, there were 3+ years with ZERO new modules...verified by the ridiculous stickies New Randall Modules for 2007 & New Egnater Modules for 2007!

I have some interest in Ian- and if anyone is Randall, it is him!
That is true.
BUT this is a "march .. maybe..." story.
Sorry but to me that sounds like "some day".

Maybe my outlook is too bleak, the Judge seems like a great module.
The Plexi+ was a rebadge according to some, new and awesome according to others.
But really, 3 years of wait for 1 new module, 1 rebadge and one new faceplate (Super-V)..
 
Maybe they are slightly more profitable
Maybe more than slightly methinks

Also developing a new module is not that hard at all!!
True, they could have just hired the talent we see here and cough up the cash

Update the amps with some new features (switchable FX loops anyone? RM20's boost in RM100?)
Love this, especially the boost!

Maybe even get some other manufacturers in and bring out "official" modules!
Probably a conflict of interest- I don't see it happening ever


Anyone remember Randall coming on here a few months back saying new stuff was happening?
Extra annoyance, unkept promises are just way worse than the radio silence. IMO
Oh no, don't complain! Last time they "punished" us by not showing up for 6 months on these boards
 
crankyrayhanky said:
Maybe they are slightly more profitable
Maybe more than slightly methinks
True, but development costs have to be subtracted from that.
It depends on their pricepoint and margin. They also have a good margin on MTS gear, on par with any other high-end amp company.
But you're right, those products are probably more profitable. That doesn't mean you should drop development on another product completely.
Don't underestimate the business of the MTS system, buy one amp, hooked for a lot of gear!

crankyrayhanky said:
Also developing a new module is not that hard at all!!
True, they could have just hired the talent we see here and cough up the cash
Bingo. But even that is not necessary.

crankyrayhanky said:
Update the amps with some new features (switchable FX loops anyone? RM20's boost in RM100?)
Love this, especially the boost!
There's a lot more where that came from, why not ask input from this board?
Involve your customers in developing your product, it works and makes everybody happy.
Let's see: crazy ideas:
A poweramp with 2 channels: 1 tubes, 1 transistor side.
Reverb in the heads.
Improved Mic Eliminator outputs on back of the amps,
Half power setting for the power tubes, per channel maybe?
An RM50/50, stereo output RM100?

crankyrayhanky said:
Maybe even get some other manufacturers in and bring out "official" modules!
Probably a conflict of interest- I don't see it happening ever
True, but it was a good idea.
And if it brings people from Orange over to Randall it's not a conflict of interests if thought out well.
(of the other way around, creates a cash flow to Orange from Randall users)

crankyrayhanky said:
Anyone remember Randall coming on here a few months back saying new stuff was happening?
Extra annoyance, unkept promises are just way worse than the radio silence. IMO
Oh no, don't complain! Last time they "punished" us by not showing up for 6 months on these boards
Yeah, because punishing unhappy customers is the way to go.
Like I said, the only message was "we're not dropping the MTS line" and "new stuff is coming, just wait"
Months later we see one module, and the comment on not dropping it was most probably purely from a business perspective that those comments could seriously hurt/halt sales.

I like openness in companies.
Tell us what's going on, what are you working on, why is it taking longer?
If this is shared, you can count on sympathy, if it's held back and false promises are made, you can count on hostility.
Maybe I'm just too progressive for Randall..
 
Because ..wait for it ..they dont care .they want to maximize profit by offshoring .
Do you really think George Lynch will ever touch the new lynch box .he may have the combo in his washroom to practice with but that will never be on stage ..Hell he would not even use his prior .there been many a story how behind the backdrop was an SLO and A Marshall..

Let me refresh everyones memory from last year ...we nknow that we have to make a big splash in 2011 it will be our year ..sure it will .

And the icing on the cake ...Joel has not once in a year and a half said hello of addressed this forum ..Why ..he does not give a crap
 
I would be all over the Ian modules. Anthrax was totally slaying on the big four disc. Their sound they had was arguably the best of the 4 acts. That is hard for me to admit, since I'm a huge Metallica fan. Anyhow just my two cents on the new products.

I'd like to see another KH module, and have one with a 5 band EQ setting built in (ala Mark series).
 
rlhjr34 said:
I would be all over the Ian modules. Anthrax was totally slaying on the big four disc. Their sound they had was arguably the best of the 4 acts. That is hard for me to admit, since I'm a huge Metallica fan. Anyhow just my two cents on the new products.

I'd like to see another KH module, and have one with a 5 band EQ setting built in (ala Mark series).

Have you checked out the MarkUS(Salvation) or Mark Series (Gigmods) modules? They have many tonal options and while not exactly having a 5 band on the module, they have the tonal options available...Pretty cool stuff....

As for Randall as a company...I like them as much as they like me... :wink:
I don't wait for their announcements at all..I'd much rather hear Salvation, Sacred Groove, Hilly, Pete, JF or another modder has a new module coming anyway...They're almost always better, cooler, and more functional...I've got all I need outta Randall - the platform to use modded modules since they won't make new ones...Although the Scott Ian ones sound cool to me as well...It's kinda an obvious choice for an endorsee but still good...I'd like them to have a Kenny Wayne Shepherd module or approach people outside the metal scene...Perhaps that could open new doors...I know, never gonna happen....Too bad...It's the best amp system out there IMHO...Wouldn't take much to make a few improvements...
 
As I would like to see more involvement from Randall on the mts line, I find myself agreeing with Mattfig. I did not run out and purchase The Judge. Will I consider buying one on the secondary market in a year when someone sells one for under $200? Probably. I'm not really supporting Randall, so I can't cry about it. I think I have purchased 3 stock Randall modules "new." The rest, of my large collection, were purchased from the mts forum, ebay, friends, or the various modders. I'm certainly not helping the mts cause as far as Randall is concerned. It would cost $299 to get The Judge. I spent less than that on the XTC Red/Blue from Sacred Groove, less on my HG Jose from Voodoo or anything I purchased from Jaded Faith. For that matter you could purchase something from Salvation for just a touch more than that $299 or the Scorch from Hilly. Will the mts line die if everyone had the attitude I do? Probably. It's a shame, but they let it get to the point where they did nothing and SO MANY people filled in the gap they left. It's going to take a miracle for me to actually use something Randall creates over what these modders put so much time and effort into. Do stock Randall modules sound good? Yes, they do. Do the modders modules sound "better?" That's a matter of opinion and Average Joe Audience Member probably can't tell the difference. Are the modders modules more versatile? There is no arguement, absolutely.

Maybe Randall should just put a few of these modders on the payroll. I don't know what the answer is for Randall. I know to get the mods they need to keep producing stock moules. So, I need Randall, but I'm not supporting them. That's the major problem here.
 
rlhjr34 said:
I'd like to see another KH module, and have one with a 5 band EQ setting built in (ala Mark series).

They were supposed to have one 2 years ago called the Ultra Curve. It disappeared with the other 5 modules that were supposed to come out.
 
schlagdog said:
rlhjr34 said:
I'd like to see another KH module, and have one with a 5 band EQ setting built in (ala Mark series).

They were supposed to have one 2 years ago called the Ultra Curve. It disappeared with the other 5 modules that were supposed to come out.

Do you recall what the others were by chance? Just curious more than anything...
 
I was flipping through the search engine and found the threads from late 2008- there was talk of a SLO-100, Fireball, Diezel, Orange, Ultra Curve. All rumors though...funny, all different posters back then, but the identical conversations/frustrations, fruitless hope.

Be happy we have Pete, Antonin, Rob, Trace, Friedman as well as countless others who can make a stock module something special- because the stock supply in general is stale and mediocre.
 
I was one that said screw it I am going to get the Judge. A couple reason really why I decided to do it. 1st it sounded pretty good from the vid Squid music posted. It will blend in nicely with my 2 other Lynch modules & the SL+. And if I want this line to stay alive, there has to be support for it from us. Buying just used or having the modders do work will eventually kill it off.

My only gripe is that Randall doesn't seem to take the plunge and go all in with the MTS stuff. They did back in the 1st 1/2 of the past decade, but then kind of let it go. I remember seeing ads for it in 2006 and before in GP magazine. Obviously in 07/08 they did some upgrades. I think that really needs to happen every couple years or so. A model is released, after a couple years you get feedback from users (also have endorsers use them & give feedback). Incorporate those changes that are most requested. You can't please everyone, but if the general consensus is that change "this" resistor or cap to "this" value (or combination of more than 1), then roll with it. If the change(s) significantly alters the sound and it no longer sounds like the amp it originally emulated, then rename it. So if your SL+ now sounds like a SLO 100 instead of JCM800, call it a SL100 or whatever.

Matt I think has hit the proverbial nail on the head. If Randall wants to move in the right direction with the MTS, they need to expand beyond the rock genre. Look at Gibson & Fender, the Les Paul & Strat are mainstays in just about every form of music... Rock, Metal, Punk, Blues, Country, etc. Randall needs to get that type of image with MTS. It is the perfect format to do it with. Unlike hardwired amps, "upgrading"/changing sounds wouldn't cost you another $500+ dollars or even a trip to the shop for modification. Although I think the $300 price tag for endorsee models is a little excessive. $225-$250 is maybe more in line I think.
 
I'm entirely happy with the situation right now. As long as randall/egnater continue supplying the module series I'm happy to keep the prices down and get some custom mod's done as needed - it's more than enough tone for me ;)
 
crankyrayhanky said:
I was flipping through the search engine and found the threads from late 2008- there was talk of a SLO-100, Fireball, Diezel, Orange, Ultra Curve. All rumors though...funny, all different posters back then, but the identical conversations/frustrations, fruitless hope.

Be happy we have Pete, Antonin, Rob, Trace, Friedman as well as countless others who can make a stock module something special- because the stock supply in general is stale and mediocre.

Well said.
 
I'm under the impression that Egnater is still manufacturing some modular stuff. If this is true, why haven't we heard much about it? This is a Randall/Egnater forum, right? Maybe Bruce can offer some insight into the business side of a modular line.

I'm also curious to know what amps have been selling relatively well the last couple of years. Yeah, I'm sure Line 6 has sold some Spyders. But what else has been selling?
 
crankyrayhanky said:
I was flipping through the search engine and found the threads from late 2008- there was talk of a SLO-100, Fireball, Diezel, Orange, Ultra Curve.
All rumors though...funny, all different posters back then, but the identical conversations/frustrations, fruitless hope.
This clip is from the Summer Namm '09 time period and Doug Reynolds makes some pretty decisively bold statements about the new modules. You know...
The modules that never came to pass...
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CnyQW4hQKE

Doug%20ReynoldsM.jpg

Sorry Doug, I wasn't trying to make it look like a mug shot. :)
 
Wonder if Doug quite 'coz he couldn't get support for it internally .....understand he moved to Egnater..or at least that's what I heard. I've heard nothing from him since the move.

The Ultra Curve hasn't come to pass due to not enough range of motion on the EQ.....still figure they could find some way to solve it.....but the general understanding I got was that it's either too touchy or not flexible enough?
 
Top