I agree that Randall not pushing MTS any further is dissappointing but I don't think they can be bashed for it that much. After all they are in this business to make money and as a company, I can see a number of issues that may have led them no to want to throw more chips on the table.
- In an industry as competitive as the guitar industry is, what you want is standardized products that can allow you optimize production and logistics costs. What the community here wants is basically the exact opposite: Dozens of different modules all produced in small quantities to fit small niches. It doesn't take a lot of time on this forum to realise that hardly anybody has the same idea of what a Marshall Plexi should sound like.
- From a marketing standpoint, the MTS line is also in a tricky position. It aims at copycating famous amps. And let's face it, when faced with the imitation or the original, the average consumer will want a Mesa or a Marshall. Yes, there is no doubt that some modules will sound almost as good, as good or better than some of the amps cloned, but it takes more to overcome a brand value that was built over decades of history, whather the objective facts are. The best way to solve this would have been for Randall to design modules "under licence" so as to be able to stick Fender, Marshall and Mesa logos on their modules. There, they would have been able to appeal to a much wider audience. Famous endorsees were another way and Randall did manage to attach a few good names to the line over the years. But that didn't seem to be enough.
I am not saying Randall have been faultless. Some things could have been better managed. Distribution in Europe was marginal for example, and I don't remember ever seeing some MTS gear in shops in Paris and London. That didn't help. It is also true that Randall has been rather lazy in adding new features to the next generations of modules. I understand that putting as many goodies as Anthony does wasn't an option since pushing up the prices on a product that isn't selling much is not the way to go. However, a few more features per module would have been a good middle ground.
At the end of the day, the MTS was and still is a great concept that for various reasons, failed to be a hit. In the end, most people who used that gear are picky tone snobs (no offense taken, that is how I view myself) who are ready to browse through modules day-in/day-out until they find exactly the right one. The modders are a far better answer to such demands than a regular company can be. And we are really spoilt to have them on our side!