Killer Deals on New MTS Amps!!!

[iekobrid]

The guy ended up mentioning that they have been watching this thread and given the craze surrounding these amps right now, they are raising their prices.

That seems an odd reaction to customers getting great deals from other retailers.

 

[SickPunk]

I caved. I picked up the loaded RM100KH MTS for $849 with free shipping.

 

[seanh303]

Dude, awesome! More than $100 less than what I paid!!! These come with Ruby 12AX7AC5 pre-amp tubes which are a slight upgrade over the regular ones also. I'm still happy with what I paid, but $850 is unbelievable!!! I saw a used one for $800 that took quite awhile to sell (which was still a good deal)...and one of the new regular RM100's w/3 non-signature modules sold for $850. Caved!!! :twisted:

 

[iekobrid]

I caved. I picked up the loaded RM100KH MTS for $849 with free shipping.

Which seller was that? Inspired by MusicLandCentral letting a rare silver RM100KH go for $747, I sent Miss. Delta Music an offer of $750 for a standard black 100KH and they countered with $925.

 

[SickPunk]

I caved. I picked up the loaded RM100KH MTS for $849 with free shipping.

Which seller was that? Inspired by MusicLandCentral letting a rare silver RM100KH go for $747, I sent Miss. Delta Music an offer of $750 for a standard black 100KH and they countered with $925.

Musicians Heaven

 

[ibenhad]

Why is everyone so excited that the line is gone and they are dumping this crap like a bad habit. Sad man this stuff ain't going no where. You may believe Bruce is going to do something but why would he support old technology that he already moved away from? He doesn't do single channel modules anymore and I don't know about his line but I doubt he wants to keep the MTS side alive. The party is over IMHO and believe what you will but it's not in his best interest |$$$$$| to keep this Randall stuff supported. This stuff was never mainstream anyway and the few artists that were/are using it may move to something else. On another note Bruces (egnater) stuff isn't cheap like the Randall stuff.

I wanna know how this affects Salvation, Jaded Faith and those guys? I know it isn't Voodoo's bread and butter so no loss for them but seriously this thread is insane. No I ain't bitter if that's what your thinking I could honestly care less. I have all the MTS gear I could ever need and it's fine for what it is. I would like to hear Rob or Anthony speak up over this matter. This is really going to hurt these guys again IMHO.

I did some testing/A/Bing yesterday and while the Randall does it's thing and does it OK Playing through a real Rocker 30/ Uberschall/Soldano/JMP/2061x/Voodoo and a few others I think the Randall pales in comparison. Sorry just my take. In other words if I want a Porsche I ain't buying one with a VW engine. Love the stuff and it's versatility but it's propensity for breaking down leaves me less than smitten.

Good luck to all those who got this stuff dirt cheap. Enjoy one of the best ideas in amp technology in a long time. Too bad you came so late to the party. This thread created mass hysteria in the buying game and killed the price game for now. PEACE.

 

[iekobrid]

Inspired by MusicLandCentral letting a rare silver RM100KH go for $747, I sent Miss. Delta Music an offer of $750 for a standard black 100KH and they countered with $925.

I counter-countered with $800 and they declined, stating that the dealer cost is $1300, the product ships direct from Randall and "we only have about 15 units left." (Not "they", not "Randall" -- "we".)

This whole drop-ship based e-conomy that's grown up around Ebay still confuses me. Why would a retailer eat a loss just to move a product that isn't even taking up space in their own local inventory? When they signed on with Randall did they commit to selling a specific number of each SKU, no matter what, so the 15 mentioned above are ones set aside just for Mississippi Delta Music in the Randall warehouse, separate from however many the other retailers are on the hook for?

 

[iekobrid]

...You may believe Bruce is going to do something but why would he support old technology that he already moved away from? He doesn't do single channel modules anymore and I don't know about his line but I doubt he wants to keep the MTS side alive. The party is over IMHO and believe what you will but it's not in his best interest |$$$$$| to keep this Randall stuff supported. ...

... Love the stuff and it's versatility but it's propensity for breaking down leaves me less than smitten.

Yeah, if I get a good clearance deal on a new amp I'm probably going to test it out then put it back in the box as a back up for when the ones I use now finally finish dying.

I know it isn't in Bruce's best financial interests, but I would love to see him make MTS open source. ("Free free, set them free" - Sting) Once original MTS amps in good working condition become scarce, I'd like to be able to grab a project box and some parts from Radio Shack and put together a preamp box for running a single module through the fx loop return of another amp.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Hey ibenhad, you make some good points but at the same time, if you get a reliable RM100, there is no reason why lkike a JCM800, it can't live on with maybe some filter cap changes down the line...

That said not so sure i would say a Randall can't hang with a real amp though in some cases i might give the edge to the real amp. No my Randall doesn't really match my JCM800 BUT it is 95% there. Seriously, density up a bit for girth and that Brahma module and I am in tonal bliss. Seriously, the Brahma is the shining jewel of that whole line for me..

 

[seanh303]

This thread created mass hysteria in the buying game and killed the price game for now.

This thread didn't do anything but make a few folks here aware of some of the deals that are out there. Anyone on Amazon or Ebay in the last 3 months had the opportunity to pickup one of these at an awesome price, and you still can. Why shouldn't MTS's core following have the first stab at it? Really, Randall or the dealers should have posted their own thread in the dealer section offering exclusive prices to the members here, back in December, when it was known that they were making changes to the product line and remaining stock would be liquidated. I don't think anyone here is "excited" that the line is gone. Most everyone here has happily paid full asking price for MTS gear over the last few years, and would have continued to do so into the future. The best deals so far (since December) have consistently only been offered for a few days (whether sold or not). The folks here deserve to get those deals more than anyone else, and this helped let them know to keep an eye out for them.

The decision to cancel MTS was a high level decision made by U.S. Music Corporation, a massive international organization. There are a lot of considerations that went into this decision, and a huge factor probably is the other brands they now manage. U.S. Music is now the distributor in the U.S. for Marshall, and Randall MTS opens the possibility of a multitude of Marshall tones at a fraction of the price. There were some missed opportunities to make improvements to MTS design, components, and manufacturing processes, and paying licensing fees to Egnator for the technology also reduces the net profit margin. In cost-to-benefit analysis, they probably found that all of these factors combined make keeping a product that competes with one of their flagship brands is not practical. They will probably be taking Randall in a different direction, like more affordable solid-state amps.

Factors that weren't taken into account, were how this would affect Salvation, Jaded Faith, etc. I am glad that they have enjoyed as much success as they have from customizing MTS modules, and I'm sure that they will still have a market for their skills for at least a few more years. I know I will be stockpiling modules to send off for improvements.

As far as comparing to the real thing, if you can afford 10 Porsches, good for you. 6 $500 gets me plenty close to a Rocker 30/Uberschall/Soldano/JMP/2061x/Voodoo for the price of one of those amps until I have $18,000 lying around to pick up all 6. That's why modded modules don't last a day on this forum.

The awesome thing about these amps (RM100's anyway) is you can have the 2-channel mod done, and slap Egnator modules in aswell, so it's not the end of the road completely.

 

[ibenhad]

Hey ibenhad, you make some good points but at the same time, if you get a reliable RM100, there is no reason why lkike a JCM800, it can't live on with maybe some filter cap changes down the line...

That said not so sure i would say a Randall can't hang with a real amp though in some cases i might give the edge to the real amp. No my Randall doesn't really match my JCM800 BUT it is 95% there. Seriously, density up a bit for girth and that Brahma module and I am in tonal bliss. Seriously, the Brahma is the shining jewel of that whole line for me..

Totally agree but I have a JCM800 and have not seen the kind of issues with the thousands of them out there that I have with the MTS. What is with all the arching across tube sockets and the pictures of the fix. Dremel out the board? Come on guys. The Marshall **** is quality and that's why a few cap changes and your back in business. Even modded they usually cost very little to repair and last a lifetime. Had my 2 '76's since the early 80's and my 800 is an early 80's model. They need retubing now and again and biasing. That is it. Mine have the original caps and are 100% reliable. I won't gig them because I don't wanna lose them... Point is they will be valuable for ever. The MTS stuff is and never was a valuable commodity. Besides the fact it's just not made with quality and reliability in mind. Sure they get you in the ballpark and sound pretty **** good and are a modders dream. I love them don't get me wrong but I won't accept fanboy mentality that they are anything other than what they are.

I do have one that is (knock on wood) so far 100% reliable (red viper snakeskin) my other 2 have not really been put through their paces again since I went through them and checked pretty much everything.

I understand wanting champagne on a beer wallet just don't fool yourself that Brut tastes like Dom Perignon. The reason people pay decent cash for Bogner, Fargen, Splawn, Voodoo, Mako, Soldano, VHT, Top Hat, Bad Cat, Sommatone and on and on is because the builders are great and for one support their product and two build it to last. For me buying into MTS right now not knowing it's future is like buying VHS tapes on sale because DVD's came out...

 

[ibenhad]

seanh303 you are late to the party my friend and acting like you hit a crack pipe for the first time. Your posting is hilarious and I'm glad you dig the stuff but you are like a school girl who just had sex for the first time. Really bro step back take a breath and think about the reality of MTS. Is there life? Bruce may want us to think there is? The modders sure want us to think there is.

Hell I think the RM4 is the way to go and has much less flaws than the RM100 but I don't really care to use preamp - poweramp rack setups. The year of the refrigerator was the 80's and they just called and want their mullets back. I ain't trying to piss on your Parade but really my friend wake up and smell the coffee. Other than this small community this stuff never really took off and now it is say it with me "LEGACY" just like windows 95....

Off to play through my Uberschall and shake the house. Reliably!!!! OUCH....

 

[ibenhad]

For those who never saw or missed this I don't know if Jeff still offers it or not but it might save the RM100 for a couple days..

http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=45720

 

[seanh303]

ibenhad,
I have the utmost respect for you. If anyone has given this a fair shake, it's you, and if anyone has the authentic gear to A/B, it is you. I highly respect your oppinion and your experience with this line and with tube amplifiers, and appreciate you taking a contradictory stance to let people know that MTS ultimately did not meet your expectations.

 

[Disciple]

Ibenhad: I've owned many high end amps over my 19 years of playing (Marshall, Mesa, Rivera, VHT, Bogner, Fender) and since finding the
MTS system in 06', I don't own any of them anymore. Why? Because the tone and options I was getting from those amps individually didn't come close to what the MTS/Egnater design offered and especially since making switch to modded modules - I honestly don't see myself buying another amp.

Just because an amp or system is no longer made doesn't mean anything to me there's a bunch of amazing amps no longer made that are still used all over the world by musicians - same will be said with the MTS system. The line has really been near death for awhile with Randall's lack of support for it to get it out there in alot of musicians hands and showcasing the true potential with the system.

The modder's here have kept it alive for so long in
my opinion and they've brought it to other levels Randall never got to with what the modder's bring to the table.

Sean is new to the system yes, late to the party - don't think so. It has never been a huge success to "majority of players" but that doesn't mean a thing to me and I'm sure it doesn't hurt the feelings of other members here as well. So Sean and other members will have a long time to enjoy these amps and their versatility.

The differences between actual amps and the modded mods to me in my experience A/Bing alot of them with the actual amps they're going for - is very subtle and is why I see no reason spending thousands more on the real deal when I can get such similar tones.

My "VW" engine is fine for me, the versatility and tone is all that matters to me and I'm happy with this setup and I'm sure majority of others on here are as well or we wouldn't be here.

Every amp has potential for issues. I've owned just about every MTS amp except new RM22 and have only had one issue with an RM100 which was just a fuse replacement. I took my other amps in alot more for maintenance than any or my MTS amps.

 

[ibenhad]

Drink the coolaid my brothers drink the coolaid. Must be no gigging musicans here using the amps because they are unreliable. RM4 is a different issue. Sean303 no offense taken brother and you are correct I own a ton of this **** and I KNOW WHAT IT IS. Good luck all...

 

[seanh303]

This thread created mass hysteria in the buying game and killed the price game for now.

Now that I look at the view counts, I actually am surprised at how high they are! Prices haven't increased though, just gotten a little firmer. Think more than a handful of people found out about globally listed ebay auctions from this thread?

Hey man, you gave it a fair shake, I will definitely give you that. You're a lot further along than me in the game too. Which is why MTS makes so much sense for me. Which $4000 boutique should I get? Probably the one I like...but which one is that? With a single RM1250, I can try out almost a dozen boutique/classic tones. If I decide I like the Marshall clones more than the Fenders, that's where I can look to buy the real deal. What sense does it make to spend $4000 a pop to experiment with a single amp, when I can spend half that and hear 12? I'm guessing you bought the modded modules you have because you liked those amps their modeled after. I'm guessing you liked those amps because you've played them and heard for yourself. That's an advantage of being further along in the game, you've had enough time to be exposed and develop your taste. Some think digital modeling should be used to try different tones to make a decision, but this blows digital modeling away, and doesn't cost a whole lot more. I am curious what straw broke the camels back for you. You have accumulated an impressive array of MTS gear, and it's not as though you didn't know any different than your vintage and boutique amps, so it had a good run with you. Unless it takes buying 10 BMW's to decide you like Mercedes better. I just don't see a couple of blown fuses or loose wires doing it. I can't say much about reliability, but will find out soon enough. I can say I do have a RM100C 2x12 combo that is having problems out of the box, and supposedly about 1 in 10 do after shipping. I wonder how many Marshall and Fender etc. 2x12 combos have similar issues after shipping (serious question). Like I said, I respect your experience and opinion.

 

[The Rossness]

I don't think the MTS concept is dead. If Randall wants to focus on SS amps and the lower end of the market and Bruce can still make money off licensing the MTS system, why not give the license to another smaller company? Hell, maybe Kurt at Rondo music would be interested in his own line of amps. He already rips off all the major guitar brands, why not add an amp line to the Agile range? Maybe Jet City would be interested. Maybe MTS could become its own brand. Bruce would just need to find a solid company to work with.

 

[LRStrat]

Drink the coolaid my brothers drink the coolaid. Must be no gigging musicans here using the amps because they are unreliable. RM4 is a different issue. Sean303 no offense taken brother and you are correct I own a ton of this s*&t and I KNOW WHAT IT IS. Good luck all...

AAAHhhhhh.......
you spelled Kool-aid wrong......... so you are a super lame troll.
Go back into you cave please......

 

[JD]

Ibenhad, in September you said this... Have a Soldano HR 50 myself and I like my RM100 and modules much better. The Soldano stuff is a bit snotty and shrill.

Now you say this... Playing through a real Rocker 30/ Uberschall/Soldano/JMP/2061x/Voodoo and a few others I think the Randall pales in comparison.

I hate getting in to this stuff on forums but please slow down and give it some time. Most of us are here because we love what we have. Many people have left and come back...that says a lot.

Who knows what the future holds for MTS? Maybe even one of the great modders will purchase the rights and take the amps to a whole new level.