MTS Tractor Beam

[rlord1974]

So what did it for you? What's the current rig? And the big question, would you do MTS again?

Hi Matt:

What did it for me? A few things.....
1.) I realized that every gig I went to I was using the same two modules/sounds for 95% of the show. As such, the realization that I don't need a rack or head with 6 to 8 different tones in it! Two good channels in my amp, a boost on the floor plus a pickup selector and volume control on my guitar can get me everything and anything I would need in a live setting;
2.) Looking at my shelf with 16 mods on it and realizing that, given point #1 above, what a waste of $#@! money it was to have tied up in gear that I was not utilizing;
3.) I was spending more time on MTS Forum reading about mods, listing mods, selling mods and buying mods than actually playing with the mods when they were with me; and
4.) This one might be controversial, but it is my personal opinion: as good as some of the mods sounded, a traditional non-modular tube amp can do those sounds better with better touch sensitivity.

What's the current rig?.....
1.) Live, recently I have been using a Bogner Shiva 20th Anny, a Matchless Independence and a reasonable pedalboard (i.e., buffer, boost, wah, flanger, tremolo, delay and reverb). I am thinking of buying a low wattage (e.g., 12 to 15 watt) tube amp to run in parallel with the Bogner or my Wizard Modern Classic II, and just pin the snot out of the low wattage amp to really get the goods from the power tubes. I'll get my clean tones as well as the bottom end and headroom primarily from the Bogner and/or Wizard, and will get the fat midrange and singing sustain from the pinned low wattage head.
2.) Otherwise, I have a couple of other heads that typically never get used live, as they either don't meet my needs for my current bands, or they're just too damn loud (e.g., Marshall JMP).

Would I do MTS again?......
I thought of picking up one of the new Eggie M4s Bruce has been peddling, but I quickly punched myself in the face and realized that I would be falling for the same old trap that I was previously in. I'm so happy I DIDN'T buy yet another M4!

As for you: do you still have the Salvation Stoner AD that I sold you a few years ago? That was one module that kicked some serious rock 'n' roll ass! It had a super thick, yet aggressive OD that I really dug.

 

[Mattfig]

So what did it for you? What's the current rig? And the big question, would you do MTS again?

Hi Matt:

What did it for me? A few things.....
1.) I realized that every gig I went to I was using the same two modules/sounds for 95% of the show. As such, the realization that I don't need a rack or head with 6 to 8 different tones in it! Two good channels in my amp, a boost on the floor plus a pickup selector and volume control on my guitar can get me everything and anything I would need in a live setting;
2.) Looking at my shelf with 16 mods on it and realizing that, given point #1 above, what a waste of $#@! money it was to have tied up in gear that I was not utilizing;
3.) I was spending more time on MTS Forum reading about mods, listing mods, selling mods and buying mods than actually playing with the mods when they were with me; and
4.) This one might be controversial, but it is my personal opinion: as good as some of the mods sounded, a traditional non-modular tube amp can do those sounds better with better touch sensitivity.

What's the current rig?.....
1.) Live, recently I have been using a Bogner Shiva 20th Anny, a Matchless Independence and a reasonable pedalboard (i.e., buffer, boost, wah, flanger, tremolo, delay and reverb). I am thinking of buying a low wattage (e.g., 12 to 15 watt) tube amp to run in parallel with the Bogner or my Wizard Modern Classic II, and just pin the snot out of the low wattage amp to really get the goods from the power tubes. I'll get my clean tones as well as the bottom end and headroom primarily from the Bogner and/or Wizard, and will get the fat midrange and singing sustain from the pinned low wattage head.
2.) Otherwise, I have a couple of other heads that typically never get used live, as they either don't meet my needs for my current bands, or they're just too damn loud (e.g., Marshall JMP).

Would I do MTS again?......
I thought of picking up one of the new Eggie M4s Bruce has been peddling, but I quickly punched myself in the face and realized that I would be falling for the same old trap that I was previously in. I'm so happy I DIDN'T buy yet another M4!

As for you: do you still have the Salvation Stoner AD that I sold you a few years ago? That was one module that kicked some serious rock 'n' roll ass! It had a super thick, yet aggressive OD that I really dug.

All good man! I see why people come and go...Understand both sides...Good on you as you are focused on making music...That's the important part!

Anyway, I had that Stoner AD for a while and ended up selling it...I just didn't need that tone...I have narrowed down to what I find to be the best of the bunch...And the few lacking spots are being filled by custom work from Salvation! So you know they will do what I am seeking as my requests are now very specific as I understand more of how these things work...

The amp combo you are using would be awesome to hear....Clips???

 

[ibenhad]

Ah the module game. I'm stalled at 26, I think. They are a lot of fun and can hold you over till you get the real thing if it is absolutely necessary. If you have the funds to do it and aren't hurting anyone I say go for whatever you want. Too bad the Randall stuff will most likely never appreciate in value like some of the amps it mimics. That is also it's blessing in disguise why would you take your Diezel, Bogner or insert other boutique amp here ________ to live gigs or on the road? You can take the Randall and who cares if it blows up or gets stolen. It's fairly easily replaced for a fraction of the cost. I just mean local gigs and such as I don't feel they are road worthy amps and unless you have an excellent tech you could be in for a hell of a ride. All this is IMHO of course. Carry on.

P.S. Anybody selling a Diezel or Quickrod replica module?

 

[Mailman1971]

Re-read this thread.....and I was hooked on the Modules for years. On and off....5 different amps...
more modules then I can count. It really was an addictive sickness..(GOTTA HAVE MORE!!.....THAT CLIP SOUNDS GREAT!!!...GOTTA HAVE IT!!)
Sound Familiar??

Man I had tons and tons of $$$ tied up in them amps. Still have my Randall Lynch Box 4x12's....
but the rest is all gone. Thank god. Not that it didnt sound great....but I was always Jonesing and thinking of my next module. Really was a sickness.

Again....sold my last RM100 rig....and bought a Diezel that SMOKED anything MTS wise.
And I still had hundreds of dollars left over.

But to each their own. Its all music....its all just gear....and its a fun ride no matter what path you take.

 

[zepplin490]

Just sold a Jaded Faith Quickmod that was a decent module so you might wanna look at one of those.. And yeah the module game is a load of fun and i currently have the cash to play the game so im going after three of Rob's latest and greatest.. Probably not the best time to be ordering as he's just gotten done with the new york amp show and has a shitload of new orders but when mine get done im gonna be one happy camper!
-mp-

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Just sold a Jaded Faith Quickmod that was a decent module so you might wanna look at one of those.. And yeah the module game is a load of fun and i currently have the cash to play the game so im going after three of Rob's latest and greatest.. Probably not the best time to be ordering as he's just gotten done with the new york amp show and has a shitload of new orders but when mine get done im gonna be one happy camper!
-mp-

Or you might be selling all three because you realize that your DSL does the job equally well

 

[zepplin490]

Yea Kapo I may but the thing that the DSL doesnt do is that Recto flavor that the snakebite does and it doesnt do the SRV type of tones that the vybe deluxe does but your right beyond those it does pretty much everything i could want. But ive gotta take the beast apart tomorrow and see if the reverb cables are still connected to the chaissis as the reverb is not working at all and the head makes a crackling noise for about the first 20 seconds after i turn it on that is a little troubling and I checked all of the cables in my signal chain in front of the amp and they all seem good, forgot to check the cable that ive got the loop jumpered with so tomorrow should be an interesting day... Sold my UltraLead and shipped out today so im about a 3rd of the way as far as money goes to the 3 new mods in my future.
-mp-

 

[zepplin490]

Well it diddnt take long to replace the JF UltraLead, I noticed the first JF snakebite that ive ever seen in the MTS classifieds and it was only for sale because the owner got in on the "Snakebite Platinum edition" an diddnt need the regular snakebite anymore and it was a steal at $350 I was planning on getting a new one built on a brand new mts board for $400 so theres $50 i can put towards the next two modules in my plan.
-mp-

 

[metalsoup]

As one who was curious and recently (summer 2012) jumped into the MTS waters with both feet, I've been thoroughly enjoying the ride and learning a few things along the way:

1) Gas is gas. Doesn't matter the gear: modules, heads, guitars, cabs, speakers, mics, plugins, etc. I'm always looking around, searching, listening, contemplating. Modules are easier to buy/sell/trade, so maybe that exacerbates the problem a bit. Few things seem to satisfy us for long, though occasionally we do come across something special that we cherish and won't let go of easily. And one man's trash is another's treasure.

2) You don't have to restrict yourself to a Randall power section. I use an RM4 through the loop of a head with stellar results.

3) There is substantial variety between the modders just like with regular amps. You definitely need to check out designs from different modders to get a good idea of what's possible. By and large, modded modules are a striking improvement over the stock designs. Not surprising, of course. It's too bad Randall wasn't able to realize the potential of the modules like the modders have been able to. The outcome for the MTS line might have been radically different.

4) I prefer to do side by side comparisons with modules using my own gear to determine which one(s) I want to keep. In the short run it may cost a little more, but it'll actually save you money down the road and keep you sane. There's no substitute for first hand experience. When a new module arrives, it may end up "taking the spot" of another if it's similar to the other but better, or perhaps end up being sold/traded pretty quickly if it's worse, or perhaps stays or goes due to it's own peculiar character. Your mileage in applying this philosophy may vary. But it's the same thing most of us try to do with heads, cabs, guitars, etc., anyway.

 

[zepplin490]

Yea I have run my RM4 through a B52 Head and through my TSL through the effects loops and ive come back to the Rm100 as my poweramp. Im going to keep the RM100 unless I can find someone who will trade me another RM4 for the RM100. Cant wait for the Snakebite to arrive, glad i found one on the used market and it was one that was built on a brand new module board and since the snakebite mod is very new the module is assured to be in great condition. Now if my PlexiTweed Module will sell or if my Epi LP sells ill be able to grab the remaining two modules in my plan and another module with about every ala carte mod that jaded faith mods offers has come up on my radar it started its life as an Ultra XL but has been modified in every possible way and its a little pricey but its been offered to me at a great price and would be coming from a guy that i have had alot of dealings with, he has helped me in alot of tech support situations and has just been very good to me over the years in mts so hopefully i can get that module too. Id really like to re-populate my rm4 and my rm100 completely and then use my Peavey 50/50 for the RM4 and if i can get another RM4 id love to get a nice midi switching unit and have 8 channels of MTS channel love! But Im feeling the MTS G.A.S. hitting me hard and last night i went window shopping for mts modules from both jaded faith mods and salvation mods and ive come up with a list of 4 additional modules that id like to pick up, Id really love to pick up some stock modules for donors though as an extra $150 on top of the regular price of each mod can add up quite quickly.
-mp-

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I'll be curious to see where this ends up 6 months from now

 

[bhuard75]

I'll be curious to see where this ends up 6 months from now

do you think it'll take that long?

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I'll be curious to see where this ends up 6 months from now

My thoughts exactly!! I've said it before I'll say it again... faceplates do more to sell MTS than the available tones out on the web do!

Yea I have run my RM4 through a B52 Head and through my TSL through the effects loops and ive come back to the Rm100 as my poweramp. Im going to keep the RM100 unless I can find someone who will trade me another RM4 for the RM100. Cant wait for the Snakebite to arrive, glad i found one on the used market and it was one that was built on a brand new module board and since the snakebite mod is very new the module is assured to be in great condition. Now if my PlexiTweed Module will sell or if my Epi LP sells ill be able to grab the remaining two modules in my plan and another module with about every ala carte mod that jaded faith mods offers has come up on my radar it started its life as an Ultra XL but has been modified in every possible way and its a little pricey but its been offered to me at a great price and would be coming from a guy that i have had alot of dealings with, he has helped me in alot of tech support situations and has just been very good to me over the years in mts so hopefully i can get that module too. Id really like to re-populate my rm4 and my rm100 completely and then use my Peavey 50/50 for the RM4 and if i can get another RM4 id love to get a nice midi switching unit and have 8 channels of MTS channel love! But Im feeling the MTS G.A.S. hitting me hard and last night i went window shopping for mts modules from both jaded faith mods and salvation mods and ive come up with a list of 4 additional modules that id like to pick up, Id really love to pick up some stock modules for donors though as an extra $150 on top of the regular price of each mod can add up quite quickly.

Why not sell the DSL now and come back to it in 6 months once you have sold off all the other stuff!!?? I find it funny because you were cutting down and now will be back with two fully loaded RM4's and a bunch of RM amps. In addition to the two other "must have" mods you are now setting your sights on another Ultra when you already had an Ultra that did the Freyette or Deliverance thing well. The MTS tractor beam definitely pulled you back in. Will be interesting to see which modules or amp you play most within the next 2 weeks upon receiving your snakebite. I'm calling it first.. snakebite will be out the door in 1 month and shortly there after there will be a new post from you saying that after al the time invested, the DSL is the way to go. I'm telling you this is a Richedie saga starting all over again ! This time it is MTS instead of cabs though. Don't worry, he was a nice guy like you, just suffered from extreme GAS.

 

[zepplin490]

Its actually a TSL that is the other amp in my life I am not a big module flipper, I usually keep most of the modules ive had for alot longer than alot of the folks on the mts forum, So i think that the snakebite will be around for a while. The modules that ive got At the moment have been around for at least half a year at the newest, I also have a JF Erect that ive had since my first modded module order I had a JF 59RR Custom that I had from that order up until recently when the TSL arrived all my marshall mods were quickly out the door but im gonna get one more (yeah right) marshall mod and im only getting it because from the clips that ive heard it sounds nothing like any other marshall ive ever heard its based off the Silver Jubilee and its a must have, so i plan on keeping these mods for a while and probably wont flip em right off unless they are totally atrocious.
-mp-

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Where are the clips of the JF jubilee module? That one looked interesting, i'd be interested in hearing those.

 

[Mailman1971]

I remember when I was in MTS back a few years ago. Dave Friedman modded a Brahma module....that one with a boost just killed.

 

[zepplin490]

Kapo there were 3 or 4 short 15-20 second clips on robs facebook page a while back from the original prototype dont know how far back you'll have to look but they were posted at least 2-3 months ago.
-mp-

 

[Mattfig]

The official MTS script is as follows:

Buy MTS stock.

Buy MTS modded.

Sell MTS modded to buy other MTS modded.

Get your modded mods modded.

Buy/Sell more MTS and think you are done with each move.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Quit.

Start.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

Bitch a little.

Find new amp.

Sell MTS.

Sell new amp.

Mad module tear - this time you know.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Settle.











Read the MTS forum for fun.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat

Narrow it down to a few modules.

Sell the rest.

Buy them back.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

The beauty is that when the story is a cycle you don't need to write an end. Although Fractal and Kemper have written alternate versions.

 

[Ultron]

oh fer crissakes....the problem is GAS, and folks going apeshit on $350+ modules with pimp faceplates, which is ridiculous. I have 4 modules that cover all I need. Blackface for super clean, Voxless (JF) for light grit (and Vox chime), Judge for hotrodded marshall, and Grail for Recto/modern. I have zero need for anything else.

 

[Mattfig]

oh fer crissakes....the problem is GAS, and folks going apeshit on $350+ modules with pimp faceplates, which is ridiculous. I have 4 modules that cover all I need. Blackface for super clean, Voxless (JF) for light grit (and Vox chime), Judge for hotrodded marshall, and Grail for Recto/modern. I have zero need for anything else.

Of course it's GAS...As far as ridiculous, I resemble that remark so to each his own...I get where you are coming from and marketing outshines product in some cases...As for it being a problem, that's the only place I disagree...

You gotta know when to hold em, know when to fold em, no when to sell your shit, no when to hoard... You know that old song...