Pimp my RG100es

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azure and drkz

azure and drkz

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Just scored a Randall RG100es dirt cheap.., a nasty lookin carpeted version that has seen better days... Help me decide what to do with it , or who to send it to, in order to get it Back To The Future..Or at least looking and sounding like it did in 1985. Who, if anybody, repairs these amps?.. I'd like a couple mods , like the volume drop push-pull treble that was later improved , and other electronic upgrades...Help me please.. :aww:
 
you just buy the one that went for 140 on EBay that pretty much just ended?

I say strip the chassis of the carpet, get the fake stone spray paint and pile it on. Then take glossy white spray paint and load a generous amount on. It'll look like the rhino style truck liner, only white (or whatever color you want it to be). I think that would be badass. Strip the amp corners too and spray paint them matte black. :rock:
 
yep..hmm, undecided on what to do for the looks, i'll add that to the list of options...It's the innards i'm worried about. :(
 
Those '85 - '86 models are the best IMO. They've got more low end, gain and a smoother tone than the later 80's ones. Plus they sound great LOUD. Very uncommon for an SS amp.

I'd keep it stock and buy a boost/od or two. Forget the treble knob boost, cause it kinda squishes the sound too much IMO. It may seem cool at first but you'll probably find It loses a bit of punch and clarity with it engaged, even on the XP version (which is a later model with the volume drop reduced). With a boost in front you get the needed gain, plus a much clearer and dynamic sound.
 
:m4: That's the one...Yeah i prolly don't need the treble/boost , but it sucks that it's there and , you can't really use it without the mod or an XP version. :confused: .......Didn't know these were better than the newer tolexed ones, cool...If this is more of everything i like about the later ones , it'll be perfect. :rock:
 
I want to completely restore this amp from the inside out...Is this something i can just take to any music repair shop around town for the guts part of the amp.? ...And then somewhere else for the woodwork ? I'm unsure if it's that simple.
 
i would just have it re-tolexed, and buy some nice knobs. unless something is broke, or corroded, it's probably in good working order. i've heard that the internal parts are readily available at any electronics supply, but after owning five of them, i've never had one repaired.
i still own two, one is the xp version, and one the regular es version. unless you are recording, at low volume, i wouldn't use the pull boost feature. the boost on the xp isn't really worth a shit either. the headcase on my xp was beat to hell, so it was rack-mounted. i'll see if i can find a pic.

steve
 
Thanks Steve...Great info...I've heard these can get noisy. Would new electro-parts help fight it , if i run into that problem ? ...If not then i guess a new shell would be all it needs.
 
azure and drkz":2cb36 said:
Thanks Steve...Great info...I've heard these can get noisy. Would new electro-parts help fight it , if i run into that problem ? ...If not then i guess a new shell would be all it needs.
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i would think that any service person, who works on amps could check it out for bad capacitors and such. most local music stores have people who work on p.a. heads, bass amps, as well as tube heads and amps. i've just never had to have one worked on yet. they can be a bit noisy, especially with the gain dimed. my settings vary, but most of the time look like this:

gain-8(out of ten)
treb-5-6
mid-7-8
bass5-6
pres-2-3
master-3-4

maxon overdrive(as a boost on top of amps gain)
dist-0
tone-5
balance(level)-10

any of the clips in my sig(band link), were done with the rg100, and my maxon.
 
p.s. that was a really good deal on the randall. prices have gone up alot lately, and i hardly ever see them less than 300.00 now. i was watching that one too, but i just bought another amp this week, and already have two randalls. congrats.

steve
 
Thanks again Steve, for more great info......


Yep...Yeah it was a good deal..It was missing the logo and some carpet, so i think that scared people away.. I don't care as long as the amp plays well as described,.. cuz i always take off or cover the logos, and wanted to customize the head anyways. :2thumbsup:

Do you ever run them both or a+b them? ..I'm thinking of a+b(y?)-ing this old carpet one with a newer tolexed one just for the hell of it.
 
azure and drkz":72705 said:
:m4: That's the one...Yeah i prolly don't need the treble/boost , but it sucks that it's there and , you can't really use it without the mod or an XP version. :confused: .......Didn't know these were better than the newer tolexed ones, cool...If this is more of everything i like about the later ones , it'll be perfect. :rock:
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Well you can still use it of course, but you won't get the volume. You can stick an EQ in the loop and push up the sliders if you really need a volume boost.

It's got nothing to do with it being tolexed or carpeted, they made em both with carpet and tolex all the way from the beggining. Actually, the very early ones were usually tolexed. Most of the carpeted ones are actually later 80's heads.

It's just been my experience that the mid 80's heads sound a bit better than the later 80's ones. Not sure why.
 
ohhh, hmmm wonder which one i got then.? Where would the date be on the amp? :confused:
 
azure and drkz":6b67b said:
ohhh, hmmm wonder which one i got then.? Where would the date be on the amp? :confused:
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Side of the chassis. Take the back off and you should be able to see the manufacture date on the side. Yours is definitely an older one though. You can tell by the look of it... the head shell was a bit different on the older ones (more plexi looking). The '87 - '90 heads have thicker sides. You can also tell by the knobs. The late ones had light grey or white end caps. The older '83 - '86 heads have dark grey end caps, like yours.
 
id leave that bad boy as is. teh coolness is in the ware.
 
lol..I'll have to see how it looks , and if it's only real bad from the sides then i'll consider that. I might want to match it to a tolexed version at least tho.
 
I'd take measurements and see if an aftermarket Marshall/Slo style shell would work. I always hated those HUGE ass Randall headshells.


Check Weber or Mojo......
 
Purple or snakeskin tolex would be tits! Or on the cheap I'll bet that black spray on bedliner for pickup trucks would somehow fit the look of an old Randall perfectly, it would damn sure take some abuse. I've thought about stripping an old beat ass marshall 4x12 of mine and covering it in that stuff but it would probably make things a real bitch if you ever wanted to tolex it again and I must say it reaks mojo with a 1/4 of the tolex missing.
 
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