Randall Thrasher 50 watt issues

Zachalou

Zachalou

Active member
So, I bought one of these used on Reverb for a decent price, I was pretty curious about the Thrasher after having owned the 50 watt Satan (wasn't really into the Satan)

The Thrasher (bought back in september) was listed as in mint condition and yadda yadda, when it arrived I first noticed that the chassis was loose in the shell and it slid back and forth when plugging in an out, upon closer observation I noticed it was missing one of the screws in the front plate and it wasn't in the box it shipped in so I don't believe it got knocked loose in transit.


Now after playing it for a bit at band volume for the last 4 weeks I noticed it was starting to make some very high pitch squealing every now and then when playing tight rhythms and also some strange electric noise in the background while I had my guitar volume off (that's only when I noticed it at least), then today it just suddenly cut out, the power was still on, just absolutely no noise coming through the speakers. Had the tubes checked and all are in really good condition. Also I've already changed cables, cabs, and all that


What could be wrong? And what should I do, if I can even do anything- about the reverb transaction? The item is not in the condition it was listed in and now mysteriously does not work, I've already checked all my cables and as mentioned I had the tubes checked at a local shop, beyond that I'm lost.


I will say though, I actually really like this head, it is tight enough to make you clean up your playing and it has way more balls than I felt the randall satan 50 did, the comparison was not even close, however I feel the satan has a better saturated type of gain suited more towards lead playing. Should have stayed away from randall after having a Diavlo come D.O.A a few months ago.
 
Also, the seller keeps saying that he brought it brand new, never even really played it and then sold it to me. Unless randall just sold it new missing a screw and all other screws and the chassis itself loose, I'm calling bullshit
 
Sounds like possibly a bad preamp tube. How did you check them to determine they’re in really good condition?
 
LP Freak":1cvpl7yi said:
Sounds like possibly a bad preamp tube. How did you check them to determine they’re in really good condition?
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that is what I thought, I pulled the tubes and took them to a local shop, they ran them all individually on a tube tester and only one of the power tubes came back as slightly worn. I suppose they could be wrong and I could get a second opinion
 
Zachalou":2ozld6c1 said:
LP Freak":2ozld6c1 said:
Sounds like possibly a bad preamp tube. How did you check them to determine they’re in really good condition?
Click to expand...
that is what I thought, I pulled the tubes and took them to a local shop, they ran them all individually on a tube tester and only one of the power tubes came back as slightly worn. I suppose they could be wrong and I could get a second opinion
Click to expand...

Sounds like a bad preamp tube, and a previous owner full of shit. I'm guessing he was in there tinkering around, which is why you've got a bolt missing.

I would have had a chat with the seller upon receipt.
 
napalmdeath":1mtdn2x1 said:
Zachalou":1mtdn2x1 said:
LP Freak":1mtdn2x1 said:
Sounds like possibly a bad preamp tube. How did you check them to determine they’re in really good condition?
Click to expand...
that is what I thought, I pulled the tubes and took them to a local shop, they ran them all individually on a tube tester and only one of the power tubes came back as slightly worn. I suppose they could be wrong and I could get a second opinion
Click to expand...

Sounds like a bad preamp tube, and a previous owner full of shit. I'm guessing he was in there tinkering around, which is why you've got a bolt missing.

I would have had a chat with the seller upon receipt.
Click to expand...


Yeah I should have requested a refund right away, but I’ve been so busy with life stuff I just kept putting it off like a dumbass. Hopefully the tube is the only issue, I’m going to buy a better matched set and hope for the best
 
Preamp tubes are cheap and you should have extra on hand anyways. Remove one at a time and replace it with a new tube and see if the problem goes away. If not, replace the old tube and move to the next.
 
I would love to try the 50. Swap out the preamp tubes and report back. It’s probably a tube or something is shorting off the chassis. Make sure that thing buttoned down tight. I had an amp do that once it was an mts randall. It was sparking off the chassis and the preamp module being the chassis was slightly bent. That can be a pita sorry hope you find the issue
 
I have a tube tester and even though it tests all my tubes at 90% or better, with no leaks or shorts I still have a tube from time to time that will make an amp act funny. Once I swap each tube and ID the problem child it goes away. But, that same pre or power tube that acted up in one amp may not in a different amp.
No way to explain it, but its happened a few times. As others have said just swap each tube out, both power and pre and see if one of them is the culprit.
 
mikeskory said:
Did the squeel come on only channel 1? I have the exact same symptom but it's only on channel 1.
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It’s been a minute now and I totally forgot to check back here, I ended up replacing all the tubes and the issue went away. Sold that amp to a member on this board and have missed it ever since.
I was only having the issue on channel 2 myself
 
Do I understand correctly from your descriptions, that the Satan 50 is tighter/thinner sounding, but with more saturated 'gooey' gain, and the Thrasher 50 has a bit more punch, but with a dryer sounding gain?
 
Speeddemon said:
Do I understand correctly from your descriptions, that the Satan 50 is tighter/thinner sounding, but with more saturated 'gooey' gain, and the Thrasher 50 has a bit more punch, but with a dryer sounding gain?
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It's definitely a dryer sound, with good punch. But, it's not a big booming low end punch. I needed an EQ in the loop to get the bass I wanted/needed.

What it is, is a GREAT foundation. I didn't use the onboard boost, I hit the front end with an OD. It had a more organic flavor. I also ran the tone shift all the way up. Mids for days, and the fattest of the three. And it LOVED Greenbacks. With the OD in front and EQ in the loop, (and good tubes), it's a tight, focused machine. Great note separation, clarity, and aggressive as hell.
 
That kinda sounds like my Engl Savage 60. Interestingly enough, since the Satan 50 derived from Ola's custom amp, he now seems to like the Savage 60 the best.
The Savage 60 is no bass monster either, but you can run the bass at 10 and it won't flub out. With a 4x12 and the Depth boost knob engaged it *can* get heavy. I remember some 15 years ago, when I brought my Savage 60 (my 1st one) to a local rehearsal space, big rooms, that had vintage London City 4x12's sitting there. I later found out those had the 30W Greenbacks. That combination sounded glorious!
 
Speeddemon said:
That kinda sounds like my Engl Savage 60. Interestingly enough, since the Satan 50 derived from Ola's custom amp, he now seems to like the Savage 60 the best.
The Savage 60 is no bass monster either, but you can run the bass at 10 and it won't flub out. With a 4x12 and the Depth boost knob engaged it *can* get heavy. I remember some 15 years ago, when I brought my Savage 60 (my 1st one) to a local rehearsal space, big rooms, that had vintage London City 4x12's sitting there. I later found out those had the 30W Greenbacks. That combination sounded glorious!
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Looking back on it, I would have kept the Satan and the Thrasher if I could have afforded to. I don’t think you’d be unhappy with either one.
 
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