how many channels is enough??

samzadgan · October 2014

So I saw this tonight...Randall's new offering...6 channels? really??? does anyone need these many channels? most people don't even have 6 different dirt pedals on their board...seems a little useless to me...but who would use it??

ICBM · October 2014

@Drew_fx !

indiansummer1 · October 2014

in response to the question in the title, the answer is one. always

ICBM · October 2014

I like two, because it's impossible to get true clean and overdrive at the same volume otherwise. Beyond that you can always add more distortion and a little more volume with pedals, so I don't find more amp channels necessary.

guitarfishbay · October 2014

2 can work for me if I have the right pedals, one would be too limiting for the reason ICBM noted about balancing clean and overdrive volume. I actually like to use both a loud clean, and a quieter 'almost' clean which I get by rolling back volume on a gain channel.

In fact thinking about it, the main thing I look for when it comes to versatility is being able to get my various gain levels at the volumes required. Just having multiple channels but no real control over their relative volumes isn't very useful for me.

digitalscream · October 2014

I reckon 4 should do it...or, better, 3 with two master volumes.

samzadgan · October 2014

So im in 1 channel side of things, but i understand why someone might want 2 or even 3...that makes sense...but 6???

digitalscream · October 2014

Well, the H&K Triamp has always sold pretty well. I suspect this isn't a mass-market amp, so they're not expecting to sell thousands of the things.

I can see situations where 5 or 6 could be useful, even in the songs that my band plays:

Clean

Louder clean

Bluesy rhythm

Heavy crunch

Quiet-ish lead

Full lead

It basically eradicates any need for boost or dirt pedals. It's probably not a lot you couldn't do with pedals, but...

Actually, thinking about it...it's not really that much different from what people used to do with the ADA MP-1 and Marshall JMP-1.

p90fool · October 2014

guitarfishbay;371943" said:

In fact thinking about it, the main thing I look for when it comes to versatility is being able to get my various gain levels at the volumes required. Just having multiple channels but no real control over their relative volumes isn't very useful for me.

That's why I need one channel and pedals, it's impossible for me to balance channel volumes on an amp.

My clean, pedals off tone is my loudest, but I can control clean volume from the guitar. The rest I do with a couple of drive pedals, he first set louder than the second. That way I have four core sounds at a variety of volumes - one mild drive, one slightly more driven, both cascaded together, and clean.

I've never found an amp that can do all that, and I can guarantee I wouldn't like at least a couple of the drive channels anyway.

Big gigs with a proper PA are different obviously, I just need clean and drive, and let the engineer deal with levels.

vasselmeyer · October 2014

digitalscream said:

Actually, thinking about it...it's not really that much different from what people used to do with the ADA MP-1 and Marshall JMP-1.

Wisdom for @digitalscream here. If you want all those sounds and tones a Marshall JMP-1 preamp is the way to go. It's a long time since I used one but if I recall there are four basic channels (clean 1 & 2 and overdrive 1 & 2) and then you can add a bass-shift modifier to each of those channels. For each patch (and you could get up to 100 patches I think) there was a volume, 3-band EQ, gain and presence. Surely using that combination you can get almost any sound you want out of it. All of it controllable by MIDI.

In fact, I'm having a hard time working out why they're not seen more often. Just out of fashion?

Drew_TNBD · October 2014

Fryette Sig X can be used as pseudo-5 channels:

Clean
Rhythm without boost (I used to use it for a slightly dirty clean)
Rhythm with boost (I used to use it for subtly chuggy rhythms)
Lead without boost (I used to use it for not so metally chug stuff)
Lead with boost (was my main metal high-gain tone)

It meant I never needed any drives, boosts, or distortion boxes. It also meant I didn't have to do so much tap dancing on the "gain" side of things.

Laney VH100r can be used as a pseudo-4 channel amp too. I used to use one, and used to use a Fulltone OCD for the 5th option.

Now that I have a Diezel D-Moll, as much as I love it, I find only having three channels a bit limiting. I have a tubescreamer, but it isn't versatile enough for my needs. Plan is the use the Kemper to get around it, whilst hunting around for another Fryette Sig X.

(No I wont shut up about it!)

JayGee · October 2014

I was going to say two...

...then I realised that the actual answer is three, or, more accurately one-and-a-half twice as I actually use the (foot-switch controllable, ) "Contour" controls on my Mesa 5:25 to give punchier, more "in your face" variations on the basic Clean and Dirty, and that in top of that I use a boost pedal in the FX to give a solo boost.

So the answer is that I can get away with two, but that if someone presented me with a six channel amp with the right selection of voices I'd probably find a use for them all!

Drew_TNBD · October 2014

Have to say, that Randall amp looks cool. I've never really looked into them, because I always assosciated them with crappy spandex metal. But maybe I'm missing a trick?

monquixote · October 2014

Jonathan of Feline fame was raving about that modular system they did.

Drew_TNBD · October 2014

Just flicked through the manual. Thing is a bloody beast! It's overkill even for me!! Not sure I would want to cart that thing around from gig to gig!

digitalscream · October 2014

monquixote said:

Jonathan of Feline fame was raving about that modular system they did.

That's because he has all of them.

guitarfishbay · October 2014

digitalscream said:

monquixote said:

Jonathan of Feline fame was raving about that modular system they did.

That's because he has all of them.

He posted a picture somewhere, it looked awesome.

guitarfishbay · October 2014

This was one photo from this thread http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/16601/randall-mts-who-likes-them

monquixote · October 2014

I think that rack would satisfy even Drew

digitalscream · October 2014

monquixote said:

I think that rack would satisfy even Drew

You'd hope so - that's 20 channels right there (given that the Egnater modules are dual channel). Definitely wouldn't want to lug it around, though.

Talking of weight...the 667 looks like it's in the 27-30kg range, which is slightly more than a VH100R. Given that a VH100R is the reason my right arm's screwed, I can't see any situation in which I'd consider it (bar having roadies...).

Drew_TNBD · October 2014

The newest version of the VH100R is easier to carry because of the rock solid metal handles. The older ones were a pain because the leather straps always broke.

We're still using the one in the band I bought in 2008/09.

That rack though... at that point, wouldn't you just get an Axe FX or Kemper?? *ducks*

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how many channels is enough??

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