X-Mas Amp Mod 2019!

[Mattias Westlund]

(08-04-2021, 12:29 PM)Nayrb Wrote: I got my Rage 158 when I was 10, and that was 1997, so it's the all black TransTube one. When I worked at a guitar shop between 2005-07, we had that red one with the added hot gain switch that we used up at the front to test stuff out. I was into TransTube back then because I didn't have the money or the know-how to deal with tubes, and good digital stuff was in its infancy and totally out of my league. I even had a TransTube half stack (the XXL).

TransTube is actually a very good solid state emulation of a tube amp, and it gets better with every generation. I had a head-modded Peavey Bandit, the silver knob variety, and it sounded fantastic through a VHT 2x12" cab. To be honest I don't understand why people bother with tube amps when solid state and modeling have come so far, but then again I've always felt that other guitarists are able to hear stuff I can't The weakest link of the Rage line is the speakers, which are too harsh-sounding to do the amp any favors. I've heard that replacing it can work wonders.

(08-04-2021, 12:29 PM)Nayrb Wrote: Still, wish I still had it as something to plug into my old Rage 158 for better tone

You should check out Behringer's pedals. Super cheap and many of them sound surprisingly good. Since they have plastic casings and somewhat flimsy knobs I wouldn't go gigging with them, but for a home setup they're absolutely fine.

Actually, I'm using four of them on my pedal board. The Ultra Metal is great for heavy tones!