The Stu Review: Randall RG1003 Head (The $300 head with a flaw)

GET THIS AMP - Randall RG1003 Head - amzn.to/2CLVvVE
Here is my review for the Randall RG1003 head. A great buy for $300 that packs a punch but has one flaw that annoys me.
I have recently purchased some new equipment and am still figuring it all out. My apologies for constantly looking away from the boom mic and messing up the audio. I will correct that moving forward.
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[@pteeng1]

Hi everyone. My Randall RG1503 sounds great but channel 3 tends to randomly increase in output and it can be quite problematic. I returned the head to the shop while still under warranty but they couldn't find the fault. My question is: has anyone encountered the same flaw? Good review, by the way.

[@StusWorld]

Thanks! I personally haven’t experienced that issue and can’t help out much. I’m building a new PC tomorrow and once it’s finished I’ll login and pin this comment to the top so it’s easy to spot. Someone has to know about it.

[@pteeng1]

@@StusWorld Thanks a lot.

[@philter820]

If it changes volume suddenly it's probably a broken Condensator commonly used in Solid State Amps.

[@pteeng1]

@@philter820 Many thanks for your suggestion. I'll check it out.

[@pteeng1]

@@JP-fl8bnThanks for your input. However, maybe I haven't explained my issue. Channel 3 randomly tends to suddenly and unexpectedly increase in volume. The volume increase is twice the setting and although I've not had this problem in a while it makes me paranoid that it could happen again any time and for this reason I tend not to use Channel 3 in a live situation.

[@riku_liikkanen_revisal]

You made a 13min review and the whole time you had treble, presence and gain maxed out. You effectively made it sound like any 30W modelling amplifier under $200. Now, I don't have anything against your personal taste of tone but I do think as you are making a review you should show us how the amp responds with those knobs dialed in a different way.

[@StusWorld]

I absolutely agree. I’ll do that moving forward. Thank you.

[@JohnDoe-jc3cl]

Riku- I hear you. But that tone is killer. It’s what we came to hear. .... a one trick pony. Maybe. A poor man’s Marshall. Maybe. I played this amp in the store and I thought it sounded like this. ( pretty good). And came on here and Oh Yeah, it does sound as good as I remember it. Here’s a problem I see here: no single note soloing. How well does it hold up on single note soloing? I prefer guys that do their own reviews , warts and all. Not big companies. Another plus of this Randall head is that it weighs like 25#. An added bonus when you’re carrying your own stuff at 2:30or 4:30 am

[@Metallic_Gaijin_Hu]

Subscribed. Useful and sincere review without post-processing/tweaking. One can get how the amp REALLY sounds like.

[@StusWorld]

Could not have said it better myself. LOL. You would love my response to a comment in my Viewer Comments video. Thanks for the sub, Doc!

[@mazklassa9338]

Really really appreciate the upload. I've been wanting to look at more than one video of this RG solidstate for cross-comparison purposes and it's helped hugely. Cheers man, from the UK. \m/

[@StusWorld]

Thanks for the compliment! I’m really glad it helped you out. Let me know what amp head you decided to go with.

[@FantaFuture92]

you dont need a standby switch :) you can just leave it on. It was only built in for service purposes.

[@jeremyb2108]

This is a great demo of this amp!

[@StusWorld]

Thanks, man! 🤘🤘

[@roosterj2599]

I subscribed and thank you for a killer review. You captured the sound I hear in my head.

[@StusWorld]

Thanks, man! Glad I can help. Keep shredding 🤘🤘

[@roosterj2599]

I'm playing through my Randall RG80 combo right now. The reverb sucks for sure. I have a pedal chain that I run through it, but I love the distortion and tone that's built in to the amp as well. Randall makes a mean amp and loud af.

[@jeffbeck6501]

It is hard to believe you can get something that nice for $300. I love that amp design with the 3 channels, each with a gain and volume. That is awesome.

[@mageguild]

Get yourself a good noise gate ( boss ns-2) and a overdrive pedal (Maxon od-808x) with the drive on zero and level all the way up. Put the gain of the amp on only like 3-4 /10 and then adjust the channel volume and master volume to the right level you need. This amp is a monster

[@jaychen2000metal]

atreus2k i hate the boss compared to the isp decimator II

[@jaychen2000metal]

Want that maxon though

[@Imperial_Venom]

Thanks for sharing bro. I’m using Hades gate by Airis effects and revv g4 for drive. Def gonna try your setup with my pedals soon. Let’s see what happens. Can’t wait for the amp to arrive.

[@colinreynolds01]

I've got the ns-2 and the RG1503, and it doesn't do what you think it does. The only signal it effects is the one going into your amp. It gets rid of noise that gets created as part of your pedal setup, but won't affect the hum resulting from the power amp master volume, or the artifacts created by cranking the channel gain up to all hell.

[@Bleachdemon88]

I'm sold, you made this bad boy sound so good! I was going to buy my first tube amp (Peavey 6505 mh) but after learning about all of the hassle I think I will opt for this instead. Reverb kind of hurts it but if I want more I can get a pedal.

[@metallixro]

I've finally got this amp! Its awesome with my active pups explorer and not so much with my Dimebucker loaded ML.... I've spent a whole day trying to make it sound better but I think I'll just replace the passives with Fishmans when I can afford them. The EMGs are plug and play all settings sound great XD Pretty weird. I do love the amp thou and its the only one I have now, it has the right kind of gain my ears appreciate! PS: Saw your video looks like you dodged a bullet, keep positive and fully recover!

[@StusWorld]

NICE!! Glad you're enjoying the amp and rocking out. Sounds real damn good for the price and it gets LOUD!! Perfect for metalheads like us. Haha

[@lukemcgrath5316]

Stu I just got a Randall rg 1003 I would like to know how to set my settings to a good metal tone. Should I push in the ground lift in please let me know thank you

[@meshuggener667]

Stu, you fakin nailed it man.at last, a real in-depth review of RG1003!i've been searching since forever for a video that actually explains shit..hell, even Ola's review was crap!i think sometime in the near fture i;ll get this solid state amp... cheers from Athens Gr

[@StusWorld]

Hey hey! Thanks a lot, man!

[@xerxesjr.volante9426]

I lost gain on my third channel even when it's all the way up, does anyone know how to fix it?

[@jeffallen3382]

Sounds to me that your reverb is malfunctioning. Is it an actual reverb tank or digital reverb? If it had a tank these would often lose connection or even the tiny wires internal of the tank breaking.

[@joshuablume807]

Finally I picked up the 1503 version. Also got an rh300g3 plus as a package deal

[@joeyvanostrand3655]

I have an original 5150 2x12 combo and the Reverb is hardly audible. I'm not a fan of Reverb so it's not a big deal, but why bother? Just one more thing to break down or bypass eventually.

[@chadallen3211]

Are you having any issues with a lot of static coming from the head? It seems like it's coming from the preamp section. Channels 2 and 3 are pretty noisy when I'm not playing. I have a Decimator II in front of the amp between my guitar and the amps input jack and that helps with noises coming from the guitars pickups. But it seems like I need to put one in the effects loop to get rid of the static I hear when in Channel 2 and 3. So I put another Decimator II in the effects loop and had to turn the gate up about 80% of the way to get rid of the static I was getting out of the amp. But unfortunately because the threshold was turned up so high it rendered my clean channel basically useless. So I think I'm going to have to get a Decimator II G String and hook it up simultaneously in front of the amp and in the effects loop as it supposedly will allow my cleans to get through. So again... have you experienced the same issue or do I have a bad head?

[@Vivitruthwillsetyoufree]

Have same problem

[@chadallen3211]

I bought a Decimator II G String and hooked it up in front of the amp and in the effects loop and it took care of all the noise. It's now dead silent when not playing. And it allows all of the clean notes to come through on the clean channel unaffected. Its amazing how well the Decimator II G String works. I highly recommend getting one.

[@bayouboattrash]

I also have a decimator and that's exactly how I have it hooked up with a laney iron heart. Front to quiet the guitar and in the loop to keep the preamp quiet. I love that gate!

[@SuffyANX]

I'm right on the border of pulling the trigger on this head, but I was curious if anybody knows whether the XLR out has an option to run without cabinet emulation? Would like to be able to record a direct signal and use IRs and software power amp sims instead of having to deal with a real cab in my subpar recording space, but I've heard conflicting things online as to whether or not it even *has* cab emulation, let alone whether there's a way to bypass it if it does exist. Apologies if that gets mentioned in the video, watched through the whole thing but might have missed it

[@StusWorld]

Hey hey! I haven't tested that at all. Randall's website says it DOES have speaker emulation but I don't know much about it. Sorry, man :(

[@SuffyANX]

@@StusWorld It's cool, I'll probably order it and I'll try recording straight from the FX loop if the DI out doesn't work out. Thanks for checking, at least!

[@oshikiri999]

Actually the standby switch was a feature created by Leo Fender as a means to service an amp i.e. biasing and swapping diodes. Marketing it as an amp "mute". Its essentially a useless feature that actually increases the chances of melting the wax on the pots. Its perfectly fine, and healthier for your tube amp to engage your power and standby all at once. Hope this knowledge helps! Sick riffing bro.

[@codysroom6303]

U are correct thats what leo made it for, but now they have the use he mentioned. U never just turn on power plus standby at same time. Its power wait at least long enough to grab a guitar plug in turn on your pedals, tune up then its even past time u are safe to turn on standby. But u are correct as to why leo made them. I just watched a youtube vid all about it. Im a guitar/gear nerd. I should spend mire time practicing then watching guitar youtube. I just love the instrument n amps pedals cabs speakers im a addict

[@_vez]

Thinking of buying this head, a 212 cabinet,a Silencer and a SD-1 pedal, anything I should be worried about the amp? Or is it a Bulletproof solid state head?!

[@xXEmbracetheMetalXx]

lVEZ0Kk They make nice, dependable metal amps. Owners seem to really dig them. There are some complaints about the distortion, when it comes to modern day metal. This amp gives off more of a thrash metal sound. But, you can use a good distortion pedal to tun through the clean channel (I highly recommend the MXR 5150 overdrive pedal) or overdrive pedal to assist on the distortion channel (i recommend the Maxon OD808, Boss OD-3, or Horizon Devices Precision Overdrive) to run through the clean and you should be good to go! 🙂

[@ParkerSummers]

Really great Dimebag tone. Might get one of these in the future and put my super overdrive on it.

[@odboys3108]

Do you think it’s worth the price? I’m thinking of getting one

[@ParkerSummers]

@@odboys3108 for the price yes. Kind of a one trick pony tho. Wouldn’t recommend it if you want to do anything other then pantera lol. I would ask someone who has one tho cause I don’t.

[@odboys3108]

Also does it need to be plugged into a speaker cabinet or can it be used by itself.

[@ParkerSummers]

@@odboys3108 your gonna probably wanna plug that into a cabinet or it’s gonna sounds like bees

[@Tacklebox455]

Standby switch is for use when repairing the amp , you do not have to let the tubes warm up because they will blow that's a complete myth, no tube head had a standby switch until fender started doing it and was for helping with amp repair, older orange/matamp,some Marshalls,vox,fender,ect all had no standby switch.

[@PsychoMantis308]

Exactly. And it helps with cutting feedback in between songs and stuff

[@colinreynolds01]

@@PsychoMantis308 Of course you could try rolling back your volume knob ^_^

[@in.der.welt.sein.]

It's for allowing the tubes to warm up. It sends voltage to the heaters in the tubes, and it's a little less hard on tubes during start up. But yet, if the standby isn't on, it's not going to destroy the amp or anything.

[@brookemccullough7490]

I was curious about the ability of the amp to do more 70s style rock with maybe a tube screamer and the lack of reverb bothers me maybe theirs something wrong.

[@StusWorld]

There could be something wrong but I have owned Randall heads for about 20 years and they have never really had strong reverb. I feel confident that it would be able to handle a 70s tone. You did remind me of a video idea I forgot to write down. I want to sit down and go through the main types of tones people generally look for. Clean, classic rock, 80s metal, modern, etc and see how easy it is to dial in. Thanks for reminding me. Keep shredding 🤘🤘

[@SymbolicSplenetic]

Man, the amp comes alive when you take the scoop out. Dramatic difference.

[@rafaelgutierrez6275]

Seems kinda like they were going for something similar to the Triple Rectifier Mesa/Boogie has did back then

[@DSTaylor69]

I’d contact Randall I’d say the reverb is not working. They use digital now days. Probably faulty chip. What model Ibanez you using.

[@Stretchwreckedem469]

When did they make the switch to digital? I had my Randall RG80 and whenever I move it around i hear something inside that sounds like an actual spring.

[@_owenclark_5268]

May sound dumb but if I were to crank this amp all the way with volume and gain could it damage the amp?

[@StusWorld]

There’s always a risk when cranking it up all the way. I haven’t really cranked this amp at all but I have owned other Randall solid-state heads back when I was in bands and cranked them. They held up. Just keep in mind that it can damage the amp having it constantly cranked. Keep shredding 🤘🤘

[@mikemph7779]

Can you use 16 ohm cabs with this ?

[@fatboydashredder9877]

one thing i noticed is the 300w version has no reverb, but a gate controll threshold in place of it

[@johnerickson5118]

What i have found with the randall rx120hr that i have ( some what like this one ) if you play with the master volume up more and drop the channal volume down you are going to find the reverb lives there. May be the same for this rig.

[@StusWorld]

Hey John! Thanks for the tip. I will try it out and do an update if it works.

[@KyleDaSloth]

My reverb's never on anyways lol straight balls-out power 💪 Great review btw 👍 This will be my next amp!

[@StusWorld]

Awesome! Glad my video could help. Hopefully you enjoy it and make some crushing music! Rock on, man! 🤘🤘

[@DSTaylor69]

Do you have the pedal for it. I assume the reverb is switchable

[@MackTheKnifeSlowly]

I was gonna say the same thing. Sometimes there's no on/off switch on the front panel and you need the footswitch to activate. I have a Peavey MH that has 4 controls by foot that are not even marked on the front panel.

[@mrseriousonlyhalf513]

It is... theres a reverb button on footswitch

[@jaychen2000metal]

My pickups must have alot of bass (D Activators) because i can never go past 10:00 in a few amps now and you're around 1?

[@StusWorld]

Yeah, that could very well be the case. I also like to keep my treble near max because I like sharper tones so I need a little more bass to help balance.

[@jaychen2000metal]

Right. I like amps with presence because it sharpens your sound. It's like treble but a different frequency

[@XALTEREGO1]

very good video nice job man

[@StusWorld]

Thanks, man!

[@danc3746]

Would you consider this amp to be "dark"? You have the Treble and Presents pinned at 10. That's pretty extreme and probably being done because of the darkness of the amp?

[@StusWorld]

Oh man, you’re going to get me in trouble. Haha. While the amp is a bit on the dark side I prefer a sharper tone. I also like the slight pick scraping sound when I’m playing on the low E during riffs. This is not how I would set it for lead playing, though. Good question. Keep shredding 🤘🤘

[@danc3746]

@@StusWorld I too like a brighter tone. That's what scares me about this amp...when I see treb and pres at 11.

[@OmnipotentSag]

"That Line 6, Spidery, what the h*ll is goin' on?!?" 🤣🤣🤣🤣😜

[@StusWorld]

Lol. One upside to not scripting videos is the off-the-cuffs remarks 🤘🤘

[@joshww2339]

How do you feel about the randall 4x12 ? Very interested in the jaguar speakers , not sure if that's in yours.

[@StusWorld]

I really like it. I bought it in 2003 as part of a half stack with an RH200 head and it has been with me through a few bands, many gigs, many moves and it still sounds great. I can’t quite remember the speakers in it but I think it might be the Jaguars.

[@joshww2339]

Stu's World awesome man. Thanks. Great channel !

[@sheevthewireless110]

Good video man.

[@StusWorld]

Thanks, man!

[@abraham1O2]

Highly considering getting this amp. Did it come with a pedal to switch channels?

[@StusWorld]

Yes it did. Unfortunately, I misplaced it when I moved so I didn’t have it to demo. Whoops!!

[@MrMbeck1100]

You are correct that the Marshall Valvestate series had tube preamps and solid state outputs. More DHA riffs please.

[@StusWorld]

Maaaaaaaatttttt!! More DHA riffs will probably make their way into videos. Now that I’m cancer free I can get back to making videos. Hope all is well, brother

[@RichardLuna2025]

Can I run the rg1003h into the rd212 v30 cab?? At least it says it's a v30 cab, but I haven't found any reviews on it-

[@StusWorld]

Hey Rich, That’s the Diavlo 2x12, right? I’ve been looking into getting that. It looks sick. If I get it then I will definitely do a review on it. The head should work just fine with it and it should be crushing. Great question.

[@RichardLuna2025]

@@StusWorld Thanks Stu- It's the Rd 212 v30 I'm guessing it the Diavlo cab, I just can't find any reviews. I just got a Marshall dsl 40 and love it-

[@97warlock]

Update here............ I bought the Rg1003 212 Combo & HolySh*t this thing has some balls!! Definately setup for metal thats for sure. I run the gain around 2 & still has nasty bite & a hint of dark feel to it especially when you strike the strings harder,it almost has a Growl to it. Im at a week so far & I just may like this amp better than My JSX amp.

[@StusWorld]

That’s awesome! Thanks for the update. I’m really happy you’re getting some sick tones out of it. That’s one thing I liked about the amp.....it’s already made with metal in mind so getting your metal tone is quite easy. Keep on shredding!

[@gabrielxoxo4211]

Cool review. My style for sure for 598.

[@Stretchwreckedem469]

The reverb on my Randall RG80 combo is pretty responsive, i would say that it's a flaw in that specific amp, because my somewhat little practice amp gets some crazy good reverb.

[@StusWorld]

Thank for the comment. This is the 4th Randall head I have owned over the past 20 years and the reverb has never been a strong point in the heads. Not this bad, though. I am a long time fan of Randall but I can only speak to how the amp performs out of the box and I do not do any post effects in my DAW to make an amp sound better or worse than it actually does. Some youtubers do that. I still hope you enjoyed the video and the honesty. The RG80 is a great combo amp. You got yourself a good one there.

[@Stretchwreckedem469]

Stu's World i actually really enjoyed the video, i love Randall as well, and the only gripe i have about their solid state amps are down to my personal choice. The one problem i have about the entire amp is that the tone that i like to aim for is very rich in the midrange, and the RG80's speaker seems to have a very boxy tone with the mids cranked. And even though i want to purchase a Celestion V Type to offset this, i'd have to drill out holes for the 8 ohm celestion V Type speaker that i want. It gets some good old school death metal tones with the mids brought down a bit with the stock speaker, but i don't like losing my midrange. If that's the only complaint i have about the amp though, then i say that i made the right choice buying this amp. Maybe i can have a friend help me drill new mounting holes for the speaker i want, but like i said the only issue i have with the amp being a personal choice is off to a good start. I might get an RG1003H and get one of their newer Vintage 30 212 cabinets to see how the tone sounds with that specific cabinet.

[@jeffbeck6501]

I love that head, but for me, I think I would prefer a modeler so that I can have different tone settings for each sound. But then what do you use for a power amp with a modeler. I guess their are modeling amps, but most of those that I have seen have been smaller amps, and of lower end quality. I use a Vamp3 modeler for recording at home, and it sounds good overall.

[@StusWorld]

I will have to check out Vamp3. Thank you for mentioning it. 🤘

[@jeffbeck6501]

@@StusWorld It's kind of old, and kind of dated, and each day, it seems to sound less and less good. ...but I could not seem to put that into words when I wrote the comment. I think I need to look into software based modelers, but just the sound of that sounds like a giant clumsy enslaving pain. I think they are VST's, and you need some kind of VST host software I think. But I am kind of sick of the sounds that I get with the Behringer VAmp3. They high mids sound grainy and distorted. By my Chinese strat is such a piece of crap that I am not sure that it even matters what amp I use. I have learned to force the guitar into behaving, and the end result is that I am far better player, than when I played real nice guitars. But I am ready for a change to better gear.

[@harir7676]

so really paranoid about buying a suitable cabinet for this, Laney LV412A will go with it ? Also please let me know what cabinet with how much watt and Ohms should i buy . Thank you

[@FulcrumsEdge]

Buy a cabinet that matches the minimum ohm rating of the head you own, or higher... Since the rg1003 is solid state, the higher the cabs ohms rating, the less power the head can deliver due to impedance of signal flowing between the differing ohm current. When it comes to wattage handling that's never really a good way to do it. just buy something you like that has at least the same rms handling ability as your head can deliver at the same Ohm load. Make sure it has speakers that have a good heat to volume efficiency rating and high spl rating.. Wattage does not always mean louder!

[@FulcrumsEdge]

Basically if you have a head that handles a minimum of a 4 Ohm load, do not ever plug in a cab or pair of cabs that have a total impedance rating lower than 4 ohms IE not 3.9 or lower. You WILL eventually damage the amplifier to the point of no return. Get on Google and study ohms and impedance and how they work! It is not a fun game blowing up all yours and your friends amps.

[@harir7676]

@@FulcrumsEdge so I am buying a cab with 8 ohm and 200 wattage for randall rg1003h amp head. It will go right? If I am not wrong?

[@XMetalChefX]

Good review but but idk how you expect the reverb to kick in when you have such a tight gate closing so quick...

[@StusWorld]

The gate is on the DAW. I bought a new mixing board before this video and put a gate on my vocals. Turns out the firmware on the mixer doesn’t split the channels for the computer to see. So the computer only sees one channel and ended up gating everything. The manufacturer was supposed to release an update for it but never did. That board is now in a box somewhere. Good ears. Keep shredding! 🤘🤘

[@adrianamorphous]

You actually don't need to let tubes warm up. This is a long disproved myth.

[@gehtdichnixan8947]

Adrn Amrfs Source ?

[@metalloid3417]

@@gehtdichnixan8947 kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJTSp5-baMiGpq8

[@HauntedGuitarMan]

The tone king had an article from some guy on his fb page that said the standby switch is pointless and actually lessons the life of your tubes. I was surprised. So I guess turn both on at same time.

[@metalloid3417]

@@HauntedGuitarMan I just leave the standby switch on.

[@nobodyhere4860]

Adrn Amrfs? Not a myth! Its just good for tube longevity. Fact! No you dont have to warm them up! Just like you dont need to run your car with water in the radiator, but it'll sure make your car last alot longer now wont it? If the plates in the tubes are cold when ran at a full power load,its not good for them, it won't blow them rite away or at all even. But what does happen is the efficiency at which they operate is less and less the more they are abused. So if your rich and dont give a rat's, just let er rip!

[@tjhooker824]

Nice playing man

[@StusWorld]

Thanks! 🤘🤘

[@thephoenixcycle8854]

That amp sounds awesome!!! I have no need for reverp so it doesn't bothe me. And if its cheap then even more excellent 🤘

[@StusWorld]

Yeah, I’ve been real happy with it. There’s just something about Randall’s tone for riffing that I love. Keep shredding 🤘

[@thephoenixcycle8854]

For real! My Randall Cyclone is a beast but its getting old and needs a replacement. This could ne it👍👍

[@harir7676]

hey stu, loved the review, I have purchased randall RG 1003H, and I am looking to buy a cabinet from Laney which says 4 ohms, will that go with it ? since Randall is not availbale in India, I am choosing Laney

[@StusWorld]

Yes it will work just fine. 4 ohms is what the resistance level the head will be at when you use a cabinet in stereo (2 cables going from the amp head to the cabinet OR single cables going to 2 cabinets) as opposed to 8 ohms of resistance (one cable from amp head to cabinet). So if the cabinet has a selector switch for ohms then make sure you switch it to the right ohm setting depending on the set up. Hope that helps.

[@harir7676]

So until i buy a cabinet, i could connect it with xlr out or headphone out to a speaker right . It wouldnt harm the amp head?

[@beaverhead01]

dont run a amp head without a cabinet or load box unless it has a built in load attenuator. itll play through the xlr but there wont be a load on the amp and itll burn itself up. just wait for a cab or plug it into a cheap amp etc and play through the xlr until u get your new cabs

[@harir7676]

Scott G. take 2 and what do I do if I have to travel to a differemt city for a gig, carrying the cabinet along is definitely not possible. Any alternative to use the amp head for live shows ??

[@beaverhead01]

need to get a load box attenuator , you have to have something hooked up back there to take the load off the head .perhaps you can email randall customer service and ask a tech if its possible to run the head for short periods without damaging it.maybe buy a small speaker and rig yourself up a cheap little speaker box and just completely muffle out the sound , im just throwing out guesses here. but id definatley ask randall for there advice as they built it and should have the answers you need .sorry i cant be of more help .

[@HauntedGuitarMan]

I was thinking about this as a backup amp. Can you get old school opeth tone out of it?

[@StusWorld]

I’m actually going to do a video where I go over tones from Metallica, slayer, pantera and testament. I can always add opeth to the list. I love opeth. I’ll probably do “master’s apprentice”.

[@HauntedGuitarMan]

Stu's World that's my favorite opeth song. Cool

[@jeffbeck6501]

Wow. What a right hand that you have at 7:50. I subscribed for that physicality. It's really good. As for the amp, ...it is what it is, but the tube Randall's can be really great. If I were a metal head like you, I would be happy with this SS amp. It sounds good in your hands, but not mind, I do not think. I play only 1 note for each 16 notes that you play. I need more dynamics, and subtleties like you get with tube amps, or modelers when going direct, as many have to do these days. Modelers going direct is so nice in everyday life. ...especially if you are in an apartment.

[@StusWorld]

I’ve never really played around with modelers but I should. Closest I’ve come is using Bias FX (which I use pretty much exclusively these days) 🤘

[@daltonstockton9583]

The reverb on my Randall kh120 is whacky too, nothing really changes until you hit 10, and then it’s overwhelming

[@StusWorld]

I’ve owned a few Randall heads and reverb just isn’t their thing. Everything else sounds good, though. Keep shredding 🤘🤘

[@uglijimus]

not a bad sound, but great for 300. I think the reverb may be broken. It should be more noticeable than that.

[@StusWorld]

Hey Hey! Yeah, it's not too bad for $300. It's definitely better than what I was first rocking back in the 90s. haha. This is the 3rd or 4th Randall head I have owned over the years and reverb has never been their strong point. It could be broken but I bought it brand new, in box. I just tell it like it is. Hope everything is going well with you, man

[@uglijimus]

Well in that case I guess maybe it is a Randall issue? I've only had a Marshall and it has a healthy amount of reverb. I'll PM you through YT.

[@97warlock]

I use a dod digitech on my board & usually do a quik dialin on there since its at my feet & dont need to go back to the amp to dial it in, but yes its a bit weak for reverb, on 10 should be more like 4

[@davidgaytan3600]

What would be a betrer buy? This amp or the Randall rx120rh?

[@StusWorld]

Ooohhhh. Great question. I haven’t played an RX120RH myself but I do like what I hear out of them. They also have that classic Mesa style to them. I wish I could get my hands on one and do a shoot out. I honestly don’t think you could go wrong with either one.

[@gamesandguitars3901]

David Gaytan are you a metal fan or more of a jazz fan because based off the reviews this one is for metal specifically vs the RX is not so much geared for metal

[@ThomasJMusic86]

The master EQ doesn’t bother me to much, since I’m often using pedals and my guitar’s knobs all the time anyway. I rarely have them wildly different across channels anyway.

[@brianbarnett100]

Liked and subbed. Do you think this does the dimebag tone well, and would you suggest a noise gate?

[@StusWorld]

It will get you into the Dime realm fairly easily but you would need a gate to keep things quiet. This thing does pump out a lot of gain. I would also recommend at least an EQ pedal to really hone in on the tone.

[@brianbarnett100]

@@StusWorld thanks man for the reply!! Love the content

[@ballsofdoom3124]

How much headroom does the clean channel have? I plan on running my pedalboard through it.

[@StusWorld]

What a fantastic question. Honestly, I didn’t even think to test for that. It does have a good amount of head room but I didn’t think about people who want to run their tone through pedals. Let me play around with it when I get home from work and I will get back to you with a more solid answer. What are you going to be running into it?

[@ballsofdoom3124]

@@StusWorld Cool, thanks! I'll be running a MXR Super Badass for my dirt - TC Flourescence (shimmer reverb) - Carbon Copy.

[@StusWorld]

That badass pedal is badass. I’m jealous. The head starts distorting slightly around 1-2 o’clock and gets pretty noticeable about 3 o’clock. Still gets loud. I made a short video of it for you on Instagram if you wanted to check it out. @stusixstrings. Hope it helps. Let me know if you have anymore question. Keep shredding 🤘🤘

[@ballsofdoom3124]

@@StusWorld Have you or anyone gigged with this head? I'm just wondering if it will cut through a live band mix with a hard hitting drummer. (I plan on running this through a 4ohm cab)

[@CJ_YT.]

Sick vid man, only thing that bothered me a little bit was how tight the gate was on your vocal mic

[@StusWorld]

Thanks, man! I definitely agree with the vocal gate. Still tweaking around with all the new toys I got. I recently bought new mics, interface, computer, recording software, editing software, etc etc. so I’m still figuring out a lot of stuff. If only I was home more to actually use it all and make more videos. Lol

[@CJ_YT.]

Hahah, sick man

[@kenhaze5230]

I actually like it. No breaths, lip smacking etc. LOL. Balance is important, but sometimes it can be jarring if things cut out quickly. But it's better than some vids where you here constant breathing.

[@CJ_YT.]

Haha, yeah I get you man

[@metallixro]

Awesome video, wish you would have said something about pedals thru the clean channel. Subscribed!

[@StusWorld]

Thanks for the subscription! It is greatly appreciated! I have some new videos on the way.

[@harir7676]

Heyyy man. I just bought it and the i just switched it on and it turned off abruptly. Now it wont turn on. Help

[@harir7676]

I thibk i have blown out my fuse

[@StusWorld]

Oh no! Sorry to hear about that. Sorry for my late response. I was on vacation with the family. Have you contacted Randall about what happened?

[@harir7676]

Stu's World hey thats okay man. I figured out the issue, now i am using a 250 watt converter 120v to 230v. It works fine. Randall is kickass.

[@joshuablume807]

If I throw an od in front for boost would it tighten it up. Ala Kirk Windstein. Lol

[@StusWorld]

Nothing like some good old Crowbar! Haha

[@gregkeen4907]

I'm not sure if it's how you have it mic'd, or if it's function of you're volume and tuning, but it sound a bit thin to me. Is it missing some balls or is it just me? I'm not trying to be a dick. I'm actually checking out different reviews to see which head I should buy. Thanks for posting this.

[@StusWorld]

Hey Greg, it might seem like that in comparison because I don’t alter the signal at all. No pedals, no alterations in the DAW after I’ve recorded, just straight from the SM-57 into the mixer. I got upset with other youtubers altering the sound and making every amp sound like an Engl. When I watch an amp review...I want to hear the amp. Not a tube screamer, maximizer, and a bunch of EQ changes in the computer. It’s just my take on it. Some like it....some won’t. But if I recommend a product that people are going to spend money on then I want them to get the real sound. Still a great head for the price. One that you can gig with even. Thanks for the comment. No dickishness taken. Lol

[@gregkeen4907]

@@StusWorld Got it. I can appreciate that, and I agree with what you're saying. Thanks for getting back with me. Keep up the good work.

[@97warlock]

I WAS thinking the same thing ......... My 97 model Crate head sounds just like what I hear in this video, not knocking it, just saying I get that same Tone & gain Solid state 97 model Crate . I paid under 260,00 for it back then.

[@jackslayers]

Nice review........ I got a lot of information

[@StusWorld]

Thanks!

[@jackslayers]

@@StusWorld is this amp got an effect loop?

[@StusWorld]

Yes it does.

[@jackslayers]

@@StusWorld i think I'm going to get this amp soon...... Do you have any recommendation for cab..... I mean cab that cheap and metal as this head......

[@jesseparrish9198]

Is that hughes and kettner a solid state?

[@StusWorld]

That bad boy is a tube head. I wish they still made it. 🤘

[@chadallen3211]

The 1003 and the 1503 are basically the same head right? Only difference being that the 1003 is 100 watts and the 1503 is 150 watts... right? Can the 1003 do 80's heavy metal really well. I play lots of Slayer, Pantera, Exodus, Dio, White Zombie, Iron Maiden ect. I need lots of tight distorted low end. I was thinking about buying this head and creating a 2x12 cabinet with a V30 and a K100 in it. What do you think about this setup? And for what its worth... I refuse to use pedals. I only use a Decimator II noise gate pedal. I believe that if you need a pedal for distortion, you need a better amp.

[@StusWorld]

Yeah, the wattage is the only thing that separates the two models. It can do heavy/thrash metal real damn well and that is a main reason why I have always had a Randall head around for the past 20 years. I am interested in that 2x12 cabinet idea with the v30 and k100. That could be super sweet. You may have to build me one. lol. I whole-heartedly agree with you about pedals, amps and tone. I made a video where I rant about tone after I saw some kids show up with expensive heads, pumped a shit ton of pedals through them, and STILL had shitty tone. It really pissed me off. The video didn't do too well cause I went a little long. haha. Oh well.

[@chadallen3211]

Thanks for the reply. One more question if you don't mind. Does this head sound good at low volumes? Most of the time I'm practicing at home and can't really turn it up too loud without pissing off my girlfriend and scaring the hell out of my dogs. So I want an amp that not only sounds good cranked, but at rather lower volumes as well. Which is why I'm looking at a solid state head and not a tube.

[@StusWorld]

No worries, man. Ask all the questions you want. It does sound good at lower volumes. One of the benefits of a solid state head. There is some tone change between bedroom and live band volumes but not as dramatic as with a tube head.

[@guitarlover6260]

my cab is 16 ohms.will the impedance match?

[@StusWorld]

Great question! It’s a solid state head so it should be perfectly fine to use. The higher the ohms the lower the watts. So using a 16 ohm cabinet will lower the watts to about 30-35.

[@guitarlover6260]

Stu's World so your saying the cab will lower the amp wattage?

[@StusWorld]

Yes. Anytime the impedance is raised it will lower the wattage. So even going from 4 ohm to 8 ohm will lower the wattage.

[@andystorch7638]

The newer ones now have reverb!

[@StusWorld]

Haha. Sounds like a good company phrase. “We have reverb now!”

[@HellionBlade90]

man that reverb issue seems like maybe its broken. maybe you got a lemon. could have swore i saw another video about this amp that showed the reverb being a lot more effective than that.

[@StusWorld]

It could be a lemon and that would be unfortunate because I did by it brand new out of the box. This head is the 4th Randall head I have owned and none of them had very strong reverb channels. I am not endorsed or sponsored by anyone so I just tell it like it is. I know some youtubers will do some post EQ and effect work in their DAW to make the amp sound better because they are endorsed or were paid by the manufacturer. FuuUUUuuuuUUUuuuck that

[@swagnostic132]

Ive had this amp for a couple years now. The boost on the clean channel isnt a gain boost but a treble boost/bright switch. The 3rd channel does have alot more gain than channel 2 if you try to match the levels. Channel 2 all the way up is a match for channell 3 at half haha but i never use the 2nd channel as it handles harmoincs very....not well in my opinion while channel 3 does it very right. I never use reverb anyway, so i never really noticed. Mine has been in the rain and through all sorts of wild stage and road shit and its still very alive. The footswitch died and i had to replace it hahaha

[@StusWorld]

Haha. That sucks about the footswitch but it happens. The durability is something that the solid state technology really helps out with. With tube heads you pretty much have to baby them. I pretty much always have it on channel 3. I can get some real nice tones out of that channel that renders channel 2 almost useless. lol

[@swagnostic132]

Stu's World ive used channel 2 to mess around with regular rock stuff at home. It has a pretty solid sound. The effects loop is amazing as well.

[@predz23]

Pinch harmonics on channel 2 sound like farts don’t they? I have an RG13, only channel 3 has pinch harmonics that sound like pinch harmonics, channel 2 sounds like its missing high harmonics

[@swagnostic132]

Rene chan 2 i do pinches on the high strings morr often than not, so i dont hear a fart as much as a 'doop' sound no matter which one. Its strangr

[@swagnostic132]

Rene but i do really love the amp. Chan 2 sounds great for regular old rock. I never use it for that, but still haha

[@billhillard]

Wow, that amp is so thin without the bass boost. I just bought one of these for shiggles. I've been all tube for decades, but saw one at one-fifty and had to buy it and I do like what I hear. Yeah, reverb on a LOT of amps is not very responsive. Have you played 80's and 90's Marshalls? Most of the knobs are unresponsive! Hey, applause for wearing a linebacker's number. So many people do not appreciate a good defense.

[@StusWorld]

$150? Damn, that’s a good deal. I’m glad you like what you hear. I used to have a Marshall 8100 Valvestate head in the early 00s and I miss that thing. That head has BALLS but I agree that the knobs don’t allow for fine tuning. And thanks for noticing the jersey. Football isn’t all about the sexy TD passes. You have to give it up to the linemen and linebackers who are in the trenches. Keep shredding 🤘

[@billhillard]

@@StusWorld All I ever did was play defensive end brother! Division 1-A. Thanks man you have a great day and thanks for the video.

[@sasongs]

I thought Valve and Tube are same!

[@waynemetallum7623]

they are

[@johnsavchak8202]

Depends on your side of the pond...

[@ipokambos]

i cant find this amp on europe:(

[@StusWorld]

Well that sucks! Hopefully you can find one somewhere without paying a lot of shipping.

[@ipokambos]

I've searched everywhere but still can not find it, it's shipping is >100$ ,but i found an rh100 for cheap, what do u this of this amp?

[@hypurehypure3718]

How do you have the heavy gain sound and i don't mimd sounds extremely weak

[@StusWorld]

I have the dials set up for a pretty standard 80s scoop tone. I don’t alter the audio in post because I want people to hear the real amp. I could make it sound like a record but it’s not real.

[@liamduffy7979]

I have the exact same head and it’s reverb is fine. I think yours must have a fault

[@StusWorld]

I just tell it like I hear it. I bought it brand new out of the box.

[@liamduffy7979]

Stu's World I’m not trying to bash your video bro. I just think it might be worth taking up with Randall themselves, and get your full money’s worth u know. Just want u to have a good experience with a great amp ((:

[@robertscott3399]

same thing on my 1003 my old crates had better reverb.

[@StusWorld]

Yeah, Randall doesn’t have a strong reverb game in their heads but this one was disappointing. Other than that, I love this head. I gotta do more follow up videos on it. Keep shredding! 🤘🤘

[@robertscott3399]

@@StusWorld oh yeah i love 1003 o have the matching baby 4x12 for it to had a crate cab with 2 g70s and 2 rocket 50s it sounded like garbage.

[@Captaintripps1]

My opinion of this head is tge gain sucks it would not chug so I sent it back now I am thinking of getting the rg 1503 combo but if it has no great tone I will be pissed cause line 6 say what you want about them but they have great tone all of them except the spider iiiii mkii the spider iiiii sucks so bad the iii was probely my favorite just cause I knew how to dial in my own tone on that one with that being said I have played on some older randall amps that was pure badass but this head you are playing on blows no offense to you but my line 6 has chug over that but I was wanting a huge upgrade and I figured since dime played on randall they would have that kick ass tone but it def did not you can watch my videos I posted of this head and you will see that I am being straight up about it

[@bens1019]

Whats better for the price????

[@StusWorld]

Better for the price between what?

[@bens1019]

@@StusWorld not better. Cheaper with decent similar sound.lol

[@in.der.welt.sein.]

It sounds like something is broken with the reverb part of your circuit. I'd have a tech go through it.

[@mrseriousonlyhalf513]

Lol....absolutely... you'll want to run a Reverb pedal through the effects loop. That's what I do with my Randall

[@StusWorld]

Most definitely!

[@mrseriousonlyhalf513]

@@StusWorld I have the RG300 G3 series. I bought it new like 10 years ago. It definitely roars. I've always liked the way Randall's can chug. They dont sound fuzzy like a lot of others do. It irritates me, cause some amps have great sounding distortion, but then dont chug like I want. I'm super picky with that for some reason. I play in a hard rock band and like the chug to stand out. And the Randall does it. Another great cheap solid state head I really like, I use for band practice and as backup head, is the Ibanez Tone blaster TBX 150. With the EQ and gain just right (and BBE sonic maximizer in effects loop, I always use that) Its pretty good.

[@kevinanthony3144]

dat switchblade tho

[@StusWorld]

Right? I love that head so much. Too bad they stopped making them. That’s my baby right there. 🤘

[@kevinanthony3144]

I have a coreblade and ive never looked back since. Pairs really well with an ampeg cabinet. Finding the matching coreblade cabinet is almost impossible but load one of those ampegs with classic lead 80s or leave it stock with slm speakers and even then its like lead heaven

[@TheChainsofAlice]

slow it down to .25 speed at 8:26 your welcome!

[@balboabomerj]

i was too stoned for that

[@chrispuckett1409]

The reverb on mine is more noticeable

[@94SexyStang]

Just got a Marshall 100Watt Tube, and reverb sucks too!!!.........yet my little 1 watt Blackstar Tube has INSANE reverb, Lol......never makes any sense!

[@StusWorld]

Lol. Yeah that’s how it goes. No sense at all.

[@metalfreak9386]

Reverb sucks. I love thats there no cheap reverb on it.

[@logandowdy9887]

I have an RG 1003 head. The reverb is perfect in mine and has more then I need. I like more then my Marshall DSL 100(JCM 2000).

[@StusWorld]

Sweet, man! It’s a bad ass head. And for the price? A steal.

[@waynelewis4466]

You're very hi jcm 2000 will kill the solid state Randall

[@jadenharrison]

when you where playing part of Master Of Puppets the tone was identical! Why spend $2000 on a mess boogie when you can just get this, I have to buy this amp head!

[@StusWorld]

It’s a very solid head for the price. Very good for rhythm guitar. I really do enjoy the tones I get out of this head.

[@SupaSavage24]

You can get that old school 80s Metallica tone out of the Randall RX120RH too tbh, but the gain on that head doesn’t have quite enough bite/grit

[@Msalazar6sicVI]

How amp reviews should be

[@StusWorld]

Thanks, man! 🤘🤘

[@itsseo7584]

Can i use this amp without an external speaker?

[@waynemetallum7623]

ItsSeo nope wou need a cab with it

[@Iamadroid]

You sure can. And it will sound just as good as your guitar does unplugged!

[@VoiceOfGood]

Dude .. "It's a Randall .. which means it's a Solid State amp" .. bizarre ..

[@StusWorld]

Yeah. Bit of a mix up in my wording

[@dennisstafford5865]

Reverb is non-existent ! I'm always on the Red channel boosted with a Metal Zone , bought mine 2nd hand for $200 , New now is $789 !

[@StusWorld]

$789!?!? Wow. I need to update the title then. Haha. That’s insane. Thanks for the heads up! 🤘

[@dennisstafford5865]

@@StusWorld Yeah I looked them up, the price is insane ! Definitely not selling mine. 😎👍

[@Gothguitarist]

I hate mine the gain on the third channel is very weak even maxed out

[@StusWorld]

That sucks, man. Hopefully you can return it or sell it. An amp that can’t deliver the tone you want isn’t fun.

[@Gothguitarist]

@@StusWorld randall was no help at all, and refused to fix replace or refund me,

[@StusWorld]

joey bonecrusher What?!? I’ll have to look into their customer service ratings and see what the hell is going on. I won’t promote a company that treats their buyers like shit.

[@Gothguitarist]

@@StusWorld thanks yeah idk maybe its a fuse ?

[@matdemaz]

Shit, I'll have to grab one of these. Oh, thank God, I'm not the only one that hates Line 6. I swear, kids come into my studio all the time with that shit, and I tell them to throw it in the trash and jack into my Peavy 5150. Also, good work getting a decent microphone for your videos! 😂

[@StusWorld]

Haha. I actually just saw a show on Friday night and the first band had a guitarist using a line 6 and I called that before I saw the amp. I turned to my brother and said "That sounds like Line 6 shit" and BAM!! Dude was rocking Line 6. Horrible. Yeah, I spent a few thousand dollars on microphones, studio lighting, audio interfaces, new computer and software. Hopefully it all pays off with subscribers.

[@matdemaz]

It will. I'll make sure of it. I wanna see you hit 1k subs by July. I think it will happen if I keep boosting your videos on my pages. We metalheads have to stick together. 👍

[@StusWorld]

Absolutely! I appreciate helping out the channel. Hopefully I can find a new job that doesn't involve so much travel and physical labor so I can start making and uploading regularly.

[@paultrombetta]

Yea the verb is busted

[@krisallen5416]

You must have some hella mics cause I've got 2 of these heads and they are shit

[@StusWorld]

Nothing fancy. Just an SM57 on the cabinet and into my focusrite 2.

[@zAvAvAz]

It is absolute highway robbery what they sell this head for now 1200 + and climbing

[@StusWorld]

WHAT?!? Holy inflation. It’s a good amp and I love it but not for that price. That blows my mind.

[@LifeProducersofNewJerseyLLC]

Valvestate is a Marshall term. Better term to use is hybrid amp; meaning tube in the preamp and the rest solid state.

[@StusWorld]

Yeah, man. I had a Marshall 8100 head about 20 years ago and I loved it. I’ve been thinking about picking one up on eBay or something for years now.

[@LifeProducersofNewJerseyLLC]

@@StusWorld Hybrid can also mean tubes in the amplifier section and solid state in the preamp--like the Musicmans. Marshalls are great but listen to it first. Each tube amp are different. Best to buy from a music store that will match the tubes to get it to crunch properly. Otherwise you will never be sure.

[@94SexyStang]

I disagree.....Marshall IS the standard by all musicians worldwide....Valve State is the normal term. I've never heard anyone say hybrid......

[@mikedervos5974]

Its not so big of a deal ,its reverb ok...