Randall RG200

Do you know what year the amp was made in?
2004

Is the amp versatile enough for you and the styles of music you play? What are those styles?
Yes, country, classic rock, blues

How many channels? Does it have channel switching? Effects loops? Headphone jack?
2 channels, 4 button footswitch, great FX loop, and a headphone jack to boot.

What features do you wish it had? Why? Are there features you never use?
Nothing really, I like it as is. I don't use the modern distortion at all but it's there if I need it I guess.

Where do you use this amp? Does it have enough power for you?
Feel free to enter any other features (stereo, tube or solid state, etc.).

What kind of sounds can the amp make? How much variety?
I'd say this is the most versatile amp made. Sometimes you gotta be creative with the controls but anything you could need is in there. It's clean is unmatched for anything under $1K and with a tubescreamer pedal it's got that sweet classic rock crunch to it. Its vintage distortion is great for leads and even though it ain't my thing, the modern distortion is cool to throw on every now and then when no one's looking.

Is the clean channel distorted at high volumes? In what settings?
If you crank the clean level it will distort and it's actually pretty nice for solid state. I'd still prefer the tubescreamer pedal though.

How brutal is the distortion?
The distortion is pretty brutal. Like I said, it ain't my thing but you metal guys and gals would love it.

What guitar and pickup styles are you using it with?
Just my '68 USA Tele and a MIM strat w/a Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge.

How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
It suits it very good. I ain't heard nothing better for country or blues, especially with the tubescreamer. I can see why its so popular for metal and hard rock too.

Is it noisy? On what settings, and in what environments?
I've always had problems with noise on other amps from the single coils but this one remains dead quiet.

Can you depend on it? Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Yes for both

Has the amp ever broken down? Because of neglect of regular servicing (as in tubes), or just plain neglect?
It's almost 4 years old, never had any issues at all. Just a few scuffs and a rip in the tolex but that's pretty standard for everything.

Never dealt with Randall but they're website is pretty cool.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
Been playing since the late 70's and grew up with Haggard, Jennings, Willie, and the rock and roll of the day. I've listed all my gear except a Boss chorus pedal.

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
I'd definitely buy it again and it better not get lost or stolen!

What do you love about it? What do you hate?
Love pretty much everything about it.

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
It's a top-notch amp. I had an old Fender super reverb and a marshall jcm stack and a bunch of cheaper stuff. I'd like to have that Marshall stack back - it's probably worth a bunch now! But as far as sound, reliability, and just overall value goes, I'd much rather have this Randall.

Anything you wish it had?
a Randall cabinet to sit on top of

Anything else you'd like to share?
nope, that's about it.

My amp was made in 2005 and is the first amp head (yes I've owned Marshalls) that does two things.
1. It has never run out of clean headroom and
2. You do not need any outboard effects pedals, this amp has serious distortion built in.

For the least couple of years I've been running a 100 watt tube marshall JCM2000 head with a Boss MTZ metalzone, now both are gone and I'm a convert to that big brutal Randall Distortion

For the least couple of years I've been running a 100 watt tube marshall JCM2000 head with a Boss MTZ metalzone distortion pedal, the Marshall by itself did not have enough distortion.

At 200 watts output (the spec card that came with the amp says actuall output is 220 watts) it has clean headroom galore. Set clean it is very Fender ish in tone, especially with the reverb engaged (independant reverb for both channels, sweet!)

A sound I do like is the clean channel with the boost engaged, turn down the master volume and then crank the clean channel, then the clean channel become the coolest of crunch channels, sounds like Rolling Stones, Dirty Creedence Clearwater revival type tone, JET and Wolfmother tones is so easy to dial in, plus it is really responsive to your guitars volume control too!

So you can get two sounds outta the clean channel.

Move over to the Distortion Channel and it has two gain channels Green Vintage style that is pure old school Marshall ACDC type tone to a T.

The modern red Channel is pure Modern metal tones that saw me sell my Metalzone. Finally I have an amp that I do not need to fart around with pedals, so much easier at gigs.

This amp comes with a 4 button footswitch which is metal and has LED's to show you on dark stages what the hell is going on. And it comes as standard with the amp, not an add on extra that you have to buy.

Never broken down in almost two years of constant gigging, being Solid State I no longer have to shell out 100's of dollars to retube like a did with my old Marshall amp

Never had to deal with the Randall company, but i will say the shop in Salisbury South Australia where I bought it was really cool, I tried out the amp several times, with their guitar and then another day with my own guitar (fitted with EMG pickups). got a great deal too.

I have become a Randall Amplifiers convert bigtime, Randall are a relatively unknown brand in Australia, but with the late Dimebag as an endorsee I took a punt and tried them out and am extremely happy I did. RANDALL DISTORTION ROCKS.

People compliment me on my tone and ask how I get it. I now have a very basic rig, of guitar straight into head, through a randall cabinet loaded with celestion speakers.

It is the combination of an ESP guitar loaded with EMG's and my Randall RG200 head and that is the core of it, a pretty simple rig really, but also really great tone.

I see thay now have a version that has 100 more watts at a total of 300 watts, but seriously 200 watts is really enough for any gig so I must be suffering from GAS

Features are as listed in other reviews. Clean, two gains, etc. The two gain channels share the same EQ which REALLY limits the versatility of this amp, but it's not the worst thing ever. And for only spending 2 bills on it plus shipping, I can't much complain about anything.

The clean is not half bad at all. I wouldn't say it's Roland Jazz Chorus-good, but still a lot better than you'd expect if you're used to Crate and other low-end stuff. I don't have much use for the clean channel though and wish I had two seperate EQ's for the distortions.

It is a little more sensitive to noise than other amps which might cause it to feedback but it's not uncontrollable. If you dial in your EQ right and have good shielding on your cables and electronics, you'll be fine. I guarantee all the naysayers are using $6 bargain box cables and cheap Ibanez guitars. They're asking for it. My guitar isn't anything special, just a setneck Epiphone SG. But I don't have the issues these other guys have.

I'm a bassist but use this for fun and writing. It does its job well. Randalls are pretty much standard for the style of metal I play - Crowbar, Eyehategod, COC, Down-kinda stuff. They just have "THAT" sound, huge and thick but not too rubbery like an all-tube amp can get.

I'll admit its heat dissapation design wasn't very well thought out. I'd recommend removing the panel in back as well and a fan would do ya some good as well. You might lose a little bit of bass response but trust me, you're probably better off this way anyways. Other than that, I haven't had any problems.

Haven't dealt with 'em.

It's great for what it is. You don't buy a Randall for its versatility and features. You buy a Randall for its straight-forward kick-ass heaviness and crunch. You play it loud and hard, not sit in your bedroom with the volume and gain barely over "1".

Is it heavy - yeah, if you're weak. I'm used to hauling multiple bass cabinets around that weigh 95 pounds each plus the head which weighs a good 50 pounds. So to get this much power and sound into about 50 pounds is a welcomed relief! I do wish it had seperate EQ channels for the distortions and a better heat-dissapation design. That's it.

I think my model of this amp is slightly different to all th other reviews as it is a RG200G3. My model has a tube12AX7 preamp or whatever the tube is called. Has 2 channels with 2 gains on the overdrive channel. Eq and reverb on each channel. 4 button footswitch to control channel,gain chan, clean boost and reverb. Also have effects loop with level and line out with level ctr.

If you spend time with this amp you can pull out some sweet sounds. I havent spent much time on clean but I know its possible. The distortion is nice, perhaps a little muddy but crank the volume and its a killer. I a Cort with EMG 60 and an 81 in the bridge (actives). For my music style it fits perfectly. I can get a pure Iron Maiden rhythm tone very easily, or change the Eq a little and get a Pantera, or even my own original sound. Very Nice.

The amp is a little noisy but almost never gives me feedback, you'd literally have to try to get it. I dunno what BS that guy was going on about the squeals but its fully crap. The reason my amp is noisey is because of the tube preamp, but you wouldnt notice it while playing cuz the amp goes so fkn loud.

This amp is built like a tank. The surrounding wood is almost an inch thick. Weighs a tonne to. Not that easy to cart around. I would gig without a backup but most likely would want a spare amp if I had the money.

Never had to deal with them, which is a good thing from any product. Website is semi decent but doenst provide much info, more or less an overview. Guys at the store didnt know heaps about it, but just enough for me to buy it. I chose this because my friend has a RG100 which is sweet, looking killer side by side. I also chose this over a fender pro stage 1000 series or something of the like. (It had almost no gain so I had pretty much chosen this before even trying it).

They get a 10 because i never NEEDED to deal with them

I play metal like Iron Maiden and Metallica, and my own sort of style which resembles Maiden but is a total different sound. I also play original stuff that sounds very much like Slayer and this amp completely owns it.

One thing to note: This amp is loud, but not a thin sound like most other 100 and 200w amps I've seen. Its HELL POWERFUL. By this I mean its not just loud at the front of the stage, the sound carries evenly, nice and loud to the back.

This is a 2005 model. It's assembled in China under the 'stringent' guidelines of the American counterparts. It has two channels, clean and overdrive. The overdrive section comes with two modes, gain 1 and gain 2, being vinatge and modern respectivly. The clean comes with a boost fuction with adds a little extra volume to the channel. It comes with a four button footswitch that can change channel, style of gain, the boost on the clean channel and reverb. It has an effects loop and a balanced direct lineout with adjustable gain as well as 2x12 celestion G12T 100 speakers.

Both the gain modes are saturated well beyond any marshall. But then again it could be argued that this is the unique selling point of this amp (if you are looking for overdrive rather than serious gain then this amp is not for you). Basically the gain on this amp will make any player sound like the late Dimebag Darrel. I have been playing for eleven years and perform in a Tool-esque band that needs a heavy but usable guitar sound. I use an Ibanez S470DXQM as well as a Les Paul Black Beauty (the one with the three humbuckers!). Both these guitars sound fine with the gain channel. Infact they open up rather well with the clean also. However, if the gain channel is to be played with a single coil loaded guitar the noise is dreadful. You could go as far to say that this amp is indeed noisey and lacks the headroom for a head and cab (but this is always going to be the case when using a combo).

Has not broken down yet! But then I have not had it very long.

Not applicable, I have not had to deal with Randall direct.

As mentioned prior, I have been playing for eleven years. My main rig consists of a Marshall JCM800, JCM900 and three Marshall 4x12's, an A/B box, a Digitech Whammy, Crybaby wah, ProCo Vintage Rat, an Ibanez S470DXQM, Les Paul Black Beauty and a 1950's Reissue Telecaster. This is a lot of gear to transport in a Renault Clio (Tardis that it is) and I was looking for a 2x12 combo that would be loud enough for rehersals and smaller gigs. This amp does both. Like I said, if you are looking for a sensitive, expressive amp, don't bother with the RG200, it's a bit of a thug. If on the other hand you are looking for a loud amp that sounds like a couiple of overdubbed tracks on a recording and you don't mind a bit of feedback, then this amp is about the best around in it's market. (being that of transisitor combos that are at the high gain end of the scale. If it were to be stolen I would seek revenge in a Charles Bronson 'Death Wish' style as my girlfriend bought it for me :)

Feratures are good .. Distortion is fine, to an extent - i will explain later.

Clean sound is amazing.

the Clean sound is gorgeous - with reverb it's almost ethereal.

THOUGH - on the GAIN 2 function, when the level on the overdrive side of thigs is put over about a quater it starts squeeling at me and it's SHITTING me. I play in a very fast metal band called Aelowyn in Australia, sorta along the lines of the Haunted and At the Gates and Death, etc.. and i need the loud, definite sounds coming through.

when it's low it sounds fine - but i don't know what's wrong with it!! I 've got a primary amp, Marshall 100W stack that i use to perform - but i wanted something that was easy to cart around y'know? fuck i may as well buy a new one and seel this fucking thing.

I wouldn't dare using this in a gig in fear of blowing peoples ears apart with shitty squeels.

I love the clean parts - and i do have clean music... but i rely on the fast, heavily distroted sounds - i mean, it wouldn't be much fun listening to the haunted through a clean channel FUCK THAT.

It gets overheated sometimes and starts clicking - but i put another computer fan over the heat sync and fucked that piece of wood off... i could design a better amp than this.

...NO. The amp BROKE after a fucking week of playing heavily, and they refused to send me a new one.

meh - i'm gonna go buy a Line 6 - they're only about 2 Grand.. sure, if you want an amp to play at low levels then buy this... but if you want really loud and distorted stuff ... go for a tube or someting.

I still love the clean sound haha

2003 rg200 2x12 amp bought brand new with a 2x12 1x15 cabinet for 1200 canadian has not let me down yet totally kills my bandmates 100 watt marshall halfstack and sounds way better for heavy music, we play alot of slayer metallica and pantera ht eh guitars usually detuned a bit to d or c# and the sound and clarity with it tuned that low is great compared to other amps i use a distortion pedal on teh clean channel for leads and use the randall footswitch to switch to the amps distorted channel for rhythm, works great, clean channel is clear.

im using guitars with emg-81's or 85's theres almost never feedback with this amp and pickup combo even jammed all tight in a cramped ungrounded basement with bad power. this amp is great for heavy tuned down guitars it keeps that clarity and texture that most amps just muddle out the clean channel distorts a bit when you turn the amp really high but you should have a PA system for stuff that loud anyway, it goes plenty loud for just jamming with some friends and having some drinks but it's not near as good without the extra cabinet, the amp has plenty of power for itself and the cabinet way too much power for just 2 12 inch speakers

i think the amp itself is too powerful for its own good you'll need an extra cabinet or something so you dont blow it all to shit i havnt had anythign bad happen so far and im pretty hard on my gear, yes theres chips on the corners of my warlocks and flying v :(

havnt used it, ive still got a warrenty though and i worked in customer service before so i know how to get what i want, bitch but dont swear adn always ask for the manager

ive been playing 5 or 6 years i use mostly bc rich warlock guitars with emg pickups or esp f series also with emg's if this amp were stolen or lost id hunt down the fucker and kill them i love the sound of this amp and it should last me another 20 or 40 years it totally kills my buddys marshall and my old peavey both of them are 4x12's pfffffffff the 15 inch speaker im running in my randall cab is great for low end

simple amp made with 2 distortions, reverb and a clean channel.
clean channel is perfectly clean
distortion 1- pretty crunchy - dont try to get blues out of this bugger though. buy a pedal
distortion 2 - lets just say its time to sell ur metal zone pedal

i personally like the amp as it is very suited to our style

im using a ibanez sca220 dh-dh its decent, lots of feedback with the distortion 2 cranked. but my 1968 hagstrom sounds wicked through it . we play alot of chilis and maiden

no problems thus far

n/a

ive been playing about 3 years. im too lazy to list my gear but this is somthing ide probably buy again. I like the price and features

2003 RG200 amp. My style is Alternative/Nu-Metal. This amp has a great sound for this type of music. I turn the gain up half way on gain 2 and I'm blown away. 2 channels...one is switchable. Gain 1 is like a AVT Marshall sound and Gain 2 is the closest thing to a non rectified tube that I've heard. I wish it was made in a better quality (I'll explain later.) More then enough power in this thing...in fact its too powerful!

I have an Epiphone Les Paul with DiMarzio buckers. I hate feedback...this amp wont shut the fuck up!!! It shreeks when gain is half way up. Clean channel is great, but after using it for about an hour, its distorted. Distortion??? It's like having a Mesa.

Can I depend on this amp, yea I can...TO BREAK! I bought one from Musicians Friend. There's my first mistake. I used it and after about an hour of loud distorted playing, the damn thing clicked (sounds like a helicopter). I sent it back and got a new one. The people at Musicians Friend were helpful and I didn't get charged a penny for all the shipping. The second one did the same. I looked at the back and realized the heat sink was covered by wood. What asshole designed this fucking thing? I took off the wood and ran a fan behind it so it could cool down. I was at a show, playing for lots of people and the damn thing started doing its helicopter impression. It was so embarassing. NEVER EVER BUY THIS AMP!!

The company? They told me it was "normal" and that an amp this size with this much power shouldn't be ran too long...WHAT THE FUCK? I bought this damn thing cause it's big and loud, did they think I was gonna sit in my room with the amp low enough just for me to hear? Randall amps have amazing distortion. I hope their more expensive stuff isn't this shitty!?!? I want a cyclone head :(

I've been playing for over two years, I'm in a band and we ROCK! Alterior Motive (North East Pa Nu-Metal). If this amp was stolen I'd flip cause its on warrenty, I want my FUCKIN money back. I love the distortion, but its not worth it if I cant crank it. I hate how this damn thing falls apart after an hour of playing. I compare this fuckin thing to a woman...it only works when it wants to!!! Oh yea...DONT BUY THIS AMP!

200 Watt Combo, mono into two 12" Celestion Seventy 80's. Two gain channels, one clear each with level, bass, mid and treble controls. The high gain also has a mid scoop control called contour. One reverb control for all channels. Input, effect loop, external speaker, line out and headphone jacks.

I use an Ibenez with stock DH-SH-DH pickup configuration. Great distortion sound for the hard rock to metal sound I like to play. Some notes rattle the cabinet a bit when turned up and using palm mutes. As a combo, there's almost too much power for just the two speakers and small cabinet to handle. Make sure you tighten all the screws to lessen the rattling.

I have had this amp for about 3 months now. Here's where Randall could have designed a better product. Heat is a major issue after playing loud for about 2 hours. After about 2 hours of playing, guitar sound would cut in and out and the amp had a regular poping sound (kind of a "dut dut dut dut dut" repeating sound). The heat sink is covered by a wooden support plank in the back. The heat sink is also upside-down which tends to trap the rising heat under it. When it did this I pointed a house fan at the back and the problem went away after I let it cool down for a couple of minutes. Later, I wired a fan to blow air accross the heatsink and out the back and haven't had a problem since. I also removed the plank which covered the heatsink. The fan is a bit noisy at low volumes, but who cares, I don't like playing at low volumes anyway. If you don't want to install a fan, I recommend pointing a portable fan to the back of the unit while playing for long periods of time.

"Customer Support", good one -- I didn't bother trying. I could tell from their website and their Users Group that it was useless. I figured I could probably fix anything better than those bozos who can't design it right to begin with.

Overall, once rigged correctly, it is a great amp for the price. I have been playing for about 15 years. I've used Marshall, Peavey, Mesa Boogie, Fender and Crate but I really like the sound of plugging straight into the Randall for its wide range of clean to mega-distorted sounds.

2003 model RG200. This amp is very loud and pushes 200 watts Solid State through the 2 12's nicely. It has a clean channel and 2 dist channels(one is classic rock sounding the other is like a Boss Metal Zone), and reverb. It came with a clean/dist pedal. I wish it had a reverb button on it but its okay. This has enough power for 4 12s and I plan on getting an extension cab.

The clean channel is very bright and responsive. Add reverb and it sounds great. I have a problem with the dist channels because you loose volume when switching between them. I use a ProCo Rat pedal and dunlop crybaby wah and these work well at high volumes. I play rock music along the vein of Black Rebel Motorcyle Club, the Melvins and Soundgarden.

I keep this amp in my truck. This amp will never break. Solid state amps are the best in the world. More power without worring about tubes breaking or shorting out.

Very Cool LOUD amp for very little money. If you are poor but like to play obnoxiosly loud get this amp.