MusicRadar

The head does pretty much everything we'd have hoped for.

1 of 4 » View in gallery

• Review
• Manufacturer's Description

Even though companies such as Line 6 have made their name by emulating all-valve designs, for many guitarists there's nothing like playing through an amp driven with pre- and power amp section full of valves.

Most players are happy to put up with the downsides of valve amps - their weight, perceived unreliability and continuing maintenance - because, at their best, they make you sound like your heroes.

Randall, though, has never shied away from the supposed poisoned chalice that solid-state amps are sometimes assumed to represent, and let's not forget that Dimebag Darrell's filthiest moments came courtesy of a Randall rig with not a valve in sight.

That said, the company's main designers, Doug Reynolds and Bruce Egnater, are certain that there's a tonal Grail out there that combines the best of the valve and tranny worlds and, with this V2, they reckon they've finally cracked it.

The key is a valve-driven Mosfet circuit that has been developed under the moniker Valve-Dynamic. The basic theory is that the valve itself provides the warmth, compression and authentic clipping characteristics, while the Mosfet components provide the power and headroom.

Overview

The head offers three channels that operate independently of each other and, what's more, they're served by different preamp sections. The Clean and Overdrive channels use a solid-state preamp, while switching to the Valve OD option compels the amp itself to change internally to a preamp driven by a trio of 12AX7 valves.

Remember that the signal from all three channels subsequently goes through the Mosfet circuits, themselves driven by a 12AT7 valve.

Amplifier buffs will know that many Fender amps use 12AT7s as both phase inverter and reverb drivers, but a hybrid amp offering a total of four preamp valves is a first. That would be enough for most, but the V2 also offers a number of other tone-tailoring features to hike the versatility stakes still higher.

Although the Clean channel has no dedicated EQ to speak of - the other channels each have their own three-way sections - there's also a six-band graphic, ranging 12db either side of 80Hz to 5 kHz.

The amp includes the rugged RF5V2, one function of which is to switch the graphic in and out at will. So, as a boost for solos or to add a certain something to any of the three channels, you're in the pound seats.

For the Valve OD there is a bright switch plus a selector for Tight and Loose options, while the solid-state overdrive channel has a push/pull treble pot that triggers the amp's Sustain Boost function, which, as we'll discover, lights the blue touch paper.

There's also a master section comprising a volume, presence and density pots. In a nutshell, the latter controls the low end, although there's much more to it than simply doubling as a bass control, as we'll explain.

The footswitch is a MIDI-compatible unit and as well as allowing you to switch between the channels and activate the graphic, you can also kick the FX loop in and out and save certain channel-specific settings too.

We like the green/black livery of this and most other contemporary Randall amps a lot - what's not to like about a backlit logo? - and the V2 also features a semi-open chassis and, best of all, top-mounted handles. There's really not a great deal more we could have asked for as far as the head's features go and we're perfectly happy with its construction.