# Where can I get a Rockman?



## Tanhead (Jan 16, 2010)

I've been doing alot of my own recording recently, and i've also been looking in on getting a Rockman since I heard of it, do they still make them and where can I find one?


----------



## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

hey there...i'd seen a brand spanking new one at long and mcquade's in cambridge...about $80...

see if they still have it and are willing to transfer it to the windsor store...


----------



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Tanhead said:


> I've been doing alot of my own recording recently, and i've also been looking in on getting a Rockman since I heard of it, do they still make them and where can I find one?


I am somewhat of an expert (if I do say so myself) on Rockman gear. I have owned just about every unit they ever made. The company itself was sold to Dunlop around 1992 and they basically stopped putting them out other than a wah pedal and a volume pedal. So anything you find today wil either be NOS or used. Some of it is not cheap though. Are you looking for just the little Rockmans and X100 or the half racks etc?


----------



## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

there's some more info here...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockman_(amplifier)


----------



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

The best of the equipment that was put out was some of the half rack units. The original Rockmans and X100 are cool but more of a personal practice thing, earphones etc. The ones to look into if you are looking at recording and adding them as effects are...

1) Smart Gate (noise gate) one of the best ever made and still in use by many major players. Those will go in the $300 and up range
2) The model 200 Sustainor (multi channel pre-amp) this will get you the Boston tone and crunch. They go for around $200 and up with the later double IC going for around $400 and up
3) The Stereo Echo is one of the best in that category as well. They can be had in the $200 and up range
4) The Stereo Chorus is also a very nice half rack. They can be had in the $150 and up range
5) The 10 channel equalizers are also very good. I run two of those pre and post. They can run in the $200 range

The rest of the half racks I would not worry about. But the above add nicely to a recording system or to run through an amp

The XP100 is the "boom box" 100 watt stereo amplifier and they are great units. They combine all of the units above (except true smart gate) and can be ran through extension cabs etc. They go for $600 and above depending on the condition. All Rockman gear today sells more by condition then the units themselves. There are a lot of them out there that are pretty beat up.

There is also the XPR full rack unit that has all of these built into to. They run around $600 plus


----------



## Tanhead (Jan 16, 2010)

GuitarsCanada said:


> The best of the equipment that was put out was some of the half rack units. The original Rockmans and X100 are cool but more of a personal practice thing, earphones etc. The ones to look into if you are looking at recording and adding them as effects are...
> 
> 1) Smart Gate (noise gate) one of the best ever made and still in use by many major players. Those will go in the $300 and up range
> 2) The model 200 Sustainor (multi channel pre-amp) this will get you the Boston tone and crunch. They go for around $200 and up with the later double IC going for around $400 and up
> ...


I guess I should be more specific on what I'm looking for...
I have a TASCAM US 144mk interface i record with. I really can't find any good VST plug ins for effects (mostly distortion) and a Rockman model seemed to be a good thing to solve this problem. Does the small box on the Wiki page have recording capabilities? Can it also plug in and be a portable practice amp, and is there anything that can do both? 
Thanks again, and thanks alot for the help!


----------



## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

Well, Billy Gibbons used one for recording. And Def Leppard recorded the whole Hysteria album with one. And George Lynch used one for Under Lock and Key.

they still sell them today...

http://www.zzounds.com/item--DAVROCKGA


----------



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Tanhead said:


> I guess I should be more specific on what I'm looking for...
> I have a TASCAM US 144mk interface i record with. I really can't find any good VST plug ins for effects (mostly distortion) and a Rockman model seemed to be a good thing to solve this problem. Does the small box on the Wiki page have recording capabilities? Can it also plug in and be a portable practice amp, and is there anything that can do both?
> Thanks again, and thanks alot for the help!


The Rockman and X100 alone are really only good for personal use and not for recording. You can get optional rack unit called the Rockmount (shown below) that houses a Rockman/X100 or Ace and that can be used to feed into an amp or console. Other than that, if you are looking strictly at the effects capabilities for recording, I would go with the half racks, much more robust and feature heavy.










If you are looking for pure distortion and crunch. Then what you are after is the Sustainor.










Keep in mind that the noise gate on the Sustainor is nowhere near as good as the stand alone Smart Gate


----------



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

jimihendrix said:


> Well, Billy Gibbons used one for recording. And Def Leppard recorded the whole Hysteria album with one. And George Lynch used one for Under Lock and Key.
> 
> they still sell them today...
> 
> http://www.zzounds.com/item--DAVROCKGA


Yes, all of that 80's ZZ Top was done with Rockmans. But the ones they are selling there are just toys. They would have used the half racks, mostly two sustainors, combined with a Echo and Chorus and two 10 channel EQ's

Joe Satriani used them a lot as well as EVH. EVH still uses the Smart Gates


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

The racks would be the way to go.

The headphone amps types can be quite noisy, and that shows up on recordings.

A friend of mine had one of them, and so I've heard the noise they make when recording.

And as the owner of one of those stereo echos--let me add my recommendation of them.
lots of fun, good sound, and versatile to boot.


----------



## Tanhead (Jan 16, 2010)

Can the racks be plugged directly into my recording interface, and could I also use them aloud for practice?


----------



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Tanhead said:


> Can the racks be plugged directly into my recording interface, and could I also use them aloud for practice?


They can be added into a signal path similar to any effects pedal or rack unit. But in order for you to use them for practice etc you will need to run them through a power amp. Think of the Sustainor as any pre-amp. Like a Marshall JMP1 or similar unit. They all need to be ran through a power amp.


----------



## Tanhead (Jan 16, 2010)

So, just so i have this straight, 
the rack can be run through my amp and played out loud for practice, and can also be plugged in like an FX pedal directly to the interface.
I think either the Smart Gate or Model 200 Sustainer would be my choice(because i LOVE Boston and their sound).
IS this all correct?


----------



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Tanhead said:


> So, just so i have this straight,
> the rack can be run through my amp and played out loud for practice, and can also be plugged in like an FX pedal directly to the interface.
> I think either the Smart Gate or Model 200 Sustainer would be my choice(because i LOVE Boston and their sound).
> IS this all correct?


That is correct. The Sustainor can be plugged into any amp just like a pedal, it will give you the Boston sound. The Smart Gate will eliminate any hiss or buzz from the signal

I play most of the Boston Catalogue through this set-up. Very rare XP212 combo that I found years ago in NYC. Used to have it paired with a Marshall 4x12 but cut it back to a 2x12 and you can nail any Boston tune on that baby.










The XP100 on top is another great stand alone amp that they produced


----------



## Tanhead (Jan 16, 2010)

Thanks so much! You've really helped me do this. I'll update you if I have any trouble finding one or when i get one : )


----------

