A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

Hello all. I just purchased the new rockman x100 pedal. I'm just running through straight through the front of my marshall dsl 20. I know it's not intended to do that, but does anyone know how, or what I should use to run this right? It's kind of fizzy sounding right now. Effects loop? Thanks for any info or tips.

Scott1968 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2025 7:28 pm Hello all. I just purchased the new rockman x100 pedal. I'm just running through straight through the front of my marshall dsl 20. I know it's not intended to do that, but does anyone know how, or what I should use to run this right? It's kind of fizzy sounding right now. Effects loop? Thanks for any info or tips.

I'm not intending to be an a**** but that particular amp has a long reputation for being fizzy especially with overdrive pedals. Google and you'll find loads of complaints

I've never owned one, but it’s been my understanding that these were commonly plugged directly into a mixing board, thereby allowing the Rockman itself be used as a combination direct box and amplifier.

If you're running the Rockman into the front end of a Marshall DSL (which in my opinion is a fizzy sounding amp in and of itself), this could be the problem.

If you're not already using the clean channel on the Marshall, that would be my first suggestion. Using the effects loop might also help for hearing the unaltered tone of the Rockman.

We do happen to have a member here who is extremely knowledgeable about Rockman/Tom Scholz and describes himself as our "Resident Boston Fanatic." The spectacular tones he achieves with a Rockman on the recording he posts here speak for themselves. He will be able to provide you with much more definitive advice than mine. Paging @eicca!

Hey thanks guys. Effects loop works, but pedal is fizzy at low volumes. I think it likes it cranked. Lol. Then it's too loud. I guess I need to put pedal volume at about 3/4 and control volume through another way and into effects loop. Maybe take an old guitar cord and a 500ka potentiometer and wire it in between pedal out and effects loop. Any thoughts on that? Hmm

I meant to poke @andrewsrea about this. I think he did a whole album with one of the originals. I admit that I liked the tone. For what they were going for used when I last checked, it definitely makes sense to consider a reissue.

Scott1968 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 5:56 pm Hey thanks guys. Effects loop works, but pedal is fizzy at low volumes. I think it likes it cranked. Lol. Then it's too loud. I guess I need to put pedal volume at about 3/4 and control volume through another way and into effects loop. Maybe take an old guitar cord and a 500ka potentiometer and wire it in between pedal out and effects loop. Any thoughts on that? Hmm

As @golem mentioned, my 1985 thru 1986 rig was a Roland JC120 (or two, depending on the stage) and a Scholz Rockman 'Sustainer' model. In essence, it was a fancier rackmount of just the preamp section (ultra clean, clean. crunch and distortion). It did not have the delay or chorus of the headphone model.

I normally went right into the amp input and EQ'd both units, as the Scholz unit was naturally fizzy. It also had a lot of hiss.

I am pretty certain that the MXR pedal is a rendition of the Scholz 'Rockman 100' unit, which was designed for headphone use and had an output for 'line in', which would work better into an effects loop. I recommend a Boss GE 7 after the Rockman and before the loop input, to tame it.

I am not certian if this recreation pedal is analog or digital, so I am not sure how much hiss you should expect.