# A Statement from Krank Amps



## F1Filter (Mar 14, 2007)

More drama from Krank land. They posted this on Myspace:

Mar 14, 2007 6:30 PM 
Krank Statement

We here at Krank just wanted to clear up a few things that weve been hearing about and seeing on other forums. There has been some talk about Michael Amott from Arch Enemy leaving Krank for Randall Amps. We wish Mike the best and are sure the new Arch Enemy music will kick ass. However what really needs to be addressed is all the talk of why Michael left and the situation surrounding it.

In December we fired our artist relations person Jody Dankberg, who was then and still is a minority owner in Krank Amplification LLC, for unethical business practices amongst other issues that were detrimental to the company. Jody has apparently since been hired by Randall Amps as a artist relations rep there as he is now listed on their website as such, and judging from postings weve seen on various internet forums that seem to be from a Randall representative, they are apparently trying to gather as many Krank artists as they can now that Jody is a Randall employee. Michael Amott has a relationship with Jody that started with Krank, and as we can only assume at this point right along side with the rest of you that his relationship coupled with the thought of a signature model, as well as financial benefit, came into play. Weve never heard his direct reasons other than he decided to move on, but now theres the Michael Amott signature Randall Ninja V2 head and truthfully Michael is a great guy and good for him if thats what he wants now. Whether it will sound as good remains to be seen and is purely a subjective thing. However were aware of other Krank artists being contacted by Randall as well as nasty rumors being spread to not only artists but dealers as well about Krank apparently being in some sort financial trouble, which a blatant lie. These rumors appear to be originating from Chicago as weve heard from industry sources, coincidentally, or not so coincidentally, the home of US Music, both Randall and Washburn Guitars parent company. All we can say is that things are very well in Krankland as the company is doing great and we have some great new products arriving this year. Normally we wouldnt even address such rubbish but too often in this business vicious rumors left unchecked become problematic and we feel that our name is being drug through the mud a bit here.

Just to clarify Krank has never in the existence of the company paid for an artist to play our gear (including Michael Amott), and a very, very small percentage of our artists have ever received free gear from us. Every endorsee weve earned by simply making a cool amp with great tone that they want to play, and obviously we must be doing something right as we have some of the best in the biz playing our amps and playing them based solely on the fact they like the gear. Not to mention we are approached on a daily basis by artists, both big and small, simply because they feel that we make a great product. Weve been told by many of the top industry professionals we deal with that theyve never seen an amp company become so successful so quickly and were poised to grow a lot more in the near future. At the end of the day you either have killer tone or you dont and thats all that really matters, and thats where Krank Amplification is happy to let things stand and be decided.

Krank Amps​

I'm guessing that the person who was fired, was responsible for the Harmony Central shenanigans? The comment about them not compensating any of their endorsers seems a bit hard to believe though.


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## noodles (Mar 14, 2007)

Nah, they probably don't compensate their endorsers. The only people that get compensated are the guys with their names on the product, in the form of a price per unit sold type of deal. Les Paul secured the first endorsement deal of this type, as his was the first signature guitar ever.

What they do probably do is give loads of guys free amps. If the artist has their picture in the ad, they probably get the amp free. I know for a fact that the only reason Steve Smyth went with Krank is because Mesa couldn't get him amps in time for his first tour with Nevermore. He told Mike and I that himself.

If this is the guy responsible for the Harmony Central fake reviews, then he should have been fired when that happened. That is the only thing that would have made me believe in the credibility of the company. 

The only endorser that *might* be getting compensation is Brendon, the creator of Dethklok. I don't really consider that an endorsement, though, as much as advertising dollars used for product placement on a television show. I'm sure Gibson has the exact same deal with them, as well as tossing him a few guitars for recording with. Brendon records all that stuff with a POD, which is where the Line6 endorsement comes from.


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## ohio_eric (Mar 14, 2007)

F1Filter said:


> I'm guessing that the person who was fired, was responsible for the Harmony Central shenanigans? The comment about them not compensating any of their endorsers seems a bit hard to believe though.



 

Yes Krank has 50 million endoresers because their amps are just the best. Most guitar players endorse stuff because they get paid or free shit. It's rare that artists endorse shit without compensation.


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## DSS3 (Mar 14, 2007)

Bah, whatever... start the bashing again.

I've still heard Kranks sound better on more records than anyone on this forum has played on.


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## eaeolian (Mar 14, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> Bah, whatever... start the bashing again.
> 
> I've still heard Kranks sound better on more records than anyone on this forum has played on.



That may be true. However, every single one that's been in front of me has sounded anywhere from mediocre to absolutely crappy - and not just hearing them through the PA, either. Not just alone, but in the band context, as well. So I have no love for their products. That said, there's a certain karmic feel to this story that I like...


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## D-EJ915 (Mar 14, 2007)

I'm interested in the Ninja V2, to say the least.


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## Chris (Mar 14, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> Bah, whatever... start the bashing again.
> 
> I've still heard Kranks sound better on more records than anyone on this forum has played on.



Blanket statements, ftw.


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## zimbloth (Mar 14, 2007)

Michaell Amott playing Randalls? That's pretty random. 

Anyways, might as well take Krank's word for it. They are right, tone is subjective. I didn't like the Krank heads I owned, but some people out there seem to, good for them. I've heard amps far worse than Krank, all I know is the ones I owned...: 

I've never heard a Randall amp I liked, might be interested in hearing Michael's amp just for the hell of it. 



DSS3 said:


> I've still heard Kranks sound better on more records than anyone on this forum has played on.



Settle down man, no need to be so defensive  We get it, you like Kranks. That's okay.


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## Mark. A (Mar 14, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> Bah, whatever... start the bashing again.
> 
> I've still heard Kranks sound better on more records than anyone on this forum has played on.



Dude, you are the greatest, how can I be like you?

Randall Ninja...fuck yeah


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## DSS3 (Mar 14, 2007)

zimbloth said:


> Settle down man, no need to be so defensive  We get it, you like Kranks. That's okay.




This board might as well be renamed the "Bash Kranks Room" - so I suppose amongst all that, my statement might seem defensive, despite the fact that it was said out of exasperation for the subject, not out of defense.

Seriously - if anyone can prove me wrong, I'll gladly admit to making a blanket statement, with all the bad connotations that go along with it.


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## Mark. A (Mar 14, 2007)

You wish jellyfish


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## JPMDan (Mar 14, 2007)

well Mike amott's name isn't on randall's site or a randall ninja unless it's in the works...


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## Naren (Mar 14, 2007)

Mark. A said:


> Dude, you are the greatest, how can I be like you?
> 
> Randall Ninja...fuck yeah



Well, you could start by buying a bunch of Kranks.


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## D-EJ915 (Mar 14, 2007)

Naren said:


> Well, you could start by buying a bunch of Kranks.


or just be...

*kranky*


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## DSS3 (Mar 14, 2007)

Naren said:


> Well, you could start by buying a bunch of Kranks.





Right, because I own a Krank.


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## Regor (Mar 14, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> I've still heard Kranks sound better on more records than anyone on this forum has played on.



And I've heard Mesas sound better on more records than Kranks.


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## technomancer (Mar 14, 2007)

D-EJ915 said:


> or just be...
> 
> *kranky*





On a serious note, I've only heard/screwed with one Krank in person, it was an Einstein at Kevan's and Leon's Nomad walked all over it...


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## zimbloth (Mar 15, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> This board might as well be renamed the "Bash Kranks Room" - so I suppose amongst all that, my statement might seem defensive, despite the fact that it was said out of exasperation for the subject, not out of defense.
> 
> Seriously - if anyone can prove me wrong, I'll gladly admit to making a blanket statement, with all the bad connotations that go along with it.



What do you want people to "prove", that someone can make better sounding recordings than Andy Sneap? Plenty of recordings I hear people make online of Kranks sound horrible. Thats not really proof of much. If people bash Kranks without playing them, I agree thats ignorant. I personally just don't like the overall tone or response of the ones I owned. I bought them wanting to like it, and was disappointed. So I feel thats a valid opinion. If you're angry at people joining the bandwagon bashing them who've never played them, then I agree.

You are knowledgable and I respect your opinion on many things, but you don't need to insult people over it, this isn't High School. If the amps aren't for them, so be it you know? No one has to come up with proof for why didn't like the tone of the amps, whether they owned one, saw a band live that used them, etc.


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## DSS3 (Mar 15, 2007)

zimbloth said:


> What do you want people to "prove", that someone can make better sounding recordings than Andy Sneap? Plenty of recordings I hear people make online of Kranks sound horrible. Thats not really proof of much. If people bash Kranks without playing them, I agree thats ignorant. I personally just don't like the overall tone or response of the ones I owned. I bought them wanting to like it, and was disappointed. So I feel thats a valid opinion. If you're angry at people joining the bandwagon bashing them who've never played them, then I agree.
> 
> You are knowledgable and I respect your opinion on many things, but you don't need to insult people over it, this isn't High School. If the amps aren't for them, so be it you know? No one has to come up with proof for why didn't like the tone of the amps, whether they owned one, saw a band live that used them, etc.



In no way, shape, or form is that what I was asking proof of. Just forget that topic.


I'm tired of people jumping on the bandwagon without playing them at a proper volume or through a proper cabinet, and most of the people who bash have no experience with them, whatsoever.

Shit, there was a dude on the Harmony Central forum who was so douched out about Kranks that he recorded samples of a goddamn Crate combo, posted them around, and said it was a Krank. To this day, even with a Bogner cab, 5150, ENGL, Caparisons, etc, etc... he still hasn't made a decent recording, at all.


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## Mark. A (Mar 15, 2007)

You poor thing, you must be very sad if you get worked up about some people on a forum bagging an amp.

Here's an idea. Why don't you get over it and stop having a teary about what people say about Krank's on the net.

Seriously, I have no idea why people like you get "tired" of people jumping on the bandwagon. It's always going to happen, get over it.


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## Heavy Ed (Mar 15, 2007)

Ahh... whatever bash away "thats what the internet's for, slandering people (and things) anonymously" Personnally I think most amps people carry on about sound weak! I can count on one hand the number of amps that I think sound good when you just plug in and play. Most people (myself included) have eq's, effects and various processers to shape their sound and its still not always the sound you or others want!


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## zimbloth (Mar 15, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> In no way, shape, or form is that what I was asking proof of. Just forget that topic.
> 
> 
> I'm tired of people jumping on the bandwagon without playing them at a proper volume or through a proper cabinet, and most of the people who bash have no experience with them, whatsoever.
> ...



Well, no problem with any of what you're saying then


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## Ancestor (Mar 15, 2007)

I've still yet to hear one live. The only thing I've really heard was the clip with Dime playing. Sounded good to my ear. I dunno. I'd have to play one. Sometimes people like different things. I've heard people play and sound great on a rig, and then I get on it and it's like, "No way!"


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## TomAwesome (Mar 15, 2007)

When my band went to record our last demo, we had to use a Krankenstein half stack. We were both pretty eager to try it at first, but we couldn't get a decent sound out of it. Everyone agreed that my rig (the heart of which is a cheap Tone Core distortion pedal that at the time was going through a stock Ibanez Toneblaster cab) sounded WAY better than the Krank. I've heard other people say that the Revolutions kick all kinds of ass, but I can't personally comment one way or the other on that. I've heard a few alleged Kranks sound decent in professional recordings, but nothing that has wowed me. The best Krank recording I can recall off hand is Brendon Small's Dethklok stuff, but Noodles says it's actually a POD. I might be wrong, but I think a lot of people that endorse Krank don't necessarily use them frequently. I saw a video or two of Fear Factory since Christian started endorsing Krank, and as far as I can tell, he's still using the JMP-1... but feel free to correct me.

I admit that my experience with Krank has been pretty limited, though. I think they fit what Dime was trying to do pretty well, but I don't like most of what I've heard. Most of their endorsements I'm aware of are with metalcore bands. I don't like metalcore, and I don't like the signature metalcore sound at all, so maybe my personal taste has a lot to do with it, too.

I'm not saying Krank sucks, but personally I've yet to be impressed by a Krank amp... not that anybody asked my opinion. 

/


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## Alpo (Mar 15, 2007)

Seriously... who cares?


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## bulb (Mar 15, 2007)

tried a krankenstein the a little while back, wasnt impressed till i stuck a tubescreamer in front, and considering the amp was used at 1000 i thought it wasnt bad, but no match for my powerball haha.
meh, i dont like kranks, and sure they can sound good on a recording, hell i still use a godamn podxt! but to reiterate what mike said, that doesnt mean they dont sound mediocre in person, at the end of the day, not much bang for your buck, but not the worst amp out there, i was just really turned off by their sales tactics and business ethics in the beggining (the hc nonsense and the short lived and barely honored "trial periods")


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## swedenuck (Mar 15, 2007)

I will admit that both Andy Sneap and Eric Suecoff (sp?) have made some amazing Krank tones come to life on recording, but I can imagine them being able to pull a godly tone out of my shitty fender princeton 112 plus.

I will not bash Krank, simply put they're not my cup of tea, but the fact remains that you're talking about tones produced, recorded and mastered by wizards of the audio arts. They can and will make any amp sound exactly the way they want it through methods that we as mere mortals only wish we could comprehend to the same capacity.

Bryan


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## metalfiend666 (Mar 15, 2007)

I've not tried a Krank yet, so I'm still open minded about the sound. What I will say though is if Randall are poaching Krank endorsees and spread untrue rumours aimed at damaging the company, that's pretty shitty business practice


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## eaeolian (Mar 15, 2007)

metalfiend666 said:


> I've not tried a Krank yet, so I'm still open minded about the sound. What I will say though is if Randall are poaching Krank endorsees and spread untrue rumours aimed at damaging the company, that's pretty shitty business practice



Agreed - in general, I find that sort of stuff to be distasteful (the rumors, not the poaching - if you can't figure out that these guys will jump ship for the next company that offers them a better deal, well, you deserve what you get). 

However, I do like the karmic irony of Krank complaining about someone else's "shady" business practices.


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## Drew (Mar 15, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> This board might as well be renamed the "Bash Kranks Room" - so I suppose amongst all that, my statement might seem defensive, despite the fact that it was said out of exasperation for the subject, not out of defense.



Nah dude. If anything, it should be named "Bash Drew's Polo Shirts Room" for more or less the same reasons. 

The extent I care about Krank is twofold - for one, they've done some pretty shady things in the past, with the HC reviews. For another, they're designed to produce the exact opposite sound I generally go for. They're just not for me for both those reasons, though admittedly way more for the second than the first. 

If people have gotten them to sound well on record, more power to them. My sole experience is watching Nevermore play through them, and while their tone wasn't my sort of thing at all and I thought Opeth sounded better that night, there's also no denying that they DID sound rather brutal.


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## JPMDan (Mar 15, 2007)

I've played a Revolution, I didn't think it sounded horrible but I'm a tube noob so


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## 999dead666 (Mar 15, 2007)

i noticed that some people here are taking the amps thing very seriouse, very personal?? i mean who give a fuck if krank sucks for some people!!! its just a goddamn amp, not a sister or a brother!! i can say about your favorite amps they suck, and its my openion and my problem. your happy with your own stuff, good for you. if i said it sucks but you like your amp, for sure the sound you like wont change. so no need to get over sensitive about it.  
by the way i tried the KRANKSTIEN, i didnt play it loud enough so i guess i cant say i really tested it. but i think for fast riffing, specially palm muting stuff its nice. by the way the randall v2 is the same vmax the same model anthrax guitarist is using. the v2 has more wattage, and it has in its ss channel the new valvedynamic tech. the ninja one is the same v2 just with diffrent cover .
3rd and last, arch enemy never recorded with 1 amp only. they used mesa and marshall i think along with the krank and the peavey satriani head in thier dooms day record.


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## Toshiro (Mar 15, 2007)

This about sums it up for me. Gus G + Firewind, endorsed by Krank, but what is that the whole band is playing through?


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## InTheRavensName (Mar 15, 2007)

AMOTT SIG AMP!!!!

sod krank, I don't really care

but wow


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## noodles (Mar 15, 2007)

Man, I should have seen this coming... 



999dead666 said:


> i noticed that some people here are taking the amps thing very seriouse, very personal?? i mean who give a fuck if krank sucks for some people!!! its just a goddamn amp, not a sister or a brother!! i can say about your favorite amps they suck, and its my openion and my problem. your happy with your own stuff, good for you. if i said it sucks but you like your amp, for sure the sound you like wont change. so no need to get over sensitive about it.



Exactly my thoughts. Unless you work for the company designing amps, there is no reason to get bent out of shape. Hell, I'm a Mesa endorser, and I don't upset when people bash Rectos. I usually disagree, but hey, if they're happy with their rig.

I first played a Krank about four years ago, back when hardly anyone had ever heard of them. I think it was a Chadwick, and I couldn't believe it had tubes in it. I positively hated it, it did absolutely everything wrong that I could think of, and to boot, it was one of the ugliest amps I had ever seen. I have since played a Revolution and Krankenstein, and thought the exact same thing. Kranks, like just about any amp company, definitely have a sound that is unique to them, and I happen to hate that sound.

I have yet to see a band use Kranks live and not sound bad. Man, I love Nevermore, but I really don't like Jeff's tone. He sounded better when he was using Mesas. When I saw them with Broderick, his Engl just stomped all over Loomis' Krank. Shadow's Fall sounded just like their records, which is to say blah tone. Soilwork had them in their backline, but backstage they had a couple of 5150 halfstacks. It has sort of become the industry joke that many Krank endorsers hide something else behind the backline.

I absolutely do not trust anything that people say about what amps are used in the studio. The simple fact of the matter is most producers maintain a cache of amps, simply so they can pick what is best for any given situation. Why limit yourself in the studio? This line of thinking would lead you to believe Jimmy Page used nothing but Les Pauls and Marshalls in the studio. Nothing could be further from the truth.


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## D-EJ915 (Mar 15, 2007)

> randall v2 is the same vmax the same model anthrax guitarist is using. the v2 has more wattage, and it has in its ss channel the new valvedynamic tech. the ninja one is the same v2 just with diffrent cover .


Since Ian's using the V2 now that might make sense  The V2 is an improved version of the V-Max. I wouldn't even look at a V-Max, just get the V2 instead.


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## Jeff (Mar 15, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> Bah, whatever... start the bashing again.
> 
> I've still heard Kranks sound better on more records than anyone on this forum has played on.



Well yeah, because studio recorded sounds are just like the real thing, right? No studio magic going on there, right?


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## Cancer (Mar 15, 2007)

swedenuck said:


> I will admit that both Andy Sneap and Eric Suecoff (sp?) have made some amazing Krank tones come to life on recording, but I can imagine them being able to pull a godly tone out of my shitty fender princeton 112 plus.
> 
> I will not bash Krank, simply put they're not my cup of tea, but the fact remains that you're talking about tones produced, recorded and mastered by wizards of the audio arts. They can and will make any amp sound exactly the way they want it through methods that we as mere mortals only wish we could comprehend to the same capacity.
> 
> Bryan



^^^^^...that, and we're also talking about a guy (Sneap) who more or less swears by reamping, so at the end of the day unless we were in the studio with him, we will never know what kind (or how many) amps guys like Sneap used for a particular recording. Part of the reason I hate reamping as it seems like it has the potential to be overused thus making it virtually impossible to replicate tones in a live setting.


As an aside, I and another guitar playing friend heard a Krank at a local Black Sabbath/Flag tribute show, and we weren't impressed either. Although some guy had Peavey JSX, which sounded godly.


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## noodles (Mar 15, 2007)

psyphre said:


> Part of the reason I hate reamping as it seems like it has the potential to be overused thus making it virtually impossible to replicate tones in a live setting.



Not to mention the extra compression that it adds to your guitar tone.


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## jacksonplayer (Mar 15, 2007)

The Randalls I've played (and one I owned approx. 1,000,000 years ago) sucked hard. I don't recall even seeing a Krank in person. So I don't have a dog in the fight.

Nevertheless, Randall and this Jody person seem to be veering dangerously close to a nasty little lawsuit--a claim called "tortious interference with business relations", which companies bring all the time against shithead former employees who poach clients and co-workers.


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## DSS3 (Mar 15, 2007)

Jeff said:


> Well yeah, because studio recorded sounds are just like the real thing, right? No studio magic going on there, right?



Oh come on... I've had to refute this before, from you even, IIRC.

The point of using EQ's on a guitar tone, for the most part, is to more accurately represent the sound you hear in the room.

It's not as if we're recording guitar tones and then thinking we want something with a totally different midrange, so we EQ the fuck out of it. You start with something good, get it sounding as close as possible with mic placement, and get it sounding even closer with EQ.

If you honestly think that 'studio magic' is thrown about everywhere, then why the hell do recorded 5150's sound like 5150's infront of you, Mesas like Mesas, Fenders like Fenders, Laneys like Laneys, Marshalls like Marshalls, ad naseum.

How many of you that have bitched about studio magic actually have studio experience to back up your statements? I don't hear you guys posting anything even remotely 'studio' sounding - maybe you need some of your own magic?




noodles said:


> Not to mention the extra compression that it adds to your guitar tone.




That's absolutely ridiculous... Reamping adds no compression to your guitar tone, whatsoever.

I've played something through my 5150 while recording a DI, then reamped that part immediately afterwards.

There was no audible difference, and no difference in the waveforms, even when using a spectrum analyzer.

So, I flipped the phase of the reamped one, and played them at the same time. What'd I hear? Nothing - exactly what was lost when reamping.


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## D-EJ915 (Mar 15, 2007)

jacksonplayer said:


> The Randalls I've played (and one I owned approx. 1,000,000 years ago) sucked hard. I don't recall even seeing a Krank in person. So I don't have a dog in the fight.
> 
> Nevertheless, Randall and this Jody person seem to be veering dangerously close to a nasty little lawsuit--a claim called "tortious interference with business relations", which companies bring all the time against shithead former employees who poach clients and co-workers.


I haven't heard anything from randall


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## Jeff (Mar 15, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> How many of you that have bitched about studio magic actually have studio experience to back up your statements? I don't hear you guys posting anything even remotely 'studio' sounding - maybe you need some of your own magic?



Wow, that's a pretty dickish comment to make. Did we insult YOU? You're ignorant if you think that there's not a lot of sweetening going on with Kranks, and that's if they're even used at all in the studio on a lot of these endorsers' records. 

Let's say they are being used. Why don't all the endorsers' CDs sound just like the piece of shit Krankenstein, even though that's what they supposedly play? I've played two at very high levels, and they do suck badly. If there's no "studio magic", then why can't I plug in a similar guitar and get a similar tone, even after tweaking for an hour?


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## eaeolian (Mar 15, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> That's absolutely ridiculous... Reamping adds no compression to your guitar tone, whatsoever.



Depends on if you compress it to tape or not. (I'm not saying that's smart, just that it happens.)

OK, that's enough of this for this thread. No one's attacking you personally, so stop taking it that way.


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## Drew (Mar 15, 2007)

I think maybe everyone in this thread could stand to take a deep breath, cool off, and then try to maybe be a touch more polite to everyone when they next respond.


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## eaeolian (Mar 15, 2007)

Drew said:


> I think maybe everyone in this thread could stand to take a deep breath, cool off, and then try to maybe be a touch more polite to everyone when they next respond.



Great minds...


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## Chris (Mar 15, 2007)

DSS3 said:


> How many of you that have bitched about studio magic actually have studio experience to back up your statements? I don't hear you guys posting anything even remotely 'studio' sounding - maybe you need some of your own magic?



I've had just about enough of you and your blanket statements jumping to conclusions and insulting my members en masse. Come back in two weeks. I'm sure at 16 years old you have more studio experience than, for example, Division and their three albums. Perhaps while you're gone you can listen to one of them and rethink what you say on here.


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## XEN (Mar 15, 2007)

_Removed: Stay on topic, please._

Just trying to lighten it up in here, that's all. Sorry.


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## Drew (Mar 15, 2007)

Ok, I've deleted about four more posts after Chris laid the smack down, so to speak. I'm sure most of you meant all, but let's all stop being a dead horse - we've had enough "Krank suxors! Krank roxors!" threads in the past, no need to add a new one.


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