The Randall Lynch Box is a Randall amplifier. Close alternatives include the Marshall JCM900 2100 and the EVH 5150 III. It pairs well with the Boss CE-2 Chorus and the MXR Micro Amp.
Randall Lynch Box
Randall · amplifier
The Randall Lynch Box is George Lynch's signature high-gain tube amplifier, developed with Randall and featuring his preferred Grail tone circuit, later expanded into the MIDI-switchable Thrasher series with around 120 watts. It is voiced for aggressive 80s and modern metal, delivering thick, saturated high gain with tight low end, cutting mids and sustaining leads, while retaining the dynamic feel Lynch favors. Designed to recreate his signature recorded and live tones, it suits heavy metal and hard rock rhythm and lead, leaning toward big, focused saturation rather than pristine cleans.
What stands out
“Designed to recreate his signature recorded and live tones, it suits heavy metal and hard rock rhythm and lead, leaning toward big, focused saturation”
— from the listing
“It is voiced for aggressive 80s and modern metal, delivering thick, saturated high gain with tight low end, cutting mids and sustaining leads, while retaining the dynamic feel Lynch favors”
— from the listing
“, but for dialed-in metal rhythm and lead it nails its intended voice”
— from the reviews
“later expanded into the midi-switchable thrasher series with around 120 watts”
— from the listing
“Players use it for heavy metal and hard rock, valuing how closely it captures Lynch's signature tone and, in the Thrasher version, MIDI switching for live use”
— from the community notes
- metal
- low end
- high gain
- tight
- rhythm
- thick
- midi
- lead
Good for
- Live
Genres the Randall Lynch Box is commonly used in
- Heavy Metal
- Rock
- Hard Rock
- Metal
- Christian Rock
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag. - Death Metal
cited
Inferred from shared tonal signals, not a stated genre tag.
Pedals that stack with the Randall Lynch Box
Boss CE-2 Chorus
Boss
30% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Boss CE-2 Chorus after Randall Lynch Box in the signal chain, clear of Randall Lynch Box's own gain stage
Goes in front of the amp
MXR Micro Amp
MXR
29% matchpushes an already-dirty tonePushes an already-dirty tone harder and tightens it up. (high gain → clean boost)
Feed a high gain signal into MXR Micro Amp and it comes out closer to clean boost
Goes in front of the amp
Carl Martin Purple Moon
Carl Martin
28% matchgain stackingStacks two gain stages for more saturation than either produces alone. (mid-forward → fuzzy)
Run mid-forward into Carl Martin Purple Moon for more fuzzy on top
Goes in front of the amp
Whirlwind Rochester Red Box
Whirlwind
28% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
What Whirlwind Rochester Red Box brings here leans toward smooth — that's worth building a pairing around
Goes in front of the amp
ZVEX Fuzz Factory
Zvex
28% matchfills a frequency gapFills in a frequency range the other side doesn't cover, instead of piling more onto what's already there. (bright → smooth)
The Fuzz Factory's tight, gated germanium fuzz gives the Lynch Box's thick, cutting metal rhythm voice something stranger than more distortion.
Goes in front of the amp
Boss DD-8 Digital Delay
Boss
22% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run the DD-8's ambient delay in the Lynch Box's loop, after its tight, cutting high-gain rhythm tone, so it doesn't get buried. — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Suhr Discovery
Suhr
22% matchsits in the right chain slotPlaced for where it does its job cleanly in the chain, not for a tonal interaction with the anchor.
Run Suhr Discovery in Randall Lynch Box's effects loop, clear of Randall Lynch Box's own gain stage — goes in the amp's FX loop (or last, into a clean amp)
Sits in the amp's effects loop
Anarchy Audio Flutterby Tremolo
Anarchy Audio
tonal matchGoes in front of the amp
Anarchy Audio Flutterby Tremolo goes in front of Randall Lynch Box — modulation sits after the gain for a defined swirl
Alternativessee all similar tone character →
Marshall JCM900 2100
Marshall
61% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, thickness
EVH 5150 III
Evh
55% similarityShared character: singing, metal, hard rock
Diezel VH4 4-Channel 100-Watt
Diezel
54% similarityShared character: metal, thickness, bass
Peavey 6505 II
Peavey
53% similarityShared character: metal, bass, response
Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier
Mesa Boogie
51% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, bass
Marshall 2203KK Kerry King JCM800
Marshall
51% similarityShared character: volume, metal, aggressive playing
Laney AOR 50 Series II
Laney
50% similarityShared character: singing, hard rock, thickness
Marshall Jmp Master Volume 1970s
Marshall
49% similarityShared character: volume, singing, metal
PRS Archon 50 2-Channel 50W Head
PRS
49% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, bass
3rd Power DRGN-100
3rd Power
48% similarityShared character: singing, hard rock, bass
Bogner Snorkler 50
Bogner
48% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, thickness
Mesa Boogie Rectifier Roadster 2x12 Combo
Mesa Boogie
47% similarityShared character: metal, hard rock, thickness
See all alternatives to the Randall Lynch Box (cheaper + boutique) →
Questions people ask
What are good alternatives to the Randall Lynch Box?+
The closest matches in character are the Marshall JCM900 2100, the EVH 5150 III, the Diezel VH4 4-Channel 100-Watt.
What pairs well with the Randall Lynch Box?+
Strong matches from rig and tone-complementarity evidence: Boss CE-2 Chorus, MXR Micro Amp, Carl Martin Purple Moon — Run Boss CE-2 Chorus after Randall Lynch Box in the signal chain, clear of Randall Lynch Box's own gain stage.
Compare
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