Digitech RP50

[kidsmoke]

For anyone that is familiar with these...I'm doing a craiglist deal for a Ernie Ball VP Jr today, and the guy has a "barely used" RP50 he will sell cheap. I don't NEED it....have tuner, have a looper with drum rhythms, but I don't own many effects pedals. Thought if it's cheap, might be a good way to noodle around with sounds.

I guess the question is, are these a gimmicky waste of time, or a decent little unit for a evolving player?

 

[Katastrophe]

How cheap? I had an RP 80 that lasted about 3 years before frying. I liked the tones and effects, and the drum machine was easy to use and convenient for practice. The effects parameters were fairly tweakable, and I had about 6 presets that I used often.

There are other, better units out there, but if it's cheap enough it might be fun to have around for grins & giggles.

 

[Eric]

I guess the question is, are these a gimmicky waste of time, or a decent little unit for a evolving player?

I have a Digitech RP100a. It was really good for helping me understand what each effect does, and it's fun to fiddle on and good for headphone practice, but it's not too useful otherwise.

I try not to be a snob about this sort of stuff, but I don't think I'd use it for much beyond bedroom practice. It's kind of a clunky interface unless you plan to use the exact same tone for an entire song.

I suppose it depends on the price, like Kat said. Heck, I can sell you mine on the cheap if you're interested.

 

[wingsdad]

If it's like $25 or so, go for it, to sample what Digitech pedals can do.

Digitech's 'lower level' units like the RP series are decent budget intro's to units of their type...their product positioning is to give you a sampler, to hook you on Digitech's stuff so you move up to their big brothers, the Genetechs, or to their individual stomp boxes they emulate. It's like all multi-fx tools; if you like Digitech's sounds, you go their way. Try a Boss ME-20 or 25, and you may go with Boss pedals or such. Vox's stuff is pretty much the technology progeny of their parent, Korg.

 

[t_ross33]

I gigged with an RP80 for awhile (basically the same as the RP50, but with an expression pedal). It worked quite well for me at the time, and the amp models are decent enough. I've since sold it, but wish I had kept it to use for quick jams and practice sessions when I don't want to haul too much gear around.

These should go pretty cheap now... I say "grab it"

 

[kidsmoke]

If it's like $25 or so, go for it

Exactly where my head is at.

And to t_ross's point...if I'm bringing my guitar to a buddy's house to have a beer and jam a bit, easy to toss it in a gig bag and have a tuner and a few fun sounds along.

I'm out the door....let ya'll know. Spring is sprung in Chicago, I'll be on the road all day with the windows down. May have to crank up an old Triumph tune or two. He he.

Cheers!

 

[Eric]

...to hook you on Digitech's stuff so you move up to their big brothers, the Genetechs, or to their individual stomp boxes they emulate.

Genetechs? What are these? Probably too high-end for me to have heard of it/them, but my curiosity is piqued.

 

[markb]

I got one for about NZ$40 (about the same price). It's OK, just ignore the factory stuff, strip it down to basics and build a few patches you can use and it's certainly good enough as an emergency rig and cool for headphone use. It could also be handy to use for modulations, delays and tuning on a small, cheap pedalboard (1=chorus, 2=phase and so on).

 

[wingsdad]

Genetechs? What are these? ...

Woops...Brain Fart Sorry.

I was meaning their GNX units...now discontinued..like this one:
GNX 3
or this one
GNX 3000

Guitar One Magazine (also deceased) used to feature a song or 3 monthly in tab with a GNX unit's settings, and I believe, downloadable patches for a song's settings at the mag's website.

I had one of these back around 97, my intro to 'desktop' modelers:
Genesis 1

Now that I found the link to it in the Digitech site, I know why my Brain Farted...read the descriptive yak in there..or...here..here's a portion...they were setting on the Genesis 1

With 11 amplifier models (including two GENETX models) and 11 cabinet models (including two GENETX cabinets)...

 

[kidsmoke]

typical CL transaction...he couldn't meet, maybe over the weekend. He did agree on the price though, so I'm gonna grab it. Should be fun.

 

[Eric]

Woops...Brain Fart Sorry.

I was meaning their GNX units...now discontinued..like this one:
GNX 3
or this one
GNX 3000

Ah, right. Those I do know about. I think they've gone completely to the RP series now, right? I still have trouble figuring out the difference between the GNX3, GNX3000, GNX4, and RP2000. Now there's an RP1000 too, and that's something altogether different, like the new generation.

Confusing...

Anyway, back to the original thread topic, hopefully it works out well.

 

[kidsmoke]

Did the deal this evening. Got the RP50 added for $25. In the box with the original literature and the power supply. It's gonna take me a while to find my way around, but it should be fun. As I'd said, it'll earn it's keep as a reliable tuner wtih the occasional fun tones for playing at a lesson or with friends. Being used, it's got some patches in it, some of which are just ridiculous. But it seems like everything works.

Thanks for the input, folks

 

[kidsmoke]

so much for finding a justification. Used it last night in a jam with about 15 others...we covered Luther Ingram "I don't wanna be right", and old, slow soul number. It's got this subtle lead that runs throughout, originally done with lots of wah...no pedal, but I'd thrown this in the bag, pulled it out, edited the wah preset, which was completely unusable as presented, backed it WAY off, and it did the job. So there you go, I'll probably use it for the same number on stage next week. It'll earn it's keep soon enough.

 

[Eric]

I'd thrown this in the bag, pulled it out, edited the wah preset, which was completely unusable as presented, backed it WAY off, and it did the job.

Nice. How did you use the wah on a pedal like this, where there's no expression pedal?

 

[Kazz]

autowah

 

[kidsmoke]

thanks, Kazz. Yeah, actually spelled "ottowah" in the digitech manual. Clearly not as nice as a pedal at the feet of a skilled player., but it funked it up nicely.

Betcha can't guess what I've been trolling craigslist for this morning.

we're hopeless, I tell ya.

 

[markb]

Connect the output of a volume pedal to the expression jack. Voila! Wah! Volume! Whammy! Not bad for a piece of kit that costs the price of a few sets of strings.

 

[kidsmoke]

wait a minute.....the control jack? Duhhhhh...... :thwap

 

[markb]

Yeah, control. That's the bunny! :AOK

 

[kidsmoke]

hmph. doesn't seem to work. I'd tried it previously as a volume control with my VPjr, but when you wrote that thought that perhaps I'd mis-jacked it or had the unit in the wrong mode.

So:
guitar>RP50>amp
vp output>control jack
RP50 set to ottowah

Sound is all there but pedal actuation does zip. :nope

Shame, everything seems fine otherwise with the unit, nary a scratch.

 

[markb]

You need to turn on one of the manual wahs in the pickup/wah section, NOT the envelope filter. There is a preset "wahchit" or some such.

Manual here.

ftp://ftp.digitech.com/pub/PDFs/Manuals/RP50/RP50 Manual.pdf

 

[kidsmoke]

Just haven't had a chance to get back to this issue.

You need to turn on one of the manual wahs in the pickup/wah section, NOT the envelope filter. There is a preset "wahchit" or some such.

I readily admit, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I cannot get this to function.

Mark, have you used the RP50? Anyone who has, have you been succesful with this function. I suppose it's possible that the jack is bad, but seems like an odd isolated failure, if so.

Thoughts?

 

[markb]

I works for me with a really cheap Chinese made volume pedal. If only the taper was wah friendly! I just connect the output socket of the vp to the control jack on the RP50, edit the patch (pickup/wah control to one of the three manual wahs, Cr, Bo or Fr) and wah away to my heart's content. Maybe it doesn't like your vp.

Your vp should work for volume in most patches too. Does it?
Looking at the manual you should get wah on factory patch 53 and whammy on patch 57. It's worth trying those before delving into the editor.

 

[kidsmoke]

ok, I cannot see what I did any differently than previously, something in the way I addressed the pedal wah setting....but it works just fine.

Thanks a ton mark. :dude