DigiTech RP50 Modeling Guitar Processor

[Tekime]

DigiTech RP50 Modeling Guitar Processor

This is my first review of a multi-effects processor, the first multi-effects processor I have ever purchased, and I am an amateur guitarist. Many of the people looking at a budget processor are probably in the same shoes, so here goes.

http://www.digitech.com/products/images/RP50.jpg

Retail Price: $99.95
Street Price: $59.95

Pros
Lots of extra features
Very affordable

Cons
All plastic assembly
Non-editable drum patterns
Simple LCD display

Review

An affordable multi-effects processor with many features and effects. A flexible unit for the budget amateur or intermediate guitarist.

Summary

The DigiTech RP50 is a guitar tone and effects processor with a built-in drum machine, chromatic tuner, expression pedal input, and more. It is feature packed with a low price for the budget guitarist.

I purchased the RP50 at a local shop for about $47. A multi-effects processor like this is perfect for someone like me - an amateur guitarist with a low budget demanding tons of features. This unit lets you manage up to 40 user presets, with 40 more factory presets locked in memory, for a total of 80 effects selected with two pedals. The RP50 allows for ten simultaneous effects from a total of almost 30:

* Pickup Simulator
* Compressor
* Wah
* Amp Modeling
* Cabinet Modeling
* 3-band EQ
* Noise Gate
* Auto Swell
* Chorus
* Flanger
* Phaser
* Tremolo
* Panner
* Vibrato
* Rotary Speaker
* Auto Ya
* Envelope Filter
* Detune
* Pitch Shift
* Whammy
* Digital Delay
* Analog Delay
* Ping Pong Delay
* 6 Different Reverbs

So you can really pump out a lot of wicked sounds from this device.

The RP50 also has a chromatic tuner, a drum "machine" with 30 preset patterns, tempo, and volume control, and battery or AC power to suit your needs. The addition of an expression pedal input lets you add a passive volume pedal to manipulate control whammy, wah, and volume.

The sound of the RP50 is pretty clean on my budget system, and the added tuner and drum machine will save some money on a separate tuner and metronome.

[DEMONIAC]

haha i got one of these babys and i am playing gigs with it .....i love it ...
ya it sucks its plastice not a good peddle for the heavy foot
but for 50 bucks it rocks me and my rythem guitarest use one
go check out the sounds we get from it

www.myspace.com/thesmalltowntragedies

[silentmusic]

Good review :D I have heard good things about them :cool: yea the plastic is not the best material to make a Modeling Guitar Processor
with :rolleyes: but for the price it costs it has a good range of effects..

[9mmammo]

I just pulled the 250 out of the box a little while ago. I haven't even plugged it in...It's smaller than depicted but seems rather rugged...I'm really hard on stuff..so I'll have to see how long this thing will hang in there. I play for my own enjoyment but found myself with the need to expand with the electric guitar....Hope it makes it past the warranty period........

[txladykat]

real newbie here. i bought this over the weekend and am totally clueless how to work it! LOL, for example, when i cant even figure out how to change the drum patterns! i hit edit and it does something different. and how do you know what all the presets are? any advice would be appreciated.

[iceandhotwax]

ftp://ftp.digitech.com/pub/PDFs/Manuals/RP50/RP50%20Manual.pdf
this is a link to the online owners manual it is in adobe format and you can enlarge the thing to a readable size , i just purchased an rp150 and it is really decent altho much more complicated than i realized ...

[txladykat]

thanks, I have the manual that came with it, but for someone who has never even touched something like this, it isn't very informative. LOL

My guitar amp has a few effects built into, phaser, delay, etc. I mostly bought this for the drum beats, but have quickly found out that they don't suit me. Almost all of them sound the same and can't be changed. They aren't the rhythm that I play. Therefore, I am going to return it and get something else.

Can anyone suggest something for my needs? I need something that will help me play better timing, but I don't like the sound of a typical metronome, I find it very annoying and distracting. I also would like something a bit smaller that I can plug into to practice so I don't have to lug my amp out every time. I always practice with headphones on (family doesn't care to listen t me practice, LOL).