Anybody have experience with a DigiTech RP355 multi/fx pedal?

[Notes_Norton]

I'm looking for something to graduate from my zoom G1X pedal.

 

It MUST have ALL of the following features:

 

1.) Direct to PA output level

2.) Twin Reverb emulation (or close)

3.) Light fuzz

4.) Wah

5.) Pitch Bend

6.) Tremolo

7.) Long sustain

8.) Acoustic guitar emulation would be a plus but if it doesn't have it is isn't a deal breaker.

 

The Digitech RP355 seems to fit the bill.

 

Does anyone have any experience with this one?

 

Pros?

 

Cons?

 

Reliability?

 

Anything better for the price with ALL the above requirements?

 

BTW, I am a sax player who doubles on guitar - I'm not a great guitarist so I don't need all the advanced features of this machine, but it does seem to have the ones I like.

 

Thanks...

 

Notes ?

[Notes_Norton]

bump

[peeper]

Not a fan myself, their whole line is extremely noisy and they are terrible tone suckers.

 

A quality selection of stomp boxes will serve you much better, in addition to lasting forever and holding their value for resale.

[whiteop]

RP500 or 1000 sounds great and lots more options. The 500 isn't that much higher that it would kill your wallet.

[charlie brown]

I know a fellow, that I "jam" with, that has the RP-500. He seems to "love it," for recording, but

is always scratching his head, trying to get the tone he hears, then....through an amp....ANY amp!

 

So...??? If it were me, in your situation, Bob...I'd probably go "Vox" Tonelab series. But, I don't use

effects boxes enough, to need one, really. All I really use, consistently, is an overdrive pedal, Rotary

simulator, Compression/Sustainer (mostly for the Ric 12-String), and a Wah-Wah, now and then.

But...to each his/her own.

 

CB

[Muskank Sally]

I've got one. Read the manual. It really helps. I upgraded from an RP-250 after its switch buttons died and believe me, it's not just the same box. The RP-355 may take a bit of familiarizing but it's worth it!

[Notes_Norton]

Thanks for all your comments.

 

The Tonelab has an amazing following and I considered it.

 

However, I went to the Vox site and they mention nothing about enabling the pedal to bend the pitch. This is an important feature for me. So if anybody has a Tonelab out there, please let me know if I can turn the foot pedal into a whammy bar and at least be able to bend the pitch a whole step.

 

Thanks.

 

?

[peeper]

You are asking a lot for an all in one box. You will be sacrificing quality in return for quantity. Your choice of course, but remember, you are only as good as your weakest link in the chain. And in a little box that does one hundred things, sounding good and quiet will not be among them.

[Notes_Norton]

You are asking a lot for an all in one box. You will be sacrificing quality in return for quantity. Your choice of course' date=' but remember, you are only as good as your weakest link in the chain. And in a little box that does one hundred things, sounding good and quiet will not be among them.[/quote']

You are correct, I do understand that, and I know I have to make a compromise.

 

However, guitar is not my main instrument. In my duo I play Sax, Flute, Wind Synth, Guitar, Vocals and a MIDI Percussion controller.

 

I do one-nighters and a few times per week I schlepp and set up:

* Tenor Sax

* Wind MIDI controller with:

-- large pedal controller

-- 3 synthesizer modules (in a 4 space rack)

* Flute

* Guitar with:

--all purpose pedal

* PA Mixer and FX (in a 10 space rack)

* PA amp (in a 4 space rack)

* 2 15" speaker cabinets

* Power Conditioner

* 2 microphones and stands

* Keyboard stand and:

--2 computers

--1 percussion controller

and for my partner

* Tactile MIDI controller

* Guitar with;

--all purpose pedal

* Computer and stand

plus

* a million wires (or it seems like that many)

 

So the last thing I want to do is hook up a half dozen discreet pedals and/or schlepp around a guitar amp.

 

I am an excellent saxophonist (best in the state 3 years running), and I think an excellent wind synthesist. I consider myself adequate on the flute and adequate on the guitar. (I also play keyboard synth and bass, but I don't bring them on stage).

 

So for me the convenience of having a one multi purpose pedal outweighs the better tone I know I would have with discreet pedals and an amp.

 

But what is good tone anyway? Is it Hendrix? Joe Pass? Page? Beck? Kenny Burrell? Chet Atkins? Kirk Hammett? Emily Remler? Al Caiola? Steve Cropper? Eddie VanHalen? Herb Ellis? David Gilmore? Duane Allman? Allan Holdsworth? Carlos Santana? Stanley Jordan? Barney Kessell? Pat Metheny? Les Paul? Slash? Johnny Smith? Terry Kath? And which guitar/amp or which phase of their career?

 

You get the idea.

 

To me, as long as the tone is "in the ball park" for the kind of music I want to play, it is secondary to my ability to express myself through my talents (whatever they are) and the technique required to control the tool I am using.

 

In other words, expression is more important to me than the finer points of tone (of course YMMV).

 

Of course, it's best to have great tone AND technique.

 

But what if what I consider perfect tone is not what the audience member considers perfect tone? That's something I've pondered from time to time, especially as I work on my sax sound.

 

Quiet is another matter.

 

I am a gigging musician and the only time I've been in a room without ambient noise in it, the customers were all dressed up as tables and chairs ;-)

 

As long as the noise between songs is lower than the room noise, it's no problem. I hope whatever pedal I decide on is quiet when not being used.

 

Noise in the tone? Isn't fuzz noise in the tone? So that's again subjective.

 

If I were a recording artist on the guitar (I am on the sax) it would be different.

 

In summary, I definitely want an all-purpose fx/amp sim/direct box pedal. I realize it is a compromise but it is one I am willing to make. I am not a great guitarist yet, and in years to come when I get better, I reserve the right to change my mind.

 

Plus, I'm playing through a Zoom G1X pedal that I paid about $50 for, and I have been for a couple of years now. I suspect the $200 or so pedal I end up with will be much better than that as far as quality of sound is concerned.

 

Now I don't sacrifice tone on my sax, I use a very high quality mouthpiece, never use synthetic reeds, have an excellent sounding horn, and use a Sennheiser MD421 microphone. So I definitely understand where you are coming from. But I am a saxophonist who doubles on the guitar, not a guitarist who doubles on the sax.

 

I do thank you for your comments, I understand what you are saying, and you are correct. I am sacrificing quality and I know it, but it's something I just have to do.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ?

[Blackrose]

Notes;

 

Have you looked at the Boss ME-50 or ME-70. The ME-70 should be able to meet all of your requirements except for the accoustic emulation. (Clean or Tweed setting in Preamp section should get you close to Twin Reverb.) This unit also includes a 38-seconclooper function. The ME-50 adds the accoustic emulation, but you lose the looper. I have the ME-70, and it functions well for me. Both units are built like a Sherman tank - dependability shouldn't be an issue. Also, both units have a full manual mode (function just like a pedal board full of individual stomp boxes), as well as the ability to store & recall settings. Might be worth a look-see. Manuals are downloadable from the suppoert page at: http:/www.bossus.com/

 

Craig

[RSDx]

I have a RP350 - guess the RP355 took it's place in their lineup....scored a good deal on close-out. I think it's more than adequate, if you take the time to learn the interface and build patches from scratch - the factory presets are pretty over the top, mostly - though there are some nice sounding ones. It's a bonus that you can hook it up to your comp and build/modify patches using their software instead of hunching and fiddling with the little knobs and switches on the unit itself. It may not be excellent at every "effect" it tries to emulate, but it's more than decent (and you can tweak and tweak until you get close enough to what you desire)..... mine's been reiliable, although if something goes wrong with it, I don't know if it's repairable or not (chip and circuit board ??? Likely not...) Perhaps can you demo one at a Guitar Center or something ? As far as noise, my single coil guitar induces more noise than any pedal I have, so ... noise is relative, as you pointed out...... It's a fun little device, but there is a learning curve involved.... fwiw

[Notes_Norton]

Notes;

 

Have you looked at the Boss ME-50 or ME-70. The ME-70 should be able to meet all of your requirements except for the accoustic emulation. (Clean or Tweed setting in Preamp section should get you close to Twin Reverb.) This unit also includes a 38-seconclooper function. <...>

Craig

 

Thanks. I don't need the looper' date=' so that isn't a big deal. I can make backing tracks to any song I want to play with Band-in-a-Box and practice over the tracks.

 

I don't see where they offer pitch bending with the pedal. That's important to me. We do a few songs where I use that function on the Zoom pedal to emulate a slide guitar, sliding up to pitch. I suck at slide and I don't have a whammy on any of my guitars. I really like that effect.

 

I have a RP350 - guess the RP355 took it's place in their lineup....scored a good deal on close-out. I think it's more than adequate' date=' if you take the time to learn the interface and build patches from scratch - the factory presets are pretty over the top, mostly - though there are some nice sounding ones. [/quote']

 

From the demos I've heard on the manufacturer sites and YouTube plus the presets on my Zoom, that seems to be the normal case. It seems like the manufacturers believe everybody wants to play extreme guitar. I built a couple from scratch on the Zoom and backed off a couple of the presets to get the ones I like.

 

If anyone has the Boss or Tonelab, please let me know if they have the pitch bend function. They seem to have everything else I need.

 

Notes ?

[peeper]

OK then, as long as we're talking apples to apples.

 

??? Are you wanting to run this straight to PA without a guitar amp?

 

Whats the budget? If you want to go straight to the board, I would still recommend a few pieces so that your rig is the best possible while being flexible enough to cover all your venues and configurations.

 

SO what you got to invest in this?

[Notes_Norton]

Yes, straight to the PA Mixer without an amp.

 

It's the slow season in Florida, so $200 max is the budget.

 

That and simplicity of setup are important. The fewest amount of cables and absolutely no batteries.

 

Notes ?

[wiggy]

How about one of these - will do everything you're looking for and way more.

 

Download GNX3 Manual (PDF)

 

Demo Sounds

 

There is also an excellent user area on the Digitech site where you can download 1000's of patches.

 

They're discontinued now but you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a decent used on in your budget.

 

[Notes_Norton]

Thanks

 

 

 

?

[Blackrose]

"Notes";

 

I don't see where they offer pitch bending with the pedal. That's important to me. We do a few songs where I use that function on the Zoom pedal to emulate a slide guitar, sliding up to pitch. I suck at slide and I don't have a whammy on any of my guitars. I really like that effect.

The expression pedal is dual mode ; Default is a volume pedal, alternate is assigned via a rotary selector switch. The +Octave and -Octave settings will allow a pitch bend up or down via the expression pedal. You control the amount of pitch shift (up to a full octave) via the pedal position. Hope this helps.

 

Craig

[93DMTX1281734249]

Definitely check out the GNXs...I'd look for a GNX4.

 

And MUST get the MFX Supermodels. Google those. They turned what I considered an OK modeler into something I still can't believe. Honestly, I very rarely power up my Boogie any more.

 

I recently picked up a second perfect condition GNX4 for $150 off of CL.

[duane v]

I have the digitech vocal300 and have been playing with it for about a week and it really works well for live sound...... It's has a little hiss to it, but nothing that should be bothersome in a live setting. It's a nice multi effect for $199, especially for sax players

[Notes_Norton]

Thanks again for the additional info.

 

Still doing my homework ;-)

 

Notes ?

[motowntom]

vox tonelab! will do everything you want. period. i use one for recording, but have run it through the p.a. will never lug an amp again.

 

cheers

[antwhi2001]

I'm very happy with my new Boss ME70, I used to use 6 pedals at gigs, this has replaced them all and given me loads of additional options. Only thing I would have liked adding is acoustic simulator, but, like you, I can live without that. Some reviews have criticised the wah, but I'm happy with it now I've got used to its' characteristics. I just set my Fender 410 up with a straight clean sound and a hint of reverb, then get everything I want on the ME70. If my amp ever dies at a gig I know I can engage the Pre-amp, plug straight in the PA, and get all my usual sounds. I'm hooked, and I can cover the cost of the ME70 by selling some of my pedals. Just sold my tubescreamer and DD-3, and raised half the money already...

[Notes_Norton]

Thanks again.

 

More choices.

 

This is sooooo confusing ;-)

 

I think I'm going to have to take a trip to the big cities (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach) and see if I can try a few of these out.

 

I have a feeling that whichever one I choose, I can't go wrong. They will all be better than my $50 Zoom pedal

 

Notes