DigiTech RP-20 Tube Preamp/Processor

The unit is easy to use as long as you aren't all smoked up. Edit your sound can be a little better but to get a good sound is somewhat time consuming. If everything was so easy to do it wouldn't be worth the trouble. The upgrade for this only helps the volume in the tuner setting, You don't want the volume up when tuning on stage. Also it helps the midi controls and adds two more effects that I don't need or want. The unit work well with a bit of brain matter at use.

The volume between settings does suck and having to set them is a pain in the dick but if you are going on stage you need to cover your ass and set the Volumes before you look like shit on stage.

I had a problem with the unit resetting it's defaults when hot at times. I sent the unit to Digitech and the did the repair and scratched the expression pedal sensor. Unit never sounded better. Never had another problem in 4 years. Studio recordings sound better than ever,quiet no pops between settings. The unit is a tank and is very strong in construction.I wouldn't need a backup with this unit.

Better than ever. I had quetions that were replied to and if you have a problem with Digitechs support, you just need to ask to talk to the right people. "The people that work on the units"

I play all kinds of music
I build and play guitars. Playing over 30years
If the unit were stolen, I would get a Digitaech rack model w/outboard pedal control. The price for the unit was high at the time but all electronics were expensive then.Units have gone way down in price while the units have gotten better sound wise but the units are made of cheep plastic. The outer housing is great on this thing!!

No comeco um pouco dificil, mas apos alguns dias ja da para dominar todos os parametros.

Excelente qualidade sonora tanto dos efeitos digitais quanto da distorc?o verdadeira valvulada.

Um problema de todas as pedaleiras digitech e o funcionamento dos foots que sempre tem que ser trocados porem somente esse defeito.

Como dito antes, seus foots sempre tem que ser trocados mas sempre que mando ela para avaliar o retorno e bem rapido, pois parece que a Digitech sabe desse problema e tem um estoque bem grande de foots.

Excelente pedaleira para qualquer estilo desde Heavy ate Axe, porem exije que o musico ja tenha um conhecimento grande de timbragem e ate mesmo de tocabilidade para ter uma facilidade maior no seu manuseio. Ja tive varias pedaleiras como Zoom 8080, rack zoom 9150 valve, boss gt-5, boss gt-6, mas nenhuma bate a rp 20. Somente uma coisa que questiono e a falta de input/output para loops externos de efeitos, porem ela possui uma gama t?o qrande, que vc consegue fazer qualquer timbre nela. Abracos, espero ter auxiliado vcs quanto a RP20 valve.

maybe i'm just really dumb? if the manual would give you any clues as to how to work the thing, it would be ok.
who wants to spend hours of the day trying to tweak the awful sounds?
one of my main problems is trying to get the volume between patches even. total nightmare!
on stage playing a nice little rhythm part on a fairly clean effect, going into the chorus and want that extra punch from the sound,(don't do it, bad idea!) when your foot makes contact with the pedal, WHAM! the gain goes up by about 10db and there you are looking like a twat drowning the whole band out. it's useless.
to fix the problem just read the very useful manual(not!) and spend days fucking around!

they are quite bad but some are a little better. the cleaner effects seem to produce better sounds.

had no problems with it's build and power etc. that is not the problem.

never dealt with digitech but if they had some degree of intelligence they would write a manual in plain english!
not everyone wants to mess around for hours

it was very expensive when i bought it. yes i have slated it and yes i do think it is crap. however, i'm a guitarist, i want to play guitar and write music. for those of you who don't want to do this as much and like fooling around with sounds for hours... go and get one now! i personally can't be bothered.
if you want to buy mine my email adress is:
danmcclew@hotmail.com
i'd be pleased to get rid of it.

Once I scanned through the manual (available on Digitech's website if you don't have one), it was pretty easy to figure out, but getting into the editing screens is not completely intuitive and I don't recommend advanced editing without at least having the manual available as a reference.

As someone else has already said, there is too much variation in gain/volume to use the presets as is, especially when using it in a live setting, but with some tweaking I was able to tame the beast and get my own sounds... I ended up starting with the "Funk Strat" setting since it has the best basic clean tone for my sound and added/edited the effects & settings I wanted in that preset. The clean effects are nice and very useable--much better and more convenient than using a bunch of stomp boxes.

While the tube distortion sounds are ok through my tube amp on clean setting (a Fender Twin, which by itself has almost useless distortion!), direct they are lacking... they sound harsh & still somewhat digital to me, even with much editing. Since I have to go direct 90% of the time (I play in a church and we can't use amps since the room is so live) I use this in conjunction with an H&K Tubeman Plus to get the tone I want... I use the Tubeman for tube crunch & distortion and the Digitech for everything else (chorus, reverb, delay, etc.). It may have something to do with the fact that the tube in the Digitech is being used in a low wattage setting, while in the Tubeman it's fully driven just like it would be in a real tube amp (I'm not an electronics person so I don't know all the technical details here--I just know I can hear a big difference). Swapping out the tube may help, though I haven't tried that yet.

The expression pedal also isn't that great for wah sounds--it goes too quickly from no to full volume without a nice gradual sweep as it's currently programmed (I think it can be edited, though it's not too necessary to my playing style so haven't spent a lot of time on it). As a straight volume control pedal it's ok, though.

Built like a tank. In a way, this is my backup, b/c if for some reason my Tubeman doesn't work, I would rely on this even though I'm not 100% happy with the distortion tones I'm getting out of the unit. It's had some minor power problems though--occasionally I have to power down and power back up in order for it to work properly (yes, I have the original power supply). It's never not worked after doing this, though.

An on/off button would have been nice, though. I'm a bit dubious about just plugging it in to turn it on and risking frying the electronics.

I've not dealt with any company reps, but the website is very comprehensive and discontinued product support is available, including manuals, FAQs, etc.

For clean playing, it's great. For those who like 80s style digital tone, it's great. For me, it works ok in conjunction with my other gear, but not by itself. I'll probably be retiring this and my rackmount gear for a Vox Tonelab SE (floor pedal version) once that becomes available, but I'm fine for now--no rush.

Easy to use

Sounds awsome if you came from the days of MXR pedals...LOL

spilled alot of fluids on and in it,works like new

dont know yet,never needed any...

I see some bad reviews,this unit is only good as to what is plugged into it and what it is plugged into,not to mention who is playing the instrument and setting up the parameters.This rp-20 is clean and sweet,I use a gibson flying-v and a westone guitar through an original Marshall 1959 super lead 100 amp with 1960 a/b cabs.Kicks major ass.The RP-20 isnt going to do all the work for U. :) ONLY NEGATIVE FROM ME WAS THE PRICE.

Very intimidating at first but I got used to it

Impossible to get any good sound out of this thing. All the presets are not only crappy-sounding but are too quiet. I read all the other reviews about tweaking the EQ and all, but after hours & hours of messing with it, it still sounded bad. I plan to get rid of this thing soon and go back to my RP-1.

Made me look like an ass at a gig, when switching presets, one was way too quiet and I had to adjust it mid-song... sigh... Gets quite hot, but otherwise it's built really well.

Why can't a machine this advanced & expensive just be plug-n-play?? Who wants to mess with parameters for hours on end just to find a good sound? NOT worth it. However, the volume pedal & built-in tuner are great to have... the display is easy to read. If only it SOUNDED good.

It's somewhat easy to get a good tone out of the RP-20, you just gotta know how. When I first started using it, I was dissapointed because the distortions were weak, but I soon realized that the EQ plays a big role. It also helps to turn the Input and Output levels up. Editing patches is a breeze. The interface is very easy to get around in, but if your after a tone that is not preset, it takes alot of tweaking. The manual is good, but it is very misprinted. I went through the manual a few times before I even had an RP20 and once I got one, I pretty much knew my way around rather well. I'm currently using the 1.02 version, but I plan on upgrading to the 1.504 Firmware.

I have an Ibanez Joe Satriani model, which goes into the RP20 into an Ibanez TB50R amp. It is very quiet. The only time it is noisy is when I'm using the MaxSustain setting on the compressor, and this only hapens when I am very close to the amp. It's easy to get good sounds like Eric Johnsons or EVH's, it just takes some tweaking. The effects are very good, but the distortion takes some EQ-ing to give it some balls.

The RP20 is a reliable unit and I would gig with it without any backup, but the only problem is that it gets very hot.

I've called DigiTech to get a replacement Data knob, and the operators were very nice. I was expecting to pay for the Data knob, but they're sending it to me for FREE!

I play rock and metal, with some jazz and classical, and this unit does very well. It goes great with my gear, and for the price I paid, I couldnt have gone wrong. Since RP20's are hard to come by these days, it would be hard to replace it, but i certainly would try. If unsucessful, I would definetly get another DigiTech product. I wish the distortions had more balls though. Luckily theres the EQ. I was gonna get a BOSS GT, but these Im sure are way better. You can get a whammy in a BOSS now can you!

you can plug this pedal in and play.....so it doesnt take much brains to use it....it has 100 factory presets to use....if you cant figure out how to edit then those should be sufficant untill you grow a new brain....the manual is always a good place to look if your stuck.....

sounds very very good.....there are so manny sounds to play with and tweak out......my personal favorite is having the expression pedal controll the time of the delay....you can get some crazy sounds like that....it has a noise filter so it doesnt have alot of unwanted buzzing....but of course there are settings that will buzz.....you can make the effects sound however you want really so its good for any style of guitar playing(i personaly LOVE the smashing pumpkins and it really does the trick for that).....im useing a fender frontman 25R and it sounds pretty good....i dont turn the volume on my amp up at all....i just use the volume on the RP20 because i think it gets a better tone that way...it still gets really loud....the one effect i dont really see any need for is the panner...i mean who wants there sound cutting in and out???....the GEQ is another nice touch to tweak the sound so its just perfect for your individual needs...

i cant really comment seeing as how im using the wrong power supply at the moment...so the screen wont light up...and its reset itself a few times and ive lost ALL my presets....but even then it was my error....you have to turn down the volumes on the back before you unplug it or it just might force a factory reset...could be the power supply thing....and yes...it does get kinda hot....it has tubes in it remember....nothing too major....

i tryed to find out why it wouldnt light up and stuff by e-mailing them from there website....they were verry helpfull and let me know i was using the wrong power supply...(its off by like one number)...and gave me the adress of the manufacturer of the one i needed along with th ecorrect model name and number....

I Play alot of music....i mostly write my own....but i LOVE the smashing pumpkins and this pedal is rad ass for playing pumpkin tunes...ive been playing for seven years now...i like how this pedal has an expression pedal and that it can be assigned to any peramiter you desire.....this pedal is amazing and id recomend it highly.....

I feel the unit is very easy to use, but it isn't the first "RP" unit I've owned. Editing patches is easy. I'm a male..."What instruction book?"

The digital effects are descent but the distortion sounds are horrible!! I play a Peavey Ultra 112 amp (Tube) and the solid state distortions, properly tweaked, sound more like my amps original distortion than the tube settings do.

Very dependable, gets fairly hot though.

Input level potentiometer got smashed and Digitech sent me a replacement free of charge in 3 days, with installation instructions and a spare...that is pretty good for me.

Been playing for 11 years. I play alot of 80's shit....usually covering keyborad on guitar. What do I wish it had?...my amplifier's distortion sound and it would be almost perfect.

It takes a while and you have to be very very very (very) patient and have a lot of time to tweek and retweek. But once everything is perfect, it an extraordinary tool. NOT FOR BEGINNERS OR IMPATIENT PEOPLE!! Typical of musicians, I immediately tossed the manual aside and jumped in with both feet. I eventually went back to the manual after a couple days to figure out how to do details and stuff. I reccoment that if you're good at figuring things out and enjoy a challenge.

I'm running an Ibanez Jem with Dimarzio Evos in it and from an Ibanez RG 7420 (7 string) with Evos as well. I run from that to a splitter first, than an Ibanez Punk Slam (for intros/special effects) to a DOD Supra distortion (for "tubesy boost"). I run from that into the Digitiech unit straight to a Boss 7 band EQ. That's for the left, the right side is my "simple" side, just a TEC 4X with simple distortion and clean sounds. The Digitech side is my main, upfront sounds. That runs into a vintage Sunn halfstack (highs) and Peavey 1x15 (lows). The "simple" side runs straight into a Carvin Legacy 2x12 combo. Everything runs into the EFFECTS LOOPS on the amps (very important!). I really need to smplify my rig, but I am very much a tech head (I'll admit it).

The effects are very "there". I mostly use the effects mixed with the clean sounds, pushing the effects back a bit and letting the untainted sounds stand out. The dual and quad chorus effects are very fun with major tweaking, as are the flangers. I find the analog delay to be very tasteful and have fallen very much in love with that setting.

This is a problem. Power chord is very poorly fit and tends to fall out if you're careless. Duct tape is reccomended. Aside from that, as long as you don't get screwed by stepping on that and having it reset, you can play as long as you please. Our band perdiodically goes on long jams in practices and often end up playing for upwards of 7 or 8 hours in a day. With very few breaks this thing toughs it out. I am going to buy some small fans to help out with the heat. It tends to bget very hot when you're creating/editing patches.

Never tried...

I play a little of everything, but the band I play in is mostly a mix of jazz/R&B/hard rock with various ethnic odds and ends thrown in there to keep it fresh. I like a lot of effects pushed back to create a canvas, if you will, for the crystal clean sounds. This is very useful for mixing it up and the wet/dry control. The hard rock comes in on the choruses and whatnot. This unit has some very useful distortion (both tube and solid) sounds with the right anmount of time in them. The parallel effects feature makes this unit very powerful.

Sometimes I sit in with various jazz groups and the clean sounds are lush and full with just my Sunn 4x10 halfstack. Very full bottom end and the the tube makes it glow. Otherwise, I sit in with "full bands" (keyboards, horn section, drums, bass, lead singer and ensemble). The unit is very at home with this as well; this requiring jazz chords, and chili peppers style (with horns) for uptempo numbers. Also requires the distortions to sound good, but not cranked. This works with the compression dialed in correctly. As for that, I play in a side project of a super melodic punk band (in the same vein as Blink 182's "Stay Together For The Kids" and also their Boxcar Racer). Mixing the levels of tube and solid distortions makes for a very full sound. Somewhat brainless music, but altogether fun.

Overall, this unit is very powerful and an incredible value, especially for the price (thanks Dan!). I'm not sure I would buy it new...for the price, I would keep on saving and buy me another Jem (I'll never need a wife with this babe). But seriously, if you want an intermediate to professional unit, this will work for ya. I built a solid cherry wood box with padding in it and a perfect fit so the pedal doesn't move. Definitely needs that! I expect to be using this for a long time.