DigiTech RP-20 Tube Preamp/Processor

I love the sounds that you can get out of the RP-20. You can get good sounds for any type of music you play. You can edit the sounds to get the sound you are looking for although this is not as easy to use as it could be.

I use a Peavey Bandit 212 amp and a Gibson Studio Les Paul and I get a great sound for all the effects. I can get sounds from Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Led Zepplin, pretty much any artist I want. I like the variety of distortion and chorus effects.

I got a great deal and bought mine used. For the most part I feel I can depend on it without needing a backup.

I play rock and jazz and feel that I can get great sounds out of the RP-20 for both these styles. I've played for 6 years and feel this product is as good as any other. I love the variety of sound you can get but wish that it was a little easier to edit the sounds. I've found that it helps me in all my styles of playing.

Its very easy to set the patches, but very difficult to get the right sound, however you ever will get it.

Sounds really cool, but distortion aren't enought powerfull than a marshall's distortion i like.

Excelent

Poor shit, digitech is ever absent.

wonderfull, on stage, on studio and house, you only needs the right amplifier and right guitar, and patience to programming and testing and do it again until it sounds rigt

if u do not have the manual it is hard to use...not seems like a japan made.:)))

i used roland gp 16 digital effect processor. it has very noisey distortion (i never used); good overdrive. but the digital processors
can not give the high notes (after the 15 fred)cleary; for ex. gp 16 , boss se 50. after i meet this machine i have the smooth, powerfull blues & rock sound. this is about an analog , about the tube!!! one of the bad point is the expression between the effects is not quick. (1/2 sec)...so it is not be real good for live performance.

The rp20 is not very difficult to program, but getting the right sound out of it is somewhat tricky and time consuming.

If you are a metal head this unit sounds great. If you aren't, you will be disappointed. I am not a metal head. I use a Gibson Les Paul Studio through an Ampeg amp. The distortions and overdrives are crap-they sound somewhat muddy. If you want that old fuzz sound, get a vintage fuzz pedal. They sound much better. The wah pedal is the worst I have ever heard. Absolutely minimal range to it. The delays sound alright. The phasers and flangers sound decent and are actually quite versatile. But overall, the sound quality is disappointing.

I have never had a problem with it.

The web site has hardly any information on the rp20 since it has been discontinued.

I have been playing guitar for 24 years. I play blues, country, rock, jazz, and classical. The rp20 sounds great for metal, and newer styles of music. But if you are looking for any vintage sounds, forget it. Buy an old fuzzrite pedal and vox wah instead. The rp20 is not as clear sounding as the old stomp boxes. It is too artificial sounding. Don't waste your money on this one.

this effects unit is a bit tricky to figure out (for beginner programmers) but once you get the hang of it you realize how the interface is actually laid out pretty well, and quite user friendly. The pre sets are really lush and thier are so many distortions you can easily find one that comes close to the sound you want and easily edit the preset to your own customized likings. Editing your customized exsisting patches comes quite easy. The proccessor interface has l.e.d buttons that tell you where you are on the led screen interface. Any editing being done can instantaniuosly be compared to the original patch by holding down the program button. This makes making changes not so painful. The processor also tells you the exact parameter changes you have made and saves the original until you overwrite that patch. The manual worked fine for me but I just ued it to figure out a few functions, I found it easier just to jump right into it and start messing around with parameters to find what sounds I liked. My unit is the upgraded unit.

I find that this processor is pretty noiseless in comparison to other effects units i have used. The noise gate on this unit is great. Some of the distortion channels can create some noise, but hey isn't that what it is? Any how if that is a problem it can easily be diminished by the very effiecient noise gate. The effects are always extremely rich and on point. The flanger and phaser offer the user multiple options to create different wave shapes and speeds. Both effects are also extremely rich in quality. I run my Rp-20 through a Mesa Boogie dual rectifier effects loop using the rectifier as my main clean and main distortion but use the processor to create alternate clean and distorted patches as well as all the other effects the processor offers. It sounds "Bad Ass"

I always can depend on this unit. I have not only used itfor guitar applications but also used it for vocal effects as well as processing computer based samples. I really enjoy the sounds I get from this unit as well as its versatility

Never had to get my unit repaired so

I play all different styles from Heavy Metal to extremely melodic soundscapes and found this unit to accomidate all my effects needs

Absolute Hell. I don't have the manual, which after readin most of the reviews, probably wouldn't help. I've used alot of digitech programming so I didn't think it'd be a problem. Wrong. It's as if other effects program setups are in english and this is chinese.
I give it a four because if you've never done programming you'll kill yourself.

The sound quality is iffy. May depend on your setup. DI is a joke. The distortions are a joke but I mean come on it's Digitech. I use these things for delay reverb and maybe modulation. Get a shredmaster or a rat if you want good distortion. The problem is the EQ is almost non existent, and if you use any reverb it sounds like mud, clean sounds like there's something wrong. Too processed.

Some people complain about the power, I'm used to those converters and maybe they aren't used to wall wart shit. I can rely on it. REly on it to suck though.

Digitech is pretty good. People complain but I don't think these people are really used to dealing with them. It's not K-Mart.

I play shoegazer stuff. The sad thing is there are some cool sounds in it. It's just you can't really create things you want with it, it basically takes over- no real control over the quality of sound, I'm not an amature when it comes to things like this. I have 5 pedal board type units such as this one. All great except the RP20. I realise why the RP20 was discontinued. Get an RP21 save yourself a headache. I never write reviews, I just hoped people wouldn't waste their money cause I was misled by these reviews.

Getting the standard sound out of it is VERY easy; and they sound good too. But when you want to create your own sounds, it takes you some time. If you would have a GOOD manual (not the one by Digitech) then it should not be too hard.

Sound quality is GREAT!
Enough distortions, EQ's, effects, everything!
The only effect I didn't like was the Wha-effect. The rest of the effects are very good.
There is a little problem concerning the noise when using HUGE compression or lots of distortions.

You can depend on it, no problems.
But I have created a good solid wooden box for it, so no one can accidentally step on the jack-plugs etc.

Rock/funk pop-music.
Like the Peppers, Skunk, Live, etc.
Good match for that.
I would buy it again, but first destroy the lifeform that dared to steal it.
I have used lots of single effects, and distortion from amps, but this one was the best.

DISREGARD EVERY BAD REVIEW YOU READ ABOUT THE RP20. I HAVE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR 17 YEARS AND THIS IS GREAT (It's practically the same as the RP21).

Distortion is important to guitarists like me, so I'm going to set the record straight. YOU CAN GET ANY DISTORTION YOU WANT FROM THIS UNIT! Anyone who gave the distortions a bad review were probably not using the EQ. You have to be a bit technical, analytic and patient but the sounds will come!!!!!

It is fairly easy to use once you get used to the layout of the menus. The manual doesn't help very much, in fact, the only reason why I'm convinced that I progressed quickly is because I have had other Digitech processors (legend II rack system).
I think mine is the 1.05 (not sure). All the pedals, buttons, knobs, gadgets, etc. are very well laid out. I have a size 13 shoe and have no problems with this (unlike BOSS CRAPPY STUFF).
I ONLY GAVE THIS AN 8 BECAUSE IT IS TECHNICAL - MOST GUITARIST (SORRY GUYS) ARE NOT VERY TECHNICAL IN NATURE SO IT MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR SOME TO GET THE TONES THEY WANT BECAUSE THEY ARE USED TO TURNING KNOBS.

This is a 10 if there ever was a 10. I have had many different processors from Digitech and other companies and this far excedes my expectations. If you can't get a decent sound out of this you are 1) doing something wrong or 2) the rest of your gear sucks.

I use USA BC Rich guitars ONLY!!! The collection I have covers most of the "tone" spectrum. From Gunslinger/Eagle/ST-III's/Mockingbird. They sound great with this. I play mostly "metal" type music but also do blues, COUNTRY, Jazz, and regular freaky stuff. THIS MACHINE IS THE BOMB!!!

I go straight into a yamaha md-4 recorder and listen mostly via headphones. The rp sounds just as good with my 60 watt crate.
There is very minimal noise with this unit. This in due to the great noise reduction. You can get ANY sound from ANY artist with patience. Tweaking the EQ (10 band for each distortion path) can get you what you want. Remember... tis better to cut than add!

I would depend on it. It seems strong, pedal is tough. There has been complaints about the power cord. I have had no problems with this. No problems with resets, fizzling, poping, etc.

DIGITECHS SITE SUCKS (for discontinued models anyway)

I would like to have had more info when I bought this. These reviews were the only thing that I had to assist me in my descision since I bought it used on line. At least they provide a manual (shitty as it is) on line.

If you are thinking of buying this one... do it. As I said earlier, I've tried many different things and this is by far the best purchase I've ever made.
Don't get the BOSS stuff (multi--effects) The tones are very limiting to me. I had bought a ME-8 and sold it a few days later. You also have complete control over every perameter that you would want with this.

Contact me if you would like some info about this

As everyone has stated already-Manual sucks.To make matters worse,I bought it used without manual and it required 1 ink well and 110+
pages.A lot of time and money involved in printing this POS.Of course for $300,I cant bitch too much.Fairly easy to use once you get a feel for it but is a real nightmare compared to my old RP6.

Sounds pretty good compared to my old RP1 or RP6.I have been lucky because I havent noticed any substantial noise with this unit.I use a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe tube amp and a Peavey Renown 400 solid state amp with this unit.Sounds better through the Peavey than the Fender but definitely nosier through the Peavey.Word of warning though,sounds
very strange through the tube amp using a Gibson Les Paul-Extremely dark/delayed sound.

I have been very fortunate to have not had the usual problems with this unit.No pedals falling off and cord on this unit feels solid.
I have tripped on the cord without it coming loose.I do not gig with this unit so constant "wear and tear" has not been an issue.This beast does get super-hot but have not had the reset problem yet even using it for 3-4 hours at a time.

Havent dealt with Digitech service.I feel this is a good thing since I have owned RP1,RP6,and now the RP20.

Been playing for a couple years now and play mostly heavy rock.I feel the RP20 does an excellent job for me at my current ability.I do find that the Fender tube amp/Les Paul combo sucks but the Fender with my Brian Moore sounds pretty damned sweet.If it were to be stolen.I would likely replace it if I could find one for the same $300 I spent on this one.I would NOT pay full price because I believe there are better products for the retail price of this unit.

Ease of use depends on how far you want to go. You can use the factory default patches which in some cases give you a good sound. For basic patch creating, it's pretty easy, but once you get into LFO's and Dynamic modifiers - where you can really make the unit shine, it becomes more difficult to get a good sound.

As everyone else says, the manual SUCKS, but a guy called Bruce James has written a freeware program which is just about ready to go for the RP-20 which will help you understand MUCH better than the manual ever will. Digitech has had some bugs in the Sysex routines for MIDI interfacing the RP-20 and on the beta version I am testing they are all fixed. My software version is "1.10 4"

I had an RP7 previously. That was a very simple unit to use, but correctly configured, the RP-20 puts it to shame. I have a Custom Les-Paul Gold Top (1991 re-issue of the '57 Gold Top). A Marshall JCM900 Hi-Reverb 100W (the Dual-Gain Hi-Reverb is a later model). The effects are lovely but I am having a hard time getting good clean and high-distortion sounds without also altering my AMP dials. Guess I need to go rack.

Avoid Whammy, Harmoniser, and Wah- I have a Jimi Hendrix Crybaby that I use with the unit. I play Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne plus a lot of accoustic / melodic stuff which I mainly write myself. I'm looking for Extreme Metal sounds and delicate accoustic which can be hard to do from one unit. The Digitech is almost there

Now that I have the Possibility of re-loading all my patches from laptop in short order I'm happy. If I was playing at a very professional level I'd probably be using rack systems. Any piece of equipment can fail. I take pretty good care of my gear and have not had any of the problems that others have mentioned- footswitches breaking or power cable troubles etc. I set up my workspace so cables can't get in the way both at home and on stage.

A while ago quite a few of us were harping to Digitech about the Sysex problems. It took them about a month to come out with a fix once we proved that our concerns were real. At that stage the product was already discontinued. I strongly recommend you upgrade your Digitech to the latest firmware. Mine was 1.03 to start with and 1.10 has three new modules (mainly to do with delay though) plus most of the bugs fixed.

Hard Rock / Heavy Metal is my main bent. The RP is great for this but as I don't have stereo Amplification I'm seriously missing out on a lot of the cool stuff!

I'd probably buy a 2120 or something if this machine died- TWICE the SDISC Processing !!!! And it would be a reason to move on to Rack systems

I love the incredible bredth of the sounds you can create. But I have trouble mixing the extremes without altering my amp settings. My favorite feature is a patch called "String Swell" Sure it's a pretty digital kind of sound but a track of open chords can do wonders for a ballad. I pretty much chose it when I heard this patch. I wish it had an in-depth manual on what LFO's are and good examples of how they can be used. Once again RPEdit to the rescue!! Do yourself a favour and go to http://www.voyager.co.nz/~bjames/RPEdit.html

I've had it for nearly two years now and have no plans to upgrade unless it is broken or stolen.