DigiTech RP-20 Tube Preamp/Processor

figuring out how to use it is somewhat a pain, but honestly a lot easier than the rp355 i just bought
once you know what youre doing its easy to create any sound you can imagine

it has a tube,so basicly it sounds amazing.
i wish i could transfer my sound onto my new unit.
i agree with the comments about the factory sounds being horrible.
the volume is all over the place from preset to preset.
but then again i dont know why anyone would use a preset without tweaking it.
i always used multiple eq's and could get some crazy tones.
I would have bought another one (brand new) if that was an option.

ive never had any problems with the power supply coming out durring play, unless it was my own fault. its not like the cord just pops out. but i do agree its an unstable connection and unless you unplug it from the wall itself the box makes noise even when you disconnect it from the unit.
aside from that ive had mine for over 10 years when they were new and its been all over the country with me, its taken its toll, one by one the buttons have all failed until i have one active switch.(5)
my main reason for replaceing it. that and the save button doesnt work anymore either.
not to say its put together poorly though, its a great unit, but 10 years later i have to lay it to rest, it died about 3 years ago.

never dealt with digitech
it worked great for about 7 years
no problems

if you can get this cheap definitely get it.
unless its been severely damaged (like mine) it wont let you down.
ive played it with a jackson king v consistantly through multiple amps and always sounded great.
it was crazy expensive back then but im sure you can get it real cheap now, and it would be worth whatever you pay

Just a great unit.Wish I had another.

Great sounding and versatile.

Dependable

No

This is probably like milking a dead cow,but I own an RP-20 which was purshased new for $800.00.I was lucky,it was returned after a few days by some kid who did not want it.So for 600.00,it was mine.I love this thing.Matter of fact,my son has been using it,so we tried to find one used on ebay and craigslist,no luck.I would get one without a thought if one is found.We settled for the Boss ME-20 which also sounds SWEET.It is really impossible to judge any effects system.Guitar,pickups,strings and amps make all the difference in the world.Even the player.I use a vintage Marshall Super lead 100 with 2-4x12 cabs on either a Gibson V or a Westone.Gibson has super distortion pickups and the Westone has a Humbucker.Sounds great in stereo into line in jack on the pc or head phones.I give the RP20 5 stars all day long.
JimmyZ - NY

There's no doubt that you will need to spend some time with this unit. It's great for gear heads. Probably not a great unit for people who want to just plug and go. For one, the presets aren't save-able - even just the volume changes you make, so if you want them to be different, you'll need them to save them to a user spot. I say this because, as others have mentioned, the preset volumes are all over the map. It is unlikely that you will be able to just plug this box in and switch from sound to sound either onstage or jamming. For recordig it would be fine, but for other situations, you are going to have to do some homework.

I didn't find the manual terribly confusing (nothing like Roland), but then I'm used to worse. Editing is a breeze once you've got it down.

My firmware has never been upgraded.

I have two of these units - one that I've used for my guitar setup and one that I used for a violin/mandolin setup alongside it. First let me say that this is a great unit. I wouldn't have two if it wasn't. It is incredibly versatile and provides you with almost any effect you will ever need. The distortions are not stellar right out of the box and I will admit - are somewhat digital - but can be worked with. The dual distortion thing is actually quite cool. The reverbs, delays and choruses are excellent, and I don't think you'll find better unless you invest in seriously high-end stuff.

Having said all that - there are some effects in this unit that sound more digital than others. I'm not fond of the phaser or the flanger, nor is the wah of any practical use unless you want to throw auto-wah on something weird just to get the in/out of phase thing happening. The distortions benefit from going through other pedals on the output - mine is going out into a Red Snapper and it really helps beef up the distortion on the unit. The tube drive is actually pretty nice on its own, though you will likely need to tweak the EQ.

I use mine with a Marshall Valvestate amp and sometimes a Fender Princeton Chorus.

This unit has one issue (mentioned by others also) and that's the power supply chord. In almost every rehearsal I've ever had, someone had stepped either on or near the power chord and turned me off. Onstage, I took extra care to make sure this wouldn't happen, but it's not easy - there's no good way to provide extra security other than maybe duck tape. The provided cord clip on the unit is no guarantee, though it helps a bit.

These units are old now, and I have had one totally die on me (Digitech repair ROCKS!), so they are definitely a slight risk without a backup. Then again, I always figure if you're a decent player you should be able to pull off a gig with just your amp, but depending on the band, this could be a problem.

The unit is built really tough. I have always loved that it is actually made of metal unlike all the other multi's they make now.

Digitech repair rocks. You can take it to any large guitar store and they will send it off. One price for any fix ($80 the last time I checked). Got it back in two weeks. No complaints.

This unit is great if you are interested in having an arsenal of sounds. The morph feature is also really cool (you can set up the pedal to morph between sounds or to turn an effect on or off). I used it primarily for an experimental rock project where having a lot of different sounds was key. For that situation, it was absolutely the best.

I play two primary guitars - a 72 Fender Mustang Competition and a Parker Fly Deluxe. I have also run a bunch of random instruments through this unit - mandolins, electric violins, and drum machines. It's a great tool and very versatile.

The unit is also incredibly quiet and great for recording. My band has made several records and I've recorded a lot of tracks direct using this unit whenever recording through an amp wasn't possible. (you can check some of them out if you'd like at www.myspace/jariyamusic). The space effects are stellar, especially the reverbs and you will be hard pressed to find a plug-in (if you're an audio engineer) that rivals the reverb you will get out of this box.

I would definitely replace it with another of the same model. Having two not only provides me with a backup (you can dump all your sounds from one onto another using the MIDI i/o), but allows me to route other things through it onstage. I'd have to agree that there is nothing out there in the price range that is nearly as impressive. Especially since you can pick them up now for a little over $100. Rock solid housing makes this unit a keeper. I bought mine new when they first come out and I'm still using that one as my primary box. I have gigged with it for the whole time I've had it.

I have one tip and that's to always use the headphone output as your out (if you're in stereo - get a stereo cord). You'll find that this out sounds better than the others. Using the stereo out is particularly great for recording.

It's not easy getting a good sound of this thing.It's always one or another when i was playing in this metal band in va.I could never get a good balance between the highs and lows when i was cranking up the distortion the sound was either muffled,very muddy or weak and harsh making it difficult getting a good mix at band pratice.

the gain type of effects such as distortion and wah are flat out fake.The wah sounds like some bad chorus/tremelo effect.These so called personal programmable settings like grunge,angus young and evh dont sound like a damb thing close to what it represents.The death metal scoop setting was probably the best out of all of them for that tight chunky rythem but not enough bass.I had to fiddle around with the eq settings between the clean channel on my marshall valvestate and the processer itself a million times to get something halfway decent.Although i found that the noise gate helped out a little bit either to clean somethings up and quiet down some of that excessive noise and hum for those tighter rythem breaks between pauses.

I've played numerous gigs w/this processer in the va/del/md area never had problems.After a year or two later i"ve stopped using processers and went back to the old drawing board of using stompboxes and distorted amplifiers and been happier ever since.

I play basically metal and some classic rock type of stuff.I pretty much gave up on the processer in fact i sold it back to the guy who had sold it to me a couple of years earlier.Although i have a little RP50 that i plug into my tascam 4-track when im at home working on a guitar riff which in fact sounds alot better than the RP20 with the amp and cabinet modeling.Digitech has gotten alot better in the last few years but it's nothing compared to the sound of a overdriven marshall.Yes it's pretty cool to have all these diffrent sounds in one package like the various reverbs,delays.flanger/phase shifters which is pratical for the money considering that i dont have much use for them.The important key is to not sacrifice good tone but all the other weird crazy effects are OK because thats what they are.Lets face it if you want a wah sound get a dunlop crybaby,vox or even a morley theres all kinds to chose from.Last but not least plug into your marshall,mesa,peavy etc...and crank it up to hear the pure heaviness of rock and roll not some computerized crap telling you otherwise.

Well, I bought the RP-20 a year ago and only now I was writing this review. Why? Because now I have the knowledge to submit a real review.
Easy of use is relative. I had a RP-10 a time ago and i'd like it so much. So, the algorithm of the RP-20 is in "Digitech form".
The factory patches sucks. But you can better someones easily :-P
This unit have many FX effects and require some time to get all the possibilities (you can mix some FX too! :) !)
I'm brazilian and have 2 manuals: English and Portuguese (but i prefer the English manual, the translation of Portuguese is a bit mess...)
It become with original firmware version on 1.03, but I upgrade it to version 1.54 (beta firmware), addin some effects and full MIDI implementation. Now I can use it with RPEdit and the patches editing are easy are ever! :-)

Yeah, this is a little trick. I have a korean Squire by Fender guitar with Spanich pickups (Brazilian pickups! Good! :P ) and a Fender Frontman 15 cube. It's a bit noise, but I think is because the pickups of my guitar (without the RP-20, sound still noisy :/ so..)
The effects box are amazing. Reverbs, chorus, tremolos, Analog Wah (yeah, its good too!) and, finally, Whammy!
You can do anything with this unit. And clone sounds of your favorite bands. But you may have time for it.
I play rock, metal, blues and some jazz. Sounds like Angra and Dream Theater (my preferreds..) can be played with it.
The tube and hybrid distortion are amazing, mainly if you mix them.
But is a litte trick to get a better tube sound: replace the tube with a 12AX7 NOS tube. In Brazil, it's very hard to get a good tube like Philips JAN (and the prices are expensive too...), so i bought a Tesla/JJ and replace the original tube. The distortion now sounds wonderful then ever.

I have it for a year ago and use it without a backup. I've listening another guys that have problems with the footswitchs. I'm a electronic technical and repair some RP's in my job. So, if it broke, I will repair it.
Another point is: it's hot! :P
The power supply circuit have 3 IC's that's get hot a lot!
Solution: I implemented a heat dissipator with a cooler on the backstage of the unit. It's work fine and noiseless.
If anyone have interested, I have pictures! :P

Some time ago, I repair a RP-6 unit and need a plastic footswitch for it. The brazilian Digitech autorized service sell me the footswitch that i'm looking for, but the price... :/

Whatever I say above, i play rock, metal, blues and a little of jazz. I playing for 8 years, and in my humble opinion, this is the best effects unit on the whole world!
Digitech rocks on this pedalboard. I have a chance to play in a new GNX-4 pedalboard effects and believe it: the RP-20 sounds better.
Why? The tube, obviously.
The only problem on it is the unique expression pedal, for use between Wah and volume. But i bought a very old Digitech MC2 MIDI expression pedal and solve the problem.
I'm a Digitech fan. Seriosly. My rating is based not only in RP-20 unit (that is great, believe it), but in my history with these fantastic units.
That's all!

It is very easy to use. I have seen some DVD's that are hard to use but with little time I was on my way.
When you figure out what the buttons do and their function you can do anything you want with it.
Firmware is 1.05
The manual give you more information than you need. It will also get some users in trouble because they will fool with things they think they know about.
For these idiots, sorry, mentally challenged people, they have the tech department that will get them on the right track.

The best for studio/on stage, you name it.
I use two LP's/ two Fenders and a handfull of guitars I built. I do custom guitar building for a living and have heard everything and nothing comes close to this unit.
I did use a couple very large Marshall amps and found that I could just use a 600 watt power amp and two 4x4 cabs and set the unit to sound like any amps I wanted!
The factory distortion settings were a little weak for my taste but a tweek on the massive EQ abilities took care of all that.

I know the systems have a internal problem of shutting down and resetting it self.
Giving the unit to the Digitechs repair department for a going over, I got it back a few years ago and have never had trouble sence.
I want to give the unit a 10 on reliability after the repair but new from the factory I don't think they were reliable. I will give them an 8

The repair department for Digitech is great. They have done a fantastic job of repairing my RP-20
The also returned every Email I sent and also explained to me what they were doing to repair my unit.
They also have a flat fee to repair anything wrong with your unit. "ANYTHING"

I bought one new from Digitech and many years later after my son was old enough to show a interest in guitars I bought him a RP-20 just like mine because they are still the best thing out there!
I got mine when they first hit the market for $675.00 "I think" can't be sure but I did buy my sons used for $125.00. A price I think is fantastic. I wish I paid that much for mine. LOL

At first it is intimidating and if you don't like setting things up before you play, you won't want to spend more than 5 minutes on it before getting fed up. But I think if you really care about your music enough to buy a processor like this you should spend the time to tweak your sound.

I haven't spent a ton of time messing with the settings but i've looked at the menus and they are fairly straight forward so far... nothing a good day of jamming with it on my own couldn't solve.

I have a Fender standard fat strat (strat w/humbucker). I've used it in a plain P.A., a 100watt fender 'Stage Lead' amp, two small 'Gorilla' practice amps running sterio, and various other funky setups just to mess around. With a normal guitar amp, it sounds great, with two amps hooked up or some stereo setup, it sounds awsome. The stereo chorus and dual channel effects make plain riffs sound sweet, and now i'm looking for a good sterio setup just because of this pedal.

Noise gate works great, but without tweaking, turning off distortion on any of the 100 preset voices that is factory set to use distortion will nearly mute your guitar, requiring a switch to a different voice instead of just bypassing the distortion section. This is most vertainly due to the noice gate, because there are good clean voice presets that sound fine, I just dont know how to tweak the settings enough to where i can switch off the dist. on a distorted voice preset without loosing my sound.

This thing has several distortions, i havent tweaked much but there are tond of possibilities because you have solid-state and a tube to play with, even at once if you feel like it. it will probably get any distortion i'd ever want with some adjusting.

Bought it used at a yard sale for $5... Never staged it, but i'm going to in the next few months. hasn't shut off unexpectadly yet, gets a bit warm but it that wasn't normal it wouldn't have 12in worth of vent slots in the back... maybe i'll rig a fan for it...but i doubt it.

One thing i'm definatly concerned about is getting unplugged onstage, there's nothing to hold the power supply's cord in the thing and one wrongly placed step could potentially ruin a concert, and the pop this thing makes when it's amplified and you pull the plug isn't very cool. Especially if you have a big $$ amp i would definatly use some tape or rig up a brace or box for it. I think i'm going to make a carrying case for it that can tilt up so i can see the clip light and back paned easier and something that will hold the chord tight. But if you're careful and don't dance around the chord it's fine.

Long-term reliability...not sure yet. hasn't appeard to have any faults when messing with it... I.E. no screen blips or sound cuts...so i think its fine, i will carry a backup chorus and distortion to any gig just incase... but only until this proves itself.

none yet, may call in for info on tube life, the input level knob, and ask about a replacement expression pedal piece...but until then...

(the pedal uses a light that shines through a piece of plastic that is clear on one end and fades to solid black on the other, which obviously hits a light sensor of some type to catch the movement of the pedal, and it got scratched when the unit was apart and put together slightly wrong ...the plastic part wasn't in straight and scratched itself.. so be extra sure you don't put it in crooked if you open the unit up for whatever reason, and unscrew the rear panel connections so they will slide out of the case and not brake off.)

Alternative rock, punk, 80's rock, older stuff, and some nice clean bits.

been playing 2 years, this thing is going to make it all so much better.

if it were stolen i'd immidiatly look into getting another one similar, or finding it on ebay (they do pop up, don't loose hope)

i love how i can carry this and not having a ton of stupid power supplies, batteries, patch chords, and several heavy pedals to carry around in my gig bag... grab this, my guitar, amp, and my significantly lighter gigbag and i'm off.

I wish it was a different color, and maybe some sturdier feeling footpedals...

once you get used to the menus and assigning the parimeters it gets real easy. but even on the first day I was jammin gwith some really cool sounds. and super easy to eliminate any parimeter from banks 6-0 for easy control of sound changes durring songs.

every sound I ever needed and then some I problly have no use for, yet any way i use it through either my mesa boogie for large venues or my line 6 for smaller cocktail lounges. I have very little adjusting from one amp to the other. I use a few different guitars with this. My strat sounds sweet and my hammer has the depth and my gretchs sound spitacular. this thing even sounds great over my practice amps (danelctro, fender front man , mashall) I also use this with my yamaha and taylor aquistics

It has always worked for me and I have had it now for over 5 years

I havent had the privlege of using the support yet for it has always worked great for me

I bought this as a discountinued model through the Guitar Center in Canton MI. along with many other items. however they gave me a great deal because of the $ I was already spending there. Wow what a deal the only thing I didnt care for, was that if the unit was pluged in it was on. no on off switch but hey I can live with that for it has never failed me yet and if it did die I would check out more from digitech

its very complicated unit
and manual is very hard to understand

i have a gibson lp classic and ibanez js100 w dimarzio evolution in bridge, rp20 sounds super with evo,
i had rp20 4 years ago,this is my second one,
i was using 1st one for 3 years, and in my opinion rp 20 ist the best floor fx ever(i had almost all fx rack and floor), if you have good guitar and amp, it sounds very good

you have to set drive to 50% and eq to 0,except eg 8 and 15khz to -12db
you have very cool drive

i have a hughes triamp but i think rp20 sounds almost better,
huges is real and punchy but rp20 is my sound

you can get any sound if you play vith eq,think! pod is just mfx with preset eq

fx are good

hm footswiches will die,

so i will boy a midi controler and make changes fom there

im playing rock www.levitanband.tk(sory slovenian),blues and a bit of INSTRUMENTAL(www.urostheplaninc.tk this page is in english:)

im playing for 12 years and have owned a lot of gear,i bougt rp20 because its the best for me, i was a tube purist for 2 years, but always missed rp, and i never found better fx,hm what is digitech doing these days???????????

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALL RP20 USERS?
IF IS IT POSIBLE TO ASSIGN FOOTSHVITCHES 6,5,7,8,0 TO CHANGE USER PROGRAMS? EXAMPLE im in bank1 and i want sound from bank3 to be on footswitch 6 in bank 1...if i could do this rp20 would be perfect
PLEASE WRITE AN ANSWER,here or email me!!!!

it makes me play more,gives me tube sound,and think less about how i
should play a note

thanks for help

I've had my sound set to cranked on tube distortion and grunge since I bought the thing new, many moons ago. I actually think that the edit features on this are better than my GNX4 because of the detail that you can get into. Never had a problem with the manual, and I've never upragded the firmware. I was a veteran of the RP6 and the BOSS ME6 before I bought the RP20 anyway, so I found it easy to dive right in.

I'm using a few Wolfgangs with an Ampeg VT-120 half stack and the tone is amazing. In my experience the tube distortion and clean tones are unmatched. I can't parallel the distortion using the GNX4 and its annoying the crap out of me.

I can depend on this for the construction, definitely. However, the same thing is happening to me with the RP20 that happened with the RP6 and the BOSS ME6...the pedals themselves are starting to deteriote as far as functionality is concerned. The parameters and banks are still navigable and useable but the pedals are beginning to become inoperable. I understand that the pedal is about 6 years old and nothing lasts forever...

The pedal problem is the main reason why I bought the GNX4 (which I may start regretting here soon because I can't get that RP20 sound out of it). Has anyone else had this issue with pedal functionality?

I've always used the RP20 as my main board with no backup.

No opinion yet...lets see if Digitech can help me on the pedal problem...

I'd say overall the whole pedal is outstanding. The tube that comes with it gives it amazing tone. I've been playing for 14 years and I'm disappointed that the pedals are smoked on the RP20...I never thought I would have to replace this particular model.

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.

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.

I use a customized Ibanez JEM 555 and a custom made Carvin DC-200 with active electronics. The Ibanez sounds really good with distortion since I put a DiMarzio Fred in neck position and a Dimarzio Steve's Special in the bridge. The RP-20 handles distortion very well. But its performance with the Carvin is just average, specially in clean tone. RP-20 is now a discontinued model

The first thing that you will notice that unlike other leading manufacturers' products, the RP-20 does not have a power on/off switch. I think this is a typical DigiTech design flaw. Other than that, it is pretty much like any other floor processor.

The pedalboard footswitches are not the greatest ones. After a year that i had it, two of them didnt work. I had to ship it to digitech and they fived it (i had to pay since the waranty was over). Then now 4 of the footswitches and 3 of the buttons don't work. And you can get a new one for the price for repairing it.

the people at digitech are friendly. they seem to be trying to help you out as much as they can. they have many authorized repair centers in major cities. I bought it for $800 within a month it came out and got only a ONE year warranty!

overall, i think it is a very good tube-equipped floor processor to start out with. if your music grows and you have big bucks, switch to rack systems :-)

The thing is pretty big, and you need to read the manual more than once to understand how it works.
Then, it's easy to operate and the data wheel avoids destroying fingertips and brain when changing something from 0% to 100% :)

Great.
I really don't know what do you expect from a multi effect processor if you're not satisfied with the RP20.
The distortion are really good, although it cannot sound like a real tube amp, so forget a true AC/DC sound if you're not playing really hard an SG with an old Marshall crancked all the way up...
However the distortion are great both tube and SS ones, and the digital effect are really good.. choruses, delays, flangers, EQs...
I'm playing an SG with a JCM900 and a handmade marshall-like 15w all tube amp, and it sounds great, you only have to spend some time to set it up right.

It works OK, but if you move it suddenly the power cord sometimes get lose... pay attention.

I play heavy metal and hard rock, and I really like the distortions and effects, I would surely buy it again.
It's MUCH BETTER than any Boss pedal or processor, I tried the GT3 and it sounded more like a Zoom 505 than an RP20. (the 505 however is GREAT for its price).
I really does anything you could ask to a preamp/processor of it's class, and sounds awesome.

I got a good deal on it my friend sold it to me for $175. He bought a POD and now I can see why, he's the type of person who wants to plug in and play. The manual could be alot better organized and take you step by step especially for those who have never tackled the editing side of guitar processors. I've gotten some pretty good sounds on it it just seems like it takes to much time, time you could be creating music. I've also had a hard time not sounding digital. I plug in direct and it sounds a little to digital but if plug it into the input on my Peavey Bandit it is way too overprocessed. I am a bass/guitar player who writes songs for my band, I don't really plan on buying anything else like a POD or something unless it has to do with the bass.

The rp-20 is pretty good about not being to noisy during breaks in the song or before of after songs as long as you use the expression pedal. I haven't been able to achieve editing the sounds of my favorite guitarist but it probably could be done with much patience and time. The effects are good its just the preamp sounds seem to be a little to digital.

I've had some bad luck. As I mentioned earlier I bought it used but the thing has reset on me a couple of times. I had spent like 15-20 hours trying to dial in all my sounds and I plugged it in one day and it said "factory reset" and I was like "oh no". I pushed no but it didn't matter the thing just reset itself. I had it in the air ready to break it in half but decided not too. It was a hard decision as I had read the manual a couple of times trying to figure it out. Theres another story(PART 2) I accidentaly left it on overnight I saw it the next morning and the display screen was empty and stayed empty. I tried resetting it, I opened it up and replaced the battery, the tube looked good. I ended up taking it to a electronic repair shop in Seattle. It was a $2 part that went on me and I paid $68 to get it back. I think it was a 5v capacitor or something.

I contacted digitech customer service via internet because I wanted to find out about backing my programs to the computer in case of another unexpected factory reset. They sent me a program that did reset my RP-20. I couldn't get it to work. Does anyone have any advice on how to save your programs? Now I have been writing down all my edit changes. They did get back to me promptly and I not being a computer whiz probably didn't use or load it write or something.

My band plays mostly heavier rock. I like alot of the clean sounds but am still trying to dial in a distortion program that I am happy with although it doesn't sound bad. I mainly play bass but am a above average guitar player who just wants to get my songs on to my digital recorder. I would be giving the RP-20 a better review if it had a simple on/off switch so it wouldn't reset on me, and didn't run so hot. I touch it sometimes and I wonder how you could play it outdoors in the direct sun.

Not the easiest, takes a lot of time. The manual is crap, but don't be afraid of this thing, just dig in and see what happens. I give it an 8 because when you know your way around it it is straight forward.
you will learn tricks everyday that make it sound better.

Anything is possible. I own it now for nearly 2 years, and for the first year I was v. dissapointed, however as you get to know it it will do anything you can imagine. I read some people complaining about not enough gain. The compressor is absolutely essential in this unit and with proper adjustment can send you to gain heaven. Clean sounds however dominate this unit. Some people use this processor into their guitar input on their amps, this is never going to let the RP20 show its true potential. I have tried it in nearly every possible connection, HI inputs, Lo inputs, effects loop, The best rig is the RP20 into a stereo power amp into 2 2x12s spread out to get the stereo field. Turn the noisegate off. it cuts the notes off so you have no fade out.humbuckers are best I use Ibanez Rg550 LTD and Deluxe super strat and the rig mentioned above, mesa Boogie 20/20. V. LOUD. Versatility is incredible in this unit. I have one patch per bank and that leaves me with 9 switches for one patch. anyone who owns one and is reading this take note. You can switch anything on nearly every parameter. just go to the one you are adjusting and press assign and see if it asks you to press a pedal. you can switch gain, boost, compressor attack, etc. etc. if you want real feel control assign anything to the expression pedal and adjust it in real time, eg gain or chorus depth etc.
Dynamic modifiers are the best thing. Takes forever to work out (Properly) but then, .... .. Don't give up. everything takes a long time to get to know properly but then all the doors are open. You can really blow people away with this thing. I gig regularly with it and people come up to me afterwards and comment onm where my rack and synth etc. is. All in that box there.

Power cord fell out 3 times on stage, I pulled it out and inserted a proper power socket (Locking) and on/off switch. One pedal fell off as I was loading it into my car. Failed to load up twice, just said RP20 v 2.01 or something like that and did nothing. switched on and off and it was ok. Don't really like the idea of the brain beig so close to the switches on the floor. If you tripped over a lead or something could cause some damage. Built quite sturdy though (metal Chassis) Horrible squeak from the Expression pedal.

Excellent machine for what it is. It is not a mesa boogie or marshall or anything else. It is a digitech and sounds like one, it is very capable of imitating certain sounds, but if you aproach this unit with an open mind and let it sound the way it does it's brilliant. anything is possible with the digital end. you can do anything you want. It took me 2 years to work it out and I still don't know half of what it is capable of. If you want a preamp with fx this is a good bet, but if you want a processor to put in you fx loop (My initial reason for buying it) look elsewhere. Use it in stereo. if you don't have a stereo amp still leave it in stereo and get an adapter to put both left and right outputs into one input on your amp. Believe me the sound is much different to switching the unit to mono.

This is my first Multi-fx unit, but it took me just about 2 days to get the basic operations down. Editing patches is very simple. The manual is not very helpful though. Whatever I know, I figured out on my own. The FX are not explained too well and I guess it's too much to ask a guitarist to consult a text book on acoustics to figure out what a noise gate does!!!! About the upgrade, I've downloaded it from the Digitech site, but haven't yet upgraded it. It is very easy to get a lot of different sounds from it. I play primarily blues and rock music, but I know that the FX are good and with some work, can sound great

I use a Samick KR660 thru the RP20. The compressor is pretty noisy, especially when you use the VFast option. Comp cannot be used with the Wah on. You have to bypass the Wah.
About FX- Chorus is too sterile. Nice Tube and Solid state Distortions. You can get sounds from Cream to Dream Theater. It of course depends on you.I say that all the people who say they can't get good sounds out of it, are either too lazy to experiment, or too lamebrained.

NA

NA

I have seen a lot of MFX units like Zoom, Korg, Boss. I was very disappointed with the sounds they put out. I used to use a BOSS MT2 and BOSS DD3 and swore never to use any processor, unless they were Rack systems. But the RP20 made me put my pedals away!!!!!

It will take some time to read the manual, and you will be a bit dissapointed of the way the FX are actually organized.
A lot of funtions. The parameters are more than you can imagine.
Big shiny screen. Fancy look.
Editing can be easy, but can be Hell ! Depend what you want.

Clean sounds ~...ok. Somewhere here I've read a lot of superlatives about it, that's why I bought it. And I was EXTREMLY, EXTREMLY DISSAPOINTED !!!! Distortions are nasty. Absolutely. All of them.
Also the Tube one. If you want to use this thing as a D.I. - just forget. Digitech says "..for Studio Recording". Bullshit.
Direct to the board- NO WAY !!!! And, if you have good amp it is absolutely stupid to put RP-20 on the way of the signal.
Yes a lot of FX. Some of them nice, but when you play there is an audible delay. Maybe it's from the AD/DA convertion.
Bad dynamic, sterile, lifeless. That's my opinion. I wonder now about the guys who were rising it in the skyes. You guys must have really bad taste.

Hm, i will tell you. I am a traveling musician and have been looking for the best guitar pedal board, because I play litteraly 6 nights in the week all the year. I've read a lot of info in Internet and the magazines and I decided to buy it. After the first month it started to switch off by no reson, with terrible pops in the speakers and YES ON THE STAGE! Few times per night. I thought it was from the power, but no. I've check the plug (by the way - DIN connector for power suply- it sounds strange isnt'it) I've checked everything, I changed the Trafo - still the same. After unsucssesfull try to contact Digitech and to take my money back from the shop I called a technician. We have changed the Integral stabylisers, and a lot of stuff inside. Nothing changed. Later I understood that there are other people owning RP_20 with the same problem.

I had a really terrible experience with this stuf.

I am not mentioning the problem with the switches. They are falling down, and are so fragille !

I have tryed many times to conect with these people, I've send them many E-mails. NO ANSWER.

If you are looking for the proffesional stuff- DON'T BUY THIS ONE! You will hate yourself for that.
And if you still want to buy it, I can sell you mine for half the price I bought it. I will be really glad.

What I could recomend: At the moment I think the best price/quality ratio on the market belongs to the POD2. I didn't tryed it yet, but I am looking for, and I am following the news already one year.
I have heard a good things from the people, there are also some bad opinions, but especialy for "Direct to Desk" at that price I think it is the best.

The manual is really bad. I've come across options within the unit that are not explained fully in the manual properley. I've also heard that other users are having similar problems

Fender USA custom strat, Vox AC30, Dunlop crybaby - The sounds are very good. The valve helps smooth off those digital sounds somehow.
Distortions and delay and excellent. Chorus and phasers could be better.

Powerpack lead falls out of the unit quite easily. Good steady unit otherwise.

An excellent unit let down by very poor documentation.

Hours upon Hours I would spend trying to come up with one sound that I think is ok. that's too long for me. It is however, easier to program than the RP 12. The owners manual really helps.

Cheap, hollow, digital, nasty, and so much more are the words I would use to describe this prosessor. I play in a prog rock band and believe me, the only way I can hear myself is if I crank the mids. It sounds real hollow real transparant. And let me tell you about tone. There is non. It is very flat, and no matter how much you tweak it will sound flat. I have worked very hard at getting the sounds I want. Right now they'll do, but once my Line 6 AX2 212 comes I'm puttin' that no good thing on eBay

One day after playing a gig, I laid it down in the back seat of my car. As I turn to shut the door, I took a double take. One of the black foot switchs fell off. I just bought the dumb thing and this happens. I've had other digitech units fall apart on me in the past. On top of that I know quite a few other people who are fed up with the lack of quality that goes into make those prosessor.

I can say that when I called them to replace my foot switch they were very helpful. Perhaps they deal with it all the time.

I don't think I will ever buy a digitech again for as long as I live.
The new johnsons looked tempting until I tried one out. Every digitech I have ever owned has the same toneless, hollow sound.

I didn't have any problems with this unit, even when it was my first effekt-unit.

Most of the time, I'm using the RP-20 in a effekt-loop, it ain't the best sounding I know. But when I take my guitar straiht through the RP-20, and then eighter into a power amp, or a clean-amp it sound very well, but it is impossible to play hamonics. It sounds very, very good when I play it through my electric piano (!) it is the best clean-sounds I've ever heard. The presets are not very good, and they've used the noise gate on every one of them. The tone won't ring out, it kind of "dies" long before it should.

I've been using it for many gigs, it works very good. But sometimes the tuner won't take any signal, and that is not funny.

I play alot of styles, and it's very good at pink floyd kind a music. It works good in Jazz, Rock, and everything I've tried.

very easy to use and very complicated you can fine tune your sound better than anything ive imagined

well this is a update to my previous review - this piece of equipment is amazing (hooked up with the right stuff though) anyway my set up now goes like this: guitar (fender strat or ESP horizon) into the RP20 into Alesis meq230 EQ to BBE 462 to mesa boogie 50/50 power amp into a Laney 2x12 cabinet. WOW does this set up sound amazing i can dial up any sound with this direct or live this sounds amazing (though i wouldn't recommend using this through you regular guitar amps efx loop I've tried it and it didn't work or maybe its just my amp who knows) again like i said in my previous review i didn't like the reverb and harmonizer/down tuners but my opinion has now changed with the reverb you can fine tune to however you want it to be but i still think the harmonizer is horrible and again to everyone who says the distortions aren't good they are great in my opinion

of course

nope

(see my previous review) i would like to add that it kills my friends line 6 amp which i think is good but not even close to touching this amp

The operation is tricky at first, especially if you don't have a manual. But just by poking around in the editing mode, you can form it into a tool of great versatility. When I got a copy of the maual from the digitech site I was able to tweak everything to perfection.
My unit says that it is a "RP 20 Valve Version 1.02" quite what it means I don't know.

All the Fx are fantastic, few sound digital at all, unless they were made to be (ie The Studio Bank sounds quite digital) The 12AX7 tube offers pristine clears and hard driving distortion, and you can layer solid state over tube distortions, which is a very good thing if you play alternative. The Analog Wah sounds better than a crybaby ever could. The settings allow you to
I'm in a co

The RP-20's main problem is the special power supply. Unlike most of the earlier RP units, that had a cord resembling the one that leads to the computer you're using. The RP20 has a DC adapter with a special hook-up to the board, which means that you have to buy extension cords, since it only stretches 6ft. It pops out easily when you accidentaly trip on it. Even when you tie it behind the built in clip on the board. I would recommend routing an extra lead to the amp, because if the RP20 gets shut off, there is NO signal. But if you have enough slack on the cord, and you clip it to the unit, you'll be in good shape.

The RP20 has a major problem with heat because of the hard working processor and the tube. I got 2 cooling fans from a Radio Shack and placed one in front of the tube vent, and one in front of the main vent. I haven't had any heat problems anyway, but why risk it.

I have never needed customer support, but if you're uing the internet (what are you doing now?) you get any help from the guys at Digitech at their website. WWW.DIGITECH.COM I have never needed the help.

Practicing with the RP20 is a breeze, just plug in the guitar and put in some headphones. I love its versatility and programming interface, but it takes a long time to get used to and you have to go through many useless functions to get to the good ones. I do wish that it had a Talk Box, it has an effect that resembles it, but it isn't the same, the acoustic sounds is just clean with reverb. But this is worth well more than any Zoom 505.

Pretty idiot friendly. The user's guide (despite all complaints) is pretty good. If you know what FX are and what you're doing, it's a friendly unit. If you are a beginner with FX, you will have a tough time figuring out what the compressor, noise gate and eq do. They're made for the musician's taste, and if you don't have taste, they'll confuse you.

Excellent sound quality. Very lush. Avoid the digital whammy, pitch shift and harmonizer. They sound very "digital". I do use them sometimes just because I like that sound. The reverb sounds digital unless you spend a lot of time programming it. Those who complain about this unit are either very, very, very professional and picky, or they haven't spent sufficient time programming.

Distortion is too high quality for my style of music (most of the time). You can get some splintering thrashing sounds with work, but they sound like the splintering thrashing sounds that are digitally recorded on a CD. They're just too good. I love this, don't get me wrong, but I use seperate distortion boxes pre-RP20 to break it up a bit and make it sound alive.

Oh sure. It does get a little hot. If you're playing a long gig, you might want to give it a 10 minute break every hour. The enclosure is a little cheap, the footswitches are plastic, so I don't recommend stomping it like I stomp on my Turbo RAT.

Pretty good, I thought. It took a while to get a response, but they were very helpful in fixing some problems I had.

I play a wide variety ranging from hardcore to stuff like The Cure, to Celtic rock...church worship hymns and choruses, blues, hard rock, etc.

Very dependable and verstile unit. Any style of music that uses guitar can use this unit (acoustic classical might find it to be too much...they'd never use much more than a reverb...) and love it!

It does sound over-processed (like any good Digitech machine), it will tweak ever once in a while...*Waiting for Data*...just turn it off and back on. Just plug it in fast. Best to use a surge protector!!! This is a "computerized" unit and a spike or surge may factory reset you (hours of programming farted away). Anyway, plug it all in and use the on/off switch on your strip for your RP20 on/off switch. Don't leave the power cord plugged in when you're not using it. The transformer gets hot and you might wear it out if you just let it run...

If it was stolen or lost, it might make me swear for the first time in 10 years. I'd save up and get the RP21 (the faster processing may promise better reverb and pitch shifting). I love the floor processing units. Rack systems are too much hassle to set up live. If you're playing live, you really need a floor machine.

this unit is very easy to get a good sound out of it almost all the factory settings are good and editing the patches are simple as well. Making your own patch is easy as well tho in my case im recording direct with this and soon to be getting a power amp and cabinet to amplify the great sounds but i was going to use this primarily in my amps effects loops which i cant get a decent sound probably because the rp-20 uses a preamp. The manual just tells the basics but its useful.

My setup goes as follows (when i use the rp-20- and since ive only had it a week it may change) fender stratocaster, esp horizon, ibanez rg520qs, peavey duel 212, digitech rp-20 or one of the three guitars listed to the rp-20 then direct to my tascam 424. It gets noisy alot of times when im not playing(when i dont have my hands on the guitar) it has a loud buzz to it that goes away when i activate the noise gate or adjust the eq on the high gain settings. Speaking of metal sounds alot of reviewrs said the distortions are not good well ive used the factory presets straight to tape and they sound really good but through my amp its not very good sounding (for example anyone who has ever hooked up to distortion pedals(or pedal and amp distortion) together you get this really bad horrible noise but again ive only had this for a week so im not doen playing around with it). Overall the enitre unit sounds amazing the harmonizer and reverb needs a little work tho but i can live with it. Can i get the sound of my favorite artists? hmm one of the presets sounds very close to in flames' lead sound in the jester race album but i dont like copying other peoples sounds i make my own.

Ive only had this product for a week so i havent taken outside of my house but i havent experienced any of the resetting of the unit as others have stated before and i do have my unit on for long periods of time. I belive i can depend on this unit it seems built like a tank .

Hasnt happened yet

I play hardcore, melodic death metal, metal, alternative, jazz, and classical. Is this a good match? I belive so i can get alot of different sound from this unit without paying alot of money for the seperate units. Ive been playing guitar for 7 tears and this is my first multi effects unit i also own a fender stratocaster, esp horizon, ibanez rg520qs, yamaha fg-401 acoustic, ibanez edg 400 bass , peavey duel 212, crate gxt 100 half stack, crate gx-20m,dod phasor pedal, boss ds-1 distortion pedal, boss tuner, jimi hendrix wah, tascam 424, ev mic, and a bunch of other items. If this item was stolen i probably wouldnt care mainly because i was interested in the boos me-8 but no one had it and guitar center had a deal on this unit so i got it and im happy with my purchase. I love the fact that this unit has so many differnt sounds in one box. I dont like the fact that the reverb and harmonizer isnt good because those are 2 features that i would use alot. Does it help me make music or get in the way? hmm a little bit of both actually when you dont have the right sound or close to it you cant be that creative but when you find the right one sparkss fly and i have found alot of good sounds outta this box. Although i got this unit to add to the sound of my amp i havent been pleased with the results so ive been using this straight to board which sounds really good very professional sounding effects

This is a great multi effects pedal. 100 factory 100 user presets which you can personally program. Meaning any sound imaginable is at your finger tips. The manual sucks but what manual doesn't. The key is to spend some time working the various effects to your liking. I am going to upgrade, but I can say that this pedal will be missed. By the way it's on ebay right now for 200. New you can find these for about 630

Well It's all in how you program this thing. It's not noisy at all

The plug really bites\\\\\\always take a backup

First of all as everyone on the planet is aware of This Digitech's Manuals SUCK!!! at least the RP7 and RP20's. If you have had any exposure to Digitech Pre-Amp multi effects Processors , however, you can most likely get around this unit without too much frustration. I Upgraded from an RP7 to the RP20. The unit sounds fantastic (In General) strait out of the box. Patches are pretty cool. My Unit has the software version 1.1 and I believe the upgrade is 1.2 I'm not sure. I won't bother upgrading it until I find out what is the difference between the two versions. It's not really a priority and I am happy with Ver 1.1 so far. If It ain't Broken Don't fix IT!! The main reason I gave it a 4 is because of the manual.

My setup is as follows: I have a Goya Strat (made in Japan) with Hot Rails which plugs into a Cry Baby then into the RP20, sometimes I through my Boss DD3 into the loop, If needed, and directly into a Marshall JCM2000 tsl with 4x12 cabs, or directly into a Digital Hard Disk Recorder. The effects in this unit are Great, Chorus is warm and lush, Reverbs are ok, morphing is fantastic! The Distortion is good due to the tube that is incased in the unit, however, if your looking for Korns Heavy Tone It ain't gonna happen. I definately prefer playing it through my Marshall stack rather than the results I get when I directly record to my hard disk recorder, perhaps thats the problem things just sound fatter when they hit tape, Digital recorders take away some warmth from your sound. There are 2 Signature banks and a total of 100 Factory set patches and 100 user. The Unit is Very Quite and Overall Sounds are great, with alittle tweeking The sky is the limit with this thing!!!

Build Very well, I haven't experienced any problems so far, I bought mine used and the first thing I did was Replace the 12ax7 tube with a new one, not that it needed it I just wanted a fresh tube in there and I will replace the tube once a year, Just for maintanance purposses. $30 a year for a new 12ax7 tube ain't gonna kill me.

Never had to deal with them.

I'm into Hard Metal. The RP20 Definately suites my needs and I could see this unit comming in handy with a lot of other styles like Jazz and Country (YUCK!!!) to each his own I guess. With some patience you can most certainly dial up most any type of sound and the tone is fantastic!! If your looking for an all - in one pre-amp floor type processor with pro-quality effects than you should seriously consider the RP20. I had a RP7 and Sold it and Bought the RP20 (used) , they are in some ways simmilar, but the RP20 is by far more programable. I am very happy with the unit. I would Buy it again, at full pop for that matter, it's worth every penny!!

I really like this box because you really do have anything you want at your fingertips. I like that's it's divided into a seperate pre-amp and effects section because it not only makes for great versatility, but allows you to set up your patches as if you were really using separate pieces of hardware. The manual is total shit and mostly useless. It doesn't even explain basic things well. I'd use it to get an overall gist and then forget it. You'll learn far more just digging in. It's true that you have to tweak some of the out of the box sounds, especially distortions. Like a lot of pieces of gear, we always assume that the engineers are getting the best sounds our of the thing. That's not always true, and you need to tweak for your setup. Don't let anyone tell you that this box is a piece of shit because it "sounds digital and just isn't as good as analog effects." This is bogus because #1. Analog effects are no-where near as versatile, #2 There's no way you can set up a bunch of pedals to do what you can do in ONE PATCH on this thing (imagine the number of stomps!!!) and #3. This box is really clean! No noise whatsover (unless you really try). I'm giving it only an 8 because of the sucky manual (this should not happen for a piece of gear this complicated!) and because you have to spend time with it to get the most of it.

I'm using a Parker Fly Deluxe, a VOX wah pedal, and a new Marshall 100W VS-102 R Valve Amp.
There is virtually NO noise. A few patches that use really intense gain may have a little hum, but nothing compared to what you get out of an amp with the gain that high. I've heard others say they dislike the distortions and can't get the ballsy sound they want. This was my initial experience, too. I needed to find a solution however, because, like another player mentioned here, I hate have to make two switches (one on the RP and a channel switch on my amp) to get to distortion. It's a pain and it leaves a large blank between the switches. I just wanted to switch directly into distortion on the RP during songs that require clean & dist, and use the distortion channel on my amp for those all distortion tunes. I solved the problem by putting all the factory distortions in my own bank together and assigning them to footswitches so I could switch between them. I also made a few experimental patches that I liked and put them in the same bank. I got the best distortion sound for my amp on the distortion channel. Then I AB'd between each RP patch and my amp to find one that was similar. Once I found one, I tweaked the EQ till it pretty much matched my amp. I use this patch as my basic distortion sound and I use my parameters changes to tell me how much I need to change other distortions to get the effect I wanted. You will also find that the distortions greatly improve if you do a couple of other things: if you're not running in stereo use the headphone out to your amp input; turn your guitar volume all the way up; turn the input and output knobs on the RP all the way up. This means you will need to adjust the patch overall level and possibly use the expression pedal for your volume control, but I found that this greatly improved the overall sound, particularly distortion. Like someone else here, I've been unhappy with the reverbs, but in all fairness I haven't spent much time with them. I just keep noticing that whenever I use one I eventually decide to turn it off. The delays, choruses, and phasers are incredibly good, as is the ability to use the expression pedal to morph between effects. I've found the wah to be a little thin and non-responsive for my taste so I've stuck to my Vox which is still more convenient for me since I use my left foot. I wish the autowah gave you a little more control; you can't adjust the rate or the depth.
I haven't tried to imitate any other artists, but I can't imagine why you couldn't imitate anybody with this box. It has EVERYTHING and the control over parameters is extraordinary. So is the ability to change pre-amp settings to sound more like different cabinets. Again I've given it an 8 only the preset distortions really should be a little beefier to begin with if they want this to compete in the market.

Fairly confident about that. I had one brief scare on a gig where I plugged it in and the LCD came up but there was no signal going through. I struggled for a couple of minutes and then unplugged it and plugged it back in and it corrected itself. I've never had it shut-down or reset on me like some other people have mentioned. It DOES get hot, and for that reason I don't leave it on if I'm not using it. I don't use a backup but that's mostly because I just bought the thing and I don't perceive it as being particularly fragile or flighty.

Never had to deal with them...

I play in an Alternative R&B band, which means we play R&B rooted music with rock overtones. That's why I bought this piece, because I wanted something that had a full range of effects, from phasers to distortions and everything in-between. I really like this box, though I think it takes a while to really get a grip on how to use it to its full potential.
I would definitely buy it again if it was lost or stolen. I love that it has every fucking effect you could ever need. I love that I don't have to plug in a gazillion pedals. I love that it has cool morphing effects and a built in pedal. I like that I have the capability to run two different sounds off the same guitar in stereo (though this is impractical if you are gigging in small to medium clubs). I hate the manual, The LCD display could be bigger (some of us are blind onstage, ya know!!!). I wish it had a power switch, because...I don't know, I've always been leary of that direct unplug thing.
I compared it to the G5. I didn't think the G5 had half as many good sounding patches or as many capabilities. The RP also seemed to be more durable to me.
It does help me make music, though the initial learning and getting it setup for your own rig is time consuming. In that way it's more demanding than a pedal setup. But it's worth it since you have everything you could ever need at your fingertips.
Lots of people will tell you bogus things about digital effects because they're negative and inflexible. You have to forge ahead on your own. Don't assume that the engineers who built the thing sent it out with it's maximum potential all set up. If you happen to play music that requires lots of split-second sound changes, don't be afraid to explore digital. Pedals would drive me absolutely INSANE! And they wouldn't come anywhere close to providing me with the versatility that the RP does.

After reading the manual, this procesoor is pretty easy to use. editing patches is very easy and you can also set up your effects in any order you want. Another cool thing is that the wah comes before the distortion which gives a cooler tone, but i stick to my Vox wah. Once you figure out this thing you will have alot of fun.

Right now i use an Ibanez Universe 7-string with a Roland GR-1 guitar synth then my signal goes into a Vox wah, a Boss bass synth, a Digitech Talker, then the Rp20. I use a Peavey 60/60 power amp into two Marshall cabs. The reason why I think most people give this unit not so good ratings is because they use the Rp20 with regualr amp heads. Being that the Rp20 already has a preamp, that person will be overloading preamps and blowing out there amps input. The Rp units sound best with poer amps beacuase your going preamp to power amp. I recommend a tube power amp. As far as sound, i PERFECTED many tones. I basically cloned a Mesa Triple Rectifier, a UniVibe, Mutron Biphsor, and others. The tube distortion provides enough low end to sahke my entire house. Sometimes I will plug in my Warlock guitar and use the solid state distortions for some shreddy death metal tones. The effects section is awesome. You can clone any pedal you have. I have over thirty five pedals in my arsenal, and ive cloned them all in the rp20. You can make a Univibe by taking a chorus and assigning its speed to the foot controller, plus its digital so its even clearer. The LFO is another part of this unit that I like.

I can definitley depend on it. My band plays many shows in Florida and it never fails me. If your paranoid just go out and buy the gig bag for it.

I had to call them once becuase it reset and the pedal range was fuckedup,but the tech there immediatly told me how to fix it. Digitech techs are the best. I hope they sponsor me in the future.

I won't by it again because i won't have to. It like a rock. I like it alot better then digitechs rack version which are really no different. I hear they are now making an rp-21 that has reverse delay but I also created that on the rp20 by using the LFo.

at first seems complicated but its realy easy to use and edit the patches...everything u need is a creative imagination.manual is not enough for you to understand the unit but gives you ideas to use it..explains the general things about the unit. when you start to make your own patches and get around with he system softhware you'll find easy..but you've got to spend time with it..

wow..this unit has everything you want..even if you are a pro player..really good effects and patches..tube inside of it gives you high quality tube sounds..and as they said in the manual: you can create almost any sound you want..its up to you and your imagination.

i can depend on the unit..reliable and wont let me down...

i have mail them before i bought the unit and asked them the list price of it in usa..they helped me..and mail me abnout that subject..

i play almost all kinds of music and this unit gives you every effect you want for every taste of music..i think this unit is enough for every player even if you are a pro.!! if i save money i have plans of buying a vgs2021. i think its still a good gear for all players. who dont have money to buy vgs2021.

The manual for this is lame,as it only explains the basic idea of editing and does'nt give you any shortcut ideas(like how to sample for five seconds,play over it and drop the pitch of what's sampled one step,which was actually a preset on here,thank god!)or tricks to make it more "Lynch-like,"Petrucci shred",etc.If they could have really gone in depthon how MUSICALLY to use it that would have been sexy.Editing on this is not as fun as editing it's rackmounted other, the 2112.NO KNOBS! That's pretty stupid.Also,it only has one S-Disc2 thingee.It would be nice to have a Harmonizer and delay,and then have the ability to have paremetric eq,phaser,etc. on the other modules (like the 2112).I have no upgrade for this guy.Good tones take lots of sculpting.My secret=paremetric eq.This works to make this box "breathe" more.

I'm using this in the effects loop of my Crate Stealth tube amp into a Gallien Krueger 4x12 w/80 watt Celestions and into a Fender Strat w/floyd,Dimarzio 'bucker in bridge and a Bill lawrence "blade-style" single coil in the middle position.I have to use the amp distortion as this Digitech does not have enough gain to use it's distortions.So basically I have to have the preamps in this on complete bypass, becuase if I turn on the clean tube voicing I have to really crank the processor to get the same volume as bypassing these.Don't know why.I have to say it's very queit indeed,no noise here I cant live with.The noise gate on this is not the same caliber as a Hush,but Digitech REALLY improved they're noise gate on this dude.The 2112 has enough gain for me,but the saturated tube at full balls was not enough.Cleans are fucking great! I love the Fender Twin thing on this. It really sounds like one.All clean sounds on this are great.The delay kicks ass becuase it has that cool "analog delay" feature that cuts off high frequencies and works great with my amp distortion.Chorus and Detune are excellent, I did however like the Flanger on my ME-8 better.The rotary speaker simulator is great when set to mild and with detune added it really sounds lush.My problem with the harmonizer on this unit is it has no levels for detune amount,so when you play harmonies with it on it sounds like all out of tune and totally shitty.That's pretty stupid to not include a detune setting,becuase how can I fine-tune the harmonies with each other?! The other problem is modulation effects unless set in parallel sound fucked-up.They actually phase in and out,so if i'm playing loud all of a sudden the chorus starts to fart out my low end and then starts sounding all shreiky(modulating my damn eq basically!).Very annoying,becuase parallel only let's you use three effects at once(damn I wish this had two Sdiscs in it)so I can't have delay,detune,chorus and paremetric eq for example.More power and the extra tube would be worth the extra $$ for the 2112.I cannot get Thrashy,Metallica,Pantera,Dream Theater sounds out of one fucking tube! Sorry guys.Great cleans though,very robust!

Here is the shit that really pisses me off.This thing keeps resetting itself to goddamned factory when I leave it on too long! VERY GAY! this is extremely annoying as I always have to re-write all my stuff again! It gets so hot after about 3 hours of being on you can't even touch it.This really sucks BAD! I plug it in sometimes and it don't turn on! So then I go "oh no it's gonna reset itself again!"This is really shitty.I have had no problems with the cord being loose like everyone says in they're reviews.I have no backup,so if it does it on stage(thank god it has'nt) then I'm screwed.Id recommend buying the 2112 becuase it's basically more professional.It has "neat" features like an EXTERNAL CORD and a POWER SWITCH! WOW! I find it pathetic that people cant have an external cord and an on/off switch on these floor processors!

Going to send in my warranty card and this thing and ask why the fuck it likes to reset itself whenever it feels like it! Haven't dealt with them yet.People say they're lame.

For my music it just needs the balls distortion-wise that the 2112 has.I used the 2112 direct in for our cd and it sounded almost as good as my Crate tube amp! The distortions on this one were designed for basic rock sounds,and it does sound good for that,but once I get in my "evil super-gain mode" it won't get angry enough.For what I play, which is REALLY heavy progressive rock,this is more versatile than the ME-8 but needs more balls.I hate having to step on the patch and my footswitch to my amp to change channels.Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass this is? Very annoying.Also,really bad delays going int different patches.Digitech is famous for that.Very good and very versatile for a floor processor,but not as good as the 2112 obviously. I traded my old processor for this,which actually was an upgrade,but now I'm gonna upgrade to the 2112.

The manual sucks ... I have had this thing for a year and I still do not know all of the fuctions...

Ok .. The effects are supendous .... And believe or not I can even get a jim dunlop cry baby sound with the wah pedal. This thing is ain't so loud but I do not think it is a disadvantage. I am ead guitarist. I play Yngwie Mamlsteen, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai 's songs and this processor is the one to make leads... It is also possible to play metal rhyms but this machine ain't for grunge music which the gain is so loud that notes are not heard. It also gives a very good clean sound with grate effects. But I think It would be good if it had fade out delay effects.

Well... This thing gets damn hot. In a concert o mine the floor was very hot because of the sun and the sun was aslo shining on the machine so the digital screen turned dark blue and nothing could be seen and the proccessor stopped working until it is cooled. As long as you keep the machine cool it works with no problem ...

I found the digitech web page pritty useful ... they answered all my questions...

This thing is the best and the most proffessional floor proccessor unit.. I use it with an Ibanez S 470 (Symour Duncan z#5) connected to a Hughes& Kettner (attax 80) amp ... RP 20 is very useful since my amp has only two channels (one clean and one dirty) with only reverb effect. It is also possible to get a very good sound through head phones. I do not think there is a better floor until.

well, this thing can't make to many bad sounds, most of the effects are great (but there are a few exeptions). Editing patches is really what this thing was made for, its extreamly simple if you know what to do, no thanx to the manual. The manual was okay at first with little pictures and stuf, but the writer musta got lazy or something cuz from about page 20 on he left out how to get to places and how to use things. It even has stuff pinted out wrng on some pages (pg-6, #9 points to "midi in" but the explination says "midiout/through"??) I think this processor can be upgraded over the computer too.

well, I've got a laney GC-80 amplifier, and a fender cyclone, and I can make it sound like I've got a les paul, with a marshal stack. This processor has a feedback filter so it doesn't fart on you a lot, and that helps when I'm playing with my acoustic. Most of the effects are pretty in your face. Its a easy/hard situation to get the sounds outa the bands to like (depending on the band) like if you wanna get the sound of jars of clay you';re not gonna have a problem, but if you want say...metallica you're gonna have a harder time. the tube distoriton is great, and I enjoy the solid state distortions, chorus is extreamly lush, and the pannersa and phasers are great with the expresion peddle thats built in. All in all the effects are good

this thing is built solid, its mettle and rugged(which may be a problem if the tube ever blows) this thing will take a beating and still perform great, although the freakin power cord slips out every time I put it in so I have to tape it down at gigs, other than that its very dependable

some have god experiences with customer support some dont.......I one of the few that hasn't, I've asked about 30 questions (that the user guide failed to mention) and I havn't gotten one responce from the company.......so if you can get a responce more power to ya if not, ask some one who has one and they'll beable to to help ya.

I play every type of music, I'm very diverse, this is a great buy for all the effects. I've been playing for about 4 years, and have a a sea gull acoustic, fender cyclone electic and gibson les paul eagle eye. If this thing was stolen I would prolly cry for a week and then go save for another one, I love every thing about it exept the guide book, and my favorite feature is its morphing capability, how its can go from one effect to another just using the expretion peddle, its great. I dont think I could compare to many other effects units beacause its so different from the others, the only thing I think would make this thing a lot better is a talk box funtion, that would kick some serious nut. This thing helps me make about everything but my acoustic driven music, It'll last for a long time.

Getting a good sound out of it using the factory presets is no problem. -10 Basic editing of patches is no problem at all (-10). Although trying to tweak the effects can drive you crazy. Each effect has got a lot of parameters which is good but accessing and changing those parameters is very time intense (-4). I think Digitech could improve this by adding more rotation knobs. The manual is not bad but serious rework by a professional would make it a lot better (and expensive). However after investing a day of studying you will be able to control the unit (including MIDI even though I've never tried MIDI with this effect). -6 Firmware revision #: 1.01 +never upgraded it

-I am using this unit for practicing at low (very low) volumes in my room. The setup is guitar (Strats, Les Pauls & Shred machines) into RP-20 into a cheap 50W@4Ohms Sony Stereo amplifier into two 10" 8Ohm Celestion Vintage 10 (G10) 60W speakers (they sound awesome).
-On high distortion settings the unit is rather noisy without the noise gate. But with the noise gate it is just fine (but remember I'm playing at low volumes in a perfectly isolated room).
-The effects sound kick ass, studio like, hells round the corner, heavens upside down, -I can't express it but they truely sound goooood. The only disapointment is the wahwah (waaaaaaaah: wah meens juck in swiss german) it is not bad for "tame" sounds which need fine nuances or for fine or sweet varations. You can even get a rather dirty sound when tweaking the equalizers (two in a row). But it has not got a kick ass Jimi rules, go to hell, screaming Cry (Cry Baby). This baby doesn't cry!!!!!! The distortion settings work very well although I have difficulties getting a bluesy sweet (can't express myself again) distortion. Perhaps the second valve of Digitechs 2121 makes the difference. Also valve and transistor distortion is only possible in parallel. Series (first transistor and then tube) is not possible!! But don't get me wrong the distortion capabilities of this baby are impressive and fulfil 95% of my desires. The other effects (Chorus, Delay, Hall, Whammy, etc.) are all very close to first class and they hardly ever failed to meet my needs.
-I can get practicly all the sounds I need. From Jimi like Fuzz to nice sweet Valve distortion to Marshall like sounds, crunch, High distortion stuff freaked out effects shit (almost Vai like), Yngwie stack (I've even managed to get close to his stereo delay), nice halls and echos, glassy clear clean tones, ...
I know that there are several effects and preamps which sound even better (almost all Rocktron, Digitechs 2121 Artist, Lexicon etc.) but for the price and just for practicing this preamps sound quality is far more than enough (besides the wah)

As I have been using it for practicing in my room for over a year without serious difficulties I'd say it's dependable. The only two things giving me headaces are it's expression pedal and the power adapter. -The expression pedal is of poor quality. It often tends to squeal and sits very loose (I hope this makes sense in English). As for the squeal: you can get rid of it with some grease or with graphite powder. -The power adapter is -I've had this unit for over a year so I know what I'm talking about- C R A P. It has got very poor quality plug and socket connection. Also, after about 6 months mine started to hum after playing for more than half an hour. -I wouldn't use it on a gig without a backup as I never would use anything on a gig without a backup. Nevertheless the unit itself is pretty durable but its power adapter is absolutley unreliable.

I've never needed any

-I can cover all the styles I play which are classical guitar inspired tunes over blues, Rock, Hard Rock and Metal in an acceptable manner. -If it were stolen I'd immediatly (depending on my wallet) buy a new one or maybe even upgrade to DigiTechs 2121 Artist. -I love its size which doesn't make it too big for my room but I hate its wah for not being able to cry. -If I'd be able to redesign this pedal I'd leave the MIDI stuff out, improve the pedal, add a second wah which cries, make a dependable power connection und place the distortion in series (transistor first). Overall: This is (besides it's price thats OK but still too high) a very useful pedal.

almost impossible manual to understand... don't these people play guitar???

The best there is in a floor processor.. I have been playing Digitech since the RP-1 and this is just another example that they have the corner on the market... The sounds cook.. all of them... and the signal to noise ratio is better than any other processor I have played

I have had it fall off a stage.. I have dropped it.. I have kicked it around and left it outdoors in Florida heat... this thing is durable. no problems at all (crossing fingers)

don't know... never had a problem

I would buy it again in a heartbeat.. or maybe the rack version... I love it because I have managed to get the sound of my Marshall stack and my fender combo out of it using only a power amp and a pair of speakers... yeah, I had to spend days programming it, but now I gig with just it and my modified strat, I can even just plug through the board ... this processor is where it is at for the working musician.

This thing scared the shit out of me when i got it.. seemed so hard to use but then i fucked with it for a while and i figured it out.. not hard to edit or anything.. the manual is all complex and not very musican friendly though.. the sounds in it (presets) are good but sometimes over-wrought.

schecter 7-string avenger (see review) and a peavey half-stack (the rp20 goes into the effects loop thing).. i have the noise suppressor on all the time cause i turn my distortion on the amp all the way up all the time and i play LOUD.. the rp20 makes the amp much quieter and has much less hiss.. only thing is the wah sounds like shit. but thats probably cuz i'm using it in the effects loop instead of in front of the amp. i only use the distortion once in a while, otherwise i use my amp's distortion but i use the rp20 for everything else (EQ, whammy, chorus, reverb, delay, harmonizer, phaser, stupid sounds).. oh i play a mix of metal and industrial music with a tiny (very little) bit of hiphop thrown in (check our site at come.to/zeroband) and this really fits my sound that i want, which is a lot of the times a processed "synth" sounding tone.. but retaining that warmth of my amp that i like to have a lot of the time too.

the fucking power cord falls out all the time if you hit it, so i gotta tape that down. otherwise it is very reliable.. hope a tube don't blow. it's heavy and big and contructed very nice.

i dunno

i play afore mentioned mix of metal and industrial and this is my 3rd year playing. i compared with rocktron rack shit, some other digitechs and a boss GT-5 and a zoom something or the other, and i like this the best.. ii wish it had.. an arpeggiator.. that's about it.

Manual sucks, must play with enormously, e-mail digitech with questions and you get a detailed quick response.

WOW, WOW, WOW, this has great potential and great effects. Started with #3Wahdstock and worked on modifying settings to use second day. People were blown away. Presets are so so, but things like pre-amp 2 Death Metal Scoop can turn an amps clean channel into a metal stack(almost). The wah is better than most people say, I play blues, classic rock and original metal type music and it works great. I use an Ampeg reverbrocket 50W combo, Lone Star Strat, Epi LP Custom with Duncan Full Shreds, Jackson DR-5 with EMG 81's, and Washburn Studio A Woodstock model. This unit even makes my 15W Crate practice amp sound big. The morphing patches are great, although most presets use to much pitch shifting (not my favorite).

Used it several times at clubs, parties, etc...Just got back from Nashville after playing a couple of clubs showcasing. Very sturdy and dependable.

Needed help with programming (like I said manual sucks). E-mailed Digitech and got a thorough, timely response. So far, so good.

Love it, would buy it again. I play a variety of music and it does the job better than expected. My only real complaint is that the plug 'in' for the guitar is right in front of the expression pedal so you had bettter run all your cables under the unit or risk getting them caught in the pedal travel(bad for cords). Compared to several, way better than any in this price range. Will probably use with rack amp and cabinet combo eventually.

Ok, lots of people have complained about this one... I will agree, this unit is not to be used on the fly like it's younger RP 6 and RP 7 can be. This unit offers a LOT of control over your sound, but not only that, it can offer you just about anything but a talk box, or an arpeggiator... You have to have patience. The book doesn't help until after you've started playing with it. This thing is probably better suited to studio work, but that makes sense seeing as how it is the little brother of the GSP 2112/2120 rack processor. If you are going to use it live, luckily, there are five presets per bank, and a ton of banks, so, it's easy to move around, but forget about programming each effect type as a stomp box. Also, if you're going to use it live, get yoru sound's way before the gig. This one is also easy to get into the tuner mode, and the bypass. Over all, just have patience, cause this unit can probably do what you ask it to.

I've heard tons of complaints on this one too, but, hey, I like what it can do. Again, patience is the key. I used to run this into the input of my Fender Deluxe 112 Plus, but now, I run it into the post amp exclusively. Unfortuntely, the volume has to be adjusted w/ your hands, so keep the CC pedal programmed for volume if you can. This unit isn't really noisey, and that's even w/ the noise gate off. This unit has some built in artist presets, and to be honest, only the Stevie Ray Vaughn (Rockin SRV), David Gilmour (Run Like Heck), and Jimmy Page (Rock 'n Roll) sound faithful to their artists. My favorite preset on this is called "Ping Pong Auto Wah". This has a cool sound w/ my 57 Strat on the Mid pickup. The harmonizer/pitch shifter is much improved, and there is almost no wait now between playing and not playing. This unit also offers up to four digital effects at once, so you can have a really thick sound. Again, this thing is close to owning about 40 stomp boxes, and about as troublesome to program as 40 stompboxes. One thing taht is much improved over my other Digitech Units (RP 6, 7) is the noise gate. The noise gate was hard to even tell it was on! The preamp is strong, but the preamp presets suck, you just gotta fool around!

I have to play w/o a backup, but I do have my RP7, which has the 12ax7 preamp and the SDISC II processor, but lacks the storage capacity, or effect programming capabilites. My only conern is that this thing gets REAL HOT in the back, and I mean HOT. Too hot to touch after an hour or so of it being on. I'm worried about when the tube goes out, cause this unit doesn't seem like it's easy to pop a new tube into!

has much improved! I've asked several questions via email, and got prompt responses from them.

I'm going to cut this short. Buy it, open it up, play w/ the presets. Read the book only on how to get into the preamp/effects/assigning programming. Play for a few days, go back and read the book to see what all of those parameters do. This unit also has a compare effect feature that lets you compare the original to the new effect you've edited, over all, for what I payed for it, it was well worth it. If you can, go on and spring for the GSP 2120, since both aren't easy to program on the fly. You get an extra processor and an extra tube, and a foot controller that does the same thing as the pedal board.

I bought the RP-20 to replace my Zoom 3030. The operating system is not as simple as the 3030 but then the RP-20 is much more complex. The manual was some help, but i found that just messing around with it for a couple of hours was the best way of getting used to it. One thing that hasn't been mentioned much is the useful presets on each effect/distortion etc. These simplify things a lot. For example some reverbs have 10 pages of parameters which is quite complicated, but the presets let you find a sound that is close to the one you want and ten just tweak it slightly. You can then save it as your own preset. There are many presets for every effect, distortion etc and even whole preamps.

I'm using a Jackson Fusion EX with a DiMarzio Evolution in bridge position, through the RP-20 into a Marshall 8008 valvestate power amp and a Marshall 4x12 cab. It sounds great, especially when played loud. All the effects are good although the pitch shifting can be problematic -see below. There is not as much gain as in the Zoom, but the tube sounds are much better and less processed-sounding. I am disappointed with the solid state distortions though. Part of the reason I chose Digitech was because my friend had a Grunge pedal, but the Grunge on the RP-20 is much more tame and pathetic sounding, so I never use the solid state path at all, except for morphing patches. It has been said that the RP-20 is not suitable for metal. I disagree. I play a lot of heavy stuff, like Machine Head, Deftones, Metallica, and the sound I have is perfect. I use the tube distortion and 10-band EQ, and then a 3-band parametric EQ in the effects to get more bass and a more extreme sound - it's great loud. I also think that the wah is pretty good if the EQ is set right. I do have one complaint. I have the input gain fairly high to get maximum gain, but the pitch shifter/harmoniser needs the input gain set very low to get good tracking. As a result I use the pitch shifter very rarely, which is a shame, but I have no choice.

I had a minor problem when it first arrived but that was cured by doing a factory reset twice. I have no choice about having no backup as I spent all my money on this one.

The solid state distortions could be better and more gain overall would be nice to have if I wanted it, and it would be good if i could use the pitch shifter, but overall I am very pleased with it - I've had it about 4-5 months and I love the patches I've made. I don't know if I would buy it again. I think I would try out the Digitech 2112 before to see if the extra tube makes a lot of difference, but i'm not bothered about the greater effects capabilities - i'm happy with the RP-20's.

for somebody who hadn't done much programming prior to this effect (like myself) it was difficult at first. But after messing around for enough time you'll learn it easily enough. Basically I would have to say that it is somewhat problematic to make your own patches from scratch. I wish they'd make a patch editor like they did for the rp10 and rt12.

Using a 1963 original strat I found that I could approximate sounds I sought. The signature settings are good but nothing special in my opinion. I found that this pedal does sacrifice your tone significantly (for me, a MAJOR gripe as I have done everything I can to keep my signal pure including modifying the wiring [ not gonna say what, its my secret] in my strat, cables, etc. I found that the headroom, and pick dynamics are sacrificed. However, It's not like I don't like the unit at all. It does have some great sounds ( I especially like some of the multitapped delays in stereo). The reverbs are pretty much useless. The chorus is good as is the phaser and flanger although i'm not exactly a connoisseur of either of those. The distortions are better than the rp12 (it does have a tube - but so do lots of others and lots of them suck too) but again, Digitech: dynamics! The overal noise ratio isn't that bad, (we are talking vintage single coils here, so I can't complain THAT much) I tried it through both my marshall (4102) and fender (twin reissue), Both yielded good results although I lean towards the fender a little more as I basically think the 4102 sucks (that's another review). Overall not that bad. One last note, I tried it through my friend's 97 les paul standard and peavey bandit 112 transtube, damn did it suck.

I think that the unit is basically roadworth and would use it without a backup due to the price ( i rented it for a month, not gonna buy). However I experienced some definate preamp tube crackling which I'm sure could be rectified with a new tube, but still that was annoying.

haven't had to deal with digitech. Have heard horror stories from people working at the music store though.

Overall I find this unit to be a big compromise. It's not cheap, and some effects suck. Like for example the pitch shifter (try shifting down, tons of noticeable delay). I play mainly jazz (play professionally in a trio) and blues rock/funk, but I like to play around with crazy metal sounds too. Overall I find it to be a product with some good sounds , but not enough to justify buying it. Plus many of the sounds that were good had very little live application. Nobody would buy the preamp by itself because it just isn't that great. I'm really picky though, try it yourself, maybe you're enough of a wanker to fooled by this thing.

This is an easy processor to use. It's my first real multi-effects processor and it only took me two or three days to start getting the most out of it. You don't need the manual 99% of the time. You can get almost any sound you want in less than five minutes.

This thing is dead quiet most of the time. The noise gate is terrific. The way this thing works is it has two sections: Preamp and effects. The preamp has the compressor, wa, distortion and the distortion's eq, and noise gate. The effects section has, well, all the effects. You can run up to four at once. Even using four effects at once, it sounds great. The distortion is great, too. I play alternative and such and can get any distortion I want to on this thing! The morphing is hevenly. The only thing that is not great is the wa. You can't get sounds like Soundgarden wa solos on this. But other than that, its perfect. I would give it a "ten" if the wa was better.

I have had this for about a month, and the only thing that I have had trouble with is that sometimes when you plug it it (which, by the way, also turns it on) it doen't work at all and just hums. All you have to do is unplug it and replug it.

Very easy, very cool-sounding, very good for all styles of music exept metal. I love the tube, the distortion, and the ease of use. I spent weeks looking at the best unit under 700 and this is what I found. This product will help me while making music because it has so many effects and you can get the sound you want is a short period of time.

I bought the RP20 after having owned the RP-1 and RP-10 so I found the interface initially totally alien. Plus there's like a whole chapter missing in the manual. Anyway, it took me about a week before I really understood what it was all about, but once I did.....WOW! There is so much control of the sound that it should be possible to create any sound you want. The RP20 is basically divided into 2 sections... the preamp section and the digital section. In the preamp you have the usual parameters including compressor, wah, distortion, equaliser, and noisegate. The distortion section is unique because you have 2 paths, a tube and solid state each with its own 10 band eq. Now you can switch between the 2 paths, or combine them e.g. you can set one path up for a clean tube sound, and the other for raunchy distortion. The combinations are endless, and are particularly suited for live use where all paramaters can be assigned to a footswitch or expression pedal. You have no less than 6 assignable volume levels for dynamic control in various parts of the preamp section. Pretty mind boggling and difficult to describe in writing. Like I say, It took me a week before things finally clicked. The digital section has a useful array of chorus, phase, flange, detune, pitch-shift, tremolo, harmoniser, delay, reverb, etc...but no arpeggiator (as on the RP10)!Not that I ever used it anyway. I wont spend alot of time here because its quite straight forward. Digitech have thoughtfully provided stored presets of all the parameters, e.g.,preamp tones such as Twin Reverbs and Marshall Stacks, various eq's from warm to punchy... different compressor presets, noisegate presets right through to all the digital effect. And the presets are all named so you can identify them. You can also create, name and store your own. So you can create your own sounds by simply listening to the various presets and combining them until you get what your roughly after and then go in and tweak them to perfection!

I'm using a Fender Deluxe 112. The valve in the RP20 seems to give a tranparency dynamics and musicality to the sound that is ususally missing with a solid state amp or effect. I didn't know I was missing it until I tried the RP20. The RP10 sound dead and lifeless in comparison. Anyone wanna buy it? OK...the wah-wah is still bad...no control of the frequency..surely just a software problem. Still, its more useable that the RP10.

Well, I've read the reliabilty comments and I have to be honest..both my RP10 and RP20 broke down in the first 6 weeks. The optical sensor for for the expression pedal went on the RP10 and the RP20 had some kind of RAM problem which caused the unit to crash and reset itself thus losing all my weeks of programming. Lost more hair on that one! In both cases they were promptly and courteously repaired by Arbiter, Digitech's UK agents. The RP10 hasn't broken down since and has been very reliable at gigs. The RP20 had its first gig last week and all went well. Still, I've dumped all my programming onto computer and I bring the RP10 to the gigs as backup...just in case.

I bought the unit in the UK off this guy who had it for six weeks and found it too comlicated. When I had the trouble I emailed their customer support and they were very prompt and helpful. Thanks Bruce!

The band I'm in plays a range of songs from the 60's through to the present day. So the unit has to be versatile, easy to use live and controllable. Once programmed, the RP20 fulfills all these functions admirably. Having the valve in there I think would make it sound good through any amp. I know alot of people comment on the noise aspects od Digitech gear...but in my experience this occurs with single coil pickups and then its just a question of tweaking the noise gate. Yes I would buy it again (but not at the full UK price which is about 1.6x the US price) and there is nothing to compete with it on the market. In my opinion Digitech knocks the spots of Japanese stuff. I've owned both and so far have heard nothing to sway me.

Editing effects (parameters) is generally easy, provided you know what all the parameters do for each effect. It is extremely flexible, allowing control over almost everything. The hard part is deciding on what effects module configuration to use, including the effect module layout (eg. stereo split, mono chain, etc.), module size (up to 4 digital effects can be used at one time, providing they each use 1/4 of the processing power, or 1 effect that uses all power, 2 using half each, 2 and 1 using quarters and half, etc.), and in which order/ routing scheme to place the effects (may be put in any order). Can get very complicated trying to find the best setup for the sound you're after. But all this flexibility means you'll never run out of things to try on the thing. The manual gives good general advice, but lacks in specifics with good examples. Lots of misprints. Many features, such as the Utilities menu where MIDI, cabinet emulation, etc. is accessed, require much more explanation. But again, it is pretty easy to figure out if you just get right into it. Mine has version 1.01 software in it (I am still waiting for Digitech to put 1.02 on their web page so I can download and install it, which they say I'll be able to do).

I run my Les Paul into the RP-20, then run its headphone output (stereo) into the input of my Marshall Valvestate VS100R combo amp. It sounds good, but not as good as running the RP-20 headphone output to headphones instead of the amp. All the subtleties really come out thru headphones, and it sounds incredible. Turning up the volume really gives added dimension and dynamic responsiveness to my playing. My Les Paul does tend to add a bit of hum and noise, but it's mostly just a grounding problem that goes away when I touch one of the humbuckers with my finger (one day I'll get that fixed). Back to the amp. I think it loses some of the sound quality since the signal is running through 2 preamps: the RP-20's and the amp's. Also, the headphone output supposedly uses auto cabinet emulation, which removes some frequencies (but even the direct outputs didn't sound as good through the amp). I think I need to run it through just a power amp to get best results, but until then I'm in heaven with my headphones. The RP-20 isn't very noisy, but the external transformer can cause some hum, which can usually be alleviated by positionioning it differently (a little lame). The effects are great, but the harmonizers (pitch shifting effects) do have a noticeable delay before sounding the notes, which can be minimized by playing with the effects level and mix to blend the effect better.

I ordered the thing mail order (not a good idea) and it didn't have a battery in it. As such I couldn't save any patches. It also locks up sometimes, and can do some strange things when editing parameters. Nothing major though. I'm hoping revision 1.02 will fix some of the minor things. In terms of playability, it performs very well. No problems playing through the patches. Squeaky expression pedal (optical sensor-based). Also, the tube will be a pain to replace, since there's no easy access to it (you have to unscrew a million screws to get into the thing).

Digitech has answered all my questions on numerous phone calls (wish they had a 1-800 number). They even answered all my emails (should use that more). Pretty helpful staff, but the technicians can get a little grumpy though (guess I grilled them too much). Since I ordered it mail order to Canada, I have no warrantee, although the Canadian dealer said he'd honour the warrantee as a good will gesture or something like that. Hope it never goes down on me or I'm in for some major hassles. They have been promising to put the upgrade on their web site for over a month now. Going to keep calling them til it shows up.

I think I've been extremely critical of the thing, but overall, I'm nice 'n satisfied with it. Does almost everything I think I'll ever need in an effects processor. I play a bit of everything, so I love the wide variety of effects and flexibility. Upon its theft, I would consider getting the 2112 instead for the extra tube and S-DISC (double the processing power - could have 8 digital effects at once). I would also consider another unit like an Eventide (shudder at the pricetag though), or even an RP-7 (lower price, similar features). If nothing else seemed better and really tickled my fancy, I would buy an RP-20 again, since it has great sound as it is. It's even flexible enough to be used for other instruments and sound sources such as bass guitar and vocals (makes my crappy voice sound somewhat palateable). I do have to admit that with all its flexibility and features, I've been bogged down with experimentation and haven't done much actual playing yet. I just keep running through each of the presets, playing and experimenting for a little while with each, then moving to the next, every time I use it. One day I'll sit down, get the sound I'm after, and just practice for the duration...one day. I hate the lack of a power button on it. Come on! Nothing a power bar can't fix though.

I became frustrated with the RP-12 interface. If you wanted to quickly switch between effects, you had to step thru all of the settings for each. I also found the arrow keys a problem. The RP-20 is much better. There are no fixed algorithm limitations and for each effect in the path, you just turn the knob to select between all available effects (ones which show up depend on how much memory you've aloted -- its easy). Thus by simply turning the knob, you immediately get to hear the effect in the program your editing. There are 12 or so path configurations to choose from (series, parallel). Once an effect is selected, you have a new option. Each effect has a family of presets associated with it to modify the sound of the effects. If you don't find one you like, you can simply page to the details and make your own. Once made, it can be named and made available any time you use the effect in another program. The interface is much better than the RP-12 -- its larger, more graphical and has an input dial. Second, the user banks are now one button away from the factory presets. Note - if your an expert with the various RP-12 effects parameters they have all changed on the RP-20 so you'll have to re-learn them.

I heard that the processor is faster than the RP-12 (which has outstanding sound quality). The RP-20 is noticably better in terms of clarity and depth. I don't recall much about the flange on the RP-12 but its not bad here. Its hard to compare apples to apples because the presets are all different between the two units but the sound is great. I still think the harmony effects need a faster processor yet but its better on this unit. Also new is the ability to split your signal and set up entirely different effects in each path (e.g. path 1 could have tube distortion and flange; path 2 could have grunge and reverb). I wasn't all that impressed with the presets but they are better generally than the RP-12. They tend towards heavy distortions (not issue). Do have two banks of signature settings -- SRV, Gilmore...

I wish they would add an on/off switch. Plugging/unplugging unit seems to me a poor solution (thus the rating of 8). In RP-20, they now have venting in area which gets hot -- good move. I don't really think its built any better than other RP units which means overall its very good quality.

On the manual, they finally decided to start writing one. Its better than before however I'm only a few pages into it. It does look like it was copied and bound at Kinko's. Digitech informed me that its not possible to take your favorite settings from the RP-12 and load them into the RP-20. Seems like an oversite on their part since I'm sure many people have spent alot of time on these. Even though the parameters between effects are not one-to-one, it would not have been that difficult to add a converter within the RP-20 to allow this. I tried to do this manually but its very time consuming. Also when I called to ask about using previous RP-12 data, the person was very nice and I didn't have to wait long. When I asked about other sources for sysex files on the RP-20 mentioning internet, he really wasn't very helpful. I think Digitech should promote the use of its product and provide links from their page.

The RP-20 overall is outstanding. The new interface and configurable effects including dual path capability allows one to really get at the power of this technology. The tube adds great sound and combined with whatever else they have done, it is improved over the RP-12 in terms of clarity and depth. I still think the RP-12 is a great unit and the RP-20's alot more $ but for me, it was worth the investment. Of course, I just changed over a few days ago so I'm still exploring. 9 rating because its not cheap.

The RP-20 is a VERY straightforward unit...there are literally trillions of billions of possibilities you can do with this thing. I owned a RP-6 about a week ago and when the RP-20 came out I immideatly returned it and got the 20...and i love it! the manual is WAY better than the previous RP models..but still it would have been nice if digitech inserted a "example of creating a patch" that would have been nice...other that than...very easy to use!!!

My setup is a Ibanez JS1000, going through the RP-20 into a Gallien Krueger amp...and it sounds AWESOME! the quality of the effects and patches are MUCH better than the RP-6 that i once owned. Some patches may need a little tweaking but other than that they all sound great!! and yes there is a "signature" section of the patches and is dedicated to some awesome well known guitar tones...some of which are eric johnson, AC/DC, SRV, Jimmi Hendrix, and Jimmi Hendrix wah (the wah sounds a LOT better on the RP-20 due because its analog), EVH, and much more and they all sound VERY close, if not exactly like the tones of the actual people!

I can defenitely depend on this thing at a gig! and yes i would use it as a backup because i have had NO problems with this thing at all and i love it!

the only thing that kinda made me a little mad was that i had to wait around a week to get it! the store said that digitech was so full of orders that it would be delayed, but im happy now!!

I play mostly intrumental rock, eg. joe satriani, steve vai, and a lot of other kinds of rock, heavy metal, jazz, and blues. I am a 16 year old guitar player and have been playing for about 3 years. i have owned 2 BOSS pedals, one a super chorus and one a metal zone. and i have a morely PWS wah...and i have to say. good bye to all that!! i would DEFENITLEY buy this thing a million times over! the only thing i dont like is that there isnt a on/off button! no big deal. my favorite feature is...its the RP-20 and it can do everything! I compared it to MANY products, like some rackmount stuff like the 2112, and other floor processors, and also talked to my guitar teacher and reps at the store i bought it from, and they all said its the top-of-the-line product! well the first day i had it, it didnt help make me music because..i was playing with it for 4 hours! its that fun. overall, this is THE best processor for its price and i love it! i reccomend it to everyone!

This is really easy to use, although the manual really sucks, but if it didn't it would have been a 10 all the way. The manual has many mis-prints, and even a picture that is totally wrong! But by hitting a few keys you can figure everything out, i read about 3 pages of the manual and threw it aside and just started working with it and figured it out instantly.

The sound quality is really nice, but using the tube path can tend to be a bit noisy (especially around computers/dimmers/the usual EMI devices, but it's worse with the tube path then the solid by far!) I'm using it with a Fender UltraChrous, a Peavey SuperChorus and direct to the board and it sounds good in all of them. The noise reducer is great, although when it's on the higher settings the sound you play is quieter so it's kind of dulling and gating, but you don't really need it that high! I love the whammy just because i never had it before, and the chorus' and reverbs are nice too.

I think i'd be able to stomp on this quite a bit without worry, the expression pedal seems to be the weakest part, and i've heard of them going on the 5's, 6's, 12's... but it seems like it'll last, only main problem is the power cord isn't snug when you plug it in which bothers me, if i move it it just shuts off, but there is a clip on the back i suppose that you're suppose to use to keep it in, although it made no mention of it... I *wouldn't* trust to use it on a gig without a backup as there is no easy-access to the tube, so if it goes i don't want to spend any time reprogramming every patch to bypass if it goes... but i have nothing to compare with it as a backup, i guess the DOD FX-7 would always work...

Even before i had the pedal i was e-mailing them on questions/support and they got right back to me, extremely helpful and friendly.

I think this is a very good unit overal, other then the manual and power cord i have had no problems with it. I play mostly straight rock/alternative and sometimes heavier/industrial stuff, but this will work for any musical style you could think of. If i had the option to buy it again i probably would, or maybe go with the RP-7 and save the extra $$ for a new deluxe Strat! Or even sping a little more and get the 2112 which i may do anyways but at the moment i don't think it's worth that much more. I wish it had easier access to the tube, but other then that it's great. For the price range it doesn't seem like the product someone would buy for just playing in thier room or jamming with friends, but in my case i do a lot of originals that i record in my own self-built studio and play out quite often and it works great, but for just making some fun sounds and people who arn't doing a lot of gigging/recording i'd say wait for the RP-7 which i'm sure is much better suited to your budget.

Its very easy to get a good sound through it. The only thing I had to do sometimes was the factory presets had a little to much high end so I dished them down a little and it made it all the better. As for as editing goes this is the best one out there I think. Its so easy. A child could make patches and edit them. I have been working at a music store and I have seen many effects gears and racks go by and this is the kewlest one yet. The manual is pretty straight forward. I have not really looked at it yet because there is no need to. Its that easy.

Its really not that noisey through my Peavey Bandit 112. So effects were a little hisses but thats expected all you have to do is adjust the EQ on it. As fas as a little hiss which can be taked out if you work at it all 100 effects sound great. And the thing I like about it the most is the 12AX7 tube it has in it. You can select I think over like 12 distortion types. And they all sound geat.

Yes I could depend on it. Its built to last. I think its built a little better then the rp-12

Well Customer Support at Digitech is pretty good. Since I work at a music store I have to call them a few times to get parts ordered and stuff. There pretty fast sometimes a little slow but when you have a big company trying to get out effects around the world this can be expected.

Yes I would buy it again. I love the distortion types on it. the tube really makes it great. Yes I compared this to all other floor processors and several pieces of rack gear and this is the only one I found to be easy to edit and to basically do what ever you want it to. Another kewl thing is you can put your effects where ever you want them. Ex. you can put distortion first then eq and then you can put your reverbs and your flanges after the eq so your not eqing them and it makes it sound a lot better and you can do endless things with this.