Rockman XP100

This amp is very easy to use even if you dont have a manual. Editing is a snap. If you have ever used any progamable amp unit this is what started it. It is MIDI controlled witch is kind of funny being you are just now seeing Carvin,Marshall offer such heads like it's a new thing. This on was way ahead of its time..

This one is hard. This is the first amp I bought with my own money in 1992. It was used, I paid $550.00 for it on layaway at Granny's in OKC. I'm am very fond of this amp. Now this amp has amazing hard sounds and the the very best ultra clean sounds I have ever heard (Def Leppard used this for all its clean sounds on Hystera). If you hook up a boss delay through the effects loop or any good rack effect you will many guitar players asking how you get you're sounds. But there is no middle of the road soak that gradual tube break up sound. It is noisey as hell has become worse over time. It does have a progamable loop,Pre EQ,EQ,compresser,dist.,stero chours,echo,reverb,boost and very very good stero direct recording outs. This is the second to offer such good direct outs sans amp was the first.

Nobody fixes them. SR&D sold everything over to Jim Dunlop and out of all the gear the XP100 was left in the cold. They custom matched the FET units in these like matching tubes, and there are 10 different ones but only a couple are left. The last time it was fixed properley it took over 6 months to find these MAGIC FET's and even then Dan had to act like a big company buying in bulk to get some samples. And I did say fixed properley. When I lived in Houston nobody would touch it. I found one guy he had it for 3 months made it worse than it was.

None at all you are on you're own....

I have used this in a a/b set up and had the best results mixing it with my Carvin half stack. The XP will let every note in a big complex cord be heard. And on leads it sings with amazing note clairty. But not having anyone to fix it it mainly sit's in my stuido. Wishing I would Take it out for the eveing. IF ANYBODY KNOWS SOMEONE WHO DOES WORK ON THESE PLEASE E-MAIL ME.....

The Rockman XP 100 is very easy to use. You just plug in, set the amount of sustain and work from left to right, doing some pre equalizing, amount of distortion, effects, post-equalizing just by pushing buttons in that section. In the end you push save, hold it two seconds and you are ready to play. No batteries, no difficult manuals, just plug and play. I never got the manual because it was second hand, but I never needed one.

I choose this amp because I love the Boston sound. I used to have Marschall amps, had the pleasure to try all the major amps like Peavey 5150, Diezel Amps on Bogner cabinets, Koch amps, Hughes and Kettner Tri-amps (1 & 2) and Fender. But in 1985 I bought the Rockman Sustainor, later the Rockman Distortion Generator, the Rockman 12-band EQ, the Rockman Stereo Chorus and Stereo Echo. I use Rockman eversince and nothing in my mind was thinking about changing this setup. The Rockman XP 100 is warmer, smoother and more heavy than my setup. To me it is the ultimate Rockman.

There is a treble and bass switch on the right of the amp to compensate the treble and bass loss within different acoustic spaces, but if you use the treble to much, you will hear some noise. So it is better to use the treble setting in the EQ.

It is very easy to get the Boston sound, especially when you are also using a Gibson Les Paul Standard, like I do. The amount of distortion is still as much or even more than most modern amps. I like the warmth of it.

The effects are good enough, but I still prefer the Rockman Stereo Echo module and place it in the effect loop. The echo time is longer and the possibilities are far greater than the XP 100. But for normal use it should be ok. The reverb is also ok, but I think it's better to use a 2005 digital reverb. When you use the echo well, there is no need for reverb anyway. The stereo chorus is very good, almost just as good as the Rockman Stereo Chorus Rockmodule.

This unit is very reliable. I would easily use it without a backup. No doubts. I also use a lot of other Rockman stuff, and since 1985 it never failed. Really. No problems at all.

I never had to deal with the company about failures but I did ask some questions , just to improve my sound a bit. The company was already sold at that time, but I managed to find some people who worked for Rockman. They helped me great, answered all my questions.

I'm 32 years old now, I play guitar since I was 6years old. I play Rock music, hardrock, pop-rock with the Rockman XP 100. This is a very good match. I also record the music in my homestudio and that is where this unit is better than a lot of other brands. It has direct outs so you can plug directly in the deck and record, having a fully mastered guitar sound. I tried the Line 6 POD for example, to see if the Rockman is now old-fashioned; but NO! It is in my opinion FAR better. The Line 6 sounded harsch and digital, didn't like it. If it was stolen I will hunt the person down, hahahaha. I've been looking for this product since 1992 (when I first heard it) and got it in 2004. They are very rare. I love the sound, it is warm, smooth but heavy, a lovely midrange and you can also get other sounds from it than just the Boston sound.

TIP: for all the users who don't want the Boston sound; just push the 500 Khz middle tone button down to zero and it's no longer that Boston sound. It is the most important button to affect the sound, try it.

This is the easiest amp to use. I bought mine second Hand. It did not come with a manual. Now unlike all these new progammable amps and effects, you don't have to spend hours to get the sound you want.
What a shame they don't make them anymore. I would love to see a modern day version of this amp.

This amp replaced my Mesa Mk3 combo, i hated only having 3 sounds. I'm not a Boston Fan. When i bought mine, it was the sound it could make.
I keept my Boogie 12" speaker extension Cab, wow it sounds awesome.
I can get any sound from this amp, is has amazing sustain. Now i only wish it had a better more modern Delay. But that aside, i have had mine for about 5 years. I play heavy rock to pop classic rock covers.

I have never had it break down, the only problem is the speaker inside next to the circuits, does tend to rattle some solder joints loose. I have disconnected the speaker, to avoid having this happening. When you play loud that is a lot of air pushed around in the little box.

Bought mine second hand, so never had the pleasure.

I play classic rock, this amp can handle anything.
I have been playing for 25 years, and have owned Marshalls, Mesa,Peavey. This has been the perfect match. You can change things on the fly. It doesn't suffer from Time lag between patches. Most of all it sounds like a tube amp cracked and i get sustain. i am not a big Boston fan, so i'm not sure if this is the boston sound. But i have had so many comments when using this amp. I use the amp with my Mesa 12" speaker extenion and it sounds wicked. It has plenty of power too.

I had some reservations about purchasing this unit, but I decided that since I really enjoyed the Boston sound, this would be the way to go without having to drag all the individual modules around. I can honestly say it was the best investment I've ever made. On the ease of use, I would have to say incredibly easy to operate. I didn't need the manual that came with it to understand how it worked. I don't think you'd really need a manual in the first place. From the port to plug into your guitar all the way across to the midi record controls, it's very easy to work with to find that particular sound and save it.

I'm using a Japanese Les Paul style guitar with this. I've used actual Gibsons, Ibanezs, and a friend of mine uses his Fender Strat. All in all, suberb sound out of anything. I think you'd have to have a truly crappy guitar to get a lousy sound to come out. The distortion settings from Clean 2 all the way to maxed out overdrive are, again, very versatile. By adjusting the Pre and Post EQs, I can come up with almost any type of sound needed for a particular song. The Chorus is lush, and simply augments my sound and I get a LOT of compliments on it compared to various other newer units for sale. The ONLY complaint I have about this unit is the Echo. Compared to the Stereo Echo Module I used to have (doh!), this one falls miserably short. I intend to purchase another Stereo Echo in the future and just use it in the bypass channel. As for noise, I've had different amps and effects, and although there may be some noise at the higher levels, I feel this still outdoes the others.

Can I depend on it? I've taken it to gigs where it sat in the back of my pickup for 6 hours and still is ready to go when I get there. (Of course, if it rains, it would have to sit in my lap :-).) Since buying it, I have no problems with its dependablity and reliabilty.

I've never dealt with Dunlop. After some of the different stories I've heard on the internet, I'm not sure I'd want to. I honestly hope I never have to.

I play Contemporary Christian Music, mostly in a rock vein. I've noticed that the sound of this amp does'nt seem to get as many dirty stares as the other amps and effects that I used to have. I've been playing since 1978 when I first picked up an old beat up electric and a Styx song book. Since then, it's been one wild ride. If my XP100 were lost or stolen, I would have to sell whatever I could to be able to bid on another one. These things are extremely rare. In a nutshell, I love its sound, its dependability, transportability, and ease of use. The only thing I hate is the Echo. I've played through Marshalls, Fenders, and other amps. They weren't as "user-friendly" or as good at giving me the sound I wanted as this unit does. It definitely is worth every penny. I am very satisfied with it.

I've had my XP100 for over 10 years, but it only took under an hour to see how the controls are put together and figure out how to use them. I haven't had to consult the manual since that first day! However, I still to this day am trying new variations and come up with new sounds. Very visual layout: the LED's are great to see all your settings at a glance. Saving the progrmmable MIDI patches is as easy as holding the Record button for a few seconds, and with 100 slots for saving you'll probably never use them all. I love the amplifier switch (labeled "Power Range") to control Hi/Lo output to the built-in speakers or just line out throught the mini phone jack (like Walkman headphone jack), easy as pie to just switch it over: Hi is great for gigs, Lo is about right for rehearsals, and Phones Only is perfect for quiet practicing.

OK, any comments here must be subjective, but I absolutely fell in love the with the Boston guitar sound from the first album. The X100 (Classic) Rockman that clips to your belt was developed since that time to embody that sound in a solid-state (read: NO TUBES, nearly indestructible electronics, and not a lot of heat, either!) and the XP100 inherits all of it's sound quality: good rich lows, soaring highs in both clean and distortion settings, an amazing chorus (Scholz wrote the book on chorus from the cool sound of it, no other chorus is as good in my opinion) with multiple speeds and even a Mono setting if you like. I play a '69 Gibson SG (no whammy or fancy tailpiece, aww, but I like to keep it stock), and in addition to being able to replicate almost all of the guitar sounds on any Boston album, I've found the grungier settings work well for my band (rock/pop), especially for soloing. Quick changes via the optional MidiPedal allow for instantaneous (and silent) switching between Midi patches so you can dive into a solo and pop back into a rhythm mode with a flick of the foot (or finger is you're standing right in front of it). Some of the newer solid-state competitors may give it competition, but for the amazing versatility, small size, and built-in amp this is really hard to beat, not to mention for the price. With all the additional effects circuitry, you sure could spend a lot more and get a lot less. My only disappointment is I get some noise when set to the highest distortion, the amp is set to Hi, and I have the volume nearly maxed out. (Hey, that's rock 'n' roll, right?) But, balance that with it's incredible flexibility, especially in the studio where you can appreciate the pristine stereo out signal, and I'm happy again.

Excellent reliability due to the solid-state architecture, no doubt. Never been stranded at a gig due to any problem with my beloved XP100. My sliders for Master Out vol/treble/bass are a bit scratchy, but hey, it's been 10 years and I intend to use a bit of contact cleaner; heard another user say that clears it right up. I never carry a backup amp: in fact, I've never even considered it since owning this amp. More reliable than my guitar, that's for sure!

Never had to contact them, so can't address that issue.

This has been a never-ending complement to my playing development: I bought it as a beginner just wanting to play hard rock, and it did great. I moved on to more melodic, poppy stuff, and had no trouble finding the sounds I needed. Now, my band plays a variety of styles, mostly rock, and switching between about 5 MIDI setups gets me through an entire gig. I use no other outboard effects except a volume pedal. The MIDI Pedal is a bit large for smaller stages: I usually leave it at home (or in the car) when I know the stage is small; I claim a spot near my amp so I can change settings/volume as needed.

Very easy to use. Saving patches is simple. I got a manual from Dunlop for $5.00. I was trying to control the reverb and volume with midi expression pedals to no avail. It turns out the XP-100 doesn't receive continuous control changes. The channel switching and saving with a pedal is great, though.

I'm playing in an 80s band using both single-coil and humbucking pickups. It's the perfect amp for this stuff. Really clean like "Missing You" to really dirty like "Photograph" with no problem. It is a bit noisy in the high gain stages.

It's a little weak when used exclusively with the onboard speakers. I played it briefly through a stereo 4 12" cabinet and it sounded great. Very full.

Note the world's most versatile sounds. Definitely a niche.

I found the reverb a little weird. When you choke the strings to keep from getting a pitch, the reverb doesn't sound. If you play a note, it does. Like a weird gate of some kind.

I have had many problems with my particular amp. I bought it used off eBay a few weeks ago. The speaker foam was rotted off, the 1/4" speaker jack had been destroyed in shipping because the speaker had come off the baffle and rolled around in the speaker case. Apparently, some solder joints weren't what they were supposed to be, either. The amp presently is not usable. I'm sending it to Dunlop for repair. Very sad as I had several scheduled gigs in the immediate future. It went out on me altogether at my last gig. I had to use a Sustainor and Chorus straight through the board. Not good.

I will add to this later. I am sending it in for service as soon as I get the RA number from Dunlop.

If I could get it to work, I'd be in heaven. It's exactly what I wanted and needed for what I'm doing. If it works reliably when repaired by Dunlop, I'll be thrilled.

Very simple to use, just plug it in. Due to the large number of possible sounds, though, it may take many happy hours to find what you like. Then you get tired of that sound ... voila! There are 99 presets available. You almost certainly want to get a MIDI pedal to jump around. I have a MIDIwizard, which has ten banks of ten presets; nice for grouping by sound/song/set/whatever mood I'm in that day, heh. I rate 9 because it was kind of weird figuring out how to save presets (hold RECORD down for a few seconds until the LED blinks (WARNING! ABOUT TO SAVE!), then it's saved).

There are two problems with the unit. The first is quite overcome-able: it's an all-in-one unit, with the speakers a little too close to the amp. I get a buzz when using the onboard speakers at high distortion levels, but the workaround is to use separate cabinets! It's a 100-watt amp, so the sound is a lot better that way, too. However, the unit was advertised as a great all-in-one product, and it's not.

The other problem is different that the one that seems inherent to all-in-one units. There's a dazzling array of effects packed into it: pre-distortion EQ, sustain, gain control, chorus, echo/reverb, post-distortion EQ... the *quality* of the effects doesn't seem affected by the fact that they're all ganged together in one unit. The limitation is that Scholz seems to have limited the controls to (a) make everything fit in a small space, and (b) make the controls discrete to allow for MIDI control. It's a good trade-off, but a trade-off nonetheless.

It's been solid as a rock since I bought it five years ago. I have gigged with no backup, never a problem. Solid construction, consistent sound since day one.

I haven't dealt with Dunlop, who owns the rights to the Rockman line. I've heard that the guy who was Scholz' main tech is with Dunlop, and that he'll fix anything for $50. But that's just a rumour :-)

I love it. It's supported me in playing classic rock, grunge rock, and as a great acoustic amp, mainly owing to the two EQ stages. The closest things I have to complaints about it are the lame speakers and the limited range of sounds, but the upsides are that it is a good portable unit, and it's MIDI-programmable. I recommend it to anyone that wants a good amp with built-in effects with high reliability.

Ease of use? Forrest Gump could figure out how to use this thing in 30 seconds! The control panel looks it was inspired by the insides of 60's vintage Russian space ship with all the l.e.d's. But after messing around with it, you can see that finding the settings you like is alot faster, because you can see the pattern the lights make and can compare them to other settings at the blink of an eye. Try to do that with a "modern" interface where you have to scroll through menu after menu!! And to record the settings you like, it's as simple as pushing 1 button.

Well, what can I add that hasn?t already been said. Hmmm..i guess, there?s more to the XP100 (an XPR with a power amp & speakers) then that Tom Scholz Rockman/Boston sound. ( A thick fat low end with a very distinct warm, chimey high end). It can also get Randy Rhoad?s exact tone on Blizzard of Ozz, especially the opening riff to Crazy Train. Also, it can get a super fat, chunka, chunka Metallica/Slayer rhythm sound (circa late 80?s). And the best thing is that even though you can get a really thick-sounding bottom end, it doesn?t muddy the high end. You can hit an open E power chord that by itself will sound so powerful that it will get people so amped they will want to start a war on the dance floor! But then you can play some intricate arpeggios underneath that chord and everything will stay crystalline clear. Which, with all those open strings ringing, is a good test to see which spectrum of sound will be dominant. But this thing is really well-rounded. Playing ?double-stops? (2 notes together, ala Jimi Hendrix) high on the fretboard still produces warm, fat, full-bodied sounds that will sustain forever. The amazing thing about this amp is that it is solid-state (with the benefit of making it almost indestructible) yet it produces some of the warmest, fattttest, tube-like crunch that will rival any Marshall, Boogie, Saldano, 5150, etc. And being solid-state, it will beat those amps when getting jazz-type sounds on the clean channels. This is where the well-rounded sound really stands out. And the EQ is more then enough to get bright, trebly highs to buttery-smooth highs (ala Alan Holdsworth). The Rockman chorus has a unique sound, which really lends itself to jazz playing. And when it comes to getting blues-like tones out of this amp, it does more then a satisfactory job. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top used a XP100/XPR to get his sound. Other artists that are known to have used these things to get their sound are Joe Satrani, DimeBag Darrel from Pantera, and even Eddie Van Halen! I?m sure there?s others, but those are the only ones I?ve found through my limited research on this thing. I?ve also heard from somebody that worked at a music store, that the power amp is made by Carver. One thing is for sure; it?s definitely loud enough! Especially with the 2 6inch speakers made by Pyle! Just don?t expect it those speakers to do this amp justice. You really need to run this to a proper speaker cabinet. I run it to a custom cabinet with 4 30 watt Celestions and it?s plenty loud enough at half-power for a small club. And what really comes in handy, besides the built in speakers for traveling to jam sessions, is the headphone jack for those late-night solo jam sessions played along with a tape deck. Or you can use that jack to run it directly to a computer or mixing board for direct recording. And if the built-in sounds aren?t good enough for you, there?s an effects loop where you can add your favorite stomp box, tube preamp, or whatever! And to top it off, its 100 settings are midi programmable! (Any midi pedal will work with it). And to top that off, it's probably the quietest amp around, even at it's highest gain settings (which are substantial!)Anyways,I really believe this is the perfect amp for any musician on a tight budget, not only can you use it to practice with (headphones, or the speakers at a jam session), it does a great job as an amp head powering a speaker cabinet for playing at clubs. And best of all; it sounds so great, that you can record with it! (Any serious studio should have one of these). Bottomline: THIS THING ROCKS!!....(because a "perfect" sound is soo subjective, i'll have to give this a "9". Even though to me personally, it gets a "9.99" On second thought, because it's solid-state, yet has a tube-like wall of sound, i'm giving it a "10" !!!

Well, it's solid-state with no tubes that will easily get damaaged if you move it while it's still hot. So, you can take it home right away after jamming the whole night away. And if you drop it, it will probably survive due to the 1/2 thick space-age plastic stuff that surrounds it. I've dropped a Rockman x100 from 5ft, with those 8 batteries flying everywhere like shrapenal (& for those familiar with the battery covers on those, they're pretty hard to pry off!)And that thing is still alive n kicking! So, this thing looks like it's built 100x more rugged then the x100. It will survive!

Doubt i will need to get this thing fixed. It's taken a lickin' but still keeps on tickin' after all these years. Btw, if you need a manual for any Rockman products, i heard Dunlop (who bought SRD) will sell you one.

Well, when i first bought this a few years ago, i mainly bought it because it was the perfect amp that could be used equally as well for performing, recording & practicing (And it fit in my RV)!I thought the guy was asking too much, but after doing some research, I found out they are becoming pretty scarce due to the fact they aren't made anymore & there's ALOT of Rockman fans outthere! So, i coughed up the cash & haven't regretted it since. I can see why people love these things. They are truely one-of-a-kind! If Dunlop started making these again, i would also buy another one (just incase!) Until then, i've been looking, but the only place i've seen them are on eBay and they went for $879-$900something a few months ago...that's just a little less then the $1200 retail price in '90! But compared to the prices people pay for crappy-sounding Tube Screamers, they are still a bargain. And I'm don't plan on being like the other reviewer who sold his only to want it back! This baby is definitely a keeper!

so, if you have one for sale, feel free to email me. But remember: i'm a semi-starving musician : )

Lets see...basically "Boston-in-a-Box". Made by Scholz Research and Development in the late 80's and early 90's, this is probably Tom Scholz's best idea. It's essentially all of the Rockman rockmodules combined into one package sized for portability and having the driving power of a Marshll stack. Scholz uses a rackmount version (the XPR) in the studio and live. It has a 3-band pre-EQ that leads into the distortion stages which have 2 clean levels and 3 distortion levels. The cleans are warm with just the right amount of brightness but tend to become "tinny" if played with single-coil pickups (i.e. a Strat or similar). This is true when I play my Jackson SL-1 Soloist in the neck position without adding a little help from the tone knob. Play an acoustic on CLN2 and the sound is gorgeous! The distortion levels are that classic Boston overdriven tube "roar" that is just so hard to achieve by tweaking rack or floor effects. What's impressive is it's all done with solid-state circuitry - no tubes to replace! The stereo echo is adequate, with controls for channel spacing from tight to wide. At full seperation, the effect is similar to a slap-back echo. The delay time is limited to about 500ms which isn't much but it does a good job. I prefer to run the final output into a seperate delay/echo for a wider variety of echo effects. The chourus can add 6 levels of speed from "stop" to "fast". The fast setting tends to sound a little like the echo as it goes back and forth across the channels, which some folks may find annoying. I tend to leave it in the "normal" position. The reverb could have a little more fadeaway, like, say, a tank reverb, but for this unit's size it's more than capable. The 5-band post-EQ covers enough of the spectrum to get the most from each band. And let's face it...anything more than 5 bands is just being ostentacious anyway. The effects loop is your basic off-the-shelf type that gets sent after the distortion stage and returns prior to the echo/reverb stage. It has mono/stereo returns so you can get the full effect of any stereo components you may have in your loop. The AUX stereo input lets you insert external audio into the path (i.e. CD, tape, drum machine, etc.) so you can play along with whatever you have connected. The only drawback is that the external audio is EQ'd in the final stage so you may want to have some pre-EQ on the external audio and cut it a little prior to it going into the XP-100. Otherwise this is a way cool feature...makes you sound like part of the band! I defy anyone to find this little gem in a top-of-the-line Marshall, Fender, Peavey, or Hiwatt, or any other amp on the market! The right/left volume sliders let you control the mix of each side of the stereo image and the master bass and treble sliders boost or cut the final mix. Finally it has a 3-position output level switch, hi/lo/phone, to control signal strength to the speaker. The "phone" setting is line-level signal that can be run to a mixer, recorder, or even a MIDI PC card. The amazing part of this amp is that all of the stuff I just described, except for the sliders and the output level switch (the only hardware on the front panel), is PROGRAMMABLE! Just pick a location, get the settings you want, press COPY and that's it! The memory can store up to 100 patches and they're accessible either by the front panel or by MIDI footswitch. The MIDI IN/THRU is compatable with any 5-pin DIN connector so you can use just about any MIDI footswitch on the market. The enclosure is unique because you can seperate the amp into two pieces for a wide stereo image. The handle acts like a clamp when in the raised position letting you tote the whole package. Pushing down on the handle unlocks the two halves. The speakers are only 6" wide and are OK for your standard jam session or for apartment use. But because it's 100-watts, you can d

D.O.M. unknown; Bought off eBay for $600; Tubeless 100-watt solid-state stereo combo with dual removable speakers for stereo seperation, MIDI controllable, 100 programmable patches, 3-band pre-EQ, 5-band post-EQ, 2 clean levels, 3 distortion levels, stereo echo, stereo chourus, reverb, AUX stereo input for external audio devices, effects loop (mono send, stereo returns), master volume/bass/treble controls, hi/lo/phone output power selector.

Being solid-state there's not much that can go wrong with it. The only varible is the power amp. If it's mic'd onstage and driven at medium levels you should have no problems at all. Driven at higher levels for longer periods and you run the risk of a blowout but that's true of any amp, isn't it? The sliders tend to get scratchy with age but a little contact cleaner and some vigorous cycling clears that up, no problem. I've had mine for two years with no hiccups and if it's anything like my Rockman X100 (an even smaller version of the XP-100, not the current line of Dunlop models) I don't forsee any problems in the future. You'd have to do something frankly stupid to damage this thing.

I bought mine a few years after SR&D sold the Rockman line to Dunlop. Originally SR&D's service policy was "send it in and we'll fix it, you pay shipping". However with Dunlop, I"ve heard stories of them being a little stubborn about fixing the older Rockman stuff. Luckily I haven't had a need to contact them about mine.

When it comes to the Boston sound, this is about as close as I'll ever come to sounding like the real thing. In the 20+ years I've been playing I can honestly say this is THE best bargain I've ever seen in an amp. Power, portability, functionality, flexibility, sound quality, and at levels that won't get you evicted or get the cops called on you to turn it down! It makes you wonder why we don't see bargains like this anymore. If Dunlop were to re-release this line of amps tomorrow, without ANY changes to the design besides the requisite relabeling, I guarantee they'd see sales skyrocket...and I'd be the first in line for a new one! Maybe a big enough grassroots effort will one day achieve this.

Let's see...basically "Boston-in-a-Box". Think of this as a Rockman X-100 headphone amp with more power, EQ, and MIDI-controllability. It's designer, Tom Scholz of "Boston", uses a rackmount version of this unit (the XPR) in the studio and live. It has 3-band pre-EQ with distortion settings of DIST2, DIST1, CLN, CLN1, & CLN2. It also has a progammable effects loop send and return. The 5-band post-EQ does a fine job of final shaping and because the whole thing is digital you can save the profiles in any of over 100 patches that are MIDI-selectable. An added feature is the AUX Stereo in that lets you input an external audio device like a CD or tape and mix it with your guitar for playing along with your favorite artists. Try finding that on a Fender Super Twin or Marshall! I've recorded myself mixed with the AUX input and had people ask where the 3rd guitar came from. Selecting HEADPHONE on the volume select switch sends line-level signal to head phones, tape recorder, external amp, mixer, or PC audio input device. It has a 100-watt amp section which means you can send the amp'd signal direct to an external speaker cab. I drive a Marshall 1960A 4x12 with no troubles at all. Or plug in the internal speakers and take the whole thing to those suprise jam sessions or if you don't have the room for an external cab.

Built in 1987 by Scholz Research and Development (SR&D); 100-watt stereo with built in speakers; 100+ MIDI-controllable patches; effects send and receive, AUX Stereo input for external audio devices (i.e. CDs, tape, phono, etc), 3-band pre-EQ and 5-band post-EQ; stereo chorus, stereo echo; high, low, and headphone volume controls plus master volume sliders.

Being a solid-state unit, there's no tubes to worry about. I bought this unit 2 years ago off ebay and haven't had any problems with it whatsoever. You could use this on-stage either thru the mixer loops or as a mic'd cabinet. It' so reliable I probably wouldn't need a backup. Needless to say such mighty sounds from such a miniscule package is bound to draw some stares so get used to them!

Originally, SR&D's policy was "send it in and we'll fix it, you pay shipping" - as simple as that. Since Jim Dunlop bought the Rockman line awhile back, don't expect the same attitude. I've had buddies send in old Rockman stuff to Dunlop for repair but they had to prod them to do it.

This is probably one of Tom Scholz's best concepts. Powerful, MIDI-compatable, full-range sound with a ton of extras in a portable package at a relatively low price. Why don't we see more of that? I've taken this thing to jam sessions with friends and eventually everyone wants to either play thru it or asks where they can get one. If it were lost or stolen you can bet I'd try to find another

The unit has no knobs--it's all pushbutton except for the final output Tone/Volume sliders. The buttons move LEDs through every possible setting for Compression, Pre-Dist EQ, Distortion, Chorus, Delay/Reverb, and post-Distortion EQ.
It's really easy to get a good sound, just find a MIDI preset that you like and tweak it! Still haven't figured out how to save edits, but it's no big deal.
No manual, bought it used. I've heard that Dunlop will send a Xeroxed copy of any SR&D manual.

It's an effects/amp/speakers combination, that's all I've tried so far. It does have outputs for an external amp and for ext. speakers, too (100W amp).
It gets really loud all by itself!
There is some noise on the higher distortion settings, especially with high compression.
Effects quality is great, classic Rockman sound. The distortion settings leave a bit to be desired--instead of classic Rockman CLN2, CLN, EDGE, and DIST, there are seven levels from clean to DIST, with some "mixing" available. I'm used to the finer control that a Sustainor has, but for a very portable unit, this is really nice. I especially like the two "Reverb" settings, which are really just the Echo from the original Rockman X100 headphone amp, plus one with a little larger room.

Seems solid to me--the unit I got was not in perfect shape, has obviously been banged around a little, sounds and performs just fine.

This is really good for very clean sounds and for very distorted sounds. There isn't much in between, although the "mixed" sounds are interesting; it's almost as if you have two guitars going. I jumped on this as soon as I saw it advertised, and I may have paid too much in my haste, but it's worth it for the self-contained portability. It provides MIDI- controllable compression, distortion, effects and EQ, a 100-watt stereo amp, and two speakers.