Music Man RD-112 Fifty

Straight forward get down to work amp. Mine's an 82, good accutronics (short) reverb, 12" EVM speaker, limiter channel (uses a 12ax7 or equiv. instead of an op-amp for preamp), class 'B' output section (drives the cathode), simple e.q. and control functions, bright switch on channel 'a' will put your teeth on edge. Three way ground switch, line out to go to the house p.a. on those bigger gigs and an extension speaker out that uses switching to maintain the correct load to the amp (when using an 8 ohm extension). Everything you need to get the job done. TOM WALKERS genius shines on this amp.

This amp has plenty of headroom and a very accurate input to output relationship. I find your instrument makes a lot of difference, more so than most amps. The clean sound is very similar to a Fender dual 6L6 amp (Bandmaster, Tremolux, Super, etc.) but with more response. Let's be honest here, I've owned (own) several Deluxes; black faces and silver faces, this amp will wipe the floor with them - louder, lighter, smaller and more headroom (I will give the Deluxe the advantage on the reverb with the long tank). This is NOT the amp for someone who wants a 'Swiss army knife' approach - get a line 6. If you want FAT, accurate amplification this is it. I'm very impressed by this amp. It sounds killer by itself (but you have to crank it) or with pedals (volume irrelevant). Haven't seen a '10' but this is close.

Really simple single board (G-10) and quality components (xformers, pots, caps) results in a rock solid dependable amp. Built very much like the old Fenders (tone circuits etc. on a board, hand wired to the controls and jacks). Parts are very easy to get and you can upgrade the op-amps and tab transistors (drive the cathode) to newer designs for improved (or perhaps just different) sound. Quality cabinet work and improved design (screened chassis, 't' nuts for speaker / baffle board, etc.). VERY RELIABLE DESIGN AND SOLID CONSTRUCTION USING QUALITY COMPONENTS.

Doesn't exist, but these amps were very well designed by TOM WALKER, Leo had some input but TOM WALKER is the man who made these amps the real deal. It's a shame this industry 'great' doesn't get the recognition he is due. Leo was the 'guitar' guy, Tom was the 'amp' guy. Class 'B' was his baby.

I've been playing professionally for over 25 years in a wide range of musical styles. This amp covers it all. I've always been a 'gear head' and currently own over 50 amps (no junk - all quality or vintage pieces). I spend a lot of time AB-ing different amps, speakers and pedals. This is what I use on stage, sometimes I also us a Mesa TL box with an EV with it. I have three musicman amps (RD10/50, RD12/50 & RD12/1100). Built like a tank, small enough to put in a back seat foot well, light enough to carry with one hand, loud enough for any gig and tone that refelects your instrument or front end devices - what more do you want?

Hello i just bought a musicman 122 rd fufty amp,era 1980, with an upgraded 12in speaker jbl,which i love,but here's the weird question its a factory blonde tolex,not the standard black.Is this an original tolex to the era,iv'e checked it out throughly it appears it is, and not a saturday afternoon redo,the tolex is rather grainy looking and a whitish blonde,any help will be appreciated,someone here in phoenix told me it is original and very rare,i rather here it fron the pros that know the history on musicman amps,kindest regards peter j.

Black tolex, made in the 80's, I'd say. Incredibly versatile and capable little amp. Two channels with manual or footswitch. I've used it from Irving Plaza in NYC (mic'd) to weddings in Vermont. It's incredibly capable of strong, clean tone at high volumes, likely because of the solid state/tube hybrid electronics. Was even louder when I had an EV 200 watt speaker in it. I switched back to the factory speaker a couple months ago so I could put the EV in an extension cabinet. It has a great spring reverb which only recently started to hum. An easy fix, and not something to be upset about after 15 years of solid reliability. The distortion channel used to have a sweet Santana-ish sound, but has become a bit "out of phase" sounding over the last 5 years. I think it just needs to be tuned up/biased. I throw tubes in and out of it like a madman (the amp doesn't require it... I just like to experiment). The amp has everything it should.

I play a strat with a bridge position humbucker and two single coils. Style ranges from Jazz/blues to hard rock to decorative pop ala Larry Carlton/Steely Dan. It can accomplish an appropriate tone for ANY style. I've fronted gritty blues trios with it, played lines in a 7 piece swing band, and backed up mellow singer songwriters. It's a perfectly quiet amp (as in very little 'hum') unless you're in a club with poorly wired lighting. The distortion channel is fantastic for leads. I run it around 6 on the knob and get a very convincing, well defined distortion. If you want serious metal you'd need a pedal, but it gets pretty damned screamin'. At higher volumes you become more aware of the transistor stage cicuitry, but it never bothered me because the reponse time is so fast compared to an all tube amp with anything less than fresh tubes. I think this is the best of the musicman combos. I've had a 100 watt 2X12 and a 130 watt 2X10 and this single 12 50-watter sounds more pure than all of them. The others had a brightness and bite I disliked. For big rooms if you can't mic this amp you'd either want an extension cab or an additional one of these. I used to have 2 of this amp and it was a great stereo sound. I was an idiot to sell the other one. That one was blond.

I used this amp playing with a band 220 nights a year for 4 years and never once brought backup. Keep it serviced and it'll never fail.

N/A. But no complaints from repairmen regarding dealing with this amp.

How long have you been playing?

16 YEARS PROFESSIONALLY.

What other gear do you own?

VISIT WWW.TODDROYCE.COM

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

I'D REPLACE IT IF I COULD FIND ONE FOR $450 OR LESS.

what do you love about it?

SIMPLICITY, STRENGTH OF TONE.

What do you hate?

HOW MUCH IT WEIGHS WHEN I PUT THE EV 200 WATT SPEAKER IN IT. ;-)

I use this amp everywhere. From CBGB's to outdoor rock and jazz gigs. I even use it in Church. Two channels: clean and dirty--both are outstanding. If you buy the footswitch--Fender makes one now--you can switch channels without having to touch your amp. I've used plenty of amps and this is the one for players who care about tone as opposed to kids who want to play loud Marshall rock--though it could do that too if you change the tubes to something like the Mesa Boogie ones.

I play this with my Strat and it's just the greatest. I keep reading about people saying that this amp is good for country and jazz. That's true, but I play prog-rock, and I still won't part with this amp. I even bought the head version of this amp to play through a home-made cabinet of original musicman speakers (for all of those people that mocked the original speakers that came with these amps).

One thing that everyone will agree on is that for a 50 watt amp--it's very LOUD. Like I said before, I've used this in outdoor settings and it's been fine. Besides, nowadays, everyone mics everything.
Leo Fender wired the MusicMan RD-112 50 different from every other musicman amp including the 100. It was a different technique they used.

I've never had a problem with it. This thing is built like a tank. I don't gig with a backup, because I know that this thing won't die.

Leo Fender doesn't make these anymore.

Good God--if you have the opportunity to buy one--get one!! If I had an endless supply of money--I'd hit eBAY right now. You can find these selling for like $350 sometimes. If you see that price==jump on it!! Clapton used these. Chet Atkins used these. You won't be disappointed.

My RD 112 Fifty was made in -83. It has two 6L6 powertubes, and one 12AX7, and an Eminence 12" speaker with ceramic magnets. It has only one channel but two preamps: one dirty tube-powered with the 12AX7 and one very clean solid state. I changed the tubes when I bought it -86 to Mesa Boogies, and didn't change them for 15 years (go figure!). Now I have changed to Electro Harmonix tubes cause I wanted a somewhat cleaner sound and using the clean channel more and put in some pedals. Without the pedals I never use the the clean channel, it has a very "dry" sound. The sound from the gain channel is not to be described as "versatile", but with the the use of pedals, and switching between the clean and dirty preamps this amp gives a lot of options. The use of a Fender Strat and a Gibson SG makes it possible to sound somewhat like Walter Becker (clean Strat), Larry Carlton (clean Gibson), Steve Vai (dirty "Strat"), and Angus Young (dirty SG), so there's no problem being versatile here, really.

Use it with a Fender HM Strat Ultra with two Lace Hot Golds and a DiMarzio Breed bridge, and a Gibson Les Paul-SG. I play mostly jazz fusion but often switch over to blues, country and heavy rock. As said above, this amp is perhaps not versatile in itself: the clean channel is "too" clean and the gain channel is too dirty if only plugging it in. But a perfectly clean channel often works fine with good overdrive pedals. And when pulling down the distorsion and pulling up the volume on the gain channel and using a SG in it, I get the most aggressive Angus Young sound I've ever heard. I use a Boss Overdrive3, into a Boss Digital Delay 3, into a Boss Super Chorus 1 and into a MXR Phase 90 and get the best Strat sound I've ever heard on the clean channel, and an extremely good jazz sound with my SG. And the gain channel with these pedals also give a really good sound, and the SG just plugged in sounds like Angus-over-the-top, so I don't know really...what more can I ask for? Perhaps a better high gain sound for my Strat, it's very good, but somewhat broken in the gain channel. The gain channel in MM amps are sometimes said being "useless", but that is obviously not true: it only takes some tweeking, some volume and some good guitars (humbuckers?) to make it sound great.

I have only changed tubes two times during the 17 years I owned it. The tubes are self-biasing too, so there's no need to let a technician change them. So yes; it's a very reliable amp.

The company is down since 1984, so there's no one out there. There is some websites for enthusiasts so you can get some information from the users. Sad, but true...

Have been playing electric guitars since the mid-60s. This is now my only amp. If it was stolen perhaps I would go for something else; these are not made anymore so maybe there will be problems in the future to get parts for it? Otherwise: I like almost everything with this amp: it's small and strong and have a very nice aggressive sound in the gain channel with my SG, and that's why I bought it: it's so easy to fall into the overused Gibson/Marshall-trend if you play through a darker Marshall amp with a SG. It now also gives a wonderful Strat sound in the clean channel with a Boss OD3. With the use of different pedals and two guitars I can get all the sounds I want. Perhaps it should have a clearer high gain sound with my Strat, otherwise I'm perfectly happy with it now.

I'm reviewing a 1983 RD50 with one 12AX7, two 6L6's, and channel switching. Mine has both a 'mid-shift' and 'bright' switch as well as reverb and overdrive. Other features include a grounded covenience outlet, line out, and speaker ouputs for 4 or 8 ohm cabinet. Not bad, given it's age.

Pros:
- an absolutely pristine clean channel - great for jazz!!!
- probably the best reverb I've heard in a combo
- the mid-shift switch gives the overdrive channel a Marshall-like sound
- a very good low-gain (overdrive sound) with the gain set to 6 or 7
- a very warm, tubey clean sound (think vintage Fender) using the overdrive channel with the gain set to 4-5
- decent crunch at 6-7
- very quiet
- sounds absolutly great when plugged into an extention cabinet

Cons:
- Come with one of the worst-sounding 12" speaker ever produced. It's also very inefficient. Replace this puppy quickly or plug it into a decent cabinet.
- High-gain (i.e. gain on 9-10) overdrive sound is muddy and lacks definition. Some types of 12AX7's are better than others but the differences are minor. Using 12AY7 in it's place helps definition but gain is reduced.
- The clean channel does not overdrive well, probably due to it's 100% solid state preamp. Sound is brittle.
- Volume level of clean channel is significantly lower than the overdrive channel. Clean on 6 is like Overdrive on 3.

Summary:
- A great amp for Jazz or whereever clean tone is needed.
- Great choice for blackface Fender-like tone using the overdrive channel at low gain settings
- Usable (but not great) for crunch
- Metal-heads look elsewhere.

Quality of the PC board construction is probably in the 90% percentile range - the boards are thick, op amps are mounted in sockets, and decent-sized heatsinks are used for stressed components. Wiring is very good - no ribbon cable used, just 16-18 gauge wire. My only beef is that the entire PC board must be pulled to replace the filters caps.

The current owner of Music Man, Ernie Ball supplies schematics but that's about it...

Decent amp as-is althogh the stock speaker is crummy.
Great clean tone.
Decent low-gain distortion / crunch.
Even better when plugged into a cabinet.
Major downfall is the high-gain sounds.

1983 model with old style (tall) cabinet. Very versitile. Channel swithcing for clean and dirty. Clean is pristine, dirty can get muddy at higher gain. No effects loop. Line out. Reverb (which is damn good!) One 12" Emminence speaker is the downfall and should be replaced with _________ (fill in the blank). Midboost swithch is usable. Bright switch stays on normal 100% of the time. Two 6L6's output tubes, one 12AX7 providing distortion, and a bunch of TL072 op amps for the majority of the preamp work(replacing these with new ones helped!)

This is not a high gain amp. It does the clean country/blues thing very, very well. I hate the speaker that came with it so replacing it will benefit the overall performance. It's tone is somewhat Fender'ish but it has it's own style going too. The dirty channel not as bright as a real 65' Deluxe Reverb but the clean channel is like freshly Windexed glass. I won't use the gain past 7 - anything further turns to mud. Furthermore, the bright switch is too bright. Leave it on normal. The #1 strength of this amp is it's ability to produce lots of clean volume which make it well suited for blues, country and classic rock, given the right speaker.

The workmanship that went into this thing is unbelievable. It's build like an Hiwatt! The wireing is superb. The component selection is very good. My only grope is the pc boards - they could have been a bit thicker.

n/a Ernie Ball does not support pre-EB Music Man gear

It was a steal at less than $200. If you could find one for $350, it would be a no brainer...

My amp was built in the late 70's. I play blues and Hendrixesque rock and the amp has a great voice for both. It's got two channels but I use the clean channel exclusively. The distortion channel is to midrangey. i used to switch channels but the foot switch caused a loud punch every time I stomped it and for fear of wrecking something I just stopped using it. The clean channel sounds best with the master on full and the gain on 3 or 4. What are those jacks on the face?
In/outs hi /low what????
The amp kills at 4ohms with another single 12 cabinet.yum. I get more comments about this amp being the greatest amp anyone has ever heard. A year ago I wanted to replace the speaker( Peavy Blackwidow) with a Weber Custom Vintage. The speaker arrived at my house damaged - twice!
Then Weber graciously refunded my money and cancelled shipping to Canada, sigh..
Why fix something if it isn't broken? The amp is fine even after all these years it's the speaker thats going. I'll never give up my RD112!

used with a 57 reissue Strat.

My 112RD-50 was purchased new in 1982 - and I'm still using it!
The dual channels with tube overdrive and reverb make it possible to carry everything I need for a rehearsal or small gig in both hands. I also built a matching 12" external cabinet that the amp can sit on if required to fill out the sound a bit. Both the amp and the extra cabinet have metal grills - the amp's original grill was damaged. Yes - a 112RD Fifty Custom!

I use the amp for jazz through to heavy rock styles. For most of the rock and overdrive sounds, I use external effects through the "clean" channel, with the amp's overdrive channel being used realatively clean for an extra "lift" if required. The amp sounds nice when cranked up a bit!

Considering the physical abuse it's been through, the amp has been extremely reliable. I replaced the tubes a few years ago.
There have been two breakdowns however:
1. A wire to one of the tube sockets broke off once.
2. The channel switching started changing by itself - faulty capacitor.

I carried out repairs myself using the schematic which was included with the purchase.

Although I also own a much bigger Marshall setup, I would not like to be without a small combo as well. I have never had any reason to replace the 112RD Fifty for this purpose. It is simple, versatile, loud and compact. It can be used on its own, with any additional requirements being covered by external effects.
I seem to recall an Eric Clapton album with one of these on the cover?

50W one speaker(I don't know what kind but is a good one)combo with 2 channels(clean-solid state;overdrive-12ax7tube drive)26L6 tube powerstage
accutronic spring reverb-fender like . Very simple this amp deliver a decent tone just with 3 knobs (vol,treb,bass) on clean ch. and of course with 4(4-th is gain)on dirty channel

I play with humbuckers (gibson '57classic)equipped epiphone joe pass (a kind of classic jazz box) and Gibson LesPaul with(490R;498T-stock gibson humbuckers).I play jazz,blues, some fusion ,even pop music sometimes and this little amp sounds pretty cool ,I can get a decent bop sound with enough volume for a jazz combo,I can get also punchy bluesy sounds a bit in between(when clean is cranked to4-5)I don't like too much the dirty channel -is too muddy but I have also a V-twin Mesa preamp so I really don't care about how sounds that overdrive channel and I have to say :that amp was a good choice for me

I started to play 19 years ago ,I had a lot of amps (peavey backstage; fender twin-that was best sounding but too heavy;yorkville rockbloc-too solid state ;roland JC-never again blablabla) I bought my musicman in Norway and of course was second hand and the only one.I like on this amp the sound kinda fenderish but in a half package