Music Man RD-65 112

Mine is a 78. If you have seen on you're seen them all. Ah but the sound! That is another matter. One of the best amps Leo Fender ever built.

To all you Musicman heads out there let me say one thing. Upgrade with an Eminence Patriot- Cannibis Rex speaker!!!! If you thought you had tone befor, try one of these out. Absolutely the best $90. I ever spent. I loved my 112 befor, but then I heard a guy playing one in a club here in D.C. Unreal! He told me he had retrofitted his speaker with the C-Rex. I played my old L.P. Deluxe through his amp and the rest is history. Get one! You can drop it in yourself and you will never regret the money spent. You will have an amp that all the other players will want to borrow. Fact.

Never had any trouble with the amp or the new speaker. Just give the C-Rex about 40 good hours to break in and start loving your little piece of Fender history even more than you thought you already did.

For the Grand-daddies you will need to find your own amp doctor as Musicman has been out of bussiness for years.

Been playing for 40+ years. Play several diffferent L.Ps through this amp and both the P-90 and Mini Hummers sound fantastic through this rig.

I bought mine new in 1981. At the time I was attending Berklee College of Music and prefered to bring my own amp to ensembles and performance classes so I was looking for something that sounded good and was relativley light. After shopping around the Music Man fit the bill on both counts. I did replace the stock speaker which was pretty awful for an EVM12L that boosted volume and definition incredibly (and the weight if the amp too). Of the two input jacks I've always chosen the HI input over the Low. Live I always set the power select switch to Full. Everywhere else I played it was set on Half. The amp sounded great on either. The reverb was especially nice sounding and the springs NEVER rattled. I do wish it had a dedicated effects loop with independant volume controls. The Line in/out effects loop deal was a joke. Any effects run through the loop dropped the volume of the amp at least 30 percent. Likewise with the treble knob. For some reason it acted like a volume control when the amp was cranked. The Deep and Bright switches are a bit touch and go. Too much Deep and too much Bright except at very high volume or very low volume. Still, I like the basic sound so much I've used the RD65 on every gig I've had from Country to Jazz to Hard Rock for 21 years now.

I mainly used a Les Paul with stock humbuckers with this amp. There never seemed to be enough headroom in the clean channel and it distorted easily. In 1988 I started using a Strat Plus with Lace Sensors and the problem wasn't so bad. This is one amp that you should attach an external 2x12 cab to. It just sounds a lot better. The RD65 was very, very quiet on gigs. Any extraneous noise was always tracked back to the guitar I was using and never the amp.I thought the distortion sounds were pretty good despite the transistor preamp. It's always sounded pretty tubey to me. The channel switching was handy but I always had trouble getting a good clean vs. distortion volume balance live until I got a Tech21 CompTortion years later.

I've used this amp 4-6 nights a week for 21 years and never carried a backup. Except for tube changes this amp has never been serviced. The power switch broke off in 1985 and I replaced it myself for a few bucks. The RD65 has been absolutly 100% reliable.

Never dealt with them. It's too late now anyway.

I have been playing for close to thirty years and this amp has been my #1 for 20 of those years. I recently got a Rivera S120-212 just cause I figured it was time to have a 2x12 with more headroom that would work with all my guitars (a Les Paul, a 61 SG reissue, a Strat Plus and a Tele) and an effects loop that really worked. But I still love the MusicMan. I know they could have made them a bit better soundwise (the original equipment speakers were awful) but not that much really. If it were stolen I'd be right out there looking for another immediately. In fact, I did own 2 for a while that I ran together using the Line in/out jacks.

I bought mine new in 1981. At the time I was attending Berklee College of Music and prefered to bring my own amp to ensembles and performance classes so I was looking for something that sounded good and was relativley light. After shopping around the Music Man fit the bill on both counts. I did replace the stock speaker which was pretty awful for an EVM12L that boosted volume and definition incredibly (and the weight if the amp too). Of the two input jacks I've always chosen the HI input over the Low. Live I always set the power select switch to Full. Everywhere else I played it was set on Half. The amp sounded great on either. The reverb was especially nice sounding and the springs NEVER rattled. I do wish it had a dedicated effects loop with independant volume controls. The Line in/out effects loop deal was a joke. Any effects run through the loop dropped the volume of the amp at least 30 percent. Likewise with the treble knob. For some reason it acted like a volume control when the amp was cranked. Still, I like the basic sound so much I've used the RD65 on every gig I've had from Country to Jazz to Hard Rock for 21 years now.

I mainly used a Les Paul with stock humbuckers with this amp. There never seemed to be enough headroom in the clean channel and it distorted easily. In 1988 I started using a Strat Plus with Lace Sensors and the problem wasn't so bad. This is one amp that you should attach an external 2x12 cab to. It just sounds a lot better. The RD65 was very, very quiet on gigs. Any extraneous noise was always tracked back to the guitar I was using and never the amp.I thought the distortion sounds were pretty good despite the transistor preamp. It's always sounded pretty tubey to me. The channel switching was handy but I always had trouble getting a good clean vs. distortion volume balance live until I got a Tech21 CompTortion years later.

I've used this amp 4-6 nights a week for 21 years and never carried a backup. Except for tube changes this amp has never been serviced. The power switch broke off in 1985 and I replaced it myself for a few bucks. The RD65 has been absolutly 100% reliable.

Never dealt with them. It's too late now anyway.

Bought this amp new in 1979. Transistor pre-amp, tube power amp with EL-34s. Channel switching with a hard wired footswitch (also turns reverb on/off). The two line-out jacks are actually line-in/line-out jacks that you need a stereo jack on one end of a cord with two mono jacks on the other end to use. One linein/out jack is pedal level, one line level. If you connect a regular cord into one of these jacks you can bypass the pre-amp and use a different amp to drive the EL-34 power section.

The distortion channel isn't too good, owing to the transistor pre-amp(one of my guitar students bought a modified version of the amp where someone stuck a tube pre-amp- sounded better). The clean channel sounds Fenderish, but not quite as good. The amp seems to have a midrange honk that doesn't totally disappear eeven with the mids on "0".

This is where the amp will get the best rating from me. Other than the reverb emitting a high pitched squeal, or not working at all (both problems easily fixed by a repairman)the amp has worked perfectly for 21 years. I did use the amp quite a bit without a backup.

Never had a dealing with Music Man, but never needed to either.

I've been playing for 34 years, and own several amps & guitars. This amp does not sound as good as my Fender Deluxe, or my new Vox AC-15. However, on some gigs where I ride with the drummer and don't have room for stereo amps (like my AC-15 and Ampeg Jet), and a Deluxe by itself isn't loud enough, I still use it. If it was stolen, I wouldn't replace it, but I certainly got my money's worth from it. The amp was trying to have Boogie features at a lower price, but the solid state pre-amp kept the amp from greatness. But just being able to bypass the pre-amp (by using the wacky line in/line out jack)is useful...I even used the amp as a vocal monitor by going from the mixer to an eq to the power amp-speaker from the RD-65.

Amp was made and bought new by me in 1978. At the time people were down on pedal distortion, and looking for something Boogie like, but not as expensive. Ex Fender employees started Music Man (Leo designed some guitars and basses, but not the amps). The amp has channel switching, with shared eq and reverb. But unfortunately the pre-amp is solid state, and the distortion sound suffers- although once you crank the amp up high, the power tubes add some grit of their own. The line out/in jacks are strange:they're stereo (one is low level to accomadate pedals, the other line level)...to use them you need a stereo jack on one end and two mono jacks on the other end for your input and output from the pedals or processor)The good side to this arrangement, is that with a standard cord, you can take the pre-amp out of a better amp (like a Vox AC-15), and plug it part way in to the wacky line in/out jack, and you bypass the Music Man pre-amp and get the nice EL-34 power tubes making the Vox louder.

The distortion sound is not very good...I can't believe this was my main amp from 1978-1982. The clean channel is pretty good, kinda Fenderish, but not as good as my Fender Deluxe. And it is pretty loud, so with a good distortion pedal, it's useable. The other complaint is that the amp has a mid-range honk that even with the mids on "0" it's still there. The amp sounds better with single coils than humbuckers.

Relaibility is where the amp shines. Other than the reverb not working, and/or making a high pitched sound of it's own (which was fixed)I don't remember ever having a problem with it in 22 years.

Never dealt with Music Man, and the warranty has long since expired.

I've been playing for 34 years...own several guitars and amps. These days I play stereo through a Vox AC-15 and an Ampeg Jet (see those reviews)with a Les Paul Special and a DeArmond M75-T and Boss pedals.
But if I ride to the gig with the drummer, and it's a bigger room, I'll sometimes play a Tele through this amp, and save space in the van. If it's a smaller room, the Music Man gets replaced with the Fender Deluxe. If the RD-65 were lost or stolen, I wouldn't replace it. I wish it had a tube pre-amp...in fact, a former guitar student of mine bought one used off a guy who had replaced the transistor pre-amp. And actually had the right cords to connect pedals to the slightly strange line in/out arrangement. And it was an improvement.

Bought the amp new in 1978. Two discrete channels, that share treble,mid, bass, reverb knobs. Pre-amp is solid-state, power amp is two 6CA7s, the American equivalent to EL-34s (best known for use in Marshalls). The channel swiching/reverb foot switch has an LED to indicate when the distortion is on. The line-out, line in is actaually one stereo phone jack...and there's one stereo jack for pedal level, and one for line level. To use either as an effect loop, you need a cord with a stereo phone plug on one end, and two mono jacks on the other. However, if you plug a mono cord into either jack, either "halfway in" or "all the way in", you can get pre-amp out, or bypass the Music man's pre-amp and go right to the power tubes and speaker. The amp was versatile in the day it was made, but these days...

The distortion sound is not too swift, although the clean sound is kinda Fenderish. The amp is too midrangey for my tastes these days, even with the mids on "0". (Back when I bought it, midrange wasn't as disliked as it's gotten lately). The amp is loud, and pretty quiet. The overall clean sound is more than acceptable...

Very reliable. Reverb went out once, but was easily repaired. Replaced the tubes here and there.

never needed it...

I own several amps...Vox AC-15, Deluxe Reverb, Ampeg jet, Mesa Boogie Mark 2...this amp does not sound quite as good as the others. However for a gig that needed more power than a Jet, AC-15, or Deluxe could deliver, but I wanted to avoid breaking my back carrying a Boogie, it might be the one. I would definitely bring a good pedal rather than relying on the built-in distortion. And maybe some kind of EQ to tame the mids. But it's overall sound , projection, and reliabilty, make me like it.

I'm not sure of the year the store claimed 71 I tend to think it was made in 81 according to the speaker date code. So far as versatilty I have not had the amp long enough to dial in all sounds athough what I have heard so far it looks very promising. It has a great clean sound with good depth, with the gain turned up it gets fairly dirty which I personally like. You can also set it to break up via guitar volume. For dirty sounds I use a 70s mxr distortion pedal. It has a good reverb athough you need to keep it on a low setting as its heavy above 2. Base Middle & Treble can be turned up with treble being the most notable. The deep switch is nice the bright switch is nice to use now and again athough you could probally take someones head off. There is a hi/low power off the stand by switch, 4/8ohms switch for ext cabs, a low and hi in/out jack and of course a foot switch. plenty of vol for me after all cabs are always miked on big venues.

I use a maple necked 86 Strat with the David Gilmore EMG set up and a 90 G&L sc300 Strat with a rosewood neck stock other than sperzels and graphtech saddles and nut.I play a variety of music from country blues to rock so an amp has to be versatile and this amp so far is sounding really good. I normally use a 410 and a 212 tweed blues deville on gigs running one wet and one dry through a mxr dist pedal and a korg A3 proces; I also use both the overdrives one set to clean and the other set dirty. I originally bought the Musicman for resale as it was in mint cond, after taking it to a freinds music store and putting a variety of guitars through it I have changed my mind even though I had a good offer on it. In fact I am making a road case for it. Also looking fo another one. Noise factor is good, clean channel is very good and the distortion is good for an amp of this calber just dont expect marshall. Prices seem to be good on these amps so far which is great for working dudes like me if it had fender on it the price would be probally be around a thousand. All all a great sounding amp portable and reasonably priced. Anybody know if there is any books on them or a website to obtain info as there seems to be quite a few different models out there.

Have not owned long enough but so far it looking good

Musicman amps is long gone

PLaying 27 years Other gear,93 410 blues deville 95 210 blues deville. 80s fender champ (red Knob) 86 strat, 90 G&L strat mid sixtys hoyer acoustic, Korg A3 proces, 70s mxr pedal. I would buy another musicman (any model) in a flash. the first one I heard was a early 410 which I'm trying to buy. I did run a comparison against the devilles and found it as good as they are. It seems to have a brighter sounding bottom end. Anything I wish I had, yea lots of money so I could buy more gear.If anyone wants to email any questions on the guitars or amps feel free, if I can I would be glad to.

Best amp I've found yet for straight ahead Tele-twanging in the C&W mode...A hybrid trans/tube amp, as previous MusicMan co-commenters have pointed out. I'm using both the RP (w/phaser) and RD (w/switch- able dist'n) in a stereo setup. Two channels (Hi & Lo) come in handy when I double on keyboards; otherwise, I usually plug into the Hi output channel in both amps. Reverb is average, distortion is just ok, and phaser is disabled. Since my guitar sounds are processed care of Korg (A3), it's a moot point. The RP is JBL loaded, the RD EV loaded -- so what we're talking here is crystal-clear and LOUD. In typical medium-sized club situations "5" is more than ample (I'm miked in any case).

See above. Perfect for Albert Lee high-definition chick'n pik'n. Yup it can be noisy; particularly when you're sharing the line w/a refrigerator (compressor) and/or flourescent/neon lights. If the 3-way polarity switch doesn't work, boost the plug and take yer chances. Since I use exclusively single-coil pickups (Tele/Strat/LP w/P90s) I have to rely on the A3's noisegate more than I'd like. But it's a fair trade-off. I wouldn't buy this amp for the distortion -- there are too many competitively priced amps on the market dedicated to warm and fuzzy. That's not what this amp (either RP or RD) are about.

Absolutely dependable! Running stereo, I've got a built-in backup. But if you're packing tubes (always prudent) you conceivably could go for twenty years--as I have w/the RP65 112--without a major fix (I bought the RD65 used, so I can only vouch for the last 5 repairless years). MusicMan, the Maytag of amplifiers?

N/A--MusicMan, alas, no longer manufactures amplifiers. However, the few minor repairs, adjustments they've undergone have yet to cause anyone grief. A fairly straight-ahead hybrid design, as I understand it.

I spent years finding a match for the RP65 -- BTW, I recently sold a MusicMan 115 (100watts). The two 12" combos provide a pure, separated stereo on stage. A killer setup, with the recent inclusion of wireless Nady 3D. The few whistles and bells that might have made these amps more attractive in the 70s, are superfluous for my needs ("Line out," esp., is useless) today. All I ask for in a guitar amplifier is crystal clear amplification (go figure) in a compact and solidly built package. These babies deliver to the MAX! They're not as easy to find as you might think. Still, no one's touting these as "collector's items," so prices are incredibly low, given the integrity of these amps. Hats off (once again) to MusicMan progenitors Leo and Forrest White!