[Harp-L] Digitech RP250 first impressions

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I picked up a used RP250 for less than $100 a couple of days ago and have spent a couple of hours working with it.  

I'm running it side by side with my RP200 through my channel switching pedal, so I can jump back and forth between the two with a button push. 

So far I've only worked with the Bassman amp model, and I'm a little puzzled so far.   The first puzzling thing is that the RP200 overall seems much louder than the RP250.  It also seems to put out a lot more energy in the low-mid range, which is the power range for harmonica.  No matter how I tune the low and mid-range EQ on the RP250, it sounds kind of bright and crispy.  The 250 also seems to be hard to overdrive--not a lot of distortion on the Bassman model even when I max out the gain.  This may all be the result of having spent a lot more hours tuning the RP200 than the 250, or of slight differences in the amp channels I'm running them through.  I can test that out tomorrow.

As expected, reverbs on the RP250 are much better than the RP200.  The other effects on the RP250 also seem generally more interesting--more and better choruses, flange, etc.  I think this pedal could be useful as an effects-only device for someone who generally prefers a clean sound.

All of the cabinet models have distinctive characters, and the EQ is tunable for the mid range and treble, which is very nice.

Anyway, this is a more complex device than the RP200, and the 200 was pretty complex the first time I met it.  I'll report later on how I'm progressing with the 250.

Regards, Richard Hunter
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp