RE: [Harp-L] digitech rp 350

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

 "Bradford Trainham" wrote:
>That is a good deal.  Also, is Digitech phasing out the 350 in favor of the
>355?
>I only ask because SweetWater and some of the other online chains don't
>carry the 350 anymore.

Yes, it's a good deal.  The RP350 is being phased out in favor of the 355 (just as the RP250 is being phased out in favor of the RP255, etc.).  There are a few differences between the models, though the devices are substantially similar--a few more amp and cab models in the 355, plus a 20-second looper (which is just enough time to do some real work with the thing, though not enough to do the kinds of things Slim Heilpern does with his looper, like recording 32 bars of a standard on guitar, then playing harp over that).  

If you buy a 355, be prepared to invest plenty of time to create patches that will work with a mic and a harp--out of the box, it's not very harp-friendly.  I don't currently offer a patch set for the RP355, though I will certainly do so at some point.  Digitech isn't currently offering a conversion program that will handle conversions from RP350 patches to RP355 patches, which isn't too surprising because their software development always lags their hardware development.  (Pretty stupid if you ask me for a company building a USB-connectible device in 2009, but that's the way they roll.  Old habits die hard, for companies as well as people.)

In the meantime, the RP350 is an extremely powerful device, MUCH more powerful than the RP250, with a big pile of amp models and effects that sound great with harp.  $120 for a new-old-stock RP350 is a very good deal, and for another $25 buyers can get my patch set, which essentially gives them an RP350 loaded with dozens of harp-friendly sounds for less than the cost of an RP250 or RP255.  I'd take it.  In fact, I may take it just to get a backup for my current RP350--I'm using the 250 for backup now, but the 350 has way more cool stuff inside it, and I'd hate to go to a gig without it.   

regards, Richard Hunter

author, "Jazz Harp"
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