You may have picked up from my other thread I am currently looking at a few pedals. I tried a Lone Wolf Delay, but for some reason with my setup it was really noisey. Sounded like eggs frying in the background. So I have returned it.
Surfing for alternatives I came across Richard Hunter's page, where he promotes his Digitech RP-355 patches. The sound samples of the Bassman and delay sound great, so I was wondering if other people had tried it? I know using electronics may be an anathema to some people but amp modelling has come a long way in recent years. The price of the pedal is also pretty amazing, even over here in the UK where we always pay over the odds for music stuff. I also play a wind synth so know what 'some of this new fangled gadgetry is capable of'. I know it's probably not going to compete with an original Bassman in Carnegie Hall, but would love to hear of other peoples experiences.
i have an rp150 that i used on occasion and liked it but went the well traveled path of amp and pedal. issac made patches for that model that he sent me. i was unable to get my mac to load them, though. i still have the patches and hope to get around to it soon.
in the mean time i found a used rp355 on craigslist for cheap. i bought hunter's patches and got them loaded. and they sounded good thru cheap headphones. that was enough for me. i sold my harpgear2 and bought a powered pa speaker. (i can plug in a vocal mic into it also.) that's my rig now. the many settings that hunter supplies is more that adequate for what i do. in fact, there are too many choices. i plan on rearranging them so the 5-10 that i truly like and use are together.
my next project is to try all of my mics and pick the 2 that sound best. hunter suggests a fireball but i dont want to buy another mic. the shure 515(?) i got from rharley and the jt-30 from johnny aces are the 2 mics i currently trade between.
i think issac was considering selling his rp155. except for shipping, that would be a good way to go!
For the semi pro player, I think modelling is the way to go, if budget is a factor.
You get a facsimile of sounds which perform at all volumes without having to hunt for sweet spots which put your volume out of sync with the rest of the band.
I'd say buy a Line 6 Spider. Amp, tones and effects for a couple hundred quid.
Get one second hand on Ebay. If you don't like it, sell it for what you bought it for. Simples...
I'm planning on nabbing an RP-355 here soon. Since my Zoo 2 has no reverb and I need some more effects, I figure it's the best bang for the buck. ---------- Hawkeye Kane
I am a huge proponent of modeling pedals, and have tried a few. For the last couple of years, I have used an RP155, and have been happy. However, I have been holding back on writing up a review on the Zoom G3 that I acquired via some black friday deep discounts at GC. I will indeed write a full review on it in the near future. However, suffice it to say that eharp is indeed correct that I have decided to put my RP155 up for sale. I have been a HUGE advocate of the RP units, and I still think you can get excellent sounds with them, but for me, the flexibility I get with the G3 is the new way to go.
If you are looking for a good deal on an entry-level modeling pedal, shoot me an e-mail (ullah at archaeologist dot com), and give me a number you'd be willing to pay for a used RP155 in very good condition. You'll also be getting about 10 patches that I have preprogrammed into it that I have carefully calibrated to sound good for harp, plus about 10 more that still need a little tweaking.
Oh, I just saw that you are in the UK. Shipping would probably be too much to make it worth it for you. Keep an eye on the used market (e-bay, craigslist). These units come up all the time. Keep in mind that programming them is the most difficult thing, and takes a good ear, a good idea of what you want, and a close read of the manuals. This is one of the areas that the G3 really blows away the digitech Rp's, Programming the G3 is dead easy. ---------- == I S A A C ==
I have used a line 6 pod for years, along with a bunch of other pedals, and love it... I just picked up a digitech vocal 300... not a Modeler but it has some possibilities...
Isaac after reading your post I have been taking a look at the Zoom G3. It looks excellent. I particularly like the seemingly logical layout. If you have time I would really like to hear your views on it. I have narrowed my choice down to either the G3 or the RP355.
I have RP200, in general I like it, but I prefer to use it onl for effects (whammy, rotary, pitch-shifter) and special things like beatbox patch. I also have separate MXR carbon copy analog delay (I like it more than delays in RP200), separate distortion (LoneWolf HarpAttack) and separate Boss Harmonist as octaver (as it's impossible to combine pitch shifter and rotary in RP). Modelling is good too, but for me amp modelling alters my own tone, while HarpAttack don't. ---------- Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
Thanks Boris and everyone else that has replied. I am going to do a few experiments at my local guitar shop. I have had synths and other digital effects that are a nightmare to use in the past. Reviews of the Zoom G3 look interesting, the layout looks more intuitive. It is also supposed to sound very good. I will report back
I am also a keen looper and the G3 has a 40 second memory!!!!
Last Edited by on Jan 05, 2012 12:04 PM
I definitely will write a full review, but I'm a bit busy at the moment with the start of the semester, plus I want to wait until I have given the G3 it's first real road test tomorrow night when I got out busking for the first time with it. Yes, I too am a looper, and the the looper on the G3 is way better than on the RP. And you can have the drum machine and the looper going at the same time. And the looper syncs to the drum machine too. Like I said, the G3 just offers me more than the RP did. ---------- == I S A A C ==
I have his patches and use them on my RP250. Oddly enough my main patch is not one of his but I do like them. Just haven't had time to sit down and tweak them to what I truly want.
Tried a line 6 pod and didn't like it. I still really like my now obsolete Yamaha Magic Somp. I use it mostly for delay / reverb + a little drive out into my vintage tube amps, and on occasion, direct to the PA. I tweaked the patches for it on a PC myself.
Richard is a great player - but I don't care for the sounds he gets with that pedal. Thin and artificial, - though listening over youtube is not really giving it a fair shot. I've never tried it myself.
You can find used Magic Stomps but to program good patches for them you need a PC running Windows 2000 - or similar era software.
IF you have an iphone or ipad - play around with amplitube or similar emulation software. It's the 'future' man.
I'm keen to have a play around with the iRig on the ipad, it looks very cool with guitar. I have just ordered one online for $14.00. Has anyone tried this with a harp mic at all?
