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While I typically prefer individual stompboxes, I must give the Digitech RP500 major props for cramming so much into a highly manageable unit. First off, I'll just say that the factory presets on these things are almost always way too cheesy to be useable. My recommendation is to create your own right off the bat. When I'm plugged in directly to a board, my preferred amp model is the '65 Twin. It seems to match my preferred effects quite well (Screamer, Rodent or Zone distortion, Glisten Chorus, Cry Baby Wah). When I plug into my guitar amp (Peavey Valveking 112), I turn off the Amp/Cabinet model so I just get the effects. Otherwise, it sounds brittle and harsh. The RP500 is a very versatile little unit. You can use it in either "Preset" mode where each footswitch selects a different preset patch algorithm, or in "Effects" only mode where you can just switch between individual effects, the same as you would if using individual stompboxes. You can also set up several "racks" of effects and toggle between them with the UP/Down buttons. Another cool feature of this unit is the 20-second Looper Upgrade, which is available free for download at Digitech's website. This has come in very useful in working out leads against riffs I've come up with. The unit also features a built-in tuner w/mute bypass. On the rear panel you've got USB, 1/4" and XLR connections, a headphone jack and MP3 input for jamming. Overall, this is a great little unit. Do I think that individual stompboxes sound better? Yes, but there's something to be said for the all-in-one convenience of the RP500. My only real complaint about this thing is that it doesn't include a phrase-training tool. I think that would truly make it complete. Otherwise, it's a working musician's dream for sound and convenience.Read full review
I have owned Line-6, Berhinger and Boss MFX products in the past. I would put this somewhere between Line 6 and Boss for simplicity. I like the fact that it has a stomp box mode. Tap one switch and you have 5 stomp boxes plus a volume and wah at your disposal. Tap it again and it's a full-featured switching unit. I won't go into the individual effects as you can download the manual from Digitech's website. I will instead focus on usability and functionality with a lesser focus on sound of each effect. The first thing I noted was was the pedal board mode. I previously had a Boss ME-70 and liked the stomp box/pedal board mode. You have 5 switches/effects that can all be tweaked to your tasted. The expression pedal can be programmed for a number of effects, from a "Whammy" pedal to a wah. It can also be programmed to control any parameter of any effect, such as the reverb level for passages of a song that need to be dry. The difference between this pedal and the Boss ME-70/ME-80 is the tweakability. The Boss products have 2-3 knobs for each effect, similar to what a real stompbox would have. You grab and twist and you're done. The RP500 is much more complex. You have to use the edit buttons to select the row of the effect you want to adjust then use the row of knobs at the bottom of the matirx to adjust the various parameters. Depending on the effect, the number of knobs that have any control will vary. This brings me to my next gripe; the matrix is small and can be hard to read so deciphering the row and column you are controlling can be tricky. I'm an old geezer and need reading glasses. In this way, the RP-500 is more tweakable than the Boss product. Each parameter has a huge range with a high resolution. For example, the reverb level, rather than going from 0-10 or 0-9 actual goes from 0-99 giving the abililty to really fine tune a parameter. To sweep through the entire range can take 6-10 turns of the knob, (I haven't actually counted). The Boss product on the other hand goes from 7 O'Clock through 5 O'clock, like a conventional knob, give less tweakability. But, it also makes it a little tougher to zero in on a setting because the changes are so minute. In the "patch mode" or "switching" mode, you have 100 factory presets as well as 100 user presets. When new or after a factory preset, the user presets have the same settings as the factory presets. Like most MFX units. the factory presets are always set up to "showcase" the unit's cabability making them somewhat extreme. For instance, the Plexi preset is horrible. I'm not sure what they were shooting for because it sounds nothing a Plexi. The remedy for this is to copy the patch to a user location then tweak to taste. Another "mode" this unit, that is always available isn't really a mode but just a way to quickly dial up some sounds. When not in edit mode, you can simply grab the first knob on the left and twist it and it runs through a list of "tones" from the tone library. They are combinations of amps, cabinets and various settings and they are independent of the unit's 100 presets. Once you find a tone you like you can then grab the second knob. This is the effects knob in this mode. It will run through a slew of effects chains containing anywhere from one to several effects. When you find something you like you can save it to a user slot then tweak it. The overall build of the unit is pretty solid. Not much plastic here. The expression pedal has a solid feel to it. There is a switch built into the toe-down position of the pedal to turn the wah or other effect on and off. Out of the box, it's extrememely sensitive and will need to be adjusted. I think it was was around 90 and I had to bump it up to about 115 to make it less sensitive. I installed the X-Edit software and the drivers. Initially, my computer wouldn't detect the unit although the drivers installed properly and it was showing up properly in the device manager. I had to power-off the unit then power it back on. Even then, I found connectivity hit and miss. I kept having to unplug the USB cable and plug it back in to get my computer to recognize it, but once it recognized it, it seemed to stay connected. I'm running Windows 7. The unit was shipped with version 1.2 of the firmware and I updated it to 1.4. I had heard that version 2.0, which add's a looper, would whack the harmonizer and I have more use for the harmonizer than I do the looper. Again, the complexity of the unit is much more complex than a Boss ME-70/ME-80 yet simpler that a Line 6 POD product. Whereas with the Boss unit, you can pretty much plug it in and figure it out, with this unit, you will want to spend a little time getting familiar with it. I believe some great sounds can be achieved with this unit. There are some digital artifacts with some effects but in the context of a mix, I don't believe they'll be noticable.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
I have and have had many, many multi-effect pedals over the years. The best advice I can give is find one you like and learn it. Stay with it and don't confuse yourself with a bunch of them. Please note, most professional guitar players don't use multi effectors. They use individual pedals chained together and they sound great. Now to the RP 500. It's pretty cool. Has a lot of really nice presets and I really like the "stompbox" feature that allows you to turn individual effects in and out with the touch of your toe. For example: You can add or remove the distortion or delay and not need to change the preset or bypass the unit. Really makes it easy to play a song that requires more than one sound. One thing the RP 500 does not have is a built-in drum machine. Lower level RP's include drum capability and that makes it easy to just jam. The RP 500m is well built and I have really enjoyed playing with it. If this one dissappeared, I would buy another.Read full review
My first one within a month of getting it used the expression pedal took a crap on stage. The unit sounds so good I'm going to try a second one. Maybe there's a way for it to be fixed I can use a backup anyway. I don't like that the power supply is unique (why can't all products just put the "wall wart" inside and use a regular cord?) SMH but overall I like the features especially the assignable pedal and the XLR outs.
Verified purchase: No
I received my DigiTech RP-500 two days ago, and I'm loving it! It's an easy to learn and use Guitar Effects Processor and has tons of presets, Amp/Cabinet models, Effects, etc. to make your life easier. The best thing is all the presets can be tweaked and customized to build your own patch and store it OR you can build the sound of your choice from the scratch. Make sure you update it to the latest firmware which enables the 20 second looper. A feature you will love if you're into improvising. The good: The whole package. The solid build. Sounds. The bad: None! Note: Make sure you calibrate the Expression pedal to your liking.(Press and hold "Bypass" button for 5 seconds) I was definitely not comfortable with the default setting.
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