NAD - Redplate RP50R

lukedlb · April 2018

I discovered that wah pedals are only tolerable on the normal input. The brightness circuits make the wah unlistenable both with low and high sweep. I am currently testing my Sonus wah against my vintage vox clyde McCoy ; both sound terrible on the bright settings.

ChrisCox1994 · April 2018

great amps arent they, glad I kept my Blues Machine 66

Wazmeister · April 2018

ChrisMusic said:

Thanks for such a well written and in depth review @lukedlb . I have been interested in Redplate amps for a while, while I have not had the opportunity to try one myself, the YouTube videos are pretty convincing, I like the design ethos, and reviews like yours only help to feed the GAS monster too !

I note both your, and Zen's, comment about reliability issues, could you, or maybe @Wazmeister , or anyone else familiar with these amps, cast further light on what these issues are, which models, possible fixes, or when they were eliminated, so that I can hopefully have a great experience first time round with one of these amps. Hopefully a treat in store for me later this year. Thanks

The only issues I encountered were with the small, CDS2 shaped amps - it was something (I think) to do with the Lo-Master (volume) knob on the far right of the amp. It was a very small batch - but sufficient enough to really piss me off at the time...!

Nevertheless, I do now actually own a CDS2 and it is my main live amp !

The bigger (iron and body) models - such as Blackverb, CDS3, Bluesmachine Etc are truly superb, and superior imho.

Luke's review is spot on.

For the first time, I'm playing live and rehearsing with NO pedals. That's how good these amps are...

ChrisCox1994 · April 2018

lukedlb said:

I discovered that wah pedals are only tolerable on the normal input. The brightness circuits make the wah unlistenable both with low and high sweep. I am currently testing my Sonus wah against my vintage vox clyde McCoy ; both sound terrible on the bright settings.

the xotic wah can be dialled in to work very well on both brightness settings on my RP - just a thought.

ChrisMusic · April 2018

High praise indeed @Wazmeister , much appreciated.

Sorry for the slight thread derail @lukedlb ;

BluesyDave · April 2018

I had a CDS2 from new and never had an issue with it. Still don't know why I sold it!

lukedlb · April 2018

ChrisMusic said:

High praise indeed @Wazmeister , much appreciated.

Sorry for the slight thread derail @lukedlb ;

I’m glad the post has been an opportunity to discuss the pros (many) and cons (none so far) and hopefully encourage others to try one.

lukedlb · April 2018

I tested all my wahs again and corrected the ear pain by adjusting the guitar tone pot. They all sounded great.

lukedlb · April 2018

Has anyone ever tried a Marshall type preamp in the fx loop?
Can anyone suggest Overdrive pedals better than the available mid/drive/boost options on the redplate? I must admit that I really haven’t properly given my fx pedals a proper try with the redplate as the amp already has so much to offer.

lukedlb · April 2018

What about using the fx loop as an additional gain/drive?

firepaulmusic · April 2018

I think my Thorpy Gunshot pedal sounds very similar to the OD channel of my Blackverb.

lukedlb · April 2018

firepaulmusic said:

I think my Thorpy Gunshot pedal sounds very similar to the OD channel of my Blackverb.

Do you use extra fx or does the redplate offer every voice you need?
At the moment I can only imagine using tremolo, vibe, Leslie sim, fuzz & wah.

lukedlb · April 2018

Spent 3 hours last night just playing away on the redplate with not an fx pedal in sight. This is significant as I waste so much time fiddling with pedals.
The revolution has officially begun. My Odyssey overdrive is up for sale already. The cali76 hang in there once again as it makes my other amp sound so sweet. Reverb pedal could be next.
If any SRV fans are looking for the perfect amp to get all his tones, I highly recommend the RP50R. Last night I went from Lenny to Voodoo Child to Texas Flood to Pride&Joy with just the amp. El Mocambo tones are easy to find. I still have to try In step Tones but seeing as the legend tells of him using 32 amps I think I can be forgiven for expecting too much from the little RP50.

firepaulmusic · April 2018

lukedlb said:

firepaulmusic said:

I think my Thorpy Gunshot pedal sounds very similar to the OD channel of my Blackverb.

Do you use extra fx or does the redplate offer every voice you need?
At the moment I can only imagine using tremolo, vibe, Leslie sim, fuzz & wah.

Currently using AX8 in 4CM.

lukedlb · April 2018

@Wazmeister did you find a good speaker to complement the combo?

Wazmeister · April 2018

lukedlb said:

@Wazmeister did you find a good speaker to complement the combo?

Well Luke, Ive got a Neo Creamback in my 1x12 Cab, which sounds good to my ears... mind you, I like the V30 as well.

How are your findings ?

lukedlb · April 2018

I tried a quad of celestion greenbacks in a vintage superbass cab the other day. It required an increase of the treble and bright circuit, but it sounded great. Efficient speakers such as my goodmans are too hard/harsh on the ears. I keep going back to the v30. I would like to find a couple of speakers to use in my 2x12. Alnico were too harsh.

lukedlb · April 2018

The alnico speaker were glorious with a Marshall plexi. 8 goodmans from 1949. Incredible sound. Not so good with the redplate.

lukedlb · July 2018

I'm getting very little time with my amps lately. However, the redplate continues to surprise me. I just tried the 40 watt bias selection and it sounds great. I tinkered with the overdrive channel and found some extra snarl with the front input selector. What's more I put the rear input selector into fat and it's really cooking.
I still wonder how I could get a vintage marshall sound out of it as then it would be complete. Any suggestions?

Chester · July 2018

lukedlb said:

I'm getting very little time with my amps lately. However, the redplate continues to surprise me. I just tried the 40 watt bias selection and it sounds great. I tinkered with the overdrive channel and found some extra snarl with the front input selector. What's more I put the rear input selector into fat and it's really cooking.
I still wonder how I could get a vintage marshall sound out of it as then it would be complete. Any suggestions?

I can get close to a pushed Plexi growl with Drive 1 and 2 engaged on the Aurora 34. It's EL34 powered which helps the upper mids a bit, but if I wanted to get a more modded Marshall growl, I'd stick a Fulltone Fulldrive 3 in front of it. But nothing I have tried will replicate that buzzsaw upper mids growl of a Marshall on heat, excpet perhaps an EQ pedal in the loop to shape that style of response

And I agree that V30's are the right speaker combination for my Redplate - I believe Henry recommends the same option

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

NAD - Redplate RP50R

Comments