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I've had a couple of 6L6 powered amps in the past, but sold them due to overly bright signatures (to my ears). The Redplate RP50R & RP40 seem very versatile in this demo, and I like the clean tones. Has anyone tried one with an Archtop?
Thanks, Jeff
RedPlate Amplifiers - RedPlateAmps
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06-22-2015 02:45 AM
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I have a Tweedydrive pro, its an amazing amp. Loud, very loud. The perfect grab and go amp.
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i had one a while back. Extremely loud and peaky. Could not get good jazz sounds on mine. Also, blues tones were impossible at lower volumes. I sold it pretty quickly. I have heard them in band situations and they sound amazing loud if you're into a carlton type of sound. They make a lot of different models though so i'm sure some of them sound great at lower volumes.
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Originally Posted by jzucker
While they sound ok at low volume (I actually just finished practicing through one, nice dark fat sound even low), I agree these are performance amps. They really do not open up at bedroom volume. They also go from zero to loud. That being said, when you turn it up, it will floor you.
also as stated above they make lots of different amps, if you dream it up, he can build it for you.
Perhaps most important, they actually deliver amps in a timely manner. Something very hard to find in custom anything related to guitar.
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A couple thoughts:
RP40 vs. RP50R share similar preamp sections. The RP50R is is a larger chasis/cabinet, has a tube reverb, larger PT/OT and can work with both fixed and cathode bias modes. I own an RP40 that I had a lightweight 12" Neo speaker (Jensen Tornado) put in and it weighs 32 lb (it weighs about 38 lb. with a std. speaker). I have a small power strip in mine and run a Wet Reverb in the effects loop.
It has very nice warm jazz tones from both the Blackface and Tweed preamps. Henry Heistand (amp designer) is very focused at getting good clean tones from his amps. He is very down to earth and non-secretive using his takes on plays from both Fender/Western Electric playbook. They are extremely flexible preamps (particularly the BF pre-amp).
Jack and others are right that even with a master volume, the amps really "breathe" and "sing" on the edge/overdriven tones at stage volumes. Clean tones sound good at all volumes but less boxy as volume is increased (small semi-open cab). While Henry makes these as standard models, they all can be customized for a specific client/customer's needs.
As a size reference, that is a 16" archtop.
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The one I had did not have a good clean sound . That is why I got rid of it. The overdrive sounds started to open up at louder volumes but it had kind of a stiff, mesa-boogie mk III clean sound which I didn't dig at all. At the time I had a gries 35 and the gries clean sound (very fenderish) just smoked it.
Henry's quite capable of building a great clean amp but the problem with dual channel, cascaded preamp designs is that the clean channel usually sounds stiff because the goal is to make a smooth overdrive and the very same qualities that makes a smooth overdrive are the ones that make the clean sound stiff IMO.
Exceptions to this are the two rock amps and fuchs amp and of course there are others...
Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7
A couple thoughts:
RP40 vs. RP50R share similar preamp sections. The RP50R is is a larger chasis/cabinet, has a tube reverb, larger PT/OT and can work with both fixed and cathode bias modes. I own an RP40 that I had a lightweight 12" Neo speaker (Jensen Tornado) put in and it weighs 32 lb (it weighs about 38 lb. with a std. speaker). I have a small power strip in mine and run a Wet Reverb in the effects loop.
It has very nice warm jazz tones from both the Blackface and Tweed preamps. Henry Heistand (amp designer) is very focused at getting good clean tones from his amps. He is very down to earth and non-secretive using his takes on plays from both Fender/Western Electric playbook. They are extremely flexible preamps (particularly the BF pre-amp).
Jack and others are right that even with a master volume, the amps really "breathe" and "sing" on the edge/overdriven tones at stage volumes. Clean tones sound good at all volumes but less boxy as volume is increased (small semi-open cab). While Henry makes these as standard models, they all can be customized for a specific client/customer's needs.
As a size reference, that is a 16" archtop.
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Jack, which specific Redplate amp model did you own?
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blackverb. Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7
I might also add that the reverb did not sound good. I did a blindfold test with a friend of mine and we both preferred the peavey bandit's reverb! OUCH...
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I used to own a Blackverb as well. The BF pre-amp on the RP40 is similar (with some differences), The PT/OT is and the cabinet are smaller and the addition of the Tweed pre-amp is totally different from a Blackverb. Like you, I much prefer my small digital reverb pedal to a tube driven accutronics unit in the Blackverb. Aside from the sound preference, you can have a smaller chassis and lighter amp without it. Overall, I think that is is a better amp than a BV (which I sold).
Originally Posted by jzucker
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Interesting as these are often cited as having the best cleans over at TGP. Originally Posted by jzucker
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you have to be careful about trusting TGP opinions on clean tones, I've found. What sounds clean to some people is playing SRV's Lenny or Riviera Paradise with a maple neck strat. Those tones sound beautiful but may not be what a jazz guy would want... Originally Posted by DRS
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Originally Posted by jzucker
I can say for sure that when my buddy brought over his tweedyverb, I couldn't believe how good it sounded. No experience with the black verb unfortunately. It embarrassed every other clean channel in the room.
However, I have since picked up a 64 super reverb, which is about the holy grail of clean tones. There is a huge difference between the two, and this may be where your stiff comment comes from, assuming we are defining it the same. Anyway..... As my buddy put it, after he told me I ruined his life letting him play through it. The sr is like the mother of amps, no matter what you do, it sounds good. Pick a little too hard, that's ok, too soft, no problem. It's natural compression makes everything sound good. It is super forgiving.
the red plate is like a rocket launcher attached to your picking hand. Depending on what you play, this can be a good or bad thing. It is extremely sensitive. He intentionally builds the amps this way. It's a combination of high headroom transformers, power supply, and a SS rectifier. The result is bloom, not sag.
Imo they are better for playing country, blues, etc, rather than bebop. But again it depends on the amp, the player, etc etc. but if you want something the size of a Princeton, that's as loud as a half stack, they are the shizzz.
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For what it's worth, they are great amps in my opinion. The RP40 covers a tremendous amount of sonic territory (both blackface and tweed) along with overdriven sounds in a high quality/compact size/weight format. As evidenced by this post, like all things guitar and tone related, it has its fans and critics.
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To give you an idea of the size of an RP40, here is it is next to 16" archtop and an Evans RE200. The Evans is slightly smaller (1 x 10" vs. 1 x 12") and lighter (27 lb. vs. 32 lb.).
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i've owned a redplate blackloop 1x12 for the last 5 or 6 years and it's been with me on every gig- jazz, r&b, fusion, funk, etc... i've played everything from the quietest restaurant gigs to loud outdoor gigs with a 13 piece soul band with horns and this amp always delivers. i haven't tried it with an archtop, but i have played my friend's sadowsky semi-hollow through it and it sounds beautiful- very round, warm and dynamic. pretty much the exact opposite of peaky and loud. you have to spend some time with it though. henry has a 6 position switch that changes the character of the midrange and the presence control doesn't work like a traditional presence control. other than a small roland cube 60 (for practicing at home), the redplate has been the only amp that i've owned for a few years now.
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I never heard of them before now, what a curious name. Red plate? Aren't red plates a very BAD thing... generally followed by silence? :-)
To me (the descriptive adjective) is like eating at a restaurant called "Dirty Nellie's" or buying a guitar from a company called Screaming Warped Neck.
I "guess" they meant something like a volume control going to 11 (remember that one?) but Red Plate and Dirty Nellie are not good names. Hey, maybe they're high school students and thought the name was cooler than the amp going to 11, if so they were wrong :-)Last edited by GNAPPI; 09-06-2017 at 11:10 PM.
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