RH450 and RS212 Experience

[chjohnst]

I finally got a chance to play with a drummer and guitar player over the weekend and last night on my new RH450 and RS212 setup. So far I am quite impressed by the head and the versatility the EQ offers. As far as having enough power, there is MORE then plenty from this head. My drummer plays pretty viciously and my guitar player and I try to keep our levels fairly level with each other. I had the gain at around 12noon and master a tick or two over 12noon and I had to turn it down a few times as I was blowing the room out with sonic madness

I really like having the programmable EQ, if you are a tweaker it is really nice to be able to switch around to a different tone or swap to a new EQ setting for a different axe. One negative though I find that just moving the dial one "click" changes things quite a bit so I am getting used to that where my older GK head I would have to move the dials quite a bit to boost/cut frequencies. Do I miss my GK head? Yea a lil, there is something about the GK growl (as its called) that is a unique voicing to that amp. But on the upside the RH450 has its own voicing and "growl" that can be dialed in with a click or two of the tubetone knob and so far has proven to warm things up a little as well as provide a slight bit of distortion in a rock setting.

Does it sound like a REAL tube or some digital mess of emulation? Not sure to be honest I have never owned a tube head and have only played on them 2-3x and to be honest I really can't tell that much of a difference in a live setting. Perhaps I like a more modern sound, but this head fits right into my playing style. I usually give the tue tone 4-6 clicks for most of my playing, but when slapping I dialed most of it out I havn't been able to get that working well yet. Could be my bass though.

Is it good for hard rock/punk, blues, funk? You betcha! In fact I was worried it wouldn't hold up for what I needed it for so far it has delivered!

Is the digital out good for recording? VERY, recorded a track last night with my band to try it out and its super clean. There was a bit more string noise then my GK head sounded when recorded but I was able to EQ a bit of that out when mixing the track.

Is the compressor good, hmm this is a tough one and can't comment on it just yet. I have an EBS multicomp that I use 99.9% of the time and for the first time I havn't been using it. I play a bit of slap bass and so far the compressor thats built looks to be up to the task. I have been dialing it in with about 2-4 clicks for some mild compression. Will have to play more.

[chjohnst]

I ran out of room so started the second thread to discuss the cabinet :-)

So I bought the RS212 and an RS210, but so far only the RS212 has been shipped to me. Its a nice cabinet so far, a little too nice. Its good looking for sure, but I worry the nice paint they spray on will get scratched or mucked up if I am not careful. Personally I like cabinets with carpet and rubber corners as I am constantly moving the cabinet in and out of my truck. I will have to be extra careful or maybe get the covers, maybe someone can chime in on that.

How does it sound? Well I havn't play my 5 string on it yet or any basses besides my Fender Deluxe (American) Jazz, but I so far I have no problems providing a THICK and MEATY low end. My drummer has never been happier as he says he can actually hear my notes being played. For some reason my GK head/cab I just could never get the sound out of it that I wanted. I think I needed to get a bigger head for the cabinet I had it paired with, but a 90lbs cabinet was no longer something I wanted in my arsenal.

How does it handle the high end? Perhaps wit a bit more EQing this could be a decent cabinet for heavy slappers, it has a tweeter so that helps but this may not be the right voicing for that. It holds up well for fingerstyle in a rock setting for sure though.

So my big debacle now is trying to decided if I should keep the RS210 or swap it for an RS212. I am likely to play with both cabs most of the time in my studio and have the flexibility to take only one cab out for gigs and rehearsals. I really love the RS212 but I fear having another one will just be too much low end leaving me with very little room to dial in a punchier tone that 10s provide. But I also fear the RS210 will lack in the low end and really only be noise for my ears when stacked vertically. Any suggestions?

[Musicman20]

The RS210+212 DOES work, dont know how it works, but it does.

Im glad you like the 12s. I like 12s, but the 10s are also great in this line.

I suggest covers for the cabs! Without a doubt. They arent that expensive and will stop some of your wear and tear. Even though the new coating is much better on the RS cabinets, its still fairly fragile as is the Berg AE coating. Looks nice though

The RS210 has a lot of wallop if you want the option of having that for smaller gigs or recording etc. Ive used one in a hardcore band on its own with a heavy drummer, and it had NO problems.

Enjoy

[chjohnst]

I am leaning on getting the RS210, but something about mismatched speaker sizes bother me and not being able to EQ the 212 correctly the 212 pairing... I also worry (2) more 12s will just be too much low and not enough mid-punch...