TC Electronic RH450, RS210, RS212 Review Thread

[sk8]

excellent. Thinking it could pair well with a Bergantino AE210

 

[oddio]

The head continues to impress, as well.

The RH450 and RC4 arrived today bassist and I am quite amazed. All of the functions and tone controls are quickly accessible and are both very usable and very easy to use. Footswitch recommended!

I'm loving this amp (and so is my back). As usual, thanks go to my friends TomBowlus and KJung as well as all of the others who posted here. Yay!!!

 

[Freddels]

Anyone try one of these heads with a pair of Bag End cabs yet?

I may have to bother Andy again.

 

[REAPER52]

Dont forget that there is a newly formed RH450 club for all those that seem to love this little amp.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=586323

 

[newbold]

Still curious about the Staccato - can it do the big open modern tone and the fat thumpy old school tone, and bridge between the 2 at the same time?

Of course there are 3 presets just like the RH, but I'm hoping that the Staccato can sound big, sound vintage, and also sound clean and sterile at either the touch of a button or twist of a knob (or 2).

Is this amp as versatile as I'm asking?

 

[Bass Junkie]

Still curious about the Staccato - can it do the big open modern tone and the fat thumpy old school tone, and bridge between the 2 at the same time?

Of course there are 3 presets just like the RH, but I'm hoping that the Staccato can sound big, sound vintage, and also sound clean and sterile at either the touch of a button or twist of a knob (or 2).

Is this amp as versatile as I'm asking?

I may be pulling the trigger on a Staccato next week if the stars line up just right. I'm looking for the same thing you are, that old school tone. I had a RH450 and it was too modern sounding or my taste. It sounded good, just not me.

 

[newbold]

Considering that the 'go to gear' tends to be mostly 'vintage' and of the gear that's not, it can generally put out that certain something that's big, fat, full, and tickles you with your own pants.

To some, the Staccato might sound 'scooped' but what I heard sounded less aggressive and in some ways incredibly modern - like, the NEW modern, as it sounds familiar but is unlike its competition.

Not at all pushy unless you push it around. Then...watch out!

That's my impression of this head.

I wonder when TC is going to bring out an 18" cab and 3x6" cabs.

hopefully after they revamp the nova system to have a looper and have a bass friendly version.

 

[oddio]

With any new piece of gear it can be difficult to put aside your enthusiasm to write a review that is truly objective. This is especially true for something that meets your expectation. But how often does something actually exceed your expectation? If you're like me it isn't that often. The RH450 certainly exceeded my expectation.

So what were my expectations? One of the reasons that I "pulled the trigger" on an RH450 was that the EQ section had roughly the same capabilities and EQ points as the Millennia STT-1 that I often haul around. I had also hoped that it would have enough power to drive a single 4ohm Acme B2 until I figured what to do cabinet-wise. Weight was also a factor of course, as leaving the Millennia/Crest/SUS-4 rack at home would shave close to 100lbs (or 50lbs for the DB750/case). Let's not forget the tuner; an extra frill, but I could also leave the StroboStomp with all the fuss over batteries or wall-wart at home too.

Initially I dialed in the RH450 EQ totally flat with the compressor and TubeTone off. Set up this way the RH450 was certainly flat but did not seem to have a large amount of power. Disappointing at first. Time to twiddle the knobs. That's when the unexpected magic happened.

Firstly, I discovered that I had inadvertently zeroed the volume level on the patch I was using. That's certainly a "gotcha" so a quick review of the manual is useful before you dive in.

I should preface this bit by explaining that I typically dislike amp sims. I've worked in the digital domain for a long time and until recently (thanks iZotope!) amp sims usually did not impress my ears at all. They never met my expectation. But times are changing so I manage to keep an open mind.

Setting the compressor up a hair and adding a bit of tube yielded some very interesting effects. The amp became more agressive and reactive in true tube amp fashion, a bit like turning up the "drive" control on an EBS Fafner. The volume levels I had expected were right there! No problem whatsoever. That's with a single 4ohm Acme B2. Clearly I needed to experiment some more.

Now it's time to tweak the tone controls which will hopefully yield something a bit more to my liking. After a few adjustments I noticed that the amp was starting to sound quite a bit like my Trace V8. Whoa! After a bit of refinement there it was! Okay, what else can it do? How about an old SWR SM400 with a Goliath? Adjust a bit of mid-range scoop, some tweaking and voila! Well, then I wondered if it could sound like an old SVT? Yes (close enough for rock'n'roll). Amazing! Now I get it. The tube amp modelling works extremely well. But can it get a clean SS sound like the Millennia/Crest? You bet. To get into the same ballpark as most of the amps I've mentioned is very easy and the more time you invest, the more refined these "emulations" are. For me this was totally unexpected.

Review? The controls are so accessible and intuitive that the RH450 just invites you to play. Plenty of power is present which suggests this amp is actually rated conservatively. The tuner is very quick to use and accurate using my StroboStomp and Korg DTR2000 for validation. The compressor is very well-designed, sounds musical and is useful. The tube sim is the best I have used or heard bar none. Solid well-designed armor casing provides excellent cooling although the amp does not seem to run too warm at high levels. Featherweight. Footswitch recommended.

I would write more, but I have to admit that I'm going to spend the time playing with the RH450. On the "fun factor" scale this amp scores top marks. I love it!

Addition: I forgot to mention some things that are covered by others earlier in the thread, but here they are anyway. The three presets are very useful as a scratchpad for working out your tones or as storage for ones that have been refined. I probably won't be using the iPod in, but the headphones would certainly be useful for tinkering with settings late at night. I'll add something on the AES/EBU (digital) output when I get the opportunity to record.

 

[Bass Man Tim]

Well, after reading through the entirety of this thread (thanks to all who have posted!), watching all the Videos on their website, and a good few on YouTube, I have decided to take the plunge and buy an RH450, RC4 Remote and an RS212. Just one quest before I purchase.... Does the amp come with a power cable and does the RS212 come with a speaker on cable? Just so I know if I need to order them at the same time to save postage!

I am really looking forward to getting the amp and can't wait to try it out! Wooo! Christmas is coming early... lol

 

[oddio]

Well, after reading through the entirety of this thread (thanks to all who have posted!), watching all the Videos on their website, and a good few on YouTube, I have decided to take the plunge and buy an RH450, RC4 Remote and an RS212. Just one quest before I purchase.... Does the amp come with a power cable and does the RS212 come with a speaker on cable? Just so I know if I need to order them at the same time to save postage!

I am really looking forward to getting the amp and can't wait to try it out! Wooo! Christmas is coming early... lol

Yes, the amp does come with a power cord. Somewhere, I believe that it was in this thread, someone stated that each cabinet comes with a custom-length speakon cable as well, so you seem to be covered.

Congratulations. It looks like you're going to have a great Christmas!

 

[oddio]

Here are a few snaps, just for fun,

On one side of the room this stuff is just sitting there...

But on the other side, this is getting a LOT of use...

That should be some indication...

 

[Dr Funk]

That's a wall of beauty... and at home sounding terrific is very good.
But what's it like with these amps on the gig. I mean will it work on the job power wise in the real world?

 

[oddio]

That's a wall of beauty... and at home sounding terrific is very good.
But what's it like with these amps on the gig. I mean will it work on the job power wise in the real world?

Thanks and that is certainly not all of the gear scattered about. Lately I have been using a pair of Acmes with either the DB750 or Millennia STT-1 preamp and Crest CA-9 (not in the pic) for gigs. The DB750 is set and forget, while the pre/power combination gives me more flexibility. In either case, I actually end up with a fair bit more power than is actually needed.

The RH450 with a single Acme actually does cut it in a real world jam/gig situation, although you are correct that the snaps were taken at home. I suspect this combination (RH450/Acme) could be slightly underpowered on a large stage without PA support. For this reason I am looking at alternative cabinets at this point. Acme, as I am certain you know, requires a good amount of power although the RH450 does well in this regard.

 

[nofrets5]

I have also purchased the entire TC rig this past week: the head, footswitch and 2 RS210 cabinets. I must say how well I was treated by DBK, also known as Donovan Bankhead in this thread, who has excellent communication, follow-thru, and is VERY competitive regarding pricing...and knowledge as well, so I wanted to let that be known.

I used the rig last night for the first time w/great results, though I'm still dialing in tones for stage use, I'm not too far off. The guitarist said he noticed improved clarity over my Eden rig, which I still think is a great, great sounding setup. The stacked cabs obviously help a ton, but I'm thinking, like others, that the head just has a little "something" that helps with clarity also, even when my stage tone was actually a little TOO big at times, and I wasn't pushing the highs and high mids I really did hear better than I think I ever have on stage. Like alot of players, we probably get a little too loud and the drummer should/could bring it back a little, but I really don't think the power issue should be of concern to ANYONE, as I had the master by the end of the night right around 10 o'clock and I feel I got too loud, so NO worries.

A drummer from another band told the guitarist that the tone was one of the best he'd ever heard, super clear, and "awesome", so that's a good thing for a first time out.

I may get more specific in a later post, but I don't think I could add anymore to the high praising others have stated in this thread, and I don't work for Donovan or TC, just happy so far, with the new stuff (with the exception that I've already knicked the head with the tuner of my G string, which made me sick to my stomach on stage, but I guess it's bound to happen, just why on the first gig?)

Cheers to TC Electronics and to Donovan!

 

[Bass Man Tim]

Yes, the amp does come with a power cord. Somewhere, I believe that it was in this thread, someone stated that each cabinet comes with a custom-length speakon cable as well, so you seem to be covered.

Congratulations. It looks like you're going to have a great Christmas!

Thanks! Just out of curiosity, any idea how long the power chord is?

 

[nofrets5]

Power cord is on the shorter side, just measured it at 6'.

 

[Tom7]

Power cord is on the shorter side, just measured it at 6'.

Really?! Wow! Put the head on two stacked cabinets, and the power cord barely reaches the floor, much less a power outlet.

 

[Tom7]

I have also purchased the entire TC rig this past week: the head, footswitch and 2 RS210 cabinets. I must say how well I was treated by DBK, also known as Donovan Bankhead in this thread, who has excellent communication, follow-thru, and is VERY competitive regarding pricing...and knowledge as well, so I wanted to let that be known.

I used the rig last night for the first time w/great results, though I'm still dialing in tones for stage use, I'm not too far off. The guitarist said he noticed improved clarity over my Eden rig, which I still think is a great, great sounding setup. The stacked cabs obviously help a ton, but I'm thinking, like others, that the head just has a little "something" that helps with clarity also, even when my stage tone was actually a little TOO big at times, and I wasn't pushing the highs and high mids I really did hear better than I think I ever have on stage. Like alot of players, we probably get a little too loud and the drummer should/could bring it back a little, but I really don't think the power issue should be of concern to ANYONE, as I had the master by the end of the night right around 10 o'clock and I feel I got too loud, so NO worries.

A drummer from another band told the guitarist that the tone was one of the best he'd ever heard, super clear, and "awesome", so that's a good thing for a first time out.

I may get more specific in a later post, but I don't think I could add anymore to the high praising others have stated in this thread, and I don't work for Donovan or TC, just happy so far, with the new stuff (with the exception that I've already knicked the head with the tuner of my G string, which made me sick to my stomach on stage, but I guess it's bound to happen, just why on the first gig?)

Cheers to TC Electronics and to Donovan!

I've purchased gear from DKB (Donovan) as well, and he quickly became my favorite retailer. I look first to him when I need to buy something, then elsewhere if he can't get it for me. HIGHLY recommended.

 

[Eublet]

Two good gigs with the rh450 and a single 210 this weekend. Both outdoors with PA support. On Friday night, my rs210 was actually pushed forward and all they way over after the gig. The rh450 was on top, and it has a couple of nice scrapes on the aluminum lip. Still works like a champ. It was totally my fault. We were breaking down, and I leaned the whole rig forward so that I could unplug the speakon cable. When I tilted it back upright, a large extention cord had gotten moved underneath the back of the cab. Someone was rolling it up later, and they gave it a huge tug and it sent the whole thing toppling over. We were outside on a cobblestone sidewalk that had a bit of forward pitch already, so it didn't take much. Glad that TC builds these things like tanks.

Also, to answer a previous question...yes. All TC cabs ship with a Speakon cable that is around 2.5 feet. Perfect size for the rig. I'm not sure how long my power cord was as I've never used it. I have an extra long one that I've had for a while.

 

[DonovanBankhead]

I too have an extra long HOSA power cable that I always use with amp heads, etc. It's probably 10' or so... Maybe I should start including them with the amps I sell... Hmm, good idea...