Digital modeling is the current rage in the guitar multi-effect arena, and DigiTech has recently upped the ante with the release of its RP2000 Modeling Guitar Effect System guitar effects processor. Springing from DigiTech's RP line of effects units, the RP2000 sports ten different amp models, three cabinet simulations, and a cool new pickup simulation feature. In addition, it offers a wide variety of digital effects, including versions of DigiTech's Whammy and Talker effects (the unit's XLR mic input triggers the Talker). The RP2000 also has an assignable expression pedal, an S/PDIF output for connecting to a digital recorder, a tuner, a built-in drum playback section, and lots more. Let's take a closer look.

Tough Stuff Solidly encased in stainless steel, the RP2000 looks like it's built to handle the rigors of the road. It has an external power supply, but the ample power cable (about as thick as a typical guitar cable) features a line-lump transformer in the middle rather than the much less desirable wall wart. It lacks an on/off switch, though, so make sure your amp is off when you power the RP2000 down or up, or a nasty pop will ensue.

Playing Footsie This is a floor unit, so it's not surprising that you can access many of its functions via footswitches. For example, when the unit powers up, it defaults to Preset mode, from which you can reach any of the 64 factory or 64 user patches using the large front-panel footswitches. Both the factory and user sections have 16 banks of four patches each, which you get to using the Bank/Preset footswitch and a set of footswitches labeled 1 to 4. You can also put the unit into FX mode, which allows you to turn individual effects on and off as if you were using a pedal board full of stompboxes.

Just to the left of the Bank/Select switch is the Control switch, designed to toggle between two settings on a parameter of your choice for every preset. You could, for example, change between two different pitch-shift amounts or between a short and a long delay. This gives you a great deal of flexibility, and is one of many thoughtfully designed features on the RP2000.

The Expression Pedal is solidly built. In addition to using it to control wah or volume, you can assign it to effects parameters. It has a built-in toe switch (DigiTech calls it a V-Switch) that turns on a wah or pitch effect when engaged. At first I found this feature annoying-I kept turning the oversensitive switch on and off by accident. But after reading the manual, I discovered the V-Switch Sensitivity setting in the Utility menu and adjusted the switch to a less sensitive setting.

Each patch has two channels, to which you can assign independent amp model settings. This unique feature allows you to switch between a lead and a rhythm channel, just as you would on a dual-channel amp. In FX mode, you have a dedicated footswitch for this purpose, but in Preset mode, you must specifically program the Control switch for this function.

Setting Up Sounds Most of the programming on the RP2000 is done via a cluster of switches, LEDs, and parameter names called the Matrix. The Matrix itself is composed of 11 separate modules, each of which you can switch in and out of the signal path and edit for any given patch. These modules are Pickup Simulator, Compressor, Wah/Pitch, Amp Model, Cabinet/Mic Simulator, EQ, Talker, Gate/Swell, Effects, Delay, and Reverb. An additional parameter allows you to adjust the overall level of a patch.

Editing is menu based. Getting to certain parameters requires quite a few repetitive button pushes, but the process is simple overall. The manual overstates it a bit by claiming, "The RP2000 is so user-friendly you may not even need to read this manual," but there's no doubt that the unit is logically and intuitively set up.

Speaking of the manual, it's well written and quite thorough but looks like someone reproduced it on the office copier. Not only that, but after I flipped through my copy a few times, the binding started to come apart. Considering that the RP2000 lists for almost $500, a manual with higher production values would be nice.

You get visual feedback on the RP2000 via a series of LED status lights as well as a dual (8-character) LED display. A backlit LCD would have been more efficient but would certainly have made the unit more expensive. The LED does the job for the most part, although it can be hard to decipher when it's displaying letters.

Sounds Like The RP2000 features 24-bit digital processing and a 44.1 kHz sampling rate. It sounds very good-crisp, clean, and generally quiet. The amp-modeling section offers a selection of the usual suspects-a Marshall stack, black-faced and tweed Fenders, two Mesa/Boogies, a Matchless DC-30, and a Vox AC30-as well as five generic models, including two acoustic simulators.

As a whole, the amp models are quite effective (naturally, no amp model will sound exactly like the real thing). They all captured to varying degrees the characteristics of the amps they imitated. The impressive acoustic simulators made my Strat sound as if it had a piezo pickup built in-very cool.

Another unique feature of the RP2000 is the Pickup Simulator, which you can set to make a humbucking pickup sound like a single coil and vice versa. I was skeptical at first, but when it made my Strat resemble a fat Les Paul, I was convinced.

For direct recording purposes (or for plugging a guitar directly into a P.A.), the RP2000 also contains a speaker simulator. You can choose between Warm, Dark, and Bright cabinets and ten mic placement positions. Overall, the simulator worked well, making my direct guitar sound quite realistic. I did, however, find the differences between the various cabinets and mic placement positions extremely subtle.

Highly Effective The effects section of the RP2000 is also impressive. The reverbs sound quite good, reminding me of those in more expensive dedicated reverb processors. My only gripe is that they're a little too bright for some applications, and the unit has no high-damping parameter for adjustments.

You can get a whopping 3 seconds of delay in each of the following varieties: Mono, Pingpong, Analog, Analog Pingpong, and Reverse. I turned on the preset Loopin, which offers a 2-second mono delay and a 95 percent feedback setting, and did some amazing layering.

The Talker effect works only when you plug a microphone signal into the XLR jack in the back of the unit (there's an XLR out as well for sending an unaltered mic signal to the P.A.). Sing along with your guitar, and the Talker can make your instrument sound like it's speaking. This effect works pretty well, offering practically endless possibilities for creating unusual sounds.

The Whammy effect, based on DigiTech's popular Whammy Pedal, combines pitch shift and pitch bend to create some wild, expression-pedal-controlled effects. While it doesn't have the subtle control of an actual whammy bar, it can do much wider pitch swings and produce some awesome dive-bomb effects.

The other effects, all high-quality, include Chorus, Phase Shifter, Flanger, Tremolo, Vibrato, Wah (many varieties), Yah Yah (a mixture of wah and flange), and Rotary Speaker.In addition, a compressor, a 4-band EQ, and a noise gate are always available.

More Stuff The Rhythm feature offers playback of 30 drum patterns in a variety of styles, from rock to reggae to cha-cha to bossa nova. Although I doubt any drummers will lose their jobs to the RP2000, it has decent-sounding patterns, and you can vary their tempo and volume. You generally stop and start the loops with the small Rhythm button on the front of the unit, but you can also assign this function to the Control switch and turn the drums on and off with your foot.

The unit also has ports for MIDI In and Out/Thru. It can respond to Program Change commands, and you can control the effects parameters externally with MIDI continuous controllers. This means you can automate parameter and patch changes on the RP2000 from a sequencer.

A phrase trainer feature called Learn-A-Lick (DigiTech has included this on a number of its previous units) lets you record ten seconds of music through the 11/48-inch jack on the back panel, then play it back at varying speeds using the footswitches.

The Jam-A-Long feature allows connection of an external sound source (such as a CD, cassette player, or MP3 player) that plays back through the RP2000's outputs.

The Verdict The RP2000 is a very impressive product. This excellent-sounding unit offers clear evidence of DigiTech's vast experience in producing effects devices. It provides well-designed models (the Pickup Simulator is especially cool), extensive and interesting effects, and an intuitive user interface. Other than the badly printed manual, there's not much to complain about here. For both live performances and recording applications, the RP2000 stands tall.

Inputs (1) 11/44" instrument, (1) XLR mic, (1) 11/48" stereo TRS for Learn-A-Lick or Jam-A-Long Outputs (2) 11/44" instrument, (1) XLR mic, (1) RCA S/PDIF, (1) 11/44" stereo headphone MIDI In and Out/Thru A/D/A Conversion 24-bit Sampling Rate 44.1 kHz Presets 64 factory, 64 user THD <0.04% (1 kHz) Frequency Response 20 Hz-20 kHz +0/-3 dB Dimensions 17.25" (L) x 8.5" (W) x 3" (H) Weight 7.1 lbs.

DigiTech RP2000 Modeling Guitar Effect System $499.95

Overall Rating (1 through 5): 4

PROS: High-quality sound. Friendly interface. Talker and Whammy effects. Convincing amp models. Dual amp models for each patch (red and green channel). S/PDIF output.

CONS: Manual poorly printed and bound. LED can be hard to read when it displays letters.

Contact: DigiTech; tel. (801) 566-8800; fax (801) 566-7005; e-mail customer@digitech.com; Web www.digitech.com