Trade my EX7 for an RP250/350

[marnold***]

I'm considering dumping my Expression Factory for a DigiTech RP250 or RP350. The controls are so limited on the EX7 plus I'm really disappointed in how few Whammy settings there are. The 250/350 have almost the full array, including the coveted "dive bomb." On top of it the 250/350 have tons more distortion models, effect models, and a drum machine to top it all off. The odd thing is that the 250 is retailing for $50 less than the EX7 and the 350 is the same price. I was thinking about seeing if a local shop would swap the EX7 for a RP250 straight up.

[oldguy]

Make sure you try it out thoroughly if the Whammy is what you're trading for. I'm happy w/ the 250 for recording , but the whammy and the bass sim are two areas I feel need improvement.

[marnold***]

Make sure you try it out thoroughly if the Whammy is what you're trading for. I'm happy w/ the 250 for recording , but the whammy and the bass sim are two areas I feel need improvement.

In what specific ways do you feel that the whammy needs improvement? The advantages I see is that the EX7 has seven different whammy settings (e.g. one octave up, two octaves up) whereas the 250 has 16.

Any other comments you'd have on the quality of the effect or distortion models would be welcome. I really like the wah sounds of the EX7. I assume that the 250's would be the same since it's the same chip.

[oldguy]

The 250 I have produces very good wah effects.
The distortions, delays, reverbs, chorus are very good.
The onboard drummer is great to practice with, I've used it to record also.
Where I feel the 250 falls short (at least the one I have), is the bass sim and whammy don't track pitch as smoothly as they should.
EG...playing a bass line, single notes are true, start playing two note octaves or fifths together and the pitch "warbles" in and out, as though it can't track accurately.
Whammy...a quick sweep of the pedal produces good results, a slow sweep of the pedal produces a noticeable pitch correction as the pedal goes up an octave.
These are the only issues I've had w/ mine, I really like every other thing about it. The other effects, amp models, etc, are great. The USB editing is fast and easy.
Like I say, I'd be sure and try it thoroughly if the Whammy is going to be a major reason for you buying it. Maybe mine doesn't seem to track quite right, maybe there's something I could tweak, I don't know, I'm more a trem bar user, never cared much for the Digitech Whammy effect myself. But a standalone Whammy pedal seems to work really well, although I don't own one. Not my cup of tea.

[marnold***]

Thanks for the mini-review. I've noticed the "warble" effect with the Whammy on my EX7 too. It usually is only when I'm really using it a lot, which probably would be annoying to most people anyway.

[marnold***]

Well, for now the EX-7 is staying. None of the local places had an RP-250. Plus, none of them would give me what I would consider to be a decent amount of money for the EX-7. FWIW, the ability to keep the Space Station synth probably offsets the lack of Whammy dive-bombing.

[oldguy]

Hang onto it, and if you decide to buy a modeler, I'd check out the 350 before dropping any cash... it has a few more amp model/effects, plus the ability to do A/B switching, if you program it that way... like changing from a Twin Rev to a Marshall Plexi for leads.
The 250 is nice...the 350 is nicer for a little more change.
That's just my two cents worth...

[ShortBuSX]

The 250 I have produces very good wah effects.

Ive got the older RP 200...love the pedal and all of its effects...but HATE the wah!