Music Man RD50 Amplifier – Shhhhhh… It’s a secret!

If you are a working guitarist, this little amp is one you should know about.

Living and gigging full-time in New York City is a rough ride. Anyone will tell you that you are crazy to own a car in New York, and this is 100% true. There is no place to park. And, if you find a parking spot, you’ll just have to jump out of bed at 5AM to move it across the street. So, the question is: How does a working guitarist get around town with a real tube amplifier that is hand-wired, has plenty of volume, headroom, is reliable and can be transported easily through the labyrinth of Subway tunnels on a had cart? OK, I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell anyone else. It has been my secret weapon for years.

Ladies and Gentlemen; I give you the Music Man RD50.

50 Watts, more than enough volume for most nightclubs, point-to-point wiring, reliable as all hell, and sportin’ two Sylvania 6L6GC power tubes (Everything you read above is true, no typos here.)

I still can’t believe more guys aren’t using this amp. While I’m not a huge fan of the drive channel, the clean channel has all the bell-like sparkle of a Fender Deluxe Reverb. The amp comes in a 1X10 and a 1X12 version. Needless to say, the 1X12 model offers even more headroom as you have a larger speaker that is probably rated to handle more power. But it’s really the 1X10 model that always just blew me away.

The 1X12 model measures in at less then two feet high and wide. I’m not kidding when I say that you can really put this on a hand-cart. I can’t tell you how many nights I strolled into The Bitter End on Bleeker Street, or the 55 Bar on Christopher Street with my trusty little RD-50 in tow, only to be asked to “Turn it down a little” by the second song. The amount of headroom in this amp is astonishing.

Interesting Chemistry

What’s a bit odd is that with the exception of some very early models, these Music Man amps are all hybrids. The pre-amp is solid-state, while the power section is of course all tube. Some might scoff at this in principle. But I’ve gotten so used to these amps, it never even crosses my mind. In-fact, I think it’s a great combination. The solid-state front end really tightens up the sound. You get a really crisp sparkle that is a bit unique to Music Man amps.

But the fun doesn’t stop here

The folks at Music Man were kind enough to pack all this fun in a head-only version as well. Same guts, no speaker. So, if you happen to know that there is already a speaker cabinet at your gig, you can just tote the head along. And the head is light enough to carry by hand.

Some tend to wanna keep these kinds of pawn-shop prizes pristine, for the collectable value. And that is certainly understandable. But… if you don’t care too much about that, there is a slight mod (totally reversible) that you can do to make this amp really sing:

Change the speaker

I put a Celestion Vintage-10 (the little brother to the widely popular Wintage-30) in a few of my RD50′s and WOW! it’s like a whole new amp! The stock Music Man speakers were ok, but of course, companies like Celestion, EV and Eminence (among many others) simply make better speakers. The first day I fired up my amp with my stock Celestion Vintage-10 speaker the amp just came alive. I can remember getting alot of compliments that night not only from the audience, but from the guys in my band (and these guys had definitely heard my playing more than enough), But there was really a difference that night, and it was inspiring me as well, so my playing took off too. Best $100 I ever spent.

A nod to history

One thing that most lose sight of is that these amps are now on average, more than 25+ years old! That’s right, Leo Fender manufactured these amps between 1974 and 1982. If the name Leo Fender sounds familiar, well, it should. Yes, Leo Fender was the founder of Fender guitars. As many know, he sold the company to CBS in 1965. He signed a 10-year “No Compete” clause. So, in the early years, he kept a pretty low profile with Music Man Amps. But by 1975, the legal restrictions were off and Leo began production of what would become some of the most loved amplifiers around today. I bought my first Music Man amp in 1979 and have been in love with them ever since.

If you are a working guitarist, and do not have your own personal 18-wheeler to cart your massive rig around. You might want to consider the Music Man RD50. It’s an incredibly portable tube amplifier that packs a hell of a punch!