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Goforth Modded RD50

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Christopher Weldon (csweldon)
Username: csweldon

Registered: 08-2011
Posted on Monday, November 28, 2011 - 05:52 pm:   

Hey Everyone! I recently had my 110RD-50 worked on by Ed Goforth and wanted to share my experiences with you all. If you want the abridged version, I'll keep it simple: He does fantastic work, and if you're on the fence about having any mods done just do it - you'll be happy you did!

Now, the long of it...

Last September, I picked up a 110RD-50 and was pretty smitten; light enough to carry in one hand, loud enough to gig, Fender lineage... If it weren't for the ratty distortion channel and spikey high end, it would've been pretty much perfect! I read a few people's threads on Ed Goforth's work and decided to contact him.

Even before I opted to send it his way, he was very knowledgeable and answered all the questions I had. Very nice, since I had A LOT of them haha He told me about all the mods he could do, (which is NOT a small list) and the prices were more than reasonable. In the end, he
-replaced/upgraded my filter caps
-updated my driver section for more response/punch
-modded my distortion channel/changed the footswitch's reverb button to a gain boost
-Modded my clean channel
-upgraded the rectifier using FREDs

The result? Easily THE BEST tone I've ever had!

The clean channel is clear and articulate, with an excellent midrange character. He somehow found the perfect midrange voicing for what I wanted, and I'm VERY particular about how much mids I like! The bright switch is actually useful now; not too extreme, I usually use with my neck pickup and it makes the sound just a little more glassy. If all I had was this channel I'd still be really pumped!

The drive channel has a much better range than before the mods. It can actually be used as a second clean channel, which is kinda how I set it for my band. With the gain set to 3 or 4 it's like a slightly hairy, thicker clean channel. Leads have UNREAL levels of sustain! Kick the Gain Boost on (which can be adjusted with a trim pot in the back) and it's otherworldly! It's almost enough to make me start another band so I can play more lead haha

The treble is still present, but it's much smoother. Not a trace of ice pick to be found!

Both channels take my pedals MUCH better than before, too. I didn't think it took distortion pedals very well before the mods due to the harsh high end, but now it sounds fantastic!

The biggest surprise, though, is how HUGE the amp sounds! I honestly have to keep reminding myself that it's only a little 1x10 combo. When I played my first gig through it my friends were all astounded! "You got that sound from THAT?!" My one friend said it best, though: "When I walked in, I had to double check the stage. If I didn't see for myself, I wouldn't have believed there was only one guitar being played!"

If it's not obvious, I'll say it again: I am THRILLED with the work Ed's done. His communication before, during, and since the mods have been second to none - he's a true professional that REALLY knows how to get the most from these amps!

Anyway, I just wanted to share that for anyone who's been wondering about his work. Now: back to playing!