Evans RE500 Review

Drew Pierce · From: Arkansas, USA

I have waited a few months before posting about this amp so I would not make a rush judgment. For background, I played through Peavy Session 400s and 500s in the late '70s and early '80s. I bought my first Evans, an FET 500LV, in about 1982. I used that amp exclusively until I decided to try a smaller, LIGHTER amp to give my old back and arms a little break. So the RE500, weighing in at a mere 32 lbs, seemed like it might be a good choice. It was.

This is an incredible amp. (I also have a Roland Cube 80XL and it's not even close. Of course, at $450 vs. $1500, it shouldn't be.) The RE500 also blows away my old FET500 in sound quality. The sound is cleaner and reflects 30+ years of sound tech advancements. As for volume and bass response, it sounds fabulous in small rooms and for large rooms I simply mic the speaker. Why anybody would lug a big, heavy amp around and worry about volume (like I did for decades) when you can get the sound this little amp delivers is beyond me. The RE500 sounds clean, full and lush and, by going through the PA, could cover a colosseum or stadium-size venue with big, rich sound without difficulty. It also has an external speaker jack and line out for more sound reinforcement options. I prefer miking the speaker with a Sennheiser e609 to get the natural sound the amp.

The ONLY downside for me: the onboard effects are designed for jazz guitar and not pedal steel. The reverb is fine but the flange/chorus is basically useless for my purposes. I spent days tweaking them every which way from Sunday trying to make them work for me and just couldn't get it done. So I still use a Boss RV-3 for the delay. The good news is that the RE500's effects loop works great and the delay sounds far better in that configuration than in-line from the volume pedal to the input. (As an aside, I have tried to warm up to the reverb-only approach that many are touting these days, but just can't get that Buddy Emmons/John Hughey/Lloyd Green sound that I crave without a little bit of delay.)

The EQ adjustments are simple, intuitive and elegant. It took almost no time to dial up a sound that just knocked my socks off. I only have to occasionally tweak the treble/bass/depth a bit to adapt to different playing environments.

Finally, I have had nothing but good experiences with Evans and Scott Buffington. Scott has always treated me with courtesy and respect. He's always willing to spend however much time it takes to make sure you are happy with your amp. Even though I couldn't talk him into building me an amp with a delay instead of that chorus/flange. But in fairness, there are likely several thousand guitar players for every steel player, so the demand probably doesn't justify the cost of development.
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Drew Pierce
Emmons D10 Fatback, S10 bolt-on, Zum D10, Evans RE500, Hilton volume and delay pedals.

Drew Pierce · From: Arkansas, USA

Wow. 240 views and not a single question or comment. Did I forget to mention this amp is feather light, measures a mere 14x16x9" and sounds like a million bucks? Nobody interested in something like that? Whoa!

Let me repeat. This amp sounds better -- richer, cleaner, sweeter -- than my old FET 500, which sounded better than my Session 400s and 500s. This is my opinion, of course, but it's based on over forty years of playing and listening to pedal steel. And for the record, I have no financial interest in Evans amps whatsoever.

I would also add that in my search for smaller, lighter amps over the past few years, I tried Evans' so-called "parlor amps" (SE series?) and found them lacking. They didn't have the low end power and punch needed for pedal steel, especially C6. So for anybody who may have tried those amps and had the same experience, they are not comparable. The RE500 is voiced for big, fat jazz guitar tones that naturally works great for pedal steel.
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Drew Pierce
Emmons D10 Fatback, S10 bolt-on, Zum D10, Evans RE500, Hilton volume and delay pedals.

Michael Pierce · From: Madison, CT

Drew, I enjoyed your review of the RE500. I've owned a couple of the Evans 200 watt heads in the past and found them to be very clean, warm solid state amps, especially when used with a 1x10 cabinet and a darker sounding speaker. I only play archtop jazz guitar now, so I've been keeping my eyes open for a good deal on used RE200. I can't imagine what 500 watts would do -- probably rearrange the furniture! Anyway, thanks for the review; sounds like you're really enjoying it.

Drew Pierce · From: Arkansas, USA

I would think the RE200 would be a great jazz guitar amp. After all, that's what its designed for. Scott recommended I go with the bigger power amp due to the heavier bass response demands of pedal steel, especially C6. I would also say, however, that neither would make a good rock guitar or dual purpose amp. A guitar player friend played a Strat through my RE500 and tried everything to get a decent distortion out of it and could not make it happen. The design is such that it simply won't overdrive enough to produce a really dirty, gritty sound. Some external effects might change that situation, but I think the amp's circuitry and cab design is voiced too warm and lush for rock n roll. Something like the Roland Cube would obviously be a better choice for that.

I'm not sure what's up with the watt ratings on these amps. Somebody with more electronics knowledge than me would have to explain how some amps with big 1x15 or 2x12 cabs can work on less than 100 watts and the little RE500, with its single 10, can somehow make use of a 500 watt power amp.

One other point I didn't mention previously. I found that the Goodrich MatchBox that I used faithfully for years was not only unnecessary with the RE500, but the amp actually sounded better without it. So eliminating that battery-powered device (and extra cable) from my rig was another plus.
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Drew Pierce
Emmons D10 Fatback, S10 bolt-on, Zum D10, Evans RE500, Hilton volume and delay pedals.

Don Drummer · From: West Virginia, USA

I bought a couple of RE-200 Evans amps 4 years ago and use them with a Rev- pre amp by Sarno. I love the sound I get. The amps by themselves are quite dry. The closed back cab has made a huge difference for me.

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