The Red Sun is an analog distortion pedal from RPS Effects, described by the maker as "built to crush your eardrums while delivering a scorching tone that never gets too muddy or lost in any mix." Delicious Audio's launch news called it "a face-melting fuzz / distortion providing plenty of classic heavy tones," so it sits at the heavier end of the distortion family, closer to fuzz territory than to overdrive. It carries controls for gain, tone, and level, comes in a die-cast aluminum case, and had a street price of $150 at launch.12
Controls and the pre-distortion gain stage
The Red Sun carries three controls: gain, tone, and level.2 What sets it apart from a straightforward three-knob distortion is a pre-distortion gain control. Delicious Audio explained what it does: "A pre-distortion gain control makes possible those effortless long sustains and feedback or, when coupled with a maximum" Tone setting, a gnarlier character. In practice that gives the player two distinct ranges on one pedal: back the gain stage off for sustained, feedback-friendly lead tones, or push it for a rougher, more aggressive crunch.1
Pedal of the Day's review put the Gain control's range in player's terms: "You can dial back the Gain for a bit more of a crunchy type of overdriven sound, or crank everything up to 11 for some c"risp and ballsy distortion, describing the overall character as a flat-out rock star sound.3
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of distortion, from crunchy overdrive to full distortion3 |
| Tone | Shapes the treble character, up to a gnarly crunch at maximum1 |
| Level | Sets the pedal's output volume2 |
| Pre-distortion gain | Extra gain stage before the distortion for long sustains and feedback1 |
How it sounds, according to reviewers
Pedal of the Day reviewed the Red Sun in November 2018 as the final pedal in a run of four RPS Effects enclosures, noting the lineup had just changed with possibly one more pedal on the way. Their verdict on the sound: the pedal is "built to crush your eardrums while delivering a scorching tone that never gets too muddy or lost in any mix."3
Power and practicalities
The Red Sun is an analog pedal, housed in a die-cast aluminum case in the standard compact pedal enclosure format.2 RPS Effects lists the pedal's controls as gain, tone, and level, and the pedal carries a street price of $150.2
The Red Sun launched in 2018 at a $150 street price.2 Pedal of the Day noted in November 2018 that RPS Effects' lineup had just changed, with possibly one more pedal on the way.3
Videos
RPS Effects
shnobel
Pedal of the Day
Questions
Is the RPS Effects Red Sun true bypass?
Yes. Premier Guitar's press release on the pedal lists a true bypass on/off switch among its features, so the Red Sun takes itself out of the signal path completely when switched off. That matters on a pedalboard where you want the pedal's circuit to have no effect on your clean tone.
Is the Red Sun analog?
Yes. Pedal of the Day's review describes the Red Sun as an analog distortion pedal, and Delicious Audio's launch news calls it an analog distortion with controls for Gain, Tone, and Level. There is no digital processing in the signal path.
Does the Red Sun run on a 9V battery?
The pedal runs on 9-volt operation with a standard DC input, according to Premier Guitar's launch coverage. A battery compartment is not among the features listed for it, so plan on powering it from a 9V DC supply.
Who makes the Red Sun?
The Red Sun is made by RPS Effects, a pedal maker that launched in 2018 with the Red Sun distortion alongside the Bit Reactor, Warp Drive and Tremulus Maximus. Pedal of the Day reviewed the Red Sun in November 2018 as the last of four RPS enclosures it covered.
Sources (3)
- RPS Effects Red Sun Distortion, Delicious Audio, 2018-07-26
- RPS Effects Introduces the Bit Reactor and Red Sun, Premier Guitar, 2018-08-28
- RPS Effects Red Sun Analog Distortion, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2018-11-23