SR&D Rockman X100 by Tom Sholtz

An original Vintage SR&D Rockman X100 by Tom Sholtz. Includes original box, operating manual, headphones, battery cover and AC-DC power “Rockadaptor”.

For those history buffs and fans of the Boston sound - Wikipedia has a great review - Here are some edited highlights: The original Rockman was released in 1982 as a mobile guitar amplifier, designed to allow full amplifier-type sounds to be output through a standard headphone jack. The X100 released in 1984 is very similar to the original Rockman in its feature set, but uses a different clipping stage in the amplifier simulation. The Rockman X100 includes an analog amplifier simulator, stereo chorus and echo. Modes: “Clean 1" targets the electric guitar, while "Clean 2" is recommended for a wider range of use, including acoustic guitar. The "Edge" setting produces what is described as subtle distortion, that will clean up when playing softly. “Distortion” is a full out compressed distortion with incredible sustain - Think classic Boston sound. There is an Input Gain knob that controls noise and a separate volume switch with 3 different preset levels. The Rockman requires eight AA batteries or an adaptor for power.

There is another very well written online review in Gear Gods entitled “An Ode to the Rockman – Why It’s the Best Analog Amp Simulator There Is” that highlights the Rockman’s influence on music and place in device history (Reverb.com will not let me post the link but you can search for the article if you’re interested).

There are several YouTube videos out there as well if you want to hear a sample of the different sounds.

The background on this specific unit: I am the original owner. I bought this back in 1984 when I was in college. Used it mostly for recording or practicing in my dorm room. Never used for live performance. I may have used it with batteries a few times, but mainly plugged in with the power adaptor. After college, I would pull it out occasionally but for the most part it has stayed in the box for the past 30+ years. I have used it a few times this past month before posting on Reverb and it still sounds perfect in all modes. I noticed that a few of the switches were a bit noisy at first - I opened up the unit and cleaned out all of the connectors and switches which solved the problem. There is absolutely no battery corrosion given that it was mainly used with the power adaptor. The input and output jacks are still clean and it sounds great through my amplifier with virtually no noise. The only noticeable wear is with both headphone jacks which are a little loose when you plug in and can be somewhat positional (most of the time they sound fine but other times you can get a hum or click if they are wiggled). They were better after being cleaned but are still original.

A lot of history and great memories with this Rockman X100, but time to find a new home.

(Shipping within USA ranges from $15-$65 using Reverb.com including protection plan. International shipping would need to be determined prior to final sale)