Guitar Gear

Summary: The RS-4 provides all the great sequencing and conditioning as the original and on those two features alone, it’s valuable. But this isn’t just an ordinary power strip. Like the original, it is built like a tank and incredibly reliable. Get your gear powered on in the right order, then condition your power, and you can rely on it to withstand the rigors of the road? What’s not to like?

Pros: The addition of the Port 1 Always On feature is awesome! As I mentioned it is built like a tank. My original is seven years old and shows no signs of failure. The EMI/RFI filtering and 1935 Joules of surge protection provide lots of confidence that the power going into your gear is clean and protected.

Cons: None.

Price: $299.00 ~ More features and cheaper than the original? What’s not to like?

Features:

Power Rating	120VAC, 60Hz, 15A 1800W
Safety Agency Approvals	ETL Listed file 4007270 in US and Canada conforms to ANSI/ UL Std. UL 1449-4 UL 1363 and certified to CAN/CSA 22.2 NO. 8
Actuation Switch	Push button foot switch (on- off)
Dimensions	13.25”L X 4.25”W X 1.50”H
Chassis Construction	Steel Welded 20 guage
Receptacles	(8) High impact thermoplastic (4) duplex receptacle Nema 5-15R
Power Rating	120VAC, 60Hz, 15A 1800W
Power Cord	15 foot 14 gauge SJT Nema 5-15p
Surge Suppression	(9) MOV’s 1935 Joules L-N L-G N-G Network UL1449-3
Circuit Protection	15 AMP main power circuit breaker extreme over voltages over current shutdown with automatic resettable circuit
EMI/EMC	Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Filters-Fourth Edition; General Instruction No 1, 2 and 3;Issue:1982/09/01 (CSA C22.2 No. 8, with T.I.L No 516) 55022
Delay Sequence	4-step 0-15 second adjustable delay sequence between receptacles for both on delay and off delay for potentially 0 to 45 second delay
Diagnostic Indicators	(4) LEDS one for each duplex receptacle indicating AC power to dedicated receptacle and power to controlling relay (1)LED front panel indicates electronic control module’s switching power supply and surge suppression network is functioning properly

Kimball Magee, inventor of the Rockn Stompn contacted me a few weeks ago to tell me about the RS-4. He mentioned that it had been seven years since my original review of the first version. I thought about it for a second and said to mysef, “Has it really been seven years? The Rockn Stompn is just part of my rig now. Can’t believe it has been this long.”

And it’s true. I do NO gig, be it a private party in a home, to a church, to a bar or restaurant, to a hotel, and even well-equipped, modern stages without my Rockn Stompn being the power interface between my gear and the venue.

Truth be told, I’ve never plugged into a power source that experienced a power spike – they’re pretty rare in the Silicon Valley where I live. But I have plugged into dirty power sources occasionally. The filtering built into the Rockn Stompn ensures that I get clean power to my gear. Of course, nothing can be 100% without being incredibly expensive, but the Rockn Stompn provides filtering and conditioning to handle most dirty power.

And as I have used the original probably longer than most folks, I can no longer knock the product for being expensive. The peace of mind it has brought me over the years can’t be measured in dollars.

Think about it. If you’re like me, you have no problem spending much more than $299 on a single pedal. Wouldn’t you want to make a similar investment to ensure that you protect your investment? And if you’re like me, you don’t just have a single pedal that costs in excess of $300. You have a few. Peace of mind, baby. That’s where it’s at.

But what about the power sequencing? I chuckle as I write this because it’s just something has become a part of my gigging life. The last on-first off and vice-versa has become SOP for me; so much so, that I don’t even think about it. But the cool thing is that when I’m working with gear that doesn’t have power sequencing, I now am very conscious of the order in which I power them on.

As for this new version, there’s not much to say other than if you’re serious about protecting your gear, BUY IT.

But Kimball did contact me because he said it would be useful in a home studio because of the ability to set the first port to Always On. I just finished recording my latest album, and sure enough, having my computer/DAW setup connect to the Always On port was awesome. I could power down my amps and still have power to my computer to mix and master.

BUT, I also brought it to my church gig the first weekend I had it. You see, each band is responsible for projecting lyrics, and that requires a computer. So I hooked up my laptop for projecting lyrics and my pedalboard and amp to the Rockn Stompn as a test. I had no doubts it would work. But the cool thing is that my church’s power isn’t all that clean, and I have been concerned about plugging my Macbook Pro into the power receptacle. Now, with the RS-4, I’ll get the surge protection and conditioning that my guitar gear gets!

Fit and Finish

Just like the original version, the RS-4 is built with the gigging musician in mind. It is heavy and well-built, owing to the welded 20 gauge steel. Using steel as opposed to aluminum is an interesting choice. But to me, it’s the right one. Yes, you add more weight using steel, but what you lose in lightness you gain ten-fold in durability.

I’ve dropped my original unit several times over the years. It has been in bags with other crap stacked on top of it. It has been jostled and dragged and has survived over 1000 gigs in a lot of different venues. It has never let me down.

Plus, that extra heft suggests solidity and strength. In more colloquial terms: It’s made of steel, so don’t be a pussy about the weight if you’re gonna use this power strip. I say this a bit tongue in cheek, but a few years ago, someone actually complained to me about its weight when I asked them to carry it for me while setting up for a gig. That same person used a cheap-shit plastic power strip.

Overall Impression

Ever since I got the original unit seven years ago, I’ve gone on to suggest it to hundreds of people. My right-hand man in my church band bought one years ago after I brought it to church. He has a lot of very expensive gear and he immediately saw the value that the Rockn Stompn bring to the table.

Like I mentioned above, you spend lots of money on your gear. Why not spend a bit protecting your gear? Sure, a power strip can easily be perceived as a pedestrian item. But it is so much more than that. If you’re serious about protecting your gear, the Rockn Stompn should be a critical component in that protection!