I noticed something interesting in the last few days. First, the price of new Digitech RP255s has dropped to about $100. That’s a pretty good deal on a pretty capable device. Second, RP355s are listed as discontinued at Sweetwater, Musicians Friend, etc. etc. Put it together, and you’ve got to ask: is Digitech quietly phasing out the RP355?
The Tech 21 Blonde (v2 in this case) is a stompbox amp modeling pedal designed to emulate a range of Fender amps, a role that it fills very well. It’s one of a series of “Character” pedals from Tech 21, whose experience building analog amp modeling pedals goes back to the original SansAmp a decade or so ago. Each of the “Character” series pedals is designed to emulate characteristic amp sounds for a particular manufacturer (such as Fender in the case of the Blonde, Vox, Mesa Boogie, etc.). Harmonica players have traditionally favored Fender amps for amped blues, so the Blonde is the likeliest pedal in the series to appeal to blues harp players.
Connecting the RP to other gear, like your amp and your mic, is really pretty simple. You don’t need a preamp between the mic and the RP; the RP is a preamp. You don’t need a direct box between your RP and the amp or mixer you connect it to, unless the cable run is more than 50 feet (20 meters), in which case you’d need a direct box whether an RP was involved or not.