The RED-18 was developed for Brian May prior to Queen playing their 2018 residency in Vegas. We developed the RED-18 for two main reasons: Firstly, because Brian was using a different frequency band for his radio system and secondly, to exploit a wider tone range from the overall system having installed a KAT Superpot into Brian’s Red Special Guitars.
Whilst undertaking this design challenge, we also decided to make the units a little warmer and with a little more drive as, due to the extended control of the KAT Superpot fitted in Brian’s guitars, he now had a lot more control over the sparkly cleans in addition to the rest of volume range. This does not mean that they will not work well with non-Superpot featured guitars. Quite the contrary, they sound rather splendid, however, they absolutely ‘sing’ when paired with a KAT Superpot-loaded RS.
Physically, the unit is small, light and quite, well, RED. The front panel features the on/off switch (to disconnect the battery – please note this is not a True-Bypass function); power status LED and level trim pot, which is accessed via a small hole in the panel. (You will need a small ‘watchmakers’ screwdriver to adjust this). Removal of the rear panel provides easy access to the internal PP3 battery (Provided).
The KAT RED-18’s also differ from the standard KAT STB units in that they feature a fixed integral output lead fitted with a connector for your own RF system of choice. The output lead also includes a 180 degree curved strain relief sleeve at the end to support the connector at its most vulnerable point, where it loops into the transmitter pack. The input lead guitar jack assembly is pre-formed into a curve that hugs the shape of your guitar. The curved assembly also houses the ferrite core that forms part of the RF rejection system.
The KAT RED-18 includes a heavy-duty Velcro tape patch and Velcro strap to enable firm and robust fixing to your strap.
The unit can be adjusted to provide up to 32.5dB of gain, although we set them at the factory to 31.5dB such that they provide a slightly higher gain structure to the STB out of the box.
PLEASE SPECIFY YOUR RADIO SYSTEM AND CONNECTOR TYPE WHEN ORDERING.