kdorsey-
i'm not really versed on the use of the redbox..
i remember it, when it first came out.
the junction, is the same circuit as in the bigger palmer rack mount units with the load part built into it (attenuator)
i don't think it was ever intended to totally REPLACE a good mic, in a good room...
but having this takes the lack of a good room out of the equation...
it has zero bleed, which is REALLY cool, when you're playing live.
for recording, it's a signal right off the output of the amp, before the speaker, that capture the whole sound of the amp.
then, what i do, is send that signal to the recorder...
and the thru part, goes to a weber mass lite, to attenuate the volume to my guitar cab, for monitoring purposes.
cool thing is, with this setup, i can ALSO add a mic, either close, or room mic, and blend it in.
pic of my rig:
fluff191
yes, the clarity.
that's key.
you know, sometimes you just want it super dry and in your face.
the palmer, is perfect for that.
and as i said before, you can always add a real mic into the equation, and blend it.
the one thing the palmer WONT give you, is the effect of an off-axis mic, which is one of my favorite mic positions.
this is more like the sound of a nice dynamic (insert your favorite mic here _______), dead on the speaker.
FWIW
i've been playing live and recording for almost 31 years now.
i've used every mic under the sun, a lot of studio work and tons of live work.
the thing i liked about this particular device, was that you get a super consistent tone.
so, yeah, you gotta tweak your rig, to fit the palmer, so to speak.
but once you have that down, getting a good line level guitar sound is just dirt simple.