DigiTech 2101 L.E.

I must admit the 2101 LE is a bear to handle and after reading a lot of reviews on this especially from the 2101 section, I am not suprized that they don't like this unit as they haven't took the time to learn what it can do!
Many just treat it like a plug in instant effect thing but the Digitech 2101 is an incredible tool especially the LE with its dual discs!
It is hard going to learn how to use it but it is well worth the effort!

This unit has to be the best thing I have ever owned the sounds are amazing my 2101 LE has the 3.00.a software! It has 2 ecc83 tubes and these can be tweaked on your settings.
To begin with I was using the grunge distortion settings but then I thought hey you aren't using those tubes. So I went into the distortion settings and changed it into (saturated tube) this way I was going through the tubes.
On my next setting I turned the first gain to 5.0 and the next to 11.0
I loved the sound this gave me a real tube sound!
Here are my settings for a nice Gary Moore like sound using my Les Paul I love this one try it?
F33 old time effects
compressor on ratio 4:1 thresh -45 level 0db
Distortion saturated tube gain 5.0 gain 11.0
stereo noise gate Sngt on thresh -70 hyster 5db hldtime 20ms
attack 0ms release 100ms attn 100db delay 10.ms

Then you just need to tweak the amount you need I find the effects out of this world and when you crank your amp it doesn't get muddy!
I am using a mesa boogie 50/50 power amp and a 2X12" cab and my sound is pristine!
With playing around and tweaking you could get any sound from your favourite player and the beauty of it all is that you can use a midi pedal to change to any setting you choose !!
The unit is just outstanding and I love the sound also if you use it with a power amp be sure to use the XLR outputs of the 2101 into your power amp this will make it come to life there is a small switch by the XLR output be sure to engage this as well if it sounds funny!

I have no backup and have never had a problem with it !

I met the Digitech crew in Frankfurt once and they are very helpful and one guy there told me that all the designers there are players themselves!
This unit should be remade again because it has to be there best product that they ever produced !

I play mainly rock and blues and have been playing for over 30 years and this blows all my previous stuff off!
I would definitely replace it if it where stolen, the only thing I don't like about it is the front as the paint is pealing off the chrome!
You won't get transparent lacquer to stick on chrome but it does look cool! I have the following equipment !
Mesa Boogie 50/50 power amp
Laney 2X12" cab
Bad Horsie II cry baby
Digitech whammy pedal
Ibanez JS chromeboy, RG550, Fender strat, Rally Les Paul

Getting a good sound out of this unit for me is a no brainer...Definately a tweakers dream. But those who just wanna plug and play would have a hard time figuring out how to get a good sound. Which is a good reason to have the manual...Which is well...Rather difficult following! Editing patches would be very limited if not for th manual...But!!!! I wish it was easier to understand the manuals terminology....But is never the less needed to program this unit!
Mine has all the upgrades....outside of switching smooth and seamless from one patch to the next. It sounds and plays as well as it did when it was stock.....It is my third one so all I can say is this is exactly what a preamp/ processor should be...Playing for me has never been about copying or modeling a tone or sound or amp...It is always been about finding my own sound and creating something that is my own...Not to be duplicated! Even with this unit I have to say..Tone is 10% gear and 90% fingers....

Digitech needs to be a leader and stop following the amp modelling bandwagon.....All the GSP units are great ....2101, 2101 L.E. , 2101 artist, and 2112 ....I like them all.....

With this unit I creat the sounds that I hear in my own head. I am a singer/songwriter, recording artist, guitarist and gigging musician...I play and record my own originals...This unit just shines...and in my coverband...as much as I dispise copying or trying to copy another guitarists tone...i have been successfull at getting close...I say that because I am not Billy Gibbons, Gary Moore, Eddie, Randy Rhoads, or Clapton , or Page...But these artists have always been a giant element and inspiration to me and me wanting to learn. So I can get what I think sounds close...But when I do a cover song with my own sound and style...That really trips my trigger. Because I created that sound...MY OWN SOUND!
Can be noisey...But for me to get the dynamics live...I need the noisegate off...It is the only way. Hey a 68 Marshall fullstack with a overdrive pedal cranked with a Fenderstrat was not exactly quiet either,,,,,,,What is the complaint on the noise thing? It is ROCK N ROLL....Get over it!
Effects ROCK....I use the preamp for the distortions and cleans and the effects where I want them....And when I want them....
I will say the power amp and speakers you choose will all effect on what this unit will sound like.....My setup...

Furman Power Conditioner
GSP2101 Limited Edition (AWESOME)
Marshall 9200 power amp - soon Mesa 2:90
two mesa 1x12 ported thiele cabinets with EV's

It rocks.....I do not think there is anything ground musically this unit could not cover.......

I have gigged without a backup and would again and again with this unit! Very reliable.....

Never had to deal with them!

I play my own stuff....as far as my cover band....70's 80's &90's ROCK and ROLL....Blues as well....it covers it all....AC/DC to ZZTOP!!!
I have been playing 15 yrs...I have had boatloads of gear. i always fall back to this amazing unit...Cleans, distortions and overdrives are great (WHEN TWEAKED) but rather less pleasing out of the box..Effects are killer...Digitech has always been good at the effects thing!
I love the versatility of this unit, the sounds it gives me and I appreciate the craftsmanship...Something Digitech has lost by discontinuing these incredible units....Hope they bring em back!
I have compared this unit with several units...Line6, PODXT Live, Even older preamps....amps and modelers...To my ears...and my feel...this unit is just stomps those others...My 2cents....
I wish it had a cupholder!
This unit makes my wanna play like I never have...After all it is about being creative and that is what this unit makes me...It inspires me to play and create...Not duplicate!

I wanna add that Digitech needs to hear the cry that WE WANT THIS UNIT BACK IN PRODUCTION...HELLO? REMEMBER US THE CUSTOMERS? .....We bought these units....If you want quality customers...You need quality products and the guts to hear out the ones who own these units when we say...Bring em back people!

I was privileged to own one of the very first 2101's I have since upgraded to the 2101 LE with 3.00 firmware. I own 10 of these and have sold about 30 additional units to guitar friends and session players. I am a professional session player and I have 6 identical racks for sessions all having the 2101 LE as the heart of the system. I also use a BBE 482, and Presonus ACP-22 comp/limiter in every rack as part of the signal path. The other 4 are in the recording studio I own. The sound is amazing and performance is unparalled. The guys at Digitech call me their 2101 man because I have owned so many. My only regret is that it is no longer made. I agree with some of the other people leaving their opinion, new boxex are junk compared to this monster. It would be cool to see a re-release of a super 2101 LE

The best in all applications. Country to Metal, Pop, Rock, etc. it doesn't matter. I've been impressed with how this unit mimics a real amp without the hassle of volume issues.

Never had a single problem since 1993 and I use them 12 hours a day or more 7 days a week,

When I've need normal maint. upgrades and parts these guys are the best. Quick delivery, expert support and friendly responce A+'s in all catagories

The best ever made, HANDS DOWN!

The distortion is perfect. The one called grunge is toally killer. The synth effects are pretty special too. Not recommended for studio applications because unlike what some others have said, this unit is noisy when not in use. This was THE unit to get in 1995. For live use, still wicked.

Totally reliable.

I got the gold mirror faceplate model and regularly scrubbed it after gigs. I had done this 3 or 4 times when I realized I had taken off some of the lettering. Would you believe that when I called Digitech they said that if I shipped it to them, they would replace the (rare) gold faceplate? They either did that or they re-silkscreened the whole thing for me. Either way, that was very, very cool of them. Don't count on that now, however, as this unit is long out of production and that dude who hooked me up probably is as well.

Get one used on ebay for about $600 and you'll be set. I recently retired mine to the studio rack just so I can have that killer distortion available for whatever, primarily vocal tracks. For my live rig I got a Furman pedalboard and filled it with choice individual pedals as I got a little sick of the parameters of the 2101 - flexible as they are.

Easy? Yes and No.
As with most preamps it's easy to avoid using the manual and just tweak the presets.
Build one from the ground up? I still have yet to bother with it, but without the manual you are going to have a rough ride. I've had it since 1995 and still have yet to explore it's full capabilities!
You will -never- find anything this flexible in it's price range.
Firmware 3.01a (have you upgraded? No? It's worth it!)
It's hard to give this catagory just one rating, I give it a 10 for ease of finding/editing a preset into something you like, and a 4 if you want to go "deep", it takes a while to really get into this stuff when you could be blazing away instead.

I have this unit running into a ADA microtube 200 power amp into two 4x12 cabinets (stereo).
This unit is quiet like a tomb.
The effects are decent sounding, but the -flexibility- offered for them makes up for the lack of analogue warmth.
You can do it all with this unit and the best thing is that it doesn't "imitate" any particular amp, you can get close to other amp sounds but why bother when you can make sounds you won't hear anywhere else?
I would rate it a 10 back when I bought it in 1995, but these days the 18-bit 48KHz effects are starting to show their age. Oh well.

I've never had a single problem with unit, it is almost 10 years old now. I don't even have a back up. (stupid I know, but when I find another 2101 l.e. I'll buy it!)

Jerks, DEATH TO DIGITECH! How dare they discontinue this model? Everyone has jumped on the modeling bandwagon and it just breaks my heart that there is no "super" 2101. What the heck am I going to upgrade to now? One of digitech's stupid floor pedals for morons? NO WAY. I'm looking elsewhere for my next processor.

rock/metal/whatever.
If this were stolen I'd probably cry...a lot.
My favorite feature is the distortion, it goes from a whisper to bone crushing with the greatest of ease.
If I -had- to replace it I'd buy a mesa boogie (if I could afford it!)

Je trouve que ce preamp est facile d'utilisation, les presets d'usine sont tres efficaces et ne necessite pas beaucoup de modifications pour etre convaincants.le mode d'emploi est tres detaille.

je l'utilise pour driver un Mesa Boogie et deux Marshall et le son est dement dans toutes les config. que ce soit les sons crunch ou lead la flexibilite est tres etendue.Quant aux son clean avec la big reverb on obtient des sons de toute beaute.Je trouve que les effets disponibles sont bien foutus et quelques reglages fins arrangent bien les choses.J'utilise comme guitares l'excellente Virtuoso Deluxe custom shop de chez STHAC, Fender custom shop, Ibanez Steve Vai, Levinson Blade SH3

C'est mon peamp de predilection , pour le studio pour la scene c'est parfait, il est flexible et tout terrain.

Pour le service apres vente en Suisse .....ayeayeaye, carrement desastreux, a la suite d'un pepin, j'ai du l'envoyer 4 fois pour qu'enfin les techniciens du service apres-vente trouvent le bug, je vous dis pas les delais et les nombres de telephones houleux que j'ai eu avec cette boite qui s'occupe du service AV. Alors qu'enfin je recois mon preamp, je constate que l'embalage de retour est des plus sommaire, resultat, le display du pedalier de commande se balade dans le boitier.....quand je vous disait que la maison BAUER en Suisse n'est pas serieuse. A eviter a tout prix, trouvez-vous un autre reparateur, vous eviterez la crise de nerf e

Je joue depuis 40 ans du hard rock au jazz rock, blues au funk. Et c'est la meilleure config sur laquelle j'ai joue, que je joue du Steve Vai ou Satriani, du Herbie Hancok ou bien du blues saignant j'ai le son qui faut et la patate qui va avec.

i owned a basic 2101 in the past so its no sweat to me to set-up this gizmo. i hate manuals but it does help when you have it for trouble shooting

i bought this unit from a buddy of mine. i cant say anythin bad about it except that it might take a few hours here and there for getting your tone and i would recomend having a full-stack of some sorts.

this unit is my tone and life-blood. if i ever come across another one im gonna buy it as a back up.i wouldnt use any other

digitech is great they sent me free parts for just asking them some questions.

this unit has it all. it is perfect for the style of metal i play. i have been playing for about 6 years(progression is a trial by fire process). if it were stolen the person would be hunted down like the dog they are and publicly executed(lolol). only other unit i like is the line 6 vetta(to much damn money). i cant really complain about the effects array due to the fact you can make your own algorithms and the possibilites are endless. its in a rack so i cant complain, i got tired of using floorboard processers. if anyone ever comes across this unit pick it up you wont be disapointed, i recomend changing the tubes within a month after you get it.

Read the manual! I know you hate manuals. This is the only way to get where you are going with this unit.

Hear it here! www.gsp2101.noisytoyz.com
The sounds were made on a 2101 Artist Pro (Guitar Center model)which is the L.E. with a chrome face bezel. Recorded direct from the XLR outs to the sound card (Aardvark Q10) with no effects, plugins, gizmos or modifications. This is also the way the headphone outs sound. I give it a 9 because I just dont have every amp in the world to compare it to. Someday.:-)

No problem in the Studio or on gigs. After too many paramater modifications I sometimes need to turn it off and on to un freeze it. But other than that it is fine.

Not needed

You will have to pry it from my cold dead fingers to get it!
www.gsp2101.noisytoyz.com

it took me three days of 4 hour of tweeking but thats everything...... fx ,-midi,wet/dry mixes set up everything. i"m just a high school grad.not that diffituct just out of the box factor pre-sets areowsome, someting for everyonew/ min...tweektime

Ihave the unit going into a line mixer f.x. loop wich has slitte e.q in it. my pedal board mostly distrions (i just don't "dig" rack distorions or overdrives) a pan and pitchshifter wired left/rightkeeping the stero true i run a korg a3 though units fx loop for real fun. from the mixer in to two lead100 highwatts... sound..it sounds insane i love the coruss all of the things you can do to them this box is truly tweeker s paradisei"m smileing just writing this ,yes spend the money and get theextra s-disk, the freedom ,the sounds i'ts all up to you

my tubes just shit the bed but itsbeen 8 years ithink thats pretty good.it gives me like a2 day warning before the battary dies cool.change the back up battary one at a time and save yourprograms i want to get anther one for the bass rig real fun!!

if your readding this you can still get the manual from digitechs web site i got a costom color it came in when they said it wouldnever needed them so far.

we call it rock, i've been doing it a long time if it fell out of the van per say?!! i'd get onther one it seem theres alot of them floating around for chep money mostly be cause the kids and old tone dogs don't understand the macine. great!! p.s...oh yeah... when i want it to be my tone is second to no body

Middle of the road.

The effects are top notch. The stereo phaser is awesome -just like a electro harmonix small stone but stereo and "stonier". Delays are great too and the auto wah can be set real slow to make cool keyboard sounds.

This unit does not stand alone. It really shines when you use a good preamp. I put it in the effects loop of my fender and nearly had a heart attack... just awesome. guitar > 2101 > 50/50 > mesa rectocab and mesa 1.12 just doesn't sound as good as the fender...but it is stereo. There might be something wrong with the 50/50 but it sounds thin. Then again...other reviews have come to the same conclusion that the best setup is preamp then 2101.

By itself it gets a 7.

If you haven't done so...check out Van Helden's website. That guy is so funny. The links are on another post. He is a madman!!!

For $300 -awesome. Definitely inspiring. One thing I can say to a potential buyer is get the 2 s-discs. This is highly recommended. A tube swap would probably work out great too but I'm happy.

I traded my Digitech 2112 for the 2101, which of course has it's pluses and minuses. When it comes to using the 2101 it doesn't seem to be as easy as using the 2112 and other processors that I have used in the past, none the less it is not that difficult.

I am currently running it along with a Mesa Boogie Mark IV, a compressor, and a midi switching system. I have to say that sound wise this unit is amazing, at least for the price tag. The patches shift seamlessly, the distortion is awesome, the reverbs rock, and I even like the noise gate. (I thought the noise gate sucked on the 2112.) The A/D converters seem to be pretty darn good. It's really transparent too. I don't feel like the tone is getting sucked out of my Mesa.

I am gigging with out a back up. I don't worry too much. Though I haven't had it for more than a few days.

Digitech's customer support is so-so. I have called them before and wasn't very impressed.

I see why guitarists like Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle), James Iha (Pumpkins), the Edge, Mike Turner (Our Lady Peace) and a whole lot of others still use this piece of gear! It rocks! Hands down. It can do all the things a good preamp/processor should do. I think more people should demand that Digitech put the 2101 back on the market, because it kicks the crap out of the 2112/2120!

If you are use to using processors such as Eventide H3000 units you will have no problems. As a matter of fact I think this is a little easier to use. Just look at each page of programming as a piece of an effect pedal (a really nice effect pedal) and you will be set!!

Sound Quality is excellent. I own 2 of these units both have groove tubes, 2 S-Discs, and Artist 3.0 upgrades done to them. Once sits in my studio racks and the other in my guitar rack. My guitar rack has:
1) BBE 422a Sonic Maximizer
2) Marshall 9200 Ppower amp (LOTS OF TUBES) :-)
3) Digitech 2101 LE
4) Ensoniq DP4 (replaced my Eventide. It went to the studio)
5) Rocktron Hush Super C
6) Korg DTR-1 tuner
7) Ground Control GCX patchbay switcher

The unit is LOW noise and this particular unit has XLR outs (the 2101 series after the Artist series stopped using these which makes no sense aside from cutting costs).

I have had both units for over 6 years and played out with one unit a TON!! Heck the unit even got dropped in a SKB rack case from about 4 feet and no tubes broke and no damage was found!!! No back up needed here!!!

Customer support was good. They were not GREAT but they were not bad either. They can offer good support with minimal time in getting back to you.

I have been playing for about 13 years and I own allot of gear both studio wise and live rig. This unit has been a VALUABLE piece of gear for both situations. Although I have to say it sounds MUCH better through a TUBE power amp like the Marshall 9200 vs a regular head or digital power amp, it far surpasses the competition in all aspects and has stood the test of time against everything thing else that has come out in its price range. They tried to "make it better" with the 2120 and a couple other models but all they did were take some of the best things out of it like the balanced inputs which are essential for QUIET recordings and tones in your rig. Go with a 2101LE if you have the choice and if you can find one!!! I play rock, blues, jazz, fusion, New age, and pop and this thing works for all styles!! I have used it to record MANY albums as both a studio musician and a solo artist and have never disappointed anyone including myself!!

******* update from previous posts **********

WANNA KNOW WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE?

check out my website: www.vanhelden.demon.nl/gear
and go to the audio samples or the GSP2101 section.


I think the GSP-2101 is by far the best fx device DigiTech ever made and there are only a few other devices (such as the Eventides) around that can match the flexibility of this one. I've always been into making weird (jaw dropping) sounds with it and have now created a sound that is soo close to an analog synth that many people that I know could not believe it was done with a guitar and the GSP2101. And they know what they're talking about, they are the ones that use those synth!.

I know most of you are just looking for some chorus and delay, so the audio sample won't be much of a help. But it clearly shows how far and absurd this device can go. Don't think that any Rocktron, TC Electronics or Lexicon device can do this. So go on and check it out.


www.vanhelden.demon.nl/gear


I want to add another thing to my previous posts. I've got my 2101 now updated with the lastest software and with a 2nd S-DISC. I wish I would have done that sooner. I now got seamless patch changes and am able to make the most complex setup I could imagne!. JUST BEAUTIFULL.

It took awhile to get this to to sound real good, this is a very deep programming machine, and the factory presets volume aren't matched well from one to the next.

Running this through a tacscam 424 mk II into to a QSC power amp into JBL CONTROL 5'S, and also into a a MARSHALL artist into a 2-12 cab depending on the mood.Guitars are a LES PAUL CUSTOM and a STRAT. When you tweak the preamp and the effects this unit rocks,such as the wah and whammy that sound a bit lame from the the factory. Also once I found the global eq, buried 3 pages deep, the unit opens up with clean-clean crunch- and pure crunch on slaught, I don't use the sustain or overdrive settings much, just the 3 tube settings (clean ,distorted tube+ saturated tube) and the nasal grunge setting, everyone I know that has this machine didn't know the global eq was there and shaped overall the tone of this complete box-FIND IT PUNK!

No problems

No problem getting info,asked about tubes and upgrading to the artist chip, which was worth it.

I've been playing about 18 yrs. and play (or try to) all styles Jazz da blues rock and can be caught playing a funky disco riff on occasion. Page rules!