DigiTech GFX-1 TwinTube

If you ever ****** with a preamp then you'll catch on quick. Its old so you gotta scroll, scroll and scroll some more to get where your going. But even with the inconvenience factor, it sounds so good that who cares about the editing?

Les Paul and Strat are the guitars. It's noisy with high gain but otherwise it's pretty damn quiet. Most amps are noisy with the high gain maxxed out so really its no issue. This is a killer preamp but the effects are a joke. The delay isn't terrible to tell the truth. This thing isn't about effects anyway. It would be better if it didnt have any. i never use them. Its all about the preamp.
This sounds very, very good either clean or with distortion. It burns like a blowtorch for hard rock or metal. Its the bomb. It gives the sweetest cleans. Everything in between is perfect. I tried out newer units in my time but I never moved ahead. This is still one of the best sounding preamps around. Until somebody comes up with a better preamp Im sticking with the GFX1.
My sound path is this: Guitar - BBE wah wah - GFX1 - Fender Bassman 50 - Peavey 4x12 cab with vintage 30s.
This gets a 10.

Built to take it. Tough as hell.

You can't beat this for true tube tone. Nothing else comes close. For a unit made so long ago it still has the goods and beats the crap out of modern preamps with all the useless bells and whistles.

Some of the presets were okay, most were crappy. It wasn't that hard to figure out how to change and save the presets to something better. One drawback about the editing process, you have to scroll through the different parameters in order to change anything. (whereas, my ADA preamp has a button for each one - I guess that's the tradeoff - the GFX-1 has less buttons to monkey with) I was able to find the manual online by simply Googling for it.

I don't know if these came with Mesa tubes inside, but that's what mine has. Oddly, they're not 12ax7 tubes...I forget what they are, but definitely not 12ax7, so I'd say they've been changed.

I was using strictly my single coiled Telecaster initially, and have since tried my full Hollowbody Ibanez with Super 58 humbuckers. It sounds really impressive with either guitar. It's a bit noisy on high gain settings, but most preamps are, so I don't see that as a drawback. Further, the noise gate works well to keep that noise in check. I'm running out of the GFX-1 into a Quadraverb, then into a Solid State ADA B200s poweramp. I only use the compressor and tube gain in the GFX-1 and use the Quadraverb for all chorus, reverb, or delay.

I have also plugged the preamp directly into my tube combo amp, so that I don't have to lug around my speakers. Because every combo amp's tone varies, the speaker emulator feature is a definite plus here (see the Overall Rating section below for what I'm talking about)

The sound out of this thing is very rich and tube-like. It rivals my ADA MP-2, which is impressive. A lot of bang for the buck in this little thing. Two tubes really bring out the yummy saturation for high gain stuff, and the warmth of a tube amp on cleans. Very nice unit and a suitable backup for the ADA, should it need one. The thing is, I'm playing with the Digitech a LOT. It's really a good sounding preamp.

I don't know about the reliability, but it's over 15 years old and it still works. I just bought it used, so I don't really know how many hours this thing has on it. I will say this though, the paint is wearing off one of the parameter buttons, so somebody has been hitting that button over the years.

I bought it as a backup, so I guess I have a backup in place should I need one. I usually have some sort of backup at every gig, because if it's gonna break, it'll be on stage (never at practice :)

Well, I found the owner's manual on Digitech's web site very easily, so they get points for that. I doubt I'll be able to get much support for an item this old, but who knows.

I play a wide variety of styles. The only exceptions to "everything" are death metal (complete with alternate tunings) and country (with all that twangy stuff). I think this preamp could handle either of those styles and everything in between without a problem.

What I typically play is Alt rock, Jazz, Funk, Blues, and occasionally some pop. Hey, I play whatever I get paid to play :) I've been playing for over 25 years, and I'm really glad I hung on to my rack gear while I tried boutique tube amps & other options. The rack rules, simple to set up, only one button to change your entire tone, flexible and expandable.

I think this unit really shines on clean sounds, with the compression pretty high. I get a nice spanky sound out of the Tele and really nice Jazz tones from the Hollowbody. That is not to take away from the crunch tones though, it's very nice for that too. I can get some solid distortion from this thing that doesn't fizzle out, or I can set an overdrive that is very responsive to picking attack...perfect for blues.

If it were stolen, I would not hesitate to look for another one...they're pretty reasonably priced. It holds it's own against my ADA, and it's a fraction of the cost. I can use my existing MIDI pedal to change patches, so it's even more affordable if you're not buy the proprietary Digitech foot controller.

The only drawback that I can see is the scrolling through parameters to get to the one you want to edit. Other than that, it's pretty easy to make edits on the fly. One very nice feature is the "speaker emulator" which is really just a global EQ. You can set individual EQs for each patch, but when you use the "emulator" it affects all the patches...very handy if you're plugging into somebody else's cabinet or (as I've done) into a combo amp that has a distinctly different tone than my rackmount power amp.

Okay so I lifted this from the guy before me. Sue me. It's the best description of the features that's on this post.
>
1. Great Compressor.
2. Preamp. Versatile, good sounding preamp, especially using the tubes. Good gain and saturation settings and controls.
3. EQ. Good EQ section. Each 1dB up or down step in the bands makes a difference you can actually hear, except for the 16k band. Seven bands of EQ..
4. Volume. Plus or minus 12dB of volume. Plenty of room to equalize your volumes for different gain amounts.
5. Noise gate present, but not the best.
6. Effects. Very limited digital effects. Chorus, flanger and delay is all you get. You can only use one at a time. Sound quality is okay.
>
Hey. this is very good preamp but a stone age box 4 effects. 7 FootController. Uses any MIDI pedal out there or the dedicated Digitech one.
>
This is very easy to use and it gives you tone that's out of this world.

Let's face it. This is a damned good preamp but it's a crap effects processor. Use it for the preamp functions and you'll be happy as hell. It will give you good cleans, overdrives and distortions. Good compressor, overdrive and distortion. Good EQ section. This is one of the best tube preamps ever made.

Anybody who knows anything about tube preamps knows that the GFX 1 is still considered to be one of the best preamps ever made that's still around. It was made back in a period of time when the analog overdrive circuits still behaved like the ones in REAL tube amps. That's why it sound just like a tube amp. IT IS A TUBE AMP!!! Duh.
If you get one that doesn't sound good then you need to swap the tubes. If it still sounds bad to your ears, sell it to me! LOL

1. Great Compressor. Best I ever used.
2. Preamp. Versatile, good sounding preamp, especially using the tubes (two 12AX7 tubes holy shit!) Good gain and saturation settings and controls.
3. EQ. Good EQ section. Each 1dB up or down step in the bands makes a difference you can actually hear, except for the 16k band. You have to make a drastic change at 16K cuz it's too high to hear. plus or minus 12dB per band. seven bands.
4. Volume. Plus or minus 12dB of volume. Plenty of room to equalize your volumes for different gain amounts.
5. Noise gate. Limited noise gate. For high gain with lots of compression it is great when set to the lowest value. For anything else it will chop your notes off. Not shit, but not the best.
6. Effects. Very limited digital effects. Chorus, flanger and delay is all you get. You can only use one at a time. Sound quality is okay.
Hey. this is old shit people. It's a very good preamp but a stone age box 4 effects. This is easy as hell to work cuz it is so simple. Very easy to get ass kicking killer tone from it.
7 FootController. Simple to use and it is made 4 the twintube. Goez in a special jack on the back.

For using it to do rhythme or leads it will do anything and does everything very good. Just use the compressor the preamp and the EQ and you will find too many ass kicking sounds to even count. The clean sound is fat and sweet. Don't use the compressor for clean stuff. Clear as hell. Rings like a bell.
The distortion goes from blues overdrive all the way to pretty heavy distortion. Use the eq and the compressor to tighten up the distortion tone. Super high gain presets are what the noise gate is for. Works like a charm but keep it set real low. Twintube kicks MAJOR serious ass 4 the high gain stuff. I still shit myself even after years of using it.
I owned it for about 7 years and I still find new ways to get even more great shit out of it. Never fails to get people telling me my tone is great. Even with my shitty peavey bandits I still get compliments all the time on my sound.
I use it with two peavey transtube bandits. Keep them on clean with the volume up and the master volumes up and the T dynamics on 7. Plenty of power and punch.
My guitarz are Ibanez RG 350 and JEM 6 string. I have a few cheap guitarz 2...but the Ibanez ones are what I play the most.
For my style of hard, ass kicking rock and 80s shred and metal the twintube is the bomb. I used other preamps but this is the best 4 me. tried peaveys and other digiteks. This is the best.

I dropped mine 2 many times to count. It never broke and never let me down once. I never changed tubes yet. Just keeps going, man. It was made in the 90s so it is OLD. I was like 10 or 11 when this came out.

Play hard ass rock and early metal like Crue, Metallica, Def Lep, Scorpions and some oldies like Led Z, Deep Purple, Santana, Stones, and other shit from the old days. Play clean and mostly distorted styles. I'm hard on equipment so I use solid state amps so I need tubes somewhere in my chain. I love how this sounds and I will never get rid of it. Now they are cheap cuz people want the new shit. I need good loud clean tone and distortion and thats all I need so the twintube is all I need.

I'll start by saying that until now I have resisted purchasing rack mount gear. I avoided it like the plague in the 80s and 90s, preferring to use older BOSS pedals like the ME 5. Maybe that's not entirely accurate; I actually did buy a BOSS SE 70 processor, but it never left the home and wound up being a high-priced headphone / practice amp. Although it was a pretty cool unit for noodling around, I could never seem to coax a really desireable live performance tone out of that box with the amps I used, which are 112 combo amps for the most part.
Enter the Twin Tube. A friend was getting rid of his and I almost passed but the price was good and so I figured what the hey...I owe it to myself to demo this box. Boy am I glad I did!
The best feature is the lack of unnecessary features. This unit has an excellent analog compressor, analog preamp with tubes, great EQ section for every patch (plus tone-curve global presets), decent delay /chorus /flange digital algorythms and handy front panel master input / output levels. It's very easy to operate. Mine came with a Rolls RFX MIDI Buddy foot controller-again, a simple, no frills unit.
There is a pair of 12AX7A tubes in the Twin Tube, which you can insert into the signal path-either one (clean) or two (overdrive/distortion.) The clean tube setting seems to deliver a nice "output tube section" kind of vibe, and the dirty tube setting adds distortion. As mentioned, the EQ is really good with 12dB of boost or cut in the guitar frequency bands. Very effective. There is a noise gate, which would probably be good for the ultra high gain stuff but it cuts notes off abruptly in the clean, light crunch and moderate distortion settings I use...so I don't use it. At the low settings I use, it's quiet as a mouse without the noise gate. Using the noise gate makes it TOTALLY silent when you're not playing.
MIDI in /out-through(shared). Separate connection for the proprietary Digitech foot controller. Nice big fat AC cord. Internal transformers. No phantom power js available from the Twin Tube for the Rolls MIDI Buddy so I use a 9 volt wal wart. Mine runs software rev. 1.01 and it has the RIGHT features so I'll give it a 9, cause I wish it had reverb.

I'm using a Gibson Les Paul with 490R and 498T PUPS; a Jay Turser Chalice (older headstock inlay) Serpent LP knockoff with GFS Dream 180 PUPs; A Jay Turser LT deluxe (Telecaster knockoff with humbucker at the neck) with GFS hot rail bridge humbucker and GFS Alnico boutique PAF in the neck; a Jay Turser Moon ("NEW" headstock inlay) JT 200 Les Paul knockoff (Goldtop with mahogany back/sides-beautiful guitar!) loaded with LACE Hemi-humbuckers (KILLER set of pups!) and upgraded control pots&caps, and an Ibanez SA 160 QT-stock.
The Twin Tube allows the character of each of these very different sounding guitars shine through. It's an analog unit so no digital artifacts and it's touch sensitive. WOO HOO!
This unit is stupidly perfect for anyone who wants a nice clean, gritty clean, bluesy overdrive, perfect rock tone that is FAT and loaded with sweet harmonic content. It may not have enough hair for metal but it will do anything else and do it very, very well-tonewise. Any old stomp box can give your amp a boost or add distortion; this box will give you the perfect Fender clean tube tone, perfect Marshall tube tone, (almost) perfect VOX (class A) tube tone and a nice (almost perfect) early Boogie, saturated tube tone.
As for amps I'm using it with, all of this great stuff is going into a Roland BC 30 or BC 60, in my case. These are two very nice SS amps from Roland so the Twin Tube simply makes their circuits all the better with a tube-rich audio signal going into them. The clarity and glassy, juicy tone of this unit justs cuts through the Rolands right through to the speaker cone and drips with true-tube tone like no other unit I've ever used before. I like the Blues Cubes for their "Almost Tube Tone, but now they NAIL it with the Twin Tube!
I only have 4 patches that I use, a nice rich, warm Fender tube clean that has just a tiny bit of hair when I dig in; a slightly bluesy version of the Fender clean with a bit more tubey, spongy overdrive; a jangly AC type VOX class A tube sound with a little overdrive and harmonics and a Marshall JCM 800 "in your face" C_R_U_N_C_H tube tone that allows for tons of sustain and harmonic feedback. Each patch includes a tiny amount of delay-that's it.
All the tone knobs on the Rolands are set to 12 o'clock so I can boost / cut the lows, mids and highs at the amp, according to the room I'm in. This is a good working system, folks. I could never return to floor pedals after using this. It is a MONSTER tube tone box. The MIDI Buddy makes patch changes a noiseless, instant breeze and there's another 116 patch locations so I'll probably not have to worry aboout running out of program space, ya think?
I leave it on 100% of the time, switching patches for the type of sound I need for a particular song. That's it for me. One box full of righteous tube tone, a respectable amp and a couple of cords. All I need to get what I want.
The compressor and the EQ section work together to produce a fantastic clear signal. The tubes add richness, body and harmonically rich balance & clarity. This is one righteous box, folks. It is "THE KIND!" It will improve whatever you're using for an amp-SS or tubes.

N/A Hey, this was made in 1993 so it's done the job for 14 years without a hiccup. My guess is that I'll have it forever.

The user manual is still available for downloading at the digitech site. God bless those guys, huh?

I'm a big Les Paul fan but I also like the strat and tele tones so i have them, too. I've been a serious electric player since the mid 80s. I played bass and a little guitar back in the 70s but my real gigging career with the electric guitar started in the 80s and 90s. I play in band that does a blend of rock, surf, hard rock, jazz and blues these days. We have a steady monthly gig (that's all I'm looking for) and play for a local surf shop at their events-we're the house band. We also play private parties and for a local church youth group from time to time. I'mm 55 this year and extremely grateful to be gigging at this stage in life. I know what good tone looks, feels and sounds like so I'm very pleased to have acquired this unit to augment my rig. I highly recommend this unit and I believe it will become one of those classic pieces of essential gear like the TS 9 or Univibe. You won't be disappointed with one if you are looking for authentic tube tone. Dude...IT'S IN THERE! A fantastic value at current eBay prices.

i aquired the unit second hand, so guess what NO MANUAL. however once i figured out how everything works on it(after like a week, seemingly endless parameters) its all rather up front after you get to know it. if i would have had a manual it would have been easier though.

ive given it an 7 simply because it is an absolute neccesity to use an external eq. unless your running through a sound board. if you try to run it into a power amp(strait power amp, no controls other than master volume) using only the built in eq. it sounds like absolutely useless garbage. but if you already have, or purchace an external eq., like say, a crate audio cq31(what i use, in my opinion one of the best if not the, but well leave that for a separate review)than this pre amp has almost endless potential. my gfx1 currently is tuned in somewhere between boss metal zone and randall rh200(with the help of the eq. of course). FREAKIN SWEET!!!

seems reliable to me. ill definently be hurt when it dies(godd willing that day come after i die 70 years from now). as far as a backup, rule of thumb is if its got tubes, bring a backup.

never dealt with them

overall, if used with the right equipment, i.e. external eq. and decent power amp, if givin the oportunity to make the decision regarding the purchase again, i wouldnt hesitate to pusrchase it again. ive been playin for 8 yrs. i play metal and this things great for it. my setup is as follows: digitech gfx1 w/crate audio cq31 in the effects loop, which is run into a somewhat vintage crown d150a which powers 1 412 marshall cab loaded w/celestions and 1 4x8 custom built cab(my frankenstein built from a guitar research cab)with diamond plate grill and loaded again with celestions. with the unit as a whole is a heavy metal weapon.

very easy to program good sounds outta this thing but then i used to own a digitech dsp256xl and the menus and button configuration are virtually the same so i was used to it. Got a manual with it but never needed it.

I only use the preamp on the twin tube, I come out of the fx send into my PODxt (bypassing the twintubes crap digital effects)then out of the PODxt in stereo into a Marshall 9005 all valve 50/50 power amp then into 2 2x12 celestion loaded cabs. Both units are controlled by a FCB1010 midi foot controller. I only use the fx on the PODxt because I HATE the crap digital fizzy sounding amp sims on the POD.
This setup works really well, i have the best of both, real tube overdrives and tone and very high quality digital effects. I can get any sound i want.
When I first got this unit it was loaded with a pair of groove tubes, probably the original ones and the sound was harsh and a bit tinny and lifeless so i changed them for a pair of jj's and that did the trick, a lot warmer and natural sounding.
I use this setup with an ibanez 1570 loaded with custom made active pickups, 2 humbuckers and 1 single coil, the single coil does create a bit of hum with this unit.
the compressor is really very good but the noise gate is a bit too good cutting the sound before you want it to. I leave the noise gate off and use the one on the PODxt.
The digital effects on this unit are not really very good and the lack of reverb is just crimminal, for this reason I give sound quality a 9 and not 10

super reliable, I have dropped this thing a few times, bent the front etc and it just keeps going

I have had no need to contact digitech

I've been playing 26 years and over that time I have owned a lot of equipment, I play rock and blues and this unit (with the PODxt)does it all for me, from lovely warm compressed cleans to blistering super overdrives and everything in between with the push of a button on my foot controller, what more could you ask for :-)

Typical pages and scrolling for programming sounds. It's a little more simple than stuff that's out these days, but's certainly not a problem child.

Digital effects are OK, but not excellent, however the analog preamp is awesome. I have had this unit for about 10 years now and I still find new and awesome sounds. The trick as stated in an earlier review is to use the tube clean sound for Marshallesque stuff with less saturation. I tend to think of the Saturation as "preamp tube distortion" and the Gain as Power tube distortion. Both are impoirtant, but the balance between the two is critical for programming great sounds.

My chain is guitar> GFX1 (with volume pedal in effects loop)> Alesis Quadraverb> ADA power amp> Celestion 1x12 cab.

I have used it for 10 years and it's never failed me on a gig.

I had a problem with the cable to the foot controller and had to order another one. Their customer service stinks. It 5 weeks and about 15 phone calls to get my cable 'cuz they were out of stock, even though they took my $$$ on the first phone call.

Great sound with a Yamaha Pacifica 912 (late 80's) and a ADA power amp to a 1x12 Celestion cab. I've changed bands and styles a lot in 10 years since buying this thing and it's the one thing in my rig that has not changed during that time.

I have been using one of these for several years. I've owned two of them. They are pretty simple, but with the manual you have more info to work from, and there are some things that you'll never know without it. I find it easy to use, but then I'm used to it. My current unit has software v. 1.02. The software in these is somewhat buggy; my old one would boot up in a strange high gain mode if it was initially set on a tube patch but booting with it set to a solid state patch was fine. My current unit does not have this peculiarity but it is subject to "forgetting" all of its digital effects settings, although so far they have come back after shutting the unit down and letting it sit for a few minutes. Luckily, it does not do this often. I recommending backing up the memory!

As for getting a good sound...that depends on what you want. IMO this unit is best when the tubes are disengaged; in this, I seem to be totally counter to most of the people here. I really like the clean (solid state) sounds this thing has and I hate the tube sounds. The tube distortion the GFX produces comes from diode induced clipping rather than real tube overdrive. I build tube amps and think I have a fair handle on what I'm talking about.

The unit is limited with respect to effects, having only digital delay (no reverb, just delay), chorus and flange. There's not even a tremolo, although the compression sounds better than you would expect. The output is mono although there are left and right outputs so you can use a stero fx unit in the fx loop. The very high gain tube settings are pretty noisy and the noise gate isn't very adjustable, having too few paramaters for my taste.

Both of mine have been reliable with the exception of the already mentioned memory glitch one of them has.

I have dealt with Digitech and found them helpful once you get past the phone menu. I was able to get a printed copy of the manual from them for this but I gather from the other reviews you can now also get it online.

I love the GFX-1 for its clean tones but I never use the tubes. Because the unit is so old now you can someitimes find them pretty cheap. If you want true tube tone buy a real tube amp with an output section, but if you want GREAT clean tones this unit can be very helpful.

Editing this thing is a bit of a hassle, as you have to use buttons to navigate through parameters. I typically just set it up with presets and then go.

What knobs exist on the unit are easy to use. Input and output volume levels (separate) are handy and easily accessible.

Don't have the manual.

Using this with a variety of solidbodies. I typically use this thing as a recording preamp or practice amp. I run it into a 31 band graphic eq, then into a lexicon MPX 100, from which I run a pair of headphones. Sometimes I dump the MPX to my computer or zoom hard disk recorder.

The unit is a bit noisy, but I don't know how old the tubes are. I haven't bothered to replace them.

The unit sounds quite good considering its vintage. THe cleans are a bit bland, but serviceable. It certainly beats out some of my other gear. Medium gain settings are acceptable, and you can get a decent crunch out of it. I've only tried out the high gain settings once (i'm a jazz guy and not into high gain stuff anymore)... ironically, I ran it through a roland ac100 acoustic amp at a jam session, and the result was something jawdroppingly close to a marshall. Very odd...

My particular unit has no effects, so I can't comment on that. I simply set the FX to be 'out' on every patch. tHe noise gate works well, and the onboard graphic EQ is VERY handy.

This thing is solidly built. My own unit has seen a lot of abuse. However, teh FX portion is gone. No idea why, but i'm not inclined to fix it either. I have a lexicon for that purpose.

never dealt with em.

I'm mostly a jazz guy, although I have a lot of good rock gear. Jackson USA solidbodies, tube amps. I've been playing a while.. long enough to become acquainted with a variety of gear.

THis is an under-rated unit that you can pick up for cheap. It provides decent sounds at a rock bottom used price. I use it for recording ideas and for getting better electric sounds out of amplifiers that don't have a lot of natural dirt or grit.

My own unit generates a lot of heat though. If you stick it in a rack, provide some space around it. ONe nice feature of the unit is that it is reasonably compact... short depth.

If someone stole it, I'd find another on ebay. It's a good deal more for a mesa formula preamp. This thing provides 60% of the sound quality for 1/10th of the price.

This is a pretty easy to use piece of gear if you have the manual. It will take you longer without it. I downloaded it from Digitech - well worth the time... The manual is simple and once you get the logic, you can throw it away. Real straight forward as far as I'm concerned. It's about the simplest piece of gear I own.

I have been playing for over 20 years, but not professionally and I haven't bought tons of gear. I have a really picky ear, though. When I started learning guitar it drove me nuts because I could hear the tone difference between the pressed and open strings in cords and it was always a bit out of tune - flaw of the instrument... But I heard it and it really bugged the hell out of me. Now I do a lot of sound design with synths and you have to be a good listener. I'm usually running this into a Rocktron INtellifex LTD (a bit sterile) or into a Boss SX-700 then into my mixer. I've got a few guitars ranging from a Gibson Flying V, to a couple of guitars made by some companies afraid to put their name on them. Mostly I play the Gibson, my T-60 or a Harmony Les Paul copy with amazing pickups - don't know what they are, but great sound. When the gain is cranked there is a lot of noise unless you use the gate which works pretty well. With the gate on it's dead quiet. Use as little as possible for best results or it will chop off your notes. If you back off the level, you can get away with more gain and saturation without problems, but you have to play with it. I've not had great luck with real high gain settings, but that's not really where this excels anyway. ONe thing, though, if you get one of these and it doesn't amaze you with the tone - you need NEW tubes. I bought a pair of Ruby 12AX7a's and they sound pretty sweet to my ears. Haven't tried any others as I like the sound I've now got. I had thought people had been hyping this thing way out of proportion until I changed the tubes. Made all the difference in the world. Now I know what people are talking about - it sounds really nice, but the tubes can make or break the sound. Very versatile range of tones, too. It has a real rich warm sound - no doubt about it. The cleans are not great, though, as has been mentioned, but they are massively better now it's got new tubes. Some are OK, but I'm not in love with it for those. But, since I changed the tubes, I find myself playing a lot more because it just sounds so good. Can't give it a 10, but for the price? Excellent.

It's been very reliable so far for me, though I have it racked and it only moves when I change gear around. Once in a while it used to pop for no apparent reason, but I have been told that is probably because the tubes it came with were shot to pieces, which is probably why the guy who sold it thought it wasn't worth keeping... His mistake.

No idea

I play mostly rock. Not fond of the thrash metal sound. Bluesy stuff, sometimes. This is a very good piece of gear. It may not satisfy a purist, but is rock supposed to be for purists? Seems kind of like a contradiction to me. This box is gritty and punchy, growly and smooth, but not like a baby's bottom. I also run several different synths through this little beauty. I've got a Kawai K5000s, an AN1x, an Emu E-synth, XL-7, Morpheus, two Casio VZ-10m's and a couple of Ensoniq ESQ-m's. This is perfect for adding that little touch of nastiness to sounds. And great for guitars, clearly. For what I paid - excellent value. It sounds great through my mixer straight into a Denon DRA-25 home stereo amp. My guitar amp died on me and I've never replaced it as I don't gig and it sounds better through the stereo, at least to me. My neighbors probably wish I'd move ;)

This unit is seriously dated, it is an oldie but a goodie. Getting decent sounds out of it is extremely simple. If you can't manage, you should be in a Gary Larson cartoon! The manual is next to superfluous (everything is indeed that straightforward), but it is still available for download, which is a Good Thing for those wanting fingertip reference.

I use this in a SKB 8-space rack with the following equipment, from top to bottom: Furman PL8 power module, Korg DTR-2 rack tuner, TwinTube, Digitech Vocalist VR harmonizer in the effects loop (works MUCH BETTER as a vocal harmonizer, but I can get "Highway Star" and "Detroit Rock City" etc. out of it without much trouble), Alesis Quadraverb w/upgrade after the TwinTube in stereo, a very beat-up Rocktron RX-20 exciter/imager/Hush, then into a Peavey Classic 50/50 tube power amp. This whole heavy-assed mess runs stereo into any one of several cabs I own. The one I use it most with is an old Marshall 8x10 bass cab someone gave me that I refinished, reloaded, and wired for stereo (and slapped a metal Peavey emblem on to confuse folks). It does not sound nearly as good overall with a 1960A cab. I think this has something to do with the "sweet spot" (focus) of the 4x12" cab being farther in front of it than where I usually stand in practice and at gigs, but the 1960A cab sounds best with a Marshall head. Go figure! I think what I will do for S+G's is swap the Quadraverb and harmonizer into the main PA FX rack for the Studio Quad V2 and do some tinkering and MIDI-mapping. The compression, preamp, and cab simulation sections are very useful IMHO. You can get a lot of different amp tones out of this box, but you will need the built-in noise gate for the "dirty tube" or higher gain "clean tube" settings because this thing is typically noisy. The EQ is ok for starters, but people looking for more flexibility should throw a single 31-band unit before the input (or a programmable MIDI switchable unit, but that's a little overkill for some...) The time-domain effects on the TwinTube are pretty useless: you get one at a time, they're ok but not great, there's no reverb, and a stereo in+out dedicated processor after the TwinTube works much better. I can't quite get Triple Recto nu-metal tones out of this (working on it, it just doesn't have the low-end cojones), but it nails Motown, blues, jazz, vintage rock, prog, and hair-metal tones with aplomb! The clean tones are ok, but somewhat nondescript. I have a Marshall JCM-900 halfstack, a MusicMan Sixty-Five 2x10" combo, and another rack beast with a 2120 Artist preamp, and the clean tones out of any of these (and I could list dozens more amps I've played thru) are definitely more to my liking. But this thing works just fine for my main workhorse, and until it is found one day lying with plus signs for eyes and arms and legs in the ol' rigor mortis kata stance, I'll happily use it to butcher tunes unmercifully!

It has been pretty dependable, and I have used it with numerous gigs without a backup (lifts hat, knocks...) though I am not in the habit of doing so. You know how Murphy's Law works: if you always bring backup, nothing ever fails, but the ONE TIME you forget your backup and you REALLY NEED the damn thing...you know the rest! And Murphy was an optimist! This unit has been thru hell and back. It may have been the one I bought as a demo many moons ago and sold in a fit of winter cash deficit. Then the person I sold it to dropped it and offed it, then someone hacked it trying to fix it and burnt some traces to the pots, cracked the mounting tabs for the faceplate (a stressed member, uhh huh huh...) and I got it (back?) for a Very Good Price?. A local tech fixed the PCB hack and replaced the pots; I repaired and reinforced the chassis (have MIG welder, will travel!) and threw 'er all back together, now she's in my main rack. I have some JJ ECC83S on the way to replace the tubes that are in there now...
I'm harsh with my ratings. I do not give 10s easily. I'd give it a 10 for reliability, but once in a blue moon, it glitches. It happens extremely infrequently and I use it often, and it always works properly afterward if switched off and back on, so I can't complain too loudly, given this thing's history.

Had a problem with another piece of Digitech gear once, it was repaired and returned within reasonable time. Never had a problem with their service department. But I will refrain from rating due to what I feel is not enough experience.

For what I do with this thing, it works pretty well. So far, I haven't wanted to rip it out of the rack and pitch it in front of a moving steamroller, so I guess this is a Good Sign! I have been playing for A Very Long Time?, I am a Compleat Hack?, and Experienced Amalgam of Stolen Licks?, and have covered a wide range of styles, and have done originals too. I own far too much gear. I have a bad case of GAS. It is now time to reduce my inventory of the non-essentials, ahh, decisions, decisions! This thing DOES NOT fall into this category! Nope. Uh-uh. If it were lost I'd get over it and go buy a single rack space preamp to replace it, either another one, or one that I like better. If someone stole it, they'd better go somewhere where I'll never find them. I'm good at finding those who don't want to be found. I would track them down and beat them over the head until I felt they knew "who they daddy is"! Not for much other reason than principle, mind you. I wish it had either a set of lips or a vacation to the Bahamas somewhere in its preset menu, but I'm not complaining. Not me!

Not especially easy to use, but not the most complicated piece of gear either. You could tweek this little sucker to your hearts content and get many great tones. Manual is still posted on Digitech's website and is very helpful, although a snooze of a read.

I just acquired this piece of G.A.S., so it hasn't made it into my live rig yet. I'm still in the tweaking stage and using for a practice amp, hooked up to a TubeWorks 1160 amp (a very good piece) and a Mesa Boogie 1x12 cab. The more I tweak it, the more I like it! This preamp also seems to work very well on bass...BONUS! The key to getting a killer high gain sound is to totally ignore the owner manual level setting instructions and crank the input gain to where the headroom meter is pinned and the overflow LED is lit constantly. Simply amazing tone this way, and not very noisy at all. I don't imagine this would hurt anything, but who cares...it sounds great! It's a very natural feeling preamp, if you don't use the compressor. All my technique comes through with finesse. The onboard effects are a bonus as this is really just a preamp. I leave a little delay on my lead patches and some chorus on a clean patch. Compressor and noise gate work well but like all, kill your tone. I leave them off. I've amassed many amps over the years, Marshall, Laney, Boogie, Lee Jackson, Peavey, Hafler T-3 (excellent!), ADA, Line6, Fender etc, and this is as good or better than many. The speaker sim is great in that it's fully adjustable. Most speaker sims are just preset EQ curves, this one let's you have 5 user patches so you can globally boost low end, etc. Great idea! I play very high gain, prog rock, shred, funk and fusion. This preamp seems to handle them all well. Highly recommended!

Mine seems to work perfectly. It was built in 91. I've read the horror stories below, so my fingers are crossed.

Good support via the website, since they have manuals for discontinued products. I've called Digitech in the past. They respond quickly and try their best to help.

Been playing 28 years, owned everything at one point, I'd probably buy another if it were lost, since it's so convenient with a very good distortion, built in FX and sounds better than Line6 gear. I wish the parameters were easier to get to. great that it has a built in power supply, since I detest wall warts! I give it high marks since I paid nearly nothing for it and it's a very usuable piece of gear.

The GFX-1 is really easy to use - ich had programmed the first 5 patches after one hour, but also the factory presets sound really good, although some knobs in the Front for Gain or something like this would have been nice.
But without a foot controller it's no fun to use the GFX-1
The manual is also good, but i never had to use it.

I use the GFX on a Peavey "Strat", a noname Telecaster and an Epiphone Les Paul. The sound output goes directly into a mixer and a JBL monitor system.
The Noise Gate is very useful, but sometimes it's also annoying and i just switch it off (when i use humbuckers), because witout compression the notes won't sustain very long.
The tube effects are really cool, you can get a good sound from jazz to hardrock. i've searched for an 80's sound, and i found it ;)
the digital effects are not the best, i think, but as is do not have any fx pedals, i can't compare those effekts.

I would never use the GFX without no backup, because when powering up it often fails and no sound comes out of it....that's not good ;)
So switch it on and never switch it off :p
There were also some Problems with the LCD, but i could fix that, because i've got the service manual.

I've worked for a short time in a service center (not only for digitech - it was for all professional audio equipment), and that's where i got the gfx-1 from. the customer didn't want it back, because he got a replacement (very good service :p) and so i got the gfx1 after i repaired it. the software was already up-to-date and if i need to get it repaired they'll do that ;)

I play rock and metal (but no nu-metal at all ;) ) and the gfx1 is perfect ;)
- if stolen or lost: i'd buy a digitech gsp-2112 artist or a johnson millenium combo (both are from the DOD company, so there's no difference in the support and also in the effects - i already tested both ;) )
compared to the korg ax1500g the gfx1 is professional gear, and with the tubes it sounds even better, although the 1500's digital effects are a little bit better.

Very easy to program. I used it for years with no documentation.

I found the digital effects of this unit lacking but the tube distortion was very good. If buying one of these for the preamp distortions- the GFX-1 is very good. The effects work but are limited at best. I used the GFX-1 in the 90s (bought it used) and utilized it in combination with a Peavey ProFex. The ProFex gave me the effects I wanted and the GFX-1 gave me the distortions. I used a Fender American Strat or a Guild S-300 into the GFX-1 with the ProFex in the loop, then into the bottom-end of a Peavey Heritage (a tube power section) through the Heritage's scorpions and/or Celestion extensions. It was a decent set-up at the time, but I've moved on (now use Mesa rack gear). I give it a nine because for the money- this was a great buy (although it cannot compare to high-end stuff). I found it a usable piece for very little money.

The digital side died on me but the analog side kept working (good thing I had the ProFex).

It was old when it died and I was moving on to other equipment. I therefore gave it to a friend and haven't seen it since.

If I found another out there for cheap, I'd buy it just to recapture some of those old sounds. While I wouldn't gig with it anymore, I did do so for many years. It really was nice for the price.

A good programmable preamp for someone picking one up for the first time. Its operation is not completly obvious to a beginner, but it is much simpler than most boxes with little LCDs. There is a gate, compressor, tube stage, EQ and one of three modulation effects to choose from, in that order. Not too much to get lost in except for maybe the MIDI utilities. As with most boxes with little LCDs, they could use a few more knobs

I ran a hollowbody guitar through the GFX-1 to a Fender PA and it sounded pretty good. It was quiet (except for occasional glitches, explained below), the three effects it had (chorus, flange, and delay) were great. I usually play in a bluesy/jazz tone that requires tubes that are mildly overdriven. At other times I need a big, chainsaw yer gramma cock-rock sound. The double 12AXTs were perfect for getting a whole array of tones, because the gain is adjustable on each one. I ended up trading in for an ART GFX-2000, because I wanted more knobs and digital effects. I ended up missing the Twin Tube within a month. The ART box just didn't compare to the Twin Tube's jiucy tone.

It did come with a glitch or two. There was a big scratchy pop that happened sometimes, with certain presets. Never did get to the bottom of that. It also locked up on me twice. Recyling the power switch would free it up, however.

Never had to deal with Digitech.

I did get some awsome recorded tones out of this box, and I suppose that's what it is great for. As for playing live, it doesnt quite float. I found the lack of realtime control to be very frustrating in live circumstances. Also, the "dead air time" that occures when shifting between different patches is kind of a niusance, especially if you play in a 3-piece as I do. Most "programmable" preamps of that era are the same way, though. I now use a rig with a much simpler analog preamp, and a much more complicated digital processor. -Go figure. In summery, in the studio, this box is loaded with sweet tones and the price is right. This box delivers way better tone than any other "low budget" preamp I've used from ART or Zoom. I would not recommend using this or any similar box live. For instance if for some reason you cranked up the compressor too far while practicing in your living room and it starts to scream on stage, all you can do is avoid that preset for the rest of the show.

Its pretty wasy to figure out..... i have no manual so its kinda weird at first because this is my first unit!

I use my Fender Stratocaster with this unit.... Fender Frontman 15 watt amp... Some stock effects are good... but i cant get my midi to work!!!

so far yeah!!! The LCD monitor wiggs out alot and freezes?!!

STILL WAITING!!!!!

i play all kinds of music... metal...rock...punk... ! i like this unit and i might have to get another unit from didgitach in the near future!I WISH IT HAD REVERB!!!
Ive been playing for 7-8 years and i use alot of boss pedals and THE WHAMMY!!!!! i like digitech and i will always use digitech I NEED A NEW WHAMMY!

Came without a manual, no problem. Although I'm frequently too dim to figure out lots of music-related technical stuff even WITH a manual, I was up and running with the GFX1 in mere minutes, and tweaking to my heart's content. Has a good backlit two-line LCD readout with adjustable contrast that nicely represents all the parameters you can tweak.

I'm using the GFX1 as an effects/tube distortion unit between a Fender Stratocaster and a Danelectro Nifty Seventy practice amp; and occasionally as a DI box-cum-preamp between the guitar or a Jazz Bass and my Behringer mixer or my Digi001 (for recording into ProTools). Good results all around. The noise gate works very well. This unit is ridiculously quiet; although even at the gate's lowest setting (1), it sometimes cuts off the sound a little too early; with low volume on the guitar, it tends to completely mute some softly played notes. May not be the ideal unit for guitarists with a wide dynamic range -- unless they switch off the gate function. Anyway, EQ, flange, chorus, and delay are all good to very good. Granted, this thing has too many outdated metalhead presets that would stoke the guys from Spinal Tap but that fail to charm me (though I'll admit they are amusing). However, some blues, R&B, and funk presets are right on the money, and there are a couple of REALLY nice flange presets, too. Try patch 59, which inspired me enough to end up with a promising embryonic song. Regardless, whatever factory sounds you don't like can be easily altered (down to the names of the presets) with relatively little fuss.

Don't know, I just got it recently, second-hand, from an eBay seller. But according to the manufacturer's label on the side of the unit, it was made exactly eleven years ago. It looks like it's had some rough treatment along the way, but it still performs like a champ.

E-mailed Digitech a question via its website and had a useful reply in a matter of hours.

A little odd it doesn't have a simple reverb on board, but then, my Lexicon MPX500 (or, in a pinch, my Alesis Microverb) does nicely. And the GFX1 is not primarily an effects unit anyway, but a tubed preamp. As a sweet-distortion unit, it easily outperforms the SansAmp GT2 that I'd been using. That unit is now being auctioned on eBay...

It is quite easy to use this machine, though I must say that turning knobs would be nicer. The patches are easy to edit and the editing functions all function logically. The only reason why I don't give it 10, is the fact that I have never liked push-buttons.

I play a VERY modified Squier (an older model from the seventies)with a Tele-pickup (neck, a vintage Lipstick Pickup (middle) and A Gibson PAF (Bridge) > Cry Baby (GCB95)> GFX 1 /TwinTube > Marshall JTM60 with an extra 12" cab. Additionally I place a VooDoo Lab Tremolo in the effect loop of my Amp, and sometimes I add an Electro Harmonics Eccho/Vibrato/Chorus.

The unit itself is not very noisy and the effects are almost completely silent when the Noise Reduction is on. Otherwise the effects "hiss" a bit - especially if the overdrive/distortion is on. But that is - which some people refuse to accept - a natural part of overdriven tubes!

I wouldn't give this unit a 9 or 10 for it's sound quality, since it is not the best thing on the market (and it is quite old). It suffers from a lack of warmth in the slightly overdriven situations, though some warmth can be added by using the equalizer - which is pretty good, I'd say!

I've had this unit for about 10 years now, and I think that I'll keep until it goes down. But I'll definitely buy other units which will slowly take over the GFX1's place in my chain.

It is important to say that this unit is a PREAMP - NOT AN EFFECTS MACHINE!. I say this because the important parts of this preamp are the tubes. The Chorus, Flanger and Delay are only add-ons which can be used to Collor your sound and tone. Though the work fairly anyways.

The compressor in this unit is not the most versatile compressor I've ever used (and I have used quite a lot!), though it is nice and useful to Collor the sound.

VERY RELIABLE. I have to use it without a backup, since I have got only one of these (I have other kinds of preamps to use instead, though).
I'm not afraid that this unit will break down on me, and I'm not afraid to transport it around - though I wouldn't dare jumping on it...

Very dependable! - always boots up correctly - no problems.

Never dealt with them.

I mostly play Blues, Rock and retro rock. This unit fits quite well, though I think that it was originally designed for 80's hard rock.

I've been playing fore some 10 years, and I've been searching my sound for all of those ten years - and I'll never stop. I wouldn't say that I have found MY sound in this unit, though it is a great step on the road...But I'll honestly say, that if this unit where lost or stole I wouldn't buy exactly the same unit once again - but I'd truly miss it.

I have other units, such as an
ADA (forgot the model number, but it is one of their first models - rack preamp),
Boss Blues Driver BD-2,
Vox Valvetone Overdrive,
Boss Metal Zone - MT-2 (Yuck!),
Boss Super Distortion - DS-1(Yuck!),
Boss Turbo Overdrive - OD-2 (got three of them - yuckyuckyuck!!!),
Ibanez TS-808,
Jim Dunlop Crybaby - GCB95,
VooDoo Lab Tremolo,
Electro Harmonix Eccho/Chorus/Vibrato (really old-school),
TC Electronics G-Major,
TC Electronics D-Two,
Squier, modified (the only original thing from the squier is the bridge and the neck),
Marshall JTM-60 Combo with an extra cab.(1x12").

That is basically my rig (I missed somethings, but I didn't find it interesting to list it here.

Overall the unit is great. I like it. But it's getting old (old-fashioned) and might need a replacement soon. Though it is sill quite Alright, so I give it an 8.

I'd like to add: I'd wish that the "Clean Tubes" could be tweaked even further - it is much better than the "Dirty Tube".

Easy to use if you've ever edited any rack-mount midi gear before. MANUAL!? You don't NEED no stinking manual! Seriously, it's not too tough to tweak and find a sound you like.

I'm using this to record direct with. When combined with an ADA microcab, the sound combinations are almost limitless! I run a carvin dc 127 straight into the front panel of the twin tube, which has its' outputs connected to the microcab. If you need reverb, you'll need outboard processing because the twin tube doesn't have built-in 'verb.
It does have useable delay, chorus, and flangeing, and a really good noisegate. It's dead quiet.
I run it straight into my Akai dps 16 inputs and can replicate all but the hardest "death" distortion. Where this preamp really shines is doing hard rock "crunch" and overdrive sounds. The clean sounds are pretty happening too.
Don't bother with a pod or v-amp or some type of modeler. I know they will probably continue to get better, but for now, you just cannot duplicate the sounds of warm glowing glass!

It's utterly dependable and built like a brick ****house. Check the other guy that had his fall off of his car onto the highway...that's how tough it is!
I don't have a backup and probably won't ever need one

I've never needed a repair or had to deal with digitech before.

I play anything that sounds good on any given day. Variety, variety! Been jamming now for about 25 years.
I would get another if it were ripped off, destroyed, impaled, etc.
For recording direct, I've found this to provide the most bang-for-the-buck of any processor I've ever used. That list includes a roland gx-700(too cold and digital sounding) an ada mp2(sold to pay the rent once) a digitech gsp 2101 (tooo hard to figure out) a pod(version 1, but I thought the sounds had no "life" in them)
It is an older processor, but it is still viable. If it had reverb it would be nice, but I still highly recommend it.

The Twin Tube is relatively easy to program compared to some other push button units, but it would be nice to have a couple multi-function knobs on it to make it even quicker. The quicker I can get the sound I'm looking for the better the inspiration is. I bought it new but didn't really use the manual, it's pretty intuitive.

I wish it could get more gain using the clean tube (it's got a "clean" and a "dirty" tube) without distorting, but in general the thing is very quiet and with a surprisingly good tone - even with a solid state amp. All the main effects are there and they have a wide enough range of tweakability.

As far as durability and reliability, this is the amazing part: I was going home from a studio one eve. in 1992, put it on the top of my '78 Honda, got distracted, got in the car and drove away. At about 35mph I drove about 2 miles down Broadway (busy time of day) and heard this bang behind me. My heart sank as I remembered what it was. I pulled the car over and ran back, and there in the middle of a lane was my Twin Tube. I picked it up, the rackmount plate was totally bent over and it got a big road scar on the top corner. When I got home I tried it out and it worked like new. I've been using it for 9 years since without a problem. This thing is a tank-rack. I give it an 11 for dependability.

No experience with cust service never needed a repair. The side cover came unglued from the footswitch but it can be reglued in with contact cement.

I think it's good for the money, especially if you can get ones as cheap as people say. As a matter of fact its' the best one I've used not to say it's the best out there.

I bought this as my first processor. a little difficult at first, but as soon as I figured out the parameters(without a stinkin manual) it kicks a**. I want to buy a brand new one (I bought mine used) so that I have a backup. bought the first for $180, minus the footpedal patch cord which is $18, total--$200!. the bypass led doesn't work, but i'm kinda scared to take this thing apart, and even more scared to send it in(read the other revues).
I run it through a Sovtek 50w head, and it kicks out a creamy tube thump for metal riffs--this is great. It does lack the extreme edges on the effects, but for how much i paid for it, it is awsome.

the noise gate works too well at times, i use a morley distortion wah as a volume pedal for blending. the twin tube is quiet when not in use, and it is pretty versatile.

i bought this less than a week before a gig, used it once in practice and then at the gig. I don't know about reliability--haven't had it long enough--but i have a lot of confidence in it.

i play indie rock and punk-metal, and this is going to be part of both. it is my first processor(stuck to pedals for twelve years) and i will probably buy another digitech when this one bites it. It is simple to use--i might buy the manual, but probably not.

Doesn't take a rocket scientist to use...and if you have a good ear for tweaking tone...it makes an "all the work done for you" Line 6 Flextone or POD preamp section sound like a chump. (real tubes REALLY DO sound better LIVE!!)

This is a pre amp REALLY. It's a preamp with a BONUS option for Chorus, Delay or flange. Focusing on THAT...this is a VERY good sounding, QUIET preamp. It equals and (in my opinion) surpasses preamps costing up to 10 TIMES as much. How it gets the BALLS with only the 2 preamp tubes is beyond me. Guys with Triaxis, bogners, etc. CONSTANTLY come up and ask how I get my tone. I tell em it's my "SOVTEK" power amp. :)

Bought it USED in '92. Only replaced the tubes once. It's been with me ALL AROUND THE WORLD ever since. I really should get another one just incase this one EVER breaks.

Wouldn't know. Never had to send it in!

I play LOUD rock in my band. I LOVE to play JAZZ & Blues too. This thing is a virtual TONE monster. If you have a good ear, and a knack for tweaking..this is the ghetto rig PICK of the CENTURY. I've seen em on e-bay for less then $100!! Put a DOD G7 ($100 or less on EBAY)in the effects loop for reverb and trem/pitch..and you got "THE ghetto rig from HELL"!!! And it WILL scare your friends with "BIG" expensive rigs I PROMISE.

It has always been easy to edit patches.

Factory patches are Ok, you really have to go in and make your own. but that going for just about everything out there! I get good clean sounds & great Distortions.Are there better things on the market ? There will aways be something better because new things come out. I've had mine for 7 year & it still holds it's own!

never had one problem

don't know, never had a problem

I play Rock to Jazz, and if you have a Twin Tube you'll need a effects unit. but for a pre amp its great!

Very easy to use. Good presets on it. Some of the sounds need tweaking though...some a bit harsh, some clip too soon...easy to fix though by changing the parameters.

I use several other pedals (volume, delay, rat pedal) and a Fender amp. Practically noise free. Sounds warm. Very nice. I rely on about 10 of them.

It has worked great for me. I replaced the tubes once. It has been dropped several times, bent, stepped on and it keeps on going. I've had it since 1991 and it has been great.

Never dealt with them. Hopefully, never will.

I plan on keeping this till it dies. Once it does die, who knows. I might just buy another preamp or a bunch more pedals to compensate.