DigiTech GNX1

You can easily get killer sounds out of this unit but it may require some editing skills beforehand. I like digitechs approach to editing, it is dam intuitive but you also may have to read manual to get some additional features, eg, cabinet tuning feature when you have to hold status button for two secs. What about firmwares, i bought it already having v.1.4 so there was no need to upgrade, this far it works fine. I am also a IT engineer and this powerful unit would be more powerful with sort of undo option because every tweaking you do changes the sound a lot. Yes, the manual could wish better.

And one MISSING thing for gnx1 that it doesnt have an optional controller board, at least havent heard, browsing presets on gnx definitely sucks, so i dont think it would be easy to use on stage. Hope gnx2 and 3 are more friedly.

I am using jackson ps4 guitar, but i very rarely plug into amp, i mostly connect directly to pc for i do a lot of recording. Digitech has done a great job about sound quality, there is no brag about having studio quality effects as well. noise gate is irreplaceable thing. accoustic simulation is crap, but then again it comes to tweak noise gate a bit. I am also using korg ax1000g and can assuredly declare its expression pedal feel a lot more comfortable, yet it is smaller. digitechs v-switch is a bonus for gnx1, and exp pedal links are amazing. Ah, yes, since I plug into pc and have a stereo i rarely feel a very big difference to connecting it simply into an amp. ok, the same rarely i use phaser and similar stereo features, but chorus could be better. Presets usually suck but gnx1 has few usable after a minute of tweaking. i am comparing them with ax1000g once again which are dam pismire. pickup simulation feels very realistic, wish there were more delays and parameters for reverbs but for the quality they give back its ok. oh, yeah, and distortions: rectifier will be the beloved thing of everyone into korn and bizkit stuff, it suits even death metal needs, seriously, but the other types needs a lot of turning knobs to get the maximum out of it. I dont believe that i can get a sound of steve vai or nuno bettencourt out of this unit in no way, because theres a lot in hands rather than every new effect you buy.

it seems very strong, and havent had a problem, but also havent used on stage yet.

havent dealt

This usit doesnt really fit needs for solo type of musician, but it really gets blood pumping with amp sims and cabinets, saving hypermodels is great. because this is y2k production thus it feels to be designed for y2k nu metal stuff which very rarely is good. oh, at least dimabeg darrels appreciators will find gnx1 a masterpiece. generally, and what is important to me, it gives the inspiration dose.
but unfortunately for digitech, if it were stolen or lost, id go get gnx3 sooner.

It seemed a little difficult at first, but after playing around with it for about an hour it was no sweat, but maybe not a great choice for the beginner or the no brainer.

I mainly use it to record with, going direct into the board,it is a dynamite recording preamp,the effects are definitely studio quality, very quiet and as for as tonal range it is limited only to the users imagination. I had origionally looked into the Line 6 Pod 2.0, which has excelent sounds of its on, but what attracted me to the GNX was the ability to create totally unique tones. It is kind of like having your own technician on hand to quickly build any custom amp you want, the only limitations with his preamp is your own imagination.

I have been using digitech equipement for almost a decade, its very solid.

have neer had to contact them, which verifies the preceding catagory.

I've tried out Line 6 POD 2.0,the J-Station,Yamaha DG,and own a Zoom GM200, and Rocktron Replitone, and the Line 6, and Rocktron sounded great, but they just don't have the versatility that the GNX has, and the software editor makes it a breeze to program.

All I have to say it's that the use of the unit is intuitive and easy, even a rookie user can make his personal patches.
The manual is explicit and easy to understand.
I upgrade my unit 2 times (now the firmware is 1.4 ) and it's very very easy.

WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAA!!! It sounds great, you can obtain almost every tone you imagine. From loud distortion to cristaline sounds . I play thrash metal (aka Megadeth, Flotsam & Jetsam,...) and I use several types of distortion and sounds lethal. I love this unit.

It's hard as a rock thankful to his metal chasis. You can use it on stage or at home and you can forget about special care.

T don't use it except to upgrade the unit, but the digitech comunity it's a great idea, you can download patches, amplifiers, hypermodels and there is a forum where you can obtain answers to every question you have.

I don't buy another one because I don't have many money, but in the case I have it, I would buy 2 , one for my room and one for live stage. This is a beloved one.

Easy of use
It's Ok. Not too hard. Too much sound Editing patch is not too hard. Manual is ok

Some good sound. Some bad sound. I'm not sure.mabe, my guitar is not good (squier Jagmaster HH). The unit is not noisy but still has some. Some sound like van Halen and popular rock band at the present time.distorton is dull un clear(may be my guitat is bad. I'm not sure)
This unit is good for doing demo!!

It's ok. It's fun

I don't know them

Just for fun

I tried this out in a music shop. Editing seemed easy enough to get around without reading the manual however I?m sure I was missing out on a couple of things.

I liked the tones that this unit provided. It seemed to have good standard effects and the distortions seemed pretty nice out of the box. The cabinet warping feature was really cool. There are 1,000?s of different combinations that could potentially be made from this unit. This unit seemed quite capable of producing pretty convincing vintage and metal tones at the fairly low volume levels I tested it out at. I did not like the fact that there was only 1 pedal to change patches up or down with? however the more expensive models do have this ability as well as the Genesis 3 does with the optional controlx floor controller. All in all it seemed like a pretty respectable unit, but it is a bit pricey currently at $299 for the GNX-1 and $399 for the GNX-2 which has a couple of additional features such as stomp box modeling and a talk-box type of ability.

It looked sturdy enough, but I?m sure it?s not perfect

Seems like a fairly nice unit if you are willing to pay the hefty price tag for it. Your best bet is to get one used with current pricing.

I like effects processors. So, when faced with a beast like the GNX1, I'm willing to be excruciatingly patient with the manual, tender at first when making adjustments, and delicate about factory patches. That being said, there's a certain order in the way this machine is laid out...it has the same knob/matrix paramater system as the RP-100, -200, etc., but with much sturdier buttons and everything written on the panel itself. I had already owned an RP-100, so this thing was a cinch for me. The only problems were the problems I've run into with almost any unit, like too many EQ options and sometimes redundant functions, but these are so minor, so easily overcome.

My Epi LP Standard has a GK-2A mounted on it and goes through a guitar synthesizer, which I set up to send the direct guitar signal to whatever effects I want (namely, the GNX1), and directly to the PA. I'll soon be fitting my guitar with the Fernandes sustainer system, so everything will therefore change, and my experience with the GNX1 won't be very useful to most people, so I'll tell you what it's like now, with stock alnico humbucking pickups:

-The clean sound is a magnificent thing when I use the warp feature (which others have explained) to mix an amp type like Blackface or British Combo with some dirtier one like Tweed or Blues. I EQ the really clean side to boost highs and high mids, and the crunchy side boosts the low end and low mid, if necessary. So, when I warp them, they cover the whole range; bear in mind that the end result is still completely clean and free of any distortion, which I prefer, but the notes have more sustain, are warmer, and seem separated better when I use chords. It's also useful to save this mixture, and then warp it again with the acoustic guitar model blended in slightly. Don't go too crazy with the acoustic model, though, as it is very hissy.

-For overdrive/distortion, I've found that there are the basic standouts like Rectifier, Fuzz, and Higain that each have unique characters, and then a whole bunch that sound similar, like Boutique and Modgain, Crunch and Blues, Cleantube and British Combo, and so forth... but these are useful in themselves for slight changes here and there. I like the midrange-heavy amp types most of the time, because I'm after Robert Fripp's sound (yeah, I know, be your own musician, don't copy...hey, I'm only human). I can't seem to get that bone-crushing explosion of sound that's effective here and there just for contrast, though. But that's not final, as there are many, many ways to alter your tone, and I might find it somewhere down the line.

-Finally, the effects...eh, okay. They serve their purpose, but none are exceptional. I was hoping the Whammy would be really good, but it's really impossible to play smooth lines with the pitch bent up an octave (a la Fripp), but I use it anyhow. Triggered Flanger and Triggered Phaser sound exactly like Flanger and Phaser, only much more pronounced. It would take a really good listener to detect the "triggering." Everything else is basically standard, aside from the YaYa (sometimes appropriate for power chords, in my opinion) and the Synthtalk, which is decent for special effects. Good variety!

It's made out of metal, and everything looks sturdy, but there are two niggling issues, one being the sticky third knob and the other one being the footpedal, which doesn't want to stay fully forward. This second problem is annoying especially with Whammy and warping patches, where the extremes (toe, heel) are important. I haven't tried calibrating it yet, so that might do the trick.

No experience with DigiTech, or any company whatsoever, music or otherwise...I just don't call customer support!

It's great for what it does, going straight to the PA along with a guitar synth, providing a copious amount of traditional and trippy options, and a moderate amount of control within patches themselves. It's less than half the price of the VG-88, and let me tell you, it sounds that way. But I'm a poor teenager...and besides, the VG-88 uses an internal guitar signal, it doesn't even utilize your guitar's pickups most of the time (it's another synth-type product). The POD was on my mind, but it had less effects and it wasn't floor-based right outta the box, which I need. J-Station: same deal as the POD. So, all roads leading to Olneyville, this is what I ended up with, and I like it so far.

It took a few reads of the manual to get my head around this unit but saying that it's the first multi FX I have used so maybee someone with a bit of FX experiance would have little if no problem.

I use a Fender Strat and a Levinson Blade guitar through the unit Sound is great through headphones I use it through them the most It sounds good through my Marshall AVT but there is a lot of hiss with the unit when used through the Marshalls FX loop

I would not like to use this unit live until the software switching problem is sorted out Digitech are working on this but they can not put there finger on the problem see the Genex comunity web site.
If it was not for this I would give the Unit 8 it is a sturdy piece of kit

The Digitech support took an age to respond to all the posts on ther web site regarding the switching problems

I play a vast array of styles and the unit has something to offer on all the styles I play. I think the factory pre sets require a little tweek they are a little too much but a few turns of the knobs sorts this out. A great user patch libary at the web site wich is a good thing. Not sure if I would replace the unit if stolen or broken though I may defect to the POD

It took some time to get used to it but after reading the manual it's easy to handle.

It's sound good. I'm mainly after Country twang and stones type of sounds sometimes a John Jorgensen, Will Ray nice boutique amp distortion. This one does it. I played it with two guitars, a reverend slingshot (see my review on HC)and a Asat classic. The reverend sound fantastic with the fender styled setting and i got a great AC/DC rhythm sound with the British Combo. The Asat want's warped amps nice Jerry Donahue clean country twang with Aucostic and Tweed warped. Some very nice distorted sound with most "modern amps" if a warp in just a bit of Blackface headroom. It DON't sound as a vintage amp BUT I can get descent (good) Tweed, blackface, marshall, SRV Blues, Vai, satriani, Eddie VH to fool around with. FUN.

Good, some problems with it switching by it self, software problem.

??

Great tool, nice effects more than I will ever need. GREAT to record with. Theres no way I can have access to these types of amp as an amateur. I can sit it the control room and dial in a great sound for every track and used that way it sounds at least as good as a miked amp. Great to practice with, I use headphones or some cheap PC speakers and have a great portable practice amp. I think i differ from most since im NOT after extreme effect but a way to have good sound even if i don't have access to a good amp and to have a flexible recording tool. For TONE i might get a reverend Hellhound. BUT i will keep this great tool for it's flexability. If I should by all effects it would cost A LOT more.

very easy to get good sounds out of it with the various distortions and the manual was easy to follow-as far as tweaking the effects it has been pretty simple.

my set-up=ibanez s-520/470/7-string rg to the gnx1 to a fender princeton chorus 2x10. the unit is fairly quiet.the rotating speaker is a little weak but the rest of the effects work fine. the rectifier amp sim is very good, very easy to get that metallica,megadeth ect. distortion, also with the "warping" feature i have come up with a very respectable vai/satch. sound.

no problems yet. seems solid enough.

haven't had to use it.

i play metallica/vai/led zep. all of these sounds i can get with the gnx1, though i do wish it had a uni-vibe effect, still i went and bought a boss gt-6 the other day(we're all looking for the ultimate tone-plus what guitarist dosen't like buying new toys?)-after three days of playing with it i'm sending it back-the effects are good but i like the distortions on the gnx1 better-i just wasn't impressed enough with the gt-6 to justify spending $400. when i'm happy with the gnx1.the built in drum machine/metronome is a nice bonus too. if it were lost or stolen i'd get a gnx2 (more effects).

This unit has got a brainless opperation; Turn a knob - get a tone, its as easy as that. As long as you have experience with effect modeling, you'll get it instantly.

It sounds fantastic, the amp tones are exquisite, I kind of miss actually having tubes in the unit, but it fakes it pretty well for my purposes. The ability to tune your cabinet to a resonant frequency was particularly exiting and the effects all sound great. My only qualm is that you can't turn off the EQ patch (or at least I haven't figured that out yet) it gets annoying to run through an amp tone EQ'd by a cabinet then the cabtune, to the Bass Mid Treble knobs then the Post-amp EQ. I like the option of that much flexibility but it turns out it's not really an option, you just have to tweek and tweek to get the right balance between the EQ's but it's still worth it. I also have trouble balancing the noise gate, but unfortunately, Ive never been good at that.

You could probably throw this thing at a wood chipper and it might scratch the paint a bit. It's a sturdy little unit that you can really depend on. I'v only had one problem with it and that was I programmed an effect that kept switching distortions, spontaneously in the middle of songs I was playing but I worked out the kinks.

I live about 15 minutes from the factory floor and a few of the guys are friends of mine. The customer support is awesome if you don't mind shootin' the shit with the techies for a while.

I play (and have tones) anywhere from Kirk Hammet and Tony Rombola to The Edge and Ross Childress to BB king, Angus Young and Dusty Hill and these are just 7 of the many more, Id say this is the most versitile unit next to it's counterpart the GNX-2. I've played the guitar for ten years and I didn't even touch an electric untill I was three years into the hobby. My fist amp was a peavy studio chorus amp(solid state) that I traded for a digitech valve effectsand I've been hooked on Digitech ever since. The next unit was the 2112 and that was the best toy I've played with untill I found the GNX-1. The only thing I miss about the 2112 is the ability to have a programmable effects chain. After I sold it, I got used to just playing with my Fender Hot-Rod Deville and a wah pedal and that was it. When I bought the GNX-1, I was so happy to be returnd th the realm of flexible creativity that the programmable effects chain was a thing of the past. Then to top it all off, it had assignable LFO's, and an expression pedal (also fully programmable) with a toe switch for the wah, a first for Digitech. I'm happy with my pedal.