DigiTech GSP-2101

I have owned for about 4 yrs now, and still don't know everything. The owners manual wasn't very helpful with setting up foot controller, and had to read twice for everything else. I think that I am pretty good at understanding directions too.I didn't use any of the original patches, to me they sounded sterile. I did upgrade to dual s-processing (2112) which at least allowed for more chained effects.

first I had 2101>Hafler G300>marshall cabs 75w Celestions. Then I bought Marshall 9200 w 5881s (sound was starting to come around) Then I found the Mesa/Boggie Tri-axis. I got tired of programing, and serching for something that just wasn't there. It took me away from what it is all about! PLAYING! Don't take this wrong, the 2101 is a great unit, but to me it's not the real thing. Pure analog is the ONLY way to go. If I'm going to use digital effects I want the effect to be transparent. These A/D D/A converters just don't cut it! It is more than obviouse when I run the Tri-axis through effects return and then into amp (one effected channel,one dry) My amp now is a M/B Simulclass 2-90. I do like the Grunge distortion though, it sounds alot like Randy Rhoads, with midrange scoop.

My foot controller did go out on me, and I did send it in. It cost me around $150 for repairs. They were pretty friendly and the turn around was reasonable.

As stated above

Well, I think for some this might be the "Cats Meow", but for me I out grew it. I play on a PRS Custom 22, Fender American Deluxe w/Maple neck and Texas Specials through Mesa/Boggie and Marshall cabs. This just can't be touched. The sensativity of the strings is not comparable, the sound is far better, and I get to play without the hassle of changing the programs because I can't get what I want. If I were just starting out and looking for something, I would just get Marshall 2000 series combo amp. Like 60w. and build from there. or Mesa/Boogie rectifier combo. That way you already have your tone quality. and you will not outgrow, you will grow into. I wish someone would of told me that. I would of saved myself a LOT of time and money!!! Then later You can get an effects procesor than has high quality A/D D/A converters, like T.C. electronics. All this for the same cost of 2101-2120>Amplifier>speaker cabs. If your allready running a Combo or head you waisting your cash!

I've owned this prossessor for a little over three years and belived that you had to be a mad rocket scientist to figure out how to use this thing. After a few months I got used to it inside and out and made some of the best sounds I've ever heard from my rig. All and all it does take some time and tweaking, but have the patience and you shall be happier than a little school girl.

I use the Digitech 2101 (Artist) going through a Marshall 8008 stereo power amp into two 4x12 Marshall Valvestate cabs (they fit in your trunk better). The 2101 is a clean, quiet unit that once again with a little tweaking can blow your head off with tone that you can get out of this single rack. Every effect in it tonally sounds excellent but I don't recommend that the vintage player looking for that old fender twin tone purchase this any time soon. I play many different guitars through the unit and each one sounds like it should. You still can tell which guitar you have in your hand when playing through this unit.

I have had no problems with the unit that is out of the ordinary, besides dirty jacks and that sort of thing. I've used it as my main rig for as long as I've had it and feel that it's very reliable. If you take care of your things you seldom have any problems with them.

I've never had any work or upgrades done to it but I have delt with the company regarding other products. They are a bit slow with information but you can expect that.

I would cry if it ever got stolen or dammaged, and then probably buy the 2120. I love this unit because it does everything I need it for from Hard Metal tones to Blues. I use it all the time, make my own patches everyday, and it still kicks as much as it did the day I heard it for the first time. I shouldn't really give this away but a small secret in my rig that took the tone of the 2101 and kicked it into the next century was the BBE 362 Sonic Maximizer. It takes your highs and lows that are already there and cleans and tightens them right up to the point where it is quite a difference. I recommend this unit to all that is cool!!

My goal with this review is to be point-blank honest in this review. I love this unit, but I will point out its flaws just as clearly as its good points.

The 2101's ease of use depends on your experience w/ programable units, and/or if you are willing to learn. If you're used to creating your own patches/algorithms and are slightly tech minded or have a desire to learn, it's cake. If you hard-headed and stuborn about tech stuff and just want to plug and play or are a self-proclaimed "knob-twister" and are not willing to devote any more time to your sound than a twist of a knob, this is probably not the processor for you.

Here's the grain of salt to take my opinions with. I have been playing the guitar for almost 23 years now, and I have made my living at it for 11 of those. I am rating this as an EFFECTS PROCESSOR, NOT A PRE-AMP. IMHO, the distortion sounds on this unit (as with almost all digitech gear) really blow. They are sloppy, thin, and lazer-like (not in a good way). The clean/semi-clean sounds are just okay - no brilliance (ie: not going to touch a Fender Twin, etc). I am a firm believer that tone is derived in the pre-amp section of the amp, and, no matter what it says on the face of this unit, it is not a true dedicated "pre-amp", it is an effects processor.

Whew, glad that's out of the way. I have the 2101LE w/ the dual s-disk and Artist upgrades. I do use the C1 and the usual guitars (Fender, Gibson, Gretsch) in a rig with a Mesa TriAxis, 2:90, and assorted cabs. I actually prefer to drive midi with the C1 and midi control in the 2101 over the Mesa Abacus. With some tweaking, it is amazing. I have used this rig in the studio many times and it has credit on at least one current top 40 hit (as of Sept. 99). Some producers actually have preferred it over Matchless, Vox, Fender, and Marshall rigs that I have, and specifically request it on certain sessions. It is extremely versital, easily programmed, and gives me "total recall" and archiving ability. If I find a sound that a certain producer of artist likes, I archive it on my computer and load it back in before any sessions/ gigs with that producer/artist. It has become a part of the rig that I use almost exclusively for live gigs and I LOVE it. The compressor is a smack-machine. It has unbelievable pop to it. Which is perfect for country and funk.

Once again this rating is as an EFFECTS PROCESSOR AND MIDI CONTROLLER, NOT A PRE-AMP.

I do have a back up simply because of digitech's less-than-pristine track record, but I have never had to use it...better safe than sorry.

Never dealt with them.

I play all kinds of music -- mostly Rock, some Jazz, some A/C, and as little country as possible (and still make the car payment - in Nashville) although my primary gig is a "new country - 80's rock" kind of thing. Granted, I have almost 5 years of programming this beast under my belt, but there is not a fully-programable guitar EFFECTS processor that can touch it. Once you make it over the worst of the learning curve, it's really quick and user friendly. I have played the new 2112/2120 and was extremely disapointed in how many features they have changed...Digitech really screwed things up with their "up-grades" to the 12 and 20. I guess everyone's catering to the "plug and play" bozos.

Because of endorsement hassles, I cannot officially endorse this product with my name. But I am on the road a lot and would be happy to answer an questions I can at my generic hotmail account.

The factory presets tend to be too wet for use in band context. They need to be cleaned up a bit, but they make for a good starting point to work from. There are so many parameters to tweak that it can be overwealming at first. Fx chemistry is both a science and an art. Some people have a knack for it. The rest of us just have to keep trying until it starts to make sense. This is a good unit to start with if you don't mind jumping in feet first and learning how to swim in the deep end.
If you are unfamiliar with electronic gadetry, the learning curve can be quite steep. The manual wasn't real helpful to me. it's very detailed and not always clear. Plus, they complicated things by including technical info on the different fx do that didn't make much sense to me. There were some things that I never did quite figure out ie assingning the footswitch to control various parameters.

My guitar signal always went direct to the 2101. From there I sent a signal from the back directly to the sound board. That always sounded good. I've used various guitar amps to monitor my own signal on stage. The 2101 sounded good through a Fender Twin. It sounded so good with that that I used to put a mike in front of the amp and feed that to the board. I eventually unloaded the Twin becasue it was just too large and heavy to haul around anymore. it was more than I needed for a monitor. after that, I used a Peavy Bandit and/or a Marshall Valvestate. they sounded OK, but nothing like the Twin. I always fed my signal direct to the board from the back of the 2101 after that. The bonus of the twosolid state amps is that sometimes I could go stereo. Stereo is really where the 2101 shines in my opinion. Unfortunately, I am not always able to send a stereo signal over the PA system so the audience could enjoy it.
The delay & chorus are excellent. There are also a number of other fx that are very good - too numerous to mention. The 2101 pretty much has it all. That's why I got it in the first place. The tremelo and the wha suck. There are six types of distortion to choose....3 solid state and 3 tube. The solid state such and the tube ones were ok. I was playing an American Strat with stock pickups which are low gain. That is a factor to consider when I say that I was never very pleased with the 2101 distortion. I was about to upgrade my Strat pickups to stacked humbuckers when it got stolen along with the 2101.
I'd like to thank the people who stole my GSP 2101. I ended up getting a Roland VG-8EX with the insurance $$ and I feel that I have stepped forward about ten steps. Thanks, whoever you are. I've got comments on the VG-8EX here in the Effects Database if you're interested.

I never had problems with it. I protected my investment with an SKB rack case and still handled it with care. I suppose there is always the risk of problems simply because there is so much packed into the casing. I was fortunate I guess.

I phoned the company for help in interpreting the manual once. Long distance. I was on the phone for at least 15 minutes with a tech as we tried to figure how to activate the wah on the footcontroller for a certain patch. I dont recall if we ever did figure it out. I can't say I was too impressed although the tech certainly did try hard. the phone call cost me.

Christian praise and worship. I've got to be versatile as we play a wide variety of styles. Christan music isn't just Mabel on the organ anymore. The 2101 was very useful to me for the five years that I had it. I was able to craft tones that fit pretty much was going on at the time. But like I say, I don't miss it a bit. I'm glad someone removed it for me. The Roland VG-8EX does as much and more.

One's you've learned it, it's far easier than 2120. Pretty simple but very easy and effectieve.

The distortion sound are quite pour. The lack of sensitivity and dynamics. Most digital amps sound like that, and compared to others it's not bad, but certainly not analog (read dynamic !). I use the compressor, volume knob and a lot of EQ's to get a good sound. It is possible, but it's really hard to get an good "clean" suntainfull distortion with the hisses and pour soundquality. Although I use premium tubes (Mesa Boogie, Groove Tubes) it doesn't get much better. Chorus and Pitchshifter are week too, but not bad at all. Overal the sound is pretty good and you can really make your own sound so that's really cool, realtime effect controll is 100 % cool. Just wished the tubes sounded more realistic.
I play on a Les Paul and a Ibanez Universe 7 (7string VAI) trough a VOX Wah (really good) into the digitech. XLR out puts with speaker compansation to a Behringer Ultrafex (enhancer/exciter, really good) to a Mesa Boogie Simul Class 395 (2x90 all tube "from heaven" power amp, Marshall is nothing compaired to this) to an Marshall 1960 4x12".

Depends. When it starts to fuck, it really starts to fuck and it can get you in a lot of trouble for a long time. But if it runs o.k., you're lucky and happy, because then it works good. But I just had a lot of trouble with Digitech stuff over the years. But it should say enough that I still want to use them, over a lot of other brands.

Don't know. I live in Europe, so no telling.

Good machine, with a lot of endless possibilities, which is really great. EQ section is unmissable, and really good. I always use and extra EQ on every preset. To bad the machine sound a bit too digital and misses the dynamics of "real" tubes.

Once you're used to it, a snap. I upgraded to the dual S-Disc and artist. Tone galore.

The best. Better than the 2112, better than the 2120, the RP-10 and the Johnson Millennium. This is, in my opiion, the best sounding unit that I have ever had the joy of playing through. I play it through a Peavey 4x12 with a Supreme 160 head.

Hasn't gone down yet...

Classic Digitech. Sucky.

I bought a Line6 Ax2 212 about a week before trading it in for this unit. The Line6 was $1200, and the store wouldn't take it back for anything but store credit. I dealt with EU Wurlitzer, and when I told them I was unhappy with the amp and wanted a 2101, they told me "We don't do Digitech". So I'm stuck with $1200 store credit in a store full of idiots who can't get me what I want. Anyhow, I kept the amp, went to a DJM, traded it in (a WEEK old, mind you) for $600. We all get screwed at music stores, and this was a prime example of my Line6 suddenly being worth half as much a week later. But, my irritation went away when I plugged in the 2101, ripped out slick tone, and had the unit that I wanted. Buy this unit first, avoid my mistake. The best, most versatile, flexable preamp/processor available.

It's extremely hard to get a good sound out the unit. That's probably the reason people rate this thing so high and so low. The Gsp has everything you can imagine. This means you will have to adjust everything in the setting that you like. It shurely is not a "plug and play" device. You need a LOTT of time to understand it and even more to set it right. The factory presets are nice to show the possibillities of this machine but they are overdone. But you can use these patches easily to create new programs. But the sound is in there.....you just have to search.........if you can and willing. You'll probably never ever learn to use thing to the fullest. You can put any unit on any place in the fx-loop(but there are limitations). SO IT'S HARD TO USE BUT THAT'S ALL BECAUSE IT'S A HUGE FX -DEVICE

I use the gsp and 2 marshall8080 amplifiers. Let's not overdo this. The gsp is far superior of any fx-kit on this planet but there are a lot of "one-effect" units that sound better. But remember you can not buy everything..(well maybe ya can, but I can't). I sold my wah-pedal to buy this instrument. This was a huge mistake. The smooth wah on the gsp sounds good enough but it is midi controlled and therefore a bit slow. The distortions have a lack of gain. Well some off them

It still works..but I didn't take it out yet. It needs to be in a rack because it is pretty delicate but then again every tube amplifier is more delicate than a normal amplifier.

I play in a cover band playing everything from alanis to skunk anansie, meatloaf to metallica etc,etc I have never had a problem with getting the right effect.

Pretty standard for rackmount stuff

Awful. I had a gsp 21 as well, it went to the junk heap, after several lengthy attempts to get it fixed. Several fasteners came loose inside the chassis and started banging around, must have shorted something out at some point.

Unhelpful. They had the unit for months, returned it with the same problem it went out with. Wrote a letter to the CEO, it was ignored.

I, for one, will never buy (or even demo) another Digitech product. They seem to think we're all kids with tons of our parent's money to spend.

Always easy. editing is a breeze

Sounds great, but the factory patches are a little over board. Had to adjust down on everything from echos to flangers.

Here's a problem. I tried to load a user patch from a website. The 2101 began displaying strange characters and now I can't get it to do anything.

Dunno yet,guess I'm fixin' to find out.

Gonna hold off until I get word back from the manufacturer and ultimately the technician.

My gear: Paul Reed Smith CE22 maple top , Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro , Digitech 2101 (upgrade Artist 3.00), Soldano SP77, Peavey 50/50, Marshall 1912 (2), Dunlop Wah
I need different sounds in a flick of a switch. I play modern rock.
Ease of use: 7 When using standard presets it gets a 10. Creating your own algorithms (effect routings) i'll give a 7. If you have no experience programming presets it is very difficult, but that's a general problem. Suggestion: when you create your own algorithms, draw it on paper, that's half the work. (The digitech 2112 has visualised routings !)
The clean presets are useable if you adapt them. The gain presets sounds like chicken shit. The noisegate isn't subtile when closing (although closed is closed). The chorus starts sometimes over again with a click. The delay doesn't end now and then (how did i do that)
In general the factory presets are too spacy. You have to 'dry' it. The pre-amp section is too weak. The digital section is absolutely not dynamic. It colors the sound very, very much. For example: when i link my Soldano SP77 to the return inputs of the 2101 (the digital section) it doesn't sound like a Soldano !?. Same story for a Rocktron Piranha, Marshall jmp-1, ADA mp-1, MesaBoogie V-twin. The ultimate test: the sound of a preamp through the digital FX on bypass must be the same sound without any FX. Only Rocktron FX (Intellifex/Repliflex) does that !!! (I don't know about the TC-Electronics G-Force and the Lexicon MPX).
Positive: good GEQ, PEQ, delays, reverbs
It took me one year to create an algorithm that makes my 2101 sounds tight, warm and heavy at the same time. I really tried every possible routing and combination of effects. The results ?. If Digitech Corp. hear my presets/algorithms they will absolutely buy them(React please) The difference between the standard and my own presets are like day and night or heaven and hell (i have to preach a little bit, i'm a reli-rocker, sorry ...)

Tube preamp (2 12ax7a tubes) + digital effectprocessor. extra: Artist 3.00 upgrade. Now 240 presets. Random effects use in any thinkable order. Expansion board memory available (spillover function possible)

I bought the 2101 new in 1994. The problems till so far: - processor crashed 5 times. All my presets where lost !!! It feels like loosing your identity. (that's the reason i make system exclusive dumps(SYX) on my PC) - dark display - datawheel jumps to different presets (maybe the evil forces?) - pedal on the footcontroller didn't react properly. The wiring was not adequate attached. - output volumes (left/right) not the same level
When i wanted to trade my 2101 the music shop didn't want a Digitech because of the problems with Digitechs in general. They even won't sell them new !!!

From Holland to America is a long way. I payed for fixing the problems, because the warranty was ended. Is it possible to declarate ? I don't think so.

In 1994 the 2101 was the best all-in-one box (in buying it). Now the new 2112 is. Tomorrow the 2120 is. I'd better buyed a Marhall JMP-1/Rocktron Intellifex/Boss FC that time I recommend everyone to buy a single full-tube preamp and a single FX- unit. It will cost a little more, but you get a honest, dynamic sound that will not get boring in the long run. Single units are more flexible when trading or changing sound. It has also stable occasion prices. I hate that Digitech comes so fast with new products (2101,2101 artist,2101 dual, 2112, 2112 artist, 2120)
I won't defenitely buy a Digitech again ...
please feel free to react and mail me :-)

this is the easest unit i have ever used. patch editing is cake. maual is ok, absolutly sucks when it comes to describing how to create your own algorythims, but then again that is so simple they really don't need to say much.

i run a gnl sc-3 (gnl = the best strats on the market) into the 2101 into a bbe 462 into a marshall 9100 into a marshall 4x12. the wah suchs, but what do you expect it is digital. I can get anything from raunchy dirty blues sounds to metal, to funky neck pickup rhtym sounds to fat jazz sounds

my rig died on me once at one gig, and i am not sure what or why it did this i think something over heated probably the 2101, but no fuses or tubes were blown, threw a couple fans back there has never had any problems since then. i have had it for probably 2-3 years played 500 gigs or so with it love it.

never neaded any

it is great

The manual is pretty lame, it doesn't explain how to create your own algorithms. Editing the pre-set patches is very simple and straight forward. The foot control is very easy to program and operate but is hard to allow the pedal to be used with a different effect.

I have it running through a Carvin 300 watt F series power amp and a peavey 4-12 cabinet. The wah sucks because it's digital. The pitch shifters suck because they are to slow. I wanted to get endless sustain like Dweezil Zappa but that wasn't going to happen because the stupid noise gate cuts off the note. So if you want a little sustain you can hear some noise if you don't want noise you don't get sustain. The pre-amp reaks because it's too weak. It won't even drive the 300 watt power amp.

I have used it on the road about 20 times and I only blew a fuse 1 time.

The company was very friendly and helpful. A representative helped me get some extra sustain over the phone.

I like to play Led Zeppelin and if anyone knows Jimmy Page they know that he likes sustain. But he wouldn't get it with this. I've been playing for 5 years I own a Carvin DC135 guitar and I'm going to sell the GSP2101 if anyone knows of a good effects processor send me an e-mail. To conclude, it seems that the people at digitech don't know what guitar players like, a quiet unit with good sustain and good effects.

I previously owned a mp-1. When I got this thing I was very excited. Then when I got it home it was very difficult to get the sound I was looking for. I had alot of trouble editing and adding effects and I never had any experience in this area. So at first I was disappointed. I have had it over three years now and I love it more than ever. And still have not touched on its possibilities, but don't like the fact that I am limited to the amount of effects in a chain. However I don't really use alot of effects anyway outside of tube distortion. This thing was originally sold on the idea that you could have any amount of effects in any order so i feel a bit decieved. someday I might buy the expanision card. My software is 1.02 haven't seen any bugs but have ordered the free 2.0 upgrade.

I think the sound quality is superior and can compare to anything I've heard. The wah is very weak and I don't even understand what some of the effects are. I just usually go to a factory preset that sounds decent and tweak till I get the sound I'm looking for. Reverbs are slight to unreal and everything in between. I generally only use the tube distortions which I can get a extremely fat natural tube sound out of. My only complaint is I want more tube gain fron this thing. I turn on the compressor at its maximum gain, 1.5 ratio to push the distortion over the edge. With the ADA mp-2, I don't need anything to get the right amount gain and sustain. However, this method on the 2101 has worked great and the tube distortion is more natural sounding. I have a problem with this thing sounding inconsistent. It seems the longer I play the it startes sounding. I will turn it off after sounding great and saving my settings and the next day (only sometimes) won't sound as exciting. (probally just my playiong that isn't as exciting) Anyone else noticed this?

Never had one problem with it . I do get concerned because I have heard that problems can occur with digital equiptment and electrical storms, surges and spikes. One time I was playing and it was raining outside then the electricity went out came back on and went out again really fast. I waited for the lights to come on for awhile the turned it on and everything was fine to my surprise. After that I went and bought a surge protecter. I recently was looking for a pot near the tubes which I thought might boost the gain from the opp-amp and broke out a 400v capacitor that is behind the tubes. The thing was plugged in and still played and sounded good.

Called them for the first time when I found out I could get a free updated software and they said they would send it. I haven't got it yet but its only been about a week. Then I called again about the broken capicitor. The tech couldn't tell what the capacitor did or if it could damage my unit, but did offer to sent it to me free of charge. I haven't got it yet but its not even been a week yet. It was a bit difficult to get a live body. Ive had this unit over three years and no other problems. And the one I'm having is my own fault.

i WOULD DEFINITELY BUY THIS UNIT AGAIN!. THIS THING IS A CREATIVE MUSIC MAKING TOOL THAT CAN GET IN DEPTH AS MUCH AS YOU WANT TO GO OR STAY AS SIMPLE AS YOU WANT. IT IS A PROFESSIONAL PIECE OF EQUIPTMENT AND PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE IT PROBALLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ALL IT COULD DO AND DIDN'T SPEND ENOUGH TIME TO FIND OUT HOW SATISFYING IT CAN BE. I'VE HAD IT OVER THREE YEARS AND AM JUST NOW FINDING OUT HOW TO GET THE PERFECT TONE THAT I'M LOOKING FOR AND COULD STILL GET INVOLVED WITH THE DIGITAL ASPECT AND SPEND THE NEXT TEN YEARS TRYING TO PERFECT THOSE TO MY LIKINGS. HOWEVER, DON'T GET ME WRONG THIS THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO TAKE THIS LONG FOR YOU. I MESSED WITH THE GLBAL EQ AND WAS NEVER RIGHT. THEN I TOOK DIGITECH'S ADVICE AND SET THE EQ FLAT AND JUST USE THE LOCAL EQ AND NOW I'M HAPPY

I consider myself somewhat techno.....the manual does not cover with great clarity how to set up your own user algorithms. Other than that, if you are satified with the stock algorithms (most of which are pretty decent) you'll be OK.

The distortion effects as well as the clean sounds are pretty good. The distortion is quite noisy at high gain settings. I really don't care for noise gate, compressor and wah sounds.

This is where it gets ugly. This unit is not dependable at all! I owned (notice past tense) this unit for 1-1/2 years. In that time frame the unit broke down 3 times. Two times were at a gig! The first time it was sent in for cold solder joints on the main circuit board. The second time both front and back input jacks failed (how this could happen seems a bit strainge). Service and turnaround time were poor. The third time it went haywire, I was able to repair it myself. The main transformer came loose. The hardware was floating around in the chassis causing shorts. I expect better reliability than this out of a unit in the > $1000.00 price range. I will NEVER by another Digitech product again.

Customer support should be renamed customer confusion.

Sounds were pretty good. Reliability is poor! I replaced this piece of @#$% with a Mesa Triaxis. End of problem.

Prior to this, I had an RP-1, then a GSP-21 Legend, so using the 2101 was MOS - very easy. The Artist patches are a great addition (mine was upgraded to 3.00.00a), and greatly improved the pitch shifting and tuner. A great deal for $90. The manual is okay, and has been helpful as time goes on - like when you want to try something new. But when I first got the unit, the manual was very tough to read without more understanding of the unit. This is an incredible machine that can do far more than anyone will ever need - it requires time and actual studying to get the most out of it. This is the best sounding unit on the market, IMHO, better than the 2112 from what I've heard so far. I'm keeping this one forever.

Sound quality is outstanding. I use tubes for nearly every sound (usually take a preset and tweak it), and that gives a singing transparency that I've missed. Most don't realize you can tweak two of the tube distortions to an incredible degree - you can actually tell the 2101 how hard to hit each tube, which gives endless possibilities. Changing tubes to Sovteks may help the hard core, but mine are the stock Pentas. The reverbs are incredible, and the rest of the effects are nearly as good. I can't criticize any of them now that I've had some time using this thing. Yes, there are times it gets noisy - you cannot expect high gain settings to be quiet and fully dynamic at the same time. It kills me to hear self-proclaimed tube purists bemoan the fact that their tube effects units make noise! Be wise in how you hook the 2101 up, and it will run quieter than anything out there, and sound fantastic. I have a very complex setup, relatively speaking, and have managed to achieve quiet operation (and I play mostly in church!), so low noise is not an option.

Once I had to reset to factory settings to fix a memory error - another user told me to do this to solve the problem, and it worked. Now I know that after you spend a year tweaking constantly, a device like this requires a fresh palate to work from. I wrote down my settings, reset the unit, put the settings back, and it sounded better than ever. It also gave me a chance to reorganize some things, which made performance easier. My unit gets used constantly, and has been 100% reliable.

I have called and emailed for support advice - quick response times and intelligent answers are what I get. I needed a manual after my Artist upgrade, they sent me two (by mistake, I think) for free. I doesn't get any better. I did get the Artist upgrade, as mentioned earlier - no problems. After the upgrade, I noticed the headphone jack was only working on one side - it had to go back to Digitech. They had it for about a week, upgraded my firmware to the last revision, and fixed the problem. I didn't even pay shipping (warranty). Nothing to complain about.

I'd buy it again in a heartbeat, even over the 2112 (which lacks balanced outputs, which I rely on heavily). I wish it had more knobs for real time control (the 2112 does...), but other than that, it's nearly perfect. It is the most musical sounding device I've ever owned, I think. I say that because I get more comments on my tone from non-musicians, who noticed immediately that something was different. During that time, I was so into the sound of this thing that I would quit playing only under threat of expulsion - the sound was in a different zone, you know what I mean? Go buy one of these - I see them all over for $5-600 used. The Control 1 is awesome for stage use, so get one if you can. The 2112 is great, and does have some advantages, but most of the working musicians who have tried both give the edge to the 2101 in sound quality.

Extremely easy to use and program. The key pads and jog wheel make it very easy to go right to the parameter you want to work on. However, the manual could be a little better at explaining the breakdown of the parameters.

I have no problem with the sound except for that some of the overdrive patches produce kind of a low-end clipping sound that is pretty ugly. I'm still trying to figure out if that is the unit or my amp (Marshall 40watt valvestate). If any one has any insight on this please email me: TVieira@ix.netcom.com

So far, so good. (a couple of months of full-time club work)

In general, I'm pretty happy with it. Once I find out what the low-end clipping sound is I'll be very happy. Also I'm curious to try using groove tubes to see how big of difference that makes.

Editing this unit is easy to learn, they actualy maneged to make what could be a very complex programming task easy! User assignable function keys on the front pannel, auto linking (signal routing) of user definable effect chains is a killer feature.... in many ways this unit is similar to the Eventide 4000 guitar processor, (Without the sound quality and the price)

I have owned this unit for about a year, At first I loved the sounds after a while I grew to hate them.... there is somthing very stiff about the chorus, and the very digital sounding reverbs.... tin rooms. But having siad that, the sounds are usable. The analog section is cool. The device sounds great direct into a board, however I have been bypassing the pre section in favor of my Boogie mark IIb preamp.

(The real reason why I'm submiting this review) Last night, on a gig the inputs on it started messing up. I suffered total signal loss several times. It killed me. It has been "limping" of late, I noticed a few DB level drop depending on the input I used, that got to be more and more over time. It all came to a head last night when the input on the rear stoped working all together. ... You only have to have a unit go out on a gig once, to realy lose faith and my fait in this unit is gone.

I would not buy this unit again. I do not recomend it to anyone, I know that it would work quite well for some folks, and it will (once I get it fixed) live in my studio rack, but for me it has proven unrelaiable for live use... In addition, it can take up to a full second to switch patches (even with the cross fade seemless option, there is a noticable and long delay... and no delay in the analog section which can cause a jerky sounding patch change)... if you must get one, get it cheap and used, then it *might* be worth it.

Note: This is a review of the GSP-2101 Limited Edition The studio tube's factory algorithms are easily changed to met the user's needs. The only complication occurs when designing new ones. The manual is extremly vague in this area. As far as the sound goes, its great. The seemless patch changes are way over rated

just as the unit sounds at the guitar stores, it is fabulous. The six types of distortion cover all the bases and allow each player to develop in new directions of sound. All ddl's sound great and are smooth. The wah belongs in the garbage!!! Get the cry baby rack unit. when using the non-programable whammy sound weak at times when your trying to sound "normal" (dry side). Turn down the gates!!!

The unitself has seemed to funtion properly every time it has been turned on. at times it hanges on effects are decides to make weird bumps upon changes with the FC1. FC one realtime controller needs to be longer to allow a smother and more precise range of motion.

If you like the unit and can stand to be out on your own, Then DOD/ Digitech is your company!!!! My unit came missing a switch (yes, the "hand tested and inspected" limeted edition) and when I tried to get it fixed I was told that it did not exist!!! When I finally got return authorization to install the switch, they did not repalce the noisy volume pot witch I noted on the phone and in a letter encolsed on top of the unit. To top that off, they deleted two of my algorithims and over twenty presets!!!! I'm so pissed over the whole thing I will never buy another DOD product again. it would be worth buing ten other units at three times the cost. lets face it, if you can afford $1500 on a hobby (which it is for me); you should not get --cked around like that.

The unit is great and I will not let it go; but I pray every time I turn it on that it well be O.K.!!!!! I maily play prog/metal (Vai, Dream Theater ...) and have found that I can get real close to most of the sound I need with just the 2101. But as noted above, it is bad business to do your higher-end customers wrong.

Very easy to get a great sound. I've downsized from a 20 space Bradshaw system to a 2101, Eventide h3000se, BBE 422a and Marshall 9200. I couldn't believe it could sound this good!! Editing is a breeze creating algorythms is a little difficult a first but once you get the hang of it it's not so bad. The seamless patch change (PPC210) and foot controller options are a must. The manual is adequate.

Very quiet, the effects are great for live guitar use. The harmonizer (smart shift) tracks extremely well, although it is a little noisey in the background. I've been able to keep my fridge (20 space rack) in my room without thinking twice.

My Control One's ext expression pedal function no longer works (1 month old). Everything else seems fine. I do use it without a backup. In all fairness my singer kicked my external expression pedal out of the jack while I was using it.

Very nice people. My unit came with an older software ver. They upgraded me for no charge even paid the shipping to Canada.

I love this baby. I've had a big rack for 11 years. This is a wet dream. I can carry it by myself and it sounds like I need four guys to lift it!!! I'm a little disapointed in the seamless patch change option, there is still a little gap between presets, but only in the preamp section not the effects. I'm afraid here Bob Bradshaw still wins. Fix it guys!!! and it will be PERFECT. I've tried and used a squillion different preamps and effects and for an all in one unit, this blows away anything else!!!

Note: This is a review of the GSP-2101 Limited Edition I have owned Digitech products before so I am familiar with their stuff. Editing pathes is very easy. The strenght of this unit is creating algorithms from scratch, this is much more difficult. Adding mixers is very confusing, and I'm used to Digitech products! It takes alot of experementing but once you learn, its not too bad. The manual is very weak in explaining, creating patches from scratch, don't waste alot of time reading it over like I did, you have to get your hands dirty and dive right in to learn it, but once you do, you will see what makes this unit so great.

This unit is very quiet, but I noticed the noise gates on the preset patches are set a little high for my playing( rock, heavy metal), however this is very easy to fix. I feel Digitech effects are the best in the business out of all the prossesers I have used, except for the wah, Digitech should go back to the drawing on this one. Its a good thing cry baby wahs are relativly cheap! The distotion tones are unbelievable! There simply isn't any tone you can't get with this unit. The blues patches are unreal and the dynamics via the tubes are "hair tingling". The reverbs, well I've yet to hear any that even compare, especially Gigaverb. I never even new how to play jazz until I hit the jazz presets on this unit, they are that good!

Well I think I just have bad luck becase the one I bought started making funny noises right out of the box. It wasn't a big deal though because the dealer I bought it from let me use another one until it is fixed. I've heard that if anything is going to go wrong on Digitech stuff it usually happens right away. I would always have some kind of back up on a gig!

The customer support I have had so far from Digitech has been terable! They sent back my unit in record time(1week) and I got it home and it was doing the exact same thing.Whats up with that? I am still waiting for it now (2weeks).

Except for the wah this is the best preamp/processor I have ever used, period! I should have bought this unit right from the start, especially considering the bath I took on all the products that I bought and traded in along the way, on my long quest for "guitar tone supremecy", oh well you live and learn I guess. If you want the confidance of knowing that you can get any tone, or play any style of music that you want,this is the unit for you.

Pretty straightforward to use, however there are many undocumented features, as well as features not well explained in the manual. Editing presets is relatively easy, creating new algorithms takes a bit of work until you learn the system.

The unit is quiet as long as the output knob remains at 12 o'clock or less (which is Digitech's recommendation anyway). The "silencer"/noise gate works extremely well- get used to your system being silent. Only cuts off tail in extreme settings.Digital effects are "OK," there is a loss of definition/clarity with the reverbs. Presets are generally over done with effects (trying to grab you in the store) and you will generally need to "dry them out" for playing live. This unit's real strength is putting sound direct to tape. I feel it is lacking "balls" in live use- the sound is somewhat muffled and dark through 2x12 Mesa cabs.

The buttons (especially the arrow buttons) began to stick with use. With the footcontroller, it would send "pedal all the way down" messages at random, especially fun when you are controlling volume or distortion.....

The customer support people were knowledgable, accessible, and took care of my problems right away. They even sent me a free ROM upgrade to repair my FC problem.

I ended up getting tired of the "overly processed" sound, and bought a Mesa Triaxis for live use. But, the guy I sold it to was pretty happy.....

I am used to Digitech stuff, so this was a breeze. The manual is good. The best way to edit patches is to find the basic sounds in the preset patches, and then edit them to taste. I liked the reverb and tone settings on patches 8 and 22, and made 8 or 10 very usable patches from these just by adding distortion, chorus, etc. Don't consider this unit complete without the chip upgrade. The switching is too slow.

The sound quality is excellent. Sometimes I play my guitar straight into a fender amp just to get a basis for the tone quality. After 5 minutes I go back to the 2101 and am happy to do so.

I have done about 200 gigs with no trouble whatever.

I was probably a pin in the ass to the techs a time or two before I got wise and upraded with the extra s-disc chip. They never threw me off the telephone.

I tried several other high end units. This shines. The only complaint I have is the lack of an input level control. How the hell they could have missed such an obvious feature amaizes me. The problem comes when you switch to a guitar with a different output level and can't compensate. the result, for example, is that when I put down my Strat with low output, and put on my Paul, with high output is that the clean patches become louder, and the compressed and distorted patches get wimpy. A simple knob would do the trick. The only solution I could come up with was to design similar use patches on a different bank with the output compensated for in the preamp section. This was a pain in the ass. I hope Digitech is listening. Also, this unit could use another effects loop. I use a DHP 33 harmonizer, and I wish the engineers would have considered how these two units would be used together. After considerable screwing around I came up with some very sweet sounds, especially harmonized distorted sounds. I would like to hear from anyone who has used and Eventide with the gsp2101.

Getting a good sound is pretty easy. Getting a "great" sound is very complicated. Editing the patches isn't too bad. Most of the PA effects are even worse. Editing the patches is difficult when using mixers or digital eq.s. The effects all have a lot of parameters to considder. The manual is not very explanatory. It could use more examples of linking, controller assignments, etc. Programming the inter-patch gain structures is a pain. Give yourself 2 months to learn how this thing works.

With the noise gate properly set up, the 2101 is very quiet. Even when playing my 1967 Ric-330 whose single-coil pickups receive noise from every cheap dimmer around. With the parameters set correctly, I get all the sustain possible from this low-gain guitar, and NO noise when idle. Nearly all of the digital effects are outstanding for guitar use.

Very dependable. I play about 4-6 one night gigs a month. So this thing gets put in the back of a cube van and transported to/from who knows where every gig. My 2101 is nearly a year old and ... So far, so good. The construction is pretty sturdy. It should last a long time if you keep it racked with front/rear covers. We carry a backup amp (Mostly for the other guitar player (GK))

Customer support was very good. The unit came in with the back lighting in the LCD display non-functional. The repair took less time than most. Shipping was the determining factor.

This is an excellent piece of equipment. The quality is exceptional and the amount of flexibility is nearly unimaginable. However, adjusting settings on the fly, is very much a pain. I would like to see four assignable knobs assignable as either data wheels or continuous controllers on the front panel. i.e. Gain1, Gain2, Master Volume, Wet/Dry, Reverb Depth, etc...

The GSP 2101 is the Mother of all guitar preamp/effects devices. With a digitally controlled analog front end that includes Compressor, EQ and valve or transistor distortion followed by a high quality stereo digital effects section with hundreds of effects it is the guitarists dream. I've tried many other valve preamps and none of them come anywhere near this one. There are over 100 presets that come with it that are a good starting point but I've found that the guitar you use,the type of pickups you have, and wheather you use it direct into a mixing board or into an amp and cabinet make a big difference to the sound so you need to tweek the patches to suit your ears and your setup. There are so many effects that it takes a while to fully understand how to adjust all the settings but if you are serious about getting killer guitar sounds its well worth the effort to learn how to program it. I didn't find it that difficult to learn the basics its just that there are so many things to tweek that it takes time until you are familiar with all the effects devices. The manual is good but not excellent, although a newer improved version is due out this month with a cool software upgrade which I intend to buy.
I bought the limited edition and the Control One foot pedal which is a must.

If you are prepared to tweek to match your own gear its unbeatable with superb distortion sounds from the twin valves and high quality effects devices. Its very quiet and has balanced outputs for direct inject into a mixing board. Its the best sounding unit I could lay my hands on.

Its built like a tank, I have used it in the studio and for gigs, no problem.

I subscribe to a non company usergroup (which you can find from the company web page) that has answered all my questions. An unofficial member of digitech adds useful in depth answers to a lot of the more difficult user questions in this group which is the perfect way to get support as far as I am concerned. I've not had it long enough to encounter tech problems so I have no idea about direct company support. They put out fairly regular software upgrades which is an excellent plus for a unit of this quality.

This is one of the best toys I have ever bought. Check it against the other preamps in your local guitar shop and you will not be dissapointed. It cost a fair amount but then again if you want the best you gotta pay for it. I've been playing guitar for many years now and this is the most revolutionary improvement in my playing enjoyment since I bought my first Marshall amp & stack. It has practically everything you could ever want out of a preamp/effects device. AS you can tell I love the thing.

You have to be at least a part time studio technician in order to fully explore this beast, but it worse it. To me, as a computer programmer, it was easy to operate. I do not envy on those pure musical guys. They would probebly prefer the old and faithful 'floor' effect chain. But, but, but, these guys (DigiTech) invest some thought about the functionality, and after you become familar with the device, you understand that it is great for live shows.

Clean as a whistle, even the distortions which are great. Almost all the effects are reasonable - leave out the FX Revereb, It was only implemented for chain use, and does not comparable to the more proffesional reverbs in the unit (Big, Giga). I was sorry to understand that FX reverb is almost the only reverb that can be used when creating simple algorithms, because he does not need much device resources. If you want the best of the best, you probebly go for the extesion module (DSP with extra 512 RAM blocks).

Good until far (4 weeks of usage)

I would buy it again because I've used GP8 and SPX90 before that. I'm a 'rack mounted musician' and for me, this devise supply ALL my live needs(!). I will not bring anything else to the show. I love the little things Digitech tought off, like the tuner and the LEDS setups of the pedals. I didn't like the fact that I have to buy extension to get the full blown quality. I crying, like lot of guys here for a computer interface & software. For me, it helps me to make music, but I need more time to be accurate regarding my patches, and I can do it with this device.