DigiTech GSP1101

Digitech's gear have always been idiot proof as far as I am concern.....

Here's something I feel that I should share with you.

For those of you who are not 100 per cent with the way your GSP 1101 sounds through your solid state power amp and speakers try this. Get your self a Behringer M200 Mic Pre Amp or the Art Studio V3 Mic Pre and patch into the send and returns, both these units are tube driven with presets, both are small enough to sit on to of your rack. I am still smiling at what it did to my sound...Have fun

No issues after seven month of solid use....

I have found this to be one of the easyiest units that I have owned to use.
I have struggled with Boss GT-5, Roctron Voodu Valve, TC Electronics G major, Alesis, not saying there hard just not simple to follow.
From the moment I turned the unit on, I was able to navigate around with out using a manual. And with the software editor you can preplan
your patches. (Easier to type in patch names than to use a daisy wheel)

I use a varity of guitars. Fender Stats fitted with Kinman pickups,
and others with humbuckers. Tele's, Lespauls etc.
About 20 years ago I brought a digitech digital delay pedal, which was the biggest piece of **** out. Because of that experience I never looked at another digitech unit, until I stumbled on to this unit. I have tried so many other multi effect processors, and found I could nver settle on a sound.
The GSP1101 has sat me on my ass. I have taken a instant likeing
to the unit. I have found the digital sound to be more like a analog sounding unit. The distortions and overdrive sounds are great. The clean sounds are lush and warm. I love my analog pedals, but for the first time I feel this unit could offer a serious challenge to the good old gear. I have not used this unit live, but I have used it in the studio. When I am writing songs, I have used with my Apple MAC Pro
notebook using Garage Band and recording via the USB with great results. Also great for practise. In my case I was able to use Itunes
to play the audio via USB to the GSP and monitor the song using headphones while playing the guitar. I have not got a bad word to say about the sounds of this unit. It is quiet, The presets are 95% usable compared to other units that have only 5% of usable factory patches. Another thing I liked was the factory patches were very balanced in regards to level and tonal qualitys.
Im going to give this unit a 10, because for the first time I have found a unit with more I like than I hate.

I can not rate this unit yet, but Everything worked straight out of the box.
I have had many new gear fail or be faulty straight out of the box,
so its nice when all goes well.

I am not a agent for Digitech, (Digitech tee-shirts, freebies, etc excepted) But I have to say this is the most enjoyable piece of gear I have owned in a long time.
I repair audio gear for a job, and its nice to see some well thought
out gear for a change. Again another 10

easy as can be to use from the front panel. x-edit is much easier on this unit vs the gnx3000 or gnx4. very easy to dial up good tone.

to be blunt: this thing pisses all over the gnx4 or gnx3000! i have all 3 units and i also have the mfxsupermodels for the gnx units and still...no comparison. the gnx units have many "tones" via eq, the gsp1101 has many tones and "feels". the tube emulation is truly next level. i am using this unit direct to pc or console to take advantage of the speaker emulation with great results. i have also tried using a rocktron voodo valve in the fx loop with mixed results. the cabinet sims are really good but i find the overall setup a bit noisy compared to the voodo valve alone. the effects on the gsp1101 are superior to the gnx units or the rocktron. the only thing that gives away that this thing has no tubes is pinch harmonics. while sounding really great, it doesn't have the same amount of lower/odd harmonics as an all tube preamp. it is however on par with the rocktron prophesy or voodo valve which has a tube in the signal path.

check out my presets if you have a gsp1101 to try it on:

http://singtall.tripod.com/

i have had really good experiences with digitech for over 25 years. never had any broken gear or issues.

i called digitech once a long time ago and they put an engineer on the phone to answer my technical questions. great.

unbelievable unit. on the wish list: bass amps, warp feature and pickup simulator. that's the only thing i miss from the gnx units, but really not needed since the gsp1101 has 3 sweep eq's. i compared this to line6, rocktron, and digitech gnx units and choose this unit over any of them. truly great unit for under $499. the fractal audio axe fx is the only other choice i would make if i had $1400 or more to burn. i have over 25 years of shredding experience and i own a studio and play on many cd projects. you can take my word for it or believe the salesman at guitarcenter who tells you that line6 rules.

REALLY easy to use. I have the control 2 and the GSP1101, the tap tempo works great, also the tuner display on the floorboard is better IMO. the control 2's 10 and 5 patch mode are really good, but the best is the toe control for the wah, really useful so you can use it like a traditional pedalboard. only thing is, for 5 patch mode, the "stompboxes" should be on the bottom 5 buttons.

the control 2 i would give an 8 due to the position on the stompboxes. and the GSP1101 an 8 as they could have made better use of the amp control buttons for other paramaters...

they should have put a ******* REAR INPUT ON!!!!!! really irritating if you have a wireless and are rackmounted.......

i use it with a Peavey Rotor with 2 x EMG 81s and a BC Rich Speedloader Bich with Bill Lawrence XL500 in the bridge.

I'm running into the effects return of my JCM900 SLX. i would use the four cable method, but the amount of noise reduced by using the digitech preamp only is too good to pass up. and the JCM900 model is pretty similar, only beef is they should have done a JCM900 SLX model, as it has more gain than the dual reverb and a diff dynamic, but its all good.

The unit is EXTREMELY quiet. Noise gate is top notch. Some of the effects are quite digital sounding, but thats what i wanted from the unit.

Amp models, some are mediocre, but the ones that are good are really good. Very versatile. Like the delays, and the dist pedals are great.

More than enough choice. I cant honestly think of an effect that i would add to it.

8 again as there are better modellers out there, but this is a cheap 1u solution. value for money is awesome.

hasnt done anything wrong yet except i thought it was dead, no signal, ******** bricks.

I was plugged into the headphone socket......

10 so far...

havent dealt with Harman. hope i dont have to.

i play metal a lot, but like to have a versatile rig so i can do anything at home .

for metal its really good, the tone is really sharp and cuts through live really well, bear in mind that is with a tube power amp. i've yet to try it direct, fingers crossed but i'm not expecting miracles.

as my JCM900 is single channel this adds WORLDS of options. i can have any amp sound, acoustic sim etc etc etc.

IMO the sims sound WAY better than Line 6, and price is comparable.

However the AXE FX pisses on it. But only in the respect that a dumble pisses on a marshall - for me it doesnt matter, cause i'm not that good! I hope to graduate to an AXE FX one day, but i will only do it if i get good enough to justify it!

gotta say if you need more versatility and a bag of effects this is prime, and such good value, but you really have to gewt the control 2 as well. bit annoying that it is propriatry, would hve been better to include midi and PSU alongside the cat 5 connection as it really is a fantastic pedalboard, they sould sell a lot of them for people to use with third party stuff. with any luck, someone will reverse engineer the cat 5 connection with a dongle!!!!! hint hint !!!

rating is nine as value has to come into account.

This unit is extremely easy to use. I was literally up and running with 3 excellent sounding amp model patches along with lead patches within 10 minutes, and that's without using the XEdit software. Using this software makes it stupid fast to do anything you want to do with a patch. I used an ADA midi foot controller with it and it worked right away without having to configure anything. The setup wizard makes dialing it in for your equipment very fast and easy. I've tried a couple of different configurations includeing the 4 cable method, line out to amp return, and just plugging in to a marshall valve state power amp. Each time I was able to configure the unit within 10 seconds to use the new setup.

UPDATE 8/11/08:
This is just a followup review and I still stand by my original ratings which were very good but for the purpose of this review system, I won't rate this unit again. I just wanted to followup with what I've found after owning it for more than a month. When I first got the unit, I was using it with the 4 cable method in conjunction with my Rivera Knucklehead. I got some very usable tones and I was fairly impressed with it. I then tried it with a Marshall valvestate 8008 power amp and it still sounded awesome but when I would crank it, something was just missing I guess so I would start picking everything apart and re-EQ and such. Then I finally went back to my Rivera head and just plugged the output into the effects return of the amp and used it just as a poweramp. When I cranked this up.....whoa.....it was more than awesome. It was so close to the sound in my head that I just could hardly believe it. In the end what I found is that the presence and focus controls on my amp which effect the power system and not the preamp were an integral part in getting the sound that I'm after. Not to mention the mojo that comes from cranking tubes. So if you're going to use this unit, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to find a good tube amp with some power section controls to pair with this thing. It's the best preamp that I've ever used. Maybe there's better out there, but I've never seen them. BTW, the singer/guitarist in my band has a POD Pro running into a Carvin X100B and he gets some pretty amazing sounds out of that setup too so I think that in the end, for great live guitar sound pairing a modeling preamp with a tube power section is the ultimate in tone and flexibility that we can achieve right now. Maybe in the future we won't need the tubes but who knows.

In the past, I haven't really liked the modeling offerings from Digitech. They've been a bit too digital sounding. I own a Genesis 3 and it does OK as long as it's running into a good tube amp but can't really stand on it's own. It's not bad but the bass is a bit too woofy and it just doesn't sound quite like the "real" thing without a little help from the "real" thing. This unit however sounds incredible no matter how you use it. Run it direct into your computer? awesome. Run it into a tube power amp? tone heaven. Run it directly into a SS power amp? awesome(after configuring it for this). This unit is what I've been waiting for from amp modeling. Until now, nothing has really stood up to the crank test and the feel test. I've liked a couple of the models that Line 6 has offered but they take some delicate EQ to really make them sound good. Not this unit. It sounds like the real thing from step one. The EQ only brings out more of the tonal variations. I really don't like any of the mesa models in this unit but that's just personal taste I thinkl. The Marshall models are almost spot on. The Fender models sound absolutely amazing too. The unit is dead quiet when using the noise gate. I've had the problem with the ground loop when using the preamp in my Rivera Knucklehead. But there are work-arounds for this. I'm seriously not worried about it thought because the amp models make it completely unnecessary for me to use my Rivera's preamp. Another big bonus for this unit is the global EQ. This allows you to adjust the overall EQ of the unit to fit the room you're playing in. This is very important to a gigging musician because every place you play is different and you want to sound your best where ever you go.

Not sure about this yet. Seems to be built well. I've had extremely good luck in this department with all of the other Digitech gear that I've owned.

Not sure. They usually have good support when I've talked to them in the past.

This piece of gear makes me excited to play my guitar. I've only had it for a week but it will become an integral part of my sound for years to come. Amp modeling has finally arrived. I'll never give up my tube amps because of the mojo but this thing has mojo of it's own and will definitely be a unit to be reckoned with similar to the 2101(which I used to own). Actually, this unit actually surpasses the 2101 in virtually every way except for maybe effect chain configuration.

This unit is possibly the easiest system of this type to use I have encountered!

Select a patch, press twice to edit, select parameter, press to edit, adjust it then save - easy!

It may not be as easy as a conventional amplifier, but for a multi effects processor and preamplifier module it is extremely simple.

The front panel mounted controls allow direct adjustment of the pre amp parameters (gain, bass, middle, treble, and level) at any time, and as these controls are encoders they work so much better than the line 6 ones.

In fact for ease of use this unit is in a different league to the line 6 stuff, and also from its predecessor the Digitech 2120.

The manual is clear, well written and easy to understand. I was up and running and get great sounds in minutes. I had no connection or configuration problems. It has a wizard that asks you a series of questions such as what are you connecting to etc.. and configures the GSP1101 accordingly.

Firmware version 2, which incorporates menus for the Digitech control 2 controller which I have and again is excellent and very simple to use.

Finally the free to download Digitech xedit software makes editing the patches even easier as you can see every single parameter at once on your PC screen.

If the front panel mounted knobs had a display over them like a tri axis I would give it a 10 for ease of use.

I am using a Fender Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan pickups, Rickenbacker 330 and a 1970s Ibanez with Seymour Duncan Humbuckers.

I play in a function band playing pretty much every kind of music you can imagine from Beatles to Bonjovi, Eagles to Ray Charles, The Police to Queen etc... I need to have a lot of sounds that I can call up very quickly with minimum of fuss (if there is nothing to say to the audience then there are no gaps between songs!!!)

I am using the Digitech GSP1101 connected to a Marshall power amp and from there to a Marshall 4x12 Cab or Marshall 2 x 12 Cab depending on requirements.

The GSP1101 replaces my POD XT Pro, Which Replaced a Digitech 2120, Which Replaced an ADA MP1 and Yamaha SPX90.

I also have a Marshall DSL100 head and a Mesa Boogie Mk2B.

The GSP is not at all noisy, at high gain settings with single coils you can get hum but this is no fault of the GSP. The onboard noise gate is simple and effective and I have not had any problems with it cutting off note tails.

I cannot believe the sounds I can get from this unit, it is almost impossible to pull up a bad one! I haven't had the luxury of using all of the classic amps that are modelled by this unit so I cannot vouch for their authenticity, but they all sound great! I am loving the Strat through the Fender Bassman model and the Rickenbacker through the Fender Twin at the mo! If anything there are too many great sounds here - making it hard to settle on one.

Even the acoustic simulator isn't bad, with a bit of tweaking it is quite acceptable.

Effects wise, the chorus, flange, phase an reverbs are just great!

This is the preamp / multi effects system I have been looking for. The ease of a amp, with the versatility of a programmable system and with great sounds as well.

Running it at home through headphones or my home studio, sounds almost identical to when I hook up to my stack - great for setting up tones at home at neighbour friendly volumes.

Global EQ allows you to tweak the overall sound to suit a venue. The control 2 allows global volume control as well.

Even under extreme overdrive and distortions the bass frequencies stay clean and defined and not muddy.

Overdrive sounds respond as you would expect to your playing style and also the guitar volume control.

The sound quality and tonal response of this unit is light years ahead of the Line 6 stuff!

There is no substitute for a good valve amp, but if like me you need total flexibly at the press of a button and you also want a great tone then this is possibly the best unit. Even if your vale amp purest mate claims he can tell the difference - no one in the audience will notice or care that you are using a modelling preamp that costs less than half a classic all valve amp!

I genuinely cannot think of anything to fault it on!

Never had a probelm with this unit. I regularly gig with it with no back up.

I contacted customer support a few times before buying this and got prompt and accurate replies.

Since buying I haven't needed to contact them.

Easy to use website with free downloads for editing and updating software.

I have had Digitech gear in the past and it has always been reliable. The one time I had a problem I emailed Digitech direct and got a replacement part sent to me free of charge, and full instructions on how to fit it.

Great for the function band I play in I get get every sound I need from clean to full on lead. Nice Betales AC30 with my Rickenbacker. Nice soul sounds and indie rock sounds.

I have been playing guitar for 25 years got through a stack of other gear in that tim ebut i think i will be sticking with this for a while now.

Yes I would replace it with another were it lost or stolen.

The main reason for buying this was its ease of use in live situations and the kind of tones it produces. It becomes invisible to me when I am playing and I just concentrate on the music - how it should be.

This is the new single unit rack mounted guitar processor from Digitech. It's easy to set up out of the box and the instruction manual is relatively clear although - as with most things midi-related - I could have used a bit more of an assumption of idiocy in the midi set-up section. Editing patches is a breeze; it's easy to see what you're doing and is quite intuitive. The 1101 has some very good amp models and high quality cab sims. However I bought this to go in my rack for live use and as I already have a very good valve pre-amp (VHT GP-3 Valvulator)I didn't want to use these options on the 1101. The good news is you don't need to. The 1101 allows you to use your own pre-amp and ignore the internal preamp settings. Having said that, I quickly realised that more flexibility was available as you can set up some patches to use the internal amp sims and some to use your own pre-amp. I found to my surprise that some of the amp sim sounds were so good I wanted to do that. A further unexpected benefit is that you can program one of the many distortion/fuzz box options to operate effectively in front of your external pre-amp if you so wish. The flexibility is amazing.

I was using this with a VHT GP-3 Valvulator Pre Amp, Yamaha power amp , a Beringher midi foot pedal; and a Marshal stereo 2 x 12. I play an Am Std Strat with a matched set of Seymour Duncans and a Hamer Sunburst USA Archtop with Floyd Rose and EMGs. I've playing for 30 years.

The sounds are surprisingly good and you could spend a long time deciding on your ideal groups of patches for gigs. I also use a Lexicon MX-300 for chorus, reverb and delay and although some of the 1101 patches are named after the Lexicon, they are definitely not as lush but you wouldn't notice at a gig. The reason I wanted to move from the Lexicon to the 1101 is that there is some latency in the patch changes on the Lexicon. Not the end of the world but a little annoying. The GSP-1101 again impresses; not only no latency but a user definable overlap of echo settings. Very classy. Seamless changes from one patch to another.

Being able to take a separate pair of XLR outs to the desk was fantastic too, as you can elect to send the internally amp modeled cabinet simulated sound to the desk (or you can set up a global cab sim sound for all the effects that are going to the desk, which replicates your backline set up). Even though your backline is not receiving amp or cab sim. Very cool.

Can't depend on them. Too bad really as I was loving this unit. The first one had bent pins in the XLR outputs as if someone had tried to force a plug in there. It also suffered from a weird clicking noise through the headphones which, while it didn't effect anything live it seemed to be an indicator that something was amiss. I read elsewhere that this might be a capacitor problem. The store (Guitar-Guitar in Glasgow) took it back and ordered me up a new one. I've just returned the new one to them as it's flawed too; there's some problem with the combined rotary/push switch that you use for editing. I'm afraid I can't live with that as it will be a problem live. So two dodgy units out of two...sadly I've had to say I won't be getting another. The store couldn't be more helpful though and are helping me to get sorted out with something in the short term for my gigs at the weekend and I'm confident they'll help me find something a bit more reliable.

I didn't deal with digitech directly. Guitar-Guitar in Glasgow were great and Digitech did seem to send another unit promptly so I'll award 5 points here but I still don't trust their quality control enough to buy another.

I play in three bands so I have to cover many styles including Jazz Funk, Classic Rock, Fusion, Blues and chart stuff.

The basic sounds that the unit produced were excellent.

I'm not going to buy another one because their record with me on the GSP-1101 is 100% bad in terms of quality control so far. Having said that I have previously owned many Digitech multi effects and they've always been good and reliable. In fact I think I've even got one of those old yellow multi-effect pedals of theirs in a cupboard somewhere. I'm sure it still works.

There are so few comparable products on the market just now that I don't know what I'm going to replace it with. TC Electronics have a few options but I think they're due for a face lift. Similarly the Boss GT-Pro is looking a little old in the tooth and I've never been that impressed with the quality of the Pod stuff - perhaps I need to have another look.

I'm giving an overall rating of 5 because in principle this is a great piece of kit but even if it could make you sound like the love child of Jimi Hendrix and Alan Holdsworth it would be useless for a working musician because it's unreliable.

I won't go over the features of this unit, as you probably already know.
This is a very easy unit to use, even without the editing software. I always feel biased when I say this since I have a computer background, but it's true. A monkey could do it. The interface is very simplistic yet allows a good amount of tweaking. The global EQ is very handy. Overall it has all the features I need for my rack. The manual is good. I wish they would give some more description on what the effects parameters actually do. It would save me a lot of time. Oh and btw I use a Behringer FCB1010 with it. Works great.

I have the latest firmware. This unit is pie. Digitech has made a very easy to use unit. Go figure.

I run this unit through a BBE and into a Peavey 50/50 poweramp through a 4x12 with celestion G12t-100s. I've used some other gear with it like external preamps but thats my current setup.

The unit isn't particularly noisy. High gain stuff can be though. The noise gate remedies this but only to an extent. For this review I'm just going to break the categories apart and review them seperately. Read accordingly.

AMPS - The word on the street has been that the models in this unit are all incredibly realistic. (especially for the price). The only other thing I know of that's claiming the same thing as the GSP and actually being taken seriously is the Axe-FX. Which I'll talk about later. I'm of the opinion that most modelers such as the Line 6 Pods and Vetta II or the Vox and Boss units just don't cut the gravy. I've tried a bunch of these so called "emulators" and honestly they don't come close. I'm a serious player who requires a seriously good sound. I'm very particular about my tone and I want the very best. Usually that comes from high end equipment and tube amps. Go figure.
The amps models on here range from decent to good to great IMHO. Obviously none of them are perfect, (perhaps barring a couple exceptions) But many of them come surprisingly close. The Fender and Marshall models I must say, are impressive. They're close...very close. With all digital circuitry, there's bound to be the occasional artifact or reminder popping up to let you know you're still playing through a modeler. But 90% of the time these models are stellar. I will also say that the matchless and Dual Recto models are quite impressive. Very realistic!
Now let me just say, that even though I have never owned a Soldano SLO, a Carvin Legacy, or a Mesa IIC+, these models are crap for me. Other players seem to like them okay, but I think they sound thin and fake. The only high gain amp on here I REALLY like is the Dual Recto.
And luckily it's good enough to make up for the rest. I also like the jcm2000 model but I don't use it as much because it doesn't have the gain of the recto. The digitech models are the same. Some of them are great, while others are just okay. You be the judge.

Overall I would say this unit is a steal for the price in terms of amp models.

EFECTS - All the effects here are done very well. Honestly, they sound near exact to their counterparts. I can't complain. There are very few weak points in the chain here. Some people might not like the delays. They are a bit different than most. Not bad, but different.

EQ - It's great. Does what it's supposed to.

Gate - There are better gates out there like a Hush super C. But that will cost you another $100.

Cabs - I never use these so I don't know.

Now let me say, for the money you're spending, this unit is incredible. I would pay $1000 for it probably if it cost that much. It's that good. However, I've been reading up a lot on this Axe-FX and honestly it sounds like it's just miles (and dollars) ahead of the competition. I'm curious to see how much better it is than this unit.
$1700 is a lot of money, but I guess we'll see.

It hasn't messed up on me for the 5 months I've had it. It's solid.

I've talked to them. They're as good as most other support teams. Not bad, not stellar.

I play all types of music. This is a good unit. Compared to everything else in it's price range it slays. AND I MEANS SLAYS the rest. I've used a fair amount of gear and honestly this was the best value on something I ever had. I'm still going to try an Axe-FX and see how that is. But for someone who doesn't want to pony up $1700 for a modeler, this is the best money can buy. Period.

Patience is what i leaqrned on this product! By pushing your patience limits, you can get some worthy sound out of this unit. The editing part for a non-user defined patch is easier in comparison though.
The manual need extra help for itself. 7 options are not enough. I bought the unit with the software version of 1.3 smth so i had to upgrade it to 2.0 before going on stage to be able to use control 2. I' d prefer to get it updated since i paid $800 for the unit and controller.

I have 5 guitars. Fender yngwie signature, Jackson DKMG with EMG active configuration, Jackson RR3, LTD George Lynch, and an ibanez RG350. I am happy with all of my guitars in most cases. I have always used and relied on my Sansamp GT-2 for the distorted sounds and a Boss GE-7 Eq. for boosting on stage for the solo breaks. I liked the sound but i needed more pedalds like delay, chorus, wah, flanger, volume pedal etc. and i thought it would be a pile of pedals and cords and supplies for that matter. Then i decided switching my gear to rack units. when i was a kid i was very familiar with digitech ( i have used rp-1, rp-5, rp-10, rp-14, gsp 2120 ) and was able to get nice sounds through them. So i decided to buy this new 1101 as a first piece of my rack. It was not bad at first times with my MG100 HDFX half stack. My ears got numb and senseless to the guitar tone because after a while everything you hear becomes nice because u grow numb. But after plugging into my sansamp GT-2 again it was like a deeeeeep breath into my lungs. Maaaan it was pure sound and no plastic sound!
If i was a tech guy in Digitech, the first thing i' d do would be to fix the crappy noise gate which apparently was never developed since those crappy old RP-1 times! It either kicks in too early which would kill your sustain on bends or too low to eliminate the garbage of effects.So: CRAPPY NG!
As for the preamp modelings, i just bought a new Sansamp PSA1.1 and experienced how "serious" and "tight" a guitar tone could be after those harsh, muddy and garbage tones of GSP toy.
and you know what? this GSP 1101 won2 t even let me use the NG for the ext. Preamp cuz it's located before the loop. Digitech is advertising this unit as "WE DON' T WANNA GIVE UP ON YOUR TONE, JUST WANNA BE A PART OF IT" !!!!!
What the hell? Then put an extra noise gate to cooperate with some ext. preamp!!!
even my MG100's preamp would soung more real compared to this artificial toy.
I' ll either sell this unit of use it just for FX after my PSA1.1 ( real thing )
Delays and reverbs are ok but the core of the tone sux.
My conclusion imho : Digitech hasn' t even gone even 1 step ahead, after those long yrs. Still the same junk and plastic tone.

They must fix the issue about the ethernet cable plugged on control2 and the unit. You can' t unplug it unless you break the port. The pin on the both ends are nearly impossible to push so i have to use a pick to push the pin inside to unplug the cable. Left the one on GSP plugged anyway.
What a low quality thing for smth made in USA!
I' d never use this thing without an ext preamp on stage. Audience is always mercyless and wouldn2 t think twice to judge your crappy tone as "bad" so stage needs some serious equipment.

I usualy play rock, metal and shred stuff which is usually based on very smooth, violin type solo tones. Without any "harsh" and mud in the low end. It is very hard to achieve such sounds on this unit but with my PSA1.1 i got them even on the presets!
As for the cleans, a good chorus and a crystal clear sound is all i desire for arpegios or some clean solos. You can have them with Gsp1101, but who would buy a preamp just for clean tones? :)
again and again i say, i' d never use this as a preamp because the sounds are either for new-metal heads ( Mtv crap ) who don' t need a definition or art in their guitar sound but just loudness, or for kids who wanna boost their egos with ultra high-gain, hyper metal sounds. Not for serious ones.
It doesn2 t cooperate with the rest of your gig so i think digitech' s advertisements are just for ripping ppl.
You can listen to some of my sounds i made directly through the PC with my old rp-14. not so good but much better than GSP1101.
I hope you guys are familiar with Rapidshare.

1-YAZ DOSTUM:

http://rapidshare.com/files/58317985/YAZ_DOSTUM.wma.html


2-ASK
http://rapidshare.com/files/58319412/ASK.mp3.html

This unit by far is the most versatile "does it all" unit I have used. Easy plug in and go with pre-set sounds minor tweaking of tone for your application out of the box good sounds.
Editing is almost a no brainer if you've ever messed with programming gear before- it's easier than most.
Manual is helpful and mostly complete but is missing some info non MIDI assignments.
I recieved unit brand new with version 1.0 or 1.3 and easy download of ver. 2.0 to make Control 2 pedal function

I use Tele, Strat and 335 guitars. Unit lines out to a Marshall 8008 stereo rack amp with 2 Vintage 30 tuned ported custom cabs and also run into a 63 Vibroverb RI. I started with a Behringer FC1010 MIDI controller then quickly bought the proprietary foot "Control 2" pedal- I advise this-as not all the MIDI funtionality was available out of the box.
Super quiet-so much so that I am not always sure if it's functioning until I actually play a note. Effects are clean, tasty, and extensive. A few of the distortion models are kind of weak as stand alone settings but with amp model combos, pre-amp settings, EQ, output etc...tweaking you should be able to make the sound of just about any amp, pedal, cab system out there. Fender Twin is stunning along with AC30, 45 watt Marshall those are the best models. I am a bit disapointed that none of the Marshall amp patches can be cleaned up for that jangly punch-but I use the Twin for clean. A couple of the pre-set patches "Stevie" (Ray vaughn) Eric Johnson patch ,And the "Black Label" "Dimebag" are spot on. Acoustic simulator worth the price of admission as it's like having another guitar! The Harmony settings are excellent, but the "bass" simulator patch (octave)is pretty much unusable-it doesn't track well and sounds wierd unless you turn your treble knob off.

I haven't had it long enough to know if I can depend on it. It is Digitech and I have a couple digitech units I have had in service for 18 years without fail. It is basically a computer and fallible as such. It did lock up on me one time, I reset to factory specs - kind of a hassle but the sounds and settings are easy to program -especially the 2nd time around so I was back on the road in about 15 minutes. I don't go to any gig without a backup system and certainly wouldn't with this.

I contacted Digitch about another unit I had bought recently, and one customer service rep tried to bulls**t me, so I contacted tech support and the guy was straight up and acknowledged an issue with the other device. Right after purchasing this unit, I contacted company to ask about limited functionality of MIDI and control issues- they never got back to me. The Control 2 Pedal addressed any and all questions I had anyway.

I play: Country, Blues, Classic Rock, Fusion and so far it covers all that and more. I have been performing for over 30 years and have had most every rig bought and sold- currently have a Fender Vibroverb RI as main/backup and a stereo rack system as well as several guitars Blues Driver, Dyna-comp, Morley Wah for my floor/jam setup. I don't know yet if it would have to be replaced, I'm not in love with it yet but it is awesome. The sounds are good, the fleixbility endless, the XLR out with ground lift should be on every piece of gear made PERIOD. The only drawback on the XLR outputs is the only way I could use without the output being too hot (distorted) was use variable setting-that is output is controlled by volume knob on front. While that makes some sense, pre-set output levels to mixer are a blessing to sound engineer.