DigiTech Genesis 1

This unit is a breeze to use. Plug it in and find an amp you like and go. Once you find the right amp, tweek to your liking. The effects are easy to set and sound decent. I am using this to record to my PC and it is so easy. Plug in the "line out" to the PC "line in" and go.
The manual can still be found on their website and really doesn't need to be used it's so simple.

I can just about nail Metallica and Megadeth sounds to a tee. I pulled off a ZZ Top blues sound pretty good. Their are 12 amps and cabinets to combine and the three best (IMO) are the rectifier, brit stack, and the tweed. Combine those with the vintage 4x12 and it sounds good. I am running the unit directly into the line in and using Kristal recording software and it is great sounding. I hooked the unit up to my poweramp, 15 band rack EQ, and 4X12 cabinet and it shredded. I use a Fender Fat Strat and it has so much bottom and crunch it gets me going. The unit is not a tube amp but is does the trick at coming close to sound.
I have read that some players couldn't get a decent sound from this unit. You just have to have good stuff to hook it through and know what they are doing.

I'm not sure of the reliabilty. It is made of plastic and seems like it needs tender care. I would only use this unit live if I had a special box made for it to protect it and since it doesn't allow you to have different patches, I would run two, set up with an A/B switch to change from clean to dirty.

I purchased it off of ebay and haven't had to use the company at all. I did find plenty of information about the Genesis 1 on their website which says a lot for Digitech to have this info even though the unit was discontinued.

I play mainly speed/Thrash metal. A lot of old school Metallica and Slayer to get me flying. I use a Fender Strat, 300 watt poweramp, 15 band rack EQ, and a 4X12 cab and with this unit I can nail the sounds. I would definitley buy another one of these or get the Genesis 3 to see what that one is like if it was lost or stolen.
The only draw back is not having patches to store the sounds or to switch between. Other than that I couldn't be happier with my new toy. It shreds.

It's very simple...Turn a few knobs and you have the sound...it's more simple of POD, V-amp and cia

It's a amplification simulator, not a effect-station, your distortions is very good! i like the Rectified(dual rectified) and the brit stack(marshall)...i use a tagima stratocaster...i like of the sounds...the sound of metal and rock 'n roll are very good, the effects is decent...the chorus i don't like...need more paremeters.
The clean sound is good too, with a litlle chorus is good...or phase..

IT's GOOD!

It's of plastic...not is bad, is durable...

I don't have problems....is durable...

I play Heavy Metal...it's a good for it!
He is durable...its good!

pardon for my terryble english...i am brazilian

hehehe


God Bless You!

I have found it to be loads of fun for tinkering with thrashy metal sounds and crunchy rock chords. Everything is clearly marked and the manual is always there if you are incapable of twisting knobs.

This is basically a guitar toy for home use. I play a cheapo squier through a tiny cheapo Marshall combo and still manage to get some wicked tones out of this box. I tried it with a Les Paul through a jcm 900 and a marshall 4x12 and the noise and feedback was unmanagable. This thing is strictly at its best at lower volumes through smaller amps or recording direct. Don't think of it as a stompbox for live performance and you won't be disappointed.

Surprisingly reliable considering the delicate plastic it's housed in. I keep mine in a padded pistol case because it's so fragile. I've had mine since 2001 when it first came out and again...surprise, no problems. Just don't leave home with it, keep it away from your toddlers or brats and it'll be ok. I would not gig with it period, it's not meant for that!

I have heard negatives, but DigiTech shall be innocent until proven sloppy in customer service.

This toy is worth between $50 and $100 if you want something fun to get new tones out of smaller combo amps in your livingroom or you want to try some things recording-wise. The amp models are great for metal and sound kind of digital in that Nine Inch Nails over processed, computery-creepy way, but I like that. It's a good complement to industrial metal styles. It needs an off switch as stated by other dudes. Keep in mind this is an inexpensive toy to take your guitar playing out of boredom. It's by no means a serious tool for performance or recording. Genesis 1 was Digitech's half price, rush to market answer to Line 6's POD ideas. Overall, lots of fun to futz around with but treat it with care and don't expect miracles!!

Its extremly easy to use, Turn a few knobs and you have the sound, or almost the sound your looking for.

It sounds ok for when your traveling or practicing with headphones, but when you try to play too many strings it will cut your notes off ,or almost cut them off. It only happens when you use distortion (not even a small amount of distortion saves you). Don't intend to play something like the intro from Sweet Child o Mine or anything like that, where you'll use alot of crossed high notes.
Power chords work fine...fine indeed.

I haven't had any problems. Although I think I accidently pressed the right (or wrong) combination of buttons and entered programmin mode, or something, as the lights started to flash in a manner than I'm sure it wasn't designed to do. And there was no sound during that time.
And its plastic, even my volume and tone knobs on my guitar are metal.

No problems

I normally play hard rock and metal, and I can't complain that about it not meeting the criteria to play that sort of music. I don't use it to play gigs, and I wouldn't, because I have a pro set up. But if your looking for something to practice or travel with, this is for you. They're going for $50USD on eBay, I believe.

Very easy to use. You can get a sound in minutes. Editing usually involves matching good speaker and amp models. No preset saving but knobs will always tell you what you have adjusted, just like a real amp. Manual describes a few things that aren't so obvious, like the reverb type for each amp model.

Using a strat guitar and a 5-string bass (the blackface+blonde 2x12 with light compressor and gain anywhere from halfway to max sounds great on bass). Love the reverb on this unit, which has a very nice tail/decay - fab for the money. Sounds are generally smooth and subtle. Nice saturated high gainy sound. Sounds are pretty natural sounding - very little of that "digital" sound. Modulation fx are the weak point. The gate is very nice and not abrupt at all. Level knob adds no noise when cranked, but the compressor adds a little noise when level is cranked.

Weighs one pound. Carry it in a padded bag and watch the power cable connection and it should be fine. Not made for abuse.

Would buy again if stolen. Best 50.00 I've spent in a long time. Packed with features for the money. Great for practice. This is for someone who wants to get a few good sounds and go with it. Surprised how well it worked on bass. Light and sturdy with a more analog sound than most units.

Couldn't be simpler. Mostly knobs and a few buttons to push. All well marked and stright forward.
No editing function. Not a bummer if you know that going in.
The manual is almost unnecessary because the functionality is so basic.

This is a simple unit with wonderful amp and cabinet simulations. It can make a small practice amp sound powerful. That's the fun of it. For an inexpensive unit (bought on Ebay) this baby will bring your small amp up several notches in potential and fulfillment of desirable tones.
The effects are good. Limited in their ability to be mixed or used simultaneously though.

No problems, but I don't gig with it.
It probably could be used for a show.
However it's made of plastic, so I just keep it at home and occasionally take it over to a friends house.

No issues.

For the buck it's beautiful. This thing will let you sound like the monster you want to be. Again, the features are basic, but the features kick ass!
In my opinion this unit was made for at home use, probably for a beginner or intermediate level player. It won't satisfy a pro for studio or touring work, but it kills for practicing and small jam sessions.
I've been playing for over 20 years and I use this unit a lot.
I play rock and metal. This unit gives meat to my small Peavey Blazer 15 Watt, Dinosaur 35 Watt, and Laney 30 Watt amp.
I also have a Line 6 Spider 212 100 watt amp that already has balls and effects. No need for the Digitech Genesis on it, but it wouldn't hurt.
If it were stolen I would look for another good used one and buy it.
Big bang for the buck. Keeping the cost of this unit in mind, and not expecting high end features and zillions of effects, you will not be dissapointed with this unit. It delivers big time, especially if your little practice amp just isn't exciting enough. With the Digitech Genesis 1 you can have big amp sounds that will inspire you to keep playing.

A strait foreward amp modeler with FX easy and intuitive manual not needed. Knobs for almost everything

This is my DI box. I use alot of guitars through this because when i record demo's or things on the fly into my computer I grab the closest guitar and wail. The sound are decent here and they allow me to get a good sound easily. The models aren't particularily accurate in the sense that they sound like a tube amp but they are good. I use it most often to get soaring lead tones which it excels at. The thing is basically a distortion box which is usefull for my purposes. The FX are cool the delay when tapped corectly alows you to play with yourdelf on rythum guitar or sound like Les Paul. (How High THe Moon) the clean sounds are a disapointment to me but then again it beats waking up the neighbors at 3 in the morning while trying to record a guitar part

Plastic I've had mine for a few years now without problems
i wouldn't gig with it because of the lack of good clean tones but other than that it doesn't seem like it could withstand to much abuse

I play a mix of rock Blues Ska Reggae funk fusion and jazz.
i've been playing since i was 9 (I'm 18). I love that this allows me to get a good sound quickly and just record the demo while the inspiration is hot. if it were lost or stolen I would try to find another one but they have been discontinued so i'm not sure how easy it would be.
I am most happy with the variety of the distortions but a bit discouraged by a lack of clean tones that I would use live.

Its very nice, I use it through a mixer for recording and I up the EQ mids to high as well as use a BBE....

Nice, cant get as clean of sounds as i would like, but using a single coil and low gain, and low guitar volume.... nice all around recordings if tweeked right.... http://jimsi.royal-tt.com/Flowers(Master)22July04.ogg for a sample...using 3 guitars with genesis and 3 using J station...lead is Jstation as is bass,...

No problems, bought used...seems ok, chorus effect has some pops, but I think they all do....

no problems yet

Nice for a pratice amp and getting some nice recording tones, can be used for one amp and a real amp for the other during recordings, Just another tool for your studio...i play rock, some light metal

simple and intuitive.

the sounds are all over the top and dont cut it for recording. All sounds are big and distorted......no clean sounds. I hate it

It just stopped working one day. not sure what happened. It has not left the studio nor has it been dropped or kicked. I swapped the power supply with a working unit and it just does not work any more. Still waiting to hear from Digitech to see if there is a fix or if it is a common problem. So far nothing.

No reply from support team. it has been three days. so far there has been no help.

Cheaply constructed and cheap sounds. cheap unit. If I had to do it all over again I would not waste my time.

Very easy to use. However it lacks a footswitch option. No user presets at all. You can't really alter effects. Okay, it is not an effect processor but an amp modeller. Think about effects as a bonus. But I really miss the footswitch option. Thus it is very hard to switch sounds during gigging. It doesn't have pypass either. No power on/off button. :-(

Very nice. I'm not satisfied with the clean sounds. They are good, but I can't dial in what I really want. And I know it really how to use this stuff, I've played it for 1 year now. Its distorted sounds are perfect for me. I'm using it in studio also, and I'm quite satisfied. The effects are cheap. Just for fun.

I've had some contact problems. It has a cheapo plastic cover. Don't use it as a floor effect and it might survive the gig...
I've had problems with it but it was because of too low current coming from the power cable. (around 160V instead of 220V) It couldn't handle the situation. No battery option.

It was cheap and it has cool tones. But it is only useful in the studio (not the highest end kindda though :-) ), or for practicing and rehearsal. At a gig you really miss at least a footswitch option with at least 2 user presets. If you want a practicing stuff, I definetly recommend it. However, if it would be stolen, I'd get a Korg Ampworks G. It's a little bit more expensive, but has more effects, footswitch option with 2 presets, battery option. Haven't tried that one though. I give it 9 because its merits and its cheapness.