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.

The "What-you-see-is-what-you-get"-modelling amp from DigiTech. No hidden layers of funktions, no LED-display, just turn the knobs (see detailed decription in previous rewiews) and there you are! I think most of todays stuff - in an attempt to please everyone - suffers from to many features. "Jack of all trades, master of none!" that's what I say, but NOT THIS BABY! It's dead simple - the only modeling amp I know of where you don't need a manual! The downside: you can't store and recall sounds. Do I care: NO! Does it bother you? Well, it's up to you to decide...

I bought it as a practice amp, because - along with silent headphones operation - you can insert a CD/mp3-Player (at a fixed volume) through it. Very convenient for playing along to whatever stuff you please. Big selling point!
As I liked it's idiot-proof operation so much, I have also used it for demo recordings.
Does the "Tweed, one 12"-Speaker"-configuration sound like a '56 Deluxe? And which Deluxe, as Fender had huge production tolerances? And more the "new" sound from the 1956 modell or the "aged" sound that will come out of the same amp today?
Facing this dilemma, ALL (!) the modelling amps I know (POD, Yamaha, Behringer, DigiTech) always exagerate the original characteristics, like a caricature. On this unit, this goes especially for the effects! But if you're careful with the controls you can come pretty close to whatever you consider the "real" sound. (All my remarks concern the Fender and Marshall simulations, as I have no aural knowledge of or interest in newer, heavier stuff).

Using all-tube-amps for my gigs, I'm always concerned about a back-up. But there's no space for a second amp in our car/on the tiny stages we play, so a modeling amp would come in handy!
But would I use the GENESIS 1 as a back-up? NEVER!!! Made of cheap plastic, I can see it dropping, getting stepped on and failing to operate even before I have plugged it in. Too sad that Digitech chose to go the cheap route. I would have paid more for it, if it was more rugged :-(

Never dealt with them.

Playing what I would describe as "garage-lounge" and "swingy country" I can get the sounds I want (mostly fifties-Fender) from the Genesis. Would I buy it again?
YESS! This is the only item, apart from my Fender 50's Reissue Telecaster, that I use every f***ing day!! DigiTech take note: I would even pay a lot more for it, if it was made of metal! But I would not be surprised if DigiTech would discontinue production as it was nearly impossible to locate this amp in my country (Germany) and the few offerings on eBay indicate that the Genesis1 does not seem to be a big commercial success. Sad, but true.

This is simple to use. Just turn the knobs and play with them until you get a good sound. Tap tempo delay works well. Some amp simulations need EQ tweaking to get rid of muddiness. No presets, just knobs--nice for practicing or quick & dirty recording.

Okay, it doesn't sound like a Class A tube-driven amp, but what do you expect for 80 bucks!? It's great for playing through headphones. Gate prevents noise--just hi-mid-lo settings, but good enough to practice. Don't know if I would gig with it, but it's fun for practicing.

So far so good. Sometimes the amp selection knob clicks and doesn't change the sound, but otherwise the controls seem solid. It's a plastic case, so don't sit on it!

N/A

Bought on clearance---would probably buy another for $80 if I stepped on it. I play prog-rockish stuff, and this is great for laying down ideas. CD input and line out are nice too. Stick this with a basic computer and ProTools free, and you're jammin! I use this mostly for composing and recording quick ideas.

Keep in mind---it is perfect for what it is: an $80 jam box.

same as all before......VERY EASY TO USE.....

IN the studio a great Fender clean sound and a great Marshall lead tone is about all ya need..this unit has both dead nuts..the black face/1-12 tweed or 2-12 american is the Fender to die for when recording clean tracks, add the chorus & a little reverb, bam...Fender heaven. The Brit stack/vintage 4-12, or 2-12 blonde, give a great crunch tone, tunrn up the compressor, and gain, lead heaven. add the chorus & delay, super lead voice...I have miced Marshalls, and this sounded better on the leads....

have had it over a year use it every day...

I now have recorded 4 of my own CD's with it, and many other projects for other bands....I have owned the POD's, and they also have nice things to offer, but for the 2 best guitar sounds Fender/Marshall, it blows away the Line 6 stuff...

Nothing to figure out really. You'll read the manual once and never have to touch it again.

The bad stuff first: The speaker cab models are just filters that roll off various treble freqs. The "Direct" amp model is the only model that does not sound muffled by a pillow. Likewise, about half the amp models will please nu-metalers and absolutely no one else. The Bass, Mid and Treble knobs do not seem to have much range, but a decent equalizer between this and the amp should be able to fix that

BUT the Brit Combo and Brick Stack models are to die for! The Blackface is clean and punchy just like you would expect it to be. The effects are pretty good. The noise gate is effective and the delay/reverb is really nice. The other effects work as advertised, no giant functionality but no suprises either. .

I would gig with this, but I would be very careful about where you sit it on the floor. The knobs and the case are fairly light plastic and I can see a tragedy waiting to happen if someone (your 200lb. singer) steps on it full force. But look guys, this Digitech costs a hundred bucks new. You really do have the option of buying two and keeping one in the case if you wanted some redundant backup. The input output jacks seem nice and solid. Remember that you will need a nearby AC power supply since it uses a wallcube AC adapter.

No reason yet to deal with them.

If you look at this as a Pod Junior you might be dissapointed. However, if you look at it as a swiss army knife distortion generator with a few other toys added in, you will not be let down at all. Bear in mind that there is a headphone jack output that can also be used with your average computer speakers. If you want to wail away at converstational volumes in front of your desk this is the solution you've been looking for.
On stage, you might simply stick this on top of your basic tube amp combo and treat it like part of the control panel. It's a great tool for varying your tone in a subtle way from song to song so you aren't running the same tone all evening. There are no foot switches per se, but you will want to have ready access to it nontheless.
Yeah, I'd buy it again. Not that anyone cares, but I use it for loud but melodic rock along the lines of the Replacements, Guided by Voices, early Cheap Trick etc.. as well as the old school Page/Blackmore riffage. It's a good all around toy to have around for an everyday working bastard price.

Well thought box, clearly set up. Good connections, too. Stupid supply, go find one easily and for cheap(at least here in switzerland). Don't buy their switch, any non-latching one(better two) does the job. And no clicks or lag or sound drop when switching, very good point here.
Reverbs are super,even if factory set depending on the amp model you choose. Fx's are average and far too loud. Compressor very nice, good job, thank you to the engineers( I hate to set compressors), as for the gate. It's simple and effective, like r&r!
I only found 4 sound for my tastes, but like them a lot. 2 clean plus recto and high gain genetx. Strange speaker simulator, better use other stuff for that(turn it to direct, at least you can). I use a Rath ugly-green box and it sounds very better.
I found that setting the drive before noon for rythm and using a booster(the tube blower for example) for lead sounds works very well. I also tried to use the clean sounds with a piezo acoustic and you get a low mid boost, whatever you do( on the b flat 5th string) so it's not usable.
All in all a good companion with clarity and details and good price-performance ratio. I tried the v-amp and frankly the genesis is miles beyond. Really. Digicrap can't always be wrong ya know!

Very easy to use. Select an amp model and a cabinet model and you're ready to go. You can also easily tweak the gain and EQ and add effects.

To my ears the sound quality is very good. It probably doesn't sound exactly like a real tube, but I've been able to emulate just about perfectly artists like Yngwei, Korn, Spineshank, Ozzy, and many other metal bands. I've heard some people say that all the distortion amp models sound the same on this unit, but I could clearly hear destinction from each and everyone. Anyways, the effects sound great too. I also played with the clean amp models and think they sound good. I especially like the Brit Combo and Blackface clean models.

This thing is great direct recording into my computer. It really makes my songs shine now. It can be noisy, but nothing the onboard noise gate can't handle. I've found just about every amp model on this unit to be useful, so for $100 you really get your money worth.

I guess it's realiable as long as you don't drop it, step on it, or drop anything on it. The thing's made of really flimsy plastic so I wouldn't leave it one the floor. This is the only area that it doesn't do so well on, but as long as you treat it good, there should be no problems.

Never needed them.

Overall this unit is well worth the money. I got for only $65 on eBay, but a new one is still only $100, and that's still worth it I think. If you're looking for a simple to use amp modeler for home studio recording, then this could really help you out. Like I said, it probably doesn't sound exactly like a real tube amp, but it's close. Plus, in a mix most people probably couldn't tell the difference.

It doesn't get any easier. 9 knobs and 4 buttons...

knobs - gain, bass, mid, treble, level, amp sim, cab sim, effect modulation gain, delay/reverb gain.

buttons - compression, chorus/tremolo/phaser effect, tap-it (to set delay time), noise gate (high, medium, low)

When comparing this unit to my old DOD Tec8 that retailed for almost $250.00 brand new and also against the DI out on my Marshall, I was absolutely floored by how good this unit sounds.
I sold my TEC8 the same day I bought the Genesis. The compression is average. The Chorus is very rich (almost too much) the tremolo is kinda cheesy, the phaser is deep. None of these are extremely adjustable, but they all sound very , very good. The reverb is quite good. The delay is awesome.
The Amp modeling is top notch. Any sound you're looking for, you will likely find in this unit. The cleans I'd rate a 7 or 8. The distorted and overdriven sounds get a 9.
Overall sound quality is fantastic. 24 bit processing and true stereo output difinitely put this in a class with the Johnson and Behringer group.

Wouldn't gig with it. It's plastic and will break easily I would imagine. I've been using mine for recording into Sonar/Cool Edit and it works well for that purpose.
If I take good care of it, I would imagine I'll get about 3 years of solid daily use out of it. Maybe more. I have noticed these little suckers do heat up quite a bit, so hopefully that won't become an issure over time.

No need to contact them at this point.

I've been playing again for about 5 years after giving it up for about 10 years.
The Genesis fits my needs well for my amature/hobbyist musician recording studio I have going on. I have an acoustic collecting dust, a Fender Strat and a Marshall to go along with this unit.
I really like the sound this unit puts out. Great for direct pc recording. I wish it had more control over the modulation effects (chorus,trem,phaser) but for what I paid, no complaints whatsoever.
The modeling alone is worth the price. To get all the other goodies and kick ass delay and reverb to boot?!
These things are a steal. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. It has inspired me to want to make and record more music.
It's plastic though, so just don't drop it.......

Probably the easiest guitar effects processor to use. The manual wont do you any good coz you'll be able to figure out everything about the processor in like 15 minutes max.

I own a Fender Stratocaster(Japanese) and the guitar tone is quite awesome. Some people have sort of not taken a liking to the clean tones but I really dig them. You can get really heavy distortions with it as well. My favs are the Hot Rod, High Gain and of course, the Rectifier. The cabinets are awesome too, The American 4x10 being my personal fav. For Blues guitarist, the Tweed is the way to go. The Chorus and Flanger effects are as good as the V-amp2 or Pod, but the tremolo sounds really corny.

Well, i bought it from my friend who had been using it for a year. No problems with it so far. Haven't dropped it yet. Its great for gigs provided youve got the footswitch and can do with just a distortion and a clean patch. If you want a variety then youve got a problem on your hands.

Never contacted the customer support.... yet.

I play blues-rock and at times heavy stuff as well. Ive got some really rockin blues tones out it. You can nail any heavy tone out of it. Its really awesome for shredders too. Theres so much gain on this thing, you dont really need your right hand, you can just legato on your way to glory.

If I lose it, ill probably get another one... its really cheap. I personally prefer the genesis to the V-Amp 2. The tones are superior but the only drawback is the lack of variety you can have on stage. Ive done a little recording with it on my computer with an Audiophile card and the tones sound great, especially in stereo.

This is what brought me to the Genesis 1. Knobs for everything. What you see is what you get. No scrolling, no BS, just knobs and each one does just what it says it does.
I have owned the most complex, (Roland GT5, GNX2, many others). I can sit down in my studio with this and hit it right on the money with a few knob turns.

Great! No presets that sound like junk to erase. On here you start with close to what you want and then fine tune it. Do the amps sound exactly like thier predecessors? Depends. Tweed for example. What year? What tubes installed? New caps? Original speakers? Date code?
The point that I am trying to make here is that even the "tweeds" themselves sound so different. What it all comes down to is that it sounds GOOD. Good enough to record with easily. It captures the "mood" of the amps just fine and if you know how to tweak you can get a good sound. Good is what it is all about fellers.
Will I use them all, heck no. But the tweeds, Vox's, Marshalls, and a couple of others, heck yeah.

Don't know, but if I need to I will buy another one.

Seems good, going by the Digitech site.

I record everything from Country to Country Rock, Rockabilly, Blues, Soft Rock and even some fairly hot alternative. This little puppy surely can and does do what I like. I sometimes play it through a Gibson GA17RVT Scout, an old Gretsch Valco Compact TremVerb, or a 1938 Wabash for warmth or effect. Much of the time though it goes straight into my digital multitrack.
It is a winner. I would have paid more for it.
Knobs, peeps, it is all in the knobs and they are surely there.
I would buy another one if lost. It is one tool I will keep around.

Couldn't be easier. Very intuitive.

A *BIG* disappointment. I bought this as a desktop modeller to do
direct to disk recording. It is extremely difficult to get a decent
recorded sound. It sounds OK direct through headphones, but once
it's recorded, it sounds just plain awful. There isn't a single passable tone. The distortions sound thrashy and thin and the clean
sounds are terrible. As for blues and crunch, forget it. I also have
a J-Station, a Yamaha DG-STomp and had a V-Amp which this was
replacing. This was a very bad move on my part. I expected more
given it was more recent technology and in the same price bracket
as the V-amp2 and, instead I got much less. If you are into doing direct recording, give this box a *wide* berth. Any of the 3
mentioned leave it for dead. The FX are so-so, but I never use them
when recording anyway. Is it possible to give a box a negative score?
No? Oh well...it has to be...

It looks pretty robust and will probably have the usual Digitech
reliability.

Never used them, but if they are reading this...waken up guys!!!
Your design engineers have failed you!

I'm afraid this was a real letdown for me. Just out of interest,
I stuck it into the FX return socket of my Laney LC30 (all tube
30 watt amp) and it sounded OK-ish. Trouble was, it had no footswitch
option, so the DG-Stomp which I usually plug in here has it beat
again as it has big tough footswitches built in and sounds better.
I'm afraid you have a lulu here Digitech. It's useless for desktop
modelling and recording, only passable of headphones and, without
an expensive external floorboard, useless for live work.
I'm afarid it's another....

Opened the box, fired it up, and started having fun immediately! Very nice. there is a manual... it is very helpful as a coaster for my beer... you don't need a manual with this box! This machine is simple to operate and just works... very very very simple and instantly good sounds.

US Strat and 2 Tele's and a danelectro (okay, and my pbass, what the heck) I bought this to use with my VS880 and so I can sit on the couch while the family goes into a tv haze and I drop into a purple haze... the only problem is now they want headphone splitters! Sounds good... it won't put Howard Dumble out of business, but, I liked the stock sounds as much as the Pod when I tried it... I don't really use the effects... I like the VOX set up the best

Seems solid enough... I already dropped it and it survived, I've had it several weeks and it seems fine.

probably would never call... I'd either pull it apart and fix myself and messing it up...I'd toss it and cruise ebay until I found another

I mostly play electric americana, home recording, jamming with friends. I've been playing 22 years, my "shoe gazer" nephew was here for thanksgiving and wants one...so, I am going to get him one... I don't really need all the effects and am now looking for a jd-10 or 20... then I could use that and give the genesis away. It is a great little box.. well worth the money.

The Genesis 1 has the advantage that all the control positions always relate to the sound being
produced, which is clearly not the case when you recall a patch on a programmable
modeler (ie. J-Station, POD, V-AMP). This is a huge advantage to be able to tweek by "looking". STONE SIMPLE.

Have owned POD 1.0, POD 2.0, Dig. 2101, Dig 2120, J-Station, RP12, Zoom 9150...wider variety of usable distortions here, than any of aforementioned processors. Models are 100% terrific! Could care less if they "sound" like something else or not. Dig. n-gates are steps ahead of others. Effects merely usable. Models sound so responsive you will not want to "color" them with effects junk.

89. bucks....I may throw it away after each gig, and start with a fresh one.

Harmon group is good, not great. Somewhat helpful in 5 yrs. w/ 2101.

Units appropriateness for my genres:
Metal : A++
Jazz : B (not incredibly lush)
Fusion: B
Reggae: A+
Country: A++
Blues: A++....Stolen? Would sell lemonade for an afternoon and buy another. Makes POD and J-Station look like uneccessary headaches....Utah guys finally got it right...unbelievable value!

The unit is straightforward right out of the box. But dont waste your time, I read the reviews for this thing before I bought it and its not worth the cardboard box it comes in.

Two words ... it sucks. It sounds ok if your goal is to use with headphones but for direct recording the sound quality is just plain ugly. DONT BUY IT - YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED.

For the few times I have used it, it reliably sounded like crap. A very dependable piece of plastic junk.

Never contacted them.

I would rate the sound quality and tone of this thing at about par with two alley cats fighting.

this is incredibly easy to use.. the descriptions of the functions are accurate.. it is incredibly intuitive with almost no learning curve.. which is pretty amazing for a digitech product.. i had the gsp 5 when it came out and you couldn't just plug that bad boy in and get usable tones.. you had to really work at it.. that is not true with the genesis 1.. the trick to the gsp 5 was to realise its limits and simplify the programs.. just chorus.. just reverb.. and the distortion sucked.. this is what i hoped for years ago when i bought the gsp 5.. pnly it cost hundreds of dollars less.. and sounds better too.

i read a couple of other reviews and they said that notes would just cut out when you were holding sustained notes.. duuuuuudddees.. that is your noise gate in action.. try a lower setting and that is no problem at all.. the compressor is excellent although the high setting is really only appropriate for lead passages.. the other two settings are very good. the chorus is excellent. i turn it on and use the lowest setting and it is instant "BRIDGE OF SIGHS." the tremello is pretty cheesy but the phaser is good.. although it isn't a phase 45 by any means.. my biggest gripe is there is no effect level.. but what really was i expecting for $90? the noise gate is totally transparent at the lower levels and although the highest setting is oppresive.. i never have to use it. that is also my complaint about the reverb.. the lowest level is still too 'wet' (although it is a nice room simulation) so i won't use it. the tap feature on the delay is nice though.. as for the placement in my chain.. i just plug it in the front on my amp rather than the effects loop and it sounds very nice.

i find it absolutely dependable.. it simplified my stage setup bigtime.. i have even dropped it.. and there has been no problem..

it is so simple that i don't anticipate ever having to call about operationl problems.. and so cheap that if i break it on tour.. i'll just buy another one.. with the gsp 5 i had lots of problems and the digitech people were more than willing to help.. so based on that:

i love this thing.. i am a very eclectic performer and it covers a lot of sonic teritory.. i dumped a lot of equipment on the resale market because of this bad boy.. i comparison shopped and checked out the POD and a johnson amp.. if you can tolerate not being midi this is the way to go.. the genesis 3 would even cover that ground.

another thing.. when bypassed.. you MUST HAVE THE PEDAL TO DO THIS.. it is very transparent.. and to me that is an important consideration and a great way to check out an effects divice.. this passes the test with flying colors.

Very easy to use.. Not much editing invovled.. You pick a head, a cab combo and go to town! The manual wasn't needed really..

I've used this mostly for practicing at the aparmtent.. but have also used it thru a Peavey 30 watt Classic amp.. Thru both it sounded really good for a 100 dollar device.. I think I paid 95 bucks plus tax or something.. Right at a 100 dollars.. I guess you can get a foot switch with it to, but I don't have one.. There's only really two or three settings that I like personally..but I'm sure some folks could find more.. I love the Marshall setting I think it is and the Black face I do believe.. I give it a 7 because I personally only find about 3 of the effects to be outstanding.. That said, it's only a hundred dollar unit.. I plan on using it to drive a Tech 21 Power Amp .. which I think will be killer.. I'll also check out the Johnson J Station and the Beringer V Amp which I thought was the best of the Modeling amps I've used.. It's only a 129.00 bucks retail so I think it's probably a better deal to be honest..

Well, it's plastic and I wouldn't trust it if you going to throw it around.. Also, I wish it had a mic stand type thing like the POD does. or some type of something to secure it to something, but that's be nit picky..

Never dealt with them.. It's still working~!

Well, if you want something to record with or to practice with and your on a budget this thing might just be the ticket. If you want something to jam with and you dono't use a ton of effects, then this might be ok.. If you have to go from clean, to slightly broken, to all out distortion with multiple effects, look else where.. but you'll pay a lot more of course too! It's good for the money.. but I think it can be beat by spending another 25 to 50 bucks.. It's good for recording to the PC for me at least..

Just like everyone else, I found it extremely easy to use. Given 20 minutes, I could teach a gibbon to operate this thing. If he didn't eat it first, that is. The manual is very basic but it is so self-explanatory, I had no problem with that.

Again, I concur with most of the other reviewers. If you keep the $99 over-the-counter price in mind, the effects more than pay for it. Sure, some of the settings sound gimmicky, but if you want crunch-n-dirty, man it is THERE. If you are under 20 and want to shred, buy the damn thing! You will not be disappointed. On my end, I am basically a play-in-my-bedroom weekend warrior, a 48 year old guy with a dog, wife and kid. I use a Westone Jap SG-copy with 2 DiMarzio PAF's coil-split. Oh yeah, a little Fender solid-state Champion 110. In addition to the crunch stuff, the chorus effect is also DAMN FINE IMHO. The reverb, phaser and other stuff are just OK. But remember: 99 bucks. And you can dick with it all day and just have fun. LAST THING: that other reviewer was right: Digitech.....put a goddamn OFF SWITCH on it so I don't have jerk the power cord out of the wall to turn it off! Obviously, this is a sleazy way to make you but the FOOT SWITCH. So be forewarned, dudes.

Too early to tell re: reliability...I just bought it and still works.

Never had to deal with Digitech so far. I strongly recommend that the dealers forewarn you about the almost-certain need to but the foot switch as well(see above).

I play mainstream rock/blues, so I really don't need the heavy crunch capability. Fun after a few beers, though. Been playing sporadically for about 25 years. I wanted a toy and am very happy with this, great bang-for-the-buck. Best Feature: 5 minute learning curve, which means a well designed product. Worst: No Freakin' Off Switch so you gotta buy the foot pedal to bypass it.

No menus, no lcd screens, no hidden settings. Just twist to your settings and play away. It's even easier to use than a stompbox -- you don't even have to step on it, it's always on when it's plugged in! ;-)

In light of the fact that this puppy cost me $90 + tax, the sound quality is better than I'd even imagined. Some of the high gain amps can be noisy, but the three-level noise gate (high, med, low) helps there. Some amp models are very clean (blackface, brit combo) and you are not going to get much gain out of them. Others are very dirty (brit stack, rectifier) and you are not going to get clean sounds out of them. This is fine by me -- I don't really WANT a clean Mesa sound. And what do you want for the price of 1 stompbox? Corners must be cut somewhere. The best part about this box is that different guitars/different pickups on the same guitar sound DIFFERENT through this box. The gain really isn't controlled by the guitar volume knob like a good tube amp would be. And long sustained notes can abrubtly end towards the end of the sustain as another reviewer noted. These are nitpicky drawbacks however, I am THRILLED with this esp. for the $. The effects are ok, the chorus is good with a clean amp setting. The reverb is usuable.

I am using this as a direct recording box through a SB Live SoundCard (TIP - make sure to use the LINE IN input, not the mic input as the SB preamp will add extra noise!!!). I also am using it as a stompbox in my pedal chain at home through the front of my Peavy Classic 20 (with 12AT7's instead of 12AX7's for a clean, transparent preamp -- I love the poweramp sound - EL34's - but didn't like the preamp distortion of my amp). Also using this as a headphone amp. Guitars are strats with hot single coils and a Hamer Std Import with Duncan Design humbuckers (that will be replaced). For the price category? I give it a 10. But on balance with all others out there ... 7.

Well, it is 2 lbs of plastic. I wouldn't use it to drive nails and I wouldn't throw it around, but it works fine for what it is. I wouldn't gig with this unless it was in a rack drawer though.

What a value for rock/pop sounds. I was saving up for a more professional level amp sim, but this thing rocks. I think it kills POD soundwise. It has enough variety of sounds that I can get my ideas into Cakewalk and have them sound professional. It also, surprisingly, works in my pedal chain (just make sure to use the DIRECT setting and not a cab sim).

The one main drawback is that you can't save sounds. So buy the Genesis 3 if you need that for another 2 benjamins.

I was not a Digitech user before trying this unit, but I am now and will make sure to give their stuff a try in the future. Good job.

If someone stole it, I would forgive them and pray for their soul. OK, not really. But after beating them silly for touching my gear, I'd definitely buy this again in a heartbeat.

The ease of use is at least half of the coolness here. You don't have to search through numeric menus or remember why patch 34A is different from 34B. You turn the amp knob, you turn the cab knob you rock the party. The effects are simple to use but not overly useful.

The sound is the most important virtue of any guitar device, right? Well, this little guy delivers. All of the amp models are distinct. There are no two models making the same sounds. Best of all, the Marshall sounds like a marshall and the Vox sounds like a Vox! I have actually priced some Mesa Boogie Mark II's just because if the actual amp sounds as cool as this modeled one, how could I go wrong?!! It is great to be able to Play a Rectifier on one song and then a vintage Fender twin on the next. It's best played through a PA system, the sound is more authentic. It sounds good through my Fender Blues DeVille it just takes a little longer to get amp settings and Genesis settings to sound right. The effects are kind of an afterthought bonus. They are cool but not very useful.

This thing weighs about 2 pounds, tops. It is plastic and I wouldn't drop it if I were you. It was not designed to be a hard-hitting stage device. It is supposed to sit on a desktop and make sweet-sweet music in relative safety. I have found that the knobs stick a little and sometimes I am on the Blackface amp but the sound is definitely the Rectifier. Nothing major.

I have never worked with them, I only know that they have a good reputation.

I like to play blues, classic rock, metal, Beatle-face power pop and this little guy can do it all. It's great to be able to spin the amp know and play a nice hard E, get the feel for the sound and play whatever comes to mind. It is a great alternative to buying a new amp. Plus it works well through my computer for recording. It sure is nice to be able to go to a gig and carry a few cable and a two pound Genesis with dozens of tones as opposed to a 70 lb amp with two.

This unit is extremely easy to use. Everything is right at you finger tips. You can't ask for easier.

I love this unit. The amp and cabinet models sound great. I use this for professional recordings in the studio. I really love this thing. I have also plugged it into my amp and really liked it. Since it has no midi in/out it really would not do me any good to run it through my amp. I use it to direct record.

I have owned many effects units made out of plastic and I have never had a problem w/any of them. It is very light, but I think it is sturdy enough.

I have never dealt w/Digitech.

I have been playing for over 10 years and I really love the genesis 1. I would buy another one if it was lost or stolen. This is a great sounding processor.Trust me!

easy-to plug it in. can't get good tones out of it. It has no editing of patches.

Terrible. Has lots of distortions. THey are all terrible, just sounds like a fuzz box. It has reverb, which is noisy, and delay, which is just ok. BUt the guitar distortions are plain awful. I used headphones for it. Can't get any good sounds copied like the artists I listen to.

Had it one day, then returned it.

Haven't dealt with them

1. Don't waste your time even if you're a beginner, it'll make you want to hang up your guitar. Not inspiring at all. Especially for a brand new processor on the market.

I love knobs. I like to tweak them while I am playing. I can not stand these multi effects units with little buttons and lcd panels. I just want to tweak knobs. This is the only unit on the market that does this with modeling and delay effects all in one package. And it was only $99.

For a $99 unit, the sound quality is outstanding. But it is a $99 unit. So you get your money's worth and a whole lot more.

I have a bunch of guitars, but mostly I play through strats. I have an early 90's American strat, and a 2000 imported version. I also have a 335 clone semi-hollow body, and several other solid body humbucker type guitars. They all sound different through the unit, which I find to be very pleasing. Some effects units will make all guitars sound the same once processed.

I use an Ampeg 50 watt tube head as my main rig. I have a 1 x 12 and also 4 x 12 cabs. I also have a very old Peavy Reknown 2 x 12 combo that I use just for practices with the band. And I have a small Fender Tweed combo for practicing at home. These amp all sound great with the unit. I will however spring for the footswitch so I can completely bypass the unit, as well as turn the effects on and off. My Ampeg amp sounds awesome without effects and I want to leverage that sound.

A bunch of the other reviewers did not like the lightweight construction of the unit and thought it would be unreliable. I disagree. Plastic is good quality even though it is light weight. I think it will withstand a couple of spills. There are no moving parts to break. But I do keep it in a little gizmo bag just in case. But I would not hesitate to gig with this unit. I simple wrap my guitar cable around the handle of my amp before it goes into the unit. This will prevent me from pulling it off the top of the amp. The unit is made very well for the money.

Never delt with them.

The value for the money is above all other units on the market. Three years ago, you would have had to spend 5 times as much to get a similar unit, and the modeling units at that time sounded very artificial. This thing is great and fun to play with.

Extremely easy to use. No LCDs- just analog style dials. About the only thing you'll need the manual for is to find out what the amp models are.

Real easy to get the sound you want- choose an amp model, a speaker cab, and maybe some effects.

With a two year old in the house, I found myself using headphones a lot. I had a SS practice amp which sounded pretty good turned up, but not through headphones. The Genesis 1 sounds great through headphones, so it fit the bill, plus it doesn't take up the room that an amp does. I use it with a 98 AmStd Strat (stock) and a 01 Dearmond M77.

The amp models are pretty good, comparable to a POD IMO. I use it with a Boss JS5 and it provides a wide variety of tones. There's some noise but the noise gate does a decent job. Anyway, you can't really hear the noise with all 4 backing parts of the JS5.

I play mainly blues and blues/rock. The amp models do quite well, everything from blackface clean to crunchy tweed. Really nice. The super high gain amp models are good for kicks.

There isn't a lot of effects, just your basic modulation (tremolo, chorus, phaser) and delay/reverb. It's enough for me.

About the only thing that prevents me from giving it a 10 is the way the sound just cuts out instead of fading away. I guess this is just the way digital products are- but I don't recall this happening with the POD when I tried it a few months ago.

I don't gig. This thing is strictly for practice. I expect it to be as reliable as the boombox on my shelf.

Haven't dealt with them.

This is an absolute fantastic value, so I give it a 10. If you need something for practicing and use primarily headphones, this thing is it. I suppose you can also use it for recording, but I don't do that yet. I love how it gives me a vast array of tones to use with my JS5.

If it was lost or stolen, I may look at a J-Station, POD, or even a Genesis 3. But I think I'll end up getting this thing again, simply for the great price.

Extremely easy to use...don't even need the manual with this unit all is self explanatory on the unit

I am using a Jackson DR-6 , with Duncan Humbuckers...awesome crunch!!
great noise gate feature! I love the Delay, and Chorus, Phasor's not bad either for a unit that is $99! so far My fav setting is Rectified with some chorus and a slight delay, and 4x10 American Cab sim.

Well I would be afraid to use it on the raod , great to use at home for jamming and recording, I have a RP-100 to use out!
It's kinda light in weight so it would be destroyed if you dropped it from a few feet up.

Comes with the power pack nice =-)
I love this unit alot less than the Line 6 POD and alot easier to use.
This unit is great for all music, esp[ecially METAL!!! I play PRIEST, MAIDEN, SABBATH, OLD METALLICA, ICED EARTH AND ORIGINALS....and this unit does it for me Go Buy It!!

Doesn't get much easier to use than this unit. All the knobs are well labelled and do what they say they do. I haven't even opened the manual, and don't see a need too. It has gain, bass, mid, treble and volume knobs along the bottom. Has amp and cabinet model knobs in the middle and compression, fx, delay/reverb, and noise gate at the top. Inputs and outputs along the back. Simple right?

My only real complaint (and this is not just this unit, but Digitech products in general), there is no power switch?!?! Hello, Digitech, are you listening? Put a damn on/off switch on your products!! (There, now I feel better! *lol*)

Some people bitch about Digitech products, but I for one think they make great multi-fx boxes. I have an RP 2000 that is one of the best multi-fx units I've ever tried. Very versatile and natural sounding, so I expected the same from this Digitech product.

I was really out shopping for a distortion pedal for my practice rig when I tried this unit. After trying many distortion pedals (and having owned many!) I saw this unit and figured why buy another $80 distortion pedal with one sound when I could spend $20 extra and have multiple sound choices? So, I farted around with it at Guitar Center and found it to be fairly flexible. I didn't want another programmable, infinitely tweakable, multi-fx box, I just wanted something simple. This and the Boss GP-20 caught my eye as simple to use preamp/distortion units that didn't require NASA training to adjust. I wanted to find a good usable tone that I could set and forget. I figured if I could get 3 or 4 usable tones it would be worth the money.

I use many different guitars of all styles and a Crate amp with a custom 2x12 cab that I built using Celestion Speakers. I have Dimarzio super distortions in the bridges of most of my guitars, except my Strat, which has a HS-3's.

I bought it and ordered the footswitch (without it, you have no way to bypass the unit for a clean tone), and when I first plugged it in at home, I was kind of disappointed. I could not get a usable tone from it when using my amp. It turned out that the eq controls on the unit are controlling the wrong frequencies (IMO). The bass does nothing but add "boominess" and the mid uses too low a frequency, which adds even more "boominess". Treble uses too high a frequency and makes for a "frying eggs" tone.

Enter a graphic eq! I use a Dano 7 band eq and after setting the tone knobs on the Genesis to 12 o'clock, I adjusted the eq and it changed the way the unit sounds dramatically. Although some of the amp sims are of the novelty variety, there are some usable ones. The brit stack and the high gain are good ones (with some tweaking) and the tweed and brit combo are good for a cleaner sound. The secret to getting usable sounds from this unit is in the gain knob. Most of the amp sims sound like noise with the gain knob above half way, so use it sparingly. I like the high gain amp sim with the gain knob set to about 9 o'clock.

Now the real downfall of this unit, the cab sims. They are basically (to my ears anyway) preset tone settings. When using headphones or going straight to a recorder/computer, I guess they have some use. But, when going to an amp, leave it on "direct"! To me, there are no usable cab sims when playing through an amp. They alter the tone too much and sound boomy and un-natural. Use your amp controls or an eq to tailor the tone, don't rely on the units eq controls.

The compressor has three settings and off, and is very usable. The high setting is a little much, but the mid and low settings sound great. the chorus/flange/phase is o.k., you can control the speed, but unfortunately, not the depth, so they sound kind of gimmicky. The chorus does sound good with a clean amp sim. The flange and phaser are a little overboard, however. The reverb and delay knob is unique. It consists of a "tap-it" button and a rotary knob. The rotary knob has 3 stages, the first portion is delay only, the 2nd is reverb only and the 3rd is delay and reverb combined. Each stage controls the depth of the effect until reaching the next stage, which controls the depth of that effect. The "tap-it" button controls the speed of the delay. Reverb is decent, but I prefer the reverb on my amp. The next button is for the noise gate and it has 3 levels and off. It works well and doesn't clip notes, very usable.

All in all, the unit does about what I expected it to do. It is a substitute for a distortion pedal and has more flexibility than one. Pluses would be built in compression a

Definitely not something I would use to gig with. It's made of plastic and weighs like 3 oz's. I can see it getting dropped a couple of times and being destroyed. Would never take this thing on stage.

However, I don't think Digitech had the touring musician in mind when this unit was designed. Nor do I think it works well with high power amps. It was probably designed for "bedroom" musicians, practice rigs and recording situations and it works well in those situations. When using it as designed, it should last a long time.

I've owned a couple of Digitech products over the years, and the only dealings I've had with their customer service people, were for firmware upgrades. They were always friendly, quick to answer and informative, so I have no bitches.

I've been playing for almost 30 years, and have gone through all the stages. Garage bands, wedding gigs, original band, taught some, built my own axes, etc.... Buying guitar equipment is an addiction and the search for "THAT" sound is never-ending. There are no holy grails and there is no perfect manufacturer or product. What sounds good to you today is bound to sound like crap tomorrow. What sounds new and inventive today will sound old and dated next week. Try before you buy and don't be afraid to make noise in a guitar store. It's your money so you are entitled to try things before you purchase them no matter your level of ability. (off the soapbox now)

That said, I'll rate it a 7 overall. It falls short in some places, but like I said, I was looking for an alternative to another stomp box for my practice rig, and that's what I got. For a hundred bucks it is an adequate replacement for 3 or 4 different boxes, which could easily run you $300-$400. With the footswitch ($39.95) you have a more flexible alternative to a floor full of effects and a good preamp for your practice amp. I do wish it had a depth control for the effects (chorus/flange/phase) and an on/off switch. It is extremely easy to use and I think the only product it directly compares with would be the Boss GP-20 "Amp Factory". I went with the Digitech because of the addition of the noisegate and compression and it costs half the price.

I would say great for beginners with limited cash and usable for experienced players as a practice unit.

The buttons are easy to use. It gets great sound, and not that hard to mess with. The manual is helpful, was for me.

I am using a peavy studio pro 112, with an esp m-107.
The effects sounds better than my 80 dollar ibanez CF7. And the amp distortion is better than my death metal pedal. I am getting the sounds that I was hoping for, for example, pantera, metallica, creed. I love the delay, its very good.

Yes I could depend on it.

Never deal with them, takes too long, if i wanted to.

Metal is my style and it works very good. Been playing for almost 4 years. If it were stolen i would buy another one just like it. I love it cause its not a pedal, and it gives me my supurb sound that I want to get. I also can hook it up to my sound jack on my computer, and it comes out sweet. Helps me make great music.

It CAN'T get any easier than this! You've got knobs. You turn them. The top of the unit tells you what they do. You choose an amp, cabinet, then just set the gain, treble, mid, bass, and level...and you're ready to go! I tried to use a POD, *TRIED* for two hours at a music store and could only get about half the functions going (and I STLIL couldn't find the darn speaker sims!). This thing is great...when I'm recording or jamming late at night, I turn this baby on, spin a couple of knobs and in a matter of seconds I have some really usable tones going. That's a ten in my books.

I was bracing myself for the worst when I ordered this from Long and McQuade. I wasn't enthused about too many of the POD's tones (even after a salesman got me into the plain, straight amp-cabinet tones). The bluesier ones had this oscillating, compressed quality that I just couldn't stand. When this got it, I plugged it in and immediately was grinning ear to ear. The high gain models really have a lot of variety with the different cabs, the mid-gainy ones (like boutique and tweed) really stand out in the mix, and the clean ones (Black Face and Brit Combo) sound amazing with my strat!

The phasor is a bit stong for distortion, but it's incredible thick and juicy with clean tones. It nails the "Lightning Crashes" or "Given To Fly" type phasing with ease. The chorus is cool, tremolo I think is great, but only having one knob to adjust the rate and depth is kinda limiting. It's great to have the tap tempo button for the delay! With a delay pedal you need an extra $50 foot switch just to do that! The reverbs are also nice and smooth, the way I like it. Compression is ok, but I've never been a big fan of it so I can't really judge. The noise gate is amazing, I never have needed to go past the lowest setting. Notes still ring forever, and there isn't a trace of noise that my computer has picked up while recording.

My favourite amp models are the Brit Stack, GeNetX Gain, Boutique, and Black Face. My favourite cabs are the American 4x10 (adds some nice prescense to gainier amps), GeNetX 4x12 (good for the heaviest tones), and Blonde 2x12 for the clean tones. All of the speaker sims are usable though, and some sound just plain bad with some amps. However, by spinning the knob you will find some combinations that seem to be made in digital heaven.

The fact that I think the basic tones of this unit beat the POD surprised me, as I was expecting half the tone for half the price. Kudos to DigiTech for doing such a great job on this unit!

I won't be taking it out of my house probably so I'm not sure it HAS to withstand much. I was surprised at how little it weighed! 1.1 lbs according tot he box. The plastic case does not conjur up images of Sherman tanks but then again there isn't much in there to break!

I won't rate DigiTech because I haven't dealt with them. HOWEVER, I have a beef with Long & McQuade. When I ordered this and the CakeWalk software I'm using to record, the salesman went to great lengths on how I don't need to take this if I don't like it when it comes. I left a deposit of the amount of the software, and he said that I could leave this unit if it wasn't what I expected. When I walked in here a few days later after finding out it had arrived, I learned that it was on layaway. This may not be a big issue for a lot of people, but the fact that they would have charged me 10% on this even if I didn't want it pisses me off! The guy flat out lied to me...the unit turned out to be great, and 10% of this isn't much, but it's the fact that he just plain lied to me about store policy. I'm not pleased (with them! I'm in love with the unit!).

Overall, I must say this is the best bang-for-the-buck ratio I've EVER found. When I plugged it in for the first time and recorded some tracks, all my friends were surprised at how great it sounded. My brother (and bassist in my band) listening to this for a while and asked me why my amps can't sound this good :o).

This thing and the software I bought added up to about the same amount as a 2-day rental of a crappy 8-track and a microphone. I used it at first to record an instrumental guitar/bass cd and am also using it for a blues-rock cd I'm recording soon. I have played and recorded everything from jazz to alternative to blues to metal with this thing and it keeps surprising me..I'm still unearthing killer tones I hadn't found yet!

The best thing of all is, I only spend 5 minutes AT THE MOST before each song setting up the tone I want. It's usualyl done in under 30 seconds...which lets me get to playing, which is what it's all about, isn't it?

Very easy. Each knob has only one function. Footswitch input.
1/4" L&R outs. Miniplug stereo line out. Miniplug stereo headphone out. Miniplug cd input.

Very usable sounds for this price and not as noisy as I thought it might be. Quieter than the Rp 100 - 200 - 300 I think.
Amp sims are also a little beefier and juiceier here in my opinion.
Compressor gives very large gain boost, I wish it was footswitchable
in order to go from rhythm to lead but it's not. When you add the
mod effects they're a bit thick and loud for my taste, especially the
phasor is too strong. I like phasing BEFORE the distortion like
JIMMY PAGE and EDDIE VAN HALEN. Here the phasing is post-distortion.
Amp sounds are good but I think all should have a range of clean to
full distortion. Every amp I've ever owned had this range. For Example: everyone now seems to have the stupid idea that Fenders don't distort. What BullShit, I've had four Fender tube heads and they all scream like hell when cranked to ten. I had an old Marshall head that could play clean. So why are all these models simply all clean or all gonzo, they should have more range. But for $99. It's GREAT. Also why doesn't the vox ac30 scream? This is what Brain May
used in QUEEN. Even the Beatles got more distortion from Vox than this. Like "I Feel Fine" and "Day Tripper" Speaker sims seem like
odd midrange variations but are all usable and much better than the
afore mentioned RP speaker sims which totally remove ALL TREBLE.

Very lightweight but very inexpensive.

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Very nice. I like to mount it on a mike stand for instant control.
I feel all amp sims should go from full clean to full shread but none
seem to. In my opinion for $99 this is an amazing thing and if any anal retentive
geek who spends $350 for some BOO-TEEK one sound overdrive would make
an honest blind folded test he would realize he's wasting his money. Man today, most musicians are IDOL WORSHIPPERS who feel better
about spending $800 than $80.