RadTone Harmonic Converger

If you follow Hadley's instructions, the sound out of your GT 8 will be amazing. Hook it up per directions and let 'er rip. How much easier could it possibly be? You will indeed want to tweak your existing patches to suit your tastes. I simply hooked it up and went directly into the PA board.

Custom Player's Strat with noiseless PUPs. Charvel Model 6 with original Jackson PUPs.
HC does not introduce additional noise.
Truly enhances the sound from your processor (mine is the Boss GT 8)
Running directly into the PA mixer (Mackie 32)
I downloaded Paul Hansen's patches for the GT 8 from Roland's site and used my custom patches. Both sound GREAT.
The distortion used to have the FIZZ buzz that sucked. It is GONE.

Can't say on reliability. I have only had the box for a couple of weeks. Seems to be built like a tank. I don't see reason for having a backup unit.

Hadley is true gentleman and is as professional as you can possibly find. What a great guy!

Style: Rock, country, pop. Great enhancement for total control.
Time Playing: Approx 40 years
If stolen or lost: I would BY ALL MEANS get another one.
What I Love: I love the simplicity and the fact that IT DOES WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED TO DO.
What I Hate: The price. A bit of an ouch but how much it worth to get rid of tone frustration.
Wish it Had: Wish is was built in to the Boss GT.
Does it help: Does not get in the way. Helps to make better music through great tones.
Addtional share: If you want to get great NO FIZZ tones, get the HC.

Boy, I've been waiting to own the HC for a long time and finally I was able to get one from a fellow GT Central mate for a fair price. It is the latest version and was 2 months old. Mine included the wooden adjustment tools as well as the instructions Hadley originally included. There are no suprises to mention in terms of "ease of use" Mine is the loop version, insert into loop and twist the adjustment dial to taste.

Here is where the rubber meets the road. I played it (GT8/HC)initially, thru a Carvin FET 400 power amp, 2x12 Legacy cab and an old Ibanez RTS (?) with lame pick ups. But the neck and body are solid, ready to be Frankenstein-ed! Admittedly not the best test lab, but I figured it should sound good anyway it's the HC after all! This is what I liked and noticed about the HC besides the improved OD and fizz killing, much said about that here and elsewhere, no? My cheapy guit-box suddenly had pressence! The pickups actually attempted to show character and variety! Veddy nice! The HC also made the effects sound clearer and livelier. Once again playing thru the power amp, even though I was pleased, I knew that it wasn't the best for reproducing all the HC goodness. So my next experiment would involve my TCP set up, a Carvin Legacy half stack and my beloved Parker Guit-box. Thru this set up (after some minor adjustments) I was blown away at how much better my GT8/HC/BBE Sonic Stomp sounded. I don't use a crazy amount of Od/Dist. but enough to have the proper bite, smoothness and metal "attitude", with the HC engaged I improved my OD/Dist. patches 10 fold. Some Od sims weren't helped that much, but I don't hold it against the HC, trying to polish a turd and all of that. I should say at this point I also by-pass the pre-amps in favour of running the OD/Dist. models with the effects. The HC is not an instant cure all for those who cannot tone shape their MFX to begin with. The HC is a tonal enhancement that improves the sound and flexability of the GT's and other modellers. The better you are at tone shaping the more the HC will benefit your efforts. On clean patches the HC emparts a nice clear chimey enhancing quality that I like, veddy nice. Verily I am quite pleased with how Hadley's Wonder box interacts, improves, sounds, rewards my tweaking efforts, makes me sexier and polishes my tennis game!

It is in my will to be buried with my HC. Can't afford a back up. No problems so far, news and sports next!

Hadley is the Devil, he is the worst man ever! Just kiddin' I didn't even buy it from Hadley, yet I felt compelled to shoot him an email and thank him for sharing his Wonder Box with the world. I've also communicated with him in the past via email and he couldn't have been nicer.

I play prog rock/improvisational psuedo fusion. The HC helps me to acheive all that I can from my GT8 TCP set up. I have way too much gear to list. If it were stolen? I can't bare to consider such a thing, how rude! In conclusion friends, the Harmonic Converger is the bees knees for modellers. It's not an instant cure all if you can't tweak, but if you know your modeller/equipment the HC makes tweaking fun and rewarding. As I've mentioned before I been wanting this thing for quite some time, read all the reviews, got it all hyped up in my brain and was not dissapointed. I have to give it a ten. Totally recommend it to MFX enthusiasts! Thanks Hadley!

Stereo Model. If you follow the simple instruction sheet of connection, nothing could be easier. I use a Boss GT 8 and come out of the Headphones jack. I run both outputs to the PA mixer and use a monitor foldback to hear myself. The trim pot on the side of the unit allows you do custom tweaking of the output timbre of the unit. Make sure you trim the input at the board to avoid clipping on peaks.

Absolutely amazing! To be honest, I tried a mono unit out with my GT8 about a couple of years ago and was not impressed. However, I was a know-it-all and simply connected and expected everything to be perfect. I did not come out of the phones jack and didn't really pay much attention to much. Sent it back. I have (hopefully) since wised up. I found a like-new stereo unit on eBay and connected it per Hadley's instructions. Voila`, AMAZING! I am going DIRECT and it REALLY sounds like I am running my Marshall. Stage volume control is a thing of the past. The tones are what I think Roland actually wanted but did not figure how to get. The Aliasing noise with the high-end annoying grit is gone. The clean is clean and the crunch is dandy. I use customized Fender Custom Player's Strat with Noiseless pickups, a custom made 12" radius neck with bound ebony fretboard built by Greg Reszel (amazing guitar tech and luthier). The guitar is equipped with Ghost Piezzo pickups and 13 pin output which goes to a Roland GR 33 directly into the board (separate signal not into the HC). Also use a Charvel 6 with original Jackson pickups with active midrange removed and replaced with EMG acitve boost circuit.

Built like a tank. Haven't had it long so I cannot express an honest opinion yet.

Hadley is a SUPER guy and provides excellent customer support. He refunded my money on the first unit I had with no questions. His exact statement was that he did not want for me have to keep it if I didn't like it. Businesses that say they have good customer service could learn a lot from Hadley. I highly recommend doing business with him.

I play Christian rock which runs all the way from metal to mellow. We will be playing in churches and trying not to blow the walls out but I can still get the right sound at reasonable volumes. For those who would like to stop hauling mountains of amps and cabinets and have been looking for a great sound from a processor like the Line 6 Pod or the Boss GT series, get one of these units and follow the simple hookup instructions. It seems pricey but like another post states, "How much value do you place on your time?" I would bet that you can tweak from now until the cows come home and will not be able to match the sound without using an HC in your setup.

This product could not be any easier to operate. Having said that, it took me a few days to figure out why I wasn't getting the "Wow" factor that others before me had. It turned out that I was getting too much gain from my own amp and I also was using a bit toomuch compressor as well. Once I made those adjustments, I "saw the light".

I am currently using a Boss GT-8 for a modeler and I have a 69' Strat, a Gibson ES-335 Crossraods, and a Peavey Wolfgang thru' a Mesa 5:50 Express. Once I made a few adjustments, I was left almost breathless by the sounds I was getting, and this was after about 10 minutes of tweaking some existing patches that I had made. Prior to getting the HC, I was using the GT-8 in the manual mode basically as a row of stomp boxes connected using the 4CM. After playing for about an hour (with the biggest grin on my face), I started to develop my own patches from scratch. I followed Hadley's reccommendations with respect to the proper effects chain order, and dialing in amazing sounds was a breeze

Not much really to say here except that it looks like it's built with love. It will last forever I'm sure.

Hadley is a great guy as others have said before me. Given that he's the guitarist for Niel Diamond, I'm sure he's super busy. He was there every time I needed him.

I play a bit of everything, from blues with one band to classic rock with another. When I played through it for some pals the other day, they were blown! The cool thing is that you can just press the loop on/off button on the GT-8 to instantly hear what the HC is doing. The best way I can describe it is like when you go to the paint store, and you see all the samples of colours on the wall. You may think there is only one shade of white, but there are tons of them. The HC brings out all those colours.

Plug it in, tweak your patches, and turn a potentiometer with a wooden dowel. So easy, a caveman could do it! =) The manual that comes with it is pretty easy to follow. Just follow the instructions and you should have no problem!

Ok, what would you say if I told you that I could almost hear and feel the air being driven from my tube amp with the harmonic converger installed into my X3Live amp modeller? Yeah, that's right, I'm using a P.A., not an amp. But for some reason, the HC makes my X3L feel as if I'm actually using the amps that it models.

I have my HC hooked up through my X3L's FX Loop. I can actually turn my HC on and off by just turning off the loop in each individual patch. Side by side comparisons made easy!

As it's been stated here before, I'm not sure what it would take to break the HC. It's a small aluminum box that's filled with some type of resin. It's heavy for it's size. I'm pretty sure that you could cause some major damage to someone/something if you hit them with it. I'm pretty sure that my HC will outlive me and possibly my kids.

As far as gigging without a backup, that is a 100% yes. The only thing I have to worry about is someone stealing it from my pedal board. And if that happens, God help them.

Mr. Hockensmith is aces in my book. He was extremely patient with me and my 1,000 questions. I received prompt replies to every one.

What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?:

I play all differnt styles of music from blues to heavy metal. The Harmonic Converger so far has found a way to fit in in every situation and improve my sound. Did you see that? *MY* sound. I have finally graduated from what Line6 believes what my sound should be and is now firmly in my hands.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?:

It'll be 28 years in April 2009. I mainly use my 1999 PRS McCarty but have been known to pull out my 1976 Gibson L6S or Gibson SG every once and a while. I've used several floor and rackmounted FX processors / amp modellers, but my favorites are my Digitech GSP-2120 and my Line6 X3 Live.

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?:

If it were lost or stolen, I'd be rip-roaring pissed. Not just because it's an expensive piece of kit, but because my sound just left with it. Yes, I'd have to get another one whilst I hunted down the dead-man that took it.

what do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?:

Love - the sound I can get out of it and the fact that I can almost feel the tubes being driven and feel the air from the fictitious amp.

Hate - that I didn't buy one earlier than I did.

Favorite feature - It has to be the simplicity of the HC. Plug it in and good. Follow Hadley's instructions to the letter and you won't be disappointed.

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?:

Compare it to other products? Sure, Hadley's other version of the HC. There is nothing like the HC on the market today. If there is, someone stole the plans from Hadley. I have absolutely no idea what else is in the HC other than some type of filter, but whatever it is, it works! To be honest, I don't care if Hadley left half his PB&J in there from when he put it together for me. Whatever he put in there works. Don't mess with a good thing you know?

Plug it in--play--cry sweet tears of joy because you do not have to throw your $500 multi effects unit in the garbage!! You will have to do a little adjusting to get the tone "just right" for you and your rig, but there is only one adjustment and you should be able to get that right in about 5 minutes if you follow Hadleys instructions. Now tweaking your effects unit and rebuilding your patches from scratch (which i highly recommend) may take some time but i cant count that against the HC because if the multi-FX units weren't so flawed to begin with we wouldnt be here now would we. I have the mono/loop model, one cable in one cable out. I have it hooked up in my GT-8 loop as Hadley suggests so i can still use my stereo outs.

Many people have written long reviews about what this unit does for your sound, i will not rehash all that. Read some of the other reviews if you want all that (except the 2 or 3 jackasses who decided to write reviews on something they dont even own). I will say that this unit works outstanding and on so many different levels. Like i said before, this unit kept my GT-8 from going in the garbage or out the window. My amp models are now very very usable, the overdrive and distortion functions now actually dont sound like computer generated garbage. The unit does have a little of its own signature (timbre)but its nothing to worry about, it sounds like the signature of a high quality tube amp and i think it has greatly enhanced the sound of my music. I put the HC in the GT-8 behind my Semour Duncan Twin Tube Mayhem distortion pedal(awesome pedal!!) in the loop and dialed up a Marshall stack amp model on the front end (before the loop) and WOW! The tube sound of the pedal combined with the HC's tube like timbre made my crappy little practice amp sound like a old Marshall head with a cascading gain mod (ala Randy Rhodes). But this is just one small example of how the HC just makes your pedalboard sound better. This device actually makes me want to play guitar more! Seriously, i was so dissapointed with the sounds i had been getting and the endless work i was having to do to make the GT-8 sound decent that i was reluctant to pick up my guitar, it was like going to work! Now my stuff sounds so good, i look forward to going home everyday and playing. Enough rambling, the unit does what it is supposed too and soooo much more. I am going to buy another one in case Hadley gets abducted by aliens or something, because i now will refuse to play without one!

I would say indestructable as many others have. Very solid build, would probably survive a nuclear blast along with all the ants and cockroaches!

Hadley is awesome, he was on tour in Europe somewhere and i am miltary stationed in Korea so i had to have him ship it to an alternate address to be shipped to me. Even with his busy schedule he answered all my questions on a daily basis and we had all arrangements made before he got home to build the unit. I have no doubt he would stand behind his product and i fully respect and admire him for his refusal to sell out to someone else or reveal the inner workings of his unit. It is a cutthroat business world and if you dont protect yourself somebody will backstab you in a heartbeat. If you dont like the price dont buy one, that just helps to ensure that i sound better than you, your choice.

Overall rating-Awesome! Enough said. If it was lost of stolen i would get another within the week, then i would find the guy who stole it and beat him to death with a fork!

As simple as it gets. There is a recessed metal potentiometer that can be adjusted (you can use a flathead screwdriver to turn it, but use the wooden dowels instead to prevent accidental damage). From far counter clockwise to full clockwise it goes from bypass to full "convergance"

This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for in my 15+ years of playing!

To start off, let me preface by saying that I own a POD XT Live but that I don't actually use ANY of it's amp or cab modeling, as I now have a Rivera K-Tre head that has some f'n CRUSHING gain >:) Obviously, I'm a metalhead! My patches consist of amp bypasses with effects and EQ/volume tweaks for solo/lead work. I then run the output into a rackmounted Behringer UltraGraph 15 band 2 channel EQ (which, for 80 bucks, is a pretty darn good piece of gear...I'll never go back to my GE-7), then into a BBE 362 Maximizer (another "gotta-have" tone shaping tool) and finally into a Rocktron Hush Super C before going back into the amp's Return.

Even though the HC is designed to remove "fizz" from Hi-Gain Amp/Cab sims on the POD and other modelers, I find that even heavy use of EQ adds in harsh fizz and hiss. That's where the HC comes into play. The effect this unit has on your sound is very hard to describe. Basically, when you start turning the adjustment knob, you'll hear an effect that sounds almost like natural harmonics as you would hear them if you started playing them from the 2nd or 3rd fret and started going up the neck...its a very subtle effect. These seem to be harmonic "overtones" that synchronize with whatever note you're playing. The more you turn the knob, the more the overtones seem to drop in octaves (after cycling through the 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, and unisons). Eventually you can dial in a setting that reduces the fizz enough octaves to where it is in harmony with the note you're playing. As a pleasant side effect, this also seems to prevent destructive dissonance. I can now squeal away on the pinch and natural harmonics with ease. I could be dead wrong on the HC's working principle, but this is the theory that I've come up with after using it for a few days.

As far as tone and clarity go, you will still need to use your preamp stage/EQ to shape your tone first. If you use the amp/cab sims or pedal distortions, set up a new patch with all EQ settings at 5 (flat across the board) and turn off all effects, then start tweaking. Set up a solid "base" distortion tone first. Once you've come up with a sound you like, start tweaking the HC. Remember, this little contraption is not an EQ in and of itself. But, it will allow you to raise up your highs to add more bite and cut through your lows (esp. if you've got 'em "dimed" or at 10) while eliminating the shrill hiss and ear-piercing noise usually resulting from cranking up the treble. This is ESPECIALLY apparent for solo/lead settings. I used to have to dial back the highs for my lead patches to the point of muddiness at stage volume to prevent noise and feedback, but now I can wail away without worrying about giving the audience permanent hearing loss from uncontrolled highs. One other note, as mentioned before, due to the elimination of destructive dissonance (or interference), notes will sustain longer and harmonics sing out more freely, esp. during chording/arpeggiating. This is my impression, at least.

"Built like a tank" or a hockey puck (in Hadley's own words :) comes to mind. It's a passive device, only 1 moving part (the potentiometer dial), solid metal casing, has a good weight to it. It's like the proverbial "little black box". Would probably last longer than I'll live.

Hadley Hockensmith is very accomplished musician himself, yet very pleasant and personable to communicate with. I had several email correspondences with him before I purchased my unit and he was very specific and to-the-point in answering my many (dumb) questions. I feel very confident in dealing with him and would trust him for any future purchases I might make. One other thing...I ordered my unit on a Sunday night and got it the next Monday afternoon, so within 8 days I was loving life and my tone with my new HC. Excellent all the way around here!

I found out about this device on the Line6 forums one fateful day when I did a search for "fizz". I did some research online (including reading reviews here) before laying down my $300 for the HC. Let me tell you, I do not regret this purchase at all! Sure, it's a rather steep price to pay for such a seemingly small and simple device, but you have to remember - this is one guy making these things by hand, not some sweatshop in Asia using cheap parts/materials. No matter the industry, if you want "custom" parts, devices, etc, you pay a premium. There is NOTHING on the market like it. You really have to hear it with your own ears to appreciate it. Look around the web for A/B sound comparisons. If you ask nicely, I may be able to provide some myself. Bottom line...if you intend to use a modeler or lots of EQ to shape your tone, this is a MUST-HAVE!

I use the stereo model with a Boss GT-8. GT-8 Headphones Out goes into the HC input, and each HC output runs into a DI box, and into the board. Pretty straightforward.

One side effect of using the HC, is that the ease of use of my GT-8 has been greatly improved. Getting really good tones out of the GT-8 used to be quite the tweakfest, but with the HC engaged I get to where I want to be sonically much more quickly. The HC radically increase productivity of tweaking time, so more time playing, less time tweaking.

With the HC engaged, the GT-8 patches are more present and real and urgent, there is a roundness and dimension to the tone that didn't exist before. I didn't realize how sterile and flat they sounded pre-HC, they really pop and come to life when the HC kicks in.

Built like a tank. I bought it in October of 2006, still works great. I have no doubt this thing will be working for years more.

It was a pleasure dealing with Hadley, he was very patient and answered my many questions in detail.

The only downside of the HC is the high price, but this is only high in relation to the typical mass manufactured stomp box. The unit is hand-made by the guy who invented it, and to my knowledge the HC is completely unique in what it does for tone.

Others have made this comment, and it bears repeating: the HC does one thing only, but it does it exceedingly well. And what the HC does is make my GT-8 sound like it has got tube amps inside instead of software simulations. When considered from that perspective, the HC is a bargain.

I bought the unit and connected it to my GT-8 loop as advised on the Rad Tone website. I set the HC on 50% and chose a simple Twin patch that I use with an oldies R&B group I play with. The difference was immediately apparent.

I have several different amplifier sets, but I tried this with a Roland KC-500 full range keyboard amp and a Godin LGX guitar equipped with a Creation Audio Labs Redeemer. My tone was exactly what I wanted and sounded better than my Twins ever did. I found I had a lot of depth and control with my picking dynamics and that inspired me to play with more feeling and precision.

The unit appears well constructed - I have been playing pro and semi-pro for over 40 years and would trust this to be on par with my BOSS gear which has never failed.

I emailed Hadley and set up a meeting in Anaheim at the Namm show. He showed up on time and I bought the HC from him directly. All emails previous to this meeting were answered quickly.

In my work, I get the chance to play with all the toys. I prefer products that are simple, quiet and effective no brains, just ears product. This works for me.In 46 years of playing, I have used lots of pedals - I always default to BOSS and am using their GT-8 with a pair of Tech-21 power stations, a 100 watt Cube, a Roland AC-60 acoustic amplifier or directly to mixer, depending on the situation. My guitars are Godins and Morgan acoustics.I would buy this again if stolen. I bought this after reading recommendations on Harmony Central from players that seemed to be like me - I trust experience.If it makes me feel like playing and I am having more fun in the limited time I have left to play, it is well worth it. I invest in very few products and am pleased I made a wise decision with the HC.

As a guitar player for 30 years plus, and having lots of tube amps, which I still have but don't want to risk them at some gigs, damage...so on. I have a GT 8 which had the "Fizz" sound even through tube amps...not as bad there none the less. My JC 120 showed the "Fizz", very much with allot of other garbage in the sound. As a solid state amp I would exspect that. The GT 8 sounds very good throught the JC 120 except for the "Fizz" and other garbage. I bought the latest HC. This was as easy to operate as you can get with great results. With in minuets, I was able to find where to start with new sounds. With a small adjustment pot on the side, very well protected, you start to dial one control...that's it.

What the HC did for all the settings in my gt 8 and a couple of others that I tried it on, through my friends GT 8's, was amazing. It does exactly what it say's it does. As a sound engineer, studio's for 6 years and then on the road for 8 years, and the past 20 years, head sound tech for 5 show rooms and still doing outside big events, I know what I am hearing. Not bragging about me, just giving facts. The HC took out the "FIZZ", and cleaned up the garbage as you can dial it up to the level you want out. Then you can continue dialing up hearing other tones in your sound. The HC never took away any of the tones I wanted to keep, it made them better, clearer, more tube like.

I will go with a nine here just cause I don't what it would take to break it, and or if a componet will die in it at some time. Only time will tell that. I do know this, it is very light, and built very strong. So I would exspect that dropping it will do nothing to it. I'll guess to say that even throwing it at the ground, which I would not recogmend...duh, would not hurt it either. In either case, I am sure if it fails Hadley will fix it.

I e-mailed Hadley first asking some questions. He returned my e-mails very quickly. Then I called him as I wanted to speak to him, as that is a bit easier for me at times to get questions answered. I left a message for him. He called me back even though I know he must have a very busy schedule. E-mail return...very fast...
Phone call return...very fast.

This is a great product for modlers. I would get another in a heart beat if this one was stolen. The HC truly does a great job to improve the sound of my guitar throught the GT 8. Even the OD's that sounded almost un-uasable before, are now very useable. No power supply, no batteries. It is not just an EQ by a long shot. I tried to mimck the sound of what the HC was doing with a couple of great sounding EQ's and along with my years of sound knowledge, could not truly replicate what the HC does. So it is not just an EQ thing as some have claimed. Great Job Hadley.