Rocktron Chameleon 2000

I found that it was pretty easy to program amp sounds, but it does take a while to get used to all the parameters in the effects sections. That being said, the sounds are tremendous and once you have a handle on the programming functions relatively easy to program. Anyone used to programming digital units will have little problem. Editing patches if pretty straight forward and there is compare button that let's you toggle between the original patch and the edited patch. One of the first things I did with my Chameleon was put it back to Factory Restore so I could work from scratch with the original factory patches. The manual is well written and easy to follow.

I'm running a couple of customized Parker P-38s (Lace Sensor single-coils and custom Duncan 59 double-coil humbucker on bridge). I run Behringer Hellbabe wah in front and run the Chameleon out in stereo into an ADA 200 Bipolar power amp and a pair of Avatar 2x12 slant cabs loaded with Emminence V12s. The four amp voices are outstanding. I own a custom class A 5 watt Marshall clone and use that as my measuring stick for rock tones. The British channel really nails those classic Marshall JCM800 sounds. The Clean does a great Fender twin sound, Texas does a very decent Tweed Bassman and Mega handles more modern sounds, but you can also dial down the gain for some nice smooth lead tones. The effects are outstanding. You can program delay voices and pan them however you want. The chorus and flanger are also stereo 2 voice effects. The phase shifter really does a great job doing a phase 90 or even a Uni-vibe sound. The unit is absolutely dead quiet when no signal is playing and I adjust the Hush unit more to tighten up various sounds than for noise reduction. Higher setting do tend to kill your sustain, but you can dial it in just right utilizing the Hush. The compressor is also subtle but effective. Using an expression pedal with my Rocktron Midi Mate I can adjust up to 8 different parameters in real time.

I used a Rocktron ProGap for about 12 years of steady gigging and roadwork with no problems. I would expect the Chameleon to be just as dependable.

Never dealt with them.

I initially bought my Chameleon to check out the sounds while waiting for Rocktron to bring out the larger Utopia floor models. Since they have primarily the same architecture, I thought it would give me a chance to get familiar with the sounds and programming. After playing and programming it for a couple of weeks and using it a band rehearsel, I'm totally pleased with this unit. The preamp sounds and effects are just excellent. The parameters are really tweakable, and even small incremental changes make a very noticeable difference. Unless the new Utopia floor units can offer me some real advantages over my current rig, I'll probaby just stay with this. For the cost of $165 for the Chameleon, $70 for the Midi Mate and $30 for the expression pedal, I've got a great sounding versatile rig.

Since there's nothing easier than an amplifier with a separate knob for each parameter, I can't give a 10 here. It's not difficult to use, but even after six years, I still find myself twiddling the wrong knob here and there.. it's definitely not a mind-intuitive setup, but it isn't complex either.

The easiest way to get a sound out of any device with presets is to go through all of the presets and find a tone closest to the one you're looking for, then tweak it to your preferences. That's -really- easy to do with the Chameleon. Coming up with sounds from scratch is more involved, but it's really just a matter of picking your preamp type (Clean, Texas, British or Mega), setting the gain, tweaking the EQ, and then add the effects you want.

Guitars: Steinberger GT-3 w/ DiMarzios (Neck: Air Norton, Bridge: Steve's Special) and Roland GK-2A synth pickup. Hohner G3T w/ EMGs (SA, SA, 85). Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster

Signal path: Guitar-> Rocktron Chameleon 2000 -> Alesis Quadraverb (running a graphic EQ all of the time and delay on lead patches) -> Behringer Ultra Q Tube Parametric EQ (adds about 2db around 100hz) -> 2 Roland KC-500 keyboard amps. Full stereo setup.

Reason for such a screwy rig: I played in a progressive band that jumped styles with just about every single song, so I needed to be able to jump from big band swing to hardcore metal to latin with the press of one switch. At the same time, I was using a Roland guitar synth to trigger keyboard sounds like horns and strings. I definitely sacrificed high quality tone for versatility, but between the Chameleon, the Line 6 POD and the Mesa Boogie Triaxis, the Chameleon had the best of all worlds. The POD sounds good until you crank it up, the Triaxis sounds best with a tube power amp.. and at the time it's list price was still $3,200 which later dropped to $1,500. Add at least another $1,500 for a quality power amp and cabinet and you might as well buy a boutique tube amp that does one thing -really- well.

Originally, I used the Steinberger with DiMarzios for everything. The bridge pickup in that DiMarzio with the Mega channel of the Chameleon gives you a -very- good Mesa Boogie/John Petrucci guitar tone, which is what I was going for at the time. The Chameleon excels at getting awesome tones, although it definitely doesn't have the response or natural compression of a tube amplifier.

Eventually I got real tired of having mission control at my feet and having to practice patch changes more than having to practice scales and songs so I started playing keyboards instead of using the guitar synth and got to use the Hohner with EMGs more. At this point, I stopped playing with that original progressive outfit, and was filling in some shows with the same guys in a Faith No More tribute band. I didn't like the EMG bridge pickup nearly as much as the DiMarzio in the other guitar, but I was still able to get the high gain metal and rock tones necessary for that music with it. With the EMG, the Chameleon sounds a bit too compressed and controlled, so I started really getting into using the neck single coil with a lower gain Marshall crunch type of sound for a really cool Strat vibe. I fell in love with this sound, and ended up picking up an awesome Nashville Telecaster to further explore that vibe. With the Telecaster, the Chameleon doesn?t have as ?open? of a tone as I?d like, but I?m still in the tweaking stage with the new guitar. I?ve got some great sounds that I?m happy with, but I don?t have that one awesome tone that I want.. And I think I?m going to have to end up with a tube amp like a Vox AC30 or a Fender Supersonic to get that. This is all testament to how flexible the Chameleon really is.. in that I've completely changed my style and tone and it has changed right along with me.

The effects sound great, but I'm more of a pure tone type of person. The only effect I use often is delay, and I use my Alesis Quadraverb for that, because that way I can change the effect patch without affecting the preamp patch and have a little bit less of a pause between patch changes. I do use a touch of the reverb set to be a very small room, just to add a little "air" to the sound, and I'll use tremolo for certain parts of certain songs. For modern ultra-clean sounds I use a bit of chorus, but really I don?t use much in the way of effects, but it?s nice to have them and to have really great sounding effects at that.

Clean: Pretty simple, just a clean channel, nothing more. I don?t like using the ?bright? switch with it because it?s WAY too bright with the Telecaster. Maybe if I feel like resonating the fillings in the audiences teeth I?ll use it!

Texas: I like the lower gain sounds with the Texas channel, but the distortion is a bit fizzy and sounds a lot like a distortion pedal, so I don?t use it often. However, if I have a need for that type of sound, I have a patch set up for that purpose with a high gain Texas preamp.

British: My new meat and potatoes. Originally, I didn?t like it much because it?s kind of a ?tweener channel. It?s big and meaty like a high gain amp should sound, but the distortion doesn?t really hold up much, and it doesn?t have as much sustain. I see with other reviews that the British preamp is the least liked of the bunch, but it really comes down to dialing in the right tone. It?s not mean to be a smooth, high gain tone.. rather more of a Marshall crunch.

Mega: One letter away from Mesa. In fact, my favorite patch with the Mega preamp is one I call ?Almost Mesa? because it?s so close to that Triaxis sound. You can get crazy with the gain with this preamp, but I don?t like to go above 7.0 or so, unless I?m really going for a gonzo high-gain sound. The Mega preamp is a little too ?safe? for me these days.. I still use it for heavy stuff or for smooth high-gain lead sounds though.

I do all of my recording with the Chameleon direct. You have to cut the gain in half so it doesn?t sound too fuzzy, but it?s a really good, solid tone to whatever you record to. I have a small digital studio, and these days do all of my mixing on my PC, so I can take advantage of various plugins and whatnot. The speaker simulator in the Chameleon is good, but I still run the guitar track through Native Instruments? Guitar Rig for cabinet emulation because it?s the best emulation I?ve ever heard. To get any more realistic I?d have to mic my own cabs.

I bought the Chameleon online from Musician?s Friend in 2001. I?ve used it in three studios, and gigged with four bands with it. Since day one it?s been kept in a six space rack, and I don?t want to jinx myself by saying this, but I literally have not had a single problem with it yet. I haven?t even had to tighten the nut for the input jack. I?ve been a Rocktron fan for a long time, and still have an old Pro Gap laying around, so I was well aware of Rocktron?s quality before purchasing the Chameleon and haven?t been disappointed yet. I?ve been using it without a backup for five years now.

When something breaks, I'll be able to let you know what Rocktron's customer support is like. Maybe in another five years?

Overall the Chameleon is probably the best bang-for-your-buck box I?ve ever seen. A great preamp with great effects... what more could you ask for? If you want a realistic tube tone and feel, you need to go buy a tube amp. I don?t care what -anyone- tells you, there is nothing like the sound and feel of a real tube amplifier, period. That tube tone doesn?t come from a single 12AX7 in the chain, it comes from a nice matched set of power amp tubes. You can get a little closer to a tube amp feel by using a tube power amp with a rackmount preamp like the Chameleon, POD or Triaxis, but it still isn?t the same. A preamp like the Chameleon is a compromise; you give up a few things, and you get a few things. Would I replace it if it was stolen? Probably not, just because I?ve had it for so long and I?m a little -too- comfortable with it. If it was stolen, it?d take my whole rack with it too, and that?s a bit more than I?d like to replace. Plus, I?m not doing the whole prog-rock mission-control pedalboard setup and a billion tones at my fingertips type of thing.. I?m really into that tube amp vibe these days, and don?t mind the limitations of just a few tones. Plus, I could always run the Chameleon side by side with any tube 1x12 or 2x12 combo as well. I won?t be getting rid of my Chameleon anytime soon, but I think I?ve graduated past it and am ready to move on to the big bad world of tube amplification. That real tube sound and real tube feel are the only things my Chameleon can?t give me.

I wrote a review for this a month after buying it. Now it has been over a year and thought I would do a second one.

The controls are pretty strait forward. The preset are alright but generic like most modelers. I find the sound that I am looking for with the preset and tweak it to fit my setup and style.

The manual is covers the main topics but lacks if you really get into programing it.

For me, not ever using a preamp like this before, I had a bit of a learning curve. The curve was worth it!

No firmware revisions available.

It has MIDI so I use it live with a MIDI footswitch to change my custom settings on the fly. No lag time either.

American Fender Fat Strat>the Chameleon 2000>Yamaha Mixer>Stereo Power amp> Acoustic Monitor speakers.

I have a Mesa Boogie Mark II and a Roland Cube Amp an like this better. The presets cover all types of music from country to grunge metal and everything in between. There is over 200 presets all fully programmable. If you tweak the presets the way you like, they really sound incredible in stereo. It has every effect you need built in and the effect quality is also very good! A trick that I learned that really make this preamp stand out from the rest, is hook a graphic EQ on the outputs of it and run that into you power amp. Being able to adjust the frequencies get you real close to a warm tube sound.

I love the way it sounds. Don't just hook it up and go, it will sound like just another modeler. There is so much potential, push it for everything you can get from it. It will be my main rig for recording and live for a long time.

A rock solid steel constructed rack mount.

Since you can only buy it used now, the only support I have gotten is through e-mail.

I play classic rock and blues and been playing for over 20 years. It makes my sound. Classic rock has so many sounds to it and I can get them all or close to them instead of the two or three sound you get from a regular amp.

I stolen or broke I would be so sad!! Buy another one as fast as I could find it even if it cost more. After using it for over a year and seeing what I can do with it, my search is over.

This is a repost to an earlier review
I just bought a Les Paul Studio with burstbucker p'ups so now everything sounds WAY BETTER !!!
AMAZING !!
Very quiet.
Mesa Boogie 50/50 stereo amp
Rocktron Chameleon 2000
Jackson 4x12 cabinet
All running in stereo mode
Tone, versatility, Clean, Crunchy, You name it.
It is all in the setup.
Check your input indicators that it rarely hits on red. I was letting it hit red all the time before. Adjusted to only hit occassionally with volumne @ 10.
Much much better sound now....

I play : Jazz, Rock, Metal, Contemporary Worship, and ??
This is all that I need now. Thank you very much

I'm using a LP Studio with Seymour Duncan Pickups, I'm not sure which ones, i bought it used, but they sound nice. Anyway, I have some crappy mosvalve power amp that i run through, but it still sounds alright, thanks to the Chameleon? I play decently heavy music, with a lot of melodic parts, and the distortion is nice in the fact that its pretty clear. Its kind of fuzz sounding, but its all good. The amps got crazy variety with the effects. I'd buy this amp if you want an effects processor, but i'd use something else for clean and distorted.

This amp has alot of versatility within the effects. Theres a lot of different combos you can do to get some far out sounds, and its simple enough to get just a phase. The only problem is it only lets you put 4 effects together at one time, and thats fine, but you cant put certain effects together(i.e. Flange and Phase). This isnt a big deal to me, but i like to experiment a little. Other than that, its got your basic Treble, Mid, and Bass EQ, presence, a couple cleans a dirty's, still has quite a bit of range on the effects, a mid-scoop, if you're into that. Its also got a few other little tech settings. It also has very limited ins and outs. 2 outs, and a midi in and out, thats it. I have to jump through hoops to get my tuner hooked up through it, and still be able to run stereo. It also is not good for going direct, with the limited ins and outs and whatnot.

Hasnt broken yet.

never needed it, but i was able to find an owners manual online that i downloaded.

If you want a nice effects processor, get this. But if you're looking for amazing tone, pass.

First of all, let me begin by saying that I have owned a blackface Chameleon, Voodu Valve, Pro GAP, Replitone MP, and a Prophesy, so I can fairly compare all of these Rocktron preamps. The Chameleon 2000 is one of the easiest of all the Rocktron preamps to program and get good sounds. Only the Replitone is easier, but it sounds like crud.

I was reluctant to try this preamp after the mixed reviews here, and I already owned the Prophesy, which is supposed to be the supersized big brother to the Chameleon 2000 anyway....so why would I want the lowly Chameleon 2000? I always wanted to see how it would compare to the other Rocktron preamps, and I found one on ebay for $150, so I figured it was worth a try.

I loved my Prophesy and had owned it for a couple of years when I got the Chameleon 2000, and within 2 weeks I had already sold the Prophesy!! That is how happy I was with the Chameleon 2000. I actually like the clean channel better than the Prophesy, and the Mega channel is just as brutal. Sure you give up the pre and post eq, but sometimes those were more of a pain than they were worth on the Prophesy. You could spend hours tweaking all of those eq settings and still not be happy with the sound. The Chameleon 2000 has a more simple bass, treble, mid, presence settings, as well as the variac setting, bright switch, and speaker sim. These parameters have been more than enough for me to get the sounds I want. The british channel could be better, but it wasn't much better on the Prophesy, and I don't really use the blues channel, but it is decent.

I play newer rock like 3 Doors Down and Creed, King's X, as well as 80's hair metal like Dokken and Ratt. I basically need a really nice clean tone, a nice crunchy rhythm tone, and a singing lead tone for my George Lynch moments. For my style this preamp is fantastic, especially if you can find a used one for under $200! These absolutely destroy anything from Digitech, Line 6, Boss, etc. I have owned all of those, and there is no contest. If you really want this preamp to sound right though, you need to invest in a good power amp and cabinets. If you are trying to run this into the loop of a combo of head then that isn't really how it is supposed to be used. If you think it sounds bad, then you are either one of those tube purist elitist a**holes, or you don't have it hooked up correctly. If you prefer the sound of a tube amp and a couple of pedals then I have a suggestion for you..........USE A TUBE AMP WITH A COUPLE OF PEDALS!!

All of my Rocktron gear has always been very well made and reliable.

Never had a reason to deal with them. I wish they had more of an online preset-sharing group though.

For $150, this thing can't be beat. The great thing about ebay is even if you buy one for $150 and hate it, you can always get your money back out of it. The cleans are great, the mega channel is MEGA, and you can easily get the sounds you want. Doesn't have that fake sound that most digital/modeling preamps seem to be cursed with (Line 6, Boss GT-6, Digitech GNX). I use mine with a Hafler G150 Stereo power amp and 2 Fender 2x12 cabinets. It sounds amazing in stereo. I plan to upgrade to a tube power amp like a Mesa 20/20 soon, and I expect it to sound even better at that time. The only thing I will really miss about the Prophesy is the XLR outputs that worked great for direct recording, but that isn't a huge issue.

I paid $150 for this and sold my Prophesy for $700. If you are thinking about getting a Prophesy, but can't bring yourself to drop that much on a preamp I would suggest that you get one of these first. If you don't like this, then you probably won't like the Prophesy either. Also, if you are into really heavy metal like old Pantera, this preamp can nail that rhythm sound easily when you use the scoop control. The Prophesy doesn't even have that feature!!

There are over 143 presets on this and there is bound to be a couple that you really like since so many people have different tastes. The manual is well written and easy to follow if you know a little something about guitar effects settings. If you go to Rocktron's website you can download the manual for free if you buy it on Ebay without.

First of all, the sound is a 10+++++ for a device in this price range. I have been playing for 30 years and recording for 2 years. This is a professional guitar preamp/effects processor that I use as part of my overall sound. If you think by buying this, it will take a cheap guitar and amp and turn it into a Les Paul and a full stack of Marshalls, or if you are looking for that magic one button box that reads your mind and plays it then, don't waste your time or money!! My setup is an American Hotrod Texas Fat Start HSS. I run the Start into the Cameleon 2000 and put the stereo outputs into a Teac two ten band stereo EQ. (If you don't have an EQ, then run it into the clean input of your amp and use its preamp as your EQ). Then I run left channel into the slave input of my Mesa Boogie Mark II 60 Watt tube amp and the right into the aux in setting on my Roland Cube amp. It has a mono setting if you only have one amp. But stereo adds so much to the sound!! The "Hush" noise gate is the best that I have ever used on any device, no wonder it is part of a lot of well know guitar players standard equipment. It has some very very good clean sounds, but I use the Mega distortion setting 90% of the time esecially the "Studio Halen" preset. It nails the early Van Halen sound to a tee! THE KEY TO A GREAT SOUND IS POST EQ!!!. I spent 20 hours after I bought this experimenting with different configurations in my home recording studio with differnt gear to see what works best. If you read the reviews on the Chameleon on-Line post EQ is what makes it sound so well. By reading the reviews, it seems people either love this or hate it. The people that love it, I think, know how to tweak this to its fullest potential. The people that don't, either have crappy equipment and or have not spent the time it takes to get the sound they are looking for. Remember, post EQ makes a big difference!! P.S. It works best in the front of the amp not thru the effects loop. I read that some are using it this way. No wonder it sounds like crap! That is why it is called a preamp.

It is built for the road and is very solid.

Don't know

This thing will play any type of style and has every style in its presets. Just tweak them to suit your taste and equipment and save them so you can recall them the next time. Just plug it into a PA, guitar amp, Mixer, Digital recorder or high quality home stereo and go. I would buy this again in a heartbeat! I has become a mainstay of my sound!! I compared this to the IPOD xt and the V-AMP 2 Pro. It sounds more tube like than those and and is designed for the road. I bought this on a recomendation from a guitar player that I value his opinion. I was a little scared when reading some of the reviews that trashed it. When I took it out of the box, plugged it in and played it I didn't know if I made the right choice. After understanding how it works and how to tweak the knobs, OHH YESS, I made the right choice!!! It will be with me a long long time!!

The Chameleon 2000 is Extremely easy to use. Easier than most Rack Gear. I have the manual but didn't feel the need to use it. The unit is self Explanitory in my opinion. Very user friendly. Different sounds can be set up and compared almost instantly.

The Chamelion was used into the Send of a 50w Tube Marshall Head w/ Groove Tubes E34LS/JJ Tesla Power Tubes (Rating #6). 3X Groove Tubes 12AX7C (New Prod China) Matched Triodes in the Driver Stage. Marshall 4x12 w/75w Celestions. Also used was a 100w Marshall Combo 2X12 75w Celestions. 4X 6L6 Matched China. 2X Groove Tubes GT-7025 (EI Yugoslavia) Matched Groove Tubes 12AX7C in the Driver Stage. The Chamelion was plugged into the Send to Access the power section of each Marshall. I use a Custom Mahogany Hamer USA with Dimarzio Fred Pickups.... The Chamelion is very Quiet. I HATE the Hush. In my opinion the Hush Kills tone and Dynamics. I just turn down the gain a little to limit Noise. If you have to use the Hush turn it down. I found the Clean Setting Good. The British/Texas Setting is Terrible. The Mega Setting is the best. Overall I found the preamp section very weak. The distortions are not very dynamic. They are Digital and Sterile. Because the preamp was lacking I felt that it took away from the Effects. In my Opinion theirs nothing like a 100% pure tube amp with a couple of pedals. Tube Saturation with Good Tubes & Proper Bias Adjustments is the Ultimate tone. Tube Tone is very dimensional & real. Pick Attack, Feel & Dynamics are what I look for in good Guitar Sound. If everyone wants tube Tones why not use a Tube Amp???......... I guess I'M a Tube Man!! I'M not Impressed with the Chameleon 2000. If your a Shred Head you might like this Unit. I'M into more classic/Real Tones. Satriani, Vai, Rhoads, VH (Old School)

The Chamelion is built very well. I would use this on a Gig. Rocktron Makes Good Stuff

I have contacted Rocktron in the past. They were very Helpful

I play Classic Rock to Heavy Metal. I don't think this unit is a good match for the music I play. I wish someone would Steal it. I might try to track down a Replifex or the 12AX7 Silver Dragon. My favorite Feature of the Chameleon 2000 is the ease of use. You can achieve many different sounds very quickly. I hate the hush and the preamp section. Their should of been more Distortion options. I wish the British Channel was better.

All right; before anyone starts gettin' mouthy about my latest review for the Chameleon 2000, understand this:

Every time I find something cool about this Preamp, I'm gonna' come here and tell it to the world!!! Why? Because there are WAY too many chuckleheads who have written bad reviews for this product, and it simply doesn't deserve it.

If you don't like the sound of this Preamp, then you should probably stay away from digital guitar products altogether. Until the manufacturers can get the bit-count on these devices up to the same level as other non-musical digital devices, you're not gonna' get a Tube Amp in a Box.

Anyway,
As I was editing patches tonight, something happened that I've never experienced using a device like this before. On most Units, you get a sound you're happy with and as you're playing, you start to hear certain things about the sound that you want to improve on, remove, or change right? Well, on other devices I've used in the past, it seems like you can get kind of close, but when you make the change it tends to then screw up some other part of the sound that you DIDN'T want to change.

With the Cham 2K, I've been able to hone in on VERY specific characteristics in the sound, and change them without detracting/adding to the OTHER parts of the sound. This is VERY cool!
It seems like there's a tool for every job in this Unit. You'll have to hunt and experiment a bit, but your patience will be rewarded. Unlike many other digital products for guitar that I've owned, I can actually see this Preamp NOT being a One Trick Pony! I've been programming with the Mega Channel all this time, and I haven't even gotten AROUND to the other Preamp Voicings yet; I can't wait!
When I get this thing through a loud tube power amp; you'd better stand BACK! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim is GOD.

First off, the Rocktron Chameleon 2000 is PROOF POSITIVE that the old saying "A million people CAN be wrong, especially if they're all fools". If I were a herd-follower, I would have never given this Unit a chance based on the reviews here. But, I blaze my own path through life so here I am writing this review. Let's begin:

Getting a tone with or without effects is a piece of cake with the 2K. The manual is well-written and the editing is easier than most other Units due to the multiple Data Wheels. The Rocktron interface/faceplate is the best design for this kind of product. Period.
My 2K says it's a Version 1.0, and I'm not sure if there are any upgrades for it. Not that it really needs any.

Of all of the Units/Modlers I've tried( and I've tried and owned a shitload of them ), the 2K is easily the most "Tube Amp Sounding" device I've ever heard; especially in the mids. Of course it doesn't FEEL like a Tube Amp or have the warmth of a Tube Amp, but I know a couple of super-secret Outboard Tricks to rectify THAT situation NO problem. Combine this Preamp with a high quality Tube Power Amp and you're ready to go!
One of the best benefits of a digital device of this nature is the low noise, and the fact that you're not running multiple Units to get your sound + FX. A friend of mine had an ADA MP-1 connected to a Midiverb and on out to a Mosvalve power amp. We called his rig "The Noise Factory" and with good reason; the damn thing crackled and sputtered until your ears couldn't stand it anymore. No such problems with the Chameleon 2000.
The effects are Rocktrons' usual affair, and they sound GREAT. Once again, look in the Racks of the Pro's; you'll see an Intellifex more often than not, and for a very good reason. Rocktron effects don't kill your tone, they spill-over when you turn them off( in the case of reverb and delay ), and Rocktron is THE ONLY company making Units that( with the use of a midi pedalboard ) switch from preset to preset, effect on to effect off INSTANTANEOUSLY, with NO glitches and no need for the ol' "Stompbox Ballet"!!!
Unlike past preamps, the Chameleon 2000 lets you use the Compressor function on the Distortion Settings. Combine the compression with the Variac simulator, and you've got sustain for DAYS when you're rippin' through that ultra-hot lead!
The speaker sim and Reactance feature give you massive CHUUUUUUUUUNK! And the Scoop Feature on the Mega Channel gets you straight to Deathville on the SkullCrush Express; it's so fat and beautiful...I think I've got something in my eye( sniff-sniff ) ;)

This preamp with effects just plain ROCKS. And oh yeah; I forgot to mention that I tested it and made patches with a crappy little Epiphone LP Junior with one mediocre humbucker in the bridge while my high dollar axe is having some repairs and modifications done.
And it STILL sounded better than anything else out there in the digital realm!!! HA-HA-HA Hank Hill; Kahn laugh at you now and forever more!

If you buy a high quality Rack to house this Unit in, then you shouldn't have to worry about it getting banged up. You'll see Rocktron gear in more professionals' racks than any of that other cheap crap that gets passed off as "pro gear", so you tell ME if thier stuff is dependable or not.
FREE TIP: Keep your power amp in a diffrent rack and run it off of a diffrent outlet if possible; less noise and better sound are the benefits.

I keep a SansAmp TRI-OD and a few stompboxes with effects I use the most of on standby in case the rack rig goes down. Happily; I've never had to use them.

Jim at Rocktron is a Customer Service GOD. His replys are prompt, accurate, and always helpful.
Rocktron has a Network of repair shops all over the U.S. where you can get your equipment repaired or upgraded.

Until the day comes when I can afford all of that overpriced boutique guitar shit, I am perfectly happy to own and use this fabulous preamp! I can get a great tone and I can get it quickly.
The ONLY place this Unit falls short is the lack of connectivity compared to the older Rocktron preamps. With only 1/4 inch Left and Right Outputs and Midi In, Midi Out/Thru, the 2K deserves the same hookups as the Chameleon Online; ESPECIALLY considering that the 2K absolutely blows it and the Voodoo Valve AWAY.