Roland GP-100

hello folks,
I bought the geep back in 1997 and when exposed to this great machine I was a little lost, mainly because I,m old school. When I committed to understand this machine it made me realize this wasn't a plug in and play tool. I was discouraged for a while, but kept on plugging away. I studied the manuel inside out, bought a instruction video, and read user comments. I learned more about this tool than I thought was possible and haven't solve all it's mistery's yet. One important lesson i've learned with this tool is you have to understand tone. Tone is something you can't buy, so once you figure tone out, you'll discover the ZEN in this unit. good luck.....

As I said before when one understands tone, one will honestly know how great this tool is. I'm so glad I waited and studied the different tools that where out in the consumer world. Even to date the geep is a special invention and should be put in the music gears hall of fame. I've played guitar through this tool for over five years and haven't found anything else nagging me to put it a side. The sound quility will be determined on your guitar (wood, craftsmanship, potentiometers, pickups, hardware, spirt, knowledge of tone and music) I build my own guitars, so I know the guitar, cable, strings, etc. are veery important. In a nutshell you have to understand tone to understand the sound quility. So if you think this tool is ok or sucks than you don't understand tone. good luck.....

no problems

didn't need to use

I've become very codependent towards this tool. If something happened to the geep, I'd need help to get over her. OOOUUUch.....

I just bought this used at a cash coverters store. The salesman and I were learning at the same time so we shared the lengthy menues. It seemed easy enough though and I was fairly happy with everything I heard. Once I get it home, (yes, it's on lay away), I find out how it really is. I'm not working but I just had to have this.

In the store we used this through a crappy crate combo. At home and on the job it'll go through a still hand wired 72 Marshall. (I can't wait). I'm a firm beleiver in getting my sounds down and knowing how to get thm. I'm not a techno freak and don't wish to be. My favorite sound is a Nobels ( ever heard of it? ) overdrive peddal. It screams out smooth, "unbuzzy" overdrive. The tone controls are very responsive though weak on the mounting. They can get broken easilt. I've tried everything in boxes and this one works for me. I do Blues, southern rock, some classic and we have 2 c.d.'s with some hard core rock and roll. Once I plugged into the GP-100 I was hooked. The only proccessor I ever really liked. It was non buzzy with the cabinet simulater and creamy with humbuckers. A sound I could use. The effects I thought were pretyy lush from what I heard so far. I'll comment again at another time. I had a hard time working with the delays though for some reason. Allthough many people mention the parimeter wheele goofing up, at that time I didn't get the problem. As I said the sustain was good and the effects were good. And I'm pretty fussy. I use an old Multiecho that works like a charm so there's no comparrison on the type of echo so far but it sounded really natural to me. The tone controls could be more responsive though. Had to turn them too far to make a difference.

I have no Idea ye........

Ditto............

I play Blues and Southern Rock. I like fat blues and bending strings. So far from what I heard this peice will work for me. I liked the non buzzy sound. I hate chainsaw leads. I grew up on Allman Bros, Molley Hatchet ect., ect.. I've been playing since I was 14 and I'm 48 now. You tell me, I can't count that high!! LOL !! Yes, I'm pollished on what I do. I owned lots of stuff. My favorite and absolutely will "NEVER" sell favorite is my 72 still hand wired 50 watt Marshall. I just sold the matching 8x10 cab that was loaded with 1963 jensens. What a sound. But, I down sized. I traded for a new 4x12 1960A cab and cash. I'm still happy. I use an 87 Les Paul mainly. I also love Telecasters. Buzz and all. I run into a Sabine tuner, into a Fender reverb reissue (great preamp), into an old Multivox tape echo (Best thing that ever happened to my rig), and into an Alesis Midiverb 3. Finally, into my Marshall. No, there's not alot of noise incase you're wondering. The tape echo it super quiet. It surprised me too. The best thing is that I got it as a turn on through a camera deal I made from an ex roady. I also carry a Jackson jX3, I beleive that's the model, it's a great tube preamp. It's the only preamp so far that actually like through the pa. On the floor I use an old dod x55, the Nobels over drive, A Marshall Bluebreaker pedal, a Daddio distorsion and the Dan Electro echo. As an ad on to the floor, I carry a Nobels Chorous peddal. It has several different chorousing effects. Different sweeps I guess. But my rhythem guitarist uses them. I like it simple. When I solo I want to hit a damned button and make things happen. I don't want to play with patches and program while I play. But, I think I'll be doing this with the Rolland. It sounds good even with the Crate.
Yes, if I had the money I would buy another one If I could. . I got it at a very very good price used. I'll have to pick up the controller sometime. But for now, I'll just get 3 or 4 sounds in a row and change the settings before a song. I only like 3 or 4 distortions to choose from and only use 2 or 3 different echoes. For the kind of music I play, that's all I need. I think it's rediculouse when the ads say, It has 250 Patches to choose from!! You can use 7 patches at a time!!! For what?????????????? I want to be able to make my guitar sound like a guitar, not a spacecraft !!!! All in All, The GP100 turned me on at the store so that has to mean something to make me buy it. Oh, don't think I just plugged in and played at cash converters either. They had to listen to me for 3 hours worth of "checking out the features" before I bought it. I usually stop after I hear the didtortion sounds since they allways turn me off. Over all, I really like this and can't wait to get it in my rig. If anyone can tell me about the foot controller, I'd appreciate it. In my opinion, it's high priced compared to others so it "should" be good for the money you pay. I think the Digitechs suck because they are too colored in sound repro.. Sorry people, this is only "my" opinion. The GP100 sounded natural to me, anyway. Thanks

It's not the simplest unit to use, but it is pretty straight forward. A nice touch, but a bit high tech for when this came out, would have been a computer interface for sound editing. They did have an interesting stand alone unit for off rack editing, but it was too expensive and not quite as easy as a mouse either. All in all though, there are a lot of options for both the novice and the gear nut pro.

If you step up and listen to just the presets you'll get some decent sounds, but the real deal is when you start making your own. This IS the only true hidden jem I have come accross in rack gear. The thing just steams. The effects themselves are very high quality and transparent. The preamp kills. It can do almost every tone you can think of, but it just might take some time to find. Originally I was playing this through a parrallel loop on my H&K Triamp and it was great there, but finally I got a VHT 2 90 2 and it kills. This thing loves Greenbacks too. I've played it through a ton of cabs but a good cab with greens gives tons of tone. As you can see, I have a Triamp, a simply killer head, but this Roland sees more time than it. It really is that good, once you get inside. And the midi control is awesome when matched with a good controller.

Well, I would say that the internals are excellent, I would never expect them to go, although there is some issue with an internal battery that will supposedly need to be replaced. However, outside the knows could have been a little beefier and maybe metal. The parameter knobs on both mine and a couple of friends units tend to start skipping numbers and stuff. They still work, but just a bit of a pain.

Never dealt with them, but I believe Roland to be a standup stand by their work kind of company.

I got this for a steal as a floor unit, not a mark on it, not even rack rash. Overall, this is simply the best overall unit out there. I tried all the digitechs, Rocktron (including prophecy), Lexicon G2 (very fine unit, but some of the preamp lacks, a real close second maybe even a tie, but four times the price you can get a GP for) I own the Marshall JMP fine preamp also as well as some of the mesa units, but limited. They do what they do well. Some of the high end preamps are great too, but only have a few sounds, I really want to get the new Mesa Rec Preamp as well as the VHT G3 which should be insane, but they will only have a few sounds a piece. All in all, if you want to get an uncompromised piece of gear, that can both simplify and complicate your gear depending which route you take, the GP is a pure steal. I would buy this unit for $1000 used if I had to to get it again. It really is worth every penny, hey Roland should pay me for all this praise, no wait they should release a GP-200 that MIGHT be even better !!!

I've owned the GP100 for three years now and it has features that have made it a nearly perfect guitar processor. Only within the last year have other manufacturers come out with processors that have these crucial features:

*The GP100 has a unique approach to the FX chain. Each effect is like a stompbox. The user has the capability to put them in ANY order (with exception that Reverb always has to be last.)

*The stereo FX loop is fully programmable. It can be put anywhere in the chain. It can be used as a single FX loop with stereo returns, or be used as two independent mono loops. This is VERY useful and can accomodate two separate guitar preamps.

* While many of the effects are "mono" effects, a stereo signal path is maintained. This is important because if your preamp or other effect generates a stereo signal, the stereo image will be maintained through the whole path.

*The GP100 has the best automation available in any guitar processor I've found. Not only does it respond to MIDI PCs and CCs, there are two jacks that utilize standard footswitches and volume pedals to interact with programs. At the simplest level, the footswitches can be assigned to on/off certain effects, so its like having a row of stompboxes with the ability to step on them individually to on/off them. At a more advanced level, the controllers can be used to affect any parameter and multiple parameters at a time. (As an example, I can program one footsitch to simultaneously: Turn off the FX loop thus bypassing my preamp, turn on the built in preamp say to the Jazz Chorus, double the reverb decay time, turn off the tap delay, boost high and low shelving EQs, turn off the wah pedal and turn on the volume pedal thus effectively using the same pedal for both.) This thing is a switching maniac!

*Excellent built in automatic tuner.

*Patch changes are instantaneous. Unfortunately, reverb and delay tails are not maintaned between patch changes, but with the advanced sitching capabilities *within* each patch, you usually are not switching patches in the middle of a song. Rather you build a "dynamic" patch that allows you to do all the switching within the patch. This works better and is more musical.

I believe this unit was released in 1996 or 97, but it was ahead of its time (tonally) and the quality of the A/D converters speak for themselves. The techology has existed for transparent rack effects for some time now, many manufacturers however have not utilized good design and many of the processors from the mid-90s provide "consumer" level FX. I havent played the new G-Force or Prophecy, but when I A-B it out of the loop (against itself), the signal maintains its headroom.

The pre-amp models are tonally good, but may not have the feel of the real amp. I can see using the solid state amp models like the Jazz Chorus in professional settings, but the high gain models, while they react to input gain and pick attack convincingly, provide some artifacts in the upper registers that make them "unusable". The pre-amps are good for backup and can very easily (should) be disabled and replaced with a professional pre-amp.

The effects are all guitar based and are excellent. I do not particularly like the delay and use another processor in the effect loop of my preamp to create a stereo image. The delay is fine, but it is not easy to use or program for stereo or "spatial" effects.

Because the signal chain and FX loop are COMPLETELY assignable, the ability exists to put the compressor and/or parametric (as well as WAH or foot volume) in front of your preamp to use for tweaking the input signal. (Aside: It amazes me that many "high end" processors do not have this capability which can be really limiting. Being forced to use an external compressor or Parametric loads te signal chain and defeats the purpose of midi automation. )

As a central "brain" for you guitar rig, this thing excels. While its spatial effects and preamps are not top-notch, it is designed so that these may be added to the signal chain in whatever fashion desired. This box is not limited.

It can be easily tweeked to dial-in the sounds that you are looking for. Straight forward menu layout, buttons and knobs make it a snap.

This unit works well if you are one of those pussies who is looking to sound like EHV, SRV, JMH or whoever you wish imitate. However, this unit really shines for creating new and unusual guitar sounds. If you are looking to break new ground sonically, the features, effects loops and routing capabilities combined with some of the best MIDI implimentation in a guitar processor make this a superb choice. Wanna stand out in the crowd? Buy one of these babies, learn it inside and out and start forging your own voice.

Typical - solid - Roland construction.

- It's easy to get the sound you want. Just take an existing patch, tweak it and save. Editing is made extremely simple through the use of two knobs which allow you to do everything necessary. You don't have to scroll through the parameters of an effect unless that effect is actually activated in the chain - a nice touch.
- The preamp knobs on the front are another innovative idea!
- The manual is quite good considering it's a Roland product. I read it and most of it made sense.

- I use an American Standard Strat w/Lace sensors through the GP into an assortment of Fender amps (usually a Deluxe Reverb or a Twin). I am quite happy with my sound after years of going through crappy digital boxes that made my guitar sound like a chainsaw (read: Digitech). I think that the Lace sensors also make the tone a little warmer - our other guitarist played through my rig with his Japanese Strat (stock p/ups) and the tone was slightly harsher. Your mileage may vary.
- Fabulous sound for a digital beast. The distortions are quite believable, and the amp sims and mic placement parameter are smashing. You can really tweak the nuances of your tone. The EQ is also quite responsive.
- The chorus, delay and reverbs really make this unit shine. I've never owned a tap tempo delay before and let me tell you, it is such a useful tool, especially when playing live!
- The noise gate is awesome. You can crank it and the signal will still decay naturally without a noticeable decrease in sustain or that annoying, abrupt cutoff present in other digital units.
- Finally, it's nice to have a box that really simulates a Jazz Chorus so well! Always wanted one...now I basically have one!
- The only thing I'd like to see on this unit is a good acoustic simulator. The ZOOM 505, a pretty crappy and noisy unit, does have a good ac sim and it's unfortunate that the GP does not.
- Some slight aliasing artifacts when using the harmonizer - other than this I'd give the unit a 10.
- No ring modulator either - but why the hell would you ever use one?!
- The wah is also quite flexible and is probably the closest that any digital unit will get to approximating a Crybaby or VOX.

It's built like a frickin' tank. I also have the FC-200 foot controller and same goes for this - accidentally spilled a glass of water on it three days after buying it. Unplugged, wiped it off, let it dry - no problemo.
I trust the unit but I never play a gig without a backup - in my case, a good analog distortion box. Never had to use it yet, knock on wood!

No experience with Roland customer support.

- I play progressive/melodic stuff. The GP really allows me to get lush cleans, smooth distortions, and bizarre effects. The MIDI implementation is great.
- If it were stolen, I would definitely buy another.
- I can't believe that Roland discontinued a product that was years ahead of the competition! I'd like to see them release a predecessor but I doubt it'll happen.

Pretty basic and easy to understand, even without reading the manual. I like how the parameters are set up; they're very easy to edit. The manual is a little below average, though. I keep it around just in case I ever run out of toilet paper.

I have used this processor with a variety of guitars, including a '96 Strat, an Ibanez UV777BK, and my baby, an Ibanez Jem7VWH.

First, the weaknesses:
It seems like everyone has raved about the COSM amp modeling. Well, I'm not going to. Yes, most of the simulations are pretty accurate. On the other hand, a lot of the sounds seem to be missing something. Thanks to digital technology, the amp models are inevitably thin and harsh-sounding. Also, I cannot tell, for example, the Marshall settings from some of the others--and I own the amp that is being simulated! The compressor is very limited (hehe) and harsh, and the noise suppressor is nothing to write home about.

The strengths:
Let's get one thing straight. No digital preamp/processor under $1000 is going to accurately model over a dozen classic tube amps. I haven't seen a processor of any price do that. But the GP-100 gets pretty close to a lot of amps. Furthermore, when you disregard the preamp section, the effects are really good. The pitch shifter/harmonist is exceptional. I was able to get the sound of Steve Vai's Ballerina 12/24 without much difficulty. It's almost as good as his Eventide. When your moderately-priced effects machine sounds almost as good as an Eventide, you know you've gotten a good deal. Effects such as chorus and delay are worth the price of admission too.

Overall, the GP-100 does many things well. However, don't expect your mid-level rack gear to sound like a Bogner Ecstacy or a vintage JTM. Be reasonable.

The worst thing about the GP-100 is that the knobs are unreliable. Imagine that you have the output volume pretty high and you're about to switch from preset 99 to 100, which is a quiet, JC-120-esque clean tone. You turn the wheel forward, but instead of being inundated with soft, reverb-drenched bliss you wind up at preset 98, which is a painstaking simulation of a compressed, fully overdriven Triple Rectifier. Your amp releases a blood-curdling screech, accurately modeling not a JC-120 but the launch of a rocket. Hands covering ears, you barely manage to kick the off switch before everyone within a mile radius goes deaf.

That's my way of saying that there is a problem with some of the switches. Other than that, this thing is built very solidly.

Never dealt with Roland.

Not a bad processor. Exceptional value for the money. Because I am upgrading my gear, I wouldn't buy it again. However, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good, flexible preamp/processor.

It takes a while to get the hang of all of the algorithms and effects but it comes with hundreds of patches pre programed so you are up and running quick. The manual is decent by Roland standards.

This thing makes my lame 40watt Fender Blues Deluxe amp sound awesome! The amp emulator in the GP-100 kicks ass.

No Problems so far - 1 year old.

Haven't needed them yet.

I play rock, blues and funk. I love it. I've been playing for 12 years with pedals, amps and the Roland GP-8. The GP-100 is the last effects unit I'll ever buy.
I've improved as a guitar player since I've owned this thing. It's versitility is amazing.

Like any feature-rich Roland product, there is a learning curve to editing the factory presets(most are overdone with effects). Be sure to read the manual on setting up global options for the 2 stereo outputs; specifying power amp type and speaker cab configuration can change the sound significantly.

Extremely quite unit. Previous reviews have covered the features well so I will concentrate on sound quality. Setup includes a Carvin DC-127 with a beefy Double coil in the bridge position. For direct recording it's best with the bridge double patched thru the soldano, distortion, type I marshall or metal preamp/amp simulators. Gives a thick, detailed crunch similiar to Stone Temple Pilots. Another excellent combination results from single coil neck pickup paired with any of the amps except Fuzz. I sometimes patch the Gp-100 into my 50W Carvin Bel-air 212. The astounding digital effects(delay, pitch, shift, chorus) are a perfect match with my tube amp. It took years to fully understand the optimum selections for amp, speaker cab, and mic combinations. With multiple EQ stages, and selectable effects order, various gradations of compression, sound filtering/enhancing are limitless. The reverb is good but not lush enough for 'surf guitar'. In summary: Superb for rock/grunge/metal, great for alternative/reggae/jazz fusion, fine for country/jazz. The clean sounds are a little brittle in the direct to mixer configuration. Also, headphone only seems a little thin.

Great.

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It will take some time before you'll know this machine, I'm using it 2 years now.
The main reason is that this unit has a lot to offer, I don't know if GP really is short for General Purpose but it can cover a wide soundrange.
Pain in the ass are the two little edit knobs, sometimes/often they don't function 100%.
This is a major construction failure imho, many gp-100 units seem to have this "feature". When I'm using these knobs the LED- display doesn't react OK to many to much times.
This is what happens: when I try to scroll forwards it goes BACKWARDS or even gets in a "loop".
And this really sucks because there is al lot to do in the editing department (the factory presets really don't get the most out this unit).
OK, at this moment do NOT decide NOT to buy this nice unit because there's more, much more, positive to say about the gp-100.
The manual is good ennuf to get you started.
It's not really difficult to get a good sound out of it, but there are a lot of things you can edit, it took me quite some time before I got the feeling that I knew what I was doing with the sound editing.
Version 1.03, never upgraded, a Roland dude told me there where some minor midi related changes in the later versions (1.05).
The knob thing seems to occur also in the upgraded version (anybody outhere who solved/"repaired" this problem ??).
I'm using a FC-200 and sometimes a patch-editor, bought the FC- 200 a year after I bought the GP-100, everybody who owns a GP should have a FC- 200.
Don't use the patch-editor a lot, mainly because of my computer/midi setup.
Without the knob-problem a 9, with the very annoying knob somewhere around a zero rating.

I use it mainly for home recording and practicing mainly, Turtle Beach sound card, Fender stratocaster, Ibanez Artist acoustic guitar and a cheap stratocaster imitation.
I'm very satisfied........
Could compare the GP with the Line 6 POD for a couple days.
Hooked the POD using the send/return of the GP- 100.
All the normal effects (chorus, reverb): GP-100 rules.
The speaker and preamp simulation are (maybe) a little better for the POD
Decided not to buy the POD although the clean sounds of the POD are very good, maybe even slightly better.
The GP-100 can do almost everything and much, much more the pod can, but it takes some time and tweaking.
Well, I still own a Zoom 2020 and a Ibanez DM-500, mostly for sentimental reasons (and it looks nice in my rack).
I'll rate it 9.5 or something like that, but considering the money paid it could be a 10, let's leave some room for improvement.

Never had any problems, maybe I'll buy another one as a backup but it's a reliable unit.

Contacted Roland Belgium twice, friendly people, finally I spoke someone who knew a lot about the GP and he could tell me what I wanted to know (and more).

Would buy it again, it can provide you with very good sounds for guitar, with this unit I have to blame myself for bad sound quality, not the GP-100, I play guitar for almost twenty years, (hard)rock, jazzy things and blues and weird stuff, the GP-100 offers it to you.
This is the first more expensive preamp/processor unit I bought, would like to try out the all the other units and the real amp/speaker things, can't compare them all but I think I couldn't do without the GP.