Roland GP-16

Considering it is a fairly complex processor, I think it was easy to get up and running. Editing patches is easy and the manual helps a little.

Considering I bought this thing in the very early 90's, when there wasn't much competition, I think this thing still gets me better sounds than anything I could buy today. I used to use it in stereo with two Peavey Heritage amps and it was amazing!I now run it with two Roland keyboard mixer amps and it still cranks out great tone.

The chorus on this is the best I ever heard. That, in combination with the tap delay makes for the sweetest clean sounds available. The distortion and overdrive are still able to deliver todays sounds, including the rectifier sound. The compressor is a bit noisy.

Its over 10 years old, I think it still has the original battery, has been shipped all over the world, and every time I turn it on it works. I guess that means it is reliable.

I mostly play guitar rock ala' Moore and Macalpine. Been playing 32 years now, using Jackson soloists. If stolen, I would hunt the mofo down and get medeival....

9 because i'm 1. a computer geek, 2. a musician and 3. a semi-pro sound tech. the parametric eq in this is a piece of cake to use provided you have any experience with parametrics and how they work. programming effects is also fairly easy, but i dock it a point for having a distortion that's really hard to get a good solid "that sounds awesome" tone from.

i've used an ibanez s470 into this and also my cheap and very modified gax-70. both sound good through it. i have it through a peavey cs800 power amp and a 4x12, it gets LOUD.

seems quite reliable for the time i've been using it.

never dealt with them.

got it from a friend i know who gave it to me for some wiring i did for him. i play mostly heavy rock and hardcore type music, and for a hardcore brutal solid-state distortion it's perfect. with the distortion setting on 100 and all the volumes cranked up, picked harmonics really rip out of this thing, and for power-chord type heavy stuff it's great. i've seen them go for under $200 on ebay, even if you don't use the distortion this thing is well worth the price for the other sounds usable in it (has 10+ seconds of reverb if i remember right, plus high rolloffs for delay and reverb which are quite nice)

Fairly easy. No problems

All the effects sound pretty good, except I have grown to dislike the overdrive and distortion. I used to think they sounded really cool, but now I have started to notice the digital harshness to them that just doesn't sound real. Also the tone of my guitars gets lost. Its like it takes the input signal and models it to a sound, but doesn't really overdrive it. So my single coil pickups sound the same as my humbuckers. It is a fun box to play with and jam, but for recording it sounds too artificial.

As everyone has been saying already, it's easy to use and get a good sound out of it. There is a manual but the unit is very user friendly if you're at all familiar with the digital world. Easy to edit .. blah blah

Great sound quality. I'd choose a different noise gate, but the one in the unit can be placed in the chain where u want it to and that is an advantage. I'd choose another compressor too, but I'm used to quality studio gear so it's just me being fussy. All the effects sound briliant tho and it's fun to make kooky sounds.

It's dependable not a problem. She's a beauty mate.

Not had to contact the company (altho I'm good friends with the rep here). Can't find the cable to the footswitch so I may have to report back when I check that out.

The ONLY thing I'd say about the GP-16 is this. I miss the analog dials on my old gear. When I used to perform onstage I'd make a lot of use of the dials for effect. In anycase I fart around with analog stuff in the studio these days as well as digital and the GP16 does what it does well.

First, let's trade patches!! I have an Excel version of the Bank Chart. Email me and I'll send it to you.---> mfleming@bankofny.com
This is resonably easy once you figure out what your doing. Changing the actual settings is tedious, but not too bad. The editing is easy and immediate. You hear the change as you make it.
The manual is OK. There isn't much there and there is a great typo-on the blank Patch edit forms it reads Brank chart. too funny.
I don't think they've upgraded it.
I wish it didn't take 1/2 a freaking second to change patches!!!!!!

My current setup is a Gibson RD Artist (another amazing piece of gear)
into an Acoustic 134-a 230watt beast with 4 10"s. It's basically a PA amp, so is perfect match for the GP16.
The GP is very quiet, thanks to a decent noise suppressor.
Most of the sounds are pretty good. It's the combinations that work well. As always, moderation in all things. The EQ is great, very powerful. You could generate hundreds of tones just with the parametric eq. Neither distortion or overdrive by themselves is overwhelming, start combining them with the eq, the "secret of the box" short delay setting (delay=0, effect=100) reverb and line out and you can sound like any stompbox, rack unit or solid state amp out there.
There is one stupid effect. Auto panpot? That's reeaally useful.
The sound-simply amazing. You can get any tone you want. If you sat there for days, you could program every classic guitar sound in there.
It is digital, but the POD has nothing on this.

This could stop a bullet.
And then I'd set it up and play the gig.

Never tried to get in touch.

I play heavy. Heavy anything. Most of my patches are devoted to distortion sounds. It's just ridiculous how many ways there are to get a great sound. I've played thru Boogies, Marshalls, 5150(well let's skip that one) and gotten better hi gain, metal sounds from this wonderful box. The other great thing is it's a consistent sound.
This is a great match. The clean amp (I'd love to hear this thru a tube poweramp) is great because it doesn't put any "guitar amp" eq on the sound. And 4-10"s really push the bass.
I'd definately replace it. It really is the greatest thing ever. Like all great things, it's what you put into it. The patches that come with it are scary-My God, what did I just buy!? Make your own and realize that "This is how they get that sound!"
Roland makes great stuff. I trust their stuff.
I wish it didn't take 1/2 a freaking second to change patches!!!!!!

GREAT EFFECTS !!

Using this puppy with a Marshal Stack and a Vintage Fender Strat, and occassionally and accustic (spelling?) with an electric pick-up.

Dependable, BUT I'm looking for a manual-ANY HELP OUT THERE?, PLEASE
Lost the "pre-sets" about a year ago and it took ALOT of trouble (and time) to figure out. They should be stored it NON VOLITALE ROM, with maintaining the programmable features in EPROM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HELP ????

HARD TO FIND

GREAT, Had and NOW have ALOT of fun Hit'n a few "licks"

It's really pretty simple to set the patches the way you want. The sound is overall good. The manual is very helpful unless you like to screw around forever

I use a STD Strat with a Peavet Bandit amp. You need to keep the input on the unit about half to keep the noise acceptable. I use a min number of FX cause I like a "Guitar sound". However, the unit is quite capable of producing some pretty awesome sounds. I have played with the parameters and gotten some really cool jazz tones.

Built like a brick S$#thouse. This is my 2nd.

Don't know, never had a problem

I'm a R&B "jazz" player. I hail from Santa Cruz....what do you expect? I have also played country out of desparation. I like a little Tap delay with med compression for sustain. You get a fat sound at low volume and I like that since I use a Solid state amp. I'm a dinosaur, 36 years playing, a pro for 30. It is the most reliable unit I've ever used. If you like limitless sounds and really depend on a processor, I recommend. I can get through a gig without it if I have to, but never had to yet.

Right out of the box I was setting up parameters. Its great. I wish the Parametric EQ was a little easier, if anyone has any insite in that, it would be cool if they emailed it to me. I didn't recive a manual, but I figured most of it out all the same.

I have an Ibanez Destroyer II (the japanese one), a modern Fender, and a Cort elec/acoustic. I run these though a Peavy Moniter and a Fender Power Chorus (the BEST amp EVER). Other effects I use are a Fab Tone, a Metal Zone, a Boss Super Shifter, and a Wah. Every thing sounds great, but the distortion cuts my volume in half. Thats not a big deal, since I really don't use the distortion anyway. Pushing the pitch shifter on it an octave up gets really shaky, but usuing the fine tuner it can be settled out with little effort. The delay is AMAZING. Best I've ever used. I can do a lot of crazy Rage stuff, or somthing as simple as Satriani. The chorus is great, the flang is awesome, the phaser sounds good. I need some insite on when and where to use the Lineout filter too, I am not quite sure what to do with that. Other than that, the sound is great. I am only docking the points due to the distortion volume.

I would bet my life on it.

I will never EVER deal with roland again. I am going though a third party from now on. I had a problem. I bought the unit with the footswitch, but without the RCC cable. My word of advice, NEVER EVER find yourself in a posisition where you need one of those cabels. I made numerous phone calls, and I was about to hop in my car to drive to a diffrent state to find that cabel. I called Roland's head quarters, a VERY long distance call for me, and I got bounced around to 5 diffrent numbers, finally I gave up. I walked in to my local sam ash and saw a brand new RC-100 MKII liening on the floor. I dished out 100 bucks for a WHOLE NEW footswitch JUST for the cabel. I ended up giving the old footswitch back to the guy who sold the unit to me.

I play Satriani/Van Halen type stuff. Its good for ANYTHING. The versitility of this product is amazing. I could go anywhere, play any show with it, and it perfrom wonderful. The only other multi effects unit i had was a pos dod that broke a year after I bought it off EBAY (BIG mistake). That unit was for babies. This is, and always will be, The real deal. I LOVE the alpha dial, for its age, its WAY ahead of its time. Roland did a GREAT job on this one. Its a buncha boss pedals all in one. I suggest using and EBOW with it, its a great combination. If it got stolen, I would find the person who did it, and make them trade me for my old DOD. Thats punishment enough.

Very easy to use - just wish that I had more control over where the effects were placed in the chain (i.e. eliminating "Block A" and "Block B" so you can place the phaser or the noise supppressor later on in the chain). As far as I know, there are no firmware updates.

Sound quality is absolutely awesome! Using the "Lineout Filter" works very nicely when going direct into a mixer or deck or going direct to a power amp as well. The only problem I seem to have is using the Pitch Shifter on "octave" settings: it's just not quite "there", maybe a semitone or two off.

If GP-16 posters read this frequently, here's a little trick to add some "beef" to your overdrive / distorion patches or to make your separate preamp "open up":

1) Add the "Short Delay" to any patch you want to add this to
2) Place it as the first effect in Block B
3) Delay: 0
4) Level:100

This will add a definite "punch" to your sound. Why I think this is appearing to do this is that it simulates the "tube sag" that you get when you overdrive tubes (you'll always notice a very, VERY small delay - almost unmeasureable - when overdriving tubes due to the process of the electrons jumping from the Anode to the Cathode when the current is saturated). In short, it adds Nigel Tufnel's infamous "Volume knob that goes to 11" for your overdrive / distortion patches...and remember, it works for *any* sound.

For some more "goodies" for the GP-16, email me!

I've been using my GP-16 for 10 years with no problems whatsoever - with the only exception being the fragility of the connectors for the FC-100 MkII.

I've been in contact with Roland about the GP-16 for years now, and have always been a great help and an excellent source of info for the GP-16

Absolutely awesome piece of gear.

I DID NOT GET A MANUAL, JUST STARTED "PLAYING" WITH IT - IT WAS GREAT!

IT WORKED GREAT FOR 5 YEARS, THEN, TURNED IT ON ONE DAY AND NOW IT IS D.O.A. THE DISPLAY IS ALL LIT UP. I CHANGED THE BATTERY, ALTHO THE OLD ONE WAS STILL GOOD. I NEED SOME CONTACTS FOR A "FIX" IN THE DALLAS TEXAS AREA.

I RATE IT A 2 BECAUSE I HAVE YET TO FIND SOMEONE TO FIX IT.
I HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME ON THE INTERNET LOOKING FOR "CUSTOMER SUPPORT" FOR MY GP-16, OR FOR THAT MATTER ANY "OLDER" ROLAND PRODUCTS.

I GOT RID OF ABOUT 8 "STOMP" PEDALS WHEN I GOT THE ROLAND GP-16.
IT WAS A WONDERFUL AND A SIMPLE TO USE EFFECTS PROCESSOR - UNTIL IT QUIT.
THE ROLAND GP-16 SERVED ME VERY WELL (JUST PICKING THE 'OLE LUTE) AT HOME JUST FOR THE JOY AND RELAXATION.
I USED IT FOR ROCK TO CLASICAL TO ANY THING I FELT LIKE PLAYING.