TC Electronic G-Major 2

Like most multi-effects units, if it's any good it's not going to be childishly simple to use. And to be honest, this one was less intuitive than a few of the the popular floor units (gt10, pod, etc) that I've had a chance to try out.

Out of the box, the only thing that's obvious are the effect buttons, and that you can turn off/on each effect via that button. and that ONE of the wheels changes presets.

To actually build presets of your own you WILL need the manual in hand. There's just no way around it! Once you do get the hang of how things work, which is about after 30 to 90 minutes depending how tech-savy you are, it's immensely rewarding because the effects are prestine!

So to be fair the most I can award is a 7, and that's being generous, since I'd give it a 6.5, but that's not an option. It's just not easy to program out of the box, but once you get over the learning curve, you're sailing!

setup: neckthru bc rich with sd blackouts-->line6 X2 wireless rack--> rocktron prophesy II preamp-->tc g major 2 through the prophesy's fx loop--> bbe 462i sonic maximizer-->mosvalve m962 poweramp-->peavey cabs loaded with some old sheffields

Before even going through the gmajor2 my setup's dead quiet, and when engaging it in the loop, it adds ZERO noise, and that's saying something. The prophesy's effects are prestine, and many of the gmajor's are comparable, some below, and some i like better.

The reverb's deffinitely better than the prophesy's, and the intelligent pitch shifter's one the main reasons I picked up the gmajor2 because the prophesy doesn't have one. It's 1200 bucks, and it doesn't have an intelligent pitch shifter, can you believe that? Anways. I'm happy to have a second parametric eq in the gmajor because the prophesy's only goes to 8Khz, while the gmajor2's goes to 20Khz, so I can shave off the very top the spectrum to get rid of the fizz, without killing the core tone.
the delay's quality wise are on par with the ducker delay of the prophesy, only here you you get more variety with a ping pong(delays from left to right if you have a stereo setup), reverse -which is fun, and dual; which is 2 delays set at their own repeats. The core Chorus, Phaser and Flanger on the prophesy is higher quality than those of the gmajor2, but not by leaps and bounds, and the slight difference in quality is again made up for by the gmajor2 in variety with 3 or 4 of each effect to choose from and they bring some radically different sounds.

It's mostly a post-amp effects processor, and it doesn't have any drive/distortion options on it, but if you're running Racked with a good preamp and poweramp, you should already have your drive/distortion sounds covered with your preamp. All in all it really compliments my prophesy II well.

Now to address this misconception about the effect switching time. I really don't know what the other guys are talking about with this processor. There is no delay when switching presets or turning effects on and off. Maybe the other guys who wrote reviews where using older firmware versions, but with the current one (version 1.02) it's seemless. There IS a delay when turning effects on and off of about half a second, but that's only when you're turning them on/off via the respective buttons on the face of the unit! I can only presume this is how these guys were doing it, because if you're accessing everything via a decent footcontroller like the rocktron midimate I'm using, everything is lighting fast. I don't notice any percieved dropout when I switch presets, so I can only assume these guys are doin' it ol'school manually with their hands on the faceplate while they're playing.
So rest assured, if you check out the gmaj2, you'll be pretty satisfied... and you're not going to need to spend 4x as much on the gforce unless you REALLY, REALLY need the extra flexability it affords you for changing the routing of the effects chain, absolutely need the drive section because your amp distortion sucks, or you're using multiple modulation effects like chorus PLUS flange, etc.

Save the extra grand and a half that you'd spend on the gforce, and get this and a decent pre and power amp.

Well, it's built really solidly with thick rack ears, and the faceplate's thick metal too. It deffinitely looks like it can take some abuse, but I haven't tried anything to harsh with it, and I haven't had long enough to really be objective here, so I won't comment.

As stated above, I haven't had it long enough to run into any problems with it so I can't say here either.

I've been playing for over a decade now, and i've tried a lot of different gear over the years. I've finally settled on a setup that delivers the goods, and it totals 8 rack spaces tall. The G Major 2 is a serious contribution to my overall setup, and I don't feel compelled to add any more effects to the chain.
Even if the prophesy II had zero effects and was simply a modeling preamp like the psa 1.1, I still don't think I would bother to get another effects processor in addition to this one. I know there are better ones out there, but to get what would be, IMHO, only negligably better effect quality, and modestly better flexibility in terms of routing the effects chain etc, I would find myself having to spend anywhere from two to five times more than what I did for this processor. And even then I would probably be the only person who would really hear the difference. And that would be my ego, not my audience talking.

I've used a gt6,an 8, and a 10. I've used various Pods, and I've even owned a GSP1101 by Digitech, and since they're all comparitively priced, I'd go with this one hands down. What those other ones I just mentioned do is sacrifice effect quality for amp modeling and try to do it all, and they don't really don't do any of it comparitively all that well. If you've already got a decent head, pre/power amp rack setup, or even a decent combo, do yourself a favor and pick this up. You won't be disapointed!

If you're familiar with G Major, this is no different

Here's my setup:

Les Pauls and PRS Singlecuts -> Boss TU-2 -> Dime Crybaby Wah -> GCX Switcher(Ibanez TS-9, Boss DD-5, and Ibanez LoFi in loops 1, 2, and 3) -> Diezel VH4S(G Major 2 in the series loop) -> Diezel 4x12 Cab. All of this is controlled by the GCX ground control MIDI board.

First off, I have to say that the sound quality and diversity of effects is much improved over the original g-major. The reverbs are much more detailed, the pitch shifting is now usable(including the intelligent shifter), and the new chorus and univibe are great.

My main gripe with this unit is the switcching. On many of the presets, there is a noticeable delay when switching. For instance, when I switch from distortion with no FX on the diezel to a clean with phaser, after the clean channel is selected, it takes a good 1-2 seconds before the phaser kicks in. The same is true with the pitch shifting. This proves to be a problem if you're playing a solo, and on one note you want a harmony to kick in, you have to time it a good 1 or 2 secs before you want the harmony to kick in. This is a pain. I hoped this is where they would have improved over the original version. I mean, it's totally fine if you don't plan on doing a lot of quick switching, like if you're going to stay on one or 2 presets for an entire song. I think the G-Force would be a better buy if you need perfectly quick and seamless switching.

Other than that, the SOUND of the unit is awesome. Especially if you don't have reverb on your amp. The reverbs are really great. Much better than on the original.

Dunno. I lost the concentric knobs on the original unit. The thing was built like a piece of crap. This is a little better, but the buttons still feel a little light and crappy.

n/a.

I was the owner of the original G-Major several years ago, soon after its initial release. You'll find my review of the 1st in the G-Major section. I sold it when I returned to a pedals-only setup, and later switched to Rocktron gear. The Rocktron Intelliverb is still a favorite of mine. I tried the Rocktron Xpression but that didn't work out well. Although satisfied with the Intelliverb, I bought the G-Major 2 because of its modern features and new effects. And I'm going to keep it because of those, having used it for a month now.

Setup is easy if it's going to be used in a series effects loop. Don't forget to set the device to the correct level in the Global menu (PRO = +4dB line level, CONSUMER = -10dB instrument level). Unlike most effects devices manufacturers, TC still doesn't put a dedicated switch for this on the front panel alas.
The MIDI channel is easily set. So are the input and output levels. And the conections at the back are clear.

Setup is more difficult if the device is used in a parallel setup, like in a parallel effects loop or with a rack mixer (CAE, Suhr MiniMix, etc.). In that case you need set DRY KILL to on, change the routing for each preset to PARALLEL (except when using modulated delays) and set most presets to 100% WET. Even then it's clear that the G-Major isn't the right device for use in a parallel setup. You'll encounter volume level issues, for example when using a pitch or filter effect in combination with delay or reverb. And when using modulated delays (routing: SERIAL2), you won't be able to use reverb since that'll drown the delay trails completely.

In a series setup there are also some issues with the routing. For example, changing the routing for a preset (with a little delay/reverb) from SERIAL to PARALLEL will lower the volume. I fail to see why...

Some things are not explained in the manual. Why is there a choice between 44.1 and 48kHz bit rate, what are the consequences? What does Send Tuner mean (I know, it's for the discontinued G-Minor but how should anyone know?).

Like with the 1st version, the relays are a welcome extra. So is the connection for a dedicated switch or expression pedal (when not using one via MIDI). And many functions / parameters can be controlled using modifiers (per preset or global), great!

I'm glad it comes with a power cord, not a wall wart!

Bogner Ecstasy Classic amplifier, Bogner 2x12" cabinet, Furman AR1400 power regulator, pedals on a rack tray in Axess GRX4 loops, switching via Gordius Big Little giant MIDI controller). Plus a Bad Cat Hot Cat 30R combo. Gibson, Fender, Haar guitars. Style of music: from clean to heavy rock.

I started off using the G-Major 2 in a parallel setup, using a Suhr MiniMix mixer in the amp's effects loop (+4dB). See the details about the configuration of the G-Major 2 in a parallel setup and the limitations of its use that way.

This immediately made it clear that preset switching on the G-Major is not gapless. In a series setup this will not be such a problem, but it is in a parallel setup, especially when killing the dry signal that doesn't go through the G-Major. Whenever I activated a preset with the Univibe (or Vibrato) in it, there was silence (more than a second). Lowering the clock to 44.1kHz helped but there was still silence between presets.

I've now changed to a series setup. Not because of the gap, but because the sound quality of the G-Major 2 is very good. I've heard bad stories about the 1st version, which has been accused by many to be tone sucking. Can't recall that my original G-Major was bad, but maybe TC changed things during the production cycle (same story goes for the G-Force). I A/B'ed and I think that the AD/DA-convertors inside the G-Major 2 pose no problem. I'm very picky about my tone and have no hesitation to let my entire signal go through the G-Major 2.

There's almost no hiss/noise. Some effects will generate some noise, like the flanging wave or tremolo pulse, which is normal.

The effects are great! As always with TC, a little on the sterile (hifi) side. And effects like the Univibe, phaser and flanger really sound best with dirty a clean signal. That's why I keep some pedals in front of the amp. Again, the effects sound great. The 1st G-Major sorely missed modulated delays but now they are here (requiring a dedicated routing). Leslie can be emulated using the delightful Univibe effect (but better results are obtained by using a fast Chorus I think). The Tri-Chorus is thick and reversed delays are much fun. I also like the new envelope filter a lot, and the pitch shifter / harmonies / whammy tracks really well.

I don't use the compressor, gate or EQ.

Spill-overs (delay and reverb) work fantastic. So much better than the poor implementation on the Rocktron Xpression.

Parameter editing is the same as with the original but the knobs are much more solid (there have been many complaints about the wheels on the previous version).

There have been many problems with the first version. Like frozen displays and wheels that have come off. TC probably made improvements here. I own this unit just for month now so nothing sensible to say about it yet. It seems sturdy enough.

I asked some questions through the support site and got a response in a couple of days. That's good. The Knowledge Base is also great. Too bad the user-to-user forum isn't moderated though.

A low score though because the unit didn't come with a PC/MAC editor, not available online yet either. According to the advertisements it should come with an editor! It'll probably appear soon, but IMO this isn't a proper way to do business. Deliver what is promised, rightaway!

The G-Major is a great allround effects device. It'll cover most users' needs, both beginners and power users. The sound quality is good, the build quality seems okay and it has state-of-the-art features. Pity that it doesn't suit parallel setups well.

The TC Electronic G Major 2 is just as easy to use as its little brother the G Major. Editing patches is the same as before but with better and expanded effects. The manual is a very easy read and you don't even need it if your familiar with the original G Major.

Ok this is where it shines. I called TC prior to ordering my new one from Sweetwater and asked them if there was a difference in the sound quality from this new G Major 2 versus the G Force and they told me that is was the exact same except the G Force has a deeper editing. This unit sound 10 times better than original G Major. This one now has expanded flangers which are very usuable, Univibe and a Chorus that is better IMHO than the one on the G Force. For $400 you will not be disappointed.

We will have to see in time if it holds up better than the G Major. I had two G Majors and one crapped out.

They are very good about getting back to you on email questions. I just wished you could call them on the phone..

I think you should get one you will not be regetting this unit...