TC Electronic G-Natural

Easy to use. Editing is simple and easy to do on the run. I avoid manuals if I can, and for most operations, have been able to.

I love the Tremolo, nice smooth chorus and delays. I had a lot of noise in the unit, this is caused by the input gain setting. Make sure you check this when the unit is new as the factory default is very low, and the unit subsequently hissy.

Reliability. Mostly is. But . . . It Crashes. This seems to be related to the amount of editing you do. When I first had it, and was doing a lot of edits, it would crash 2 or 3 times in a row on boot up, once it did 15 crashes in a row. I was going to send it back. Its ok at the moment. Did some edits last week, guess what - it crashed again. Don't do loads of editing if you have a gig lined up.

I sent them an email about the crashes. Gues what - I got a reply.
Distributor was helpful

The unit is good, robust, easy to use. I would like to be able to adjust the brightness of the LED's, these are great in the daytime, but would like to attenuate at night. XLR DI out would be very handy.
Onboard phantom power for a microphone is useful.

Very easy to use once you get the hang of it (after maybe an hour of use). All controls are simple, easy to understand and well thought out. Although my unit was brand new, it still came with older firmware (v 1.01) and a pre-production manual. There's no excuse for this. TC needs to start updating their stuff before shipping it out of the factory. This was not "new old stock" either. I talked to my sales rep, and he said they just got a batch of units in from TC, and all had the same firmware and manual as far as he could tell. Have to take off a point for the old firmware and the ancient manual.

Once I adjusted the input and output levels, the sound quality was absolutely amazing. I play a Martin 000C-16RGTE AURA through it. I use a Fishman Loudbox 100 amp and connect the G-Natural through the effects loop. The sound is clean and clear with no hiss. I'm not fond of the chorus effect. I was hoping to take advantage of TC's world-famous chorus sound. On my unit, every chorus setting I try (even the fatory default) sounds tinny and un-natural. I use the tremolo and vibrato with very minimal settings to thicken the sound of my acoustic instead. After I updated the firmware to v 1.03, the tuner function is much more accurate. I love the compression and boost functions. The tap delay light is annoying and I never use it because of the light. Have to take off a point because of the chorus sound.

This is a tough one. Physically, this unit looks like it will hold up to many years of use. The chassis and foot switches are solid, the knobs are rubbberized and there's solid clear plexiglass (?) over the display. What worries me is the fact that on several G-Natural units I have seen (and other owners have verified this as well), sometimes it takes three or four tries to get past the "Acoustic Breakthrough" welcome screen. Many times, when I plug the unit in, it will hang at that screen and will not boot up. So then I unplug and try again. I want to say again that this is not happening on just my unit. It's a known issue, and many G-Natural owners are having the same issue (check acousticguitarforum.com or TC's own user forums). Have to take off two points for reliability because I never know if it's going to start up. This would NOT be good on a gig.

I attempted to contact TC's customer support via e-mail (about the chorus issue) and never heard back. They have nice user forums, but it seems like questions and comments aren't even read by the TC people. Their firmware updates are great, but at the same time, they don't seem to address long-standing issues or update their user manuals. Two points off for customer support for these reasons.

Overall, I still love the TC G-Natural. You can't beat the features. Although the price was a little steep, it totally replaced my existing pedals and has simplified my live setup. The built-in power supply is awesome - no more wall warts! The sound is clean, lush and crystal clear. I love the compression and boost founctions, as well as the overall design and ruggedness. I wish TC made a gig bag for it. I had the use a TC VoiceLive gig bag instead (with a VoiceLive logo). I wish it had a few more modulation effects (auto-wah or envelope filter would be nice) and a volume pedal. If it were lost or stolen, I'd replace it immediately. For it's ease of use, fit and finish and overall design and sound quality, I have to give it a ten.

This extraordinary effects pedal for the acoustic guitar (self-described as "the world's first multi-effects processor to adrress the serious acoustic guitar player) can be taken to whatever level you want. You can use it straight out of the box as a plug 'n play pedal with the 30 preset sound patches. Most sounds are covered at a basic level in those patches: detune, chorus, flanger, vibrato, tremelo, reverb, compression, delay, etc.
However, if you want to start editing or creating patches this is a serious business on the G-Natural. That's why it's called a "processor" rather than a pedal! Every aspect of all the effects is covered. If you're familiar with the nomenclature it won't be too challenging after a little adaptation. But if you're new to patch editing you'll need to make some effort to get your head round all the possibilities. However, if you take your guitar seriously enough to buy a unit like the G-Natural then you'll also be serious enough to enter the world of editing to get the beautiful sounds that you want from your guitar.
There is a mic input too either for a guitar mic or voice. Plug it in and go. Separate effects available.
The latest firmware revision number is 1.03 which can be downloaded from TC Electronic's website and flashed into the G-Natural via a midi port. If you haven't got a midi port on your PC you can use a USB/Midi adaptor such as Midi-Mate. (The page for the G-Natural is at http://www.tcelectronic.com/G-Natural.asp ).
The only drawback with the ease of use aspect is the manual, which is not very detailed for such a profound piece of kit. In fact, when I opened my box the manual was marked "Preliminary Manual", which doesn't instil confidence. Worse, when I downloaded the latest editoon of the manual from TC Electronic's website, it hadn't been updated to reflect the changes in the latest version of the hardware. I would have thought that the company which produced such a superb piece of electronics could also employ enough technical writers to create a manual to match it. It is for this reason alone that I have taken off a point for ease of use.

I can honestly say that I've waited all my guitar-playing life to own a unit like the G-Natural. Every effects pedal I have owned previously has been a disappointment. As soon as I heard the sound after plugging it in, my mouth dropped open! This is how an acoustic guitar effects unit should sound. None of that hissing and swishing commonly associated with other effects pedals. Through the PA it was a revelation, provided the most natural sound I have ever heard from an acoustic guitar through speakers. When I hooked it up to my digital recording system it sounded crystal clear.
I use a Cole Clark Fat Lady 3 dreadnought guitar. This guitar has superb double-pickups built-in but this is the first time that a sound system has done justice to them.
10 out of 10. Pristine sound quality. Period.

The G-Natural is built like a tank. TC Electronics pride themselves on the robustness of their products. (See this video of an army tank running over one of their units: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKZLNKqvFAI ) The G-Natural is all metal, very solid, with the power supply built into it. I would depend on it without hesitation.

Not dealt with them yet personally. But I understand from others that they have received satisfactory responses from TC Electronic customer service within 48 hours. There is also a customer forum for purchasers to share their experiences and ask questions.

I play acoustic-electric folk-rock. Been playing for decades. I have a Cole Clark Fat Lady 3 acoustic guitar with a Taylor T5 electric guitar running through a Line 6 POD XT Live.
If my G-Natural was stolen I'd be heartbroken. It's the first acoustic guitar pedal I've had which I want to keep forever. It is an inspiration to my songwriting. I love to play through it. It has a feelgood factor which makes me want to use it all the time. This is how acoustic guitar effects processors should sound. Just your fine guitar enhanced. No other product can compare.
Although the rear panel of the G-Natural is a mass of inputs and outputs to cover all cases. The only thing lacking is that it doesn't have an XLR output for the guitar. However, there is a balanced TRS jack output.
All this sound comes at a price. In the US you will pay nearly $700 and in the UK it will be a little under 500 pounds. That is very pricey compared to other effects units for acoustic guitar (which are between $150 and $300). The bottom line is whether or not you think superb sound is worth the price. Personally, I think it is priceless and indispensable. (And considering all the electronics in there, the price is not wholly unexpected). So I sold every other pedal and pre-amp I owned which has now been superseded by the G-Natural. Either one wants the best or one doesn't. Soundwise, this is a ten-star unit but I realise that the price will take a star off for some.
Despite the glitches over the manual, the lack of an XLR for the guitar output and the high price, I can heartily recommend the G-Natural to serious acoustic guitarists who are discerning about the kind of sounds they want to hear from their guitar - whether for solo work or vocal accompaniment.