TC Electronic G-Sharp

If this thing was any easier to use it would only have 1 knob. The rear connections are easy to understand and if you buy one used you probably don't even have to worry about reading the manual. Yes, it's that easy to use.

For the price this thing just can't be beat. I've noticed some reviewers giving it a bad rap but you have to remember this is not a $1500 TC product. It is a $120 multi-effects processor. I've found almost all of the sounds useful, especially the reverbs and chorus. If I was to say anything critical it would be that some of the sounds come across a little sterile. This is my first TC purchase so I can't really say if this is a product feature or just how it sounds in my home studio.

I bought this used about 1 year ago and it just keeps on ticking. All the knobs and connections feel sturdy. It feels like it's going to last me a good long time.

Haven't had to deal with them yet. I don't expect to either.

One of the Aux Sends from my mixer goes to this unit and it's staying that way. Whenever I need a good solid effect I can throw one in on any track I chose. It's layout lets me tweak the sound without having to think too much. This helps when you'd rather be concentrating on another aspect of your sound or whatever it is that you are doing.

Due to the incredibly low price and availability of this product I would more than likely buy one again if this ever broke.

It is a very simple construction. Easy to get quite decent sound, but the possibilities are very limited. For my taste the effect section separation is not the best one. My problem is that there are only two routing modes. (parallel, serial) The serial is useful, when you use a modulation effect(phaser, chorus...) with reverb. When you want to keep clear the sound with delays the parallel mode is the right choice. The problem is that there is significant output level difference between the two modes, so if you want to use it in live, you have to decide which one is preferred. If you are in parallel mode the modulation effects are quite invisible, because the normal signal sounds parallel on the reverb engine. (E.g. the tremolo effect is totally overdubbed in this mode)

Other weakness is that the output level is +14 dB fixed. My poweramp requires 0 dB as a minimal level. So, +14 is too much. It is a big disadvantage for me.

Furthermore the input gain is very discrete in values. It is possible to control this parameter via MIDI. But I am sure that you won't use it. It is written in the manual, that it can be used as a volume controller, but it has so much delay and weak resolution that it is useless.

the manual was not clear in the tap tempo setting, it has to be clarified by the support

Editing of the patches is quite straightforward.

I have noticed that the reverbs sounds quite different than in the demo. I contacted to the support and with great efforts and with 4-5 emails I managed to squeeze out the reason from them. The reverb assignment to the knob position is a chaos. There is no correlation the name and the sound. I asked them to make a new firmware to correct the bug, but they rejected my wish, because it could mess other users presets. I write them a solution how to handle this problem. Then they promised me to make a bugfix but I am afraid they just wanted to get rid of me.

For its price it is marvelous!
Check "Ease of Use", to know why it is not usable.

The first device I got had a HW problem. It was a month to replace the unit. So I rate it to 5.
I had no further problems but I do not tweaking the buttons all the time.

They help when the problem doesn't require further actions. Answering time is normal.

I am playing in the metal scene, but I am also playin classical music. I have an Schecter Elite 007 with real seymours, Ibanez RG-527LtdR, Epiphone LP Classic Birdseye top with SH4. Engl E530 pre, peavey Classic 50/50 power amp, Korg DTR1000. Cort MR740fx, Alhambra 7C.

I will replace this unit to a G-major 2, as soon as its price will be reasonable for me. (I am waiting for reviews, too. :) )
But I think I will use the G-Sharp in my acoustic setup. The reverbs are gorgeous.

Pretty easy to use. The added footswitch makes control even easier. The process of switching between footswitch modes (ie. manual or user banks) can be a little confusing, and I find myself returning to the manual every now and then.

One problem is the lack of illumination on the dials. On a dark gig it is impossible to see the settings - so you will need a torch. This makes on the fly tweaking difficult at gigs.

This is the biggest issue. Although the basic effects are very good to excellent. I had real problems using this with my amps. On one amp (a handbuilt Matamp) there was an incredible amount of hiss when connected through the effects loop. On my Marshall JTM30 there was less hiss but it seemed to suck some of the tone/liveliness out of the amp.

If you are considering buying this then I would strongly advise trying it with your own amp first. It is a shame as the basic effects are very good.

Seems fairly solid. No problems

I did query TC about the hiss problem and got some good suggestions from them - but nothing fixed the problem. However their customer support was good.

Good effects. Shame about the hiss and tone suckage. I no longer use this because of that.

This unit has some very nice reverb tones coming out of it. The phase and trem are great. They variety of delays in this unit is also impressive. However, the chorus is only so-so in my opinion. I was a little disappointed because I bought this unit specifically to replace a BOSS CE20 and one other EHX pedal that I was using for chorus and trem.

Putting together patches in this unit is not too bad, but you can only use 1 effect and 1 reverb together which I suppose is not bad. There are a lot of tweaking capabilities on both the effects side and the reverb side of the unit.

The manual was pretty much useless. You just have to play around with the unit and get use to it. Also, there are NO presets in this unit. Everything is from scratch.

Was using this unit through the effects loop on a JCM900 4102 combo. It seemed like the volume would drop off just a bit when I would engage the unit and when I turned up the gain on the unit itself, it would start to clip and distort.

I also tried it with a Traynor 50 watt combo with an effects loop and I had to set the unit's gain to about 1/4 to keep it from clipping.

I also tried running this unit in my effects chain straight into the amp's guitar input but there was a lot of hum and noise coming from the unit when I ran it that way. The only way to really get a good sound out of it is to use it in an effects loop situation.

Mine started to arbitrarily cut out on my after about 6 months of use. I thought maybe it was just because of the way my effects loop was pumping into the G-sharp but now, after 11 months the unit is completely dead and a couple of the knobs have fallen off. Therefore, I would have to say that this thing is completely not reliable for gigging with as it has in fact cut out on me during gigs.

These guys are useless. I have been trying to get this unit repaired under warranty for a while. I opened up a support case on their website and gave them all the information they asked me for and now they are just ignoring me. They gave me a phone number to call in the US 818-665-4900. I called, I did get hold of someone and was promised an RMA but I have never received anything.

I have since gone out and bought a new rack effects unit (not a TC Electronics unit) to replace the junk G-Sharp that I have. I'm just waiting now for the 1 year to expire on the warranty because I bought an extended warranty on the unit which kicks in after the manufacturers 1 year warranty is up. Of course, I'm not expecting much from the extended warranty either except maybe getting a replacement unit that will just die on me anyway.

I think given the unreliability of this unit, I would have to give it a 3 overall. It sounds pretty nice through an effects loop but it does rob you of some of your volume and having a rack effects unit that just cuts out when it feels like it is basically useless.

I paid 249 for this unit 11 months ago and now they are practically giving them away for 139. I personally think TC electronics is in financial trouble and I'm doubting that I will ever get this unit repaired or replaced. But I will also never buy another TC product either after this.

Easy to use like a stompbox! To edit an effect - just turn the knobs!

Very,very,very professional sounds.
Great authentic spring reverbs!
The delay-section is superb!
Very much for less money!

For delay and reverb this will be my first choice!

Got no problem with the g-sharp!
Great website!

I just play anything for about 20 years.
I choose the g-sharp, because it works perfectly with the loop of my Marshall DSL 401 (very complicated loop).
Also works great with my stompboxes infront the amp!

Fairly easy to use. Very practical interface with no menus to scroll through. Saving presets as easy as programming a car stereo.

I've had one of these for over a year and used it on tons of gigs. So after all this time I just happened to step on the bypass switch for my effects loop (turning it off) and all of a sudden I heard dimensions to my tone that I never realized where missing. The sound I got when not running my signal through the G Sharp was incredible. The volume and power increased significantly and the sustain and feel of the amp was amazing...

So it was at this point that I realized..the G Sharp SUCKS TONE! I always thought I couldn't hear myself very well because my bass player is always so damn loud or because I don't play a $3000 dollar amp. But after taking this unit out of my loop, I had to turn down a good 3 notches on my master volume...and I am still cutting through clear as day.

As for the unit itself, I never really had any complaints about the quality of the effects. I always like the reverbs, especially the cathedral hall sound. The effects are ok too. My favorites are the delays and chorus'. I always thought they sounded pretty transparent but I had no idea what the cheap components in this unit was doing to my actual sound. I'm getting rid of mine but it may still work for someone. My set up before I took this unit away was this:

Schecter 7 Strings with Duncans, Fender rack tuner, ISP decimator, B52 AT100 Head, loop send to G Sharp, BBE Sonic Stomp back to head, to 4x12 cab with Eminence speakers(manowars and red white and blues).

It hasn't ever broken down but i can tell it's cheaply made. Two knobs have fallen off of it.

Just remember you get what you pay for. I got mine because it wasn't too expensive and it did everything I wanted it to. But I guess when you skimp out on quality parts you pay with your tone. I'm not sure what I'll do about effects now but I will definately make sure I get something that's better quality. Maybe some good pedals. Don't waste your money on this.

Great sounding chorus, reverbs and delays. Pitch shift and tremolo decent, but not top notch. Fairly complicated to create and edit patches, unless you have used other modeling/processor type units. Manual is next to useless, so previous experience helps. Version 1.27.

Using ENGL SE and Ibanez RG 2550 EGK with Blackouts. Unit moderately noisy, but nothing a good noise gate can''t handle. Use an external gate, the included one is not up to par. Effects sound very decent.

This is why I wrote this review. THIS UNIT SUCKS if you need to gig or even practice uninterrupted. I have read a lot of reviews that detailed the unit "hanging" or "locking up", but I took my chances because of the good sound reviews. The unit worked for 10 minutes, long enough to try out about half the presets. Then the screen locked, cut out my sound and would not respond to any buttons. The only fix was to power down. Upon powering up, the unit worked for another 30 seconds then repeated the lock up. I got this from MF thankfully so they took it back and I am getting something else.
I cannot believe that a manufacturer spent SO MUCH TIME creating good sounds only to have some QC bug make the $400 unit USELESS. Maybe if you never leave the house with the unit it's OK to randomly lock up like other people experienced, but locking uup even once makes it useless for gigging, and in my caase the PIECE OF **** didn't last long enough to explore the presets. DO NOT BUY DO NOT BUY CAUTION CAUTION

I read a ton of customer support emails from other users with the same isssues. The company's solution is to exchange it for another one. ??????????????????????
And risk having the same thing happen? No. My money goes to a company that can make a reliable product and not such a piece of total useless junk

I have been playing for 3 years steadily and a long time on and off before that due to school. I have worked with a lot of different types of equipment from a lot of manufacturers. If this unit was stolen, I would feel sorry for the poor bastard who tried to gig with it and ended up being booed off the stage.

EASY, Thats why I bought it.Just like tweakin pedals.Store your own presets in a second.Tc manuals are always pretty easy read.

I trust Tc products,they seam to have a nice warm sound.I use it in my fx loop,no noise,no tone loss,just great effects.Ive tried it with a jvm/diezel herbert and mesa triple recto,all with ex results.All of the effects are useable,all sound great,its not like there is fillers here just your basic everyday effects.
You can only use one effect & reverb.so for chorus/delay/verb I use my H20 (my favorite chorus) & TC verb.so If you need multiple effects better go Gmaj or G force.

well see...the first one out of the box was bad fx side was bad.however no fx unit is perfect.

TC support was on the ball got a reply same night of delivery and sweetwater exchanged it,and tc got back to me to make sure i was happy,thanks Colin!

I bought it for delay and tremolo,for my fx loop,i might use a verb here or there as well,i love that its simple and top quality.Dynamic delay and tape delay are my favs.250 bucks well spent.I had a g maj and g force,too much stuff for me that ill never use.

seems to be pretty easy to use, when it works. i like the adjustment knobs as opposed to scrolling through digital parameters.

pretty quiet, reasonably decent tones on the reverbs and delays, but still has that digital tin can quality. i may be unusually critical here, but every digital unit i've ever used has an undesirable metallic tone. this is better than most, but it doesn't sound anywhere near as transparent as a quality tube reverb tank ( i use a kendrick). i am playing through a soldano decatone which is a very good sounding amp imo.

this unit brand new works intermittently. it seems to put itself into bypass mode when you try to use the controls. then you have to unplug it, let the power drain, and plug it back in and hope it resets. when you plug in the included footswitch, it goes completely into bypass mode, that is, totally inoperable. very frustrating.

the fact that it doesn't work properly is a downer, but that happens. what has me steamed is that i tried several times to email the customer support address in the manual to see if i am missing something. i spent the time typing a detailed explanation of the problems i am having, only to have my email inquiry repeatedly rejected. there's no phone number and they seem to have the support line set up so you can't get through to file a complaint. i guess i don't need tc in my life.

if it worked, i might keep it. if i could contact tc, i might be able to make it work properly. as it is, i'm returning it. i have played 30+ years, have quality equipment and no use for stuff that does not perform reliably and well. if you buy this one, i hope you have better luck than me.

The G-Sharp is a fairly straight forward piece of equipment. Basically just have to put it in your effects loop and plug it in(includes power adaptor). Anyone who's ever used a multi-efx before may not even need the manual but it is pretty well written as well except for some misprints such as the functions of the footswitch buttons which are reversed on the "B" setting for some reason. The manual actually says that you have to set the footswitch to the A or B setting manually but actually all you have to so is select the preset mode to be on or off and the footswitch will work automatically according to either choice. Editing presets is very simple: just select an unused number, set your effect and verb and hold the load button down.

I like the sound of most of the effects on this unit. I don't really ever try to sound like anyone else so I can't say whether this is a good emulator unit. The delays are nice and transparent. All the reverbs are excellent and there are really more to choose from than I'd ever need. The phasers and trems are decent but then again I never use them...just nice to have the option i guess. I am not a fan of the two chorus or the flange though. The chorus' sound a little too wet. I'm also used to my old digitech multichorus that allowed me to change the number of voices in the effect. The flange doesn't seem to move at all no matter how I tweak it and I think I'd need to run stereo speakers to get the true effectiveness of it.
My setup is a Schecter Damien 7 with Active EMG's > Boss TU2 > Boss NS2 > G-Sharp > B52 AT 100 head > (back through the NS2 again) > BBE Sonic maximizer > (Amp return).
My set up, especially my amp, has always been pretty noisy but the NS2 takes good care of it. The G-Sharp will add a little hiss to any set up but this is only noticeable if you don't have a noise supression on. On thing I noticed with this unit is that it boosts my volume a good deal from the get go. I actually had to turn down my amp volume a couple of notches which was great because now I have even less feedback getting past the NS2.
One thing I'm not too happy about is that although the manual says this unit features delay spillover, it doesn't actually have it. When I switch from a delay/verb preset to a verb only preset, the delay cuts off which can sound bad if your not careful about timing. Also if you change from one preset to another that has a different type of reverb, the signal will cut out for s second, which in my opinion is really no good. I don't think I'd have bought this unit if I'd known about that before hand. Fortunately I'm not so heavy into all kinds of effects that this is that big a problem for me. One other weird thing about this is that when you run it in parallel mode, which i think is by far better sounding than linear mode, you get volume increases and decreases when you switch either effects or reverb on or off. This can be a good thing for boosting solos an what not but it's an odd thing if you don't expect it.

So far I see no reason to feel nervous about it. I have it in a professional style flight case so I'm not worried about damage. I've used it already at a few shows now without a back up.

No idea about this.

I play progressive/death/black metal and I do think this unit is a good match. As I've said I'm not that heavy into effects so for basic needs this thing is pretty much adequate. The main reason I bought it was so that I could get rid of my pedal board and all the annoying cables running too and from my amp. Most of the pedals I used were like the NS2 and the BBE Sonic Stomp which are on all the time anyway so I didn't want all that stuff in from of me anymore. Now all I have in front of me is footswitch for my amp and the G-Switch for this processor. Much more convenient if you want to move around on stage a lot. Also I got it because it was affordable and the reverb on my amp is broken. The many reverbs are my favorite feature. The only thing I wish it had was the ability to use two effects at once so I could use chorus and delay at the same time. This isn't a big loss though.