Yamaha DG-Stomp

it's cool that it's all buttons and knobs instead of a tiny screen with sub-menus. really intuitive. i figured it out in a few minutes without the manual.

Instant switching. This is the only digital multi-effect i have used that didn't put a little gap in when you switch patches.

keep the input level button set to hi and send it straight into your power amp bypassing your amps own preamp.

i run this into the power amp of a crate vc-5, which is a 5 watt class A tube amp, and then out to a no-name vintage 12" speaker cab. With that set up i can get great cranked watt tube tube amp tones at really decent volume levels.

This unit really surprised me. the cleans are killer. it's so hard to find any preamp with good clean tones. try getting a good clean sound out of a sansamp product for instance.

The drive tones are also quite tasty! snappy, thick, dynamic and rich in even ordered harmonics. works with your volume knob. can be set to break up when you dig in. modern tones, classic tones.... it goes against the very fiber of my being to say this but they sound better than analog pedals. sure side by side with a mesa boogie quad preamp or whatever super expensive unit you MIGHT be able to hear that it's digital? or maybe not, you might find the DG sounds better with everything else (guitar/tube power amp/ speaker) being equal.

There is something about digital multi-effects that usually irks me. They might be okay when you only have one effect going but the more things you get going the more hazy and and washed out it sounds. kiss your tone goodbye. the Boss ME stuff was totally that way for me. This unit isn't like that. The modulation sounds like a separate unit when combined with the dirt and delay.

another cool thing about the effects is that you can set the values to be syncopated. for instance try 5 on the delay time and 2.5 on the tremolo rate how ever you want to subdivide it.

All of the effects are quite usable including the compressor. yeah, it boosts your gain, so back it off on the pre or the master if you no like. it's transparent and does it's job, if it had more parameters i probably wouldn't set it as well as the preset anyway.

I can't complain on any of the modulation effects, delay or reverb. It's all good stuff. of special note are the spring reverb, rotary and tape echo effects. They are worth the price of admission alone.

This box rules, but remember this is full blown preamp. you wouldn't run a second preamp into the preamp of your amp unless you wanted to boost the hell out of it right?

use it into your power amp or direct and it will really surprise you what great tones it delivers.

Operating with mutli-function buttons and knobs and going thru layers of menus is workable provided that we have a screen that's very informative. Here, we have a small alphanumeric screen that's good for telling us our patch number but leaves plenty to be desired for giving parameter information. The User Interface definitely follows a certain logic but I couldn't say that the deeper layers of parameter editing is all that intuitive. Having the manual on hand for reference or memorizing its entire content is required to get the most out of this unit.

We can save patches in banks of three. This is good for most jobs I have to do, but switching banks is not a quick on-the-fly operation. If let's say you had to go from Bank 0 to Bank 3, you'd have to depress and hold the Tap/Bank/Tuner pedal for a few seconds to go to Bank scroll mode, then depress and hold the 3/Rev/Up pedal to scroll up to Bank 3, then depress pedals 1, 2 or 3 for your target patch number. An additional row of 4 pedals for bank scrolling or additional controls would have helped, but then that would make the unit's footprint larger.

However, where this thing becomes alive is in its extensive MIDI capability. It can respond to up to 8 different external Continuous Controller numbers plus expression pedal jack. I can make this unit perform wonders by automating Continuous Controller data and enjoy playing freely overcoming the limitations of a 4-pedal system via my audio/MIDI sequencer Digital Performer.

Some wish list items are a digital input, SPDIF or AES/EBU selectable, for re-amping dry, recorded signals. A selectable sample rate between 44.1KHz and 48.KHz would also have been desirable (the SPDIF out is fixed at 48KHz). The EQ is also very basic. Every digital unit nowadays should have deep editing facilities for players who are more serious about their sound. There's no excuse anymore to not have full parametric eq with sweepable frequency and bandwidth controls.

I use this unit with an Ibanez S540OL, Parker Fly Classic, Godin LGX, Schecter C-1 Exotic, Ibanez AS103. I go through either a Flextone III XL (tapping into the power section only), or a Rocktron Velocity 250 driving a Marshall JCM900 1960A cab. It's great that the unit retains the individual sonic characteristic of each guitar. Clean or distorted, the Fly Classic, C-1, and S540 sound more aggressive and biting while the LGX and the AS103 are more mellow and bassy.

The sounds I do get are gorgeous. Dialed in correctly with the gain low and the preset master high, both 1 and 2 Clean channels are really clean with good detail. The Crunch and Drive sounds make for really good country, classic rock, and jazz fusion tones. I've noticed that the even-numbered channels tend to have a slight mid-range scooped character and are therefore the ones more suitable for modern rock sounds. Both Drive channels have great bite and are great for melodic phrasing or rhythm.

I have to differ with many opinions here about the unit's distortions. I love them. Both 1 and 2 Lead channels have plenty of gain, especially when engaging the input Boost control and matching them with high-gain pickups that come out of my S540OL (equipped with Duncan SH-8 Invaders), the Fly Classic, and the C-1 Exotic. Plugged in direct to the board with the speaker sims on or to a power amp driving a Marshall 4x12 cab, Lead 2 is especially brutal and ballsy and great for palm-muted heavy rhythms or ringing out power fifths. Playing inversions or 9th, 11th, and 13th extended chords can be heard with clarity. Lead 1 is great for melodic playing, sweep arpeggios, legato, and all kinds of shred.

The effects are largely meat and potatoes, but it does come with an interesting rotary with which I can get cool organ effects . The chorus is nice and lush. The reverb could use a little more editable parameters, but they seem like good algorithms taken from their SPX series rack effects units. Delays are good, and having tap tempo to control the delay time helps in live situations. The biggest disappointment is the compressor. There are no adjustable parameters save for a single depth control, and who knows what that actually is. Compressors, in order to be useful, must always have a variable ratio of 2 to infinity:1, threshold (-30 to 0), attack (at least 0.01 to 0.5 seconds), release (at least 0.01 to 1 seconds), and make up gain (0 to 30dB).

The wah effect is perfectly usable. The Expression Pedal options are great. We have the option of controlling Wah, pre-preamp volume, post preamp volume, post reverb volume, treble, mid, bass, presence, compressor depth, modulation speed/depth, delay time/feedback/level, and reverb level. Now, imagine the real-time control you can have over 9 of these combining the pedal with automated controller data triggered by a sequencer! This is defenitely a techno-geek's gadget but with some really great amp tones.

The unit is surprisingly quiet, but a noise gate would still have been desirable and very helpful.

I've been using this for years. It has replaced a rack system with the Rocktron Prophesy, Chameleon 2K, or VooduValve. Heck, I picked up the Flextone III XL as a back up preamp and to primarily serve as a power amp combo for this unit. The DG Stomp after 6 years of use and abuse is still kicking ass. However, the power adaptor connection plug is flimsy, and needed to be soldered back in last year. I wish that this plug had been reinforced with two screws, but it is held in place to the logic board by the solder! You definitely can't be tripping on the rear-panel cables to avoid risking the plug breaking. The rest of the unit is built well and housed in a strong steel chasis.

Never had to deal with Yamaha except only with sales. And all sales people are helpful to the degree that they think they can sell you something.

I divide recording tasks between this unit, J-Station, DP's PreAmp-1, Logic's Guitar Amp Pro, Amplitube, and Guitar Rig, all really depending on the tone and convenience factor I'm looking for. But for live performances, this is all I play and care to play. I've considered alternatives, from tube amps like JSX, 6505, JVM, to other modelers like the Pod X3 Live. This is not an admission of complacency but a profession of how much I love the DG Stomp, that I'm so very comfortable with the playability and tones of the DG Stomp, and will probably play it until it breaks. It's a shame Yamaha did not further develop their ECM technology and remain in the competition. The MagicStomp should have been an upgrade that retained the DG Stomp's MIDI, I/O, and control facilities. It's not too late, Yamaha. You can get back in the game with your even more advanced VCM technology.

It's pretty easy to get very useable sounds from this. There's a load of presets (99) and you can modify these or start from scratch and set up your own (another 99). editing patches isn't hard, but you have to read the instructions. Like a laptop computer - if you don't read the manual how are you ever going to get it to work well. The manual isn't the most readable and a longer one with more info would have been better. The USA Yamaha website actaully carrier a quick-start guide that is just as long as the international manual, so you can see others though what I did and got on and wrote an accompanying tomb. There are no downloads for this system, unlike the UB99's so nothing to comment on there.

I think once you've got the patches sorted that the sounds are great. You can use the amp models (8) or not and the speaker cab models or not. You can set this up to operate as an efect pedal or in it's 'natural mode with amp models and speaker cabs, as a preamp to either your PA or in my case to two Yamaha powered speaker cabs called DGFS's (60 watts each and just like the Tech 21 powered cabs). This is the main point of contention about the DG Stomp - it's supposed to be the pre-amp to powered speakers, not an effects pedal. As an effects pedal it truly drives the hell out of your amp and most patches sound like heavy metal. Through powered speakers it's a whole different beast and very much tamer and the sounds become much more like those you'll hear from Alan Holdworth, the jazz player.

The DG doesn't do distortion very well but can sound like a driver amp (overdrive). If you want Metal and more distortion put a Boss DS1, or whatever, in the line.

Thgse are built as good as they could be without becoming real expensive. you get a lot for your money (especially as these are only available S/H now) and they rae steel cased and have high quality components.

Unlike other reviewers, I've had expectional experiences with Yamaha. They've answered every query I've put to them very well and immediately. they's even given me tips and help that didn't sell me more kit but put me on the right track to get more from what I already had. They were everything you could ask from customer support.

Yes I'd buy again and have already - I have two of these and two of the powered speakers that Yamaha sold to go with them. One DG Stomp i bought in the close out sales, another with an amp on ebay and then another amp on ebay. Alsolute bargains (i'm a pro so I have to make everything earn it's keep). It's similar to the Line6 Pod in operation, but more rugged in my opinion and is built to be used on the floor with 4 foot buttons to change patches. I was going to get a Boss ME50, but these were cheaper and I've nbeen very happy with them. Now the big Boss multieffects systems are cheaper I would probably have gone for the top of the range Boss - but I'm very happy with these and they are ceartianly a lot smaller. Love the stereo output.

Once you get used to how to go up and down to switch banks it becomes easier to use.

I prefer having knobs to use for adjusting sounds as apposed to a button you push.

Manual is fine.

I also have the pedal for volume and wah. I've never set it up. Way to much range of motion to deal with.

I'm using this as a preamp into the effects return of a Carvin MTS3200 tube head. My cabinet is a Avatar 2x12 with Celestion Vintage 30's.
My main guitar is a Ibanez RGA321F with is a mahogany body with flame maple top.

I love this setup! I've had all the Boss\Zoom digital modeling floor processors through the years and I picked this one up on a whim. I hadn't heard it but I once played a DG Amp and was impressed. IMHO I get a very tube-like sound out of this box. I don't get that digital flub sound and can get nice palm mutes out of this pedal.

The other guitar players I mostly play with have Flextones and they all rave about the sound I'm getting. I've also had drummers and keyboardist comment as well.

I wish the drive had a bit more to it but I play all kinds of music and for me it's metal enough.

I've never had issues with Yamaha equipment.

I've never had to deal with them.

Considering you can get these real cheap I think they are a great value. Better and cheaper than the Boss GT's I've owned.

I've been playing for 25 years and have had all kinds of equipment and I'm usually a tube snob but this is my setup now and I keep hoping that Yamaha releases another version of this or the magicstomp with some updates including dedicated up\down bank switch and an integrated volume\wah\real time effects pedal.

If it was lost\stolen or suddenly died on me I'd just go to eBay and get another.

Not hard get a half decent tone. You don't need to be a tapdancer, you just need a bit of coordination. Once you get your head wrapped around how it's set up, it's easy to edit and store patches, the manuals are all easy to read, and available online. It has a preamp, can be used as an amp & speaker modeller, or be used without the preamp strictly as an effects bank (which is specifically why I bought it).

All the effects are good. Not super great, but good. This honestly can't replace the top of the line delays, flangers, phasers, compressors, etc..., but if you're looking for something compact and with a few options, it's pretty good. And if you're switching between electrics & acoustics, the effects actually work well on both, provided you're using the effects bank WITHOUT the preamp section.

However, after some experimenting, I discovered that it's one of the most heinous tone suckers I've ever heard. Like close to half!!!! I was super excited about this rig at first, but now I'm not using it until I can build a switch to accommodate my stage setup with tru-bypass for the effects loop.

It's built like a brick $h!t house.

I accidently dropped an anvil on it last week and now I need a new anvil.

I play everything from 60's folk to acoustic blues, country to hard rock. Acoustic & electric. I currently play a Yamaha FPX-300 (acoustic - see review here) into the mixer or into a Laney LA65C (acoustic amp - see review here), and an Epiphone Les Paul Classic (review pending, but it's gonna be a shining one)into a Vox AD30VT (review pending, and it's gonna shine too). I was looking for some simple delay/modulation/compression effects to add to my rig, this seemed like a viable option.

Ironically, it's an electric guitar unit, but works nicely as an effects bank for an acoustic (with preamp off), lining into the mixer. Adds nice presence. Unfortunately, it sucks a lot of tone going into the Vox.

It is almost impossible to switch or store sounds and the included presets are useless. I have had it for 4 years and HATE IT!!!

If you like spaceships taking off, muddy & tinney at the same time this is the box for you. I will sell mine for $5.00.

Very good, never had a problem with it.

I thought I had a proble with it 20 days after I bought it. Yamaha said it was out of warranty and would not even take my reciept as the truth.

Hard to use, presets are worthless, storing sounds that I like has been impossible, unable to use flange, chorus, phase shifter etc.. mor than 1 at a time.
The built in tuner is off 1.2 octive on the A, G, & B strings.

Guitar Center would not take it in as trade on other XF or merchandise, but they would take in my $20 accessories.

Its easy to get a good sound but requires an external midi controller to switch banks? How crappy is that. Unless you can tap dance that is while playing.

I use a fender deville 2X12
first edition 1979 TS-808
Strat with lots of custom work.

I'm not an expert guitar player but it sounds great and not digital harsh like other units.

As the over drive is very week or non existent any TS-9, 808 or amp over drive will work.

I'm saying the DG stomp distortion is very very mild so it does not sound fake at all. very good "tube" tone.

I don't use the amp Sims at all, why bother I have a tube amp and I guess if you want to sound like a Gibson amp then get a Gibson amp or you risk sounding "digital" but the speaker Sims are ok I just keep them off.

The PRE ON button is just wow kills your ears so I keep that off because I have been punished far to many times by it!! DEADLY LOUD SCREWY SCREECHES!!!

never an issue if you keep it cool.

never used em

I play classic rock with a few heavy metal solo parts.
been playing badly for 20+ years.
If stolen Id just get old Ibanez TS-808 series individual flanger, chorus, I'm doing that any way but its going to cost $1500 and the DG can do it all ok with less style but way less cash.
Its very musical and with the mild over drives wont turn your sound into a mud tone or chain saw.

I use for individual effects only and sadly it is not that versatile with out a midi foot controller.

So for me its three sounds only!

Also I know this device is a closet classic sleeper.

Prices are going up up up up on ebay as much as $200 and nothing under $125!

In a few years this will be the one you sold and regret it.

Also its great if you live in NY and take a cab to your gig you don't need to lug a tube amp. just go direct to the mixer and house PA and you have everything you need (as long as you bring your TS-808)

Like most modelers, this one needs some tweeking to really dial it in. Live, it could be plug and play. It is easy to use, knobs are just like pedals, but the menu functions are criptic, so the manual is required. It took about as long to find a manual online as it did to read and understand it. Manual is easy enough, so is the pedal. I've spent longer with a chorus tweeking.

This is an early modeler, and it sounds quite good. The delays are excellent, as is the chorus. The compressor is good, although the parameters are too low. Needs more range in the squish. Modelers are the weakest part of the unit, although they are still quite useable. There are very good sounds in there, but you are not going to plug in and get your favorite guitar players tone. I use this four ways, and this is why I really like this unit. <P> 1) You can turn off the modeler and use it for just the effects. I run my guitar into a BBE which splits the signal. The right signal goes into the DG then into the effects loop. The left signal goes into a modded Jimmy wah> Vodkamods RAT> Russian Big Muff into the input of a Hot Rod Deville 410 (with mods). 2) it can be set up to work like stomp boxes, so the bank switches become effect on and off switches, and 3) you can program your song list for a gig and use it conventionally, and 4) for recording. The cabinet sims can be turned off for use through your amp when not going DI to a board/card. <P> Okay, now the bad. 1) no noise gate or suppressor, 2) switching patches is stupidly cumbersome, 3) the tuner stinks, 4) the digital readout is useless anywhere except in the house.

I always have a backup or two. It may not be two DG stomps, but it will be two distortions, another source of reverb to fake a delay, or some way to muddle through the gig. But the unit is very well made. Steel case and heavy switches.

NA

This unit is great for what it does. Covers all the bases well. Add a few outboard pedals, and you have a great tool. To rate this as a modeler and compare it to the new gear out like the tonelab SE or Boss GT8, the yamaha would get a 8. It's better than the sterile line 6 gear, but not as feature rich as the new stuff. It does what it does very well, and if a simple multi effects with DI capabilities fits your needs, it would get a 9.5. It's perfect for what I use it for, and for the $70 I paid, it can't be beat.

Reasonably intuitive, except there are some functions that definitely require a check of the user manual. The manual itself is clear and well-laid-out.

Editing and storing patches are a breeze. Most of the factory-patches are cartoonish. But it's very easy to set up your own.

The three-button system for moving between patches is reasonably convenient once you get the hang of it.

I use this unit mostly for recording, plugged right into my soundcard. I have in the past used the f/x only in the loop of my amp (at the time, a Marshall Silver Jubilee) and it performed fantastically.

Reverb (plate, room, or spring) and delay (digital or tape) effects are fabulous. The low-to-moderate gain settings are organic and very useful. It also has impressive stereo chorus and leslie effects. Not the best compressor I have ever used - not terribly flexible.

Very quiet.

It's housed in a very solidly built metal case. I did have a capacitor short-out on it and wound up spending a hundred bucks to get a 15c part replaced. Grrrr.

The power supply has a pretty flimsy-looking cable.

I had it repaired by a local authorized repair shop. It was out of warranty. I emailed Yamaha's customer support and it took forever for them to get back to me.

I play blues/rock and it suits me very well. I find the moderate-gain patches on it are much more organic and convincing than any competitors' products I have tried. It also makes a great outboard reverb/delay/chorus unit for stage use.

I've been playing for 26 years. I own a whole smack of guitars (G&L, Godin, Gretsch) and gig with a Bogner Shiva.

If I were shopping for another modeller, I'd definitely consider another Yamaha, though I hope they have a more solid power supply on newer models.

Great pedal. Like most things from Yamaha it can take a few tries to get the command sequence right...but when you do, its a breeze. I love the sounds I can get from this little thing.

The manual is great and goes through everything you need to know about set up.

I was able to dial in some effects similar to John Mayer and Ty Tabor with this thing...also I was able to get in some Dream Theater-esq sounds with no difficulty at all.

I like all the effects in here, especiall the tape delay and the apring reverbs. The distortions are awesome, same with the cleans.

I'm using a Yamaha RGX312, Yamaha RGX1203S, Kramer Striker and a Jay Turser hollow body with this thing, and a verious amp, usually a peavey 112.

The really nice this about this, are the 16 built in speaker simulations, so you can record direct with this, and it won't sound like a pedal at all.

Definatly, a very dependable unit. Solid build.
I'd use this in the studio or on stage, no worries.

Yamaha has never let me down when I've had questions about products, and this is no exception. I check out everything before i buy...i call stores and the company and get specs.

I try and play a variety of music, rock and jazz, blues and even folk kinda stuff. I've been playing guitar for abotu 10 years. I have a couple yamaha guitars, a kramer, a walden acoustic and a jay turser hollow body.

If, by some tragedy, I lost this...I'd definatly get another one.

I played with a DOD GS30 before this, which was nice because of the built in pedal...the dg stomp has the option to use one, but its not built on.

Very simple. Preamp section and multieffects. If you like what you get, just push the store buttom.

Very good preamp section. Real fender sound, real marshall and real mesa/boogie. No noise at all, don?t need a noise gate. Good reverb, possibility to deal with a expression pedal for some effects, like distortion, delay time, etc.

It's perfect for booth studio and live performance. I can get everything from it.

Never.

I play jazz and blues. You've got to get a good guitar and amp, cause this little thing has a big low timbre. High distortion are very good to. The best is the Fender like tone. It good even that tube feeling...