Yamaha GW-50

I hate to say it, but I haven't done much tweaking yet. I've had it for about 6-8 months now and the presets just about have everything covered. I suppose I'd like to see less push-buttons and more dials.
The controls on the pedal are via dials, but the rhythm uses buttons. You can control the patches with buttons or the stomp foot-switched. I've edited patch 51 "progressive" a bit to give it a slight bit of delay and use this patch and its variations for Satriani and Eric Johnson songs. I got it for the drums and rhythm section, but have barely used them. The manual is VERY comprehensive. Someday I'll study it. I haven't studied the manual yet, but I guess I wouldn't get it for the drum machine alone. You're better off using the effects section and getting a separate drum machine (I think). I got a separate drum machine and am not having much luck with that either.

A couple of patches are worthless. I guess they all have to have a "ghost" or "dreamy" patch. I never use them.

I use a Yamaha DG-210 amp. The sounds are fantastic, but it was tuff programming and accessing the sounds so I bought the GW50.
This is it. You can get everything from SRV, Satriani, ZZTop, Metal - whatever. Not really a need to tweak. It's really amazing that the sounds can sound so completely different from one box. I have a '69 Goldtop, '72 Strat and a cheap jap? Epiphone and they all sound great. The limiter and compression have really changed my sound. No more noise - just tone. I did just get a Karl Martin Compressor, but I don't really need it. I used to wonder how some of the bands I'd hear got such a warm, clear yet nasty sound. Be it a little SRV gain or the perfect Billy Gibbons bite or the silky smooth Satch sound. I don't care anymore because I can do it all with this thing. I am serious.
I had a cold, steely Digitech and canned it because the sounds were thin and tinny. I'm sure there are other boxes that can get the sounds of the GW50, but I'm done looking. As far as I'm concerned, this is it.

Believe it or not, I had it sitting on top of a speaker two days ago and sort of overstretched the gtr chord. It crashed to the concrete basement floor and didn't so much as blink. Needless to say, it stays on the floor.
One button is pushed in and doesn't work as easily as the rest, but it still works as it's supposed to. Hey - It's 13-14 years old!

I play it daily and haven't needed it.

I used to play Hendrix, ZZTop, SRV and misc Texas blues. I have just recently started to get into a bunch of Satriani. This will do it all.

I would replace it, if stolen. For sure.

I love the quality of the sound. I mean that's what it's all about right?

I wish the rhythm section was easier to use and I wish it had a built in Wah.

Like I said, I had a Digitech and it couldn't carry the Yamaha's water.
There is one on eBay now and I'm half tempted to buy it just in case. I probably won't because the opening bid is $130 plus $35. The problem is that they don't come available on eBay but once or twice a year.

This thing is very and I mean very easy to use. It's just like having a collection of stompboxes right before you. You just set the parameters, select the type of distortion, delay, pitch shift, chorus(and more effects), switch them on or off and youre ready to go. And that's just the manual mode! In memory mode you can choose from all sorts of sounds and the best thing is it's very easy to do. You can also add a bass/drums/piano(or all at the same time) for a quick jam. It's all very simple and it works. The manual is also very clearly, (although I doubt if you ever need it:-)

I'm using my Line6 Flextone II HD(with 2x12 line6 cab) and my Sisme 100watt combo. My main axe is a 1972 Ibanez artist. The Yamaha sounds great through both amps, although sometimes(if you go grazy with the gain) it tends to get a bit noisy, but hey it has a built in noisegate whitch works really great so no problems there. The GW-50 has more than enough power. It can turn even the most crappy amp into a monster, or into a subtle great sound producing machine. The sounds may not be state of the art(built in 1994, so hey). But it still sounds really good. Give me ten minutes and I can recreate practiclly any sound I hear with this baby. The factory preset sounds were a bit harsh, but you have to create your own anyway. In my book, no effect diserves a ten because I believe things can always sound better. But considering its price and the sounds it delivers I give it a 9

It's built to last that's for sure. It was built in 1994 and now it still works fine. Although I have to say that I use mine with care. One switch tends to get stuck sometimes, but no major problems.

never dealt with them..

I've been playing for 10 years now. I play all kinds of music, from jazz, blues and even pop, to bone crushing metal. The yamaha GW-50 does it all. Considering what I paid for it its a great sounding piece of equipment.

Ok I am not a Pilot, so I hate anything technical. I love to just plug in straight with maybe a Wah and a couple stompers.
This unit allows you to use it as if you have a few simple stompers, complete with simple knobs, or it can be used as patches.
This Fx unit, is actually very cool, although editing patches to me is a nightmare, I thought the same of my old Digitech and Zoom (Although the Zoom even sounded like Crud)
The Manual is excellent, Everything you want to know is there, and it is like a Phone book, so nothing is left to chance, Big Diagrams, simple step by step procedures. Very Good.
I think it is a deleted item, I have only ever seen this one, and I bought it simply to play around with as I had a Zoom 4040 and Digi Rp1.

Sound Quality, Ok it is Digital. So it is not gonna sound like a Valve amp. I don't care what they try and tell ya.
Having said that, I use it for Solo and Duo gigs straight into the PA, (easier than Lugging Valve amps around) and the sounds I have programmed are very very usable. Not at all harsh.
The noise Surpressor is doing it's job well, No horrid, humms or buzzes to be heard, even on Maximum Distorted tones.
It is at least on Parre with any other Digital toys I have used. But it has a few neat features that make it stand out.
I mainly use it with My fenic Tele, and ES335. I play a huge variety of Covers and originals ranging from Softer ballads to Full Tilt Metal, and the sounds are all there, and can all be tweaked easily using good old fashioned knobs, instead of pads or buttons.
It has presets in it of some standard artist sounds, like The Black Crowes, and a Police (Every Breath) Patch among others. Some nice retro style patches and even a Pipe (Church) Organ type thing, which I found several uses for, Eg. starting part to George Michaels Faith, which I added to the solo set simply to use that patch.
None of the Fx are pareticularly bad, as I said it is easily as good as any other Digital gear available.

I have it is a Alloy Road case permenantly. It is a Plastic (Or at least looks / feels like it is) case, so I am making sure it is gonna go the distance.
I always have a old faithful tube Screamer and Boss Chorus in the Glove Box just in case. Though I doubt it will ever come to that.

Yamaha, Do they even know what Customer support is?
Yeah I have dealt with them a few years back... Even though we were both speaking English, I might as well have spoken in some jibberish. They are painful to deal with In Australia at least!

From Country Clean, to classic 60s rock, Funk to Metal and everything in between. I pretty much use the same 5 patches over and over with a Wah in line, and I get by. As I said I like to keep things simple. A nice clean sound, a 2nd with slightly chorused / Delayed tone, a Mild Overdrive (Black Crowes) a slightly heavier overdrive with reverb added, and a 3rd heavier overdrive with some delays and a bit more gain for soloing. That is basically my sound bag for live, teamed with a wah pedal, and some playing around with my Tele and 335 Knobs.
The only downer is that it has no Expression built in for the Wah or Volume on Board. You have to use an External Expression pedal. I have plugged my Zoom Exp into it and did not really like the Wah fx too much. But I am probably too used to the sounds of my Morley and George Dennis.
I would like a 2nd one as a spare if I could locate one. Though I don't really see me needing a back up.
It has a Built in backing section, which is kinda cool. It is just a simple drum and bass thing but,I have used that live just to nut out a jam at gigs. If Someone asks for a request, which I have no backing for, I have programmed simplified backings into this section in between sets and got away with it. That is a very cool feature.
It has all the standard features found on any Digital Fx units, but the additions of the backing section, and the ability to set it up in manual mode (Like typical Stomp Boxes) makes it a better choice for me.
I would not use it to record unless it was a live gig recording. I like my recording sounds raw and pure, (think valve amp, Wahs and good ol' stompers) but for live Solo and Duo style gigs I luv it. Beats lugging Valve amps and stompers to small shows, and the sound is not so much of a compromise on the real thing that it bothers me.
For the Money it was great value, and althjough I could easily get by with pretty much any other similar unit, I have definately grown attached to the little extra features in this unit, as opposed to say the Digitech Rp1, Zoom 3030 / 4040, Boss ME5&6. The only thing missing is an Onboard Expression Pedal, though to be honest I probably would not use it anyhow, since I prefer my George Dennis wah and Morley wah.

You get a compressor, distortion (5 modes), EQ (4-Band, parametric, amp-simulation), chorus/phaser/flanger, delay/reverb. And a tuner mode. And then some.
In Manual mode, it's like having 5 pretty good effects pedals in a row, with no individual power or cable problems. This is dead easy to use. Knobs and a pedal for everything you might want.
In preset mode, you get 50 preset combinations of effects. The manual comes in useful to work out what they are and what they're for.
After that, the manual becomes an essential read. You can program an accompaniement - drums + chords, program you own effects programs, re-route the sequence of effects, etc.

I use either an old Les Paul copy, or a series of mono-synths, and a large keyboard amp at the other end. It does pretty much everything I want it to.

It requires a wall-wart. If it were not for this, I'd give it a 10. Like all Yamaha kit I've ever used, the build quality is excellent, qnd it is highly durable.

This is a key bit of kit in my synth rig. There's other things that could do the same thing as well, but not for what I paid for it.

This is as straight forward as it's going to get - a knob for every parameter and a button for the main patch you want to edit - no great submenus to search through. (There are some submenu's for the set once and options - like noise threshold and EQ centre's).
An OK manual - felt a little early 80's.

Pretty good quality - this is a 1994 device now, but good for the basic's. I use it with a Gibson Les Paul and Taylor Acoustic. The main effects I use are the EQ (including what was probably the amp modelling - a choice of Stack, Tube or Combo - with Combo producing what I think is a nice "V" EQ boosting the bass and top to produce a useable sound. Make no mistake this is not your versatile $1000+ effects unit - with every sound from Orange stack to Leslie roto effects, but if you're like me and have your regular gigs and require 4 - 5 solid tones - you can get it from this unit.

Well it's gonna score well here - gigged with for 5 years and not one problem. However, I look after my gear and have kit bags and flight cases to keep it safe from A to B.

Wanted a new manual once from Yamaha - hey no problem, as easy as ordering Pizza. If this went faulty I'd probably fix it myself, but I beleive Yamaha has pretty good backup because of their precense in just about every music retailer I've ever visited.

I play a range from light electric and acoustic rock thru to jazz and pop/rock. I would not like to play without my EQ, overdrive when needed and a little light chorus (which I attain from using a real slight pitch shift between the L&R sides). I would ultimately like a little more tonal variety - but I believe this will only be addressed when I can indulge my long time hankering for a nice Tele (and I don't mean a 69" Sony Plasma screen). Until then the trusty setup of my GW50 will have to see me thru.
Man we all know the pursuit of tone is an insatiable appetite - but sometimes it's good to be satisfied with the gear you've got.. - if it draws a compliment from another axman in the crowd you better off than most...

Easy to program and editing the manual is very good whit all the
stuff u need to getting started
you press some buttons choose Fx chain and you're done
its easy to name,delete,copy or alter the patches

i use a epiphone les paul -GW 50 combo. I have also a crate amp
but the sound tends to sharp like mad so i prefer listen to it via
headphones
The GW is quite silent in most of the patches but in some of the wairdest it tends to add a litle noisy waird sound
The Unit sounds good,it has ballsy distortion (5) to choose from
so its easy to change the distortion settings with the knobs(drive,tone,output)so its easy to come up whit "a la vai" distortion
or a soft santana sound DISTORTION + FLANGER sounds supercool!!!
the compressor does a good job ,so you can
alter the signal using 3 knobs (attack,sense ,output)
The 3rd peddal in the box is used for choose among Equalizer(good to
get soft presence)Wha+EQ (fine but i have to try it whit a pedal to get the most out of it,anyway sounds a little weak, you can't use wha+amp simulator!!!!! -more on this subjet keep reading...)
Amp simulator (sounds very good and give the whole sound a punch ,very realistic sound)
The next peddal is used to choose between chorus1,chorus2,pitch shift,
flanger,phaser using the knobs u can alter speed ,FB, and depth
the chorus are rich ,round sound ,the pitch shift sounds fair too
the flanger and phaser are very cool
Reverb/delay -a fine fx
(you can choose among reverb ,delay ,delay/reverb
NOTICE :YOU CAN ONLY USE ONE OF THE FX AT A TIME IN THE "CHORUS" SECTION !!!!ARGGGG!!!!
SAME APPLIES TO EQ SECTION IN WHICH YOU CAN ONLY HAVE ONE SETTING
(EQ ,WHA+EQ OR AMP SIMULATOR) I CANOT USE WHA +AMP SIM ARGGGGG!!!
this is the crap whit this box...i would like to use pitch shift whit flanger or phaser whit a chorus ...those guys in yamaha made a
"very versatile AND COOL SOUNDING box whit a GREAT DOWNSIDE IN IT"!!!!

one of the peddals the distortion one is not working...got to call
the FX doctor.
seems sturdy ,just dont leave unatendded in sunligth =)
i will use it in a gig sure! whit out backup

Yamaha in mex is kind of good whit customers and they repair
almost any yamaha device

I like lot of styles rock ,jazz ,ambient and its a very versatile box to work whit
i been playing for 10 years if it where stolen i would get something else because i tend to get bored whit sounds already heard
may be i wiil look for a new version of it ONE IN WHICH YOU CAN HAVE
WHA+AMP SIM !!!! =)