Rocktron Pro-Gap Preamp

I have the original verison (version 1) Pro G A P. It's a midi capable programable preamp. It is extremly versitle and sounds great. I use it live and in the studio with excellent results.

I use a Gibson Les Paul orginal pups, a Schecter Classic and ESP baritone with EMG 85 and 81s. And it goes from real nasty (in a good way) brutality to smooth as silk this preamp is very versitle. Not noisey at all when using the Hush and AGX with the high gain settings. I hear no distortion artifacts when playing clean, all sounds are better than the Prophesy II I tried.

Built like a tank, would rely on this at a gig without a backup. Never had any issue with it. Spilt beer, and dropped - this thing keeps on ticking.

All the stuff I've from Rocktron is solid, so I never had to deal with them.

All in all a fantastic unit and one of the best values out there if you can get it for under $150. I've been playing for over 20 years and have tried numerous preamps and this is one of the best I've come across under $500+ used. Just what I was looking for, finally able to get that metal tone I had in my head. If stolen I would buy another.

What do you think is the most important thing in creating good guitar sound ? In my opinion preamp stage , this is the place where your sound coming in and all that shape , dynamics , tone is given to you . Rocktron Pro Gap Ultra has it all ready to tweak

I am playing 20 years , I used a lot of gear: solid, tube amps all kind of modeling gadgets (Pod , Digitech , Vox) After all that years I can said only that i lost 10 maybe more because I didn't buy Pro Gap later . Sound is simply amazing, what was i looking for : Vai , Satriani , Petrruci sound i have them all now . Straight to my tube power amp and then to Celestion speakers. What can I say : Guitar Heaven i can play 25 hours a day haha

It is easy to operate , but to get your sound you have to tweak a lot better find sombody who help you change all that semi parametrs while you are playing

Never deal with them

I am so stupid that i never tried this before I had a lot of chance but i prefered newest technolodgy modeling etc. Now i know i was wrong anyway what can i say : life is beatifull with pro gap

Clean/Distortion + HUSH, 128 programs, solid state, stereo, mixing out (never tried), efects, controlled by midi or double footswitch.

I use Dean Cadillac select >> Pro GAP >> Rozcktron INTELLIFEX >> DIY POWER AMP (jcm800 based) >> DIY 2x12 Cabinet (Eminence Legend V12).

I think it's one of the best transistor units ever made. It has it's own specific feal that is kind of a tube-like. It's very dynamic, and not noisy at all.
The distortion is very good, it gives you more gain you will ever need. I think it fits metal the most, it like it's good for all the type of metal, thanks to the way the equalizer goes, I mean pre and post distortion freq.
Cleans are quite good and don't get distorted.
I never tried to get crunch out of it but i suppose it could make it well.

Never noticed any problems.

Never dealt with.

I play all kinds of metal from IRON MAIDEN through KSE, TRIVIUM to SLAYER or SATYRICON and it just does its work as it should! Just a kick ass unit.

Read the manual once thru and you are set

Darn! Darn! Darn! Darn! Darn!
I use a highly regarded Mesa 20/20 tube amp and I had searched and searched for the right preamp till I found this one. After this preamp, I dont even feel like listening to online clips anymore because I have found my sound.

This preamp is ALL OUT MAYHEM. at 50/70, the gain is more than any other preamp maxed out.

The sound is indeed very hi-fi. The factory presets are Rubbish. Too Middy.

Crank the bass, scoop the mids, add a touch of highs, and VOILA! HEAVY AND THRASHY at the same time.

I prefer the sound of this Monster to the peavey rockmaster, digitech rp14d, marshall 9001, Mesa Triaxis (nice but not as much gain as this monster) Crate Blue Voodoo, Hughes $ Kettner Attax, marshall jcm 800 and EVERYTHING Else out there. Practicing has become a pleasure for me. For shredding, it has really fast attacks yet it is expressive like a tube amp. I am sure that my mesa 20/20(amazing little thing) adds to this.

Oh, word to the wise. I learned this the hard way, pay attention to the cable you use. YOu'll be surprised how much difference they make.

This unit does not fart when you add bass, it has more than enough gain, it has clarity to the max, the mids sound energetic without sounding harsh, the highs are refined and not processed sounding. IT is just an amazing unit.

I really love this bad boy. I'm keeping it.

Its solid state, what could go wrong?

IF you want to sound like pantera, or megadeath, or motley crue, or green day, etc, fuggedaboutit. Those sounds are CRAP in comparison.

Get this if you want to sound heavier than metallica, or shred like Vai

Very easy to use, a basic amp setup. I'm only giving it a 9 because I've had friends try to dial in sounds and the pre-distortion EQ srewed them up (not really the devices fault though). NO other effects, just a GREAT preamp with dual HUSH noise reduction.

Using Ibanez, Fender, Steinberger, Washburn, Gibson - all sound great, and with the different presets, you can have patches for each guitar (not really needed though). I run into a IPS33B harmonizer then into an 8008 Valvestate power amp running a Marshall 4x12 - OUCH! What a sound! I've gone through a LOT of different gear in my day (playing out for over 15 years), even sold a nice big Marshall rig because a friends ProGAP just blew me away. You've really gotta try one (don't stick with the factory presets though - I've never heard a factory preset worth keeping on ANY device). I can roll-off my volume or even just pick quietly and this thing responds like a nice big tube amp - cleans up great and then comes in WHACK when you hit it. I've never been able to get this kind of dynamics from another device, only tube amps (all tube -pre and power) have this kind of range, and this thing doesn't blow up every night (road work is tough on amps!). Sparkling clean, blues, grunge, metal - it's all there. A note though, it does really sound 'HI-FI' as someone put it. If you want TOTAL versatility for sounds, go with a modeling preamp (just remember that there's not one on the planet that has the dynamics and bounce that this thing has). Silky smooth feedback too (again, like a nice overdriven tube). It has those qualities that we all use to describe tube amps - it 'bounces', 'breathes', and has a 'nice spongy feel' to it. I liked it so much I just bought 2 more (one is a ver.1 and one is a ver.2)!

A friend gave me one because of the shape it was in, the motherboard was covered in mould (it was sitting in a plastic bag in a wet basement), and none of the switches/knobs worked. Note that you CANNOT get parts for these, and the ver.1 switches are custom and IMPOSSIBLE to replace. I actually went to Radio Shack and threw some big, ugly buttons in, and didn't even bother replacing the Loop button - just the Store and Recall. Believe it or not, it STILL works perfect and takes a beating every night (I do have it in a rack now though). As for backup, I've used it for years without one and never had a problem. Since there's NOTHING be manufactured today like this (they've always gotta throw a ton of useless junk in a preamp instead of just making it SOUND good), I recommend buying 2 if you see a good price on them. I just found 2 brand new in the box on eBay (a music store found them in their storage bin) and bought both, so I'm basically all set for the rest of my life.

Never had to call them, but did email asking for replacement switches and never got a reply, so I'm not sure about their support (I have been told by others who own other Rocktron gear that they're good though). Note that they do still have the manuals on their website (Rocktron if you're reading - keep this up!), I wish more manufacturers would do this.

I play rock, funk, jazz, and this thing wokrs for everything, mainly because IT SOUNDS LIKE A REAL AMP! I used to have (and still do have some of this) an ADA MP1, Marshalls, Digitech modeling footboards, H&K Cream Machine (raunchy - still the BEST compact old Marshall Plexi type preamp you can find find - but needs a good dose of EQ - just like the old Plexis!), Fenders, Boogies, Crates, and on and on. Only the ProGAP lets me go from clean funk to woody jazz to EVH to Satriani. If you're a real metal head though, you might want to look elsewhere, as this thing keeps it's string definition even a high distortion/volume (again, like a nice tube amp), and won't give you that shred-type ball of mush that some guys like. You could always pump a Metal-Shredder into the front of though. For me it's a 10, but I'm giving it a 9 overall, since some guys might want a little more range in the versatility department (just get something that sounds good and get ON WITH IT!). This pre-amp will let you sound like YOU, and will never kill your personality (something most pre-amps do). I'll sum it up this way -
I WILL NEVER PLAY THROUGH ANYTHING ELSE!
(not happily anyway - why do you think I now have 3 of them?)

Not bad EQing is easy if you know what your doing

I have to much equipment to list so I'll skip the nitty gritty, this preamp is not bad for a solid state preamp, and it creates some interesting tones, but it in no way compares to any tube amp I've ever owned (and I have owned an awefull lot). I currently have approximately 10 tube guitar amps, about 20 different preamps, and 15 guitars, and have been playing guitar for 20 years. I have been on a search for the right tone you might say. I have played about every modern and vintage guitar amp you could think of, and in addition alot of preamps as well. If you are looking for a good sound, that is NOT tube like in nature, this preamp may fit your needs, but to those of us who have been spoiled by those beautiful glowing bottles of tone called tubes, this preamp will not replicate those sounds. I am extremely picky, and have not found a preamp I like yet. That includes (ADA MP1, Marshall JMP1, Mesa boogie triaxis, tube works realtube 2, tonebone, electroharmonix hot tubes, mesa boogie v-twin, budda phatman, budda zenman,) and many many others that are considered top notch. If you are picky like me do your self a favor and not buy this unit. I guest the sound Im looking for doesn't exist yet. Someday.

Don't realy know but its solidstate, and has a hard wired power cable so id think its probably good.

no idea

I play a metal, jazz, blues, classical, funk fussion. Yeh its pretty interesting stuff. Like I said before Ive been playing for 20 years. My main rig for the time being is a guitar I hand made from a solid piece of bubinga, mesa boogie v-1 bottle rocket, accutronics 3spring reverb in a peavey classic 50 all tube amp (the original version without an effects loop), and a Peavey classic 4x10 extension cab. I use this amp because it has virtualy no character, just a warm tube personality. That way any preamp I put through it will generate the tones I'm looking for. I have too much other gear to list. If it were stolen or lost I wouldn't care because Ive already gotten over the $80 I lost to buying it. I like the pre and post EQ, I think all tube amps should also have this feature. I hate how steril and plain the tone is. This a waste of money unless you like this sort of sound.

Two noise gates (Hush and AGX), pre-eq (mid boost or cut w. selectable frequency), gain, post eq, fx loop, midi in, midi out.

Now I know how the Children of Bodom get that nice, fluid, squealing
lead sound. I be happy, I play until me gots no fingers :]

Seems very well made. Should last long enough in normal use.
No tubes to burn out either. Very good.

N/A

Got a Laney GH100TI Tony Iommi head, which sucks ass when compared to this (There is not enough gain on the tap in the Iommi)

I would probably seek out a Piranha or VooduValve, if this were stolen. I wish it had even more gain and a very good delay.
But, i will probably get an Intellifex to do the delay thing.

I have the Pro Gap Ultra version. I bought it on ebay without a manual. I had already owned a rocktron intellifex, so I know the rocktron interface. I had no trouble getting a great sound out of it. It did, however take tons of tweaking. There are SO MANY parameters. I couldn't believe it when I saw it had Variac and rectifier selection. The pre and post eq sections are awesome.

I am using the Pro Gap ultra with dimarzio Paf Pro loaded charvel model 2 I think. I use this pre amp with a rocktron intellifex online, a carvin solid state power amp, and 2 carvin 2x12's. First, with a lot of gain, it sounds a little too compressed, but then I realized I had just set the variac wrong. It sounds fantastic other wise. I am A/Bing this side by side with an ADA mp1. I actually like the pro gap more. I never thought I could beat the Mp1 for what I paid for both items.

Rocktron didn't make very many of these, so they want to charge me an arm and a leg for a manual. I actually got drunk and dropped a mattress on the input jack with a big whirlwind cord sticking out. When I woke up, I thought the jack had pulled off the circuit board. I opened the unit, and it was fine. THey had anticipated that and used wires with slack to attatch the jack. All I had to do was reattatch the nut on the front of the unit.I would still bring the mp1 with me incase the gap blows up.

Never dealt with them. I hear they have just gone off the deep end with GHS buying them. I htink they make everything in Taiwan now. I'm glad I picked this up before the word gets out.

I have been playing ten years and play primarily shred. This preamp has soaring, usable, screaming lead tones. THe rhythm tones are better than my Mp-1. The clean tones are awesome, but not as good as my mp1. I might buy another one before everyone else starts buying them. THis unit came out at the exact wrong time. I think it came out in '92 right when grunge hit the scene. This unit represents the pinnacle of 80's metal equipment. BOTTOM LINE: This is the BEST preamp I have ever used. I have played phiranas, voodoo valves, chameleons, mp-1's, jmp-1's, triaxis', and countless others. THis preamp beats them all, and without the use of tubes.

First things first. I have the Ultra Version 1.0. Now if you don't have patience you better not try to play through this preamp. It takes a bit of time to tweek those semi-parametric pre an post eq sections. The manual pretty much tells you how to do any task you could possibly do on this machine. Its easy to navigate through the menus, but it is not easy to get a good tone.

This is my setup.

Ibanez RG > Progap Ultra > Aphex Aural Exciter > Velocity 100 >
Crate 4X12

I don't know if it is my cab, but almost evry patch was muddy. Like if there was to many lows. I started editing them and they started sounding good. Once you get it dialed in this thing sounds awesome. I can't really get a good clean sound.

On;y had it for a couple of days.

Haven't had to deal with them.

I mostly play Metal, but I also play blues and some rock. This thing delivers. I would definately be pissed if it were stolen. I really wish it had some damn reverb and chorus. If anybody knows of any upgrades for this preamp please email me.

Very easy to use. Not necessarily quick to get at things but there simply is not that many parameters to change. This is a simple preamp and nothing else. No FX etc.

This thing sounds great. I bought it on a whim for $61 on Ebay. I like trying stuff out and have always liked Rocktron stuff and thought what the heck $61, I?ll try it. I absolutely love this thing. It is weird and goofy 80?s gear but man I like the sound. I am using mine with another 80?s Rocktron unit, the intelifex. WOW. This pre amp with this FX unit works great. I have tried a lot of the mid level preamps out there and this combo hangs, or actually beats, them all. It is much better than my V-amp 2, POD2, Sansamp PSA-1, transtube stuff, Carvin X-Quad, Mesa Quad pre, etc. It is not super versatile but can get great clean, blues, rock and metal sounds. My signal path is my parker guitar, Pro GAP, Intelifex, BBE 422, mixer, PC. This thing sounds HiFi and is easily several steps toward professional gear from all the other pre amps mentioned. I find it humorous and intriguing that Rocktron was building such amazing equipment 20 years ago that it is not being easily surpassed today. My first Rocktron experience was with the intelifex which I got off Ebay just looking for a good FX unit. I was blown away. The reverbs are great, the chorus is great, simply a professional sounding unit. Maybe the Rocktron sounds just fits what I am doing and want to hear. When awaiting for it to arrive I read all the posts on this forum and others and was not expecting that much because I like more clean and blues OD sounds and read this was great for hard rock and metal distortion but not really clean and OD. I have to disagree. The clean sounds I get out of this are nothing short of amazing and I have owned real Fender twins etc. I also think the OD sounds are incredible. Additionally this thing responds to pick attack and rolling off the volume excellently. I can roll off my VH patch and get a SRV sound and roll off more and get a nice clean sound without it becoming muddy or damped sounding like happens with a lot of equipment. I also get really varied sounds from my different guitars and pickups. If you?re looking for a direct recording solution and are looking into a POD or such do yourself a favor and get the Pro GAP and Intelifex. Sounds 20 times better, much more refined, much more professional, much clearer and dynamic. You will be limited to 40 great sounds instead of 100 OK sounds. This thing also sounds just as good amplified. I have a Mosvalve 80x80 power amp and two 1-10 marshall cabs and it sounds great. The Hush and AGX are some of the best gates and noise suppressors I have ever used at any price.

Where would I rate it down? It could use more EQ options, different flavors of gain would be nice, more cab sims, better layout for ease of use.

Bottom line is this quirky little 80?s preamp has some great tones hidden in it and is extremely professional sounding and dynamic. I have found some sounds in this thing I have been looking for for years. I could use this and the Intellifex for everything and be happy. I will post some sound snippets soon.

Pair this with a nice FX and give it a try, I don?t think you will be disappointed.

Rocktron. Nuf said.

for what?

A great blast from the past unit. I thought my Sansamp PSA-1 was going to be the ticket but found that sterile and lifeless after a while. Also somewhat confusing to dial in. this unit is everything I hoped the PSA-1 was going to be. It is funky and weird but works great for me and will be a part of my recording studio for years to come. The only realty shortcoming I have with it is I would like more EQ options. I find I EQ at the board a little and get exactly the sound I want but I want to be able to get that sound without the board so I can duplicate it later if I need to over dub or ??? This is by far the best $61 I have ever spent on music gear. A great, funky, tool.