Need a rack processor recommendation

[axehunter]

Hey guys...I'm looking to buy a rack effects processor, and I need some guidence. I'm finding that a lot of people llike the Rocktron Intellifex and the Lexicon MPX-1, and I want to know if anyone who has had/tried both could compare the two. Which has more effects (I want phase, flange, and other modulation in addition to chorus, reverb, and delay)?

Also, what's the difference between the Intellifex, the Intellifex LTD, and the Intellifex Online?

Thanks!

[hippietim]

I have no experience with the MPX-1 but the Rocktron Intellifex is great. And you can get them stupid cheap these days. The newer Xpression is very good as well.

[axehunter]

Thanks, Tim. Does the Intellifex have a lot of effects in it, or is it more bread and butter delay/chorus/reverb?

[horns666]

I like the G Major.

[hippietim]

Thanks, Tim. Does the Intellifex have a lot of effects in it, or is it more bread and butter delay/chorus/reverb?

www.live.com

[rstites]

Thanks, Tim. Does the Intellifex have a lot of effects in it, or is it more bread and butter delay/chorus/reverb?

By default it's more bread and butter, but you can sculpt the chorus to get a good flanger sound. You can probably get a phaser sound with the filter and ducking, but I'm not positive about that. The chorus is extremely powerful and can do a lot of things, many of which are not straight forward chorusing sounds. The reverb and delays are also very good.

If you want something aimed a bit more at guitar, the Rocktron Replifex might be worth investigating. I have one, but honestly haven't messed with it much. The mentioned G Major is designed with similar goals. I have one of those too and it has the advantage of being a bit easier to dial in, but it's sounds are not quite as good as the Intellifex at the top end, but it's easier to get good sounds out of it with minimal effort. (Hopefully, that made sense.) I've never had a problem with the G Major, but I've read enough stories of problems with it to not depend on it exclusively.

[axehunter]

Thanks! Do you know what a reasonable used price for a Replifex is?

[lhrocker]

Rocktron Xpression's really nice and pretty transparent - mainly time based effects though.

[rstites]

Thanks! Do you know what a reasonable used price for a Replifex is?

I'd guess ~$200 - 225. (I see them for $125, $175, $200, and $250 in recently completed ebay auctions.) I think the Xpression is basically the same thing, except the Replifex has the ability to do channel switching for your amp.

Btw, I wasn't really looking to sell, but if you decide to go that route I might be willing to part with mine since I'm not using it. I have a bunch of rack gear that I need to sort through, so maybe it'd get me motivated! (Mostly what I'm getting rid of are vintage analog rackmount effects, which most around here won't be interested in.)

[axehunter]

PM sent!

[The Mitch]

I use G-major since 5 years. It's the shite!

[horns666]

The G major's tuner and noise gate alone is worth its weight in gold!

[rstites]

The G major's tuner and noise gate alone is worth its weight in gold!

That is true. The G Major has a good built-in tuner: plenty good for stage use, though you want something else for set ups. The Rocktron units have their quality Hush noise gate in them, but I've never used a noise gate on anything (except recording, post processing) so can't really say how any of them compare.

I own all three units being discussed (in addition to another dozen+ rack units worth) and yet I generally play completely dry, or with just a wah! Maybe I should dig some of these out and play with them a bit more.

[hippietim]

The best bang for your buck effects unit on the market without question is the TC Electronics G-System. They're about $1k use which is more $$$ than the other units discussed in this thread. But, consider this:

• The effects are a notch above everything discussed in this thread thus far. IOW, they are really fucking good.
• The G-System has an integrated floor controller but the "brain" can be racked if you want.
• It has a built in tuner that is big and bright and easy to see on stage
• It has an insert loop for either:
  • an amp head using the 4 cable hookup method (your head has to have a loop)
  • a rack preamp
• It has 4 loops for stomp boxes - so you can have your favorite overdrive, fuzz, whatever, available as part of any preset.
• It has a great solo boost solution.
• It has 9VDC power supplies for your stomp boxes
• It can switch the channels on your amp by either:
  • using the 4 latching switches which should be more than enough for any amp
  • using MIDI - it will send program change messages

In case you haven't guessed by now, I am using a G-System live

[nateb]

The best bang for your buck effects unit on the market without question is the TC Electronics G-System. They're about $1k use which is more $$$ than the other units discussed in this thread. But, consider this:
. . . .

I have one also. This is a quality unit. I am using an GPS-1101 in the loop for all my boosts. The only thing that I dont like in the G-System is their phaser. Oh yeah, you can also program this thing from your computer also via USB. The only thing about that is that the vista connectivity is a little "shitty"

-Nate