Digitech GSP1101

[Newc]

It's at the P.O. Gotta go get it this morning (about 30 minutes from now)

And I gotta werk tonight

[jacksonaxes]

It's at the P.O. Gotta go get it this morning (about 30 minutes from now)

Make sure and give us your take on it.

[Trypp Powell]

I've found with the setup wizard, some guitars sound better with the 1101 when I set it as going into something different than what it is actually going into. For example, one of my PRS guitars sounds better when I set the wizard for output to a solid state combo when I'm actually plugged into a tube combo.

Also, the global eq can be useful.

The harmonizer can absolutely suck when you are using your amp's preamp or if you are using one of the internal models that doesn't work well with it. There are a few of the amp models (particularly when you put a distortion in front) that make the harmonizer workable. I've noticed some guitars also work better with the harmonizer than others. If the action is so low that there is some fret sizzle, then the tracking will really get off.

Be sure to go to mustbebeta.com and download the C48 system and the editor. This beta version adds many features and some extra models and fx (the glisten chorus is fantastic, imo).

[rocksoldier]

I really like some of the tones I heard with it, to be honest Ihaven't been more impressed with the Axe FX clips. I'm sure the Axe FX does a ton of stuff effects wise that the Digitech don't, but I just just use some basic effects anyway like delay for leads and some reverb/chorus for cleans, so no super fancy extra mega complex stereo harmonizer crap for me.

I want one.

[Trypp Powell]

I'm think adding an Eventide PitchFactory to a GSP1101 would put you into the AxeFx territory. After reading the other thread on the PitchFactory, it seems like it would be a perferct match with the 1101 to expand the effects section. Using midi-out from the 1101 to the PitchFactory should allow for having the Eventide unit change a patch when a patch is changed on the 1101.

The AxeFx still has me curious. What has been scaring me off lately is a number of people who like the AxeFx have commented they do not like the 1101. That has me worried I might be dissapointed in the AxeFx since I do enjoy the tones from the 1101.

Oh well....

There are rumors Peavey is working on a modeling amp which somehow uses the Revalver software. Given Peavey's financial strength and resources, it could end up being a game changer.

[Matt_B]

I'm think adding an Eventide PitchFactory to a GSP1101 would put you into the AxeFx territory.

??? Not even close. The differences between them are far greater than just that.

The AxeFx still has me curious. What has been scaring me off lately is a number of people who like the AxeFx have commented they do not like the 1101. That has me worried I might be dissapointed in the AxeFx since I do enjoy the tones from the 1101.

That doesn't make sense. You can like the 1101 and like the Axe-FX even more.

[Robert Burns]

Another viewpoint on this in terms of comparing to other modelers out there ...

I play mostly 80s rock and pretty much use only Marshall based tones. I have been very happy with the GSP1101 for the sounds I need. I used to have a Digitech GNX3000, which had some nice features, but the only way I can describe it is that the GSP1101 models are more open and full range and natural sounding than the GNX3000 to my ears. Plus the different settings that the GSP1101 has for working with various amps and adjusting the sound based on what you are plugged into really do make a huge difference in sound.

I've spent some time with the Boss GT-6,8,10 products in a store environment and the models all seemed very fake to me. Not that I've ever owned any of the real amps, but the sound of the Boss GT series always sounded very processed and digital to my ears. It didn't help that the presets all seemed completely overwhelmed by effects. The effects were very nice though, but the core tones just didn't seem right.

That brings me to Line 6. I have to say I haven't tried their latest iteration but have played a lot with the orignal pod and the XT Live and they always seemed to have a strange sheen to the sound that I didn't like and seemed pretty buzzy to me on higher gain stuff. I've read where people say Line 6 finally fixed the buzzy thing with their latest products, but I have not heard them myself.

In terms of a comparison to the Behringer V-Amp ... I bought one of these for my nephew as his first "pedal". I checked it out before I handed it over and the V-Amp was incredibly noisy and the high gain amps were very compressed. It's a great value for the money for someone starting out and messing around but it doesn't compare to the GSP1101 in any way shape or form to my ears. I'm sure they have improved the amp tones with the newer V-Amp models, but I have not tried them.

*** I have to agree that the GT-10 is no big deal, stock in a store
atmosphere...but, get it home for a few days, and use the EQ to open it
up, and its 4 times better! Why they dont just ship processors out, like
they end up becoming after 6 months of tweaking , i'll never know?
Just do it at the factory! Would save tons of time imo.

[Trypp Powell]

I realize there is more to the AxeFx than would be available in an 1101/PitchFactor combo, but adding the PitchFactor would introduce effects not currently available in the 1101 and provide a better harmonizer. The harmonizer in the 1101 is workable, but certainly not on par with what is available in the PitchFactor. For my personal use however, I believe the combo might provide me with everything I need as I would not fully delve into the minutia of the AxeFx.

Yes, I might end up liking the AxeFx more, but when I repeatedly read about people who like the AxeFx liking units which I don't care for, then I think it might not be something I'll like. The amp sims are what I am most interested in (along with the distortion box modeling capabilities), and based on Tim's comments (which are similar to what I've read elsewhere) I think I would be dissapointed with the AxeFx. I'm sure it is a great sounding unit, but everyone has their preferences. Plus, I'm too caught up in shopping for a Tyler or Suhr right now to invest in the AxeFx.

[Newc]

It came with the C48 system already loaded. My XP system doesn't like the XEdit app.

I didn't use the setup wizard, I just scrolled through the options manually to Mixer since that sounded best.


I really do like it. Can't say more or less than the 2101 or MP1/TSR12 combo, but equally so.

Where the 1101 wins is the cleans, namely in being able to get loud cleans without the distorted sounds having to suffer for it.

With the MP-1, if I want a loud clean, I either end up with a massively loud crunch or one where the master volume is too low just to maintain a level balance.

The 2101 does good cleans as well, but that's to be expected when they actually thought about a clean tone. It doesn't appear the MP-1 team thought of anything other than distortion. Which is fine. I don't expect a stomp pedal to have a great clean channel, just an "off" channel.


Back to the 1101 - I'm not a tone snob, and I don't have a basement full of amps to compare the models to. It doesn't matter to me if the '88 SLO-100/Bassman 4x10 cab patch sounds just like the real thing or not. I truly could not care less. All that matters is whether the sounds work for me, and they do.

Happily I can do one thing in the 1101 that I haven't been able to do since my Legend croaked, and that's a decent Reverse Reverb. Glad to see they dropped those Gigaverb and Bigverb and other crap I never used in the TSR-12. Those were too complicated and ill-featured.

I don't have the ControlII pedal - might hook up my X-15 and see what's what with the pedal fx (wah and such) but right now I'm getting into my own patches.

Programming's fairly simple this time. Haven't been through the book or the Tone and Effects library too much, but I understand those are just quick-start options for the plug-n-play crowd.

I do like that you can use knobs to set the amp settings - Gain, Bass, Mid, High, Level - but I'm not too fond of the idea that the Amp Level is limited to the particualr amp's model. For example, with the SLO100 Amp Level at 99, it's noticeably lower than the JCM900 that's only on 75.
IMO the Amp Level knob should be similar to the Master Volume so you can keep everything at an even level. As it is now, if I want the SLO100 patch louder (since it's a solo patch), I have to back off the Amp Level of my other patches and increase the Master Output.

It's not a deal-breaker as I've come to expect it over the years, but it's still an annoyance that no one seems to want to address.

[Newc]

The biggest attraction for me to the AxeFX is the ability to do dual signal chains from start to finish. I'm not in a 2-guitar band, and I don't have the work schedule that allows for it, so rather than double-tracking 2 separate rhythm tones, I run 2 separate signals at the same time:

Guitar>ABY box set to Y:
Left:
ADA MP-1/TSR12 combo
Right:
Digitech stuff (2101/1101) or Line6 AM4

Both into a Rolls line mixer then into the PC.

I can have whatever effects I want on either side at any time, but I'm running at least 3 separate electrical devices at any one time, when the A-FX can (apparently - I'd have to have one in my hands to be sure) do all that in one box.

I'll have one someday, but I'm expecting bigger names to jump on that bandwagon soon, and for a lower price.
Once that happens, there'll be plenty of arguments that "the new Digitech Axe-FX ripoff for $500 doesn't sound half as good as my original $2500 real-deal AxeFx".

[Bert]

Doesn't the pod X3 stuff also do dual signal chains from start to finish?

(I should know, as I just got one, but I haven't had the chance to dive in....)

[Bert]

I must say though the GSP 1101 looks pretty interesting.... I like how it's geared at enhancing an existing preamp based rig rather than replacing it.

[DHardmanJr]

I like how it's geared at enhancing an existing preamp based rig rather than replacing it.

The beauty of it is that it does both. You can switch between internal or external preamp just by switching patches.

[hippietim]

Doesn't the pod X3 stuff also do dual signal chains from start to finish?

(I should know, as I just got one, but I haven't had the chance to dive in....)

It does.

[Newc]

Well, after digging into the 1101 and comparing the sounds to my MP1/TSR rig, the 1101 lacks at least one feature that I consider important:

There's limited FX tweaking. It's more like you're working with pedals than a bunch of rack units crammed into one. I like to be able to tweak certain effects to get sounds that the effect was not specifically designed for, such as increasing the regeneration/feedback of a pitch shifter to simulate a synth swell, like the background stuff in this track:

http://newcenstein.com/mp3/Album/TheRoadAhead/MidnightSun-128k.mp3

Can't do that with the 1101.
However, the 1101 can do a reverb trick the TSR can't.

Granted the TSR-12 doesn't have many of the effects that the 1101 has, but I already have a Dunlop Wah, an external pitch unit, and can use phasers and flangers to fake Vibe/Trem stuff if I need it (which I have never needed).

The preamp/amp tones are good, and the effects are good, it's just that I haven't found the all-in-one that does everything I want it to do.

I really don't want to try another POD/Line6 setup. I had the XTLive and did not like the "working with pedals and their limited tweaking", nor did I like being limited to what I could put in a chain and where I could put it. While the 1101 doesn't even allow you to build a custom chain, that's better than the "pretend" setup of the XTL.
The 2101 allows you to build your own chain, but only effects and EQ, but you can put EQ before and after effects and split them in 2 directions, so that's a hair closer to what I want, but not exactly what I want.

I did think about getting pedals, but this is the 21st Century - surely someone has the sense to put all this one one fucking box!