Guitar Processors/Preamps

[brian]

Hey guys,

I've been recently thinking about replacing my POD XT Pro with something else. I can't really justify the awesomeness that is an Axe FX, but I'm hoping to keep it under the 1000 mark.

So far I've been eyeing the Prophecy from Rocktron, but there is another one ...from a company who's name totally eludes me. It's got an orange/black facing and it's relatively new from what I remember.

Any other ideas? I really don't use much of the capabilities of the pod and the extra effects outside of the gate, eq, boost and reverb. Super saturated high gain is where I like to be, like Carcass's Heartwork or Nevermore's TGE. I dig on my current sound, but when I replaced my last preamp, the default settings on the pod were better than the tweaked patches i had on the old one.

[Josh]

The Digidesign Eleven? I've never used one, but it's orange with a black facing

Also, a lot of people like the Engl E530 and the Digitech GSP1101.

You could also try to snag a used Triaxis, they occasionally come up for just over $1k.

I've also heard great things about the Egnater/Randall modular preamps and tonal modules.

I have no experience with any of the above though.

[eleven59]

The Digidesign Eleven sounds good, but doesn't have much options for high gain. Didn't seem to be their priority in the designing.

I've heard excellent tones from the Digitech GSP1101 both recorded and live.

I love my POD X3, but that would really be a sideways step into more feature you won't use

[MFB]

The Prophecy and Prophecy II are both pretty killer units and obviously the GSP1101 sees a lot of love around these parts. I'd say do an A/B between the features (the ones you'd need, not necessarily all of them)

[Edroz]

Originally Posted by eleven59

The Digidesign Eleven sounds good, but doesn't have much options for high gain. Didn't seem to be their priority in the designing.

i haven't tried it out myself yet, but Jerich has one and loves it.

and he's quite the gain whore

[budda]

Brian, bear in mind you'll have a new head rolling in when the 7 is done, unless we sort something else out.

[Vince]

The Digitech 1101 everyone seems to be in love with lately. I haven't tried one, but alot of people's opinions that I trust seem really into it, so yeah I'd definitely give that one a shot.

Having said that, I'm a big fan of the Rocktron stuff, I still have 2 old blackface Chameleons I use from time to time. I've used them on recordings several times and am really into their sound. Right now I have one hooked up to my PC for scratchpad recording and I love what it can do. You can probably find one for under $200 or so. They still make the Voodu Valve which is the original Chameleon with a 12ax7 tube in the gain stage. They go for about $600.

My live rig is centered around my Triaxis, but I'm still not able to get a very good direct recording sound out of it. I'd say it's the best sounding live preamp I've played and the most versatile, but for direct recording it just doesn't cut the mustard.

You can get a Mesa Rectifier Recording Preamp for about $600 on Ebay now too. I've heard a lot of good things about these, but every direct-recorded sound I've heard recorded with one, I honestly think could've been done better with an AxeFX. I have heard one of these in a live rig, and I must say it's very very good for live use.

Rocktron really has the direct recording sound down though. Even my old Chameleon's speaker emulator is top-notch, and that's like 1994 technology. For direct recording I'd definitely recommend any rocktron product over the Line 6 gear, but I feel the king of direct recording really is the AxeFX.

At least, those are my opinions from what I've either played or heard.

[s7eve]

I like the GSP1101, the preamp modeling is great and it is simple to use, most of the effect modeling is also very good. If you were using it in front of a power amp or with a regular rig I'd say the GSP1101 is one the best bang for buck pieces of gear available and is very very strong and simple to use in this application. It is also a great recording tool. Where it falls down and pretty much every other unit apart from the maybe the AFX (which I have no experience with) falls down is using it in a direct to PA or FRFR application. These units just don't model a tube power amp well and the cab selection which can't be changed doesn't offer many good choices. The difference is I can get a better tone running direct than running my GSP1101 through my Mesa 20/20 but it doesn't react the same to volume changes.

That said the GSP1101 is just about to get an official update from Digitech which will be announced within the next day, who knows they may do something to address this. Also just recently Digitech have decided to become more involved in the user community and at least one tool that Digitech use in house will be shared with Digitech owners, a software tool that can transfer presets from one Digitech device to another different Digitech device. This is pure speculation but if this relationship continues we may see other tools such as a software that allows GSP1101 users to upload their own cab impulses make their way to the general public, it's a long shot but the Digitech employee that calls himself Stan and created mustbebeta hinted at the possibility of this software and another very ambitious project in the past. I can't see the ambitious project ever seeing the light of day but if it did I think practically every man and his dog will want a GSP1101.

[Toshiro]

The IR would be sweet, because I think Digitech is still using the cab imaging technology they got from Johnson, most of the cabs are still that same. They sound better because the the chipsets are much better than 10 years ago, but I think the process is similar.

[LordOVchaoS]

Another vote for the GSP1101 LOVE it!