Low-balled a pedal and won! Look what I got!!!!!

[Aceman]

I have heard that these suck. But, I always have to question the actual "suck" vs the "I don't think it sounds like it says" or "That isn't an EXACT copy of a Twin Reverb!!!" or 'people just don't know how to set the knobs' factors. So I throw a cheap big on these every now and again just to do it. well - I won one - and what a nicely cared for one with power supply!!!!

I am gonna sit down and make some righteous tones with this. You may have heard me often say "That sound is preset #37 on a Digitech RPA".

Well - now we are gonna find out!!!!!

 

[Dudeman7]

Cool man! I used to have the bass version of that thing. It was pretty fun.

Zoom made something similar, the GFX-708 for guitar and the BFX-708 for bass. The bass one was my introduction to the world of effects. I sill have recordings of shows I played with that thing and I still have fond memories of that box.

 

[Aceman]

$26.00

In totally great shape!

 

[ehdwuld]

I have the big brother GNX3000
does it have the usb and software?
You can get updates on the website

 

[Aceman]

Bah! Who needs updates? I got this for the vintage kitschy factor.

I made a quick pass though the 200 presets. Quick observations:

[Nuclear Jackson > RP > Clean Channel of Peavey Express]


1. Can you say Over-effected? LOL
2. I have no idea what 7 Dust or Incubus should sound like (old man is old)
3. Some cool clean sounds!
4. A lot of the dirt channels sound the same
5. The Boogie sounds nothing like a Boogie
6. The Stack sounds not-very-stack
7. Acey & Angus sound pretty ok. I'd use the AC/DC sound live
8. Definitely 30 or so pretty good hard rock/metal tones in here

 

[Animal]

1. Can you say Over-effected? LOL

Out of the box they were set this way to "wow" guitar newbs at the guitar shop thinking they were getting the greatest deal on earth.

"Why pay thousands for multiple amps and pedals when I could have it all in this plastic unit for $150?"

That was my thinking also when I was a teenager at the time.

My friend had one of these back in the early '00s. While they are not completely unusable and were handy for direct recording, they sound fake as hell compared to any analogue guitar amp. My Peavey Rage 158 is a cheap practice amp with very limited options but 100% sounds more real than any of these old toys.

 

[Aceman]

Out of the box they were set this way to "wow" guitar newbs at the guitar shop thinking they were getting the greatest deal on earth.

Still, I owned a Boss ME-8. The presets all sucked. But I programmed some completely BAd@$$ tones;
- A Marshall sound that everyone loved
- VH 5150 tone that was spot on
- Ratt Invasion tones
- A bunch more....


I'm giving it a swing. I have always believed that most hate for these was from people that either expected spot-on models in those days, or didn't bother with the knobs because dumb/lazy.

I could be wrong though...the hate is strong on the intarweb for these!

 

[Animal]

Still, I owned a Boss ME-8. The presets all sucked. But I programmed some completely BAd@$$ tones

My cousin once lent me his ME-8. The presets are just wacky!

No manual, so I didn't know how the tweak the thing. I've read that the distortion/od/compressor are analogue, though can't be sure of that. It might be the reason you've been able to create some good tones out of yours. Also, Boss quality and probably not priced as an entry level product.

 

[Mincer]

For $26 its a deal. Not a penny more, though.

 

[Dudeman7]

Still, I owned a Boss ME-8. The presets all sucked. But I programmed some completely BAd@$$ tones;
- A Marshall sound that everyone loved
- VH 5150 tone that was spot on
- Ratt Invasion tones
- A bunch more....


I'm giving it a swing. I have always believed that most hate for these was from people that either expected spot-on models in those days, or didn't bother with the knobs because dumb/lazy.

I could be wrong though...the hate is strong on the intarweb for these!

Yeah, definitely have to take the time to dial in your own patches. There are some great sounding, very usable tones in that box.

I sold my Digitech to a bass player buddy close to 20 years ago. He still uses that thing in his recording rig with the patches I created way back before I sold it to him. In fact, he just sent me a couple songs he did this weekend.

In reality, I wouldn't expect that to replace a pedal board with pro level stomp boxes, but I do think those small, cheap multi effect processors can be useful.

 

[Hank-]

The Me8 did have analog drive circuitry while the rest of the fx were digital, the DigiTech unit however was all digital and those did sound very fake as far as distortion were concerned, no amount of tweaking would allow it to hold a candle against a cheap tube amp + boss bd2 back in the day, couple that with the plastic body enclosures made them seem like toys to most people. So that's probably where they got the hate from in the first place, bold marketing claims that didn't deliver.

 

[Aceman]

***ALL APOLOGIES: CORRECTIONS....ME-6!!!! But nearly the same thing. ME8 more memory/controls mostly

But dang - look at that thing?!?!?! How neat and clean is that layout?

 

[Aceman]

For $26 its a deal. Not a penny more, though.

Seriously?

I got the power adapter, the box, and the thing is ultra-clean.

 

[Mincer]

Seriously?

I got the power adapter, the box, and the thing is ultra-clean.

It isn't terrible. But it is a little like every model is the same with a slightly different EQ. It is a fun little pedal.

 

[ehdwuld]

if it has the USB port and the XEdit software you cna edit those presets from your desktop on a larger signal chain looking interface

if it doesn't have the software
its online with the update, grampa

EDIT
nevermind yorn aint got that

 

[eclecticsynergy]

My old Zoom 9030s use that hybrid arrangement, analog drive section plus digital EQ & effects.
Some of the drives were quite good running into a tube amp, though the unit wasn't up to being an amp sim on its own.
Still, they were a lot more usable than early 90s era digital OD & distortions.
I had one Yamaha mutiFX with drive tones that were laughably awful.

For $26 you can't really go wrong.
Besides, any pedal with a preset called WARCRY is okay in my book.
I used to have fun naming presets back in the day.

 

[LLL]

I'm sure it will make a great retro paperweight what with its 90's enclosure styling and 80's themed box cover art.

Play the presets forged by today's hottest guitarists

"Forged" even. Who knows? You might get as close to Eddie tone as you'll ever with this baby.

 

[Aceman]

I really don't think there is anything on this I couldn't have done with a DS1, A GE7, an SC1, and a DD3.

Well - there are - but then I ask myself "Why would I want to do that?"

Interesting as hell. I feel like a Sonic Indiana Jones knocking cobwebs off in search of the prize...

 

[Dudeman7]

I love how sounding like ass becomes totally acceptable if the price if low enough.

cough....Behringer......cough

 

[Dudeman7]

I'm sure it will make a great retro paperweight what with its 90's enclosure styling and 80's themed box cover art.



"Forged" even. Who knows? You might get as close to Eddie tone as you'll ever with this baby.

I remember seeing settings for the GNX Digitech processors printed at the top of the songs pages in one of the guitar magazines back in the day.

They were supposed to approximate the studio tones for the transcriptions in each issue.