G Major vs Rocktron Xpression!

[BigMesa]

Any thoughts on the two? I am looking at selling all my Boss pedals and going to a rack FX. Trying to find the best one for my dollar is proving to be a headache. If you have either please post pros, cons, and ease of use.

Also what other rack items are really good to have? I know a power conditioner and an EQ but what else? Thanks.

 

[pjrake]

i'm about to get rid of my xpression and go back to pedals. however, i'll slowly begin upgrading all my pedals. basically the pedals i want to upgrade are overdrive, delay, reverb, and chorus.

the xpression is good, but i feel that's it's too much gear to carry around since you still need some sort of pedalboard and with either a 4U or 6U rack it's just too much for me for the type of places i play.

 

[6L6C]

I also have an Xpression bang for the buck pretty good unit, I’m still playing with it myself hard to give you an in-depth review, I would try a few things for sure to be honest I just bought this on a whim. I do love the preset spillover that’s now a must for me no matter which way I go.
Things to consider if going rack, some rack for sure, midi pedal board of some sort, I would not worry about an EQ.
My current setup is a Mark IV, 4 space rack with (Furman power conditioner, Dunlop rack mount wah, Xpression, Rockman Octopus) the Octopus takes care of all channel switching on my amp via midi. I use a Rocktron All Access to control the whole rig. The All Access is phantom powered through the Xpression (7 pin midi cable)

If you can don’t sell your pedals so quickly! I did this during the early 90’s and past few years have been collecting pedals again. Although I don’t use them live I do like to use them in the studio, mostly some sort of drive pedal, just to get a different sound once in a while.
BTW it only takes me 3 min’s or so to put my rig together

 

[BigMesa]

Well my pedals are nothing fancy. Just chorus/delay/reverb/noise gate/compression/eq/tuner and all BOSS pedals. I think I could sell them all, but a rack system and upgrade to some better stuff as well.

 

[scottkahn]

The G-Major has consistently been one of the most popular processors in guitar rigs because it a) sounds great for chorus/delay/reverb effects, b) is very easy to program, and c) is dirt cheap for the quality of the sound.

There are others who swear by their Rocktron gear, though.

If you want to read a review of the G-Major, G-Force, and some other gear, start here:

http://www.musicplayers.com/reviews/guitars/2007/0307_TCElectronic_G.php

Don't forget that if you make this switch, you'll also need to invest in a MIDI foot controller. If you're new to that, too, here's a good tutorial and buyer's guide to start:

http://www.musicplayers.com/tutorials/guitars/2006/0306_MIDIFootControllers.php

If you're a BOSS Pedal lover, you might want to consider the BOSS GT-Pro:

http://www.musicplayers.com/reviews/guitar_bass/2006/0306_BOSSGTpro.php

Personally, I've used a G-Major in numerous Marshall and Mesa/Boogie rigs and been happy with everything other than filter and wah effects, because those sound best in front of your amp, but the G-Major sounds best in your effects loop, where chorus/delay/reverb sound fantastic.

Scott

 

[scottkahn]

Also what other rack items are really good to have? I know a power conditioner and an EQ but what else? Thanks.

Forget the EQ -- that's a waste. If you have a good guitar amp, this is just another noise-creating device you don't need to use.

Power conditioner -- great idea. Plug your amp into the back of it.

Also, when you get a rack, get one with a few more spaces than you need and leave it empty on the bottom:
1. raises the height of your gear, making it easier to adjust your processor(s).
2. leave cables plugged into the rack gear, you just unplug them from your amp, roll them up, and stash them in the bottom of the rack for easy access and setup/teardown.