Rack mounted Effetcts

[mARKw]

Hi

I have started looking for rack mounted effects units. Any Suggestions.?

I don't think I can afford the GForce or GSystem unfortunately - they look pretty sweet.

Does the G Major have no wah or is there a way to set it up to get a wah effect with an expression pedal?

What rack effects are you running ??

Cheeers
mARK

 

[paleamberglow]

I just ordered a Boss GT-Pro rackmount processor. I've had my eye on it for a while and when the price came down recently I decided to get one. I'll post my thoughts on it once it gets here. You should also look into the rocktron xpression and the tc electronic g major. I haven't tried either one but they seem to be the best ones available in your price range.

 

[JamesD]

I've never really run rackmount effects, i like the personal feeling from pedals, but i have heard great things about the Rocktron.

 

[nocluejimbo]

You can set up a pseudo-wah sound using filter sweep controlled by expression pedal, but no multi-effect wah will sound right since they have to be used in the effects loop.

 

[mARKw]

Cheers dudes.

I can't wait for your review of the gt-pro.

 

[paleamberglow]

well i've had the GT-Pro for a couple of days and I must say I like it a lot so far. in my opinion it doesn't color the sound too much, unless you use an insane amount of effects at one time. some people said it just murders your tone and they didn't like it because of that, so i was pleasantly surprised to find out it doesn't do that to my sound. i bought it mainly for chorus , delay, and reverb and it does a great job with all three, just as good if not better than my boss pedals. i've also tried out the phaser , flanger , ring modulator, tremolo, and compressor and they all sound good for a multi fx processor. i wish the compressor had a built in gate but there is a noise supressor you can use so its not a big issue. there are a few really cheesy effects that i'll never use, like the 'guitar synth' and sitar emulator. i haven't tried the amp control functions yet ( i have an axess electronics CFX4 for switching my mark iv channels through MIDI). I noticed there is a slight delay between changing patches if you go backwards (like from patch 10 to 1), but its not a big deal. i've only noticed it with certain patches so it might have something to do with how i have them configured. the patch editing / librarian software is very cool and makes editing your sounds very easy. I haven't used the amp modeling at all yet, but i will be using it when I record. i'm sure it will make a great preamp for direct recording. one thing i thought was odd about the gt pro is that the AC cord doesnt have a ground plug, its just a 2 prong delta plug. maybe they did that to cut down on noise? i noticed that the GT pro adds a little bit of operating noise to my signal, but i guess that's to be expected. all in all it does what i want it to do, it doesn't kill my tone, and it does the effects i use the most very well so i think i will keep it.

 

[trendkill1168]

I had a Rocktron Xpression and although it had a ton of effects that sounded pretty good it was just too damned adjustable for me. I found myself tweaking it more than I was playing. Sold it and went back to pedals. I like being able to turn 2 or 3 knobs and get what I'm looking for right away. If you don't mind that much versatility and are pretty saavy with MIDI then the Xpression is pretty nice for the money. I would recommend that or the TC Electronics G-Major. If you are using the Midimate with the Xpression you have the option of purchasing the Hex Expression pedal for it but it does not have a wah effect. I bought the Hex with mine to use for pitch shifting.

 

[E_R]

paleamberglow
Are you using the gt-pro in your mark's effects loop?

 

[paleamberglow]

yes, in the fx loop.

 

[scottkahn]

I've owned a G-Major for years. Great for chorus, delay, and reverb, but it's in the effects loop of my amp so for things like wah and flanger, it isn't very good.

 

[mARKw]

I think I might end up getting a G Major controlled by some kind of foot controller but put a wah between guitar and preamp. (I have an old dunlop wah - which needs servicing)

I don't know if I'll really need an expression pedal.. it would be handy i.e fun to muck around on. I suppose there is nothing stopping me getting a foot controller with expression pedals and have a wah sitting next to it.

Does anyone use an expression pedal very much - if so, what do you control?

Cheers

 

[scottkahn]

I use the Boss FC-200 with the G-Major. It has one expression pedal. I have used it for wah-ish sounds on occasion, but mostly for use with digital delays to adjust the level or repeats.

Putting a wah between your guitar and amp is definitely the right way to go for that effect.

 

[mARKw]

Cheers Scottkahn. I checked out that musicplayers.com link. What a cool site, especially for someone like me trying to piece a rack together. I really liked the round up of midi foot controllers. Cheers.

 

[chedgeco]

I have a G-major and I use the expression pedal for the global output. With a series effects loop this gives an on the fly master volume control.

Chris... 8)

 

[scottkahn]

Cheers Scottkahn. I checked out that musicplayers.com link. What a cool site, especially for someone like me trying to piece a rack together. I really liked the round up of midi foot controllers. Cheers.

Thanks Markw! We're working hard at it. The current state of print magazines for serious musicians is pretty weak (in our opinion) and most web sites are communities like this (the good ones) or free-for-all-spamfests (no need to name names), but there's not much professionally published pro-level content online, so we decided it was a good niche to fill. Happily, people are getting into what we're doing.

Obviously by now you've seen me around this site because I'm a Boogie player, though truth be told I own a few other amps as well (not counting the gear we test). A few other people on our team also love Boogie gear, but we try not to all hang out in the same places online as each other -- spread the love, I suppose .

Glad you like our rack coverage. I'm actually in the process of doing a comparative review of the G-Major and G-Force so that players can really understand the differences between them, and we will continue to add reviews of MIDI foot controllers and other pro gear.

Scott