New FX gear - Digitech GSP-1101 + Control 2 - initial impressions

Mid-way through last year I'd just about sworn off all-in-one digital effects units... everything on the market seemed to suck too much tone (e.g., Boss GT-8), be too flexibile and therefore overly complicated (e.g., Lexicon MPX-G2), or be a bit too simplistic (e.g., Vox Tonelab SE). So I ended up getting out of the rack business altogether, building a pedalboard with a handful of relatively high-end pedals. But it wasn't long before I got tired of the tap-dancing game, which thankfully was about the same time the Digitech GSP1101 was announced. Looked extremely cool on paper (esp. with its promise to "not suck tone"), and the price-point seemed to indicate a happy medium between complexity and simplicity. At Winter NAMM '08 Digitech released the corresponding Control 2 footcontroller, and then I knew I'd have to give the GSP1101 a shot.

The GSP1101 marks the return to rack-mounted guitar processors for Digitech. I was a bit nostalgic, perhaps, because my first effects box was the original Digitech GSP21 Legend, which after several years I upgraded to the GSP2101 Artist. I sold that when I got a Johnson JM150, which was basically a GSP2112 mated to a power amp and speakers. I think I even had a GSP2120 at some point in time. Needless to say, I've had my fair share of Digitech rack gear over the years and thus had pretty high hopes/expectations for the GSP1101.

From a features standpoint, the GSP1101 is pretty loaded... 30+ amp, 20+ cabinet, 20+ stompbox, and 40+ effects models; XLR and headphone outs for direct recording; USB interface and X-Edit software for recording and modifying patches; and full MIDI implementation. The most cool feature, IMO, is implementation for 4-cable method, which allows certain effects (compressor, wah, overdrive) to be placed in front of the preamp and time-based effects (delay, reverb) to be placed post-preamp (or in the effects loop). This was the best feature of the Lexicon MPX-G2, but the GSP1101 has a simpler (easier to configure) implementation. And compared to the Boss GT-8's four-cable method implementation, much less prone to tone suckage. After wiring the GSP1101 into the rack (signal flow: guitar -> Axess BS2 -> GSP1101 input -> Egnater M4 -> GSP1101 return -> VHT 2/50/2) I walked through the "setup wizard"... it asked half a dozen questions to help configure the correct routing and levels. It worked perfectly the first time, and I was almost immediately up & running with the M4 in the GSP1101's loop. Very cool! Here's a pic of the GSP1101 installed in the rack...



The Control 2 has some cool tricks, too... it uses a proprietary communication protocol over CAT5 cable, which allows for 2-way communication between the rack & floor (so preset names and the tuner are accessible from the floor display). Granted, this isn't new to Digitech gear, but it's nice to use a readily available CAT5 cable instead of the GSP2101's non-MIDI-over-MIDI-cable implementation or the GSP21's completely proprietary cable. The built-in expression pedal has a toe-switch, so it engages like a real wah pedal. Plus there is support for a second expression pedal--I plugged in an EB volume pedal (using the EB's OUT jack) and it was recognized and functioning immediately. Of all the controllers I've owned over the years, the Control 2 feels the most durable... the switches and expression pedal have a very solid feel that inspires confidence. Short of spilling a beer into it at rehearsal, I doubt there's anything I could do to seriously damage it. Here's a pic of the Control 2 with the attached EB volume pedal...



At this point, I haven't had a lot of time to explore the tones, although I did check out several of the built-in models and the first impression was positive... the amp models sounded more realistic than the Boss GT-8 and Behringer V-AMP models, on par with the quality of the Vox Tonelab models. But in all honesty, I didn't buy this for amp & cab models (though I may use it for the occasional scratch or demo track in the studio). My goal is to use the GSP1101 primarily as an effects box with the M4 as a tone generator. Again, initial impressions here are positive.. the GSP1101 doesn't seem to mess with the tone or dynamics of the M4, but time will tell... I'm spending the afternoon today creating some patches and will get a chance to try them out at Necessary Distraction practice tomorrow. By then I'll have a much better understanding of both feel and tone quality.

So overall, at this point at least, I'm extremely impressed with the GSP1101 from a bang-for-the-buck perspective... It's all good when it comes to routing flexibility, transparency, model/effect quality, ease-of-use, and perceived durability. Almost too good to be true?!? We'll see... stay tuned for more updates as I start building patches for the M4 rig.

--B