Best Sounding Digitech Pedal?RP350 vs GNX3000?

vejichan · February 2008

Hey everybody.

i need some advice? i am looking to buy a modeler for home use for practicing with occasional gigs plug into the PA. I am not much of a tweeker. so the less options the better. but i still want quality tone.
THe music i play are dream theater/van halen/eric johnson/SRV/metallica. I am looking for a unit that will give me those sounds.

so far i narrow it to
1)digitech RP350 or RP250
2)digitech GNX3000
3)Digitech GNX4

which of these units is the easiest to use and best sounding?

thanks

Mickster · February 2008

At this stage, you might also want to be considering the newer RP500 and the GSP-1101 (with optional foot controller).

I am already completely happy with my GNX4 with the www.mfxsupermodels.com but I'm not sure about using this unit on stage because if you accidentally 'stomp' in the wrong area, you can do some damage. I just had to repair a button on the recorder keypad.

Mickster

ednrg · February 2008

I would think that sound is subjective. I would take a trip to the local Guitar Center (or other music store) and try them out yourself to find out which one YOU feel sounds better.

bluesland · February 2008

Try and listen as much modelers you can before you make a decision, every unit has its pros and cons, then, go for the one that better fits your needs.

jamminmj · March 2008

Besides which one you think sounds better, How much computer and audio skills do you have? The higher end GNX units require quite abit of both to get the most out of them. As some of the recent post's indicate,
many people lack either one or both and are very frustrated and in over their abilities. If you want to plug into an amp and go and lack patience, you might want to go with a lower end and simpler device. If you have computer and audio skills and want to expand your knowledge, go for the most you can afford and get the best bang for the buck. Food for thought.

istomisgood · March 2008

For me the easier unit to use is the GNX3000. I don't own the others, making them very difficult to operate.

GuitarKidd · March 2008

One thing to remember.

GNX4 is old hardware and software.

GNX3000 is new than the GNX4 and for most it is the better sounding than the GNX4. I own the GNX3000 and love it.

The new RP series are new hardware - Audio DNA2 chip - weather this is better than the GNX3000, not sure. However the RP's are getting very good reviews. I would go with the RP350. The XLR outputs and the extra models and effects are worth it.

But also think that since the GNX3000 is getting fazed you can probably get a nice used one with the Supermodels disc for about the same price of an RP350.

Or wait for the RP500. Same technology as the RP350. Some of the models are supposed to have been tweaked a little compared to it's sister RP models. But it is going to be bundled with Cubase LE and will also have direct USB connectivity ect.. However it is missing the drum machine and a couple of other features...

Read up, play up, and decide what you think will be best.

iliace · March 2008

Here is my opinion. I have owned and used extensively GNX3, GNX4, and GNX3000 (my current option). I've also had a brief stint with RP250 (gave it to one of my students), and currently own but rarely use a GSP1101 (without the footswitch as of yet). I also have the supermodel disks for GNX3 and GNX3000. Furthermore, I've compared these to the Line 6 POD Pro (original non-XT), the Roger Linn Design AdrenaLinn 2, Vox AD50VT, and a Korg AX1500G - all of which I own or have owned at one point.

(How's that for building credibility?)

As far as \"best-sounding\", I will venture to say... GNX3000. However, you say you're not much of a tweaker - and that's the catch. While I found GNX3000 sounding great right out of the box (I can still hear my jaw dropping first time I turned it on to compare to GNX4 which was my mainstay at the time), I have done sooooo much tweaking and adjusting to get the sounds I want. I have the supermodels, and STILL I tweak - particularly for unique sounds in certain songs, or for recording sessions where I want a very specific effect. If you just want it for practice, man... plug and go, it sounds very nice.

A comparable option is the RP250 (or RP350 which I assume sounds the same). It involves MUCH less tweaking - in fact, you can't do nearly as much tweaking on it as you can on GNX3000 and earlier, because the Warp option is not available for amp tones. This is also the reason there never will be a Supermodels for it, unless Digitech decides to open up the technology to MT ProSound for this specific purpose (or somebody else hacks it). The RPs do sound good - better than you might expect of a pedal of its profile - certainly worlds apart from the old RP200-RP300, etc. They also exhibit more dynamics in their waveform, when recorded, compared to GNX3000, indicating that the RPs (and GSP1101 as well) will pay a bit more attention to your picking dynamics and guitar volume settings.

As far as effects, the RPs (RP350 and 500 more so than the others) have a little more to offer than GNX3000. GSP1101 has even more, and it has flexibility to boot. Where amp tones are concerned, besides what's built in, none come close to GNX4 or GNX3000 have to offer.

I am seriously considering at this point, using GNX3000 for my amp sounds, and the GSP1101 for the other effects - since the latter offers that flexibility. With the new Control 2, it just might be the ticket for me.

Doadman · May 2008

A quick question for anyone who knows on the GSP1101 as I'm curious. I notice from the website that they say the GSP1101 doesn't take away from the tone of your own amp. If that's true, how can it possibly successfully model other amps in the way my GNX3000 does? Furthermore, I'm currently in the process of buying a Power Engine to use with my GNX so would that mean that the PE would be useless if used with a GSP1101 because the whole point of the thing is that it has no 'tone' of its own?

iliace · May 2008

That's not exactly what it says, but yes, that can be done. You can run your GSP in front of an amp, with the stompbox modeling before amp, then have it come back from amp into the GSP for modulation, reverb, delay etc. Or, you can have modulation in line with the stompbox before the amp. In either of these setups you would turn off the amp modeling on the GSP itself.

My preferred usage is same as I would do with a GNX. I plug into the GSP, have it run all effects including amp modeling and cab modeling, out to a PA speaker. That's what you're doing with the Power Engine, in essence.

Doadman · May 2008

Thanks for the answer, that clarifies the position a lot. So is the GSP1101 the nearest thing to a replacement for a GNX3000? The only other unit that seemed possible is the RP500 but that looks to be a little more limited than the GNX3K

iliace · May 2008

GSP is similarly limited. Limited in the way of amp models - no warping, single amp channel per preset, etc - but expanded in other areas. For instance, you have the variable placement of the effects section; you can have a global cabinet model assigned; the effects chain is more accessible (you can have an outboard preamp, outboard power amp, or both); and so forth.

So, in other words, there is no replacement for GNX3000 per se. Why are you trying to replace yours?

Doadman · May 2008

Not yet but the time will come and it seems that Digitech don't want to follow that route anymore. It's a great shame because the GNX3000 is a really good guitar tool for someone looking for an intuitive all in one solution and compares very favourably to others on the market. I tried them all and overall nothing could touch the GNX3K. Sure, the Boss GT8 has zillions of effects and the Vox has more genuine tube warmth to the sound but as a complete package neither could touch the Digitech in my opinion.

Best Sounding Digitech Pedal?RP350 vs GNX3000?

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