Members Polygamy16 Posted December 21, 2003 Members Share Posted December 21, 2003 I've seen posts throughout my stay at harmony central but only till recently have I taken interest in the G-Major unit but the search function has provided nothing for my efforts. My question is, what's the basic rundown on the G Major? I currently have a boss bf-3[Flanger] and boss Ph-3[Phaser] and Danelectro cool cat chorus and I want to replace the pedals in lieu of the G major since I'd have the option doing complete parameter changes in a footstep as oppose to having to dial in different settings for each song that requires a slightly modded sound compared to the last. Would any options/reliability/audio quality/simplicity be lost from switching from 3 pedals to the g-major. From what I have caught was that there are other rackmount effects that provide a cleaner signal but my stipulations for a unit are, I just need a reverb,chorus,flanger/phaser unit that is well suited for live applications(seamless swtiching) that's less than 400(ebay). I'm pretty sure the g-major is suited for my needs but I'd like to see if there is anything I haven't considered if/when I do the switch. Thanks in advance, peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz/Rock Posted December 21, 2003 Members Share Posted December 21, 2003 You haven't thought about a midi controller. For your budget, a Behringer FCB1010 would fit your setup. The down side is that the G Major is a line level unit, not an instrument level pedal-like setup. Also, its only worth it if you have a serial loop on your amp. If you're in a paralell setup, the G Major isn't the unit for you. IMHO, the G Major is better than anything else on the market becuase of a lot of factors, not just one little thing. But Rocktron has a unit that might meet your requirements, and has a ducking delay. I never fully checked out the Rocktron stuff. You can't spend 5 mins with a unit and get an answer. THe TC sounded better for me, but I'm sure the Rocktron could have been as good. But the customer service at TC Electronic is beyond great. They really backup their equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Polygamy16 Posted December 21, 2003 Author Members Share Posted December 21, 2003 I have a midi floor board and my mesa midi matrix accepts both instrument level and line level inputs which feed into my serial Mark IV effect loop. . . The only reason I leave out the delay requirement is because I have a boss dd-20 so it's the other factors that mean something to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jazz/Rock Posted December 22, 2003 Members Share Posted December 22, 2003 Didn't get your setup in the original post, but I often read just the main topics. Anyway, my .02 cents. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Amory_tarr Posted December 22, 2003 Members Share Posted December 22, 2003 You might also want to look at the Kurzweil Mangler. It uses the same algorithms as its older-brother (KSP8) at a really affordable price. Can be found on ebay for ~$400-$450 new. Amory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NalaRegeork Posted December 22, 2003 Members Share Posted December 22, 2003 You might want to consider the TC G-Force instead of the G-Major I found the Line Level issue to be bothersome and ended up getting a splitter/buffer to assist in maintaining appropriate levels (not really what you are supposed to do) Ideally it would be best to use a G-Major in an effects loop but, I had other conflicting devices already using the EFX Loop and chose the buffer instead. I recently got rid of my G-Major and went to a TC Fireworx instead but, this is because I liked the quality of TC's effects so much that I wanted more. The Fireworx doesn't have any of the line level issues of the G-Major it is a little sluggish about patch changes but, it does do amazing trippy synth sounds real well, well enough to tolerate the sluggishness of the patch change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flat Fifth Fury Posted December 22, 2003 Members Share Posted December 22, 2003 The G-Major will do the trick but the thing to keep in mind when first going to rack processors from pedals is that the rack processor won't sound just like your favorite pedals. The G-Major will have good sounding effects but they will have a different "character" than the ones that you have already selected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Polygamy16 Posted December 22, 2003 Author Members Share Posted December 22, 2003 The only thing that semi concerns me is this line level ordeal; does anybody have a link or the time to do a quick run down on the significance perhaps in my particular situation? It's going in the fx loop in a patch of a unit that is capable of accepting line level inputs; what am I not considering? I'm currently not really devoted to the sounds I get out of my pedals now but for no other reason than I haven't spent a whole lot of time adjusting them(the phaser and flanger mainly) so changing my "signature" sound isn't much of a big deal. I'm not really after "trippy" sounds, just some effects that are tastefull and very useable. . .trippy is just a bonus:-) As for the G-Force, I'm looking for new sounds but not enough to warrant a $900+ purchase to replace something I already have*thumbs down*. . .I'd rather walk my lazy ass to my rig and manually twist some knobs at that price:-) The G-major looks good, I'm just interested in knowing if it will suit my needs based on how it has suited your needs. . .what's a "good" price for a near new unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members friendobill Posted December 22, 2003 Members Share Posted December 22, 2003 Poly, I own a Gmajor and run it through the serial loop of my Roadking and it works flawlessley. Becuase you're going to run it in the loop, you need not worry about the line level issue. I used to own a Mark4 and ran the Gmajor in it's loop as well. For what you're trying to do, it will be hard to find a better processor at that price point. It even has a compressor and tuner! I switch channels on my amp with a CFX4 and send the midi thru to the Gmajor. I'm using an All Access for a foot controller so I can turn on/off individual effects using midi cc messages but many other foot controllers will send midi cc. Is the chorus as good as the 8 voice Intellifex? - no. Are the effects as warm and analog sounding as your stomp boxes? - no. Is it worth getting rid of the noise and hassle of stomp boxes for an all-in-one unit? - you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Polygamy16 Posted December 22, 2003 Author Members Share Posted December 22, 2003 Thanks friendobill, that's just the kind of reply I'm looking for:-) Now if anybody else had a similar situation or agree/disagree I'd appreciate a post. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sdramsey Posted December 22, 2003 Members Share Posted December 22, 2003 Originally posted by Flat Fifth Fury The G-Major will do the trick but the thing to keep in mind when first going to rack processors from pedals is that the rack processor won't sound just like your favorite pedals. The G-Major will have good sounding effects but they will have a different "character" than the ones that you have already selected. I'll have to agree with Flat Fifth Fury here... I had a G-Major for a bit and although I found it to be rather neat with all of the high quality effects and their endless amouts of adjustable parameters and routing, in the end I decided that it just made my tone flat. I went back to stomp boxes and am very happy. On my board I have: DD-3, DD-5 w/ tap tempo, TR-2 trem, T.C. electronics SCF (chorus, flange, phase), Crybaby 535Q, and Ernie Ball Volume pedal. I couldn't be happier to be rid of the G-Major. I've got my tone back. *all above references to "tone" of course are according to my personal preference. No offence to anyone here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members friendobill Posted December 23, 2003 Members Share Posted December 23, 2003 Regarding tone, it's true there is some tone loss when the signal is converted from analog to digital which is why many players prefer a parallel loop over series. Is it noticable in the studio? - yes. Is it noticable live? - no. The Replifex has a built-in parallel circuit path and many of the effects are warmer than the Gmajor. I own both and prefer some of the Replifex sounds over the Gmajor. You can pick up a Replifex for around $225.00 (ebay). Also keep in mind that unless your stomp boxes are true-bypass they're sucking even more tone even when they're off. The ideal set-up would be to use both digital and analog effects through a loop switcher and mixer and run some effects pre-preamp and some in a paralell loop. I guess it all comes down to how much money you have to spend and how big a rack you want to move around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Polygamy16 Posted December 23, 2003 Author Members Share Posted December 23, 2003 I have a 12space rack with about 2-3 spots open so the rack is there and I've got enough funds to cover a g-major or cheaper. . .I think I'll do a little reasearch on the replifex to see what it's all about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rai168 Posted December 24, 2003 Members Share Posted December 24, 2003 Yea if you are looking for a deep wooshing like the pedals you are used to the g Major won't do it. I agree the best combo is analog pedals w some rack fx. The Intellifex DOES have a nice warm flanger and phaser from what I heard. However IMO nothing tops TC Delay, reverb, and chorus...mixed w the right pedals or a mod pro..forget it - just my $.02... Rai // www.DatsMusic.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ted Copulate Posted December 26, 2003 Members Share Posted December 26, 2003 I'm also using a G-Major with a Mark IV and after a little tweaking the levels weren't a problem. You just have to change the input level setting from "pro" to "consumer" and then you'll be fine, don't worry about that. So then yes, it's just a matter of taste or not. The chorus is actually pretty similar to my Boss pedal, but chorus is supposed to sound cold. So far (I've only had it for a week) I've had difficulties getting the phaser to sound warm, so I think I might keep my MXR phase 90. But for everything else besides flanger (which I don't like so I don't use it but people have said it's not that great) the G-Major is fantastic. Hell, just having the delay after the preamp makes it worth it. I mean, keep in mind this is a budget unit but as far as I've heard it's one of the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rai168 Posted December 26, 2003 Members Share Posted December 26, 2003 Very good point Ted - it is a budget unit but for the money it can't be beat IMO...well put my man... Rai // www.DatsMusic.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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