The world of multi-effects processors has taken huge steps forward in recent years. Amplifier and effects pedal modeling technologies now give players creative options that were inconceivable just a few years ago. Not coincidentally, my first two multi-effects processors were both from DigiTech -- the “2101 Artist”, and the “2120 Artist” models. Both of these units were state of the art rack mount processors for their time, and with the “Control 1” it even gave a player some utility in gig situations.

The two biggest limitations that I found with early effects processors was the inability to control individual effects within a given patch, and the overall quality of the effects, especially distortion and compression. That said, most of the time-based effects such as reverb and delay were better sounding, and very usable in most cases.

While the DigiTech RP line has enjoyed much success in recent years, there were still a few unaddressed issues that have now been tackled by the engineers at DigiTech with the release of the RP1000. This new flagship of the RP Series boasts some innovative solutions to old multi-effects problems. It will definitely appeal to the professional players who still yearn for versatility but want to hold onto their individual effects pedal setups. First, let’s take a quick tour the RP1000’s control surfaces, and then I will cover a few of the newer features in a little more detail.

John 5 (John Lowrey) has built an impressive reputation for himself as a solo artist and as the guitar shredding foil to Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson. On first appearance, his goth/horror makeup, which predates and may have inspired the late Heath Ledger’s Joker image, belies some incredible chops that have earned accolades from musicians and artists of diverse musical genres and have been in demand from the likes of Les Paul, David Lee Roth, Rob Halford, Lita Ford, Salt-N-Pepa, k.d. lang, Leah Adreone, Static-X, The Scorpions, Paul Stanley, Meatloaf, Joe Satriani and many others.

John 5 is an excellent studio professional who originally started his career doing session work. His signature Fender Telecaster through a Marshall amp forms the backbone of his primary live sound. He recently contributed 40 personally programmed patches to Zoom, resulting in the Zoom G1J John 5 Signature Edition. It is identical to the standard Zoom G1 except that it’s blood red and the package includes a John 5 poster, guitar pick, and a John 5 greeting card.

I remember the room well. The crew from GuitarGearHeads.com were finishing up our long day at the 2008 NAMM show. We had just come out of a tour of Taylor Guitars and were thinking of making an early break to Outback to beat the rush. That was until I happened to see a bunch of action coming from the DigiTech room – they sure had a crowd so we wandered over to take a look.

As it turns out they were setting up for a demo of their new Vocalist pedal as well the new RP 500. For some reason, stuck over on the side of the room was a display of the forthcoming Hardwire™ series of stomp boxes.

What caught our eye about the Hardwire™ series was that these were SERIOUS stomp boxes. Fully professional, all-metal, precision machined workhorses. Although we didn’t have a chance to play them at the show, we were promised a crack at a few of these little gems.

Just a few weeks ago we published a review of the HT-2 Tuner and SC-2 Valve Distortion by John Seetoo. Gary Allen and I are following up on that review with a look at three more in the Hardwire™ line. I reviewed the DL-8 Delay/Looper and Gary looked at the CR-7 Stereo Chorus and the RV-7 Stereo Reverb. Read on for all the details!

It is amazing to me how quickly the world of multi-effects has evolved. I remember not too long ago (circa 2001) evaluating some of the current attempts at digital amp and effects modeling and thinking that they were OK for practice but the sound quality does not compare to separate stomp boxes.

In the past few years, however, multi-effects and amp modeling technologies have moved beyond what I would call "studio toys" into fully capable rigs. At the end of the day, it's hard to argue with the convenience of having tons of great amps and effects pre-programmed and instantly available in such a small package.

The level of competition in this area has been intense, which is great in that with each evolutionary cycle we keep seeing better sound quality and more features shoe-horned into these boxes. Depending on your style and needs there are some amazing options that come in all shapes and sizes.

Often overlooked in this market is Zoom. A Japanese company, they have been a mainstay in the guitar effects game since 1983 - with one of the earliest forays into computer based multi-effects being the Zoom 505 in 1996.

Zoom is distributed by Samson Technologies in the U.S., and I was fortunate to review their flagship product, the G9.2tt. The G9.2tt is a cutting edge multi-effects and amp simulator with some really cool features not to be found on other devices, such as the innovative Z-pedal and dual tube pre-amps. If you have missed the G9.2tt until now, you should read on to find out all the details!

There’s one thing that’s common to all electric guitarists – we are all looking for amazing sounds that ignite creative expression. The trouble is that everyone has an opinion on the producing the “best tone” and which pieces of gear will get you there fastest. Usually, opinions (particularly from the marketing types) start with the word “vintage” and have the word “tube” embedded somewhere in the copy.

But what if you are looking for something decidedly (and audibly) modern? I’m not talking about a modern piece of digital gear that emulates vintage tone. I mean a modern piece of gear puts a different edge on classic effects. For the most part, approaches to date have taken the former approach rather than the latter.

Recently, I blogged about a relatively new company called Source Audio marketing a series of pedals called Soundblox. The intent of this new line was, in fact, to leverage the full extent of modern digital signal processing to inject a fresh perspective on the most commonly used effects. There are four stomp boxes in this line: the Multiwave Distortion, the Tri-Mod Wah, the Tri-Mod Phaser, and the Tri-Mod Flanger. Following my blog post, Source Audio sent me the Multiwave Distortion to conduct a hands-on review.

The short version of the review is that I really liked this pedal – it definitely adds new energy in the often formula driven distortion realm. If you are looking for a Marshall®-sounding “stack in a box”, then I suggest that this pedal is probably not what you are looking for; however, if you want something fresh and a little askew of center, then read on because the Multiwave brings the goods. Read on for all the details!

When the StompIO was featured this year by IK Multimedia at the Winter NAMM show, I knew that this was definitely one of the products I wanted to spend time reviewing – and given the excitement around the IK booth, I certainly wasn’t the only one interested! For those of you living under a rock, the StompIO is a hardware/software combination from the makers of AmpliTube that leverages a new floor based controller to compliment IK’s expanding selection of award winning series of software modeling processors.

The AmpliTube framework from IK Multimedia has become a standard for digital studio work, among many solid competitors such as Line 6’s Amp Farm, Digidesign’s Eleven, and Native-Instruments’ Guitar Rig 3. I have been impressed with IK’s offerings ever since I was introduced to an LE version of Amplitube bundled with Mackie Tracktion 2. Following that experience, I wrote favorably last year about IK’s updated AmpliTube 2 and their groundbreaking Ampeg SVX software for bass.

Hey, I’m admittedly a “gearhead” – so I love to tinker with the old and the new. But if you are looking for new sounds and sources of inspiration it just makes sense dollar, space, and time wise to invest in good amp and effect modeling software. Imagine being able to access hundreds great sounding effects, amplifiers, cabs and microphones on a single box and reliably carry it all from studio to gig and back. Furthermore, these modelers interface directly with nearly all digital recording interfaces such as Tracktion, Pro Tools, Logic, Garage Band, Cubase, and others – making your DAW life much simpler.

IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube, as one of pioneers in this area, represents one of the superior digital modeling products in its class. However, because it involved a computer as the core interface I couldn’t see how AmpliTube could legitimately be used on stage and provide the same level of feel and control as an “old school” rig. The StompIO was built to change the equation and does not disappoint. While I don’t advocate throwing away your old pedal board just yet, read on to find out why I think the StompIO is an incredibly compelling product that could finally set the stage for computer based amplification.

Zoom might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think “killer guitar effects”, and George Lynch might not receive top billing on the "guitar god" charts; but the two have combined to create a new special edition of the G2 effects processor, the G2G “Mr. Scary”.

You might not know who George Lynch is, and to be honest I didn’t know much about him either before I received the new G2G from Zoom. Between me not having much knowledge about the guitarist, and the fact the pedal was made by a company I’ve had poor experience with in the past, I wasn’t expecting much.

Good thing I’m wrong sometimes. And this time, I was really wrong. Read on and you’ll find I’ve changed my tune quite a bit.


(Editors Note: George Lynch is "old school" metal. He won a Grammy for his playing with Dokken, baby - that's good stuff! http://www.georgelynch.com/)

If you’re like most acoustic guitarists, you want to get the most out of the things you own. Some acoustic guitarists think this means having lots of knobs, others think the simpler the better. Many acoustic guitarists search their whole lives to find a miracle piece of gear that will make their favorite acoustic shine like the best out there.

And then the people at BBE gave us the Acoustimax preamp, in an attempt to help us find that magical piece of gear. What is it, you ask? Well here’s feature list, and we’ll go from there, explaining what it does and what makes it so special.

The modern era of guitar playing has gradually ushered in a constant debate around the relative merits of having a collection of dedicated stomp boxes versus multi-effects (or some mix thereof!). Arguments on both sides tend to revolve around: versatility, optimal tone, realistic tone, analog vs. solid state, pre-amp or effects loop, signal chain, signal degradation, noise, reliability, convenience, programmability and portability.

Early versions of multi-effects were, frankly, high on convenience and low on tone. As multi-effects have evolved, so has their complexity. Players have demanded more features and better tone and companies have delivered. For some products, the sheer number of features and minute aspects of emulation have at best become overkill and at worst has begun to negate ease-of-use advantages.

Furthermore, some of these multi-effects produce great tone in some areas and “not-so-good” tone in other areas. For instance, it may have great distortion but terrible modulation. This may require you to use both a multi-effects unit and separate pedals anyway. Reliability is also a specter. With a traditional pedal board, if something breaks you can unhook it (or not) and play on, albeit maybe sans your favorite effect. However, if your multi-effects goes out and you lose all your patches, you are in a world of hurt if you don’t have a backup.

We have recently received a first salvo of multi-effects pedals from Damage Control that do a wonderful job of bringing all of the wonderful qualities of the analog and digital worlds together. In this review we are taking a look at the Glass Nexus Crystal Effects and the Timeline Multi-Dimensional Delay. The short version is that we are sold, but you have to read-on for the details!